The Hobby Lobby Incident of 2018

I'm not sure who to credit, but when the cross-stitch kits went on clearance, someone on one of my stitching groups dubbed it the "Hobby Lobby Incident of 2018." I bought my share of kits and I've been pretty much banning myself from Hobby Lobby for the past couple of months to avoid further temptation. I did pop in once to confirm that they cleared most of their cross stitch stuff...and that they had brought in better, more tempting stuff. 

And now yarn is 75% off... 

If my math is right, that's $534.24 worth of gorgeous yarn that's going to become shawls ...except we all know that I never in a million years would have bought it all for full price, no matter how pretty the yarn is or how giddy the yarn fumes got me. I spent a quarter of that. Less than yarn was going for at that estate sale a few weeks ago, or what the thrift shops around here would charge... And did I mention that it's brand new, straight from the craft store, in colors I actually chose on purpose?

Yesterday, I stopped at Joann's to look for one thing. Apparently it's been a while -- the whole store has been rearranged. And the yarn prices I head in my head while I was figuring out my Hobby Lobby splurge must've been from a few years back. When did the prices shoot up that high?

Someone Else's Stash of Notions

Remember that box of buttons that I posted about yesterday? I kept wondering about it, especially after I took a closer look at the labels in the picture. The box itself is probably worth something, and I need curved safety pins and bobbins. 

We had to run up to Salem again on Friday and were even on the right end of town, so I stopped by the thrift store even though craft stuff always gets scooped up fast.

Look what was sitting there waiting for me --  

It leaked buttons and needle threaders all over the car on the drive home. I think I've got someone's entire notions stash here and the folks at the thrift shop just wrapped some clear plastic around it to hold the drawers shut and slapped a price tag on it. That's not their usual pricing strategy.

There are at least ten packs of unopened machine needles that will fit my machine, along with some others I'm not sure about. I think the others might work on the Featherweight, but I'll do some research first. None are my preferred size, but there are leather needles and denim needles and ball point needles...all of the stuff that I need once in a blue moon but refuse to make a special trip to town and spend money on.  I'll use those. Or my daughter will.

There are twenty full packages of hand sewing needles -- tapestry needles, darning needles, applique needles, and those wicked curved ones for fixing upholstery. I never ever have enough needles, so these are a welcome addition to my stash.

I've now got all of the sew in snaps and hook and eye closures I could ever need...

I don't know if a needle threader will help with my stitching, but now that I've got a few I'll give it a shot.

Don't forget about the buttons. I counted 190 complete cards of them and didn't even try to figure out how many loose buttons there were. Our mystery stitcher also apparently kept every one of those little envelopes with extra buttons for repairing your garment. They're not old enough to be interesting, but buttons are buttons.

The very specific labels on the drawers intrigued me. No bobbins in the bobbin drawer or curved safety pins, but there were eighteen iron safe nylon snaps in the drawer that claimed to hold them. The machine brush and seam ripper were there as promised.

It would be smart of me to clear out the drawers and fill them with my own notions. I'd feel a bit bad about removing the labels that are already there, but I don't have enough nylon snaps to keep a specific drawer for them.

How do you organize your little notions?

{Weekly Stash Report} Beads and Washi Tape and Seeds and Stuff

While I've been piecing together all of those 2" squares that used to be 4" squares, I've been watching Dollar Tree haul videos on Youtube and thinking that this is the grown up version of my childhood sticker collection. It's really just like the phone conversations I used to have with my best friend about which stickers we'd found and where...except we can all see what we're talking about.

Anyone remember what we used to pay for a sheet of stickers in the early 80s? Because I'm pretty sure it was about the same, if not more, than we'd pay at the dollar store today.

The boys and I have been to the Dollar Tree, and the other Dollar Tree, and then a different one after that. If you're wondering, they don't seem to sell gray crepe paper streamers. But they do sell skinny washi tape and pretty glass beads and stickers you can color yourself.


Weekly Stash Report

No fabric bought or used. Yarn used for a pair of socks that I'll show you in a couple of days. And a bit of vinyl and ribbon used, but I don't track those.

Fabric used this week: 0 yards
Fabric used year to date: 2 yards
Fabric added this week:  0 yards
Fabric added year  to date: 5 yards
Net used for 2017: 3 yards

Yarn used this Week:  350  yards
Yarn used year to Date: 2850 yards
Yarn added this Week: 0 yards
Yarn added Year to Date: 9350 yards
Net used for 2017: 6500 yards

This post is linked to Patchwork Times.

{Weekly Stash Report} Dish Cloth Cotton

The people who plan strip malls obviously know what they're doing -- why else would they put Gamestop and Michael's within walking distance of each other? If I'm at the craft store, Teenage Son is looking for video games. If I've driven him to Corvallis to find the only copy of Corpse Party (don't ask, because I don't know -- apparently it's not as bad as it sounds), I'm walking across the parking lot to look for washi tape.

They didn't have the tape, but they did have a good sale on Sugar'n Cream and I brought five balls of it home with me, simultaneously resisting the siren call of those Caron Cakes. I don't know what I'd do with one, but they're so dang pretty!

Has anyone bought a Caron Cake, or a Premier Yarns Sweet Roll? Have you used it? Is it as pretty once it's in a project as it is on the shelf at the store?

Weekly Stash Report

Fabric used this week: 0 yards
Fabric used year to date: 2 yards
Fabric added this week:  0 yards
Fabric added year  to date: 0
Net used for 2017: 3 yards

Yarn used this Week:  0  yards
Yarn used year to Date: 2500 yards
Yarn added this Week: 550 yards
Yarn added Year to Date: 9350 yards
Net used for 2017: 6850 yards

This post is linked to Patchwork Times.

Another Box in the Mail

While I was waiting for the wonderful box of yarn, and my son was waiting for a video game he'd ordered, and Adult Daughter was waiting for a heating lamp for her new hedgehog, another box was on its way to me from Ila.

There's a bunch of pretty ribbon.... 

The leopard print couldn't be more perfect. Over the years, my husband has bought me lots and lots and lots of animal print stuff, so I know there's something wonderful I can make with this. I just don't know quite what it is yet. 

And there's fabric...

I'm giddy about the black and white prints and the pinks. Hand me a stack of fabric and I'll immediately start figuring out what to do with it -- especially if the fabrics go together like these do! It's part of a UFO. I don't know if I want to figure out what Ila's original intent was, or to start on one of the project that's racing around in my own imagination.

Weekly Stash Report

Fabric used this week: 0 yards
Fabric used year to date: 2 yards
Fabric added this week:  5 yards
Fabric added year  to date: 5
Net used for 2017: 3 yards

Yarn used this Week:  400  yards
Yarn used year to Date: 2500 yards
Yarn added this Week: 8800 yards
Yarn added Year to Date: 8800 yards
Net used for 2017: 6300 yards

This post is linked to Patchwork Times.

The Yarn is Here!

The picture doesn't capture all of the gorgeous possibilities that I see when I look at these skeins. Twenty two pairs of pretty new socks, unless I decide to use some for a shawl or two. AND not counting leftover socks or Frankensocks!  I'm in love with all of it.

Nordic Mart has Drops Fabel and Drops Delight for 25% off all month long. No affiliation, no connection between me and the company, I just love their yarn and the fact that I can knit up so much of it without breaking the bank.

Weekly Stash Report

Fabric used this week: 0 yards
Fabric used year to date: 2 yards
Fabric added this week:  0 yards
Fabric added year  to date: 0
Net used for 2017: 2 yards

Yarn used this Week:  300  yards
Yarn used year to Date: 2100 yards
Yarn added this Week: 8800 yards
Yarn added Year to Date: 0 yards
Net used for 2017: 6700 yards

This post is linked to Patchwork Times.

Estate Sale Zippers, Buttons, and Food Coloring

One of these days, I'll have enough pictures of amazing estate sale couches for a whole post of them. I had to see this one in person, too. Way out of my price range, completely unsuited for my life, but gosh it's pretty! The ad also showed four different treadle sewing machines, which I thought was promising. 

The furniture and sewing machines were way too pricey (not that I'm in the market for either) but I did come home with all of this. Zippers and buttons and two replacements for my broken 6x24" ruler. And food coloring for science projects. It doesn't seem like I should use estate sale food coloring for actual food.

Want to see me sort through it all?



Weekly Stash Report

Fabric used this week: 1/4 yard
Fabric used year to date: 1/2 yard
Fabric added this week:  0 yards
Fabric added year  to date: 0
Net used for 2017: 1/2 yard

Yarn used this Week:  0  yards
Yarn used year to Date: 700 yards
Yarn added this Week: 0 yards
Yarn added Year to Date: 0 yards
Net used for 2017: 700 yards

Weekly Stash Report -- Still Sewing

Every single day since my last post, I've done some sewing! Or at least some cutting and pressing.

Some days all I can carve out time for is cutting strips that I'd already cut for my project into half square triangles or rectangles, or pressing and trimming half square triangle units and flying geese. It feels like I'm cheating, but those are tasks that have to be done eventually and they're going to take just as much time no matter when I do them. Thirty minutes is thirty minutes, right?

I just need to make sure that I'm doing enough of the hard work (pulling out fabric and pressing and cutting it) to keep me supplied with stuff to do on the days I don't have the time to make a mess.

While I'm digging through the stash, I'm looking for the fabric to make this adorable little quilt:

The Desktop Sampler 

I'm totally in love with that radio and telephone and tape dispenser!

Weekly Stash Report

Fabric used this week: 1/4 yard
Fabric used year to date: 1/2 yard
Fabric added this week:  0 yards
Fabric added year  to date: 0
Net used for 2017: 1/2 yard

Yarn used this Week:  400  yards
Yarn used year to Date: 700 yards
Yarn added this Week: 0 yards
Yarn added Year to Date: 0 yards
Net used for 2017: 700 yards

A Little Bit of Sewing Every Day

A couple of years ago I set myself a goal of sewing for at least fifteen minutes a day, every single day, unless it was going to disrupt the rest of the family. I managed to stick with it for long enough to see some real progress and then something happened. Maybe it was that second round of blood clots, which really threw me for a loop.

Since then, I've spent a lot of hours knitting and embroidering, but not much time in front of my machine. When I did have time to sew, the table was piled with things I put there so the kids wouldn't touch them or I wouldn't lose them.

New Goal: Keep the sewing machine clear and sew for at least thirty minutes a day if there's time to do it without abandoning my husband and kids. Most days there is time, so I'm not going to inconvenience them on days when there really isn't.

Weekly Stash Report

Fabric used this week: 1/4 yard
Fabric used year to date: 1/4 yard
Fabric added this week:  0 yards
Fabric added year  to date: 0
Net used for 2017: 1/4 yard

Yarn used this Week:  300  yards
Yarn used year to Date: 300 yards
Yarn added this Week: 0 yards
Yarn added Year to Date: 0 yards
Net used for 2017: 300 yards

This Might Be Better Than Christmas Presents...

I am absolutely giddy! A little over a week ago, Ila left a comment that she had some zippers that would like to come stay at my house. Of course I accepted her wonderful offer and when the box got here it was absolutely stuffed with zippers and other vintage sewing notions. 

There are a ton of zippers in all sorts of lengths and colors, with metal teeth and plastic teeth. If I ever decide to replace the zipper in a backpack, I've probably got the kind to do it with. (But don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen!)  Along with the zippers came bias tape and lace seam binding and all sorts of other goodies. That Holly Hobby looks like she's from the same fabric as my childhood bedspread.

I came up with so many ideas while sorting through all of this!



 Weekly Stash Report

Fabric used this week: 0 yards
Fabric used year to date: 7 1/4 yards
Fabric added this week:  0 yards
Fabric added year  to date: 30 1/4 yards (+4 sheets)
Net added for 2016: 23 yards

Yarn used this Week:  400  yards
Yarn used year to Date: 7550 yards
Yarn added this Week: 0 yards
Yarn added Year to Date: 9518 yards
Net added for 2016: 1968 yards

more die cut shapes

I really like playing with die cuts and for a while now I've been trying to justify the purchase of a Sizzix. Go check out what Connie has been doing with hers over at Quilting by the River and you'll see why. If I didn't already own the Go! I wouldn't have to justify it -- but if I didn't have the Go! I wouldn't know how much I love playing with these things. It's a vicious cycle.

The Sizzix has smaller dies that are much less expensive, and -- unlike the Go! dies -- can be bought with 40% off coupons at Joanns. Which makes them about twelve bucks a piece. They've also got dies to cut gears and keys and locks and a bunch of other things that make my heart to pitty pat. I've got a sudden need to make a whole quilt covered in applique gears.

I got some money for my birthday, which was very quickly converted into a Sizzix Big Shot and four dies.



I spent two days trying to work up the nerve to take it out of the packaging and assemble it. After just about destroying a pair of my sons' craft scissors trying to get through the heavy plastic, I found the neat perforated hatch on the bottom of the packaging. It peels right off.

Putting the handle on was no problem at all. Have I mentioned that I hate hate hate assembling things? There's one screw, and they include the little wrenchie thing.

This intimidating thing is a multipurpose platform? I don't need it for the dies I bought. But I will need to figure it out, because now I want to emboss things.



The Sizzix uses two clear plastic cutting pads. One goes under the die, then you stack the die, the fabric, and the second cutting pad.



In addition to the cute little shapes, Sizzix has some quilting dies that I'm drooling over. Look at the bottle shape. I saw a bottle quilt in a book several years ago and it's been on my quilty bucket list ever since. There's also a 4 1/4" Robbing Peter to Pay Paul.

So far, I'm absolutely in love.


Weekly Stash Report

I still can't decide how I want to to count sheets. I added five to my stash this week, to be used for sashings and bindings. So I guess that means I've got to count it as yardage in, right?

Fabric Used this Week: 1/4 yard
Fabric Used year to Date: 27.75 yards
Added this Week: 20 yards (sheets)
Added Year to Date: 86.75 yards
Net Added for 2012: 39 yards

To see more weekly stash reports, click over to Patchwork Times.

weekly stash report

Have you checked out the St. Patrick's Day Blog Hop yet? There are 126 bloggers participating, and some great prizes to be won. My own giveaway -- for the die cut pieces to make a 36" square Drunkard's Path quilt -- is on this post.

Weekly Stash Report

Fabric Used this Week: 0 yard
Fabric Used year to Date: 24.5 yards
Added this Week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 57.75 yards
Net Added for 2012: 33.25 yards

No fabric to report as used for this week, but I've got a couple of projects that are almost done. I think I needed to catch my breath for a couple of days after that last burst of quilty fun.

To see more weekly stash reports, click over to Patchwork Times.

I need something sharper

A few months back, I read about Skinning a Quilt. This week, I got to try it for myself. More than once. I sure wish I'd had a scalpel -- or at least a sharper seam ripper -- to do it with. The quilt did get quilted after a couple of false stars, and I'm absolutely loving it, but I can't show it off quite yet.



What techniques have you read about and then unexpectedly found yourself using?

Weekly Stash Report

Fabric Used this Week: 9.5 yards
Fabric Used year to Date: 24.5 yards
Added this Week: 8 yards
Added Year to Date: 57.75 yards
Net Added for 2012: 33.25 yards

I bought some more white muslin because I didn't think I had enough for my March NewFO. I want to be sure the white blocks are all the same white. To see more weekly stash reports, click over to Patchwork Times.

I went to the quilt shop this week

It's been a long time since I bought new fabric, let alone new quilt shop fabric. But this week they had the $3.98 a yard flat folds (and that even beats the recent sale prices at Joann's) so I bought some half yard cuts of lights and darks and fabric for a couple of projects I'm working on.

And then there's the toile. Yup, those are skeletons. Which is why I spent the most I've ever spent for a half yard of fabric. (It's Midnight Pastoral by Alexander Henry, in case anyone needs to track down some of her own.)

Now I've got to get some quilting done to even out these numbers before they wind up like they did last year.

Fabric Used this Week: 1 yard
Fabric Used year to Date: 8 1/3 yards
Added this Week: 10 yards
Added Year to Date: 15 yards
Net Added for 2012: 1 2/3 yards

Yarn Used this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Used year to Date: 0 yards
Yarn Added this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Added Year to Date: 0 yards
Net Added for 2012: 0 yards

To see more weekly stash reports, click over to Patchwork Times. And don't forget to enter my 1000th post giveaway. You could win some of the quilting and knitting books that make my heart go pitty-pat.

scraps from Grandma

This week, Grandma found me a scrap bag with some orphan blocks in it.

I love the background fabric on those bow tie blocks and wish there were more blocks. Or just some of that grey solid so I could make some of my own. I'm thinking I'll assemble them into a lap quilt and bring it up to size with a pieced border made form recycled shirts.

The hearts are going into a baby quilt, and once I count the half square triangles, I'll figure out what I can do with those.

Weekly Stash Report

Fabric Used this Week: 4 1/3 yards
Fabric Used year to Date: 7 1/3 yards
Added this Week: 5 yards
Added Year to Date: 5 yards
Net Used for 2012: 2 1/3 yards

Yarn Used this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Used year to Date: 0 yards
Yarn Added this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Added Year to Date: 0 yards
Net Added for 2012: 0 yards

To see more weekly stash reports, click over to Patchwork Times.

damage control

What do you do when you're almost done with the last block you need to meet your goal for the day and you realize you've done this?



I'm not sure how I did that, but those two edges are supposed to go neatly together. I can't hide the missing fabric in the seam allowance, so it's time for more serious damage control. The easiest solution would be to cut a new 2 1/2" square out of matching fabric. If I had matching fabric handy.

I wound up going through my fabric trimmings to find the piece I'd cut off the other end of the block, hoping there'd be enough to combine with what was already in the block to form a piece I could cut a new 2 1/2" square from.



Got it! And I dare you to find this pieced square once the finished quilt is quilted.



I think damage control is a skill all quilters need. Even when we buy extra fabric as insurance against cutting errors and measure carefully, things can still go wrong. Knowing how to hide those little accidents makes life much easier.

What's your best damage control tip for saving a quilt once things go wrong?

Weekly Stash Report

I still haven't bought fabric this year. There was some nice yardage at the thrift store, but I was good and didn't buy it for myself. I did talk my mom into buying it for her stash.

Fabric Used this Week: 1 yard
Fabric Used year to Date: 3 yards
Added this Week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 0 yards
Net Used for 2012: 3 yards

Yarn Used this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Used year to Date: 0 yards
Yarn Added this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Added Year to Date: 0 yards
Net Added for 2012: 0 yards


To see more weekly stash reports, click over to Patchwork Times. And to enter my Jockey Sports Bra and Purex Crystals giveaway, just leave a comment on that post before 11:59 pm January 17.

Merry Christmas!

The presents are open and I'll be spending the rest of the day wrestling toys out of their packaging. Whoever decided to replace some of those awful twisty wires with some kind of cord that you can actually cut with scissors -- thank you!

One boy is playing a new WII game, one is fiddling with a pirate sword and gun, and the other is carefully wrapping a new stuffed toy with rubber bands. Our oldest has vanished to her room.

And, between requests to open toys, I'm happily searching Amazon for free books to download to the three Kindles we just added to our household. Apparently the girl is doing the same thing, since a couple of confirmation emails just popped up on my screen.

For months now, I've been reading Bonnie's suggestions for free Kindle downloads and hoping to get one of my own, and downloading books to Kindle for PC just in case. I'm not going to admit just how many free books I've downloaded since I unwrapped my Fire last night. It's like adding patterns to my Ravelry queue -- it doesn't matter if I read them all or not. And I'm having fun browsing and finding all sorts of weird old stuff that sparks my interest.

Weekly Stash Report

Judy says this is our last stash report of the year, but I'm not quite sure how that works. The next six days are still part of 2011, and I definitely plan on restarting my totals January 1!

Next year almost has to be better than this year as far as fabric in/out. Not that I plan on completely giving up the thrift store search.

Fabric Used this Week: 6 yards
Fabric Used year to Date: 88.25 yards
Added this Week: 9 yards
Added Year to Date: 1033 1/2 yards
Net Added for 2011: 945.25 yards

Yarn Used this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Used year to Date: 6640 yards
Yarn Added this Week: 400 yards
Yarn Added Year to Date: 14925 yards
Net Added for 2011: 8285 yards

I'm totally wiped out from Christmas and the big project I can't show you, so it may be a couple more days before I'm totally back up to speed.

keeping track of the fabric

This has been my first year of keeping track of my fabric acquisitions. Not purchases, because at least half was given to me. And most of what I did purchase was dirt cheap. I think I've spent an average of fifty cents a yard this year, and that was on the nicer stuff. I bought very little new yardage.

Next year, I'm going to follow Jo's example and separate my fabric into categories -- new fabric purchases, old fabric purchases, and fabric that was given to me.

Weekly Stash Report

Fabric Used this Week: 1.25 yards
Fabric Used year to Date: 82.25 yards
Added this Week: 3 yards
Added Year to Date: 1023 1/2 yards
Net Added for 2011: 941.25 yards

Yarn Used this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Used year to Date: 6640 yards
Yarn Added this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Added Year to Date: 14525 yards
Net Added for 2011: 7885 yards

And then there's this:



When I add up the fabric that I've used for the week, I only count what's actually in the finished quilt, not the little leftover bits that are too small to be strings or crumbs. I've been tossing those bits into a bag when I cut scraps, intending to weigh them and add that total to my yardage used at the end of the year. I don't feel quite right counting it as "fabric used"....but it's not thrown away, either.

So I've got twenty-four yards of trimmings, and 30 yards of fabric that I donated back to Goodwill because it was still useful, just not for quilts.

And then there's the yarn -- most of the unused yarn for this year came in one box I bought at an estate sale for four bucks. Do I really have to count that as yarn I bought but didn't use? I don't want to toss it, because it's decent stuff and I've got kids making craft projects. But if it gets used for whatever they're tying up, it doesn't get counted toward my totals....and I threw away a whole bunch of tangled stuff last week without even thinking of counting it.

Have I mentioned that my record keeping isn't 100% accurate? But it does confirm that I brought home much more fabric than I used this year.

To see more weekly stash reports, click over to Patchwork Times. And don't forget the Blog Hop Party and the rulers I'm giving away!

Weekly Stash Report

Not a lot to report this week...

Fabric Used this Week: .75 yards
Fabric Used year to Date: 81 yards
Added this Week: .5 yards
Added Year to Date: 1020 1/2 yards
Net Added for 2011: 939.5 yards

Yarn Used this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Used year to Date: 6640 yards
Yarn Added this Week: 450 yards
Yarn Added Year to Date: 14525 yards
Net Added for 2011: 7885 yards

weekly stash report

No new fabric for the second week in a row. I found a mistake in last week's math and fixed it, but I'm not sure how many other mistakes I might've made over the past few months. I've actually been wondering about that for a while now. Next year, I'm going to figure out a better way to keep written records.


Fabric Used this Week: 3.5 yards yards
Fabric Used year to Date: 80.25 yards
Added this Week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 1020 yards
Net Added for 2011: 939.75 yards

Yarn Used this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Used year to Date: 6640 yards
Yarn Added this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Added Year to Date: 14075 yards
Net Added for 2011: 7435 yards

To see more weekly stash reports, click over to Patchwork Times.