Hand Quilting

I really like hand quilting, it's very relaxing, like spinning or knitting. I'm not great at it yet, but I think the quilting on this little mini is passable. It's also not the best picture but I went outside to take it and it is SO COLD! It's 15 x 17 inches and I'm probably going to hang it in my hall.

I'm looking forward to the next hand quilting project I do since I enjoyed the process of this one so much. My daughter wants me to make this quilt to fit her bed. I don't think that's going to happen.

I had another finish this week too. I made this cushion for my mom. She really likes blue and those vintage looking florals and I have tons of blue floral scraps. So this fills the bill. The back is just a light blue solid. When I gave it to her she was very happy and asked me for another one.

Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts and Can I Get a Whoop Whoop

Scrappy Tuesday

So I finished quilting this pillow top for my mom. She likes blue a lot. I pieced the strips into 18 1/2" lengths and then sewed them together. The quilting is 1/4" from the edges of the pieces. It's a cute little pillow, it will finish up at 18 inches square. It didn't make a dent in my pile of blue scraps though!

I've been hand quilting my Amish mini and hopefully it will be done by the end of the week. 

Happy Tuesday!

Mittens and an Amish mini

I don't have a quilting finish today, but I have a pair of mittens knit from yarn I dyed and spun last summer. To be honest, I knit the mittens before Christmas thinking that maybe they could be someone's Christmas gift, and then ended up keeping them. This is some of my very favorite yarn, ever. I love the way the colors spun up, so I finally decided that instead of keeping the mittens as an emergency gift I was going to keep them for myself. I don't knit stuff for myself very often, and I needed some mittens anyway. The roving was dyed in the crock pot, and looked like this.

The resultant yarn is a two ply that I spun on a drop spindle.It's a bit of a thick/thin yarn and ended up as a light worsted once it was plied.

And these are the finished mittens. I like the subtlety of the stripes once it was knit. They are very warm!

Yesterday I was leafing through abook of antique Amish quilts and saw this picture;

I'm trying to do little projects to become a better hand quilter, and what better practice piece than an Amish quilt? But I really didn't want a whole quilt in these colorways, so I made a mini that I sewed together yesterday and then started quilting last night. I'm going to quilt the borders in a vine with leaves, and bind it with black like the original. The whole thing measured 15.5" x 17.5" before I started quilting it. The back is the same light maroon as the borders.

Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts and Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?.

Scrappy Pillow

It's funny how 2 days can be completely different. Yesterday I was in a creative funk. I have a lot of UFO's I could work on, and there's so much inspiration on the internet, but it was just one of those days where I just wasn't feeling it. I finally sat down with some solid scraps and made this little crazy quilt block inspired by an antique Amish quilt I had seen. Eh, I think it will go into the pile of single blocks in the bottom drawer. I might finish the embroidery first.

This morning, however was a new day, and I seemed to be ready for it! My mom has been asking me for new cushions for her couch for a few months now, so I finally started one. I grabbed a piece of fabric that I had dyed a few years ago and wasn't sure what I was going to do with it. I had sliced a few strips off but still had a piece that was 18 x 20. Mom's couch is a dark gray, and she has a love seat that is dark purple and I though this color would look equally well on either. Then I pieced the patchwork strip and sewed everything together. I really like this, and the only reason I didn't quilt it right away was because I don't have a thread that I like. I guess it means a trip to the fabric store. 

And then, just because I made these: 

Pretty sure this is going to be a mini quilt. After lunch I'm going to go ahead and join the blocks, add batting and a back and finish it up.

I'm linking up to Scraptastic Tuesday

Friday Finishes

I've been busy with other things this week, my mom doesn't drive and there were a couple of days of shepherding her to dr's appts, getting routine lab work, and she had to have her mammogram. My sister drove one day, and we all had lunch which is always fun. A couple of weeks ago I had shown her the case I made for my glasses and she really liked it so I made her one too. I took the picture on the back of my love seat next to the window because the light in here is awful. Still haven't taken down the Christmas lights!

I ordered some zippers from Etsy that came yesterday, and I got one of my zipper pouches finished. I think I need a bit of cream ribbon tied to the zipper pull.

This is the back of it.

I took both of these pictures with the bag propped up on this little cushion which I also made this week:

I'm still not crazy about this cushion. I picked the print out first and then picked out the embroidery pattern and other fabrics. The embroidery is really nice, I used a chain stitch for everything except the stem of the flower and the stamen. I hand quilted it with embroidery floss also. The embroidery pattern is from this book.  Anyway, my mom loves it so it is going to her house. She's been asking me to make her some new throw pillows for awhile now. 

Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts

Snow! Sunday Stash and Superbowl Party.

We got hit with a nice amount of snow last night, and it's supposed to keep snowing into tomorrow morning. When I woke up there was about 6 inches I'd say, and there's a bit more. It's not snowing really heavily, it just doesn't stop. I'll get out at some point today and take some pictures.

I have some stash pics to share today. The first two are St Patrick's Day fabrics I have had for a long time, and I am going to use at least some of them this year. The first pictures are all smaller pieces, a yard or less. I used some of the back print in a table runner for my mom. I like the middle piece quite a bit, and I hope I can incorporate it into a quilt.

These next 3 pieces are all bigger yardages. The front piece is just over a yard, the back 2 pieces are 3 1/2 yards each. I meant to make shirts out of them and just never did. I really would like to make a quilt out of them, I just don't know what. An Irish Chain is the obvious choice, but I really don't want to make one.

I also ordered a scrap pack from Hawthorne Threads. I had heard that they were really nice, and one evening I was sitting at the computer with a bottle of wine, a credit card and the scrap packs were half off! I bought one in the cool colorway, and I am very pleased with it.

I already cut out and sewed together a couple of pieces for a zipper pouch. I am going to get this quilted today before the Super Bowl.

I made some other fabric purchases the night of the bottle of wine, but I'll share those later!

Speaking of the Super Bowl, today is the big day! We are heading over to our sons to watch it, and hopefully the roads will be clear. It's a pretty big deal for us, and John has been bugging me for a month about what food I am bringing. I finally decided on barbecue sliders and a cheese and chorizo dip. If I were to bet (which I haven't) I would lay my money on the Patriots for this one. I think Tom Brady really wants that ring! And for anyone who hasn't seen this YouTube clip from Jimmy Kimmel, it's funny as hell! 

Wip Zipper Pouch

I embroidered this little bluebird yesterday on a scrap of white on white fabric. I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to do with him,  but he worked perfectly when trimmed down to a 2 1/2 inch square.

After thinking about it this morning, I dumped all my crumbs in a big basket. There are a lot of them!

Then I put the little bird down on a piece of 9 x 11 inch piece of batting, and started adding pieces from the crumb basket. Once it was trimmed it looked like this: 

Then I went ahead and made and trimmed a second piece the same size as the first.

Now all I have to do is add a lining and zipper, sew it all together and it will be a cute little zipper pouch!

Linking up to Quilting is More Fun Than Housework Lily's Quilts

Embroidery and Scraps

Seems the embroidery bug has bitten me pretty hard lately. In addition to the red rose Valentines Day pillow, I also finished this one:

I did the hearts in stem (or outline) stitch, and then did the sections of red ribbon in backstitch. I didn't particularly like the backstitch once I had about half of it done, but I didn't want to take it out and do something else so I just left it. 

I did this cute little butterfly for a zipper pouch. I pieced the back and front from pink scraps using quilt as you go, and then went back and quilted in the ditch because I like the way it looks. I haven't got a matching zipper, so this will be put on the side til I get one. I think I'm going to order some on Etsy, it's so much cheaper than buying them at Jo Ann.

Here's a close up of the butterfly:

His little body is a bit crooked, but I don't think he cares!  I'm also thinking of doing a flower of the month embroidered quilt from Martha's Q is for Quilter blog. If I embroidered a block every month, I could get it done and quilted in time for next Christmas. I'll have to play catch up for January's block, but that would be ok. 

Feeling Pretty Good

Well, I did a good job of meeting goals this last week. I'm almost finished with scrap-a-palooza, I should finish that up by Friday. I also finished the rice packs up, got some string blocks finished, and managed to use up some Valentines Day fabric. I really love the little rose embroidered pillow, I blogged about it here. I also started embroidering another vintage Valentines Day motif yesterday that I found on Q is For Quilter. This blog is just amazing, Martha has posted so many vintage embroidery and quilt patterns. Here's my embroidery so far, and the fabric I am planning on using with it. The embroidered ribbons will be red. I'm not sure if it will be a pillow or something else yet.

Oh, I finished the hand quilted pillow top too, this week I'll get a back on it and post a picture of it, too.

Now for the upcoming week: 

Finish scrap-a-palooza. That's the biggest goal.

Pick out fabrics for a half dozen zipper pouches and get them quilted. I won't assemble the pouches til later, I'll need to go to Jo Ann for zippers.

Start a machine quilted sampler. I need the practice!

Finish the pink Valentines embroidery

Holiday Pillows

I finished the little Valentines Day pillow. The embroidered rose is very nice, I'm really glad I found this pattern.

And as long as I was finishing up pillows last night, I finally put a back on this one: 

The pattern is from Sunday Morning Quilts and I call it Christmas Gumdrops. I like it a lot and am kind of sad it's going straight from the couch to the closet to wait for next Christmas. I'm thinking of  making a throw to go with it; if I do a couple rows here and there throughout the next few months it should be ready to quilt and go on the couch by next Christmas.

Linking up on this fabulous Friday to Crazy Mom Quilts and Can I Get A Whoop Whoop!

Progress!

Got the red floss and got the little rose embroidered last night. It's been awhile since I embroidered anything, and I'm very pleased with this. Sorry the pictures a bit blurry, my cell phone isn't the greatest.

I just love the vintage embroidery patterns! 

Valentine's Day Wip and a Little Spinning

I sewed this 9 patch block together this morning out of Valentine's Day fabric, and transferred  this vintage rose embroidery pattern that I got at Q is For Quilter's blog ,  then realized I have no red embroidery floss! Being a one car family, I can't run out and get any til John gets home. I'm not sure if this will end up being  a pillow or a small table topper.

In the meantime, I finally got a start on this:

This roving is just so nice and soft, and I really like this shade of green. There is a bit of gold and copper in it, but it doesn't show up in the picture. I was thinking socks originally when I bought this roving, but now I'm thinking it's so soft I might knit a scarf. 

Sunday Stash Some New and Some Old

I mentioned in an earlier post how I don't have many orange fabrics. I made a trip to Jo Ann yesterday to remedy that. I wasn't really impressed with the selection, but I did get these four pieces, an eighth yd of each:

 I also got an eighth of this leaf print:

Then I was only going to get an eighth on this one too, just for a little more green for the string quilt, but there was only a yard left on the bolt, so it all came home with me:

And just because I liked it there was this piece that was a yard. I really like this one a lot. I have no idea what I'm going to do with it, but maybe a drawstring knitting bag would be nice.

I also went into my stash and pulled these Valentine's Day prints. I don't usually buy or make Valentines Day stuff, but these were given to me several years ago, and since I'm trying to work through some of my stash I'm going to make some throw pillows, and maybe a table runner.

I pulled the St Patrick's Day fabrics out, too. Those I did buy, but I'll post pictures later.

Could Have Done Better

Well I sincerely thought I would meet last weeks goals , but I actually didn't get much done at all. While I managed to get a lot more of scrap-a-palooza finished, and I got most of the sewing table cleaned up, I only got two rice packs done, and I did not finish hand quilting the patchwork pillow, although I'd have to say I'm about 80% done. I did, however, get some string blocks made for a rainbow string quilt, and I got a pillow for the back of the rocking chair almost done. I'll finish it tonight and tomorrow post pictures of it. In my defense, my arthritis has been pretty bad the last few days.

Anyway, goals for the coming week are:

1. rice packs, at least 4

2. continue working on scrap-a-palooza

3. get another half dozen string blocks done

4. finish the little hand quilted pillow

5. make something involving the pile of valentines fabric currently on the love seat.

The Deepest Blues Are Black Tote

I actually finished this tote as a Christmas present but I didn't get a picture of it til yesterday. I actually began to see it as a quilt top which will be called The Deepest Blues are Black, and yes it was inspired by a song title by the Foo Fighters. I really like it, it gave me a chance to use some of the Kona that I had dyed for a quilted wall hanging many years ago. I didn't use the blues in the hanging, and while I have cut a few chunks off of them here and there, there were three sizable pieces left. I mixed them with some other blue scraps I had, and threw in a few bits of black. Once it gets warm I'm going to dye some more blues and start on a quilt.  

I also made a little eyeglass case. I needed one, and it was so quick to make!

Linking up to Amanda Jeans Crazy Mom Quilts

Rainbow String Blocks

I've been wanting to make a string quilt for awhile now and here's the beginning of it.

I've got the strings ironed for the purple block already, I just don't have it made yet. I'm thinking of making this one a "summer quilt", with no batting, just a back. I have a patchwork summer quilt already but it's a bit small for our bed, I made it for a full sized bed . This one will be a bit thicker  because I'm using muslin squares for a foundation, and if I back it in flannel it will be just right for late spring and early fall. One thing for sure is that I have to get more orange fabrics. Depending upon how I put it together I'll need 5-7 orange string blocks and I just don't have that much orange. Jo Ann has all their cotton prints on sale thru Saturday for 40% off, I guess I'll be making a trip over there.

I've been working on scrap-a-palooza too. I'll take a couple of pictures of it once it's finished.

Some Lovely Fabrics

I had a bit of Christmas money and I just couldn't resist buying this fabric. It's from the Low Tide Collection by Andover and I really like it. There are a couple of other prints in the collection I might buy later. I bought half yards, and for now they will sit in my stash while I try and figure out what I should do with them.

I also bought these two prints. I couldn't resist the bunnies, and both of these fabrics can go into the low volume fabrics I'm starting to amass. In looking at my stash, I realize I don't have a lot of low volume fabrics. I'm also short on oranges and purples. I just don't buy orange much, and I guess I don't buy purples either. From now on when I add to the stash I'm going to try and pick at least one fabric that will fall into one of those categories. I also am running low on white on white prints, but that's because I use them all the time.

I sorted through some stuff yesterday and got rid of some fabrics I will never use. I'm going to try and work through or give away some of the fabrics I just don't like anymore. I'm lucky to have moved into a house that has so much storage space, but we won't be here forever, maybe just another year and there's no guarantee that there will be an attic and garage in the future. Actually, I would trade some of the storage space for a dedicated sewing room. This sewing on the dining room table is just a pain.

Laid Back Saturday

Not much going on today, it's really cold still, just a great day to stay inside and work on projects. I have a small pillow top I'm hand quilting, plus I'm working on scrap-a-palooza. I got almost a quarter of it tied in the past week and I think I'm going to put in a marathon session this afternoon while I rewatch Sherlock. This is the little pillow:

I also may start spinning this roving I picked up at the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival. It's  a lot greener than it looks in the picture:

I will spin it on my Schacht hi-low spindle. It's my favorite for spinning lighter weight yarns. This is BFL roving, and I've earmarked it for sock yarn.

I did a pretty good job of meeting my goals for the last week. I got the Misty Mountain Hop yarn finished, the small bookcase runner made, got a good start on scrap-a-palooza, and got these 4 rice packs finished. I know I was going for 6, so I fell a bit short. I also made John a large hand quilted coaster for his desk.

Goals for the coming week are:

1. Continue to work on scrap-a-palooza. I want to get that done and on the bed

2. Finish hand quilting the little patchwork pillow.

3.Make another half dozen rice packs. Siobhan and I are talking about some spring craft shows, and while I have a nice supply of knitted/crocheted items, they won't sell well when the warm weather comes! I need some other things, and the rice packs are popular and pretty inexpensive to make.

4. Clean my sewing table off. It hasn't been cleaned right down to the wood since Thanksgiving, and I need to get that done and organized.

Not too crazy of a list, I think I should get it all done by next Saturday!

Misty Mountain Hop

I finally finished this yarn that, according to the date I entered on the projects page on Ravelry, I started on Nov. 8th. I finished plying it yesterday and called it Misty Mountain Hop because that song was playing when I was trying to think of a name and the colors are kind of misty. Anyway, it's fitting that I post this finish today because it's Jimmy Page's birthday! Kind of a celebration/birthday gift, although the real celebration will be tonight when I settle in with some Angry Orchards, Fireball and an evening of Led Zeppelin music. I find I like this yarn now that it's plied, it ended up a light worsted and there are 180 yds of it. I usually do a 2 or 4 ply, this is only the second 3 ply I've spun.
I'm thinking a hat, although I like knitting fingerless gloves.

I have a couple of other finishes for the week. I finally got a small runner made for the top of the craft books bookcase. I like it, although the binding could have been a bit better. That's my collection of drop spindles, notice that two of them have projects on them. 

And then I made this for my husbands desk. He was using a dirty piece of paper that he taped to his desk for a coaster. He never changed it, so now he has this oversized coaster instead that I can wash! The rest of his desk is a mess, but whatever. 

Happy Friday! I'm linking up to finish it up Friday.