Fabric Stash Sunday #6

This past week, my friend Jessica decided to close her modern fabric store, Remnants: Fiber Culture.  Many of her friends and local sewists came to her shop for her closing sale.  While it was a sad event for many including myself, Jessica is excited as ever about focusing on her growing long-arm business. We all wish her the best, but I'm sure glad I could snag some fabric deals this week too!  I bought a range of Lizzy House Pearl Bracelet colors, a Painter's Canvas in black, and some Koi that will most likely make an excellent quilt binding.  Have you added anything to your stash this week?

September 2013 AYoLF Goals

It's not like I'm running low on WIPs around here, but I will hopefully be moving into my very first house next month so I need to crack the whip!  I'm busy dreaming of ways to decorate and organize my  dream sewing room.  Any suggestions would be helpful!

For this month, I want to finish my blue and yellow patchwork chevron quilt from the Moda Bake Shop.  It measures in at 78" x 78", so it's on the larger side and this is definitely ambitious amidst the moving plans.  I think I'll be doing some simple straight line quilting just because of my time crunch, even though some fancy stitching would be fun.  This quilt top has been finished for a couple months, so it isn't the oldest in the pile, but I'm planning to do a simple sheet for the backing when I want to do more complex backings for the other quilts.  

Ooo pretty quilt top

My favorite scissors, ducks, and ants on parade!

Love those pearl bracelets and tiny Tula ladybugs

More pretty blues

And sunny yellows

Here's the sheet I'll be using for the back.  Martha Stewart does it best!

WIP Wednesday: Bee Block Edition

This month I'm running way ahead of schedule with the Flickr Ima Bee!  Wendy asked for 12.5" Japanese x + blocks in bright colors with dark cross ends and a low volume/white background.  I'm in love with navy and orange-yellow combos lately, so the first one is no surprise to me.  The second is so girly fun!  I finally cut into my Alexander Henry Farmdale fabrics, but just a teeny bit.  Wendy's been great sending me extra Munki Munki or Heather Ross prints, so I'm sending her a little surprise too!  These will be off in the mail today, bound for Alaska.

Charity Blocks

I'm also busy sewing some charity blocks for the Austin Modern Quilt Guild.  As the VP of Communications, I'm in charge of the charity/outreach projects for the year and I've decided it would be fun to have a little challenge!  

I pick a block each month to post a tutorial about and pick colors, and the guild members make as many (hopefully not as few) blocks as they want and bring them to the meetings.  Each block they bring is an entry to win some of the blocks from the pot.  The rest will be used to make charity quilts.  

I'm having so much fun making these blocks in fresh colors and I love seeing them pop up here and there on members' blogs or Instagram!  Here are a couple I've made so far.  They measure 12.5" square.  The block is called Texas Puzzle.

August Bee Blocks

This month was relatively quiet on the bee front - I only had two blocks to make for my Munki in the Middle Flickr bee.  Joni asked for any size wonky star with a solid background.  I think mine are so cheerful!  It was especially hard to let the cat block go!  The wonky star was really fun to make and I think it may be a good block to intersperse with my Greek cross blocks.  I may have to sit down and make a few more for myself.  They measure 12.5" square.

Free Motion Quilting Fun

I'm having a really fun time trying out some new moves - FMQ moves that is!  I made this Over and Under quilt using Lori Holt's Sew Cherry fabric over a year ago and finally decided to drag it into the light of day and quilt.  After making my dad's quilt, I've had an itch to expand my FMQ skills.  On this baby, I made giant flowers in the white negative space and now I'm making a skinny loop in the strip area that kind of reminds me of ribbons interweaving across the quilt top.  Don't ask me how long it will take or how many bobbins I'll go through...Thank goodness for Connecting Threads' giant spools!  

WIP: The rainbow medallion is growing!

I've had quite the busy week!  Last Sunday I decided it was time to add to the rainbow medallion, which calls for 21 borders in the pattern.  I'm not sure how long that will take, but this is meant to be a fun project that uses a lot of scraps from other projects along the way.  I've decided to group the borders into 2-3 of each R(pink)OYGBIV to make a radiating outward rainbow quilt of fabulosity!  Plus I have a thing for cool colors and those will need the most scraps because they're on the outside.  Here it is, currently 13"x13" and just waiting to grow.

I also had a fun weekend at the Austin Shop Hop.  Finding new places to shop for fabric is always at the top of the list!  Here's the loot I scored.  Lots of Anna Maria Horner and even some scraps of the original Flea Market Fancy and Melody Miller typewriters.  And of course, eyeglasses for the eye doctor.  Please, sir, may I have some more?

WIP List:

Finished!

  - Scrappy Trip Along charity quilt top

Being quilted

  - Over and Under in Sew Cherry

Finished quilt tops

  - Aqua/Yellow Patchwork Chevron

  - Happy Go Lucky in Vintage Modern

  - Round Robin Medallion

  - Neptune Squared 

In pieces

  - Hexa Go Go Stars & Stripes

  - On a Whim in Birds & Bees

  - Rainbow medallion