Miscellaneous

I finished up the soft-sided portfolio.

Now all my wedding planning junk has a pretty home.

This didn't actually require any more sewing on my part, but I sent off a quilt I had been meaning for some time to contribute to the Quilts For Japan drive.

I had made this quilt a few years ago as one of my first few, but never found a good home for it. Now, I hope it is on its way to someone who will appreciate it!

Now I'm ready to start making on the quilted basket I need to make for a swap I'm participating in. I'm working on some paper piecing for it. The partner I've been assigned likes batiks and blue, so obviously I'm trying to use mostly blue batiks.

This will be my first swap, and I'm very excited to make my partner something she will like!

Sunday Stash Report

I haven't used an inch of fabric this week, I'm afraid, although I did manage to finish one of the fingerless gloves I've been knitting:

I have an excuse, though--I've been here all week:

Yes, it really was that color. I never understood the "ultramarine blue" in my watercolor sets until this week.

Yup, I've been on a cruise! The kind of cruise where you are awake and filtering water at 3 a.m., that is. It was awesome, though. Here was our boat:

There are a few more pictures after the jump for anyone who is interested in what an oceanographic research cruise is like!

Used This Week: 0
Used Year To Date: 18.625
Added This Week: 0
Added Year To Date: 51.25
Net Used For 2011: -32.625


See how everyone else is doing.

Sunday Stash Report

Oops, I missed last week's stash report! I bought fabric these past two weeks, but I promise all of it has a purpose!

The black will be backing for the one patch quilt. Sadly, the black I used on the front was nowhere to be found in the shop. The pink batik will be for the dogwood quilt, which I'm still planning on making. I'm participating in a quilted fabric basket swap, and according to my partner's information, blue is her favorite color, and I thought that fat quarter would be rather a pretty one to use.

This didn't use any fabric, only thread, but I did finish quilting the pinwheels this week, so I'm ready to use up some fabric for binding! Here's the back of it, since you can't really see the quilting in the picture I took from the front!

The fabric I used up this week was for the soft-sided portfolio, but I haven't made more progress than what I last showed you. Sadly, I won't get anything done this week due to work--but after that I've got some challenge and swap deadlines to meet, so I'll be making some progress!

Used This Week: 1.25
Used Year To Date: 18.625
Added This Week: 3.5
Added Year To Date: 51.25
Net Used For 2011: -32.625


Check out how everyone else is doing on Judy's blog.

Things in progress

Yikes, not a whole lot of progress lately--maybe I shouldn't have eighteen projects going on at the same time!

I am working on quilting my pinwheel quilt and am about 2/3 done. I'm leaving out a few pinwheels for texture.

I also picked up a magazine, 101 Patchwork Projects and Quilts by the Quilting Arts people, because it had some unusual projects in it, the likes of which I had not seen before, and of course promptly had to start a new project--a soft-sided portfolio that will hold file folders!

If you have this magazine too and decide to make this, buy a yard of extra-firm stabilizer, not 3/4 like the pattern tells you to!

I got this fabric a while back because I just thought it was really pretty, but I couldn't think of what I wanted to make with it. This is going to be a great way to show it off!

One Block Wonder top is done!!

I'm really happy with it!

Sunday Stash Report (Definitely My Fault!)

The local quilt shop sent out an email on Thursday about new batiks, and since I was still looking for another pink for the dogwood quilt I have planned, I had to go. Plus, I needed quilting thread for the three quilt tops that are either done or very, very close.


I found the threads I needed!

I also found fabric I didn't need!

Did you notice that none of these batiks are pink? 

These were in the clearance bin. Don't they go great together? What sort of quilt will I make with three fat quarters? Don't ask me. I just buy fabric.

I did use some fabric, though. 1 1/2 yards for borders on the one patch quilt. And 1 yard for backing of the rainbow pinwheels. I'm going to quilt it with the black and white variegated thread I bought.

Yes, I ripped out vast amounts to add the orange I had forgotten.

Used This Week: 2.5
Used Year To Date: 17.375
Added This Week: 3
Added Year To Date: 47.75
Net Used For 2011: -30.375


See how everyone else is doing.

Food for fools

(This isn't sewing-related, but I thought this was a pretty clever idea, so...) There is a weekly coffee hour at work, where people bring donuts, scones, and other such tasty delicacies to enjoy while socializing a bit. When we realized that my fiancé (yup, we met at work) had inadvertently signed up for yesterday, April 1, we decided to make the best of it!

From left to right, meatloaf, sushi, french fries, and grilled cheese sandwiches.

The meatloaf was actually cocoa rice krispy treat with dried fruit.

The sushi was pound cake and fruit roll-ups, topped with coconut and candy.

The french fries were breadstick dough rolled in sugar, and the ketchup strawberry jam.

And the grilled cheese sandwiches were toasted pound cake with buttercream frosting in between. Toasting pound cake is not easy!

It seems to have been a hit, and a few people were even fooled!

Here are links to the recipes.
Meatloaf
Sushi
French fries
Grilled cheese sandwiches