My Treat: Jolly Tree Farm Mystery QAL

After all the sorting / decluttering I've been doing the last couple of weeks, I need a treat, right?

Good progress on my 'secret project' too, ....and not to forget the UFOs I have finished so far this year! (I still need to take photos!!).

I think I have deserved to have fun with something new! 

I couldn't resist FQS's 'Jolly Tree Farm Mystery QAL'! 

Any of you quilting along?

I've printed all the released block patterns

I'm not purchasing the recommended fabrics, I'm using from my stash. 

I remembered I have a Christmas half yard bundle (Nose to Nose - Susan Winget), but it does not contain any green and it has only one dark red/black. Hmmm.... no, I don't think so.

That means I have to dig deeper into my Christmas stash! GOSH!! I'm so tired of my 'old' boring fabrics! There should be some green, red, gold, and white/cream fabrics, I'm sure. 

Later in the day

These are what I pulled out; white on white background, green, red and brown for the trees and gold for the star blocks, all scrappy

My 'plan' was to pull weed today. This is what happened instead: 

Block #1 - Unfinished size: 11.5 x 18.5 inches / 29 x 47 cm

Yet to trim to size

I took this photo after dark in lamplight, not a good idea. The background fabric is white, not 'cream' as it looks like on the photo. 

 

Christmas in July Sewing / Going Through Stash

 Well, not much 'Christmas in July' sewing has happened since this post. However, some already prepped dog and cat mug rugs have been quilted, that's all. 

I got sucked into decluttering accumulated fabrics and other crafts.

Some of the jeans will be donated and some are cut into useable pieces. I'm not going to use the most worn areas, and I see there are some spots too that won't be used. I will get to that eventually.

My goodness, jeans take up a lot of space!  

Flannel shirts from a DF are also cut into pieces

The small heap with quilting cotton is sorted and some small pieces cut into squares. 

(I forgot to take a photo before I put it away)

I rediscovered this beautiful bullfinch Christmas fabric. Originally Christmas kitchen curtains (cotton). Too beautiful to be donated, right? 

I'm going to make some placemats and two table runners.

It looks like there is a color difference, actually it's shades.

I'm also doing 'secret sewing' that can't be revealed until it's delivered. 

We discovered this guy in the garden the other day

If not mistaken, this caterpillar (about 4.7 inches / 12 cm) is the Death's Head Hawkmoth. 

It's an impressive moth and we don't see them often. We saw one closeup some years ago - here.

Take a look at this YouTube video if you would like to see them hatch. An amazing process. 

Linking up with:

Angela at So Scrappy

Melva at Melva Loves Scraps

Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

 

Forgotten Treasure Boxes - Decluttering

The last week I've been going through my fabric/craft stash/wardrobe.

Particularly one big box mostly containing fabrics not suitable for quilting. The box once contained a 21" bulky television, was filled to the brim with stuff! I don't remember how many years it has taken up space at the bottom of the wardrobe. Every time it annoyed me, I postponed doing anything to it, until beginning this week! 

(forgot to take photo of that box)

Most of the fabrics were cotton mix, pieces from curtains and other things I've made, old jeans, flannel etc. 

Most of it will be donated. I still have three heaps to go through; jeans, flannel and fabrics suitable for grocery bags. 

My intention was to make a denim quilt from old jeans... Well, not anymore! I may make a floor rug, or grocery bags.... I shall see...

Some of the flannel I can use for donation quilts 

and we always need grocery bags. 

Not the most interesting fabrics, but suitable for bags.

A small heap with cotton quilting fabrics I can use.

The greenish/white fabric to the right is furniture fabric, I may use on a chair where the seat badly needs a new cover. 

To my surprise, I discovered these two boxes!

I had totally forgotten about them! 

They date back to 2006!! I had many pen pals and I got the idea to ask each of them to send me two 5-1/2" fabric squares. Some were very generous and sent me even more. As you can see from the labels on top of the boxes, there are fabric pieces from Brunei, Germany, Sweden, New Zealand as well as from my DF Kari in Norway. Most pals have stopped writing, but Waltraud in Germany is still a very dear pen friend to me. 

I have yet to go through these boxes. I even have the envelopes! What a treasure! 

After all the years stored away, I notice some pins have rusted (always high humidity here), I hope the fabrics are not too damaged. I will definitely make a quilt using these treasured squares! 

Linking up with: 

Angela at So Scrappy

Melva at MelvaLovesScraps

Small Quilts and Doll Quilts