Scrap Happy Saturday and new garden

I have finally given in to the many years of prodding from my dh - I've planted a garden. But not a garden in the dirt cuz I have never been one to enjoy digging in the dirt - no mud pies or sand castles for me. This garden uses no dirt and produces no weeds - it's The Tower Garden.

It's aeroponic. "Aeroponics is sometimes considered a type of hydroponics, as it does use water to transmit nutrients to plants and thus requires no soil." Read more about it HERE. I'm so excited about this new adventure. Fresh lettuces, spinach, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, strawberries, basil and more.

I'm holding my breath with the hope that my deck space gets enough sun.

Rainbow Scrap Challenge

I'm thrilled that I've been able to finish this month's RSC projects - another pair of cosmetic/toiletry bags. There are now seven sets of bags ready for Christmas gift giving.

I've also completed my RSC charity quilt top for the month. This one will also go to Quilts Beyond Borders. The pattern is called Marmalade Squares by Katie Blakesley. To meet the size specifications at Quilts Beyond Borders, I made it a little longer than the pattern instructions at the Moda Bake Shop. Next time I would make the center of 5 inch charms one or two rows longer but otherwise I think it is a fun quilt.

Check out of finishes and RSC at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, TGIFF, Crazy Mom Quilts and SoScrappy.

June goals

It's been a good month in the sewing room. Having set goals has really helped me to stay focused and accomplish the projects that I want to to stay on track. I'm hoping my June goals are met as well.

May Goals

1.  Dad's memorial quilt - quilt and bind  DONE DONE 5/10/14 
   
2.  Notre Dame quilt top - bind  DONE DONE 5/10/14
   
3. Quilt Beyond Borders - 2 tops quilted and bound DONE DONE  5/26/14
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Rainbow Scrap Challenge - two four green bags DONE 5/29/14
   
   
   
5. Green charity quilt - Christian Camp Quilt - piece quilted and bound DONE DONE 5/29/14
   
   
   
6. Winter Solstice BOM - block #5a and 5b 5a block DONE
   
7. Pillowcase for Paige - ABCs and little critters DONE 5/27/14
   
8. Two Sundresses for Paige DONE 5/30/14
   
   
   
   
9. 3 4 postage stamp blocks - pieced DONE 5/23/14
   
10. Jennifer Paganelli UFO - pieced - NOT DONE
11. Film at Five UFO top - quilted and bound - NOT DONE
12. Rainbow Scrap Challenge - enlarge purple quilt top from April  DONE 5/13/14
    

JUNE GOALS

1. Rainbow Scrap Challenge - yellow scrappy quilt for Quilt Beyond Borders
   
2. Rainbow Scrap Challenge - two yellow bags
3. Rainbow Scrap Challenge - quilt teal quilt top for Quilts Beyond Borders
4. Winter Solstice BOM - block 5b and 6
5. 3 postage stamp blocks - pieced 
6. Jennifer Paganelli UFO - pieced
   
7. Film at Five UFO top - quilted and bound
   
8. Bear Paws - quilted and bound
   

Scrap Happy RSC - May

A day late and a dollar short but I did get my green projects completed....and then some.

I overzealously cut green 1 1/2" squares so I ended up with two sets of bags for my Christmas gifting.

Not a problem at all as I can use every giftie I have come Christmas time.


I also got the green four patch quilt completed - quilted, bound and gifted. It is going to be used at a local camp to keep the guests warm at night.

So May was a good month for my Rainbow Scrap Challenge. Check out other accomplishments over at So Scrappy.

ScrapHappy Saturday

No big changes here, I am working on Christmas gifts each month by making cosmetic/t oiletry bags in the color chosen by Angela for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. So far I have kept up with the challenge and made a pair of bags each month.

Blue, Pink, Teal, Purple bags

This month's color is Green. Does it sometimes surprise you the fabrics that you have the most and least of? I was definitely surprised when I went to my green scrap bin (and these are truly scraps - nothing bigger than maybe 4"x12"). Lots and lots of green. I sat with my GO cutter in front of the TV and cut about half of the scraps into 1 1/2" strips. Then I mindlessly sewed them to 1 1/2" white strips.

Hmm, seemed like I had an awful lot of strips paired up. Off to the GO again to cross cut them into cute little twosies. (I know I could keep pairing the strip sets and then cross cut but I want these really random and scrappy.)

Back to machine and, sure enough, I had gone way over board in the original cutting of scraps and could now make TWO sets of bags. Woohoo! Not that green is my favorite color but now I'll be that much more ahead of myself with Christmas gifting.

The "fabric" is made for these bags and I will kit it up to take to retreat at the end of the month.  Lots more kitting to do.

Check out other RSC progress at SoScrappy.

Thankful Thursday

Having lost my dad last year makes me ever more thankful to have been able to spend Mother's Day with my mom. Chris and Natalie invited us to a lovely lunch at Arcola Country Club. The day was absolutely spectacular and the views from the club were stunning - the New York City skyline in one direction and the beautiful rolling hills of New Jersey in the other (and yes, there are beautiful rolling hills in NJ). Having Patrick home from Notre Dame this week was icing on the cake.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Stash Report

Lots of stash movement this week.

Stash Out
Notre Dame quilt finally done done (as they say on Stashbusters). I never counted any of the fabric in that quilt so it is a total of front, back and binding. I try to include stash usages after a top is finished but that didn't happen with this quilt.

Dad's Memorial quilt also finally done done. Backing and binding in this report.

Green charity RSC quilt top finished.

Stash In
My friend, Debbie and I went to the Northern Star Quilt Guild show last week. Although I was restrained, my credit card did get passed over a couple of times. I bought an adorable kit for a little boy quilt (dgs due in August) and I purchased 11 homespun fat quarters.

I also ordered some fabric to be used as borders with a fat quarter bundle I have.

And finally, I order some adorable fabric for charity pillowcases.


Purchased this week: 12.25 yards
Purchased year to date: 35.00 yards

Used this week:  22.5 yards
Used year to date: 51.75 yards

Net used:  16.75 yards

Check out the other stash reports over at Patchworktimes.

RSC charity top

I've been making a charity quilt each month in the RSC color of the month. This month is green and I had some blocks started from the RSC 2012. Started but never finished so I was very happy that green has again become a color of the month.

Here it is yesterday before borders.

And then today after the borders were added.

I apologize for the lousy photos but it's been raining for three days.

I want to get it on the longarm this week as it will be going to a Christian camp to help keep the guests warm, maybe while sitting around a fire on especially cold evenings.

A finish. Always feels good.

Now to work on two green toiletry bags.

Linking up at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
                       Crazy Mom Quilts
                       So Scrappy

May goals

The past week I FINALLY got the Notre Dame quilt off of the long arm. I am unhappy with myself for the quilting design that I chose but I am thrilled to death that it is done.

I got the idea for this quilt design from Mollie (Mary) Johnson at Making Scrap Quilts. I used smaller nine patches but the idea is the same.

Today I put Dad's memorial quilt on the frame. I used several of his flannel shirts as the focus of each blocks. The blocks are string pieced on muslin foundations. I like how the off white and black strips appear to frame those fabrics. I used minky for the backing and a thin poly batting. This sucker is thick and the seam intersections are resistant to the needle. So I'm doing a large overall meander that would go as quickly as possible as well as allow me to avoid those thick intersections. One more pass to go and it will be done.

I would like to give the memorial quilt to Mom on Mother's Day. And Patrick is coming home from ND for a week on the 10th. So this week my focus will be getting both of these bound and labeled. Woohoo!

May Goals:

1.  Notre Dame quilt top - bind
2.  Dad's memorial quilt - quilt and bind
3.  Quilt Beyond Borders - 2 tops quilted
4. Rainbow Scrap Challenge - two green bags
5. Green charity quilt - Christian Camp Quilt - piece
6. Winter Solstice BOM - block #5
7. Pillowcase for Paige - ABCs
8. Sundress for Paige
9. 3 postage stamp blocks - pieced
10. Jennifer Paganelli UFO - pieced
11. Film at Five UFO top - quilted and bound

Sharing at Patchworktimes.com 
                  A Lovely year of Finishes

End of April accomplishments

The last couple of months have had a lot of traveling and therefore, not as much LA quilting as I would have liked. I've been happy with how I'm keeping up with my sewing hopes.

My April Goals were:

Winter Solstice BOM - block #4 DONE 4/30

Rainbow Scrap Challenge - Two Purple bags DONE 4/30

Four sets of bags now ready for Christmas gifting

Quilt Beyond Borders - purple charity quilt top DONE but not big enough. Need to cut more charms 4/29

3 postage stamp blocks - pieced DONE - 5 made 4/15

Five of Eight completed 100 patch blocks. Total of 49 needed

Jennifer Paganelli Lattice UFO - top completed Blocks completed but not pieced

Made from Jennifer Paganelli jelly roll

Notre Dame quilt top - quilt DONE  5/1 One day late but done.
I got the idea for this quilt design from Mollie (Mary) Johnson at Making Scrap Quilts. I used smaller nine patches but the idea is the same.

Dad's memorial quilt - quilt and bind NOT DONE
Quilt Beyond Borders - 2 tops quilted  NOT DONE
Film at Five UFO top - quilted and bound  NOT DONE
Pink quilt for Paige - top completed  NOT DONE


Now to figure out my plans for May.

Sharing at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
                   Rainbow Scrap Challenge