Two days of playing in fabric

I started on Tuesday after work.  Needed to do something simple as my hands were hurting like crazy.  Couldn't do much but take it easy, so I decided to go through the different colours of scraps.  I started this some time last month....or was it the month before....not sure, but it's been a bit.  I started pulling out my file folders sorted out into colours.  Went through them to remove all the small stuff that just got shoved in while rushing around trying to clean up before people come...lol...you know how it is...

This first picture is of the piles in colour families, that are larger chunks, but not as big as a fat quarter.  They are now ready to be filed away.  I am just waiting for my hanging file folders, that I ordered from Amazon.  You'll have to excuse the shadows on the piles at the top.  These piles are on my longarm and I currently have a quilt loaded on it, so it is casting shadows on the back row of fabrics.

The front piles are, from left to right, the corals, light pink, dark pink, reds and lastly white with prints (mainly red prints).  I think I have another red and white quilt in my future...lol...so I'll keep them together and separate from my other stash, until I decide.  The back row is brown, grey, green and black.  The blue and purple has already been done, while I was doing my crazy colour blocks.

Then I gathered up all the scraps that I recently washed & ironed and started sorting them into colour families.  Most of them were small scraps.  The stuff that other people throw away, but that I use, so instead they keep them for me.  The smallest I keep is usually 1 1/2" square once it is washed and ironed, though lately I have been keeping all the triangles too, for making my ocean wave pieces.  

These scraps are not getting put away just yet, as I am still working on cutting my solid colours for the crazy colour blocks.  But they are all now sorted and shall I say "contained"....if there is such a thing with scraps.....lol.  I love scraps!!!

I'm happy to say that shuffling fabric all evening was good relaxation for my hands.  They are feeling much better now with giving them a rest and forcing as much of my fresh ginger concoction down my throat (It helps with inflammation, which irritates the arthritis).  I enjoy relaxing like this while I listen to my tablet in the background.  I have a few sewing/quilting people that I subscribe to on YouTube.  Since I found a new person and she does quilt-a-longs, I had a lot to listen to!

I didn't get anything done yesturday, as I was making a special dinner by request, which takes a long time to prepare and cook.  By the time I was done that, I was done for the night.  But back at it today!!

Today, I had to take inventory of what I have.  I'm going on a shop hop this Saturday with some friends and I don't go without a plan.  So I am in the process of gathering fabrics to make a red, green and white Christmas quilt.  

On my last shop hop back in September, I picked up a bunch of fat quarters and a layer cake of Christmas fabrics.  I came home and put those in the wash, then went fishing in my Christmas fabric stash to see if I had anything that I could use.  Unfortunately, that stash is dwindling.  I used a bunch of it for the Welcome to the North Pole applique quilt, so it has gone to good use.  Then last Friday I raided some of my mom's Christmas stash.....lol.....we do share equally both ways.... She had a few pieces.

So as you can see above, the red is all cut out.  Some of it was started a couple of weeks ago.  With the fabric I did have, I was surprised that I did have enough to cut all the 3 1/2" squares for the blocks (288) and the 2" squares for the corner stones of the sashing (85).  A couple of weeks ago, I even started cutting out the white 6 1/2" x 2" sashing pieces and some of the white 2" squares for the four patches and stitch & flip corners (seen in the picture above in the left hand corner).

Today, I decided to start in on the greens.  For the greens, I am going to need 660 2" squares for the four patches that are part of a larger square.  So far there are 220 cut and 440 left to do.  Had to take a break to make dinner, but once I post this, I'll be going down to finish this big pile of greens.

There are 22 different greens in the pile above and so I need to trim a 2" strip off of each one, by the full width of fabric.  This way I will get 20 blocks each and have just enough to finish cutting the greens.  I definitely have more variety in the greens.  I'm using more shades of green, whereas the reds I wanted it to be mostly close to bright Christmas red.

I just realized that I didn't share with you all, the pattern that I am using to make this Christmas quilt.  That will have to be another day, as this post is already quite long.  Oh, and I figured out that what I will need to gather during the shop hop, is the white fabric for the sashing and four patches.

Take care everyone.  Don't forget to take some time for yourself!!