Mother's Day Surprise and Stash Report - May 27, 2012

For mother's Day I asked for a cd tower to hold some of my fat quarters. I had the perfect space 12 inches wide by 5 feet tall. I showed Bill what I found online and left the rest up to him and if he decided not to get it for me I would get one later. Bill had told me on Mother's Day that my gift was coming soon. Mother and I left for a week to Pennsylvania and New Jersey, when we got back my cd tower had arrived and was all set up, even had a few fat quarters in it. It was not the one that was about 7 inches square and five feet tall. This was a huge spinning tower, 5 ft 4 in tall, as tall as I am,  and takes up 38 square inches of floor space (it spins). He was so tickled with himself for surprising me with this gift. The spinner holds 1600 cds!

After a bit of rearranging to accommodate my new tower,  I went about emptying my 14 bins and drawers of fat quarters and putting them (some might be 1/2 yards and others are fat 1/8th) on my new fat quarter spinning tower.

I never thought that I would be able to fill this spinning tower full of fat quarters, but I did! There was also room for 7 jelly rolls, 23 charm packs and 3 rolled up layer cakes and if I were to scoot everything together I would have 4 empty shelves.

I counted 1558 fat quarters ( some are 1/2 yards and some are fat 1/8ths). I was curious to see how much fabric the tower holds, this is how I calculated the yardage.
1 - I rounded the number of fat quarters to 1525
2 - divided 1525 by 4  (4 fat quarters per yard)
3 - 381.25 yards - not counting the jelly rolls, charm packs and layer cakes

WHAT!?!?! Please tell me I miscalculated the numbers. Never did I think I had that much fabric in fat quarters. I can't imagine how much fabric I have stacked on shelves and on bolts. No more fabric shopping for the rest of the year, maybe the next three years. There is no way I am going to be able to use up all this fabric in the next 25 years.

I so enjoyed making the Carpenter's Star QOV a few weeks back that I decided to make another one, in pink, for Ronald's House.

The background is white with tiny red and pink dots.  It is such a sweet quilt, just perfect for a teen.
This would make a cute baby quilt without the borders. This one uses 6.5 inch squares. I just might have to make a few more of these quilts.

Finally, I finished a quilt that was started a few years back - Tile Tango by Atkinson Designs. This will be a donation quilt. So nice to have this one done.

That plaid curtain that you see behind most of my quilts is there because it keeps the cooler air from going into my mother's living area, she likes it warmer than we do.

Used since last post - 17.15 yards
Used YTD - 219.39 yards

Added since last post - 0
Added YTD - 87 yards

Net Used YTD - 132.39 yards

Quilts finished in 2012 - 21

My goals for 2012 are simple~

1 - make one QOV each month. 

Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  June  July  Aug  Sept  Oct  Nov  Dec

2 - make one quilt for Ronald McDonald's House each month

Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  June  July  Aug  Sept  Oct  Nov  Dec

3 - finish one already started quilt each month (have about 20 of these, some more than 3 years old)

Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  June  July  Aug  Sept  Oct  Nov  Dec

4 - if I complete the above 3 goals each month I can start one new quilt

1 2

Visit Patchwork Times to see more stash reports.

Tile Tango

I am linking up with Alycia today.

I am working on a top made from the pattern Tile Tango by Terry Atkinson. I am trying to get some older projects finished and their plastic bins put out into the shed. 

I am using red where the pattern used green,  the 9 patches and sashing are totally scrappy. I am hoping to finish the top today and then quilt and bind it tomorrow. The white has itty bitty dots of all colors on it.

Stash Report - May 13, 2012

I have some great friends, both men and women, who aren't mothers in the true sense of the meaning, but they are great people who nurture, love, care for, encourage and teach others every day.   To everyone, I hope your day is extra special, with time spent with those who love you. 

I was able to get this QOV quilt finished this week while working on a few other tops.  I love that it has the look of being 3 dimensional. 

JudyL and Mary both have tutorials on making Carpenter Star quilts. I made my blocks a bit larger (8 inch finished), used two colors for the star and put on a piano border on instead of triangles. Super fast top to piece. 

Used since last post - 16.57 yards
Used YTD - 202.24 yards

Added since last post - 0
Added YTD - 87 yards

Net Used YTD - 115.24 yards

Quilts finished in 2012 - 19

My goals for 2012 are simple~

1 - make one QOV each month. 

Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  June   July  Aug  Sept  Oct  Nov  Dec

2 - make one quilt for Ronald McDonald's House each month

Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  Jun  July  Aug  Sept  Oct  Nov  Dec

3 - finish one already started quilt each month (have about 20 of these, some more than 3 years old)

Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  Jun  July  Aug  Sept  Oct  Nov  Dec

4 - if I complete the above 3 goals each month I can start one new quilt

1

Need to work on #3 a bit more so I won't feel too guilty when I do #4.

Stop by JudyL's blog to see how other quilters are using their stash.

Stash Report - May 6, 2012

While driving around running errands and delivering quilts I came upon a quilt shop, The Quilter's Path in Mt Juliet, TN. I went in. They had a nice selection of fabrics. I did bring home 13 yards. Really nice folks. I was impressed that none of the fabrics I looked at was over $7 a yard.

The bottom fabric is  background for a QOV, the next is just misc. background fabric, the red with teal is for some future quilt, I was only going to get two yards of it but it was so soft I ended up getting 5 yards. Then there are some pink fat quarters and fat eights. The Quilter's Path is on my list to visit next time I am in the area.

I finished this QOV this week. I love it.  This is a one block quilt.

When I had the blocks on the floor trying to lay out the design Bill comes in and as nicely as he can tells me I somehow messed up the pattern. Apparently, he likes his quilts to be symmetrical. He also thinks that everyone else who sees the quilt will think I messed up the design. Did I? I even showed him many quilts online that were also off center, Nope, couldn't convince him to like it.

I needed to start and finish a quilt really fast - 2 days at the most. I just wanted a fast finish as the UFO I
am going to work on this month will take awhile to finish. This next quilt accomplished that need. Started Thursday and finished it on Friday. I used Moda's Puzzle Pieces and Kona white. This is a great donation quilt. Do you ever just feel the need?????

I am still pinning and sewing the apple core blocks. I pin until I run out of pins and then I sew the blocks together and repeat. I am only working on these blocks two evenings a week. I figure I will be putting in about 10,000 pins before this top is finished.

My goals for 2012 are simple~

1 - make one QOV each month. 

Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  June   July  Aug  Sept  Oct  Nov  Dec

2 - make one quilt for Ronald McDonald House each month

Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  Jun  July  Aug  Sept  Oct  Nov  Dec

3 - finish one already started quilt each month (have about 20 of these, some more than 3 years old)

Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  Jun  July  Aug  Sept  Oct  Nov  Dec

4 - if I complete the above 3 goals each month I can start one new quilt

I am doing pretty good on goals 1 and 2, not so good on #3. Any finished quilt is always a plus.

Used since last post - 20.08
Used YTD - 185.67

Added since last post - 13 yards
Added YTD - 87 yards

Net used YTD - 98.67

2012 Finished Quilts - 18

Linking with JudyL's blog

Quilt of Valor

Here is a fun QOV that I made this week.

It is a one block quilt and went together really quickly. The 9 patch blocks finish at 9 inches. Finished size is about 63 x 72 inches

Visit Alycia Quilts to see more Quilts of Valor.