Sunday Stash - How to add to your stash without shopping!

Swapping, my friends. Swapping. All the cool kids are doing it! At least I like to think so. You get the fun of playing with your fabric stash AND squishy envelopes arrive in your own mailbox. Win-win!

February was my month for the Birthday Bonus Club. This is what 29 packages containing 50+ mini charm squares of low volume looks like!

I even got some bonuses with my Birthday Bonuses! Q-D made me this incredible little zipper pouch. Minature paper piecing. Her first EPP hexie project. I am lucky indeed.

And then here's Lynn @ Buttons Quilts. She admired the navy dot fabric I selected to use for my Quilter's Planner. And I offered a swap. I love, love, love Lynn's fabric selections and so I asked her for scraps. And she sent me a package of amazing! She was pretty darned happy with what I sent her.

It was great to  get all those lovely low volume mini charms. But honestly, I'm really enjoying preparing the packages for the other BBC participants. Our March Birthday Queen asked for 50 different squares. That was fun!  Looking at this selection of squares, I kind of wish I'd made a doppleganger for myself!

 And the other February Birthday Queen wanted rainbow and white. Also in my wheelhouse!

While digging about in my stash during the great re-organization, I came across some Anna Maria Horner FQs that I just knew I'd never use it. And then Jayne @ Twiggy & Opal raved about her love of AMH. I knew those FQs belonged with her and offered them up. She offered a swap. Surprise me, I said. Squee! C+S Basics & Pencils, Mercury, Pearl Bracelets. Yup. She knows what I like!

And she sent me this sweet little pouch. And the entire package smelled divine from that wee little soap!

Never swapped? You just gotta get yourself out there. Make an offer. Whether it's scraps, a mini mini, a custom charm pack, it's fun! What's the worst they can say? No? Come on They're a quilter. They're not going to say no to fabric!

I'm linking up with Sunday Stash @ Molli Sparkles. He's finally back from the glitter coated madness that was weeks of vacay, Mardi Gras, and Lord knows what else.

J

4X7 Challenge - Week 1!

February's here and the 4x7 Challenge @ Berry Barn Designs is well underway. I knew it would be a true challenge for me to manage some sewing every day, but I managed fairly well this week. Here's my day by day breakdown!

Monday
Ah... the first day of February. Not just the start of the 4x7 Challenge, but also the first of the month. So my "sewing time" was more like stash time.

I spent a fair amount of time rummaging about in my stash cutting 2½ inch squares to form a lovely rainbow palette for the February Birthday Queen of the Birthday Bonus Club.


Tuesday
I managed two sessions of sewing on Tuesday! The first was preparing fabric, templates, and notions for an EPP demonstration. And the second was spent passing on some sewing skills. As I've before, I'm a leader with the oldest Branch of Canadian Girl Guides, Rangers. We watched an eye-opening documentary, Misrepresentation, and stitched while watching. I'm pleased to say that at least one of the Rangers in attendance was well and truly bitten by the EPP bug!

Wednesday
I counted this as a banked day as Tuesday had me in my studio a lot! I did spend some quality time with my MMQG Executive Peeps planning our first ever retreat. I am over the moon excited about this opportunity to sew all week-end long!

Thursday
My sewing involved a little computer time to whip up a Kona Palette using Play Craft's Palette Builder 2.1.

I found an image on-line of this print from my stash, Dear Stella's French Lessons by Jack & Lulu and got to building.

I ♥ that selvage! Off I went to my Kona stash. I'm always amazed at how well the Palette Builder matches the colours in one's image. I had to make a few little substitutions in keeping with The Year of the Stash.

 Now I've got bits and pieces all cut out for my vacation EPP project!

Friday
Does fixing my Himself's ski mitts count as selfish sewing? ☺ I'm going to say it does!

Saturday
Alas, a day's driving with DT left absolutely zero in my personal tank for sewing. Not even a few stitches of EPP.

I'm linking up with Sarah @ Barn Berry Designs.

To sum up Week 1, no projects finished, but definitely some sewing play time. Week 2 is going to be all about EPP and cross-stitch.

J

It's coming...

Christmas, right? Nope! It's better than that! It's the...

What is this, you say? Julia @ Jada's Quilting Adventures and I have been cooking up a something for the new year - a club to exchange mini charms (2½ inch squares). Here's how it works. Each month, you'll package up 50 charm squares for each lucky Birthday Queen. When your birthday month rolls around, your mailbox will be filled with squishy fabric love. Interested?

If you are, here's the extended re-mix - read as... The Rules... broken down into manageable little bits.

Participants:

• should be Canadian
• should be Facebook users (a Closed group has been set up so participants can communicate with each other)
• must commit to participating for the full year (January to December 2016)
• should keep a list of packages received during their birthday month (a list will be provided on the closed Facebook group)
• should be prepared to buy fabric if they do not have requested colour/style/motif in their stash
• should be prepared for the inherent risks of swapping ☺ (addiction, excessive trips to the post office, potential disappointments)
• will be capped at 35 for 2016

Fabric: 

• Each Birthday Queen receives 50 mini charm (2½ inch) squares from the other participants
• Squares may be the same fabric or a variety (stash busting is encouraged!)
• Does not need to be pre-washed, but can be
• Should be quilt shop quality fabric

Requests:

• May be for a particular colour (i.e. red), motif (i.e stripes), or style (i.e. low volume)
• May not be for a particular brand or designer
• May include one "Please no" (i.e. "Please no florals") 

Here's the monthly timeline...

1st of the month - Birthday Queens post their requests
15th of the month - Deadline to mail fabric
20th of the month -  Birthday Queens post the list of participants from whom they have not yet received fabric

Phew... that's a lot of explaining! Still interested? Then head on over to FaceBook and search for Birthday Bonus Club! Julia and I will add participants to the group on a first come-first served basis. Don't miss out on the fabric fun!

J

Update: For some reason, the group is behaving like a Private group, not a closed one. Please try following this link and let me know if it works! ☺ Birthday Bonus Club! on FaceBook