Use your stash challenge Archives - Page 3 of 9

Posted on January 21, 2015 by Karen Stewart

The Neverending list of to dos

Here is my to do list for the week.

I am working on my to do list and all the WIPs that I have accumulated over the year. I am getting quite a bit completed but nothing new or earth shattering. Thisneverending list of to dos just has to get slimmed down by a bunch of work. Here is the list so far.

Yarny things:

Crochet shawl

Â I love the colors in the scarf/shawl. It will be big enough to be a shawl Â and yet small enough to wear with a coat. It matches my winter coat and most of my clothes so when I take off the coat I can still wear it.

blue and whiteÂ Stripe

I have added four white rows and will probably take it tomorrow to work on while I wait for classes to be finished.

multicolor granny stripe

I haven’t touched this one yet. I love the colors and it is only a matter of time.

Sewn things:

Various cup cozies – I have made 2 batman cup cozies
coffee press cozies
hot pads or pot holders
2-3 aprons
a quilt that needs the machine quilting I have worked on the quilt and just lack the long sides and bias binding in order to finish this up.

I have been cutting and sewing some satin that has been sitting in the studio since 2013. I am glad that I am finally sewing on it. I am still in the process of drafting a workable pattern so I have some prototypes. I am probably going to take them with me tomorrow and see how they work on real life kids. Since I am lacking little kids in my house any more.

As far as being organized.

I have made a menu for the week
I am planning to make some jelly this weekend
I have checked my appointments to make sure that I am missing nothing.

I read this great blog post by Michael Hyatt and I am breaking my tasks down to smaller pieces. This will help me be more organized. I am also going to set a time and date for myself to go and sit at the sewing machine to sew. I am also going to decide which project to work while I wait for kids at various activities. Cooking dinner and the clean up that goes with it add all kinds of stress to my day. I am making a menu and then setting an alarm to remind me to start dinner at a certain time every day. I tend to work up until the last minute and then dinner is unhealthy (no vegetables or salad), sandwiches, or fast food. All of which are bad for the budget, and add stress.

Things I am going to work on to whittle my neverending list of to dos down to a manageable size.

Finish the quilt (there is probably only 2-3 more hours of work.)
Sew 3 coffee press cozies
Sew 20 coffee cup sleeves
sew 3 bibs (already cut just need to be sewn)
sew up 5 flannel blankets (already cut just need to be sewn)
sew 10 more paper pieced quilt squares
Finish the crochet consignment pieces
Finish the crochet scarf shawl ( I think I am only lacking 6 more rows and then a picot border)

Here is what I said last week.Â http://www.chocolatedogstudio.com/2015/01/06/tuesdays-project-progress-week-one/

Talk to you later,

Karen

Posted on January 19, 2015 by Karen Stewart

Pink is finished!! #3 in the Use Your Stash – 2015

I finished Pink (the crochet afghan) this weekend. I am so pleased with it. It looks so cuddly and warm. I found some lovely yarn at the shop. It was soft and washable. It is variegated with a long color change in the yarn. It was really similar to a Lion Brand wool yarn that I love to use. It is primarily pink and red and the colors called to me.

I started it in the Linen stitch but it turned out horribly stiff and thick. It looked lovely.Â I was also having some problems seeing where to put the stitches. I may need new glasses. I have named this blanket Pink but you can see the other beautiful colors in the yarn. I love working with variegated yarn. You never have to change or sew in many ends. It makes a nice change from Granny Squares that change color every row.

I love the bobbleÂ border. It adds a little whimsy to the whole blanket. I added a nice gray border on either edge of the bobbles. It adds some definition to the edges. Pink is a bit larger afghan than I normally crochet. It is 51 x 62 inches long. The stripes run lengthwise. I think it will make a great Valentine’s Day gift to someone special. It is available in the ChocolateDogStudio shop!

I am also adding this to the Use Your Stash Challenge – 2015! This is #3 for me to have finished this week. It is a huge project and I spent a bunch of time on it. I am really pleased with the finished product. I just knew that yarn would make a beautiful blanket.

Talk to you later,

Karen

Posted on January 16, 2015 by Karen Stewart

Using My Fabric Stash item #2

I finally did it! I did some sewing. I actually sewed clothing. I never sew clothing but here it is. My Mother in Law had some incredible fabric stash. She sewed all of her life and after she became a Grandma she sewed incredible dresses for the girls. I am sure that this fabric was intended to become a beautiful hand smocked dress. The girls grew up too quickly and the stash was never used.Â . I know she was disappointed when the girls grew too big for the hand made treasures. I have quite of few of them saved back. I just couldn’t get rid of the beautiful hand made dress. The hours of work that she put into each dress is just overwhelming to think about. She poured out her love into these Sunday dresses for the girls.

Here is what I made. The instructions were weird and I would totally put it together another way. I think my middle school home ec teacher would give me a C on this project. It isn’t perfect but fits the bill.

I think it came out quite nice. There are things I would change about it but I am still pleased with results. It is a little too big which is so much easier to fix. Here are its humble beginnings.

Isn’t the fabric beautiful. I just love the blue and green floral design. It is a very lightweight cotton fabric. I love the fact that the fabric stash is getting so much smaller.

This is #2 out of 200 in the Use Your Stash Challenge- 2015. I am excited, things are getting finished and plans are being made for future items. I am a great procrastinator and I needed this little push to make me finish some things up. 200 items feels like a goal I will never meet. I keep reminding myself of all of the supplies I have stashed away in my studio under the eaves. I know I can come up with a bunch of small items. I just hope that they will be worth the time. If you are wondering what I am doing with trying to make 200 items out of my stash you can find the first blog post here.

It has been a busy week with our homeschool co-op, church and other obligations. Our youngest son is writing a blog and I am helping him with the little bit that I know. He is filming You-tube videos about building with legos. They are funny and quirky just like he is. They are g rated videos for kids and quirky enough for adults to enjoy. If you would like to watch his first couple of videos you can see them here: lego-of.meÂ Send him a comment or two and let him know that you have stopped by. It is so encouraging to know that someone somewhere is reading what you write.

Talk to you later,

Karen

Posted on January 14, 2015 by Karen Stewart

Burlap Dry Erase board – Use Your Stash Challenge – 2015 #1

I have finished a couple of Use Your Stash projects and here is number: 1 a burlap dry erase board! Remember when I was washing burlap. Â It looked like this in the washer. I washed it three times.

The lint was incredible for all three loads. I thought that the amount of lint would decrease. It didn’t, I think the burlap bags were so old that they were disintegrating in the wash cycle.

The bags did lose a lot of dust and dirt along with all the lint. I checked the lint trap twice during each load. I was scared that I was going to set the dryer on fired with all the extra lint.
I had seen great burlap dry erase boards on Pinterest.Â I like all the texture that burlapÂ dry erase boards have. I had an old inspirational photo in a pretty nice frame that we have had for years. The photo had something to do with diligence or hard work or something like that. I took the poster out and added the burlap. I glued the burlap down around the edges with something rather like tacky glue. I pushed the staples back down to hold all the cardboard, burlap and glass in. Then I glued brown paper across the back like a framing store does. It keeps it looking neat on the back.You can see the red and green stripes from the original burlap bag. So, this is my first stash project in the Use Your Stash – 2015. I am excited and it looks great! It didn’t cost a penny – if you don’t count all the energy used to wash and dry the burlap sacks. We will probably use this for messages, grocery lists, and reminders. It appears to be infinitely useful. It will probably hang in the laundry room. I am trying to get that room more organized and decorated.

talk to you later,

Karen

You can read my Use Your Stash Challenge – 2015 rules here.

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Karen Stewart

My Use Your Stash Rules – 2015

Here it is the day the Use Your Stash Challenge officially starts. I have been thinking about the rules for this year. I have also talked them over with Hubs. I love his point of view. Here is what he said in a nutshell

This isn’t a contest
You can make this what you want and need
have fun
don’t stress about the rules
There are no Use Your Stash police checking to see if you follow the same rules as everyone else.

So here are my rules for the Use Your Stash Challenge. I hope that you come up with your own rules.

Works in Progress count because they are stash and they are sitting around half done and taking up space.
If I come up with a really cool idea but lack 1 essential element to finish it off perfectly. I will shop and buy that 1 thing. I will also document what I buy on the blog. Also if I get a custom order that needs supplies I will create that item.
While I will show all the items I create, the good, the bad and the ugly, I might not count them all towards the final number.
I will create 200 items this year for the challenge. I have about 50 items cut and awaiting sewing so it isn’t out of the question and these items do count toward the total.
I will try toÂ create 200 items 200 days.

I have stocked up on thread. I have found all my buttons. I have separated the scraps from the bigger pieces of fabric. I have signed up for a quilt class. Â I have ideas since I have searched far and wide via pinterest and google. Here is the pinterest board that I have been pining ideas on since last year. Â I also have a huge Crochet board and then also a sewing board. Â I will start the board for us to pin our completed items on when I get my first item completed, feel free to contact me to be added to the board.

Join me in a this De-stashing challenge and clean out your space. Find the freedom of finishing up your Works in Progress! set your creativity free with this challenge that will force you to think in totally different directions. Limits force us to think outside the box and encourage us to use what we have or as our Grandma’s said

“Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do or Do without!”

Are we ready? Do you have tons of stash waiting the perfect project? Do you have a time frame in mind or an item list?

If you do then let’s get started!

talk to you after I get something created!

Karen

Posted on January 6, 2015 by Karen Stewart

Tuesday’s Project Progress – week one

It has been such a long time since I told you Â my project progress and list of things to doÂ for the week. I hope to keep this up over the year. It is so hard to do.
Here is my list of works in progress with photos whenever possible.

Yarny things:

Granny circle thing

Crochet shawl

Crochet shawl/scarf

I am making another one of these scarf/shawls. This one is out of sock yarn. I finally decided that I am never knitting socks. The double point needles keep slipping out of the yarn and I would drop stitches because of it. I have had the yarn for ages. It is a Â lovely, grey, red, and blue self striping yarn. It is washable and will make a great scarf.

greyÂ diagonal

I have had this in a partial state for at least a year. It is time to finish it but I just don’t like what it is turning into. So, I need to either frog it or finish it. What do you think?

blue and whiteÂ Stripe

This I will finish as it is for ChocolatesBabyShop. I love the combination of colors and it will make a beautiful baby blanket.

multicolor granny stripe

crochet hats of various kinds

Sewn things:

Various cup cozies
coffee press cozies
hot pads or pot holders
2-3 aprons
a quilt that needs the machine quilting

I am also in the middle of cleaning/de-cluttering/ organizing the studio. (I am rearranging the furniture to make it more useable.)

That is a huge list and doesn’t include my home school mom duties, my housewife chores or just daily life. I am overwhelmed with everything that is on my plate right now. I need to take it one thing at a time. I know that I can get the important things done and the little things will melt away. I can also delegate some of the daily chores. Three things in my favor this week.

I have a menu for the week.
I have a calendar with appointments listed on them
The post office will pick up from my mail box!

Well, I should let you go as I am needing to get on with my list for today.

Talk to you later,

Karen

Posted on December 31, 2014 by Karen Stewart

The Shop is on Sale!

Everything in the shop is 30% off. I really want to start the year off with a clean slate in the shop! WooHoo! So, my desire to start with a clean slate is your opportunity and when opportunity knocks you really should answer! All this to say…shop to your hearts content!

Everything, absolutely everything in the shop, including aprons, hats, scarves, infinity scarves, blankets, cozies, ornaments, and crystal, is all 30% off! It will never ALL be this low again. I may put bits and pieces of the shop on sale but not ALL of it.

I did some organizing and cleaning yesterday and I will do more today in preparation for the new year. I can’t wait to get started on the Use Your Stash Challenge. It starts pretty soon… so figure out the rules for your challenge. It can be a short and sweet WIPS challenge or a giant 300 items in 300 days Challenge. It can be make 20 items in 50 days or you can simply finish that One thing that is driving you nuts. I am gathering my items together and planning out how it is all going to happen! This is why I am having the huge sale. I do so want to add new things to the shop this Spring! We are not going to start on January 1st. I am giving myself some time off. I have my daughter home from college and I want to enjoy her visit. I have some cleaning to do in the studio. I also need to get youngest Â daughter started with her schooling before I jump in with both feet to create anything new. The anticipation is growing and I can hardly wait to get started.

The Use Your Stash challenge is the 12 of January. You can read more about my rules for my Challenge last year here:Â http://www.chocolatedogstudio.com/2014/01/17/1-thing-for-100-days-challenge/Â You can see most of the completed items here:Â http://www.chocolatedogstudio.com/2014/04/14/100-items-in-100-days/

Thanks,
Karen

Posted on December 29, 2014 by Karen Stewart

Looking Back at 2014 and Looking Forward to The New Year

I get a little introspective as the New Year approaches. I have just spent the last twelve months zooming through the days to this day.

Then there are the many photos of our yard and landscape. We had snow and ice, beautiful daffodils, tulips and irises all in succession.

Then the beautiful summer flowers in the front flower bed, from gladiolus to Russian sage to Purple coneflowers and daisies.The many pictures of yarn and projects in process including the craft fair.

There are many photos of family and trips to museums and lovely memories to share but I will not bore you with all of these photos. I have been graced with a very full year. We moved one person twice and three people once, if that makes any sense. We moved our daughter home from college at the beginning of the summer. Our son and his wife moved into their new apartment. We moved two of our kids back to college and finally we moved my mom to her new apartment. So those were huge moves and took time and attention. I just cleared out the last box of sewing materials from my Mom, yesterday. I am working on cleaning up in the studio after all of the busy time this Christmas season.

Things I am looking forward to this year include the Use Your Stash Challenge, doing a craft fair or two, some time spent fluffing the inside of the house. Here is my list for the future.

Prepping for a craft fair this June
Creating some new products for both shops
De-cluttering my house and studio
Finishing up about ten works in progress
Finishing up the tree skirt. I want to add some trim to the edging and possibly a decoration or two.
Clean out Christmas decorations that we haven’t used in years
Do some dog training. We have four in the back yard right now as we are watching my brother’s dog.
Make a menu and grocery list every week
Our oldest daughter is scheduled to graduate from college this next school year. So while it she officially doesn’t graduate until 2016. I know the year will be full of getting her prepared.

This is fairly busy list. I know that we will be driving Â our daughter back to college, and also bringing her home. She has a wedding this summer to go to and we might take a vacation. I would like to work in the yard and get some things cleared up. All of this in addition to living life and home schooling our youngest. The days and years just seem to get shorter and time seems to be a more precious commodity.

Talk to you later,

Karen

Posted on September 8, 2014 by admin

True Confessions

True confessions: It appears that I have started so many new things that I am totally overwhelmed. The new school year has called for a complete change in routine. I seem to be the spending a Â large amount of timeÂ waiting. I tend to take small projects with me until they get too big to travel well. I started several projects last week. When we were cleaning up the house this past weekend, I noticed that I have these 4 bags, just from last week!

So these are my works in progress or WIPS. You could also call them PIGS (projects in grocery bags!) Here are some up close photos of the actual projects started.

I am not sure what I think about three of these. The granny square, star stitch and the baby bonnet. So, I am letting them rest while I think it over and see what I think. I really don’t like the Granny square so I will probably unravel all the limeyÂ green Â and start over. I’m not sure I like the grey blanket. I started the star stitch to learn a new stitch and I’m afraid that it isn’t comfortable toÂ crochet as I have to keep counting.

This doesn’t even include the scrap blanket that is too big to travel.

The weather is supposed to cool off at the end of the week. Hopefully, I will find time to work on/under this blanket on the weekend. What are you working on? Do you start more than one project at a time?

Karen

Update:

I never finished the baby bonnets. They were too fussy for me and I don’t have a baby to model them for me. Â They are still in the bag and it is over 2 years since I wrote this. Wow, usually I am really good at finishing what I start. I did finish the baby blanket with lavender and green. It is beautiful and sold super quick.

The scrap blanket is finished and sold! Here is the reveal post for it.

Posted on September 2, 2014 by admin

Ta dah! Granny Square Blanket

I am finished with this Granny Square blanket. I am so excited. It has been a fun, quick blanket. This blanket started like this, just a mix up of various granny squares of all different sizes. It is also a scrap blanket as it used up various little balls of yarn that I had in my yarn bowl. I had many different squares left over from different crochet blankets and I added to them to get a more uniform size for the granny square blanket. The crocheting went fairly quickly as these squares are larger than I normally crochet.