STASH REPORT SUNDAY

Fabric used this week  .125 yards

Fabric used year to date  184.625 yards

Fabric added this week  0 yards

Fabric added year to date  36 yards

Net used 2014  148.625 yards

Had to do a bit of sewing this week - I was going through stitching withdrawal!  This accounted for the hexagons that I stitched to guest towels - not much, but every bit counts, and they are finished!

Now back to packing.....

Check out all the progress reported at Judy's blog, Patchwork Times.

HEXAGON FRIDAY

I'm supposed to be packing and cleaning, but......

I was straightening up my sewing table, and found my basket of 1/2 inch hexagon papers and leftover hexagons, so I just had to stop and sew.

 I love using tiny "fingertip towels" for my guests, and I have a collection of plain ones, just waiting to be decorated.
The three blue flower units were already stitched together, so I linked them with 2 neutral hexagons, then machine appliqued them, using a small blanket stitch, to the towel, using monofilament (invisible) thread in the needle and white in the bobbin.  Then I did the same with the zig zag strip of hexagons that I pieced while watching TV.  These will be really quilty accents in my powder room!   I may make some more for sale at my quilt guild's show in the spring.

ON THE NEEDLES

I have nothing to show - knitting wise.....
I delivered three bags of mitts, slippers, scarves, hats and a shawl to the cousins last weekend.  They were happy that I made some smaller mitts and slippers.  I have tiny amounts of alpaca yarn left, but not enough to make anything!

My house is a disaster, as we are gathering items to take south for the winter.

The red case holds my Bernina - it is going in for its annual cleaning as soon as we arrive south.  I have my quilt tool bag packed, holding cutting board, rulers, cutters, scissors etc.  My containers of strips are ready, a small duffel full of fabric, and a large black bag full of books.  Since I am in charge of the weekly quilting group, I take a few books to use if members are looking for ideas or inspiration.  I have 1 of the 4 large totes packed, but have 3 more to go.  DH also has to pack his guitar stuff, music books, amplifiers, cables, etc.  Right now he is washing the kitchen floor - we like to leave the house clean - much better greeting on our return!

Back to packing (wish I was knitting!)

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

Nothing again, so I won't be sharing my design wall again until I am back in quilting mode, in the sunny south in a couple of weeks is everything goes to our current plan!  Lately it seems that thinks are changing every day - more about that later.

Here is the toiletries case I made for SDIL2
I used "Soft and Stable" for this one, and I think it would be better if I use batting next time.  My original one is much softer.

It has four zipper compartments, made of clear vinyl.  I quilted the outside layer first, then used fusible vinyl so that each compartment is waterproof, except for the stitching lines.  Mine is great for packing a damp toothbrush etc., and wipes clean.

Check out all the creativity at Judy's blog, Patchwork Times.

STASH REPORT SUNDAY

Fabric used this week  2.75 yards

Fabric used year to date  184.5 yards

Fabric added this week  0 yards

Fabric added year to date  36 yards

Net used 2014  148.5 yards

This might be my last report for a few weeks.  We are getting in the "packing to head south" mode around here.  

I spent some time making a baby sleeper this week.  I had to change the pattern a bit to accommodate the zipper closure.  I dislike working with snap tape, and I don't have a snap setter tool.... ,  The knit fabric was in my stash so I get to count it!

I also made a toiletries case for SDIL2.  Picture to come later.  I made it similar to one I own, that I've had for years.  If I make another one, I'll make a few changes to make it easier to assemble.  Making this makes me really appreciate all the work that StudioKat Designs goes through to design and test their wonderful purse patterns!  It is not as easy as it looks!

I thought I'd also show the baby shawl that I made earlier in the spring.  It will be delivered to DS2 and SDIL2 this week.  I'm going to be a grandmother in January!  The pattern is from a "Beehive for Bairns" knitting book from the 1940's - another from my mother's collection.  I like to think that she was looking over my shoulder while I was making this!  It is all knit in garter stitch, which makes it reversible.

Check out the stash reports at Judy's blog, Patchwork Times.

ON THE NEEDLES OCTOBER 10TH 2014

This will probably be my last knitting post for a while.  I'm down to the final skein of alpaca yarn from our cousins' herd, and I'm hoping to deliver the finished items to them next week.

I've been using all the part balls, and small amounts of leftover yarn to make the final few items.  I have finished another pair of slippers and some striped mittens.

This is the first of the pair of raspberry and cream houndstooth patterned mittens.  I use an old Beehive pattern for 2 needle mitts, and this one isn't stitched together yet.  The thumb is cream, as that is the colour of the stitches in the pattern when I began the increase rows.  The stitch pattern was in an old knitting stitch book that I've had for over 40 years, and is only a 4 row pattern.  As you might guess, I get bored with plain knitting easily, and either need to play with the stitch pattern, or the colour pattern.

I'm not sure if I'll be asked to make any more items for our cousins right away, or if they'll wait until spring, when we return from the sunny south.  Of course, I'll be in full "upcoming quilt show mode" by then......

Check out all the knitting progress at Judy's blog, Patchwork Times.

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

My design wall is empty!!!!  We had a great visit with our family for the past 4 days, so no quilting went on.  I just finished a vest to be donated to  my guild's boutique at the quilt show next June.

Of course, due to Murphy's Law, we had problems with one of the toilets when we had extra people staying in our townhouse.  DH had to remove the toilet for a day to make some repairs.  Couldn't leave it disconnected, so reinstalled it by night time.  Sunday after our family departed, I helped him to remove the toilet and the flooring (thank heavens for the vinyl floating flooring that we installed), and we have the dehumidifier and and a fan thoroughly drying the subfloor.  We'll re-install things back to normal tonight or tomorrow.

Since we will be heading south at the end of the month, I've been spending time making up kits for projects I want to complete over the winter.  I have some special ones for our first grandchild, due in January!  I've even dusted off my dressmaking skills and plan to make some baby clothes for the new arrival.  I have some older patterns for baby items, and while some of the things are very dated, there are some great patterns for basics, including sleepers.  I remember all the "stretch terry " sleepers that mine wore, but it seems like most of the commercial sleepers are is cotton knits.  Guess I'll have to dig out my ball point needles for knits too!

We have planned to visit the future parents in 10 days, to help set up the nursery (including shopping for some of their must have items).  I'll probably be sending items north all winter too!  We're excited to have our first grandchild - can you tell?

Check out the wonderful work shared at Judy's blog, Patchwork Times.

STASH REPORT SUNDAY

Fabric used this week   3 yds

Fabric used year to date  181.75  yds

Fabric added this week   0 yds

Fabric added this year  36  yds

Net used 2014   145.75 yds

I finished my picnic placemat in time to donate it at my guild's Wednesday meeting.  I also completed 2 vests, one donated and the other will be delivered at the executive meeting later this month.

I haven't done much sewing since, as Thursday morning DH and I had our final dental visit of the year, then headed to the train station to pick up our 2 sons and 1 daughter-in-law for a visit.  They all took Thursday and Friday off.  I love having them visit.  They all enjoy playing board games, and sit around the table, laughing and joking with each other - it is wonderful to hear!  Occasionally DH and I are convinced to join in, but their idea of a game with simple rules is usually not accurate!  Our thanksgiving weekend is next weekend, so I took the opportunity to cook my turkey dinner a week early.  Neither couple cook a turkey very often, so they look forward to all the favourite turkey dinner side dishes.  A good friend that they only see on their visits home, joined them for some games on Friday and Saturday, so he enjoyed the turkey dinner and the leftovers too.  The house seems so quiet since we returned them to the train station for a 1pm departure.  Now time to catch up on email, laundry etc.

Check out Judy's blog, Patchwork Times, to see all the weekly stash reports.

PLACEMAT COMPLETED

I finished my picnic placemat and packed it ready to donate to my guild's boutique collection on Wednesday evening.  The pattern is found here.  It is the September BOM download.

I used an orphan 12 inch finished block, then added the side pieces.  On the right side is a pocket to hold knife, fork and spoon. 





It has ties to roll it up, ready for use.

I chose to use a "quick turn" method to finish the placemat with no binding.  Then I had more time to play with the quilting!  It is difficult to see, but I stitched a knife, fork and spoon in their places.....

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

Today I'm making a picnic placemat using a 12 inch finished block in the centre.  It is the BOM project for my guild, and will be donated to the boutique for next June's quilt show.  Our coordinators for BOM will be adding lots of interesting patterns over the next few months - small gift items and also good for the boutique!
I'm making a hanging sleeve for the Mickey quilt, and have also completed my small applique project, as well as the Hexagon Hydrangeas quilt that I showed while it was in progress.  It came from a photo by Lori Kennedy of the Inbox Jaunt, and the paper piecing pattern was by Peggy Reimer.

Now I have to get busy and make more hanging sleeves and decide on what type of label I'll use.....

Check out all the creativity at Judy's blog, Patchwork Times.

STASH REPORT SUNDAY

Used this week  10.75 yards

Used year to date  178.75 yards

Added this week  0 yards

Added year to date  36 yards

Net used 2014  142.75 yards

I love it when I have some small finishes.  This week I finished my appliqued heart wreath wall hanging,  my hydrangea wall hanging, and I made a Mickey pinkeeper for my SDIL2. 

When she and our son visited us in Florida last fall, she became an avid pin collector, so I thought she needed a place to store and display her collection.

I used a cotton blend batting, and left the print under the Mickey logo, to add an extra layer of stability.  The black area is quilted in a simple grid, and the background is stitched in echos of the shape.  Hopefully, it will be big enough for all of her pins, and room for future additions.

Check out the stash reports at Judy's blog, Patchwork Times.

ON THE NEEDLES

The start of a slipper..... I'm using up all the small balls of yarn, making stripes!

 The slippers on the right are a "desert boot pattern, that takes a button on the ankle cuff.
The orange slippers are from the same pattern that I've started above.  The pattern is from a Patons knitting book of my Mom's from the 1940's.  The book also has a page of "2 needle Mitts" in many sizes....

My latest pair of mitts in the raspberry colour - all the items are knit of hand-spun 70%alpaca 30% merino yarn from our cousins' alpaca herd!

See what others are knitting at Judy's blog, Patchwork Times.

A LITTLE PROGRESS

DH and I spent the morning in our front garden, making it more tidy, trimming back some of the irises and removing dead leaves.  I finally spent some time in my sewing room.
After hunting through all my striped fabrics, and auditioning a few, I finally chose this border for my appliqued flower heart.

 

This floral stripe won the honours.  It has the right colour tones to coordinate with the flowers.  I even managed to make 4 mitered corners - all lined up perfectly!  Now I need to think about quilting designs.  I plan to enter this wall  hanging in my guild's quilt show next June.

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

Another Monday with nothing to show!!!!  I'm finishing the quilting on a donation quilt, and then I'll finally get back to items on MY list!

I have been knitting - lots of mitts in various sizes

and 2 pairs of slippers, with another one in the works.

Check out all the creativity shared at Judy's blog, Patchwork Times.

STASH REPORT SUNDAY

Used this week  3 yards

Used year to date 168 yards

Added this week 0 yards

Added year to date  36 yards

Net used 2014  132 yards

Two small finishes this week - 2 more "panel quilts" for donation.  I didn't have any suitable backing fabric, so my guild's community quilts stash came to the rescue - therefore I only claimed the top and binding.  I'm sure the "Hugs" program at our local hospital will like these two.

Check out everyone's stash progress at Judy's blog, Patchwork Times.

ON THE NEEDLES

I finally decided it was time to block the finished items!

The first scarf, made in ecru alpaca/wool yarn is made using the Asherton reversible scarf pattern.










The close-up photo shows the texture provided by the stitch pattern.












 
I love knitting lacy patterns.  This one uses a pattern called Liesel.

The yarn is 100% alpaca, in natural dark brown.








Next is the "Combo Cable Scarf", pattern from Caron yarns.  Stitched with 70% alpaca 30% merino yarn, dyed in a colour called Jade - more of a greenish gray.

This shawlette is made from the pattern "198 yards of Heaven".  Stitched in raspberry 70% alpaca 30% merino yarn.

Lately I've been working on mitts and slippers - popular now the cooler weather is on the way.  We had a light frost on the roofs this morning!


 

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

Another panel quilt for the hospital program - as requested.  This is one that was in my stash, and I've layered it with some flannel from my guild's community quilts stash, and some leftover batting.  Now I'm off to machine quilting.

I'll be happy when I can get back to creating new projects!!!!

Head over the Judy's blog, Patchwork Times, to check out all this weeks' creativity!

STASH REPORT SUNDAY

Fabric used this week  3.5 yards

Fabric used year to date  165 yards

Fabric added this week  0 yards

Fabric added year to date  36 yards 

Net used 2014   129 yards

I managed to finish a panel quilt for my guild's community quilts this week, and provided binding for 2 more small project.

We met on Tuesday to get more quilts pin-basted.  The program that we donated to at our local hospital was almost out of baby quilts.  The co-ordinator even bought some printed panels and delivered them to be completed!   The 6 of us pin-basted 8 quilts, and added borders to 3 more tops, so they'll be ready for matching with backing fabric next month.  I ended up bringing 5 quilts home to machine quilt.  I managed to finish 4, and passed them along to our binding person, who will hand stitch the bindings.  I have one more to finish, and then I need to layer and quilt 2 more cute panels from my own stash - I found coordinating backing fabric while I was helping on Tuesday....

Check out everyone's progress at Judy's blog, Patchwork Times.

ON THE NEEDLES

Two finishes - a "Hurricane Hat" from Ravelery  made in a 70% alpaca 30% merino yarn in a coral colour.  The second is another pair of mitts using the the greenish gray yarn.  I borrowed the design from the scarf in the same colour to decorate the back of each mitten.  I think I need to learn to knit mitts on 4 needles instead of the 2-needle version that I usually make.  Maybe I could adapt the method of knitting socks on a cable needle to mitts......

NEW BABIES

I was in touch with our cousins today, discussing knitting patterns, and asking how their move to their new home went.  Just a few days after their arrival, two of their female alpacas presented them with new members!  These babies, or crias are 1 week old.

They were worried that they'd come before the move, and moving all their animals was a huge undertaking already.  They have 2 horses as well as around 20 alpacas, and they had to keep the males and females separated during the move.  The expectant moms rode in the back of their van!  (That is how they take them to shows...)
 
I guess I better get knitting - there will be more yarn spun soon!