scrap attack goal!

remember this from back in december?  and here's the list made back then for attacking said scraps:

1. cut up scrap basket scraps....empty basket

2. finish inchie project in progress using 1.5" scraps and empty drawer!

3. empty selvedge shoebox making potholders

4. assemble scrappy DWR flimsy using scraps

5. finish repro bricks project and empty drawer

6. pull out 2.5"strips shoebox and get a top done

7. sew up 4-patches using 2" squares already cut

8. cut orange peels from jo morton charms

9. finish up cheddar/indigo scraps on a wallhanging

10.  make flimsy triangle plaid scraps

11.  finish orange mod flimsy and empty shoebox

12. cut up scrap basket scraps...empty basket AGAIN!

so even tho slipped over a tad into february, the first scrap attack has ALMOST been completed and off the list.  i'm doing these in no particular order....and while still have to put the last 3 rows together and attach to the first 3, an empty shoebox is a good thing.  pondering which task to attack next, probably the scrap basket since it's beyond overflowing.  also want to send a big "thanks" to some of my stashbuster peeps who generously sent orange scraps so this could be made and glad to share if anyone needs some.  *** got a small UFO in the hoop as well as a large quilt, so will be working on those as well as a couple of sew-along blocks.   while shopping the stash for antebellum prints, once again realized i am just not sewing fast enough.  not buying fabric is only half of the equation of using up what's on the shelves.  now that betty has had her exercise, it's time for mine!

awwwww...

jam packed quilt guild meeting last night with a valentine swap.  we also had a food tasting fundraiser that included lots of delish dishes to try.  of course, my taste buds are nearly dead thanks to being nearly asphyxiated in my apartment with alcohol-based fumes on a constant basis, but somebody did bring in the required southern dish of pimento cheese, which was good.  and the dessert winner was a caramel chocolate chip square.  the pieces were tiny so ate it all!  came home with this little prezzie...

new fabric is always good, isn't it?  the reds are from a sandy gervais line, a favorite designer....and now that my wrong polka dot fabric is getting returned, doncha know saw a brand new line from jen kingwell, that down under design diva.   it's called "circulus" and the dots are perfect for my "midnight at the oasis" which just happens to be one of jen's design winners too! 

photo isn't great but you get the idea....so will wait until some shops have sales and pick some up...this will be perfect!   ***  behemoth turkeys of recovery challenges, noxious apartment irritants and constant budget woes are ever present--working to keep a positive outlook, not always successful, but hoping for a sunnier february!

post script

the retailer has agreed to take back the polka dot fabric and did agree it looked tan rather than gray; however, the manufacturer (RJR) sent it labeled as gray, which was why it was classified such.  perhaps vision exams for their employees are in order??  so the search continues....and while i've seen more grays with white dots online, i also saw some at web fabrics, which is a much safer choice once funds are available.  really missing my library job paycheck but having Rx coverage is essential right now....and for the foreseeable future.  ***  sunny and seasonably cool today; got my shorts out before heading to fitness and laundry.  another month or so and spring will be here in full force along with my 2-year anniversary in maryland....still happy with my choice to leave new england!

tale of two fabrics

after much internet research, finally found background for my "midnight at the oasis" at a good price....it was labeled as a gray with white polka dots.  see retailer's swatch below...

looks gray too, doesn't it?   you can imagine my dismay when what arrived was tan with neutral polka dots....not gray at all and no white dots either.  before contacting retailer, decided to take a photo of the wrong fabric for comparison....

again dismayed to find there is little noticeable difference between the two when photographed.  the only thing in my favor, i would think, is that the retailer lists the fabric as GRAY, in with its black/gray fabrics.  not tan, not beige, not toast, not brown or any other variation.  it's a lovely fabric and i would keep it if the retailer sends me the gray no charge (who wouldn't?)...it would make a nice background for another project.  but i'm hoping the retailer will send me the gray as that is what i originally selected.  true, i'll live just as long if i HAVE to use the tan, as the budget just can't fit in another 3 yards right now, and it is really small stuff in the grand scheme of things.  nobody will suffer some horrendous calamity and it isn't even a blip in anyone's life.  i'll let you know how it turns out....either way life will go on pretty much the same, which is certainly good enough. 

a new library find

much as i would love to trek to NYC and take classes with VFW, the budget just doesn't permit.  thankfully she publishes these great books, although the ambience and enthusiasm don't completely come thru in print.   i credit bonnie hunter with jettisoning me out of my "matchy-matchy" hum-drum quilty existence, but i'm not quite "there" with victoria's innovative style, although i love what she has done for the humble double wedding ring and now the braid pattern as well.  the book gives 5 tricks for taking your quilty muse to a new level and does not disappoint.   some are methods we've all known about but most have never mastered, plus there's the X factor of victoria's style and flair for all things modern.  in deference to VFW, i can't show you much but i will share one other photo of a quilt i really liked using curved pieces, something i've shied away from or maybe tried once and failed at miserably.  i just might give them another go, tho, after seeing this....

combines the braid AND the curved pieces in one...stunning, isn't it?  if you can't travel to NYC either, can highly recommend this book for your quilty pleasure and inspiration.  the "little gray cells" are busy with a few ideas already!