Quilt/Stash Project-2020--Determined Quilter

Quilt/Stash Project-2020--Determined Quilter


Thursday, January 28,2010...Year 2---Week24--Blog 37--Day 167 of 4,014


On Monday (1/25) CELEBRATION!!! the completion quilt #2 of 2010.......

Now...after relentless storming rain over the last 10 days with many happy hours confined to quilting...and seemingly endless time for mind wandering....

CHALLENGE--Decision/Discoveries...and new adventures!!

The QUESTION--#1: What to do with all the quilting projects I am making/completing with this quilt/stash project???

(I have been quilting for 13 years; I have given maybe 30 plus quilts/pillows/wall hangings to family and friends......I have ????? quilts stored or on "display" ( will count-up for next blog). I have never sold my quilts.)

The ANSWER/DECISION: SELL these "strange" scrap/stash --unfinished quilts.

QUESTIONS #2 and #3: Where??? How???

The endless raining days/mind wandering ANSWER:

The Christmas Craft Fairs at the Senior Centers in the largest cities in the county.

So...CHALLENGE!!Adventure #1: I need at least 20 items (wall hangings, pillows, dining room chair covers,puppy/kitty quilts) selling for at least $10 each to make break-even money.

So...all items must be "interesting"/ appealing and "perfect"--sell-able
and DO IT using ONLY THE SCRAPS AND STASH ( realistically no point in quilting-to-sell scraps/stash if I am spending money on additional fabric).

DISCOVERIES: Since the decision-to-sell three viable projects have manifest themselves--all with some strenuous creative thinking/doing--- possible.

For this blog..to distinguish them from my "private" completion projects ( immediately coming up: Kaffe Fassett and Silvia Einstein) I will designate them as Christmas-2010 Challenge Adventures...with separate accounting from my personal quilts.

The quilting angels were smiling: currently in process--Green Glow and Spectacular Starts wall hangings and a blue/white puppy/kitty quilt.

Yea!!! new Challenge..new Adventure.

Happy Quilting..

Determined Quilter

Quilt/Stash Project-2020--Determined Quilter

Quilt/Stash Project -2020--Determined Quilter

QUILT/STASH PROJECT-2020--DETERMINED QUILTER

Blog I.....CELEBRATE!!!!.....AND.........CHALLENEGE


Monday, January 25, 2010... Year 2--Week 24--Blog 36--Day 164 of 4,014

BLOG I-- Celebrate!!!!

Quilt #2 of 2010 COMPLETED!!!...Another WINNER!!!

SIZE: 30 X 17 inches

Name: Dottie Strings

Based on a design by Freddy Moran and Gwen Marston featured in their 2006 book "Collaborative Quilting" (see frontpiece and page 211). a glorious--wonderful--stand-out of super bright multi-colored-multi-patterned and dottie fabric.

However...some hassles ands cautions.....

I quilted "in-the-ditch" with Sulke Metalic multi-colored sparkly thread which..KEPT BREAKING...AND BREAKING..AND BREAKING..AND BREAKING....frustration!!! and 'hours' of patient work.

This thread does add a special sparkle....and KNOW that Sulke Metalic thread is fragil and constantly breaks..

Special victories:

I was inspired to use as the whole cloth backing..perhaps the ugliest fabric ever ( a vibrating celedon green-navy blue-red stripe) What WAS I thinking when I bought that fabric--ten years ago???

The good news: somehow, while not "perfect" this bizarre fabric works o.k. for this quilt...AND a half/yard of "essentially unusable" fabric is now out the stash.

A second "victory"..As binding I used a "nice" purple-with gold/orange hearts as the binding--again, not "perfect" but very o.k...AND one/third yard of fabric is now GONE from the stash.

So..Onward....next projects:

...conpleted and waiting....nine 15x15 inch blocks with a Hawaiian theme fabric--a Lorraine Torrence design--made at Empty Spools Seminars in March, 2002 ( oh dear...8 years ago...and still unfinished)

....and a 36x 36 Sylvia Einstein circles design ( with templates by Lousia Smith) made at Empty Spools Seminars in April, 2008.

The "problem" with completing these quilts???

Both require buying new fabric for the backing and binding...

and.......both require professional quilting (both too big for me do do)

...so MONEY...and a deviation from the mission and goals of quilt/stash project-2020.

See Blog 37 for the new adventure...and a daunting CHALLENGE

HAPPY QUILTING--Determined Quilter

Quilt/Stash Project-2020--Determined Quilter

Quilt/Stash Project-2020--Determined Quilter


Saturday, January 16,2010...Year 2--Week 23--Blog 35--Day155 of 4,014


CELEBRATE!!! CELEBRATE!!! The first quilt of the new year--2010 is COMPLETED!!!

...AND it IS a WINNER!!!!

YES!!! GLOWING GOLD...SHIMMERING GOLD...Japanese fan background fabric...and the whole cloth backing ( deep purple with glowing- shimmering silver flower/leaf pattern)and gold orange/red glowing/shimmering gold binding --with complex eight point stars of deep orange and deep purple.

A forshadowing this Quilt/Stash-2020 Project....I did use all but a few scraps of fabric from ????? well I cannot remember the original quilts...from maybe 10 years ago...but/and the orage and puruple star fabrics are now completly gone.

What I learned..

It is fun and exciting to finished these quilts...

That I AM a good and create super good original quilts..

That ..yes!!! I can use up scraps and stash in rewarding, interesting, creative ways..

That some quilts will require new fabric to complete.....

...and that it may be necessary to have professional quilting on some of the larger quilts because my old Singer sewing machine just does not have the capacity to handle "big" quilts; and MY quilting skills are limited..

Already a couple of "new" unfiished tops are SHOUTING: TAKE ME..TAKE ME...

Lots of rain/st0rms predicted for next week...so maybe opportunity to quilt..quilt..quilt..

Yes!!! CELEBRATE!!!
THIS IS A HAPPY PROJECT!! WITH VERY SATISFYING SUCCESS.

HAPPY QUILTING

Determined Quilter

Quilt/Stash Project-2020--Determined Quilter

Quilt/Stash Project-2020--Determined Quilter


Thursday, January 14,2010...Year 2-Week 23--Blog 35--Day 153 of 4,014


PROGRESS!!!! REPORT......JAPANESE Fans-Star Quilt


Celebration!!! almost quilted.....this quilt is 36 by 45 inches

It has 9 -12 x 12 inch blocks plus 4 inch boarders top and bottom

The background is a gorgeous pink with glowing gold and blue Japanese fans

The pattern is a complicated eight point star..with complicated centers in deep purple and dramatic orange.

I have now quilted--in the ditch-- 7 of the stars....and it really looks super great.

This quilt has been in my "not-finished" drawer for at least 8-10 years....

I cannot even remember what motivated me to buy the fabric..choose the pattern..do the work.

A MYSTERY with a happy ending..

I am glad that I can quilt a 36 by 45 inch quilt on my very basic OLD (probably 1970) Singer..with 3 zig-zag stiches... ( considered super "fancy" at the time)

So despite some annoying mundane life hassles taking too much time and psychic energy...this will bring a happy contented smile today.

......and looking in the "unfinished" quilt drawer I discovered maybe the first "PUPPY" quilt....TO-DO LIST: CALL SAN QUENTIN today!! that small quilt is for sure a creative experiment that did NOT work...will a puppy care???

Now my continuing frustration is that I have not been able to arrange borrowing a camera..and learning how to use...and also work the gizmo that plugs into a computer...I AM working on it!!!

Happy Quilting--Determined Quilter

Quilt/Stash Project-2020--Determined Quilter

QUILT/STASH PROJECT-2020--DETERMINED QUILTER


Monday, January 11, 2010...Year 2-Week 23--Blog 34--Day 150 of 4,014


REAFFIRMING...committment to:

.....completing ALL unfinished quilt tops/quilt "projects"by 2020

.....using all scraps

.....using all stash and

...buying a little new fabric as possible..

Again: scraps..are the smaller "perfectly " good fabric left over from specific, completed quilts.

stash..is the new fabric purchased on various adventures to quilt shops, on quilting tours or at quilt shows...that just "shouted.."take me"take me"..not attached to any specific quilt pattern or project...

In next few weeks I will give MY quilting history...which I think has been super good.....with 16 times 1999-2009 at Empty Pools Seminars at Alsilomar-Pacific Grove, California; 6 quilt tours with Heritage Tours; and 3 tours with Traveling Together.....and 4 visits to the annual outdoor quilt show in Sisters, Oregon.

Limited time on library computer today...so

Rain predicted for tomorrow and Wednesday...it is cold, foggy-..unpleasant..PERFECT for 2 days of quilting.....

Maybe a happy report on Thursday....and news of the puppy project at San Quentin prison.

Happy Quilting..Determined Quilter

Quilt/StashProject-2020--Determined Quilter

Quilt/Stash Project-2020--Determined Quilter


2010.........2010.........2010.......2010........2010.......2010........2010 A NEW YEAR


WITH FANTASTIC NEW OPPORTUNITIES AND POSSIBILITIES

Wednesday, January 6,2010--Year 2--Week 22--Blog 33--Day 145 of 4,014


Did a year end accounting...and I DID complete TEN (10) unfinished quilt tops/ projects in the approxiamately 4/half months since this project started August 14, 2009.

Cannot evaluate whether that is good progress..or not.....

I think I will have a better evaluation after one year...August 14,2010

What I have learned from this experience so far:

1. Unrealistic to even expect that I can quilt every day (as I expected in the beginning)

2. Really!! unrealistic to expect I can blog every day..even if reporting some minimal progress would be interesting.

3. Unrealistic to think that either scraps or stash would provide ALL needed or the "right" fabric for completing the quilt.......SOMETIMES new fabric must be purchased..

4. Unrealistic to think that somehow I would get and learn how to use a digital camera...and that the completed quilts could be shown on this blog.

So...

The Kaffe Fassett designed, MONET GARDEN quilt will go to the professional quilter next week--winter weather permitting.

The Japanese- "STAR' Quilt will have whole cloth backing....and the quilting gods permitting will be completed next week.

Then..excitment..what unfinished project will manefest NEXT---shouting FOR/DEMANDING RECOGNITION/ATTENTION

So eager--anticipating and happy...yes!! 2010...

Happy New Year--Happy Quilting to ALL...DETERMINED QUILTER