August Fabric Usage

Since we're heading out of town for a few days, I feel confident that I won't be using more fabric over the weekend, thus the early report on this month's fabric usage. I knew I'd be bringing in fabric in August or September, as my list of solid fabrics that I needed to re-stash has been growing by the project. What I did not expect was to ignore that need entirely and purchase yards and yards of fabric for projects I hadn't even imagined yet. 

It all started when a fellow quilter was looking to identify a particular fabric - Your Heart Pure from Wonderland by Katarina Roccella. It was familiar to me, and an old favorite, so when I found some on Etsy, I decided to buy a yard for old time's sake, and while I was at it, some Michael Miller Pomegranates jumped into my cart. It was purely a 'this gives me joy' purchase.

Then, I really did need some Kona White, Snow, and Haze to finish up my Ode to Joy quilt back, and some Kona Pistachio for Calendar Cascade. Totally justified, right?

I happen to follow Sewtopia @sewtopia fabric shop, and was smitten by their Boo-tiful Mischief Bundle. I mean I'm not even wild about Halloween, but I loved the modern palette and the not-overtly ghoulish theme. Plus I'd been wanting to give them some business, so why not? While I was at it, I chose a few more fabrics that might go with the bundle, including a couple of solids, to restock if nothing else - Konas Carrot and Orangeade and Ruby Star Rising Basic by Alexia Marcelle Abegg Starry in Nutmeg.

And wouldn't you know, the next day, Kristina of FabricBubb @fabricbubb announced her 14th anniversary sale. Considering there were a couple of fabrics I wanted that Sewtopia didn't carry, I succumbed and purchased Lea in Navy Canvas to recover my pressing table; and Carolina Gingham 1/8 Inch in Black, Cross Stitch in Autumn and Grid in Negative to add to my Boo-tiful bundle. I have a pattern in mind for those fabrics, so that felt somewhat justified.

At any rate, it actually feels great to have the quilt back I was piecing finished, my pressing table refreshed, a new seasonal project to dive into, and a couple of inspirational prints newly stashed. My 'fabric used' number for the year is still higher than my 'fabric brought in' number, so where it matters, I'm making good progress.

August Fabric Usage

Used up: 24.26 yards [16.16 projects + 8.1 recycled, donated, or gifted]
Brought in: 16.75 yards
Net: -7.51 yards

Floral Stitches Year II - Daisies

With all the stitching I was doing for the Ode to Joy quilt back, I got a late start on July's Floral Stitches sampler. Here's what it looked like before any stitching was done, courtesy of Rebecca of Dropcloth Embroidery Samplers @dropcloth.

Used by permission.

But I've been working on it pretty steady the last couple of weeks, and now it's done!

Without realizing the stitches I made for the blue, lavender, and green circles had a name, I later found out they did - the Smyrna stitch. Basically it's a "cross on a plus," and is considered an embellished version of the cross stitch. Good to know! Otherwise, I did a lot of straight stitch on this one, as well as chain stitch and seed stitch. Kept it pretty simple, and I'm happy with the finish, number three of the series. On to number four.

Sardine Pillow

When I saw Kristin @woollypetals post her Sardine Pillow pattern, I realllly wanted to make one. It was just so unique and fun. But what would I do with a sardine pillow??

Eventually, it dawned on me that there was one person in our family that just might enjoy a big (36"!) ole sardine pillow, and that would be our soon-to-be-seven-year-old granddaughter. So. of course. I made one for her birthday!

Let's just say, she was thrilled! She really liked that her favorite fruit was featured on her sardine. She kept it with her for the rest of the day, and fell asleep snuggling it that night. SO cute!

If you want to make your own, be sure and check out Kristin's video tutorial, as it guides you every step of the way. Meanwhile, though I was pretty sure our granddaughter would like her sardine, what I really didn't expect was that two other family members would chime in at the party and say they wanted one too! So it looks like there are more giant stuffed sardines in my future!

Meet Me In My Studio

Imagine my surprise when Kim Soper of Leland Ave Studios @lelandavestudios asked if I would consider being featured in her newest interview series focused on creative spaces and process - how makers cultivate and work within spaces that nurture their creativity. I'm here to tell you that I agreed to the interview, and Kim's latest post in the series just went live.

The post explores two of my creative spaces - my sewing studio and my kitchen. I share what I love (and don't) about my spaces, as well as my current creative processes and things I'm looking forward to. You can find the interview here.

I hope you enjoy the interview, as I open my studio doors today "to share how making, cooking, and community all come together around A Quilter’s Table." Thanks to Kim for the opportunity to share!

Check out Kim's blog, Leland Ave Studios, as well as her previous Meet Me In My Studio features.

Graphics used by permission.

The Embroidered Handwriting Experiment

Thought I'd give you a little update on my embroidered handwriting experiment after taking Laura Hartrich's @laurahartrich on-demand class, Embroidered Handwriting.

My original purpose had been to incorporate words into the backing of my current Bee Sewcial quilt, Ode to Joy. Over the last month, I've grouped my bee mates' block 'names' into rough categories and have been embroidering them with two strands of black embroidery floss on white fabric. Remember.... the blocks, and thus the words, signify things that bring them joy.

I have just finished the embroidering, and have started piecing the sections. Working with the quilt top backwards on the design wall to help with placement, I've pinned my embroidered word collections in the general area of those block groupings.

I'm now in the process of making neutral-colored blocks incorporating those embroidered words, and pinning them back up on the wall.

I'm planning to make all the blocks containing the words in a mix of white and off-white solids, along with just a few very low-volume prints. Once I make all the blocks, I'll tweak things to fit them all together into a backing the necessary size. I'm still mulling over how I'll keep everything lined up once it comes time to baste the quilt, but I've got a few ideas. I'm looking forward to getting to that point!

Sweet Sixteen

Back in June, I made the impromptu decision to join the Summer Scrap Bash hosted by Brittany @loandbeholdstitchery basically because it would give me a reason to use the original Cotton+Steel jelly roll that my daughter Rachel @snippetsofsweetness had given me. Not once have I regretted that decision, as it gave me a fun interlude in between other more demanding projects.

I snuck in making 16 patch blocks every chance I could, even making more than I originally intended, to make a larger quilt than I initially thought. At times, I questioned that change of plans, but of course, now that it's done, I'm more than pleased.

The quilt finished at 56" x 72", a nice sized large throw-size. With the pile of leftover jelly roll strips and bits from my quilt top, and the two yards of C+S Sprinkle still left in my stash, I managed to make a pieced quilt back. I began by piecing all of my remaining 2.5" strips end to end. They were in varying lengths and the new pieced 'strip' ended up being nearly 21 yards long!! I kept sewing lengths together, eventually cutting the piece into three segments to piece into the Sprinkle. The bottom left got filled in with my last fat-quarter and another random piece. To say my C+S stash is dwindling is an understatement. But I'm pleased to have used so much of it in this quilt.

For quilting, a simple grid seemed appropriate, and with so many colors in the quilt, I just went with Aurifil 28wt 2021 [Natural White]. Not sure that was the best choice, but I think it worked ok. 

I bound the quilt with my last bit of Cotton and Steel Basics XOXO Black. I can't say I'm thrilled with the result, as the majority of the Xs ended up on the back of the quilt. Uh-oh and oh well. At 56" x 72", the quilt is a nice lap quilt size, and that's what I was after.

Meanwhile, what's left of my C+S stash is a small stack of charm squares (from this quilt) and an even smaller handful of yardage and scraps that are all getting consolidated into my general stash. It's hard to believe it's been a good 10 years+ since I started collecting C+S fabrics, keeping them together all this time. End of an era.

Linking up with Quilting JETgirl's Favorite Finish {August 2025}.

Art Gallery at Lynnwood City Hall

It's not every day I stop into our local City Hall, but when I realized my Seattle MQG guild-mate Chandra @bestcoasty had quilts on display, I couldn't resist. 

Left to right are:

• Spring Twist, 44" x 26"
• Fertile Prism, 44" x 48"

• Heat Birth, 43" x 33"
• Cardinal, 70" x 50"

 

All just lovely, and I was happy to be able to see Chandra's inspiring work in person once again. You can find Chandra's artist statement and bio on the city's website. For any locals, the exhibit will be there through August 14. I was definitely glad I was able to stop by.

All the Sixteen Patches

As of yesterday, I've finished all of my 16 patch blocks for the Summer Scrap Bash hosted by Brittany @loandbeholdstitchery. I'm pretty sure I'm right on schedule, maybe even a little ahead, as I'd originally planned on 49 blocks for a small lap quilt, and ended up with 63 for a bit larger lap quilt.

So here are all of my blocks!

I was trying hard not to use duplicate fabrics together but I didn't quite made it. I noticed one duplicate set as I was putting them up on the design wall (gold horses with dark navy) and there could be more. After a while I started to lose track!

I've already swapped a couple of blocks on the wall, but doubt I'll mess with it much more. Time to get these blocks into a quilt top! Not my favorite chore, but it needs to be done.

July Fabric Usage

So July was a pretty good fabric usage month, even considering a week away on vacation, and I'm glad for that! The only fabric brought in was Kona Caribbean and Tangerine for my Effervescence quilt binding.

Between a scrappy backing AND binding for Effervescence, I also have two scrappy quilt projects in the works - 16 patch blocks for the #summerscrapbash and improv plus blocks as a result of the latest Improv for Everyone workshop - plus I got caught up on my guild BOM. All of that fabric just added up!

I'm looking forward to making a quilt back (or three?) in August, and (fingers crossed) finishing at least one of those scrappy projects. Time will tell!

July Fabric Usage

Used up: 14.30 yards [11.77 projects + 2.53 recycled]
Brought in: 2 yards
Net: -12.30 yards

Summer ABC Bloom Stitchalong

Rarely one to purchase a kit for a quilt or an embroidery sampler or whatever, I couldn't resist when I saw Dropcloth's new Limited Edition Summer ABC BLOOM Stitchalong Kit. I do love a stitchalong, and I was especially intrigued by this mystery project that will eventually become a needle roll. Honestly, I didn't know what that was and had to look it up!

The kit included:

• One Printed ABC Bloom Sampler, an alphabet garden themed design exclusive to the kit
• One Hand Printed Piece of Silk Organza 
• Bias Tape
• 2 Vintage Buttons
• Pendleton Wool Felt

The stitchalong just started last week while I was on vacation, so I need to catch up! But I did get my fabric all hooped up, so I'm ready to go. The piece of organza I got has the printed design very near the edges, so it won't show in my finished work much. But I'm still curious to see how the layers stitch up together. Oh, and I did back my sampler with SF101, as it will be used in a project, so we'll see how that goes. Meanwhile, I've pulled some threads - Wonderfil #8 perle cotton, which I'll use double-thickness - to start stitching those stems and leaves. I'm anxious to get started!

Additional PNQFAM Exhibits

Before I left on vacation, I was able to share about the Seattle MQG "I Heard It On the Radio" quilt exhibit being shown at the Pacific Northwest Quilt and Fiber Arts Museum. But there were also two other exhibits on display when we visited, and I thought you might enjoy seeing just a few pictures from each of those.

First, from Victoria Findlay Wolfe @victoriafindlaywolfe, the pieces displayed were quite different from others I'd seen in the past, yet representative of her current work.

Note that Better Days, shown below, is hung in front of a window. I'm very curious if that was done intentionally. See all the small circles in the background? That is actually the backing fabric showing through. 

And from Terrie Hancock Mangat @terriehancockmangat....

I really appreciated seeing the work of these two artists while we were at the museum. Note that both exhibits will be there a while longer, so if you are in the area, be sure and stop in!