The Brick and the Stash

I wanted to finish out my 2015 Stash Report, mostly because I am really really really really proud of myself.  My goal was to hit 100 yards out, but life intervened and I bought more than I should have.  (SHHHHHH!)  But I am proud of the numbers, nonetheless.

In 2015, I used 173 yards of fabric and only bought about 100.  So by that accounting, my room contains 76.5 yards less than it did this time last year!!!!
  
That deserves a party!!!  At least!

Used this week	-0.25	Used this month	-0.25	Used this year	-172.75
Bought this week	0	Bought this month	0	Bought this year	96.25
Plus or minus	-0.25	Plus or minus	-0.25	Plus or minus	-76.5

My fabric use for the entire month of December is a fat quarter for the brick.

Speaking of that brick.  I am so upset with it.  Let me explain.  I wanted to make it water resistant so it could be cleaned.  I painted on some polyurethane.  Let it dry between two coats.  Nice.  It worked like a charm.  I turned it over and painted the bottom. Let it dry between two coats.  Nice.

When I flipped it over, the impression of the two posts it was sitting on is now permanently  imprinted into the top.

Aughhhh......I even tried to heat it with the blow dryer and massage it back into straightness.

Nothing worked.    So in the next few days I will cut it off with a nice sharp slicer and begin again.

Forensically, there are a few things I would do differently.  I need a layer of batting under the area where the top fabric meets the top of the brick.   That way I could hide the tails of the stitching string.

So it will work for the betterment of mankind.

Stash, Kiwi Berries and a Machine Cover

It seems that I use very little fabric.  I need to remedy that.  First thing I need to do is to get the Seuss 2 Quilt done so I can give it to them at the shower next Sunday.  That would clear the way for a lot of things.  I switched out two of the blocks and it looks much better to me.   I think I will leave it like this and get it sandwiched this week and then knock the quilting out.  I have an elephant panto that may work. 

Used this week	-1.5		Used this month	-7.83	used this year	-116.25
bought this week	0		bought this month	5	bought this year	185.75
plus or minus	-1.5		plus or minus	-2.83	plus or minus	69.5

Look what I found at the grocery store!  Kiwi Berries they call them.  The taste just like a kiwi.  Just pop them into your mouth!


I decided last night to do something for myself.  I used about a yard and made a machine cover for my Husqvarna.  The Avante really needs one, but it poses a different problem with its handles that look like antlers!

Here is the cover I made draped over the Avante.  I was testing for size and what I needed to do for the end result cover. 

Carrie moved into her house this weekend.  I helped unpack boxes and put things away in their huge master closet and in the kitchen.  Fayne cleaned the entire time!  We both worked out butts off!  Hugeaux was not in evidence, he hasn't really seen his new house yet. 

Stash Report 9-28-14

Reflecting upon what my daughter said about my housekeeping skills, I thought I would go through my freezer and clean out the old stuff.  While I was doing so, I found a bag of parsley that had opened up into the bottom of the drawer.  I can tell you it was a booger to clean out!  I had to get Frank to help figure out how the partitions came out.  I couldn't see well enough to tell how they were hooked in there.

Add caption

I have a fridge that has the bottom freezer and those french doors on the top.  The drawer on the bottom pulls out and there is an internal drawer as well.  I made a cleaning solution of vinegar and baking soda and wiped the drawers out once I got all that stupid parsley out of there!  I found a couple of things that were dated 2013 so they got tossed out as well. 

It will be good to start new and clean again.  And contrary to popular belief, I do clean out my freezer  at least twice a year!  Now I can fill it up again.

So I started with some Pesto.  My basil bush in the yard was greatly overgrown.  Like waist high!  So I pulled all the branches that didn't look like a nice compact bush and stripped the leaves.  Finally, a use for the salad spinner.  Don't get me started on useless kitchen things, but the salad spinner is definitely one of them.

I added some baby spinach leaves, because sometimes these basil leaves

are so overpowering for us.  Garlic, pine nuts and walnuts and some really nice olive oil that came from Israel when Ann and Press were there.  I didn't add the Parmesan cheese yet since I was going to freeze most of the pesto in the ice cube trays (from the very first refrigerator we ever had!)

I will have to stop at Fresina's on Monday to get some fresh pasta for Pesto Pasta and Zuchini and those tomatoes from the Farmers Market.

As for my stash report.........just pillowcases!  But I am whittling it down!

Used this week	-7.5		Used this month	-17	used this year	-108.5
bought this week	0		bought this month	2.66	bought this year	179.66
plus or minus	-7.5		plus or minus	-14.34	plus or minus	71.16

Ending 2012

Tomorrow will be the last Stash Report for 2012.  This is much more dramatic than the Design Wall Mondays which will just report on what I am currently working on.  (which is not much at the present time until Frank goes back to work and I can actually get something done around here!)

But the last Stash Report for 2012 will be the culmination of an entire year of keeping track of what I have bought and what I have used.  I can't believe I am in the red.........That I bought more than I used.  And this happened in two periods.

The first was when Fabric Krazy had 50 and 0% off their stock so they could move to a smaller location.  I went three times to that store.  And I bough over $100 each time.  But I got some great new stuff to mix in with the old stuff from Pat and my mom.  So it was good.  All good.

The second period is the last of the year end inventory sales, all 40 50% off.  And I went to several stores and bought over $100 each time!  LOL.  Mia's shop was the biggest culprit there!  But, again, I got some really great new stuff to mix in with the old.  And there was Houston, yes, Houston...........(she says dreamily)

In 2013 I would like to be in the black, that is to use way more than I buy.  I was pretty good for most of the year, but those whopper sales did get me in trouble!

glen:  hey, this one looks like the ghastlies.......hmmm, maybe I need some zombies