Tag Archives: sunday stash

Sunday Stash

I remember I used to write lots of these posts. There was a link up at Mollie Sparkle’s blog and people would share the newest fabrics they were working with. Mine were usually fabrics I had thrifted. Once I had the shop those posts ended for obvious reasons. Even now that the shop has closed, I have sooooo much (too much) fabric so I rarely buy any.

But, there is always a but, yesterday I was at a tiny quilt show with my friend Annette. It was held in a church and the quilts were displayed by laying them over the pews. It was quaint but I can’t say I am a huge fan of this sort of display. For one thing, the viewer cannot step back and see the whole quilt. So many quilts look best from a few feet back. Because the church was small, many of the quilts were folded and then draped over the pew. This meant we only saw half of the quilt. This doesn’t allow for looking at secondary patterns or the effect of the outer quilt on the center. It was sort of frustrating. Anyway, it was fun because you know….. a quilt show is always fun. Plus they had a little table of home baked treats and a great shopping section. Annette and I found a number of things we liked.

There were loads of books for $1.00 each. I picked up two that are different from most in my library of quilt books. But they have some really cute projects in them. The Remembering Adelia book contains journal entries from a young woman during the Civil War. I love this sort of thing. Life is so easy now. Women worked all day, every day back then. The journal entries sucked me in and I enjoyed reading most of it yesterday when I got home.

The Folk Art Quilts book has some really fun projects. I love the whimsical critters on these two pages and plan to make something with them. This is way out of what normally appeals to me but I am looking forward to this.

The same book also maps out how to make the letters of the alphabet which will come in handy some day. I know this isn’t rocket science but it is nice to have it mapped out visually and then just adjust the size of the squares to get the correct size letter block.

I also picked up two containers for thread. I have had my thread hanging on a wooden rack but it is poorly placed in my sewing space and I was constantly knocking thread off the pegs. I sorted thread and put what I could fit in these bins. The left bin contains the shiny Sulky threads as well as my hand stitching threads. On the right is a large portion of my standard threads.

Unfortunately my some spools are too big for these bins. Since I was in the mood, I reorganized some of the drawers in a bin under my sewing table. This allowed me to put the Glide spools and the Connecting Thread spools in a drawer. I still have a small number of Aurifil threads that I haven’t found a good space for but I am sure it will work out.

It is much easier to see what I have now. This exercise forced me to look at all of the thread I have. Is it too much? Yes, yes it is. How I acquired all of this is a wonder!

This little stack of fabric is the extent of fabric purchased. I really wanted that little cheddar yellow check because it will work in some of those silly animal blocks I want to make. The others look good with it and should work with the project.

Quilt shows are the best. It always makes me itch to get back home and head to the sewing room! (Which is exactly what I did)!

My sweet girls have been on vacation with their parents all week. We are dog sitting in their absence. From what I have heard and the pictures seen, they are having a wonderful time. It is a great finale to their summer. We get to see them next weekend for some family time. Happy Sunday all of you!!

Thrifted Stash Update

15 Replies

It has been a long time since I have written a Sunday Stash post. Maybe because I have been buying fabric constantly over the past months for my shop and it would be really boring if I wrote about each addition. Technically, that isn’t my stash, but it is fabric and I do acquire it on a regular basis.

But today I want to share a couple of finds I had at the thrift store over the last several weeks. Every once in a while, I get lucky and find nice quality duvet covers in the thrift shop. I remember finding one a couple of years ago and using one half of it to back a scrappy quilt I had just made.

Duvet covers tend to be a quality cotton with more heft than quilting cottons. Thicker than sheets, they can be really durable. The first one I found is a pretty green color, maybe sage green or a dusty green? It has a gingham pattern on both sides, one check larger than the other. After separating the fop from the bottom and removing the hemmed or finished edges, both of these pieces netted out at 77″ x 84″. I should be able to back two lap size quilts with these and I paid a whopping $5.00 for the entire thing. There are no worn spots or stains – they look wonderful.

This is the next one I found. It is heavier than the green gingham – maybe similar to ticking or duck cloth? I took it home and laundered it. Then after removing buttons along one open edge, I split the top from bottom and removed the finished edges. It is a bit smaller, finishing at 60″ x 76″. As with the green pieces, it is free of spots or worn areas. I am thinking of a few different projects I may use these for. I am not sure if I will back a quilt with it because it is a little bit narrow. The neutral taupe color will be easily worked into a number of projects, I am thinking I will use this for some Christmas projects I have yet to begin. You’ll have to wait until later to hear about these. 😉 For whatever reason, this duvet cover was a little bit more expensive but I happily paid $9.50 for it. It is still a lot of great fabric for the price! (Side note: I no issue paying a little more for items like this because the main thrift shops I frequent are in support of our local Hospice organization and I am very happy to support such an important group of caregivers.)

Anyway – that is the latest with regard to my stash. If you venture into a thrift store, take a quick peek at the linens area – I am thrilled when I find something like this because backing a quilt can be an expensive part of the project!

Autumn Themed Sunday Stash

12 Replies

We had a few days of fall weather this week – it was mostly a teaser. The highs dropped to the mid 60’s which was so nice. Now it is heating back up. I am trying to be patient. I know fall is just around the corner.

To get in the mood, I have been playing with a bundle of fabric that screams Autumn.

I love the theme of Thanksgiving that permeates this line. The sunflowers are so pretty, such a deep yellow. The pumpkins provide deep green and orange accents and the turkeys are adorable (much more so than the turkeys that roam in our neck of the woods!)

There are three blenders, green, yellow and orange in the bundle.

Above is some additional yardage that I need for this upcoming project. These two are a nice pine green and a deep brown.
The bundle is called Golden Harvest and was provided to me by Paint Brush Studios. They are sponsoring a blog hop that I am hosting at the end of October. I am so excited to start the project for the hop – pieces have been cut but I haven’t done a lot of piecing as of yet.

Along with Needle and Foot, there are four more quilters participating in the hop. Mari (Academic Quilter), Janine (Quilts From the Little House), Tish (Tish in Wonderland) and Sandra (MMM Quilts). If you’d like to see the fall beauties they will be working with, hop on over and take a look. Otherwise, we will be back to share finished projects with you in about four weeks. Till then, happy quilting!

The Saga Continues

13 Replies

Remember the tale of the quilter who needed a piece of velcro and her ensuing trips to Ben Franklins? As happened with “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”, there is a sequel which must be shared. After the success of Laura Numeroff’s first book , the sequels began popping up with regularity. There was “If You Give a Moose a Muffin” and “If You Give a Pig a Pancake” among others. Here is the next chapter to my story, If You Give a Quilter a Bargain.

At the end of the first chapter of this story, you might remember that this quilter had returned to Ben Franklin to pick up a piece of Allison Glass fabric to add to the pile being used to make a 241 totebag. While there, an amazing discovery was made where the whole Asuka line by Dear Stella was found on the $5.99 table. I thought that was where the story would end. But no, it was not to be.

Last week the May is for Maker’s challenge was brought to the forefront of the quilty blogger community and everyone was joyfully diving in to buy patterns designed by individual makers (as opposed to those working for large companies.) This blogger happens to love a good cause. Especially a cause that is supported by shopping.

In my related post last week, I stated that I would buy a pattern to use to make a quilt with the Dear Stella fabric. It took a lot of shopping to finally settle on the pattern I wanted to make. There are endless numbers of gorgeous patterns to be had on Etsy and Craftsy both. So many great designs that it was very hard to choose. I started looking at the blogs of my favorite quilters who also sold patterns. I did web searches. I went to my lovely Etsy shopping app and my Craftsy shopping app. Finally I had to just put away my iPad to let my brain settle down, knowing that once I did so, the right pattern would rise to the top of the frenzy.

It did. Here it is; Courtyard Tiles by Kelly Young of My Quilt Infatuation. One of my parameters for choosing a pattern was that it have a large scale design because some of the Asuka pieces have large focus prints. Also, because I am making this for a queen size bed, I didn’t want to piece something too fussy with loads of points to match, angles to cut, etc.

This pattern will be great from both angles – not a lot of fussy piecing, and plenty of room for the fabrics to shine. I love that the blocks give an impression of a curve but really they are pieced with rectangles and small triangles to create that curved look. Here is where the saga continues. Looking at the requirements for the queen size, I found I needed another 1.5 yards. Yep, I had to go back to Ben Franklin’s.

Fortunately for this shopper, there were still a few pieces of the Asuka line left. There were also a few pieces of Dear Stella that coordinated with the Asuka line. No longer were they all stacked together nice and neat. That’s ok – the thrill of the hunt makes it that much more satisfying. I started searching.

I found several pieces that I had not purchased during my last trip. The orange flowers with the blue centers, the larger scale print (on the bottom to the far left) and the gray dot (on the bottom, middle of the row). I also bought a bit more of two pieces that I already had.

I have enough of the print fabrics to begin piecing the quilt. I have not yet purchased the background fabric. I can’t decide what color I want to use. Currently, the choice is between a very pale gray or a crisp white. My decision is complicated by the fact that some of these fabrics show a creamy white and others have a very crisp white. Oh, how I struggle with color! If you have any input, I would appreciate hearing your thoughts.

Of course, I would be lying if I said this was the end of my story. Once the decision is made about the background fabric, there is still the backing fabric and the binding to be selected. No, this story has only just begun. I am excited to get going on it, but first I need to finish up a few projects that are close to completion.

Linking to Sunday Stash and Main Crush Monday. (You’ll find these links at the top of the page, under Link Ups.)

If You Give a Quilter a Bargain…

37 Replies

On Tuesday I was running a few errands. Among other things, I ran in to Ben Franklin’s for a strip of velcro. I came home with this. (Plus the strip of velcro.)

Really, it was not intended! I was supposed to be picking Julia up from school so I was there not even ten minutes. As she cut the velcro strip, the clerk (who knows me well) suggested I might want to take a quick look at the flat fold table because there were lots of new pieces out. Ben Franklin’s always has a table with stacks of fabric folded (taken off the bolt). Frequently there are treasures on that table but you have to spend a bit of time searching. The majority of the fabric found here is traditional or novelty pieces. Anything on the table is $5.99 per yard, a very good price.

I immediately spotted a large selection of fabric from the Field Day line by Allison Glass. This is my favorite of all of her lines. It is an older one (2013) and for the most part isn’t readily available. Actually, Allison Glass isn’t available in Grass Valley at all. When I did the Allison Glass swap last year, I had to drive to the San Jose area to get the fabric (300 miles round trip). I could have ordered it on-line but I really wanted to see the colors together. She covers such a huge span of the rainbow and I wasn’t sure which colors I was going to work with. It was a huge find to see these sitting on the flat fold table!

I am using these two to make a 241 tote from Anna at Noodlehead. There are a few occasions coming up that I need gifts for. This will be perfect for one of them.

These two pieces are from the Vantage Point line by Robert Kaufman. Wavy Stripe Retro and Picton Patchwork will both be used for Chemex Cozies that I sell in my Etsy shop. I love both of them. Remember when you were little and got to make those Spin Art paintings? I always imagined that mine would look like the fabric on the right. Never got even close but those were fun to make. Julia still has one of those – maybe I should give it another try.

Look at the rich colors in this stack. Who doesn’t need a few new blenders in her stash? At $5.99/yard, this was an easy decision.

Here is the hard part. Oh, if only the story ended here. But it doesn’t. You know me, I am nothing but honest.

I bought the yardage from the Field Day collection and purchased the 241 Tote pattern over at Noodlehead the following day. Looking at the requirements, I found I was short one piece of fabric for the tote. Yes, I could probably have found something in my stash that would work, but I knew that stack of Allison Glass treasure was just sitting there at Ben Franklin’s. How could I not return? It was just one more yard…. (I know, I know.)

So I bought the piece in the center. Perfect. Now I had enough to make the tote.

Guess what? When I pulled that piece out of the stacks of flat folds, you won’t believe what happened. There, in plain sight, was the nearly complete line of Asuka by Dear Stella. Which is just crazy – this line was only released last summer. What a treasure.

It was amazing – a stack of Dear Stella just sitting there, waiting for me and for only $5.99 per yard! I love this line – the colors are exquisite. Showing only minimal restraint, I limited myself to the seven pieces you see here.

The piece on the top is not from the Asuka line. I am not sure which it belongs to, but I like the fact that it adds a pop of green to the palette. Such a thrilling experience. 😉

I now have a total of three yards of Dear Stella to play with and spent $18.00. (I know, let’s not talk about the total cost of all of my treasures. I am minimizing the impact here.)

Remember the book, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie? That pretty much covers this whole experience. Velcro, led to the Vantage Point pieces, then to Allison Glass, which took me to Noodlehead, which then looped me back over to Allison Glass and finally took me right on over to Dear Stella. Oh dear, dear, Dear Stella.

Linking to Sunday Stash over at Molli Sparkles and also at Main Crush Monday.