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Finally, fabric out for Traffic Jam. Some of the fabric came from the Guild and friends who donated fabric for charity quilts. The rest came from my stash.

No fabric in this week. I’m toying with the idea of a buy ban on everything this year, except what’s needed to finish projects in process. Seems like deciding not buy anything guarantees incredible deals will roll my way. Maybe it’s better to try to limit additions.

I’m about 60% through the Sewing Room Declutter Challenge. The next prompts deal with fabric and projects. Given how much has ...

No fabric in or out this week.

Only two more borders to sew on Traffic Jam. I hope to sew those today and be done with it. I need to make a back, and then I move on to an unidentified project. So many choices……

We traded ATCs at Art Quilt Group this week. Here are the ones I brought home.

The group decided to continue trading, but I’m sitting out the next round.

A member’s husband did a demo on using AI as a tool to create original quilt designs. It was quite fascinating. I don’t ...

No fabric in or out this week.

The body of the Traffic Jam top is sewn together. It still needs borders to bring it to donation size.

Work on the afghan and Fairy Tales continues. The C2C pattern gets wider with every row until I get to the middle. That makes for slow going as the pattern progresses.

Fabric In: 0

Fabric Out: 0

How did you do this week?

No fabric in or out this week.

I finished the two ATCs for trading at the next Art Quilt Group meeting. It wasn’t enough usage to count.

I started with hand painted fabric, stamping some dots and other shapes on it. I quilted them and cut them apart. I added the beads and findings after stitching the edges. There’s definitely some tricks and a learning curve to working so small.

Work on the Traffic Jam top continues. I’ll be glad to get that one done.

Fabric In: 0

Fabric Out: 0

How did you do this week ...

No fabric in or out this week.

I worked on both Traffic Jam and the ATCs this week. Another chunk of Traffic Jam is sewn.

I’m glad I took this picture because it showed that I forgot to add sashing to the top of the lower section. Better to see it now then later, like after I sewed the sections together.

Fabric In: 0

Fabric Out: 0

How did you do this week?

Welcome to 2025! I wish you a year full of creative fun and joy.

In spite of a busy December, the list moved forward. I also started and finished a small crocheted throw. I find I’m going back to hobbies from decades ago and enjoying them in new ways. Good chance you’ll see more variety on the Short List in 2025.

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

Project 1 (Original): Study in Stitches. Something about this project doesn’t ...

No change in the numbers.

This is the last Stash Report of 2024. Did you achieve your goal? I’m ending the year with positive usage, which is good enough for me.

Traffic Jam assembly has started. I decided to piece the sashing because I like the way it creates a secondary design. This four block section shows how it will look.

I also started a new project on Christmas day, a crochet throw. It was an impulse start, after Carol and Jen (Two Tall Stitchers and Quilting Mom’s blog) asked a question about Christmas starts on their YouTube ...

No change in the numbers.

How can that date be right? This month is flying by.

I continue to work on Traffic Jam blocks.

I finished one more after I took the picture, leaving three to go. I would love to finish the top this year, but I’m not sure it’s doable. I don’t sew much during the week.

Fabric In: 16.5 yards

Fabric out: 27.875 yards

Net Fabric Used: 11.375 yards

How did you do this week?

No change in the numbers.

I decided to post the Short List here and pass on an OMG this month. Work continues to be a challenge, and I prefer to not add personal deadlines to the mix.

Project 1 (Original): Study in Stitches. I started working on this again.

Project 2 (Charity): Traffic Jam was started it in early 2023. I have 14 of 20 blocks made.

Project 3 (Stitch): I started an RTO kit called Fairy Tales Live on the Roofs. This kit isn’t the easy stitch I thought it would be.

Project 4 (Original): I need to ...

October was another challenging month, with work the guilty party. Not much you can do about it when it involves other people.

I framed Peace on Earth last month and started nothing. It wasn’t on the October list, but I’m good with that. November will result in finishes, which means different projects on the Short List.

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

Project 1 (Crochet): I finished the first sock and started the second. This project will likely finish ...

No change in the numbers.

For various reasons, I did not get my OMG/Short List posted this week before the linky closed. I’m posting a shortened version here.

Project 1 (stitching): Gather & Give Thanks, pattern by Diane Arthurs of Imaginating. It’s coming along.

Project 2 (Original): The nameless tree quilt. It’s time to get back to it.

Project 3 (charity): Traffic Jam quilt, pattern by Pat Sloan. I’m sewing a block here and there while working on other projects.

Project 4 (UFO): Remember Me, a member quilt from a group I belonged to many years ...

No change in the numbers this week.

I have a couple things going in the sewing room. I started piecing more Traffic Jam blocks. This is block #11.

I also blocked an old needlepoint piece I made as a child. I’m sure it hung framed at my parent’s house, but I found it in a drawer with no frame. It was too distorted to try to frame it without blocking.

Both projects came from the piles on the bed of shame.

Fabric In: 35.875 yards

Fabric out: 9.125 yards

Net Fabric In: 26.75 yards

How ...

My November OMG was to finish the challenge quilt, which I named Love Inspired. This was my inspiration for the quilt, just a small portion of the quilt passed to me.

And here is my finished quilt.

I had a lot of fun tucking fabric motifs in the letter collage.

I think the santa is my favorite.

To see all the other OMG projects, visit Stories From the Sewing Room.

August was a calmer month, but we attended a lot of weekend events that took advantage of the last of summer. I finished two projects, my sister’s quilt and Words of Joy Tree.

That created spots for new things on the 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): Gather & Give Thanks, pattern by Diane Arthurs of Imaginating. I started it last night.

Project 2 (UFO): I’m quilting the next challenge, due this ...

June was a productive month. I finished two stitches, Floral Butterfly and the star ornament. The ornament wasn’t on my June 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): Words of Joy Tree, pattern by Ursula Michael. I’m stitching this on red 14 count aida with DMC white, all from stash.

Project 2 (UFO): The membership quilt. The two sections are complete and ready to quilt.

Project 3 (original): The challenge due in ...

I didn’t buy or use any fabric, but the numbers changed. Last year I bought fabrics to use in a charity quilt. I did use some of the fabric for that project, but there was more fabric than I thought. I added the extra to my stash.

I also have fabric strips I bought earlier this year I never counted. I need to get that done soon.

As a palette cleanser between projects, I sewed one traffic jam block. I’d like to get back to that quilt, but there are still four projects ahead of it. How does ...

No change in the numbers. Amazing, since my guild had a fabric sale yesterday. I’ve reached my storage capacity and will have to use some fabric before I buy more.

I finally resumed working on Pat Sloan’s Traffic Jam pattern. I have it going as a leader and ender project. I’d sewn quite a few pieces together that needed pressed. I think there’s enough sewn to start assembling blocks.

These pieces won’t make enough blocks for the whole quilt, but it will satisfy my curiosity as to how the blocks will look.

Fabric In: 18 ...

I’d love to tell you I had a great plan for using scraps and it worked out perfectly for me, but that isn’t what happened. I started using scraps a certain way and then noticed how I used them. My non-system ended up as my method, which does work for me.

When I start a quilt, I pull background and backing fabric out of stash and the rest of the fabrics for the top come from scraps. Sometimes I need to pull binding/facing from stash, sometimes not. My most recent quilt followed that formula.

Same with this ...

May snuck up on me. I got up one morning and there it was, not nearly as warm as it ought to be.

I didn’t finish anything in April. As it sometimes happens, the finishes will come all at once. Good thing there are projects in the wings to prevent the mad scramble for new projects.

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): The Tiny Modernist Holiday 2022 SAL. If I don’t finish ...

We are one third of the way through the year, which is a good time to review 2023 goals.

I have 13 items on my creative goals list and to date have finished one, plus one that wasn’t on the list.

Some of the projects listed will take more time than others. I never expected to finish all 13, but it is something to work towards. I’m OK with my progress to date. Multiple quilts are started and have a good deal done. At some point those will roll into finishes.

Here is my one list finish.

And ...