Sunday Stash and Stitching

What an incredibly lazy day this has been today. It's cold and it's snowing, and I don't really feel like doing anything, or going anywhere. I've spent a lot of it so far just blog surfing. There really hasn't even been that much stitching done today. I finished sewing down the small heart, and that's it. I've been spending some of the day prepping the next set of pieces for My Tweets block nine. I forced myself to do the beak and the top knots while I was doing the rest of this bird, rather than putting them off until later like I usually do. I'm doing the tails of the birds differently in each of the blocks. At some point before doing block 10, which is safely several weeks away, at least, I am going to have to put them all on the wall and make sure I haven't got too much of any one colour going on in the tails. There's lots of other lovely hand stitching projects being shown over at Kathy's Quilts.
There was more stash out this week, although not a lot, and still none in. Four weeks into the new year, and I haven't bought fabric yet!

Used this week:                                           1.4 yards
Used this year:                                          11.4 yards
Added this week:                                          0 yards
Added this year:                                           0 yards
Balance:                                                    11.4 more yards out than in.
I'm linking up, as usual, to Judy's Stash Report.
And then just because Jo asked, I'm showing a picture of what quilts are  on our bed. I keep the bedroom really cool, helps with the night time hot

flashes, so there are several quilts on the bed. My very scrappy Endless Chain, from a pattern by Emilie Richards and the Double Duty, a pattern by Miss Rosie's quilts. Jo's opened a linky box here for anyone else who wants to show what's on their beds.

March UFO report

 

 My March UFO was my Double Duty quilt, a pattern from Miss Rosie's Quilt Company. I had started out doing this as a cross hatch in the log cabin squares. I had the top left hand corner done, stood back and looked at it, and didn't like it, at all. So I ripped out the vertical stitches, and just left in the horizontal straight lines. That I was happy with. I took the last stitches in the binding at 2:10 this afternoon, and took the pictures at 2:25 this afternoon. Considering I had to be at work by 3:00, that was cutting it a bit close. I still have the thread ends of the starts and stops to tie off and sew in, but that is something that I can do while travelling in the car later this month when going up to see Noel and Laurie and Avery again.

Here's a close up of the center of the quilt.

And a closer look at the design in the flying geese portion.

And the backing. 

So far in this year's UFO challenge, I've managed to meet each month's goal. I'm linking up to Judy's UFO Challenge Linky. She's pulled the number 10 for April, which is my Rose Log Cabin. It needs quilting and binding. That should be do-able, I hope. I'm also linking up to Crazy Mom's Quilts finish it friday and Amylouwho's Sew and Tell

February UFO Report

I am happy to report that my February UFO, RRCB is done. So happy it is done, that it is worth writing about it twice. And showing the picture twice. LOL. Judy, at Patchwork Times has a linky up for those of us who worked on the UFO challenge last month. This month, she's pulled the number 8, which is my quilt Double Duty. The top is already made. This month's challenge is to get it quilted and bound. The bigger challenge is to figure out what to do with it. I know I want to do something that plays up the flying geese, and that follows the lights and darks of the log cabin blocks. But how, or what that will be....... haven't a clue, just yet. And that is one of the reasons it is still a UFO. I love the top, and the pattern, but haven't been able to figure out how to quilt it. Whatever I do, except for an all over edge to edge, which I don't really want to do, is going to involve starts and stops as the quilt is advanced, due to the diagonal placement of the geese. Any suggestions?
When I made up this years list for myself, I mixed it up with different type projects. Some had a lot of piecing left in them, some just needed a border or 2 and some were at the needing to be quilted and bound stage. Since this month's pick is one that needs quilting, it gives me a chance to play with other piecing, and maybe starting a new project, or 2, or maybe even 3 from my ever growing want to do list.

Finishes

Looking back at my post from October 6 about my goals for the month, most of them are done. I finished of Charlene's tree skirts today, and the Double Duty quilt, by Rosie's Quilt Co. a couple of days ago. All that's left on that list are Charlene's bed quilt, which is going on the machine today, and Evelyn's cross stitch quilt. The Christmas gifts are started, and one of them is almost finished. So, I am giving myself a reward, and am going to participate in Judy's mystery quilt After I get Charlene's quilt onto the machine, I'm going to shop my stash, get the fabrics needed, and start cutting for clue # 1 Charlene is coming to pick up her tree skirts tonight,but, other than that, the evening is mine. Scott's at work for 3-11, I've just had my supper of Swiss Chalet chicken, delivered after being ordered on-line. So, I'm all fueled up, and ready to go. I do have a pic of the tree skirt, but I'm having trouble with uploading it onto blogger, so I guess it will have to wait to another time.

Design Wall Monday August 9

My design wall is the same as it was a couple of days ago, showing "Double Duty" by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. It's almost done. I had been wondering whether to change out the tan setting triangles for a lighter fabric, which is my inclination. But, when I asked my husband's opinion, he like the tan, says it frames it better than the lighter fabric would. Since this will probably end up as his quilt, I'll leave it the way it is. I've put working on it on hold for a little while, since I'm participating in a sew along hosted by  Teaquilts She posted a picture of this quilt, and, of course, I fell in love, and had to do it. When she proposed a sew along, I ordered the book, and jumped at the chance to work on this quilt. I've always wanted to do a pineapple quilt. Go on over to Judy's to see more design walls.

End of Quiltathon day one

I've been sewing most of the day, while listening to the last 2 movies of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I have all of the log cabin blocks done, the setting triangles all cut, and am starting to sew the whole thing together. It has been a very productive day. Looking at the picture, though, I'm not sure I'm liking those setting triangles. What do you think, should they be lighter, to go along with the lightness of the rest of the cream fabrics? Or is it better to have it darker at the edge?

Design Wall Monday August 2

On my wall today, after taking down the Peas in a Pod quilt, which is now finished, is the beginnings of a new quilt, called "Double Duty". It's an interesting variation on the traditional Log Cabin. I like the half square triangles in the centres of the cabins, and the addition of the flying geese. I had a lot of brown, and rust and gold fat quarters, so I'm using them in this quilt. Go on over to Judy's to see other design walls.