This week I have to finish the embellishing of the Jewelry Tree. If you are just now finding this project, see the Christmas in July Sew Along posts – Week 1 starts the base, Week 2 finishes and quilts the base with the pocket, and Week 3 shows you several ideas on how to embellish and use the pocket. I wanted mine to use some broken but beautiful jewelry that I just could not stand to throw away. I began with a huge pin that has missing rhinestones, pinning it vertically in the center and arranging some broken bracelet links around ...

It is the first Friday of the month, time for our Stashbusters check in. How’d you do sewing in July? Gather up your fabric in and out totals, as it is time to report your progress. We are seven months in on this year, and I hope you are trending toward more fabric out by now. If not, there are still five months left in the year to sew. Remember, it is fine to buy fabric now and then. This challenge just to keep us mindful to get what we need, but not go overboard.

Once again I was ...

It’s Stashbusters Check In Day! I hope you have had some quality sewing time over the past weekend and will be able to sew during the one coming up with holidays in both the USA and Canada. I have a few fun designs in process that are Christmas themed, and I think I’ll do a short Christmas in July event later in the month. So pull out your Christmas fabrics for a stashbusting scrappy project in a couple of weeks.

This was the free exchange table at the last guild meeting. Now, I ask you, who could resist ...

Time to report our totals for the month of May. For new readers, this is easy to do, just report what you have brought in and sent out over the past month, keeping a year to date total. No, you do not have to take inventory of your stash. There is only one rule, report as ‘out’ only what is completely finished, quilted and bound. For small items like purses or totes, they have to be finished and ready for use or gifting. The challenge is to finish projects, have them in use, ready to give as a gift, or ...

It is time to check in again with our fabric purchases and completed projects. Are you on track this year? If so, great job! If not, we have many months to go to get on the side of more fabric out than in. Remember, it is fine to buy fabric now and then. This challenge just to keep us mindful to get what we need, but not go overboard.

I have not had much time to sew this past month. Between out of town trips, meetings, club events and appointments, I have not put thread into fabric for some weeks ...

 It seems that I hadn't made a garment for quite a while... The SewAprilBlouse24 challenge on IG was just what I needed to get going. And although I had planned/hoped to make 2 blouses, I finally completed one that I had cut earlier this month. 

No fabric in this week.

I finished the April Challenge quilt, named Freeze Frame, for .75 yards out and more went out from the declutter progress.

The next task on the quilt list is labelling a quilt I entered in a show. I believe a label is required, although I did write the quilt info on the back in permanent marker.

Once that’s done, it’s back to quilting Remember Me.

Fabric In: .33 yards

Fabric out: 13.125 yards

Net Fabric Used: 12.795 yards

How did you do this week?

January to March 2024

No fabric in this week and a half yard out from the declutter challenge. I’m still working through my scrap containers. I finished green and yellow/brown/orange and started on red/pink.

I’m also working on quilting the challenge piece. I haven’t come up with a name yet, but I will finish the quilting soon.

Once I finish this quilt, it’s back to quilting Remember Me.

Fabric In: .33 yards

Fabric out: 11.875 yards

Net Fabric Used: 11.545 yards

How did you do this week?

March brought a lot of new starts plus finishes on Trinidad and the candle mat. I didn’t remember finishing anything until I looked back at last month’s Short List. Good thing it’s there to remind me.

I started The Short List many years ago to create short-term goals and a way to focus. I change things up as my priorities and interests change.

Project 1 (Stitching): The Gardener’s Angel of Spring by Crab-apple Hill. It’s moving along.

Project 2 (Original): The next “pass it” challenge. This one is ready to quilt.

Project 3 (UFO): Remember ...

It is the first Friday of the month, time for our Stashbusters check in. How’d you do sewing in March? Gather up your acquisitions and finishes, as it is time to report your progress.

I had a lot of fabric ‘in’ this month. Spending gift certificates and winning a prize pushed the total up higher than it would have been otherwise. Leading off, my fourth place win in the National Quilting Day challenge came with a jelly roll, fabric in = 3 yards.

Spending a gift certificate at our local shop, Beginnings, I came home with two yards of cute ...

Happy Easter to everyone who celebrates it! I hope there is a treat in your day today.

No fabric in this week.

More fabric out as part of the sewing room declutter, although the numbers don’t show the whole picture. A lot of fabric went out that I never counted in (for a lot of reasons), and I didn’t count that out. Either way it’s all good.

I’ve also worked on the April challenge piece.

The flower is a section of a pattern called Ruffles by Sew Be It. I plan to add a border and ...

No fabric in this week.

Some fabric out as part of the ongoing sewing room declutter. I haven’t finished going through my fabric, and I still have to go through my scraps. I expect more will go before I’m done.

I’m working on the next challenge quilt. I wanted a background of either aqua or aqua green, but had neither in my stash. Hard to believe any color is missing, but there it is. Instead of shopping to find something, I decided to paint white fabric.

I layered turquoise paint over green airbrush ink because I didn ...

The National (or Worldwide) Quilting Day was last Saturday with our local guild’s show. My co-chair, Gail, and I set up the show stands on Friday, with some help from guild members. We were excited for the exhibit to open on Saturday, and got there early to hang the quilts. Gail did a tremendous job coming up with the idea of the challenge of using Page 42, finding the challenge fabric, designing the layout, and collecting the finished quilts. We worked together on publicity, getting prizes, printing ballots, and the other aspects of an exhibit. This was the ‘front ...

Numerous deadlines took up most my time the first part of the year, but I’m aiming for a more normal blog schedule now.

In February and March to date, I finished Gather, Trinidad and a small request from a co-worker. I am moving on to a new list.

I started The Short List many years ago to create goals to work toward and a way to focus. I change things up as my goals and interests change.

Project 1 (Stitching): Candle mat. This was a program at a quilt group I haven’t belonged to in years, found ...

I had a productive week in the sewing room.

I finished Trinidad for almost three yards out.

I learned a lot making this quilt. I’ve never done a landscape quilt from a photo before. If I do it again I will do things differently and save myself some time and grief. Thanks to Laura for giving me permission to use her picture.

In the sewing room declutter, I sorted through all my UFO and orphan projects. I found a lot of fabric in the UFO bins that didn’t go with the projects. I re-stashed some and other pieces ...

It is the first Friday, time for our Stashbusters check in. How’d you do sewing in February? Gather up your projects and finishes, time to report your progress. Don’t worry if you are in the red, we have lots of time to go. Plus, it is fine to buy fabric now and then. This challenge just to keep us mindful to get what we need, but not go overboard.

Once again, here are the guidelines for the challenge. It is easy to do, just report what you have brought in and sent out over the past month, keeping ...

No change in the numbers.

I met my January OMG but never posted it. I didn’t post the February Short list either. I’m keeping the February list small because it’s a short month and I’m going for finishes.

Project 1 (stitching): Gather & Give Thanks, pattern by Diane Arthurs of Imaginating. I have a few stitches and a little outlining left in the lower right corner.

Project 2 (Original): Trinidad. It’s basted for quilting. I was watching a Craftsy class while I basted and put in way too many pins. Guess I won’t do that ...

It’s a new year for Stashbusters, are you joining the challenge? The great thing is you can do this alongside the other blogger and guild challenges you are doing. So, here are the guidelines for the year. It is easy to do, just report what you have brought in and sent out over the past month, keeping a year to date total. No, you do not have to take inventory of your stash. There is only one rule, report as ‘out’ only what is completely finished, quilted and bound. For small items like purses or totes, they have to ...

My project for National Quilting Day is a still life wall hanging. I completed the piecing of the top, and loaded it on the longarm to quilt. The idea is for the white quarter-square triangles to look like patterned wallpaper. I did the stand-and-stare for a bit, then dove in with the same quilting design I have used before.

I began with the QSTs, doing continuous curves in the blocks. I was going to stop at this point, but the seam lines puffed out with the quilting, so I decided to stitch in the ditch, too.

Using my little straight-edge ...