I mentioned last week that I was going to try to use my Crockpot at least once a week this year. Today was a perfect opportunity — we had company coming, and they were going to be here for several hours before supper (having to leave shortly thereafter in order to get home for bedtime). I didn’t want to be fussing in the kitchen, and I didn’t want to order pizza (again). So into the Crockpot with the Chicken and Rice, and a delicious meal was enjoyed by all.

On a completely separate note, I wanted to report that (a) my countertops and desk area continue to improve and (b) I have another quilt top finished, as well as large portions of a third quilt top underway. Plus, I can see the plastic cone through my piecing thread, so it’s a good thing I’ll have an opportunity to go thread shopping later in the week. More about that part in a minute.

There are a number of quilters around the blog-o-sphere that are making a concerted effort to reduce their stashes of fabric this year. They are making weekly reports on how much they’ve used and whether or not they’ve spent any money on new fabric. To be honest, while I have a large stash of fabric, it has been quite awhile since I’ve done any major spending on fabric. The fact that I no longer have a local quilt store may have something to do with this. Most of my fabric purchases in the last few years have been for specific purposes, and while I would like to continue working from my stash (why did I buy all of this pretty fabric if I’m not going to use it?), this is not a bandwagon that I’ve felt the need to jump on.

As I was thinking about this weekend, though, I thought that the sewing I’ve done this week has done an admirable job of using up some fabric, and I wanted to include the actual yardage amounts on my blog, so I can participate just a bit in the stashbusting fever that everyone has caught. Are you ready?

First quilt, lap size, approximately 11 yards total (including backing and binding). This quilt is entirely quilted and bound.

Second quilt, lap size, approximately 10 yards total (including backing and binding). The top is done, the back is pieced and the binding is pieced.

Third quilt, queen size, approximately 17 yards total (again, that will include the backing and binding). Top is completely cut out and partially pieced. Fabric for back is set aside.

(As an aside: does anyone else find it odd that the pieced part of the quilt is called the TOP, but the other side of the quilt is the BACK? Why not top and bottom? Front and back? I wonder where that naming convention came from. I know that some people call the back the lining, but it feels most natural to me to call it the back.)

If you count what has been full utilized this week: 20 yards. If you count the third quilt that has gone from being unused fabric on the shelf to being a planned quilt: 37 yards total. Phew. That’s a lot of fabric. That’s a lot of $$$.

The second quilt (that isn’t quilted yet) was made using strips that were already cut — approximately 3 yards total. The annoying thing is that you can’t even tell that I took anything out of those bins at all. The bins are still full to the brim. I’m almost scared to contemplate how many theoretical quilts exist in those crazy piles.

I mentioned having a thread buying opportunity later this week. Road to California, here I come! Three more sleeps until I head out to help my friend Lynn in the A-1 Quilting Machines booth. I can’t wait! If you are going to be there, be sure to come look me up! I hope we have time to actually visit the show a little bit….so I can buy thread…

Sheesh, this got much longer than I intended. I don’t even have a picture for you, which I apologize for. Oh, and I was going to type up my recipe, too (this one is adapted from a number of sources, so I don’t feel guilty about sharing…).

Recipe tomorrow. Pictures of something tomorrow, too.

Suzanne