Kalico Kate

Christmas Quilt

2012-01-28T22:59:00.000-08:00

This is the Christmas quilt my mom made for Rick and I. It is queen-sized and all the fabrics are holiday prints, mostly florals.
I'm usually not a big fan of florals, but this quilt is different. This rounds out all the Christmas quilts that arrived for the holidays.
For years and years, my mom has been trying to win Rick over with a quilt that he will love. However, the only quilt in the entire world that he professes to LOVE is in my mother's possession. It is a crazy quilt from the 1940s-50s that my grandparents made. It is so heavy that it feels like an elephant - or at least a large dog - is lying on top of you when it is used. Oddly, the binding has never, ever been finished. About three years ago she made a crazy quilt with similar fabrics and black Turkey Tracks stitches for Rick. He was appreciative, but still hasn't stopped pestering my mom for the other. All she said is, "When the binding is finished, I'll decide who it belongs to." Since the quilt is nearly 20 years old than Rick, he may be waiting a while. I think they just like to annoy one another.
Mom also made us matching pillowcases made with the red fabric she used on the border.

Ugly Chair - Part 1

2012-01-23T21:28:00.000-08:00

We recently picked up three of these super ugly, but very functional chairs at an auction. All three set us back a whopping $5. We were the only bidders. Maybe their appearance had something to do with their cheapness? I'm just saying.

These were produced by Shelby Williams Industries sometime betwen 1986 and 1988. Does that count as vintage? They are quite sturdy and made of solid wood, no particle board here. And, all the visible hardware is brass. We needed some chairs for the dining/poker/homework/craft/catch-all table in our family room as the old chairs are falling apart. In fact there are only two of the original six remaining.

After I removed the pad from the chair this is what I found beneath. There were oodles of dirt, a few dead bugs and gobs of hair. The floral (oooh, it is so ugly) was actually a decorator grade fabric. The stripes however, were a very cheap, thin poly blend. It took nearly three hours to get all the staples and these two fabrics torn away from two of the three seats. The third is waiting... And, under it all was the original upholstery fabric, a nice woven teal and chocolate brown piece.

Woof! My puppy keeps growing. He has been banned from the house the past couple of days as he has taken to rolling in something that is not-so-delicious smelling.

First Finish of 2012

2012-01-23T09:25:00.000-08:00

Drum roll please......

This little potholder, made from nylon loops on a child's plastic loom is the first crafty finish out of my sewing room this year!

And, sadly, I can only take a smidge of credit for it. Keeli did all the intricate up and down weaving of those pesky little loops that like to fly off the loom when stretched too far. It took me the better part of Sunday and a few internet searches to remember how to get the darned thing finished and off!

This is her first weaving project. Isn't it great? She had to experiment with different colors and patterns for a few days before deciding on these. She now wants to make a scarf. I talked her into perfecting the potholder and using up all the nylon loops we have before we move onto bigger projects.

There is a similar potholder done in red, white, blue and yellow, I completed at about her same age in my parents' kitchen. My loom was wooden with little metal pegs around the edges to hold the loops. Wish I knew where it was.

2 more hexis

2012-01-13T21:37:00.000-08:00

I wanted my hexi flower blocks to have black and white petals and red centers. I wasn't sure how that was going to look so I whipped up a couple.

They are definitely eye-catching! Now I'm anxious for my garden to continue to grow.

Inchy Hexagons - Jan 2012

2012-01-12T23:12:00.000-08:00

My first hexi flowers are done!

I have been lurking around The Inchy Hexagon Flower Swap blog for a year and finally decided to take the plunge. The hand sewing and quality expected were intimidating me in the beginning. But, once I started I realized this is just tedious work, not difficult work. These are already in the mail on their way to Oklahoma, to Erica, my January partner.

Erica requested her flower petals be made from fabrics printed with stripes. She is anticipating her flowers having the appearance of a kaleidoscope. The one with the dark red center is fussy cut from a winter themed border print with snowmen, berry garlands, strings of popcorn. The other is a cute, relatively new print with cute little snails. When I saw them all in straight little lines, I was hoping the lines would become apparent once fussy cut and sewn together. What do you think?

I am now sewing together two hexis for myself. Stay tuned!

TAST Week 1 - Fly Stitch

2012-01-05T09:49:00.000-08:00

Once again, I couldn't resist the temptation and challenge of Sharon B's Take a Stitch Tuesday. Embroidery (and cross stitch) are probably my most favorite craft activities. The focus for Week 1 for 2012 is the Fly Stitch.

I am using a variety of solid and variegated DMC Perle Cotton 5 for this project. It is a quilt top that my dear Granny made long ago and has been sitting in a box in my sewing room as a UFO for at least 10 years. This is a fairly simple employment of the stitch, but adds some wonderful texture to an otherwise less-than-exciting quilt top. It would be so much better if we could feel the stitches in photos rather than just see them, don't you think?

I worked a simple button hole stitch around all the leaves as they were attached to the background fabric with an iron-on adhesive and I want more stability than it offered alone. I am free handing the leaf design as I go. No rhyme or reason to the design, just something that makes it look more 3-dimensional and interesting.

The leaves on the quilt are in rich autumn colors, dark greens, browns, rusts, reds. However, there is one that is a bright orange. I just doesn't match the rest of the quilt, but my Granny was a wonderful seamstress and quilter, she didn't put it there by accident. I'm not sure if it will stay.

Artistic inspiration

2011-12-30T19:48:00.000-08:00

Walking to my son's 5th grade classroom recently, my attention was captured by the display of their latest art project. I had to run back out to the car and grab my camera.

A large portion of the hallways is covered with these wonderful, creative and colorful mini-design walls. The assignment is intended to teach color value and design placement. They have a design pattern to follow, but can create any secondary design of their choice. These 10- and 11-year-olds had to complete this in the classroom in one day during as individual academic assessment process.

The image above, dominated in purples, light blue and shades of orange is my son's creation. It didn't turn out as he had imagined, but mostly because he forgot to turn some of the blocks the right direction to carry out the secondary design.

Each of the 36 blocks are 2" square and each had to be created individually. They could use colored pencils, markers, water color paints, etc. They had to use what was available in their desks that day. I was fairly impressd with the two images, above and below. These were well thought out, very detailed and just show an artists ability for thinking beyond the simple task at hand.

It is sad that art, and so many other important classes, are being removed from our public schools. I truly think exposure to art is important as well as the experience of creating something that is uniquely your own. I spoke with the teacher and this was a very difficult task for many students as they are used to "instant gratification" in so many aspects of their lives and this required thought,effort, concentration and a considerable amount of time.

Halloween S.T.U.D.

2011-12-28T21:17:00.000-08:00

Better late than never, that's what I always say. Months ago I was finishing up my Halloween themed mini for a swap. I had just had the third surgery to repair my broken ankle and took a break to work the kinks out of my ankle. When I came back, the afternoon sun was streaming through the blinds onto my sewing table.

I am not a lover of pink - in any shade, but this little quilt had to have a shock of pink to fit the character theme. This little Hello Kitty witch was sent to my partner in the S.T.U.D. swap on flickr.com.

I found the image as a free coloring page on a Hello Kitty website.

Time Machine

2011-12-20T22:41:00.000-08:00

Rick and I took the plunge and started to demolish the basement bathroom. This house was built in 1978 and other than a coat of paint, the bathroom was stuck in the 70s - vintage harvest yellow toilet and sink included.

Today we removed the vanity, sink and finally the toilet. Here's what we found:

This stuff is great! All those timewarp yellows, oranges and greens actually make me happy. And, the shiny parts do have a foil finish.

We recycled the fixtures at Habitat for Humanity. We are trying to work around the structural items we can salvage, the shower basin, all the framing and the new slate floor. We spent the rest of the day shopping for tile for the shower and vanity backsplash, a sink and vanity. This project, like most of our past projects, will go slowly as we are completing tasks one at a time as we have the cash.

Holiday Hugs from Nana

2011-12-16T22:39:00.000-08:00

Back in the day it was a treat to get a "soft package" for any occassion - but especially Christmas from my Grandma Eda. She wasn't really my grandma, she was my aunt's mother-in-law, but she was a wonderful addional grandma. "Soft packages" were always wrapped in white tissue paper with bright, holiday curling ribbon around them. The almost always contained one her her special handmade rabbits.

Today's version of this extra special treat is a soft package from Nana Joyce (my mom).

The kids came home from the last day of school, the first day of their holiday vacation, to find Christmas quilts and matching pillowcases to help them begin celebrating!

Keeli's has old fashioned Santas and her favorite color, purple. Her pillowcase is primarily made from the purple stars. She immediately went to her room and re-made her bed with this.

Rikard's pillowcase doesn't match his quilt, but has large prints of Santa and his reindeer. He took his quilt and went to the family room, snuggled on the couch and watched television. He fell asleep after a very hectic day of holiday gift exchanges and treat sharing at school.

Tatum's quilt is - of course - pink. The floral print is the final remaining scraps in my mom's stash of material she bought to make her granddaughter's dresses for Christmas about eight years ago. Tatum and my neices Madison and Ashlie had dresses from this fabric for the holiday music programs at school. Eventually, we ended up with two of the dresses for Tatum and Keeli and we used them in a family portrait.

And, more Pink Ribbon blocks

2011-09-28T12:44:00.000-07:00

More pink ribbons

2011-09-19T11:14:00.000-07:00

October - National Breast Cancer Awareness Month - is fast approaching.

In honor of that observance, and to create one more fundraiser at my workplace, I am attempting to collect and/or make enough pink ribbon blocks to make a beautiful, scrappy pink ribbon quilt.

To review the entire story behind this quilt, refer to the original post. Yes, we will still welcome donations!

These six sets of blocks were all made by a co-worker, Lorrie. This is her first attempt at paper piecing and she's doing a great job! She's also just about ready to murder me for dragging her into this project.

On the surface this appears to be a very simple paper piecing pattern.

And, for an experienced pp-er it isn't too bad.

The only difficult part is the first two pieces on the upper portion that make

the white center of the loop.

You can cut 2.5" strips (many of these were strip swap pieces) and

do the entire block with strips and not have much waste.

So far, we've been making blocks with donated scraps of various pink (any and all shades)

and WOW fabrics.

Vintage sewing table

2011-09-06T09:26:00.000-07:00

My son and I found this lurking at the back of a barn during an estate auction. It wasn't for sale, it was only being used to display some bric-a-brac. At first glance it was just another unassuming card table, until a closer look revealed ...

this small handle on the side of the table.

A handle, which once pulled, opened the space where the sewing machine will sit. There are two, adjustable metal rungs under the table top to support the machine.

Of course, it is old and the paint is peeling. But underneath is a very studily built wooden table. The paint is actually pretty ugly. It is a Martha Stewart green with a sparkly gold antique finish. Someday, probably a winter project, I will remove this old paint and probably just use an oil finish for the beautiful blonde wood.

The legs are beautifully preserved chrome. Can you see the instructions to "PRESS" the locking lever to release the leg?

There are no markings on the table identifying it in any way. I got all this for a mere $20. Not only is it awesomely vintage, but it fits my tiny little sewing room so much better than the mammoth 9-foot long table I used to have in there.

Grandma's Birthday Quilt

2011-08-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

We recently celebrated my paternal grandmother's 90th birthday. Happy Birthday Grandma Mary! My sister made this great little door hanging quilt to help record everyone's birthday wishes.

She stole the idea from the quilt banner made for her oldest daughter as a high school graduation celebration gift last summer.

And, here we all are. Crazy, huh?! Grandma Mary is in the center, my dad is sitting next to her. Surrounding them are all my siblings, nieces, nephews (minus 2) and my cousin and his girlfried.

Fair Quilts

2011-08-28T23:42:00.000-07:00

I always love a quilt show, no matter how big or small. And, the quilts on display at the Pend Oreille County Fair were once again fabulous this year. As a long-time lover of the 1930s reproduction prints, this quilt caught my eye early. The prints are pieced with what appears to be a similar reproduction muslin and don't you just love that little border?!

All the quilts on display have a short story written and displayed with them. This quilt was a collection of vintage blocks a woman inherited. The white outer ring is quite unique.

The blocks were all hand pieced and varied greatly in finished size. So, the owner and a friend decided to applique them onto a yellow background. They simply turned the edges under and used a machine applique stitch around the edges. The story states that most of the fabrics are scraps from shirts and dresses from the family in the 1940s.

I love the scrappy quality of this sawtooth quilt and how the neutral white is pieced together to make a ragged sort of star. I just wish it had some sort of border to save the design from stopping so abruptly at the binding.

The bargello table topper won for best tablecloth. I really like the fact that it isn't a sqaure or rectangle and seems alive. It was displayed directly under a skylight and near a doorway. I just couldn't get a good shot with all the bright streaming natural light but I'm sure you can appreciate it.

The photo below is a detail shot of the raffle quilt. This shows about 1/4 of the quilt top surface and doesn't do it justice at all. It was wonderfully done and yes, the entire thing was put together using corner piecing! Sadly I didn't win this year.

I'm saving some unique and related quilt photos for my next post.

Pink Ribbon Quilt

2011-08-18T14:36:00.000-07:00

These pink ribbon blocks will be incorporated into a quilt to utilize as a fundraiser at my workplace. We are raising money and awareness to help our small, rural hospital purchase a digital mammography machine and I'd like to recruit a very wide range of involvement from quilters everywhere.

This is a fundraiser for the non-profit organization Newport Hospital & Health Services Foundation in Newport, WA. The first step will be to collect blocks, preferably with signatures, dates and locations included by their makers. The signatures could be to personalize the blocks for the quilter, to memorialize a loved one lost to breast cancer or to honor a survivor.

If you are interested in making and submitting a block to our cause, the pattern was designed by Janet Wickell of About.com. The pattern is free and the finished block measures 6" wide by 7" tall. I whipped up 10 blocks in just under two hours.

The blocks displayed here will be personalized by breast cancer survivors who are current residents of the hospital's long-term care unit and a local assisted living complex.

I am using scrappy pieces of WOW and pinks - from mauve to pastel to electric - that I can find in my stash. As with most of my quilty endeavors, the more variety in color and pattern the better!

We plan to raffle the quilt in October, to coordinate with national Cancer Awareness Month activities. Tickets are $1 each, or one ticket for every block submitted. We are planning a breast cancer awareness activity at the hospital the third week of the month to include a tour of our radiology department and the location the new mammography machine will occupy and a pink party.

If you have read this far and are interested in participating, whip up a block, rememer to sign, date and indicate your location (city, state/country) and send it to NHHS Foundation, 714 W Pine Street, Newport, WA 99156. If you still have questions, email me at clyons-holestine@phd1.org. And, if you want a chance to win send in a block or $1 each for the number of tickets you want.

This is a year-long campaign. To date, we have raised nearly $50,000 with a variety of activities, including a holiday tree auction, a golf tournament, pink rodeo t-shirts and a fun run.

S.T.U.D. swap

2010-11-21T21:02:00.000-08:00

My Swap Til You Drop partner, CASharp, is an overachiever! She sent this fabulous package in hopes of curing my little stalking habit. I must say I've gone from not really liking selvage projects to LOVING this one.

Selvage projects I've seen in the past are somewhat busy and haphazard. I don't like the stark white and writing and color spots, it just didn't do much for me. CASharp's creation includes quite a bit of the fabric print along with the selvage, adding interest, color and character. The entire package included the quilt, which finished about 17" square, a pincushion (far left), an accessory bag (center) and the two coordinating fat quarters on the right.

There are several interesting snips of prints, hedgehogs, flowers, polka dots, tone-on-tone prints. However, my favorite snipette of fabric has to be these cute little chicken feet on one of the borders. Most of my chickens are black and white Plymout Barred Rock hens, so this reminds me of them.

A close-up of the accessory bag - complete with a fantastic repurposed tin mint box as a needlecase and the coordinating pin cushion made from scraps.

Baby steps

2010-11-04T23:03:00.000-07:00

Freedom! I've gotten released to return to work and start taking baby steps on the broken leg/ankle. I'm not really walking, just hobbling along putting about 25% of my weight on the right foot, but it beats sitting in that recliner all day.

This is the most recent xray. As you can see (becaues I can't) everything is healing well, maybe even a bit ahead of schedule. I am now using crutches and taking little walks about the house and even went out to enjoy the sunshine on the deck this afternoon.

I go back to the doctor in four weeks to check my healing progress and schedule surgery to remove that really long screw that is holding the tibia and fibula together. Won't be able to walk with that in there!

Selvages

2010-11-04T09:32:00.000-07:00

I haven't been a big fan of the latest craze to use selvage edges in quilting projects. They just don't appealed to me much. I've heard other quilters say they are too busy, don't match, don't coordinate, are too narrow, etc. They've just never held my attention for long.

Then is saw this over the shoulder of another quilt show attendee:

This is the creation and possession of a woman who was attended the recent Washington State Quilters Spokane Chapter 2010 Quilt Show.

Candy bags

2010-10-24T20:10:00.000-07:00

My mom's been busy again with her embroidery machine and crafty ways. She created a couple of candy collecting bags for the upcoming Halloween holiday.

Mom found these great rip-proof bags, similar to the reusable shopping bags you find in grocery stores, at a local craft store for 50-cents each. Green is Rikard's favorite color and the bat embroidery pattern she found is very suitable for a little boy.

This could be for any of the little girly grandchildren. I think the patterns are great, the size of the bags is fantastic and i like the long straps as it makes it convenient for kids or parents to carry.

Scott's Cottage

2010-10-22T09:18:00.000-07:00

My most recent finish is on its way to its owner Scott Hansen, of Blue Nickle Quilts. His theme is Better Cottages and Gardens.

This was my first finish of four assigned stiching projects for the Flickr group Hoop Up! Stitch and Send Swap. The pattern is from doe-c-doe's vintage collection shared on Flickr. When I saw it, I saved it as it reminded me of my grandparent's home, a little log cabin with red trim - perfect for Scott's theme. Scott provided the yellow fabric and DMC 666 - red embroidery floss.

Although you can't see it well in the photos, the lazy daisies making up the heart shape are a very light yellow and the four in the "yard" are a very light pink.

Old Quilts and Older Quilters

2010-10-17T13:30:00.000-07:00

The last few years there have been numerous vintage and antique quilts on display at the Washington State Quilters Spokane Chapter annual quilt show. This there there were only a handful, but they didn't disappoint.

This grandmother's flower garden was a fantastic example. All the flowers had the same golden yellow center. I really like the way the quilter used the white as borders between the flowers and the green pieces bring out a secondary star pattern.

Again! Every time I wanted to get a photo or a better look at a quilt these pushy ladies were in my way! I make fun of them like this every year. That's my mom, Joyce, on the left and my Aunt Nancy on the right, but they were a God-send this year. I've been home for nearly a month with my broken ankle and they busted me out of the house for the quilt show.

This quilt was hanging all by itself in a walkway area. It is like a modern charm quilt, with so many different fabrics and an interesting setting. It was entirely hand quilted.

I adore Sun Bonnet Sue in all her various styles. By looking at the fabrics, this quilt was completed over a long period of time, some of the fabrics appear to be from as early as the 1940s, some as recent as the 1980s. The entire quilt was beautifully hand quilted.

The embroidery on the blocks was very detailed and elaborate. They each had their bodice, legs and shoes, bonnet ribbon, tlace edging on their skirt and their boquet embroidered.

These umbrellas were so sweet. The twin-sized quilt was entirely made of exactly duplicates of this one block, all the applique umbrellas were the same fabric. If you look closely, she used French knots to "quilt" the quilt and to resemble rain drops.

Baby Janes & Butterflies

2010-10-16T22:20:00.000-07:00

My mom and aunt helped me escape from the house today to attend the 32nd annual Washington State Quilters Spokane Chapter Quilt Show. We've been faithfully attending this show for more than a decade.

I've always wanted to start my version of the Dear Jane quilt. Seeing others has always inspired me to dig out my copy of the book and software and get started. The quilt above was most of the blocks and the border was made with a tiny, 1/2" border of 1" strips. The quitl below was very masculine in appearance. The brown is a shirting style fabric with stripes.

Although I'm not a fan of the color blue, this was by far my favorite Baby Jane on display, mostly because of the unique layout/design and the secondary pattern created.

There were only four Baby Jane's on display. I really enjoyed this Amish look with the solids and black background.

My 6-year-old daughter went with us this year. She loves pink, butterflies and pretty quilts. She picked this one out of the 100s on display as "one of her favorites." The quilt top is vintage from the 1940s to early 50s, but if you look closely at the pink border print, it wasn't finished until sometime during the 1970s.

The fabrics used were great, some were shirtings, some calicos, some were slightly heavier decorator fabrics. They made for a very colorful, fun quilt. I also liked that the maker used brown for the butterfly's body rather than black, which is typically used. It was less of a harsh contrast against the colorful fabrics used for the wings.

I've got lots more photos from the show, so stay tuned!

Vintage Halloween update

2010-10-15T18:16:00.000-07:00

Joyce has been sewing away and finally got the remaining blocks assembled and attached to the center motif of our Vintage Halloween quilt. I think it is shaping up into a fantastic quilt, and there is no bias involved (get it? No bias, har, har, har) in my opinion.

We started the embroidery last winter, but only recently chose the coordinating fabrics. We went shopping at our friend Roxanne's shop, Cottage Quilting, "The Quilt Shop in the Woods." We chose fabrics from a couple of different lines, but I think they went together beautifully.

The corner blocks, the double 9-patches, are constructed according to the original pattern. I found the print with the little jack-o-lanterns. I tried to get Joyce to fussy cut them and adjust the pattern so they could be used in the little 9-patches, but we decided that was too much work.

Friday Froggin'

2010-10-09T08:33:00.000-07:00

Thursday marked the two-week anniversary of my ankle repair surgery and the cast came off. Words cannot express how happy my leg was to see daylight and breath again, but that was short-lived as the injured tendons and bones didn't enjoy the loss of support quite yet.

But, we - mostly the doctor - had some "froggin'" to do. We've all ripped partially completed knit/crochet projects when we notice a mistake a few rows back or pulled the tiny stitches out of quilt blocks because we've sewn a fabric backward or mismeasured. His stitches weren't a mistake, but they still had to come out.

It is strange looking at these photos of my ankle. It doesn't resemble how I remember my ankle looking. It is much wider than my ankle, more scarred than my ankle, it comfortably sits at a different angle than my ankle. It isn't my ankle, but it is my new ankle.

You can see the pulled threads under his hand. This summer when my daughter had stitches in her chin, the doctor saved her stitches between some heavy duty clear tape and she shows her "chin hairs" to everyone. Thankfully, my legs, which haven't been shaved since September 18 when I broke my ankle, don't compare to the hairs my daughter envisioned the stitches to be.

I'm not in a pressure cast and boot, but still can't walk. I'll spend another four weeks with my foot elevated and iced (as needed) before I get a chance to put my foot down and walk on my own. The pressure cast will be removed November 1.

Vintage Halloween progress

2010-10-05T11:44:00.000-07:00

The construction has begun! My mom took the Crabapple Hill Vintage Halloween blocks I embroidered to quilt camp last weekend and returned with the center piece of the quilt completed. As you can see, we have completely derailed our quilt from the pattern.

The next step is adding the jack-o-lantern candy boxes to the sides. The pattern calls for the blocks to be sewn together and embroidered cross stitches to be placed along the seam. We are thinking of piecing them together with the striped fabric. The jury is still out. What are your thoughts?

My mom and sister also completed this fun, festive Christmas themed quilt. According to their recounting of the cutting, sewing and piecing, it was a nightmare. The pattern has a 1/4" cutting error for the pieces that make center triangles in the border pieces or sashing strips.

My mom was sewing the blocks and cornerstone pieces. My sister was sewing the sashing strips. It wasn't until they were both done with their assigned jobs and tried to put the quilt together that they noticed the problem. My sister went for a little drive through the country. When she returned, she ripped the strips apart, cut new triangles and sewed them again the right way.

Recovery Road

2010-10-04T10:14:00.000-07:00

Here I am! This was taken over the weekend, halfway through my nearly three-weeks of forced rest and no walking. I have barely left the recliner since the mishap on Saturday, September 18.

Rick has moved the recliner to the dining room, put a television in the kitchen for me, set up my laptop so I can work/surf from here and brought me stitching projects as requested. He also put me very near the table so I can keep my coffee, Diet Pepsi and snacks nearby. I only get out of the chair for necessary trips to the Little Girls Room (and the coffee pot).

I return to the orthopedic surgeon Thursday to remove the cast and stitches from surgery. At that time we will learn how much freedom I will be granted. Wish me luck! If granted freedom my first stop may be for a pedicure, as I had one scheduled about three hours after I fell and broke my ankle.

Some stitchin'

2010-10-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

I spent the past two evenings capitalizing on my current captivity in the recliner. I whipped out my newest cross stitch pattern and got to stitching.

This is the letter H from Brenda Jacobson's alphabet series. She is the owner of The Haberdashery, a fantastic cross stitch store in Spokane, Wash.

This is being stitched on 32 count Lambs Wool using DMC 520, 523 and 524. The stitching is coming along much quicker and easier than I anticipated.

I chose to start with H because it is the first letter of our last name and if I don't complete any more motifs, this one at least has a place in our home.

Quilts from the fair

2010-09-29T12:04:00.000-07:00

There were some great quilts on display at the recent Pend Oreille County Fair in Cusick, Wash. It is a tiny county fair, but the home economics building is packed with pies, brownies, bread, knitting, embroidery and of course - QUILTS.

This cut-e-pie snowman earned top honors in the wall hanging category. I really liked the neutrals chosen for the snow part, it really represents the snow my snowmen are made from, full of dirt, grass and other "unwhite" stuff.

I'm always drawn to black, white and red quilts, they are so visually stunning. They are also my favorite colors. I bought this pattern a couple of years ago and have been reluctant to attempt the quilt as the dragonflies are done with reverse applique.

I adore the old-fashioned look of chicken scratch. There was an entire quilt made by quilter and her granddaughter. Each block was a different color with a different design. Some were animals, some were kitchen items, some were designs. It was folded, so I took a photo of the one block we could see the best.

This guitar and music themed quilt was fantastic and very different from anything else entered in this particular event. I've never seen this pattern before and there was no information on the label or participant entry form. Just looking at the block in detail (below) you can see the paper piecing was very intricate, which adds great detail.

Earthtones are some of my current favorites. For two days this quilt just hung around near the doorwary with no ribbons, no quilters notes, no nothing. I was curious and since I was at the fair everyday, I kept going back. Turns out it was a raffle quilt. So I bought $5 worth of tickets, but didn't win. :(

I included this little bunnies and baskets quit just to add a cute factor to this post. It has a very spring and Easter theme to it, but it would also make a great blanket for a new baby or nursery decoration.

The quilt below was the only quilt entered in the 4-H division. I think it is great for the efforts of an 11-year-old girl. I like the color combination. After looking at it for a long while, I think I would like it better if the little 9-patches had more of a recognizable pattern. However, my 11-year-old daughter thinks it's great just the way it is.

Vintage Halloween blocks

2010-09-26T19:18:00.000-07:00

I spent the first few days of confinement to my recliner finishing the stitching on my Crabapple Hill Vintage Halloween blocks. If you are unaware on Saturday, September 18, I fell and broke the fibula in my right leg. I underwent surgery to repair the break on Thursday and am ordered to have limited mobility for at least the next two weeks.

The black running stitches are the basting stitches holding the orange fabric to a muslin backing. They will remain until the quilt top is completed.

The fabric is a 100% cotton 1930 reproduction solid. We are using a couple of orange, black and cream prints to pull it all together.

There are four jack-o-lantern candy buckets blocks will go in the corners. The Halloween banner is the top center block, the candy collection (below) is the center, and the row of jack-o-lanters is the bottom center block.

I think Joyce is planning some fancy pin wheel blocks to fill in the gaps.

DQS9

2010-09-26T16:07:00.000-07:00

Doll Quilt Swap 9, the latest round of the flickr.com swap group, recently rounded up. In trying to keep with my personal goal of not buying any new project materials, I dug through a few boxes and found an interesting pattern I bought at the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show in Oregon a couple years ago and put it to use.

The pattern called for weaving strips of folded quilting cottons together to make the cover flap for a computer case. I thought it would make an interesting mini quilt and it did!

I started with the backing fabric and purchased tone-on-tone fabrics to coordinate for the woven top. The woven strips are set on a layer of lightweight heat and bond to help them hold their place and shape. The strips started at 1.5" and were slightly larger than 1/2" after tri-folded and ironed. They were cut with the bias, nothing fancy. The finished quilt was slightly larger than 16" square.

I finished by machine quilting the layers together, but went only one directional along the woven strips. The backing started to pull and fold when I attempted to go the other direction. The dimension of the strips also hides the quilting stiches very well.

Take a chance

2010-09-21T13:21:00.000-07:00

Check out this great give away from Siv Hege at Drommenquilten. Good luck!

Genesee Quilt Club show

2010-06-13T11:19:00.000-07:00

I toured a little quilt show over the weekend and snapped photos of some quilty eye candy. It was the Genesee Quilt Club's annual show held amidst the Genesee Community Day celebration the second Saturday in June.

I love bright color and my favorite from the show was this colorful piece with all its curvy swirly goodness.
Black, white and red quilts are another of my top picks. They have to be done properly to really catch the eye. This was a simple one-yard wonder quilt using a striped piece of quilting cotton, but the stripes and the secondary pattern created really are striking.Hanging over a large bureau were a couple of "vintage" quilts. This was my favorite from among the handful of older quilts. You can tell from the fabrics that it was probably created in the late 1960s or early 1970s. I just love the whimsy of this pattern and the lovely, happy childhood memories it evokes.
Remember, this show was in my tiny hometown, so relatives (namely my mom, Joyce) had to play a part. Once again you are treated to a photo of Joyce's recently completed paper-pieced medallion quilt. This is a much better photo, even though the walkways were too narrow to allow me to get the entire quilt in the frame.
This is the most recently scrap quilt Joyce completed. It took her three years of sorting scraps, organizing colors, cutting and piecing. This is a quilt she actually uses, it is usually on the bed in the guest room.
The brown floral/paisly used in this hat box cover was the challenge fabric the club chose for this year's project. This was Joyce's entry. We actually worked on it while camping over Memorial Day weekend. The inside is also finished. I think the hatbox was a clever idea.

Mowing the lawn

2010-06-04T21:04:00.001-07:00

The rain has been coming down for days now in sheets, buckets and sometimes as a fine mist. It has been impossible to get any spring yard work done this week. So, I decided it was Tatum's turn to mow the lawn.

She did it with style! Actually Rick engineering lines that are secured to the ground at either. each line has a tether that attaches to the goats halter, allowing the goats to move along the line and eat down the grass outside the pasture in a roadway at the back of our property.

Medallion quilt

2010-06-04T20:56:00.000-07:00

I'm going to have to start working on something myself or this will turn into my mom's blog. Yes, Joyce has another fantastic finish!This just came back from the long-arm quilter. Isn't is wonderful? Joyce attended a class to learn to make this - her first paper piecing project. All the others in the class were using Christmas themed colors and fabrics. Again, Joyce thinks a little differently than most. This will be entered in a local-to-Joyce quilt show next weekend. I'll let you know if it earns any honors.

Graduation wall hanging

2010-05-23T20:03:00.000-07:00

This is a fantastic finish to add to the list - if only the finish were my own! My mom/Joyce/Nana finished this great wall hanging for my neice Ashlie's graduation last weekend. It fit the intended space perfectly and really brightened the space throughout the festivities.

The idea came from a pattern for a holiday table runner with four stacked Christmas gifts. The detail doesn't come out in the photos well, but Joyce actually folded the fabric on a couple of the gift boxes so that it looked like the side of a box where the gift wrap is folded and taped. You can just see this with the shadow on the green box with striped ribbon and you can see it in the fabric pattern in the blue box with pink flowers.

This yellow polka-dot box was completely Joyce's own design, with the "wrapping" gathered at the top and tied with a ribbon.

She used a simple computerized font to create the letters. They were applied with a fabric bonding product and machine applique stitched down.

It is definitely a one-of-a-kind quilt for a one-of-a-kind young woman.

I Love Lucy!

2010-05-06T10:19:00.001-07:00

I just finished and mailed eight paper pieced blocks for the block swap Liz is hosting over at Backporch Friends.The swap theme was "I Love Lucy!" You all remember Lucy, Desi, Fred and Ethyl and all of Lucy's antics. These little dresses are themed after the style of the 1940s and 1950s dresses Lucy wore on the show. I think Liz did a great job in creating the pattern.
The fabrics for the swap were WOW and 1930s reproduction prints. We could mix and match at will. These were quite fun to put together. Paper piecing is a challenge, but a fun challenge. I'm out of practice, these are the first pp'd blocks I've done in about two or three years.

Spring Blossoms

2010-04-15T12:24:00.000-07:00

We visited the local arboretum over the weekend. Most of the trees, shrubs and bushes were just starting to bud, but some had lovely blooms already. The crabapple grove was in full bloom. These tiny pink blossoms were just starting to open.

I've always loved forsythia. It's golden blooms are such a spectacular, attractive color.

Funky Junk

2010-04-11T22:58:00.000-07:00

I spent an hour or two this afternoon browsing the Funky Junk Antique Show (you can find/friend them on Facebook).

I spent most of my time seriously considering purchasing this quilt, but in the end didn't. It is crib or youth bed sized and was very worn in places.

I did dig a couple little treasures out of this box.

The glass tiling in this booth was very, VERY attractive. These windows were set in exactly the right place to garner lots of attention.
There was lots and lots and lots of jewlery. Old and vintage stuff, new vintage looking stuff. But, I have a difficult time remembering to wear my wedding band let alone all the fancy, pretty stuff.

These bingo cards and an old, manual typewriter held the attention of my son for the bulk of our time at the show. He was amazed at the little, closing red windows on the cards. He spend several minutes investigating each moving part of the typewriter. Technology and boys!

There was furniture, vintage clothing, dishes, silver, flatware, wall art, embroidered throw pillows. Too much for me to take in during one afternoon visit.Outside there were train rides offered for the kids. Rikard (right) and his friend Matthew (left) enjoyed the ride.

Notice the too-cute name, the Lillipot Northern. The track runs around a stand of trees, berry bushes and includes a miniature bridge and other real railroad paraphernalia.

I grabbed a pocketful of business cards, etsy shop information and upcoming show information before leaving. My purchases were few, but wonderful. Remember, one person's junk is another's treasure!

Granny 'ghan

2010-04-01T23:18:00.000-07:00

Sorry, it's just a teaser photo. I put the final edge on tonight and will weave in ends and block it tomorrow. Better photos to follow.

Raffle quilt

2010-03-24T21:42:00.000-07:00

The church we are attending has a quilting ministry. So, of course, I had to go! Every Thursday the group meets for the majority of the day to work on quilts and fellowship.

The first few weeks I attended they were finishing up these blocks done with 1930s reproduction fabrics. One of the members did them as a BOM project and donated them for this year's spring raffle quilt.

My contribution was the embroidery on a Sunbonnet Sue and Sam block (you can just see the block in the upper left hand corner of the top photos). I whipped up a spray of flowers in each of their little hands. I may have to buy a few raffle tickets myself!

My DQS8 quilt

2010-03-16T21:23:00.000-07:00

This beautiful thing was in my mailbox Monday afternoon. Thanks Michelle!

This was my first time participating in the Doll Quilt Swap. I've watched the last three from afar. Yes, I'm an online quilt voyeur. I decided it was time to jump in with both feet. More - LOTS MORE - Doll Quilt Swap quilted fabricy beautiful-ness is viewable on flickr.

You may remember the little turquoise, yellow and green quilt I made for Deeroo, if not you can see it here or here.

One step closer ...

2010-03-14T23:01:00.000-07:00

The baby quilt for my neice is one - really three - steps closer to being finished. My auntie and mom finished up these three blocks. I know, it isn't really something I finished, but I'm gonna brag about them anyway! I previously finished three blocks from this patterns. You can view them here and here. It is difficult in these photos to see, but the fabric is actually the lightest shade of pink I've ever seen. Very girly.

Dogs are my favorite and this little pooch is so cute!

UFO Finish

2010-03-12T13:45:00.000-08:00

This little bit of cuteness took about five hours to complete. The pieces were all pre-cut and quick to put together, but the bulk of the time was spent making the sides square and finding the narrow border (e.g. digging through boxes yet unpacked) .The middle of the blocks were fussy cut from a children's story book panel. Two of the framing fabrics were coordinate prints, the rest were scraps that matched the colors (yeah for working down the stash!).The border print is from an entirely different fabric line, but looks really cute. I decided to miter the corners. It is easy to do and just makes the finished product look a bit better than square framed corners with this kind of border print.
This is a finish for me as I don't have to quilt this top. It will be sent to the charity for finishing.

DQS8 Finish

2010-03-10T11:11:00.000-08:00

The Doll Quilt Swap 8 deadline has come and gone. My quilt is done and winging its way to its new owner (who must remain unnamed until it is received). Let's just say this little quilt will get some serious mileage in before she arrives at her new home.

I fell in love with the background fabric, turquoise with little yellow flowers. The basic block pattern is from the book Paper-Pieced Curves: 8 Quilted Projects by Jodie Davis. The basic block to make drunkard's path is so simple with this method, no curved piecing! And, it adds some great dimension to the quilt top.

As you can see (maybe) the inset curved piece has folds or gathers when it is pressed open. I decided not to quilt them down to give some texture to the quilt. The entire quilt measures just under 18" x 18". I carried the curves in the piecing to the border. I used a tone on tone piece that matched the darker yellow or orange in the background fabric and freehanded the curves along the edge.
Instead of attaching a traditional label, I wrote the label information in permanent fabric ink on the back of the binding. I hope my swap partner enjoys this.

Lunchbox envy

2010-02-23T22:14:00.001-08:00

I've been searching for the perfect lunchbox for a couple of years. I think I've found it. Too bad it belongs to someone else.

I discovered this at a recent quilt meeting. We all bring our lunches to the Thursday gathering and this was much more enticing than my cheese and crackers. Notice the clasp for the lid to close.

This was made by my friend's mother about 20 (or so) years ago. Apparently this woman was a plastic canvas and needlepoint artist. Those little hard boiled eggs are so cute!

For 20-ish years old and used frequently, this lunchbox shows very little signs of wear. Even the sides have great detail! The handle has little strawberries all the way across.

Maybe I'll have to reintroduce myself to the wonders of creating with plastic canvas.

Switching gears

2010-02-18T21:59:00.000-08:00

Scouts are always prepared - it's their moms who are usually a bit behind in the game. Rikard needs a red vest to display activity badges and segments.

This is a photo of the back of another Scout's vest. Rikard has earned a handful of segments and really wants his vest. So, I've been flexing my mad garmet construction skills the past two evenings attempting to fit the pattern and get it done in time for the annual banquet.

It hasn't been easy. I was taught that a good foundation is necessary for a good garmet by my grandmother who worked for some years as a tailor. She was right, but finding a good pattern for boys in today's world is a nightmare. Sure, there are many vest patterns available for formal wear, but few suitable for everday purposes.

I ended up purchasing a Simplicity pattern (I know!). It was the only one that I could find that didn't have shaped front lapels and fitted sideseams and back panels. Too much tailoring is ridiculous for this purpose. The biggest problem is the lack of sizes available. The envelope indicates that all sizes are included, but Rikard (who is only 8YO) is larger than the largest boy size and quite a bit smaller than the adult small. And, he is small for his age.

Unlike the other Scout vests I've seen, we added patch pockets to Rikard's vest so he could stow rewards, prize tickets and other small goodies collected at meetings in them rather than throwing them all in my direction.

Photo to follow. Someone doesn't want a photo of his vest taken until the patches and segments are added.

Jack-O

2010-02-10T20:59:00.000-08:00

This is the fourth and final jack-o-lantern for my Halloween quilt.

There are three blocks left to complete. A "Halloween" banner for the top of the quilt, a row of jack-o-lanters for the bottom and the center block.

I'm currently working on the center block which is a bag of candy treats with about three times the stitching as the jack-o-lanterns. All the stitching is done with black (310) DMC Perle Cotton Size 5.

The pattern is Vintage Trick or Treat (#317) from Crabapple Hill.

Tiny dresses dishcloths

2010-02-08T22:32:00.000-08:00

I needed a quick project for a little driving (playing passenger) time over the weekend and found a cute, cute, CUTE dishcloth pattern online.

The pattern was easy to follow and worked up quickly. It is also a great way to use up all those little balls of leftover cotton yarn in my basket.

It took about 45 minutes to whip one of these up. The hardest part is getting started around that little plastic ring.
Red, and most of the shades in its color family, is my favorite. This little dress has a sort of Latin flare that I really like. I made this one two rows longer than the others because there was just that much more of the red. More red never hurt anyone.

I think these may make some nice little Easter basket stuffers for some moms I know, or gifties for swap hostess or wedding showers or maybe they will just live in my kitchen.

Last block

2010-02-05T13:11:00.000-08:00

This is the last block for a baby quilt started during the holiday season of 2008. This block was knocking around my sister's apartment for the past year, just waiting to be stitched, so I stuffed it in my bag when I noticed it last weekend.

I finished two other blocks in January 2009. My part of a this project is done!

Bag of loot

2010-02-02T11:16:00.000-08:00

I've entered the annual UFO challenge at Backporch Friends. The fee is $2 and two fat quarters. These ladies have built a bit of a tradition to sweeten the pot with little items, so I'm sending along a few things too.

To my FQs and $2, I've added three samplers of Starbuck's ground coffee, four knit dishcloths and a collector's pin from a local quilt shop, Bear Paw Quilting in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

Another UFO out of the box

2010-01-22T22:15:00.000-08:00

After deciding on the backing for two finished quilt tops and sending them onto the long-arm quilter today, I fished another UFO out of the boxes in my sewing room.These blocks were made my myself and four or five others. We have yards of the WOW and the pink floral, the greens all came from individual stashes. After fussing around with the blocks, I think they will be enhanced in an on-point setting. There are 14 blocks, so I may use only 12 as shown above for a throw-sized quilt, or have to make a couple more for a larger quilt.

I know where all my UFOs are. In here:
The sewing room hasn't been a priority since we moved, so most of it is still packed up in tubs and boxes. My former sewing room had built in cabinetry and was about three times larger than this room. Once I have time to devote to the room and a little cash to buy a new sewing table and some storage devices, this room will whip into shape in no time. (A new sewing table is a must, the existing one is 9-feet long and the room is only 7.875' at its widest.)

DQS8 Update

2010-01-20T17:39:00.001-08:00

I think I've happened upon a layout I like. Hopefully my mystery partner likes it too.

These blocks are 3.5" square and paper pieced using the method in Paper Piecing with Curves: 8 Quilted Projects. I had to make a few more of the background and cheddar yellow blocks than I had planned to accomplish this pattern.

Some holiday stitchin'

2010-01-20T17:02:00.000-08:00

An embroidery project is the current take-along project for those moments when I need to wait or find a few extra free minutes in my day.

The pattern is Crabapple Hill, #317 Vintage Trick or Treat. As you see, my version is nothing like the sample photo included with the pattern.

I wasn't looking forward to all those color changes and shading stitches. Or, maybe I am just stuck in a rut. Most of the embroidery for quilts I've done is a single color on a solid color fabric.

Mind you, hand stitching is my favorite crafty pasttime, but I think the contrast between the orange and black is quite striking, eye-catching even!

When this project is done, I'd really like to tackle Hocuspocusville.

Doll Quilt Swap 8

2010-01-18T22:56:00.000-08:00

After watching from afar for the past couple of years, I took the plunge and joined the Doll Quilt Swap 8. I'm very excited about the thrill of creating and sharing with a mystery partner. But my first attempt isn't working out as I imagined.
I've always been intrigued with circles and curves I was recently inspired by a finished quilt at Red Pepper Quilts. I found a book that teaches paper piecing with curves and went to work. The background (teal blue with yellow flowers and green vines) is flat, the inset of the curve isn't. You can't see it really well in these photos, but the yellow and dark green are wrinkled. Not sure I'm in love with this.
I am in LOVE with bright colors and (maybe because my attention is very, very easily distracted) am finding inspiriation in this artwork on display at the middle school where hubby teaches.

Pseudo sewing

2010-01-16T15:57:00.000-08:00

The afternoon began with the raw materials. One scouting uniform shirt, assorted badges and insignia and one packages of Badge Magic. I know Badge Magic is cheating, but it was so quick and easy!You just remove the preprinted badge pattern from the sheet.

Then press the real badge to the sticky stuff that was uncovered. Make SURE you remove any reinforcing materials, webbing or stickers (like Made in China) from the back of the badges. These will cause a gap between the Badge Magic and the badge.

Carefully peel up the side of the real badge and the sticky stuff is magically attached to it.

The final step is to carefully set the badge in the proper location on a clean scouting shirt. Make sure to press down around the edges very well and voila! you are done. If a little bit of the sticky stuff extends beyond the badge, roll it back on itself to the underside of the badge or you will have a narrow line of this glue around the badge visible on your Scout's shirt.

I picked up this special commemorative patch and of course there wasn't a precut spot to just remove. It was super easy with Badge Magic to just trace around it, cut and attach the sticky stuff.

Loose ends

2010-01-11T16:55:00.000-08:00

My spare minutes of sewing and crafting time being spent weaving in and trimming all the yarn ends on the granny hexagons.

I will be putting in a few more hours (maybe days) than anticipated on this project. All the blocks were finished according to the pattern requirements. I cleared the dining room table to lay them out and saw there weren't enough. Using the completed blocks, the afghan would be about 1/2 the size I anticipated. 'd like it big enough for a twin-sized bed.

Angela's Birthday Give-Away

2010-01-07T21:07:00.000-08:00

Help Angela celebrate her birthday by entering the doiley give-away on her blog. Enter your post on her Jan. 7 post announcing the give-away.

Fun Finds

2010-01-07T20:34:00.000-08:00

I went to the local Goodwill store with the kids to look for stuff we *needed*. The kids found sweatshirts, rollerskates and books. I found these blocks for a mere $1.99.

If you look closely (click on the picture) you can see better detail. They are hand pieced and the centers of the pinwheels don't all meet exactly on point. Some of the fabrics are seersucker, some are crazy shirting from the 70s, some are old shirts cut up - french seams and all - and one has the texture of pillow ticking. There are about 30 completed blocks in the package and several cut pieces ready for sewing more blocks.

I also found this clipboard on my office desk. It was left behind by a friend after a workplace event. Isn't this the cutest idea for a plain old clipboard?! I wish I had the talent to paint like this. I'm not wild about the chicken (although the black and white barred rocks are my personal favorite), the cherries or the flag - or the combo. I'm wild about the idea that my clipboard no longer has to be boring or ugly.p.s. our home computer died and all my photo editing software is out of reach for the next little while. please bear with me as i post what i take without touchups, cropping or color correction.

Granny New Year

2010-01-01T22:27:00.001-08:00

Today was spent revisiting a little crochet project I started during our summer vacation driving season. This is portable enough to carry with me to work and make some progress during my lunch, or keep in the car for outings to town when hubby drives.

These are simple hexagonal granny squares made with Vanna's Choice Baby Yarn by Lion Brand. The yarn is super soft and the colors are vivid and fun.
I've adapted the basic pattern to my wants, needs and desires. Meaning I'm not making anything like what the pattern shows. The pattern calls for four different color combinations and when put together two identical blocks are adjacent to one another in every other row throughout the afghan.

So, I created eight different motifs and started hooking away. The photos above show the two different four patch combinations I'm considering for putting the final product together. Any suggestions?

I have seven or eight of each block completed - again following the pattern. It won't be enough. I am going to have to double the number of blocks to make an afghan large enough for my wants.

Then I'm going to have to make one more. I wanted to be able to lay them out, you know, see how they looked with one another? So, I was lightly steaming them with I over steamed one of them. She is flatter than a pancake and although I tried every trick I knew (and even called mom for a few others) she won't come back to life. Her fibers are flat.

Ghan photo

2009-09-06T21:04:00.000-07:00

Here is the long-ago promised photo of the June block, Summer Romance.I have yet to start work on the August block, Heat Wave, but will get to it soon. Thanks April for creating these enjoyable, quick and easy patterns.

This is my other work in progress. I'm stitching up a simple to make (all single crochet) hooded sweatshirt for my son. He chose the colors and it is starting to take shape.

Two more 'ghan blocks

2009-07-23T19:41:00.000-07:00

I found some time to catch up on the blocks in April's Calandar 'Ghan Crochet Along and now have all 7 complete.

New to the finished stack are July's block named Patriot's Pride,and Spring Fling (from wwaayy back in April). This block looks rather challenging, but was actually quite easy to whip up.

The photo of the June block, Summer Romance, needs to be retaken. Update to come soon.

Ripple finish

2009-07-20T12:10:00.000-07:00

Soon, this afghan will snuggle a wee little baby girl, our neice. She is due the first week of September, but her big brother came several weeks early so we are ready anytime for her arrival.

Sunday evening was spent weaving in the ends from color changes. I enjoy the color play on this afghan. I'm not much for pastels, brighter colors are more my style. This is larger than many baby afghans, the finished size is 3' x 4', big enough for breastfeeding or keeping mamma warm during naps too!

The entire pattern is double crochet using a combination of front and back post stitches to make the ripple. Like all ripple patterns, the first row is a challenge, after that I can almost do it without looking.I count this as a UFO finish as I started with yarn that I already had and only bought 3 skeins to finish. It took a total of 7 skeins. I used Caron Simply Soft Eco. It is inexpensive, soft, washable, made from recycled materials. I like the feel much better than Red Heart yarns and have found far fewer flaws in the skeins than with Red Heart yarns.

Old and new

2009-07-03T18:07:00.000-07:00

Visiting a local thrift shop this week I browsed through racks of clothing, boxes of old denim, sheet sets from the '70s, children's picture books, old sheet music and piles of mismatched china. It was heavenly. Visions of crafting and decorating projects and activities with my kids began dancing in my head.

Then I met this handsome gentleman.He was too much fun and only 69¢. I just had to bring him home to meet the family.
I'm going to attempt - soon - to make a duplicate of this fabulous potholder. He is mostly double crochet and field tested by yours truly to work as a more than adequate pot holder with loads of character.

But, first I must complete a project already in process for a pending arrival.

I love ripple patterns. This is the same pattern I used for a previous project, but with a new color combination. The afghan is about 1/3 complete, the baby is due in September.

I've been busy

2009-06-15T23:23:00.001-07:00

My sewing, crafting, quilting and otherwise fun posts have been few and far between lately. I've been busy with other things.This weekend I walked through graduation. What a sense of accomplishment that was. My coursework is complete. My thesis will be complete over the summer and I'll defend it before a panel of three in September. By the holidays I'll have a Master of Science in Communication Studies.

Those are my parents posing for pictures with me and if you look closely in the corners I brought my fan club, Rikard and Keeli.

Now to work on that Sunbonnet baby quilt. SIL just found out it is a girl and the baby shower is in two weeks. They are still trying on names, but I hear Zoe Leann (sp?) is a front runner.

Catching up

2009-05-31T16:36:00.001-07:00

Whew! The past few months have been a whirlwind of activity and a slow down isn't coming soon. I found myself sitting under my Ott light and crocheting this morning, just working away and letting my mind rest.
I finished the March (above) and May (below) installments of the Calendar 'ghan going on over at Dishcloth Diaries. March's block is called Lion's Mane, May's block is named Flower Garden. These two worked up quickly and easily. Apologies for the uneven edges, these aren't blocked yet. I don't want to block them, store them, and have to block them again.April? You are wondering where the April block is? Spring Fling has a much more intricate medallion in the center of the block (very feminine and lacy) and while crocheting this morning was relaxing, it was mixed with kids playing, kids being hungry, the need for someone to go grocery shopping, questions about what was for dinner and the nagging thoughts of waiting homework. It may have to wait until school is out for the quarter.

Tatum's 2nd quilt

2009-05-23T17:00:00.000-07:00

Nana Joyce came to spend some quality time with the kids while Rick and I went to Florida earlier this month. Nana brought scraps for Tatum and she created this little quilt.Technically this is her first quilt, her last creation is still only a top. These scraps are from a quilt made for Tatum's cousin Madison. She did some fussy cutting, some machine piecing, attempted applique and made the binding by more fussy cutting of some patterned fabric. She is still finishing the hand sewing part of the binding and a hanging sleeve on the back.

Tatum has been exploring quilting, sewing and creativing with a great deal of creativity and freedom. I don't think we should impose too many rules on her yet.

Little Sunbonnets

2009-05-03T07:41:00.000-07:00

Another project from the stash nearly complete.My sister-in-law is expecting and hoping for a little girl. These Sunbonnet Sue blocks were in my stash, so I whipped up a quick quilt top, using more fabric from the stash. I still have to decide on borders. Maybe you have a suggestion or two?

The SBS patterns are an Aunt Martha's transfer pattern. After transferring the design, I used Crayola crayons to add color detail.

Most of the stitching is backstitch, using DMC Perle Cotton #8 black. This block, with the girl carrying an apple basket is my favorite.

Sunbonnet Sue patterns are my favorite traditional quilt patterns. I love the variety you can get with such a simple idea, from applique to embroidery to some pieced style patterns. SBS is a very versatile girl.

These are sweet little blocks and I hope someday this quilt has a little girl to love it.

Signature swap

2009-04-19T17:55:00.000-07:00

A sampling of the signature blocks complete for my part in the swap hosted by Cootie Bug.

These were quick and easy blocks and really used up some of the odds and ends in my stash, including some 6" charm squares from another swap. I tried to make no more than five the same, monotony drives me crazy.

Beautiful spring

2009-04-09T22:57:00.000-07:00

We went to visit our former neighbor, but she wasn't home. So I virtually stole some of her fantastic spring flowers.

I do miss having warm spring weather, irrigation water and my flower beds back at the ranch.

2009-04-05T17:29:00.000-07:00

Made a trip to G-town Saturday to visit friends. Mom was whipping up an Easter basket using a new pattern and a new circular sewing widget for her machine. I snapped a picture in progress.

I like all the fancy stitching. Maybe there should be more? I would like more. Here she was applying the satin stitch adging and the instructions called for a piece of embroidery thread to be added under the stitching. It wasn't easy the first time. But now she's a pro.

I left to have dinner with friends before she finished. I also left her a couple of able-bodied assistants who were making short business of her fabric scraps, some paper and glue. There are now fabulous decorations adorning her fridge.

9-11 quilt

2009-03-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

This quilt was made from blocks swapped several years ago. Members of Sew Many Swaps, a Yahoo! quilting group shared red, white and blue themed blocks in honor of the 9-11 tragedy.

I dug this out of its storage space for Reeze. She is planning some sort of display using the quilts made from these blocks.

Delicious dishcloths

2009-03-19T22:33:00.003-07:00

All my squishies arrived in the mail. I tore into them today, they were my reward for the end of the school quarter. Aren't these terrific?The swap as hosted by Angela, owner of the Hand-Dids Yahoo! group. The pink one is from Angela, Penny sent the white one with blue/green flecks and the blue/green/white one is from Vicki. They are all made from Sugar'n Cream cotton yarns and immediately became part of my kitchen collection.

I was intrigued with Angela's pattern. It is crocheted and seems to be a front or back post double crochet and the cloth is actually very textured. I'm just in awe at Penny and Vicki's. I recently learned to knit and just cannot seem to make anything square and they seem to do it effortlessly.

In trade, each of my swap partners received one of the heart-shaped dishcloths I made earlier.

Tea Towels

2009-03-16T19:42:00.000-07:00

In keeping with my New Year's pledge to the Quilt Police (a.k.a. Cuz'n Rhonda), I'm working on projects that have been lingering in various states of done in the dark, hidden corners of my sewing room. I haven't purchased any fabric since December 2008.This weekend's project was two tea towels. The patterns are some vintage Aunt Martha's patterns Rick's aunt Connie gave me years ago. There are several fruit patterns in this set. The floss again is Finca brand perle cotton No. 8.The towels are from a set of five Martha Stewart 100% cotton woven kitchen towels purchased a K-Mart years and years ago during a springtime sale. The one nearest us closed five or six years ago, so they have probably been in the box that long.

Yarn scraps

2009-03-10T09:09:00.003-07:00

I have the remainder of several balls of cotton yarn and put them to use on a couple of long country drives last weekend. We will need about a dozen more drives for me to finish them all off.Our country drives aren't without purpose. We are exploring the area, looking for that perfect house that is waiting for someone to make it a home.

These are simple granny squares, easy to do while hubby drives and I keep watch for sale signs. My crochet tension has always been tight and this simple, easy, anyone-can-do-it pattern is one of the most difficult for me as mine are never exactly square and rarely lay flat.I also experimented with different edge finishes to help pretty them up. I not sure I'm fond of using verigated yarns for granny squares. I think the pattern is seen more clearly with plain yarns.

I have several other knit and crochet dishcloths, much fancier than these, that will be winging their way to new owners later today. I made them (many you can see in previous posts) for a swap hosted by Angela and her group Yahoo! group, Hand-Dids.

March

2009-03-09T09:42:00.000-07:00

Sunday was spent completing a tea towel using a pattern supplied in a BOM contest on SewManySwaps.

I used the verigated Finca No. 8. Just two different balls, the yellow and the green. Neither go quite to white, which was my fear. I didn't want my stitches to disappear on the toweling. The yellow gets quite close to white, but still has enough color to show. I like the final product. These verigated colors could grow on me.

The toweling has been sitting in my stash boxes of several years waiting for just the right project. My mom and I bought this nearly 10 years ago in Raleigh, a suburb of Vancouver, BC. We found a great textile store, selling all sorts of fabric, notions, craft products, yarns, etc. It was a wonderful store.

Now I have to complete February's block, the first in the series.

Quiltscapes

2009-03-07T08:58:00.000-08:00

This is an historical quilt exhibit at the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture in Spokane. It runs through May 17 and is well worth the visit if you can make it.

This is the official statement from MAC regarding the show: Dozens of quilts from the MAC Collection convey artistic and emotional expression, both personal and community-based. View these works of art from the intimate level of intricate stitching and fabric selection. Revel in the power of their designs. Or take a birds-eye perspective, following their cross-country migrations to the Inland Northwest.

The quitls are categorized for display. You can see photos of Central Medallion Designs from the 1800s-1850s, Block Format Quilts from the 1850s-1880s, Fancy Quilts from the 1880-1920s, Quilt Revivals quilts from the 1920s, 1930s and 1970s are available on the MAC website at: http://www.northwestmuseum.org/.

There is a related event next weekend for kids (or grandkids). A Stitch in Time: Art & Quilting is Saturday, March 14 from noon to 3 p.m. For the entrance fee you get to view the 40 quilts on display and then create your own patchwork paper quilt, use wooden blocks to create geometric designs, etc. Special admission (lower cost) is available for family groups.

My auntie Nancy had a hand in creating and organizing this display. She (and the rest of the MAC staff) deserve kudos.

Thoughts of embroidery

2009-03-03T22:44:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted the completion of many projects lately, but my crafty-ness has been on the back burner. My hands haven't been idle, but they haven't been near anything like a crochet hook, knitting needles, embroidery hoops, sewing machines or cutting boards. And, oh how they want to be! The only reason they've touched an iron in two weeks is to prepare clothes for work. I've been writing and writing and rewriting parts of my thesis. Hopefully this pressure will be reduced as June gets closer and closer and I get finish'der and finish'der. :)

I did stop by my most LQS and peruse the drawers and bins of embroidery thread options. My good friend Reeze has challenged members of our online quilting group to a series of monthly flower embroidery blocks. She used verigated threads and I think I just may want to use them myself. I had to purchase a couple and let them grow on me.

These are Finca brand No. 8 perle cotton. Very few of the available verigated colors in this brand do not include white. That is my holdup, I'm not sure I like it. Will the line of embroidery disappear? Do I use a neutral tone fabric instead so the white shows better? I'm still thinking about this idea.

Calendar 'Ghan - February

2009-02-24T22:39:00.000-08:00

My February block for the 'ghan along at Dishcloth Diaries is finally finished. The hearts are obviously the theme for February, but I found that if you stand back it kind of has a Celtic cross image within the pattern design (like an X). This month's pattern is called Pammi's Passion. This one was easy-peasy up until the final two rounds. It just never layed flat or square no matter what I did, the tops of the hearts are always pushing on the borders. However, it is the same size as the first (yeah! for small victories). Hopefully it will shape up once it is put together into the larger afghan.

A serious little stitcher

2009-02-24T22:05:00.000-08:00

Tatum has decided that she is a serious and talented stitcher. And, who am I to disagree?This is Tatum's third stitching project. The first were the bears, posted a couple weeks ago. The second was a pair of pink hearts that she gave my grandmother for Valentine's Day. She really has her backstitching down for a 9-year-old.

A couple years ago, we had a fabulous nanny, Carol, who spoiled the kids rotten, rotten, rotten. They often went to the second-hand stores to find treasure. Carol found this old tin and painted it for Tatum.She is a much more talented painter than I ever will be. Solid colored walls are my specialty. You can see here how Carol used some of the pressed details of the box, like the big gold oval shape, and just covered others up, like the words. I like recycling.

Tatum stows her stitching supplies (all borrowed from my stitching stash) here. It really is quite handy. She can actually pack it in her bookbag as it is similar in size to a notebook, for afternoons when Rikard has after school activities and she has some free time.

More dishcloths

2009-02-15T18:40:00.000-08:00

I finished two more dishcloths this weekend. The first is from a free online pattern from Lil Knitter. It is a sock monkey. Sorry you can't see it that well in the photo, I tried all sorts of angles and lighting, but this pattern just doesn't show up well in my photos.

The second is another color of the dragonfly dishcloth I made last week. This one is in a bright, almost turquoise, blue. My tension is getting better and I'm able to distinguish a knit from a perl as I stitch.

Dishcloths

2009-02-08T22:25:00.000-08:00

I put in a few hours this weekend whipping up a couple of holiday-themed dishcloths. This heart pattern is free and available online from April at her blog, Dishcloth Diaries.
The first one I made, the solid pink one, follows the directions exactly. I liked the texture of the single crochet (fl, bl, fl, bl) on the top and bottom of the heart, but not the texture the back loop only crochet made across the widest part of the heart.

So, I changed it up a bit for the next two. The body of the heart is all fl, bl crochet pattern. These were crocheted with yarns from a box in my sewing room, specifically Sugar'n Cream cotton yarns in (top to bottom) hot pink, weathered rose and patio pinks.

The other finished project is a knit dishcloth. This pattern is also available at Dishcloth Diaries. This one used a partial skein of Lion Brand cotton yarn already in my stash. I have some purple and a skein of periwinkle that would really dress up the dragonfly.

Tatum's stitchery

2009-02-01T22:43:00.000-08:00

Tatum finished her first embroidery project this weekend and did a great job (proud mommy words).These little bears are a test pattern from an Aunt Martha's pattern for dishcloths. Tatum had a difficult time seperating the DMC floss and remembering how many strands of floss to use. She enjoyed this much more than crochet and has already started another project - a heart from a penny square redwork collection. She nearly finished it today.

Chicken Scratch

2009-01-25T22:53:00.001-08:00

I'm participating in Pin Tangle's Stitch Explorer 2009. January's challenge is Chicken Scratch.

With all the other stitching I've done in my life, I've never even attempted or been interested in Chicken Scratch. This is making me stretch my limits and try something new. The stitches remind me of something you'd find near the hem of a kitchen apron. Cute.

I had some yellow and white gingham, so out it came for my first attempt. This is a very basic patter, in fact one of the ones suggested in the original challenge. I used pastel green and pink DMC perle cotton size 8 for the sitching.

I've been drawing up a new pattern which will incorporate some ribbon and varied stitches. Look for it on another day - no promises at this time.

DD Step #2

2009-01-19T22:07:00.000-08:00

Step #2 of Double Delight ~ A Quiltville Mystery Quilt ~ is as good as finished. The pattern calls for 120 of these 3.5" square-in-square blocks and I have 116 complete. I ran out of anything in my stash that could remotely be considered chocolate brown or cheddar yellow.

My blocks have a mix of aged cheddar (1930s repros), medium and mild cheddar, I even have a sharp cheddar or two in the mix (you can see one of them at the far left). Most of the brown fabrics were remnants from my granny and my sister. A couple were mine from making some paper pieced goat quilt blocks for my daughter.

I am running out of fabrics as I go on this project. I've have had to borrow some neutral toned fabrics from my mom to start Step #3. My fabric stash was drastically depleted when we moved late last summer and I'm trying to not make any significant craft or fabric purchases until we have found a more permanent home.

Another hurdle in the fabric purchasing department - one of our local fabric stores was demolished by the snowpack on the roof in December. We had a record snowfall of 6-feet and several buildings in the city have suffered the same fate as the fabric store. Hancock's wasn't my favorite store, but it was closeby and has great sales on notions when I need to stock up on thread.

Winter Dream

2009-01-18T16:24:00.000-08:00

This is my version of Winter Dream, a pattern by April at Dishcloth Diaries. This is the first in her 12-month Mystery Calendar Afghan Crochet Along.

My block was worked with a size "I" crochet hook using Caron Simply Soft Eco yarn. The yarn is made with polyester and a fiber made from recycled plastic bottles. According to the package making an afghan with this yarn will keep 10 plastic bottles out of landfills. It is also very affordable, washable and durable.

My crochet is a bit tight and I was making a conscious effort to crochet loosely. However, my block is only 10.5" square rather than the 12" square the pattern should finish.

While working on the block we took a drive. Hopefully this scene will be our winter dream in the future.

Baby's Day

2009-01-17T21:15:00.000-08:00

I finished these two little blocks Friday evening/Saturday morning for a baby quilt for my neice Tabitha, now 3 months old.
The stitched area is approximately 6" x 6." These are embroidered on a very light, light pink solid fabric. They went quickly as most of the stitching is backstitch using 3 strands of DMC embroidery floss. They would have gone quicker if I hadn't had to rip the entire border out of one to replace it with the correct color floss.
The pattern, Baby's Day, is from Waltzing With Bears, of Boise, Idaho. It was published in 2006. There are 9 blocks in this pattern. I believe my mom and sister plan to put them together with 1930s repro fabrics.

Double Delight Step #1

2009-01-12T16:40:00.000-08:00

I joined Bonnie Hunter's New Year's Eve mystery at Quiltville.

I finished Step #1 over the weekend. One of the neutrals I used is a cream/beige with a blue line Valentine print. You can see one of the hearts in this block. After they were trimmed you can see snippets of poetry, parts of hearts and other whimsy.
The blocks cleaned up quite nicely once trimmed. I am not using the Easy Angle ruler as Bonnie suggested. Don't have one and it's not in the budget at this time. The cutting and sewing directions have been right on so far. The only mistake was mine, cutting a couple of the indigo squares in a bit of a rectangle rather than a square.
I dug through my boxes of fabric trying to find the prescribed colors. The indigo blue was difficult, but I managed to scrape together just enough. I may have to beg blue and neutral scraps from family and friends to complete this project. I have more than enough pinks with the two girly-girls who live here.

Cowboy Timmy

2009-01-12T09:26:00.000-08:00

You wouldn't want to mess with this sheriff!

Another UFO bit the dust this weekend! This brings the total to six completed blocks of nine in this collection.

This is "Timmy" from the Mild Wild West pattern collection I've been working on. They are all being worked on a moda solid cream with a dark beige size 8 embroidery thread. "Timmy" took approximatley three evenings after the kids were put to bed and Sunday afternoon to stitch.

The pattern was purchased from http://www.redwork.info/. This site has some nice patterns for little boys (a rarity), these cowboys, cars, farm scenes, etc.

Another shout out to my fabulous husband for the light table that was my Christmas gift a few years back. It doesn't get used every day, but for projects like this it is a dream.

Tatum's UFO turned FO

2009-01-04T21:55:00.000-08:00

Tatum finished her butterfly pillow today. It now adorns her bed and is quite admired/coveted by her little sister.The latch hook kit was a Christmas gift in 2007. She worked on it feverishly and finished it over the Thanksgiving holiday. We stitched it up, stuffed it and closed the seam today.

No more bare bottoms

2009-01-04T15:48:00.000-08:00

Keeli's dolly, Kayla, is now properly equipped with some undergarmets. We whipped up three new dolly diapers this afternoon from flannel scraps in my stash.

Another long-time UFO that has been occupying a spot in my sewing room. This took all of an hour to complete.

She wants a few more dolly diapers, but we have to tweak the pattern a bit as her AG Bitty Baby doll is an older one and has a chubbier middle section than the newer dolls. We've experienced the same phenomenon with Tatum's AG dolls.

Here's Kayla modeling her favorite pink diaper.

Cowboy #5

2009-01-03T22:52:00.000-08:00

I am endeavoring to complete projects that are currently in my sewing room. This is both to save money (really to not spend $ I don't have right now) and to reduce the amount of stuff in storage bins and boxes.

This is my latest success. He is the fifth in a series of nine cowboy/girl themed blocks that I started way back in 2007. You can view the earlier completed items here and here.

When I started yesterday only the top of his hat and and hat band were complete. The kids played Yahtzee and worked on the craft/mad scientist projects they got for Christmas while I stitched.

This one's been hangin'round my sewing basket for a L-O-N-G time. Now it's time to dig through the sewing room to find the rest of the project, whip up the final four and stitch them into a top.

More Baltimore

2009-01-02T10:24:00.000-08:00

The fourth and final block on the first panel is complete.

This block has a different appearance than the others. The inspiration for the color choice came from a photo on the Maryland Historical Society's quilt tour webpage. The maker of this quilt is not identified, but I liked her unusual color choice/theme. The original called for a dark green and dark red, but wanting to lighten and brightent this quilt, while adding more colors, I chose these muted pastels.

I'm using Finca brank perle cotton in size 8. I've found I like it much more than other brands of perle cotton. It tends to keep its shine after stitching, isn't twisted as you near the center of the ball and is a bit less expensive. I have also encountered only one single flaw (it was a "blob" in the thread rather than a thin spot) in all the balls I've used to date. It also has a hard plastic core so the balls don't crush and the perle cotton doesn't come off it in your sewing bag/box (or with the help of little helpers fingers).

Baltimore blocks

2008-12-31T23:03:00.000-08:00

I've made substantial progress on my Baltimore project. This is the nearly-completed block you were given a sneak peak of earlier. I think the dark green is a bit overpowering and needs to be replaced. The pattern called for the bowl to be pink and the grapes to be red. The entire block was first stitched in the original colors. I have been ripping and restitching.

So far, I've completed two other blocks and have a fourth nearly complete also. each of the blocks is about 14" square. There are four from top to bottom between the trellis border.

This block was supposed to be primarily red and blue, flowers, basket and stars. I like the purple.

The pattern called for the leaves to be much darker and that seemed to overwhelm the flowers. The birds were to be yellow, but they needed to be noticed.

This printed cross stitch panel was among my Granny's items. The pattern is titled "Baltimore Bride's Quilt" and the instructions have a date of April 1974 on them (I was about 4-5 years old when it was sold retail). The king-sized panels cost $16.00 and were purchased at The Crescent in Spokane, Wash.

I believe she intended for this to be for her bedroom as my grandparents had a king-sized bed. With all the quilts she made throughout her life, I don't remember a pieced quilt of her own hand on that bed.

The original pattern calls for only six colors of floss: blue, green, yellow, orange, pink and red. It also gave a variation of blue, purple and green. I was unable to locate the Peri Lusta Art six-strand embroidery floss the pattern required.

I was this quilt at a recent local show I was inspired to select my own colors, let the blocks develop their own personality and have the completed piece be more of a traditional Baltimore syle with lots of vibrant colors.

Tabitha's afghans

2008-12-30T23:37:00.000-08:00

I have utilized my time at home this holiday break to work toward finishing several unfinished projects (UFOs). The first two checked off the list are afghans for my neice Tabitha. She is now 3 months old and cuter than a button.

This one is crocheted in a very light lemon yellow. It measures roughly 36" x 48." From personal experience, I prefer an afghan that mom can't snuggle under also. It was started in June 2008 as a project to work on while in the car.When I was nearly finished with the yellow afghan, my sister found out the baby was a girl and requested items in pink. Sheesh! This one is also approximately 36" x 48" but has a tighter pattern and is a bit heavier/warmer.

The border on the pink one was a challenge as it is a reverse half double crochet worked from left to right. It is attractive and accompanies they tighter overall pattern.

As a resouce, I found the Knit Witch. There are great instructional videos for both knitting and crochet - not to mention great stuff to buy. I consult the videos often of late.

New Ornaments

2008-12-27T23:03:00.000-08:00

It was a good year for handmade gifts, gifts and really say something about the person who gave them to you. Two sets of handmade ornaments found their way to our house this Christmas season.

The first were made by my mom. There are three (I'm guessing one for each child in the house) and are fantastically old-fashioned looking. My son discovered that you could place the ribbon tie or ornament hanger on either end as there is a suitable loop in both places. We finally settled on this look for the tree.

The second set were made by Alice. We were paired in a one-on-one swap by Angela, list hostess for Hand-Dids, a Yahoo! group. Alice created these from a paper mache technique and painted them herself. Aren't their little faces adorable? They say "Twinkle" and "Glisten" and they sparkle really nicely against the tree lights.My ornaments for Alice were a bit less traditional. I saw some of these mini aprons made into tree ornaments and a window valance. I just had to try and make a couple. These were made from Simplicity Pattern 2748 with scraps from my holiday fabric stash. These two pieces are from Moda's Holly Jolly by Sandy Gervais.

I CAN knit

2008-12-22T23:51:00.000-08:00

I hung in there (thanks for the encouragement Lori) and taught myself to knit. Okay, at least I have the basic knit stitch down. I completed five dishcloths from a very simple pattern found online, call the Idiot's Dishcloth, figured that was the one for me! :)

I experimented with three different needle sizes and learned I liked the smaller needles best. I also realized I preferred the bamboo needles to the metal ones. When I crochet I typically choose a hook two sizes larger than the pattern calls for as my tension is is tight. I seem to knit a bit looser than I crochet.

I didn't know how the self-striping yarns would look finished, but I really like the appearance of the final product. These are the Sugar 'n Cream stripes, the are apparently new.

I still have to weave in the tails and block these as I tend to pull them into a diamond shape while knitting instead of a perfect square.

Holiday Towels

2008-12-21T20:07:00.000-08:00

My mom made these fabulous kitchen towels. They were actually my "hostess gift" for Thanksgiving, but I didn't want to have the stained or otherwise ruined before Christmas. She used her fancy-dancy new embroidery machine. Now that Christmas is nearly here, they are in the kitchen.

The girls L-O-V-E the pink reindeer. I like that they are outside the ordinary.

Cougar quilt

2008-12-20T23:19:00.000-08:00

Finished Dec. 18, 2008 for a hoiday gift. A friend's son worked as the Washington State University cougar mascot during athletic events. A friend and I completed a similar t-shirt quilt for a charity event and she asked me to make one for her son.
The 9-patch squares are 12" each and the border of flying geese is 7" wide. It is a nice size for a lap throw. I used a high loft batting for added warmth, which caused some puffiness I didn't anticipate.

The back is two different kinds of WSU novelty print fabrics pieced together as there wasn't enough of either to completely cover it.

It was difficult to lay flat on the floor as my 4YO daughter kept jumping on it or laying down and rolling up in it. She was drawn to it like a magnet the minute I took my hands off it.

Turkey patterns

2008-11-27T20:44:00.000-08:00

Rikard and his teacher get the big, creative award for preparing the most unique and Thanksgiving-themed decorations this year. This round turkey has a 3-dimensional neck and was a study in repeating patterns. A lot of his recent math homework is quilt block patterns, so I'm enjoying math.