It's A Scrapful Life: February

Greetings!  I am getting things organized over here and boy do I like making lists!!  I saw Judy's POST about listmaking last month and I knew I had to join up. You list the 4 things you want to accomplish for the month.  It shortens my UFO list to give me focus.

So Getting it Done:

1.  Sugar Block Club, Block 2
2.  Craftsy BOM, Block 1 & 2
3.  Legacy Sampler, BOM Block 5
4.  Complete Easy Street Quilt Lap Quilt

I hope to:

1.  Finish February Scrap Project
2.  Finish January Scrap Project
2.  Finish 2 additional UFO's

So I am also back with my own challenge for February.  I still have some of that fabric left over from a binge on Moda Scrap Bags a couple of years ago, so I endeavor to find something to do with them.   Here is my challenge for February to myself:

1933 by Chloe's Closet (A Moda Line)

What are your suggestions?  Okay, now your turn, shop your stash and scraps, what will you challenge yourself with this month?  Don't forget to link your finished projects up to the Flickr group:  A Scrapful Life

I have not been great about adding pictures of my progress on my January Project, but they will be added later today.  I am getting close to having this one completed!  I am also very excited because instead of purchasing fabric for the sash for Z's Birthday Dress, I found something that would work from my Stash! [see pictures HERE]

*Shanna

Another Lustful Fabric Moment

Have you ever had a fabric line that follows you around?  I mean everywhere I turn I see little snippets of this line named Simply Color [From Moda by V and Co.] and I actually like it and I think I am starting to fall in love with it!  Even whilst I am trying to clear out my own stash I cannot seem to help drooling for these lovely prints...

Do you think my husband will get the subtle hint that I might want some of this lovely fabric for my birthday if I post pictures of a Fat Quarter set all over the house?  Lets see and I will let you know...

Perhaps I should just link this blog post on his facebook page...lol.  I mean he has until the end of March and then on to our Anniversary in April!  Unless I go strictly with the PB&J line (POST HERE)

* Shanna

UFO/WIP 5

Well I am pleased that I am making progress on some things but let em be honest, I really need a completed project to make me feel a little better!  It will be a bit before I can pick up more batting so the finished tops do not count until they are quilted and bound with nothing left to do on them.  You can see the full UFO/WIP List I am going off for the Finish-a-long first quarter (with pictures) HERE--to be updated next week!!. So lets get some clothing items completed this week!

Playdate Dress:  I had forgotten about this dress until I was organizing

[Updated: 01/30/2013, new pictures added of Z's Birthday dress]

Z's Birthday Dress:  Bodice is mostly completed, skirt is pinned and fitted to space, Sash is completed.    

Z's Birthday Dress:  A close up of the finished Sash by the cut skirt fabric

 When I pulled the left over yardage out I figured out there was enough to cut the same dress for Z's older Cousin!  She has a birthday this summer, but for now we are just making her a coordinating dress!  I used some of the pink yard I bought a couple of weeks ago for the lining and Sash for her dress.  I haven't decided on if I will use a Zipper, Snaps, buttons or velcro.  What do you think works best for a child?  My husband is voting Zipper for Z, but she is turning 2, her cousin is 5 this summer.  Oh, I was so excited that at the last minute I decided not to order the Sashing fabric because I happened to spy the fabric above in my Stash as I was passing by.  I have all the containers open, lidless, and leaning against the wall to iron, fold and organize any yardage that has meandered out of their place or new items I may have purchased in the past couple of years that are just floating around my craft area.  I have to remember to shop my Stash more often!!

C2's Dress:  Bodice is Assembled, Skirt is cut, Sash is complete, waiting on measurements for length

I am linking up to:

2013 Finish-a-long hosted by Leanne @She Can Quilt (Via Flickr when projects are complete)

UFO Sunday hosted by Leah @ The Free Motion Quilting Project

WIP Wednesday hosted by Lee @ Freshly Pieced

* Shanna

Are you thinking of going scrappy this year?  If you have time, link up your posts each month with your own personal challenges.  Check out January post:  HERE

Stash Report 4

Well Miss Z started her own fabric collection on Wednesday (See post HERE)

Pam Kitty Scrap Squares

2 pieces of yardage & 1 charm pack

Here is my Stash Report through 01/25/2013:

Used This Week:  0 yards
Given this week:  0 Yards

Used/Given year to Date: 19 yards

Added This Week:  4 1/2 yards 

Added Year to Date: 4 3/4 yards

Net Used/given for 2013: +14 1/2 yards

Work on BOM's for Monday

Finishes 4 (little Early)

So the goal this week was to finish making my Half-Square-Triangle (HST) String Quilt and finish making a  tutorial for it.  I was almost tempted away from it by Richard's new Color Blast Quilt tutorial [@ Richard & Tanya Quilt] (can be found HERE), which made me want to see if it could be converted into using Jelly rolls or maybe even a charm pack (I certainly have charm blocks a plenty over here!).  I also saw THIS POST over at Amy's Creative Side chatting about her Dancing Stars QAL and I nearly swooned because it is the perfect quilt pattern for my little Kate Spain Designer Bundle I bought in November 2011.  If I can get most of my UFO's either completed or to a completed top for the quilt projects then I am going to start this baby!!

With my Iron blowing up in smoke/leaking like a really bad thing, it really put me behind on my schedule, but that is okay, its not like the USA Financial Cliff that would shut down the government.  When one keeps things in perspective it is a whole lot easier to deal with one's disappointments.  To be honest, I was hoping to get caught up with most of the projects I have been focused on this month.  Although I have only completed 1 top this week, I am so pleased with the advancement being made on the other projects on my list.  I am a little short on time tonight as we are heading out to visit an open house for the school that Miss Z might attend in the fall. A new post is in the works with an updated list with new picture,s of course, that will be posted at the start of February.

Chain Quilt:  Top is complete, back & bindings are is in process, then limbo until new batch of batting.

Linking up to:

TGIFF Hosted by Nat@Made in Home
WHOOP, WHOOP Fridays @Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Link A Finish Friday @ Richard & Tanya Quilt
Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts
Fabric Tuesdays @ Quilt Story

Be sure to check out all the lovely quilt shops around the world and consider adding your own local Quilt Shop to the blogland tour.  Little Miss Z and I went over on Wednesday to pick up her first fabrics all while snapping pictures for our LQS Day post!  You can see that post HERE

What are your thoughts on quilting this year?  Are you going Traditional or Modern? Precuts or Scrappy?  Sampler projects or Free-form or a Pattern?  This is the year of the scraps & stash for me, so each month I am making a challenge to myself by choosing some fabrics.  Do you do the same?

Visit Your LQS Day!

Miss Z w/ Purse, On the Hunt

Today is Visit Your Local Quilt Shop Day!  In the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex (the little area and towns surrounding these two Large Cities make a nice congested mess) there are gobs of Quilts shops compared to the rest of the world it seems.  Within an hour drive I can reach a couple dozen individual shops, however The Old Craft Store is the one I visit every other week with Little Miss Z.  We have joined the fabric savers club, a Block of the Month Club, and soon I hope to sign up for my very first in-person class!

In celebration of our Local place I gave Miss Z some money and told her that we'd stop by for her very first fabric purchase.  We only had an hour to look around, which is hard for both us material girls as the selection is HUGE.  We chatted it up with the shop ladies right off as they are used to us coming in for a visit.  I had a little trouble with my Quarterly Newsletter making its way to me recently so they generously gave Miss Z a little pile of fabric squares they sent out with the newsletter; they promptly went into her little purse!

The Large Photo Shows what it is like to walk through the doors, 3 smaller shows some lovely displays

The Shop is broken up into 3 long Sections.  The First portion holds the view you see in the larger photo above as you take your first step into the shop.  You can find books to the left of the Right Bottom picture of the precuts.  This area is where one would find Scrap Fabric Packs and end of bolt offerings.  The Store also handles local mail drop off and shipping.  There is a little section behind that still sell gardening seeds and the makings for a very fine vegetable garden. One can see the old metal containers and packaging from the days of the general Store neatly collected in this back area.

Fabric to the right of the Entrance

Fabric and cutting table straight ahead from the entrance to shop

Next we move to the center section:

They make use of every scrap of space hanging projects and class offerings all the way up.  Yet there is room for yet more fabric!  There is also an area for rulers & templates along side individual patterns that might need them.

Oh What a surprise, there is more fabric in this section!

And finally the last section which contains:

The classroom and work areas

A Pattern and notion wall

A bit of more fabric  and  an array of colorful threads for hand-stitchers

new Block of the Month being announced

It is the end of our trip to The Old Craft Store so to the register we head; to the right we noticed a new Block of the Month being announced. Well as it is time for Miss Z to pay for her chosen treasure, a little scrap bag of fabric.   Then we will depart and go home.  Later that night, I laid all of the fabric out to look at the treasures after bath time.  The great surprise came to me when I pulled the squares from the purse to realize they matched!  Already Miss Z has a great memory for she only glanced at the fabric squares a moment before they were closed away!

Miss Z and her chosen"treasure"

The fabric squares the ladies gave Miss Z for her purse when we first arrived

Thank you for joining us for Little Miss Z's First fabric purchase at The Old Craft Store in celebration of our Local Quilt Store!  Continue your adventure at the next LQS with the next blogger on the list HERE.

I am also linking this post up to:
Really Random Thurdays@ Live a Colorful Life

Did you Hear the One about the Dead Iron?

Well, my shark iron is dead.  Really leaking, smoking, dead.  I ran to target and picked up a cheap $10 iron because I really need to get something completed over here!  So back to the grind stone tomorrow...

*Shanna

UFO/WIP 4

Greetings!  I am working on a Tutorial for the HST String Quilt top I showed a peek of on Thursday; I am very excited about posting it sometime this week.  However, as the warm and Natural Batting cache has dwindled to just small pieces and scraps, the quilt tops will have to stack up until I am able to purchase another bolt.  So moving right along to the next projects I want to tackle this week!

I am here to ask your opinion on my projects this week.  I almost have all of the squares squared up to 5" blocks, but now comes time for the assembling.  Which option would you go with from the pictures below?  I could (option 1) sew the squares directly to each other and put a border on the outside to bring the quilt top up to size.  Or in option 2, I add the border as sashing instead.  Any other options that you can see?

Option 1:  Sew squares directly to each other

Option 2:  Sew sashing between blocks

Other projects at the top of the list this week:
Chain Quilt:  Arrange Quad-blocks into a quilt top, determine if sashing and borders are needed.
Red Eye Quilt:  Add border this week or determine if its even needed.

You can see the full UFO/WIP List with pictures HERE.  This also the list I am going off of for the Finish-along group!  I realize now that I didn't have an updated picture of the pieces cut out for Z's Birthday dress for the Finish-along post, so I am going to have to dig up the basket out to snap a quick picture!  Do you have an opinion on the sash fabric?  Check out THIS POST and tell me your opinion of my choices!

Here is my Stash Report through 01/18/2013:
Used This Week:  0 yards
Given this week:  0 Yards

Used/Given year to Date: 19 yards

Added This Week:  0 yards 

Added Year to Date: 1/4 yards

Net Used/given for 2013: +18 3/4 yards

*Shanna

Fight To The Salvage Edge

I have a confession to make:  I don't like salvages.  They bother me, I don't know why they do, they just do!  The first thing I do when I get fabric is iron it up nicely and cut off the salvages and then I would throw them out.  More recently though I have been collecting them for a blogging friend I have never met in person.  Once I started saving them I realized just how much time one takes to prepare one's fabric before the start of a project.  Once I had a gallon Ziplock bag full of these pesky little pieces I went off to mail them.  I found out it was going to cost less to wait and mail the package off when I had more than twice as much to send her.  I really wanted to get the package off to her by the end of the year, thus began my quest to find all the salvages in my house to get that package filled!  I am a couple weeks behind as you can see.

Z's Christmas Dress Fabric

I know some of you are distressed that I might lose the information that the salvage gives me, but I have solved that by taking pictures of my more recent fabric purchases.  I also keep my old copies of Hancock of Paducah's Fabric Porn Swatch catalogs as well as the Catalogs that Connecting Threads sends me.  A couple weeks ago I was trying out a class/group at The Old Craft Store called Moda U (they talk all about Moda fabrics, precuts, patterns as well as they complete a quilt top together using Moda Fabric).  Another visiting new lady won a Charm pack of lovely Pinks, Creams and Black Fabric.  From my ogling my past swatch catalogs I recognized it as a Moda line from a 18 months ago!  But I digress...

As I was getting ready to finally mail the package off I decided to show you all the pesky lovely pieces I was mailing off.  Next week I will share will you the Project Kits I was able to get prepared in my quest to clean up the salvages!  I am going to get this place organized as we prepare for Ziona's first Birthday party!  Can you tell I am excited?

This is what is in the first bag in the box, there certainly is a variety!

2nd Bag of Salvages, perhaps a little more mute in colors.

I am already working on filling another bag with salvages as I trim, prep and organize!  See you for a finish tomorrow!

*Shanna

InSPired...

Hello Little pretties!  I love how crisp they look and how good they smell as they are freshly ironed with a little extra starch.  A finished Quilt top and tutorial coming soon!  You can see the full UFO/WIP List with pictures HERE.  This also the list I am going off of for the Finish-along group!

*Shanna
Are you thinking of going scrappy this year?  If you have time, link up your posts each month with your own personal challenges.  Check out January post:  HERE

11 months...

We have started the countdown to Ziona's First Birthday, but first let us take a look back at this past month!

The Case of the Napping Z.

Z and the Great Christmas Dress Caper

Z and the Mystery of the Cuddly Bear

Z and the Delight of the Scrunched up nose....She loved the wrapping paper

And so Next Month we will be watching our little miracle turn 1 year old!  Oh I am sure there will be pictures so don't ya worry you will get to see more scrunched up noses I am sure!

BOM's Away: Rainbows Brighter & Better

Rainbow Blocks

So I am giving myself my own BOM so to speak.  Its not a part of any specific group, but rather stems from my small collect of rainbow blocks.  I am going to make a new rainbowish block each month and eventually make a quilt from them.  I have the pieces for a couple more of the rainbow Star blocks so I might see if I can make it a 4 block set to put one in each corner.  This is what I have so far, but I am willing to consider any block out there that you might suggest!

Finish Along 2013-First Quarter (UFO/WIP 3)

I MADE IT!!  I missed every single link up for last years finish along so I am so excited to be able to catch it on the first quarter! <insert a picture of me jumping up and down here, lol>  Now I am putting every WIP/UFO I have started or have prepped.  Nothing is counted unless it is completely finished though so I better get working!!

Stash Report

Opinion Please!

So I am doing better this week, especially after getting the two Crib Quilts completed and handed off to the person who asked me to make them.  I hope her two nieces are very happy with their special presents!  I feel fantastic I have made it 2 weeks into the year without purchasing fabric, however I need to purchase some solid grey, solid cream and the fabric for the sashing on Z's Birthday dress.  I have already scoped these fabrics out at Connecting threads.  I tried to see if there might be coordinating fabric in the Moda line, but it all seems to actually be random heart prints.  I am a little ify on the sashing fabric, so let me hear an opinion on which one you would choose:

Finishes 2

Maple Skies Fabric Line

Well I will just say it again, Connecting Threads makes some fantastic fabrics.  They are fast becoming my source for most of my fabric with a few bits from my local Quilt Shop which we call "the Grandma Store" for Ziona.  She likes to go in with me and bat her eyelashes at the Grandmas that work there.  The ladies are used to me coming in, but I had to laugh last Saturday when I stopped in to pick up my BOM materials.  The ladies couldn't help baby talking my darling as we passed by and we got a couple glares from those getting their fabrics cut!  I was a little surprised because we hardly ever get that response (well except when Ziona decides to talk over Bishop during Church, but even then most people understand she thinks she is supposed to be responding, well most.).
And I digress...hmmm what was I talking about...

I don't Want to...Really Random Thursday

When My Darling Daughter doesn't want to do something all she has to do is close her eyes and I don't exist in her world.  Friday Morning is Movie time each week and it comes along with cheesy crackers.  Ziona has taken to closing her eyes when I pull the phone out to take a picture...all I am asking for is one little smile....

We are moving furniture this weekend so I am frantically ironing fabric to get it organized and out from under foot while we set up a new crafting space...Maybe Next week I will have new pan-o-rams to share of the new space...maybe.

It's A Scrapful Life

So I am working on turning a new leaf after a mini-melt-down on Saturday (Look below).   I am also working steadily to complete the crib quilts.  The top stitching is complete and we are onto the binding portion of the program!  I had thought about machine stitching the binding down to the front, but ti just isn't going to work for these quilts so we just might have to watch Brave every day until the hand-stitching is done!  I am so in-LOVE with this little polka-dot print from Connecting Threads as a part of their Basics line.  I bought a little extra for myself when I purchased these fabrics a couple months ago (don't worry it has been counted) to make a shirt or dress for Ziona.  I am starting on Size 3 Clothes for her for this year since she definitely has 24 months/2T covered!  I don't know when she will fit at this point since she is getting so lean, oh but I digress..."Oh LOOK, something Shiny" gets me everytime.

Some Scrapful thoughts:

I have some of that fabric left over from a binge on Moda Scrap Bags from a couple of years ago so I need to do something with them. I have decided to start a challenge to myself and to those out there in Blog land.  I am not going to have prizes or a giveaway because I think that just might compound the problem.  Although in truth it would help me to de-clutter I just don't want to add to your own clutter or fabric obsession.  So out of curiosity and support I think I will have a Linky party.  I don't know how to make a button if you want one, but I will form a flickr group so we can show off our finished project pictures.  Flickr Group can be found HERE.

For January:

3 or 4 different lines of Moda including Hope, Charity and some others

I am late coming out of the gate, but I am going to try to use these fabrics to complete Bonnie Hunter's Easy Street Mystery Quilt.  I have been downloading the instructions each week, but I am waiting to read them until I am ready to start.  So this will be my challenge to myself this month, what will yours be?  Just post a picture on your blog or on flickr, even if it is a Fat Quarter and share what you challenge yourself to do with it this month.  I will be back at the end of the month with the same challenge for February.

*Shanna

Meh...NOT so Easy Street...

On my Computer game when someone replies with the phrase "Meh" it usually indicates a shrug or unwillingness to commit to an answer or response.

Very Neutral so I could take my time in deciding other colors

 That is how I am feeling about ironing the 4-patch blocks in the Easy Street Mystery Quilt...I can just hear you all chucking out there because I haven't hit the flying Geese...

I so need to purchase an actual ironing board instead of ironing on towels...soon

This is definitely going to eat into my fabric reserves and I can already tell this project is going to take longer than I think!   I have heard a few commits concerning the Flying Geese I have coming up next.  For now, "Just keep Sewing, Sewing, Sewing.."

*Shanna

BOM's AWAY: Welcome to the Sugar Block Club

So I received my first Block by email, and boy am I excited!  I am really hoping to stick with each block as they get released but time often gets away from me.  I have been making the test blocks Until I know exactly what I want to do:  make a lap quilt, table runners, potholder, etc.  My thought would be to make the blocks with a line of fabric eventually.  Again, I am holding out for a Fat Quarter set for my Birthday (in March), but husband doesn't like to buy me fabric for gifts, afterall he figures that is what my fabric budget is for ^^ hmm what an interesting idea...lol.  So I am on to share the block!

Block 1 Snow Blossom

9-patch Plus Block

I decided to put the centers together like one would put a 9-patch together so I could have a few extra centers.  I saw this same center in a couple other blocks so it has given me an idea for a stashbusting block.  Make 9-patch blocks just like this and it looks sort of like the Plus block quilts.  I will share more if I get anywhere with this idea!

*Shanna