Stashbusting in 2009

Back in 2007 I had decided to really focus on finishing UFO's and to work from my stash as much as I could. Being without a FT job made the latter part of that a necessity. So far this yr I've finished up 21 UFOs, have one more ready to bind, and have about 20 more that will be going into next year.

I've also managed to use a hefty amount of fabric from my stash so far with over 500 yds gone. I had approximately 100 yds come back in for about a 400 yd usage so far this yr. That usage came from using it in my quilting and through donations to others. The sad thing is that I'm just now starting to see a small difference in how many totes and boxes of fabrics that I have. So I will be continuing to work down on my stash next yr.

Working to finish up UFO's and using my stash really feels good and I'm looking forward to making a visible difference next year!

Gratitudes -
1. I'm thankful for the 'pallette' that I have in my stash and that I'm still able to quilt even though I don't have a big income at this time.
2. I'm thankful for all that I do have and for the many blessings that God has given me.

Falling Leaves......

Things have been hectic the last few weeks with work and everything else that has been going on for me. The latter included tangling with road debris 2 1/2 wks ago, which by the grace of God, only did relatively minor (tho still expensive) damage to my car. Damage included a broken left front fender liner and damaged left front tire (had an ugly bump in the sidewall - not safe to drive on...). But other than that no damage to the car. It could have been much worse, because the traffic was heavy the night I tangled with the debris, and could so easily have been in a bad car accident. As it was, the car was completely driveable, and the tire did not blow out when I drove to/from Temple Tx to see my parents a couple of weeks ago. Getting it fixed wasn't in my budget........but $700 is way cheaper than buying another car or a hospital bill.

I have finally been able to get some quilting done in the last week. Finished up another UFO. I've added a picture to the right of the finished quilt as it looks hanging in my living room. =) This quilt used the last of the blocks i had from a long ago swap from the Quiltersbee list that I used to be a part of. They were probably 6 or so yrs old. The border print is a directional print that had the perfect colors to go with the leaf blocks. However I didn't think about the directional print when I bought and the fact that the borders had to be cut differently because of it. Result was that I didn't have enough length after cutting the strips I needed for the "alternate blocks" in the setting. So I ended up having to piece the borders in order to have enough fabric for it...... Moral of the story - think about the fabric and how it needs to be cut when buying it!

I've also finished up the top for another quilt. This one started with an old, embroidered tablecloth that my friend Susan gave me several yrs ago when she and her DH Paul were getting ready to retire. I used various smaller pieces of 30's fabrics and scraps to make the three borders. I'm not sure yet where I'll be donating it.......it may be going to Wrap-A-Smile to be used for an auction quilt to raise funds for more surgeries.

My pineapple quilt is back from the quilter and is beautiful. Vicki did a great job. The top for Bekah's quilt is finished. The back is pieced and ready to be pinned to my quilt frame. It will be the next one to be quilted........Lord, willing it will be done before Thanksgiving. =) Pictures will be coming of these projects as they are finished. Altho I'll probably wait on posting Bekah's finished quilt because I want her to be surprised at the final, finished project.

Gratitudes -

1. That the road debris only did minor damage to my car and for safety in traveling afterwards.

2. For my current contract even tho it drives me crazy at times.