So I've officially joined Flikr's Stash Pact 2011 group and I'm excited to get started.


Here are MY official rules/goals:

1. No new fabric purchases until I can fit my entire fabric stash on my lower shelf in the studio.
2. Exceptions:
• Fabric to back quilts
• small amounts to finish pattern
• Fill fabric for a pattern BUT ONLY if it is on sale (40% off or better)
• Finish all my WIP's (works in progress) and no starting new ones until current ones are done (at least the quilt top, quilting can happen whenever)
3. Design 12 original scrap quilts

So those are my goals.  So far so good.

In other news, the Color Wheel quilt is coming along nicely.

It was a quiet, rainy Sunday yesterday which meant that I spent a little time quilting and even got started on the binding. Whoo hoo!  Can't wait to get this beauty up on the wall.

I quilted it different than what was suggested in the book.  Mostly because I love how a stippled quilt looks and feels and didn't feel like putting in all the work to trace out the lines.

Usually I just use a basting spray to sandwich the layers but this time I decided to pin it with safety pins too.  I know lots of other quilters do this but I have to say, it didn't work out that well and I ended up with a bunch of wonky parts on the back.  I had to stop and pull out the stitches a few times which was annoying because I can't find my really nice, sharp embroidery scissors.  Luckily I found these guys (pictured above) which have an awesome hook thing on the end and that helped.

But it was still annoying.

Anyhoos.  My goal is to finish binding this baby today and then maybe even get it hung tonight after I put the boys to bed!  We'll see...

Quilts are good for....

..making forts on a Sunday afternoon with your brother.

Especially if you have 3-D glasses laying around....

Stash Pact 2011

Hello my name is Tyra, and I'm a fabric addict.  I could walk the isles of quilt shops and fabric stores all day and just look at all the beautiful designs and dream of all the endless combinations in endless quilt patterns.  Lets just say its my happy place.

I have a habit of heading to the fabric store with the most innocent of intentions to ONLY buy what I NEED for a project and without fail, I leave with one or two pretty little quarters or half yarders to tuck in these here sturdy totes. 

Am I the only one?

Probably not.  Through three moves in the last four years I've whittled it down but have needed to make the commitment, the stash pact if you will, and really start putting these little pretties to use.

Last night I took that middle tub and spend some time folding and stacking so that everything was right here in my little studio, ready to catch my eye for some special little project.

I really like having everything right here now, next to my sewing machine and ready to go.  It looks so pretty and colorful right?  And that little cutie pie getting ready to taste the blues isn't too bad either.

Asher is quite pleased with mama's progress

We'll make Monday the official stashpact 2011 kick off as we start a year of putting all those pretties to use.......stay tuned

The Rocket Ship Room...

As soon as I found out I was pregant with my little babe (a good year and some change ago) I've had visions of decor for my little boys' room dancing in my head.  I finished Carver's quilt for it for Christmas and after my back blew out from leaning over Asher's pack and play bed over and over, I decided it was time to put him in the crib.  Before I put that crib in the room, I decided it was time to paint it.

I think I have a total miswiring in my brain regarding gaging how long a project will take.  I figured, painting that crib would take a good long afternoon nap worth of time. 

er... wrong!

A week later..... I put it all back together this morning.  And moved the crib bumpers I'd made last spring into the crib and I really like how it turned out.

Now the next project paint the changing table to match and what to put on this blank, blah wall?  I have a quilt in mind......

de-stashing and getting started..

(almost) all the quilt tops laid out and ready (and almost ready) for quilting

What do I write to start things out?  I've had a family blog for about four and a half years now and I've been itching to start a blog just devoted to my little creative outlet: quilting.  So here we are!

Over the last few months my serious addiction to fabrics has gotten to the breaking point and I decided that a stash cleanse was necessary.  Unfortunately I love all my fabrics too much to part with them in anyway other than quilted form and so began my year of scrap quilting.  Apparently I'm not the only one with this problem...  This year my goal is to work through my stash until I've whittled it away to a reasonable level.  Reasonable being one tote in my garage.  Or even better small enough to store on my shelves in my studio (read: corner of the loft/office/playroom).

I've had a lot of projects in mind to use up the stash on and its just become a matter of momentum to get going on putting those ideas into action.  And in the last week I've really made some good headway. 

My current project has been one from Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts.  Oh how I love the projects in this book.  I got it from the library a few years ago when we still lived in Seattle.  Unfortunately somone had taken out the pattern page which made it kind of impossible to do half the projects. But since I loved it so much I went out and got my own copy and have been biding my time till I started this little baby...

I was TOTALLY intimidated at first by the circle and rounded corners.  In fact I remember turning to this page when I first got the book from the library and thinking, "well that's one I'll never do..."

Never say never right?

It actually is way easier than it looks.  Time consuming because you have to cut out all the individual color wheel pieces with scisors instead of rotary cutting but quite simple to piece.  But, seriously, a great way to utilize an oversized fabric stash.

Turns out I have a TON of blue and red fabrics (not really surprised there, two favorite colors) and I only had three orange which is weird because I feel like I'm really digging orange lately (wait till I post about the boys' room) so I had to go out yesterday and get three more oranges. (that's the sort of fabric purchasing we'll allow this year.  ONLY to FINISH projects!)

I have to admit.  I totally love it and can not wait to get it hanging on the wall right here in the loft studio (/playroom/office).  I love it.  I ran out of white fabric for the last quadrant but the plan is to run over to San Jose's Jo-Ann's tomorrow since I'm headed over the hill to my little mountain playgroup anyway.

Excited...