Sunday Stash May 31, 2020

No change in the numbers this week.
I started working on another UFO. I will not stitch anything down until I make sure all the applique pieces fit like they should.
I ditched all my original fabric choices except for the red I chose for the birds. The birds will make their appearance after the branches grow some leaves.
The pattern was designed as a mosaic, which I also decided not to do. I toyed with the idea of re-shelving the fabrics and abandoning the project entirely. Because I like the pattern, it lives to see another day.
Fabric In: 1.5
Fabric Out: 12.75 yards
Net Fabric Out: 11.25 yards
How did you do this week?

1 Chrisknits
2 Meloney
3 maggie f
4 Melva Nolan

Wood Stain Test

Some ideas just won’t go away, and painting fabric with wood stain is one of them.
I looked it up online to see if it had been done before. Most sites discouraged using stain on fabric because of the chemicals in the stain. Since the fabric won’t be used in clothing, I did it anyway.
I used two different stains, an oil based stain (brown) and a water based stain (cranberry). I painted with q-tips to avoid cleaning brushes.
I started with the cranberry. It was a lot like painting with acrylic paint.
I moved on to the brown. Rather than stir all the oil into the pigment, I stuck with using mostly pigment. Most oil based stains separate in the can. It may not show in the picture, but I got some interesting texture with the brown.
Unless applied thickly, neither changed the hand of the fabric. I painted the samples in the kitchen, but it would have been better to use the oil stain outside and not worry about drips or spills. The oil based stain did not leave grease marks. I don’t know how to describe it, but stain gives a different effect on fabric than paint.
I plan to experiment with the oil stain again, maybe with shibori or a flour paste resist. I don’t think I’d choose it for all over color, but I can see where it could have its moments.

Sunday Stash May 24, 2020

No fabric in this week.
I finished A Walk In The Woods Friday for a big jump in fabric used. The quilt measures 50 x 60. It was my May OMG hosted at Elm Street Quilts.
My only purchase this year was the background and binding for this quilt, and I only have scraps left.
I’m excited to move on to new projects. It felt like I worked on that quilt a long time.
Fabric In: 1.5
Fabric Out: 12.75 yards
Net Fabric Out: 11.25 yards
How did you do this week?

1 Julie in GA
2 Chrisknits
3 Meloney
4 Meloney
5 Quilting Gail
6 Melva Loves Scraps

Picture Challenged

I need to learn to take selfies.
I tried taking a picture of me wearing the shirt, but it’s that funky kind of overcast here and it didn’t work out well.
It washed up nice and turned out the way I envisioned it. Now it just needs to get warm enough to wear it. I may add a stitch at the top to cut back on the cleavage. Either that or wear a tank under it.
I’ve really missed the thrift stores during the quarantine. I hope to make it to one this weekend now that they are open again.

Sunday Stash May 17, 2020

No fabric in this week.
My quilt guild held a virtual meeting yesterday. Because of the group’s size, only a few people were audio enabled. While I listened to all the info being shared, I framed another embroidery.
I finished this maybe ten years ago? I sewed strips of muslin around the picture for a little fabric out. The design was printed so close to the edge of the fabric that there wasn’t enough fabric to turn over the foamcore and baste. Adding the fabric strips worked well.
Fabric In: 1.5
Fabric Out: 7.375 yards
Net Fabric Out: 5.875 yards
How did you do this week?

1 Julie in GA
2 Chrisknits
3 maggie f
4 Meloney
5 Quilting Gail
6 Angie in SoCal
7 Melva Loves Scraps
 

Lessons Learned

I’ve been sorting through the sewing room and reorganizing. It’s a time consuming process. I went into it knowing I have too much stuff and it isn’t well organized, but other lessons emerged from the debris.
I don’t play enough.
I’ve posted about that several times over the years. Why is it so hard to make time for creative play? I get too caught up in my list and finishing the things on my list. I need to knock it off.
I have small collections of “things I want to try” stashed everywhere, and none of those are on a list.
I forget about those things. Maybe I can put them all in one container in ziploc bags or something. They need to be in one place so when I want to play I can find them. Nothing sucks the fun out of play like searching an hour for your toys.
I have quilts I forgot I made and quilts I want to display that I can’t find.
Anyone else been there?
Finishing all your small UFOs and leaving the large complicated ones until last is a bad idea.
Enough said.
All those lessons from the first 25% of the room. The fun may never end.

Sunday Stash May 10, 2020

Happy Mother’s Day!

No fabric in or out.

I finished the Walk In The Woods top Friday.  The quilt is 50 x 60.
Today I need to dig through the stash and come up with backing fabric. I’ve used a lot of my large light colored fabric pieces for prior quilts. There’s so many seams in the top that I’d prefer not to do a lot of piecing on the back.

I have another large quilt with white background fabric in process. There may be a fabric purchase in my future.

Fabric In: 1.5

Fabric Out: 7.25 yards

Net Fabric Out: 5.75 yards

How did you do this week?

1 Julie in GA
2 Chrisknits
3 Meloney
4 Quilting Gail