What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

No fabric in this week.  Some of the striped fabric in the orphan box went into the fabric recycling bag.  There were pieces of questionable quality upholstery fabric I was never going to use.

I sewed the first column of the striped quilt together.

I made no effort to match seams.   I’m happy that the blocks were all about the same size.  I went into it thinking that might not be the case.  With two more columns to go, there is potential for a renegade.  I’m hoping to get the top done soon.

Fabric Added: 0

Fabric Used ...

No change in the numbers.  There was opportunity, but no need or desire to add to the stash.

I now have 20 striped blocks made, and today is decision time.  I need to choose a setting to determine if I need more blocks.  I also need to decide if I’m going to donate the quilt, which will have a bearing on size.  I have no idea which way it will go.  It depends on what the quilt has to say about it.

I have plenty of fabric left to make more blocks if needed.

Fabric Added: 0

Fabric Used ...

No change in the numbers.

I sewed and trimmed more striped blocks this week.

I’m not sure if the setting I planned still works for me.  No worries though, as there are many other ways to set them.

I’m not sure about the lone yellow block either.  I need to add more yellow and green, or it will have to go.  So many decisions when you don’t follow a pattern.

Fabric Added: 0

Fabric Used:  .375 yards

Net Fabric Used:  .375 yards

How did you do this week?

No change in the numbers.

I sewed more stripe blocks this week and trimmed a few to check that the pattern will work out.

Squaring these up was a bit of a puzzle.  My ruler that was long enough wasn’t wide enough, and the one that was wide enough wasn’t long enough.  It took a couple tries with a two-ruler set up to work it out.

I really hope this quilt is worth the effort that’s going into it.

Fabric Added: 0

Fabric Used:  .375 yards

Net Fabric Used:  .375 yards

How did you do this week ...

I did a double take when I typed February.  How did that happen?

No change in the numbers.

This week I finished a piece I stitched last fall.  It has been gifted, and I can now show it here.

It’s a pattern from Hinzeit, which came with the charms.  They do not name their patterns.

Now my work table is all cleared to start sewing striped pieces together.  I figured a size for the triangle pieces that should accommodate cutting variations.   I’ll find out when I start sewing.

Fabric Added: 0

Fabric Used:  .375 yards

Net Fabric Used ...

No change in the numbers.

I started playing around with settings for the larger pieces of Stripes Squared.   I liked this one but had concerns about construction.  The irregular pieces might be hard to fit together.

After a few more tries, I came up with this setting that creates a secondary star pattern. 

I figure this one will be pretty forgiving with the way the stars are skewed.  I’ll sew a few together and see how it goes.

I still have two stacks of triangles, which may or may not end up as a border.  One step at a ...

No fabric in this week.

I finished Winter Tree, my art quilt group’s January challenge.

I talked about the idea and the construction in the last two posts.  From there, I added beads to suggest snowflakes and used a dark binding as a frame.  I also added a fence made from railroad yarn that I painted white and then gray.  The original yarn was too bright and didn’t fit the color scheme.  The yarn is so delicate I hand stitched it down.  The quilt is about 11″ x 13”.

This quilt was my January OMG and the first ...

No change in the numbers.

Work continues on the Challenge Quilt, which I ended up naming Winter Tree.

This is a challenge for my Art Quilt Group.  Throughout last year, members took turns presenting short programs on different techniques.  We covered a variety of topics, including trading cards, junk journals, using AI for idea generation, dimensional fabric sculpture, creating portrait quilts from photos, free motion applique, and others.  The challenge for January is to make a small quilt using one of the program techniques.

I chose AI for idea generation.  I started with a prompt that generated a picture, but ...

Welcome to the first Stash Report of 2026!

Everyone gets to start over with nice shiny zero balances.  Did you hit your usage goal last year?  Do you have stash goals for this year?

My goal for 2026 is to use more than I buy.  I expect to add fabric this year as I am out of light yardage in multiple colors.  Scraps will get me by on smaller projects but less so on larger ones.  We’ll see how the year plays out.

I’m still working on the challenge project.  There was a lot of trial and error ...

No change in the numbers.

This week I finished Herringbone and Holes, a free pattern for members of EGA (Embroiderers’ Guild of America). 

Back when I was a member of the local EGA chapter, we did this project as a stitch-along.  I stopped four bands short of a finish.  For reasons that had more to do with me than the pattern, I did not enjoy this project. 

I decided it was time to either finish it, pitch it, or frog it.  I added one more band to make it look like a complete design.  I backed the pulled work with ...

No fabric in this week.

I finished the Snow pillow, fabric already counted out.

I also made a couple RWB blocks for Guild.  They put out a call for blocks at the last meeting.  They intend to make RWB donation quilts next year for the America 250 celebration.

I’m crawling toward the 20 yards out mark.

I have a challenge quilt due at my next Art Quilt Group meeting.  That one is in the planning stage.

Fabric In:  8.625 yards

Fabric Out:  28.5 yards

Net Fabric Out:  19.875 yards

How did you do this week?

No fabric in this week.

I finished the ornament quilt.

I’m so pleased with how it turned out.  Now I’m sorry I waited so long to finish it.

I started sewing Snow into a pillow.  Here’s the finished stitch.

I’m going to count out the fabric for both here.  I used less than I expected, but they were small projects.

I still hope to hit net 20 yards out this year.  So close, and I still have time.

Fabric In:  8.625 yards

Fabric Out:  28.375 yards

Net Fabric Out:  19.75 yards

How did ...

No change in the numbers.

After finishing a big project, I started something much smaller.

I stitched these designs over 25 years ago from a Bucilla ornament kit.   I knew from the start I didn’t want to make ornaments.  I already have more ornaments than I can fit on the tree.

I was thinking a small wall hanging but never figured out a design.  Then I stopped stitching and forgot about them for 20 years.  Now that I’m stitching again, I’m determined to finish all my old pieces (and the new ones too).  There is no sense ...

No fabric in this week.

I finished Verticals for 4 yards out.  It’s a free pattern from The Fat Quarter Shop website.

Some of the border fabric came from an Art Quilt Group member destash.  The backing fabric came from the Guild, part of a donation that was earmarked for charity quilts.  The quilt will go to Safehouse, a battered women’s shelter.

I constructed the quilt using QAYG.  I basted the backing to the batting and pieced the quilt onto that.  I took a lot of space (quilt is 60×80), more than my sewing room could handle ...

No change in the numbers.

I am determined to finish Verticals sooner rather than later.  The center is sewn and the side borders added.  It still needs borders on the top and bottom.

I managed to start a little too far over (assembling QAYG), and the backing was ½ inch too short on the bottom of one side.  I was annoyed, but it was easily fixed.  I knew I hadn’t cut the backing straight.  I could see it angled in on one side.  Sometimes you squeak by, sometimes you don’t.

Fabric In:  8.625 yards

Fabric Out:  24 ...

No change in the numbers.

Work continues on Verticals.  I need to add four more strips and the borders.  I would really like to have it finished by the end of the month.

Many days I wasn’t able to get in the sewing room, but I was able to stitch.  I haven’t shown my progress on Fairy Tales Live on the Roofs for a good while.  The backstitch on this piece is no joke.

I’m about halfway across the design, with maybe 40% stitched.  The left side of the pattern is more stitch heavy than the right ...

No change in the numbers.

I sewed on Verticals this week, less than I’d hoped. I have 1/3 of the narow strips sewn. My sewing room isn’t big enough to spread it out and get a good picture.

I think you get the idea.

It has taken over the space. I need to finish it to be able to work on other things.

Now that it’s November, I’m starting to think about what I want to work on in 2026. I like to let ideas rattle around for a bit before committing to anything. I ...

No change in the numbers.

I spent a lot of time catching up on all the things that don’t happen when you are away for a week. No sewing, but I plan to start working on Verticals again today.

I began a mindless stitching project while on vacation and worked on it some since. The tree on the right is in progress. I finished the frame, the snowmen bodies, the snowflakes, and the snow on the ground.

I only work on it when I don’t have the mental capacity to do anything else. Otherwise, it would be a ...

No change in the numbers. We were on vacation last week, enjoying a lot of this.

I didn’t take my sewing machine, just hand work projects. We did a lot of hiking, and I had less down time than I thought I would.

I visited one quilt shop, but they didn’t have much fabric. The bulk of the floor space was taken up by sewing machines.

I’m looking forward to getting back in the sewing room this week.

Fabric In: 8.625

Fabric Out: 24 yards

Net Fabric Out: 15.375 yards

How did you do this ...

No change in the numbers. I don’t think I touched fabric this week.

I finished the secret project and needed a new project that doesn’t require much concentration. I looked at a lot of kits and patterns, and finally decided on Snow from Crab-apple Hill.

Fun fact, Meg Hawkey decided to retire earlier this year. The Crab-apple Hill website is gone, and all her paper patterns were sold. Patterns may still be available though various shops and on the secondary market. I’m a huge fan of her aesthetic and will miss seeing new patterns from her in ...