STASHBUSTER - WEEK WHATEVER

I never keep track of what week this is for Stashbushing ( thanks Judy Laquidara for making me keep track of how much I use, how much I buy, how much I have ! )

I finished the Bears in the Farmhouse quilt top tonite so I can add in my fabric usage. Haven't pulled any fabric for backing yet, so I won't count that in.

I have been on the wagon and have been trying to not buy any fabric this year - using what I have. I fell off the wagon :( this weekend. I wanted to have JUST THE RIGHT SHADE ( you all know what I mean ) of a salmon-y colored orange.. didn't have it in my stash. I saw that Joann's had FQ on sale for 99 cents so I stopped and ( garsh darn it! ) bought 5 fat quarters. That's a 1-1/4 I purchased.

AND... as luck would have it,, I'm not even sure now that I'm going to use them! I hate to take them back ( yes, still have the receipt and they will take them back ) ... if I took tham back, then I could truly say that I didn't buy any fabric all this year... hhmmm how important is that to me?? It's sorta being a big tight wad if I take back $5.00 ! geez,,, I should just keep the darn things.

Ok, Stashbusting counts
Purchased 1-1/4 yards of fabric
Used 8 yards of fabric this week. This is for the Bears in the Farmhouse quilt top.
Look over to the side of the blog to see the totals for the year. I can tell you that I have truly only purchased the 1-1/4 yards ( 5 fat quarters ) of fabric all year -- WHHOOO HHOOOO!!

BEARS IN THE FARMHOUSE -

I haven't posted anything in a while cause I have been frustrated - VERY frustrated! I worked so hard on the Bears in the Farmhouse quilt ( from Judy Laquidara's sew along ) ... all was going so well until I got to the last, very last, border. Cut my strips from the fabric that I had selected and (( said those words again )) I just didn't have enough material! Cripes, I hate when that happens!! Sometimes in a quilt, you can sneek in a couple of pieces that are the same color but maybe not the exact pattern, but what do you do when it is the OUTER BORDER !!!

I put the old thinking cap on and tried to come up with an idea to stretch the fabric but not take away from the bears paw pattern ( cause I really liked how that came out ). I wasn't happy when I saw how it was working,,,

I stopped when I laid it on the floor cause I just wasn't happy. Took some pictures to see what I could do,, mulled it over for the past week...

Today I'm thinking that maybe it isn't so bad ! I like how the darker border makes the middle jump out and the stripes in middle of each border don't detract too much. Of course Webster has to put his inspection on it! He is in the upper left corner, just walking away... silly four legged beastie

So, I think I'll keep it,, finish the last side and call it good

Sometimes things work and sometimes they work really well,,, and sometimes, like this time,, you have to talk yourself into it.

INTERNET FINDS

I admit that I'm an internet browser,, one thing leads to another to another to another and pretty soon a couple of hours have been eaten away - when I should have been cleaning, cooking or sewing (( arrrggghhh! drives me nuts! why!! do I have to clean !!?? ))

This morning I stumbled on this great pattern for a pincushion organizer,, yes there are plenty of patterns out there in cyber land, but I thought this one was pretty cool.

Pincushion, scrap bag, and a little section to put some tools. Check it out at http://www.sewmamasew.com/media/blog/SMSPincushionOrganizer.pdf

and look at her other stuff too! Cool blog. I printed the pattern then said some of those bad words cause my black ink is gone.

Bye! going to the store now!

I'm a Klutz!

OUCH!!! #(($*%&#N#N#N ( those are words I was saying )

How many of you have cut a hunk out of your hand or finger with a dang ol' rotary cutter??? Stitches? Trip to the emergency room? Blood all over your quilt??? There is not too many quilters that haven't had that experience - or close calls! Reminds me of when I was a kid and learning to whittle ( don't ask me why a girl was whittling,,, but I had the knife and the balsa wood and whistled while I whittled ) until I whittled a good size hunk out of my thumb. My dad then became the owner of the knife.

I used to pooh-pooh the idea of needing something to keep that from happening to me again, after all, I'm an adult and careful - and up to lately, I have been REAL lucky! No trips to the ER, no bloody quilt pieces, no husband saying "I TOLD YOU SO!" ( gosh, don't you just hate it when they do that!?! )

But, yesterday, my mind on the tv and not what I was doing,,, oops! the darn thing slipped (( OUCH!! %*(#*&%&% ( those words again ))) and I just about could have cut the tip of my ring finger off! No, I didn't, I was really really lucky and got just a deep paper cut ( which hurts like a ..... well, you fill in that blank! )

Can't tell you how many times I have been in a quilt/craft store and walked past the gloves that keep that from happening and saying to myself,, " naw,, I don't need one of those", or " not today, got to get other stuff"... Well, now I own one! That was a little too close for me and I like all my fingers! In one piece!

I got the glove at Joann's, it was 40% off and I have the AQS discount card cause I belong so I got this for less than $14. It really works, too! I took that rotary cutter and ran it all over ( and I mean ALL OVER! ) the glove while it was on the table -- as hard as I could, probably ruined the blade. I wanted to make sure that it really works. And it does!

Now, I'm not saying, but I'm just saying,,, I feel better for having bought it. Just something for you to think about. I like my fingers....

(( I have no interest in the store of purchase or the brand I bought ))

A BLOG GIVEAWAY

AHOY Everyone!
I just stumbled on a blog PIGTALES AND QUILTS and in honor of her daughter's 30th birthday this year, she is giving away 30 fatquarters. visit the following blog and sign up!

Don't forgt to tell her where you found the the link,ok??

http://www.pigtalesandquilts.com/2009/04/give-away-time.html?showComment=1239141120000#c8732991996019582961

Good Lunck!

Pink Black and White Bee Quilt

I'm doing the Happy Dance! "" It's done! It's done! "" Gee, wish you could see me dance - just imagine yourself when you finally, FINALLY finish something that has been hanging around for years!

Well, I finally got all the borders on the Pink, Black and White Bee quilt - from 2006! This was a block swap that my Thursday bee, the Material Girls, did. I love all the blocks and can see each lady in each of the blocks that they chose to make...!
But, oh my goodness! My quilt came out so SO much bigger than I had planned!! It's a big 87 x 123 inches!! and it was supposed to fit a twin size bed!! oh well, Texas, everything is big in Texas (( grin ))
Here it is,, waving in the wind!

24 blocks, 5 individual borders and corner blocks. I put sashing around all the blocks to make them stand out,, guess I didn't have to go so wide ( quilt wouldn't have been so big! ) but I think that this helps each block to really stand out on it's own. I am happy with the borders too,,, they finish and frame the quilt but don't take away from the blocks. Ok, more dancing... (( I'm done, I'm done ))

I did have trouble hanging it, though,, I don't have any place really tall that has hanging thingys.. so this is hanging off the guttering around the porch, and it still is dragging the ground! Gee, wonder if dear husband would put hangy thingys up on the fireplace outside ??? and maybe something like a pully that I could use to get the quilts up there,,, no ,,,, probably not.....

A word to the wise,,,,Don't make a quilt so big that you have trouble displaying it! I finally had to lay it out in the grass.. (( I had to make sure that there were no four-legged beastie surprises in the grass before I laid it out )) !!!

The bottom corner square is the title square for the quilt -- Material Girls Tickle Me Pink Block Swap August 2006.

See why I'm doing the happy dance!?!?!? Three 3 three 3 years to get this done!!

but it still ain't quilted....

STASH REPORT - Week Whatever

I really truly have been keeping track of what I use... I just haven't used very much during the last couple of weeks. I think I have turned into a couch turnip.. a growing, leafing, root bearing couch turnip. For the first couple of days it was cause I was so darn tired,, then it was cause I just wanted to vegetate, then,, oh heck,, who knows why - maybe cause I just wanted to sit.

Well, I've had enough sitting, time to get some STUFF done!!

Here is my report for Stash Busting, Week Whatever..

Fabric added this week NOTHING!! Yep! it has been 4 months since I bought any fabric!! ( but if I keep sitting on the couch, I don't need to buy anything (grin) ! ))

However,, I did use up some stuff! I finished the borders on a quilt, pulled the backing from stash for it,, so by golly, I'm counting it!

Fabric used this week -- 11-1/8 yards !! I like that!

(( pats on the back to me! ))