Christmas Show and Tell

I had started crocheting a little bit here lately. It's a great break from my quilting when it becomes mundane. I can still be creative, keep my hands busy, and have a finished product in the end.

My sister, who is a crocheter, had gifted me a crochet book for Christmas. How tempting!!! It is "Crochet It. Love It. Wear It." from the Crochet Dude, Drew Emborsky.



I love the cardigans shown in this book. They would be very useful in this cold weather now! And there is a pattern for a "little black dress." I can't believe a crocheted dress could be so sleek and stylish! There is also a pattern for a baby doll shirt that I can really see myself in! Now, I really don't how long it would take me the actually finish a large project like these. I have to be realistic and start small.



I love vests. I have made several quilted versions but I have never made a crocheted one. I think I may have to start with this one. Not sure on the color or the yarn, yet. Perhaps a nubby sage green or a flannel-like grey????


I can get myself all enthusiastic about this project until I sew the difficulty level.

Intermediate

(definition- projects using a variety of techniques, such as basic lace patterns, mid-level shaping and finishing).

I'm pretty sure I'm not quite there yet, or perhaps my sister has great confidence in me!! But when have I really done anything easy. I love a challenge! I'm just going to have to familiarize myself on all the crochet abbreviations and terminology so I can follow the pattern.
Thank you so much, Sis!! I have already started researching other wearable crochet items. With her help, my yarn stash will be growing larger pretty quickly!

Jane

Block of the Month Obsession

I just can't resist a good Block of the Month pattern... especially when it's free. What could be better, a new block every month!

It's only the first of January and I had already found two that I just fell in love with!

The first one is from Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs (bunnyhilldesigns.com). She has done other BOM's in the past: 2010's Snowbound (great for fans of snowmen) and 2009's A Tisket A Tasket (just for basket lovers). This year's BOM is named Henrietta Whiskers.

It features a cute little squirrel. I just love Anne's design style and her applique work. This is her third free BOM that I have printed out and I'm sure this year will surely be equally impressive.

The next one is from the The Quilt Show (thequiltshow.com). Now, I apologize. The Quilt Show is a membership site. You have to pay a fee to access special aeras in the site (such as this BOM) but there is still a lot to see even if your not a member (I love their Daily Blog!).

2011's Ruffled Roses is The Quilt Show's fifth BOM. Sue Garman has been the designer for each one (looovvve her work!). I've printed out their 2008's Bouquets for a New Day and 2009's Stars for a New Day and I even I even attempted to start Stars for a New Day. I have most of the fabric purchased but there is just one fabric that I cannot locate. I didn't start this quilt right away, so a lot of the fabrics that were used in the quilt has vanished by that time.

I'm not sure when I'll start either one of these quilts. I love the start of a new quilt project (the fabric searching, fabric cutting, the piecing...) but I've got to get those UFO's out of the way!!!! For now, I'll just print out the patterns each month and stash them away for later- maybe get some fabric from time to time ;p!

Jane

Just Testing

I've been testing out some quilting designs for my Square- Or Is It? quilt. I thought it would be pretty easy because its blocks are a simple square shape. But some of them have one or two smaller squares appliqued to them and I had to figure how to work around them.

With a little bit of experimenting, I came up with this:


Just test driving it a while to see how I like it. What do you think?

I found it very easy to trace the image from behind the light fabric, but it was very difficult to see through the dark fabric. Even with a bright light behind it. So devised a template that can be traced from the top of the fabric.

I had used my handy-dandy plastic margarine container lid. Once I had traced the pattern on the lid, I cut out an approx. 1/8th inch slit where the pencil marking was. It is in these slits that I'm going to mark my fabric.

I'll try it out for a while and once the quilt-top id finished, I'll have to mark each and every 225 square blocks!!

Jane

Did You Miss Me?

I'm back!

It seems like forever since I've been here!! I mean, it was last year since I last posted! But seriously, it has been just over a week and 2011 is now upon us. It is this time of year that I make my resolutions.... here's just a few...

• Take better care of myself. I'm sure I'm not the only one - I tend to care for everyone else and I forget about ME. So I'm planning to exercise (yoga) and do some light-weight training 3 times a week. Drink more milk. Take my vitamins like I'm suppose to.
• In connection to the above resolution, to get myself back into shape so that I may recuperate quickly from my next knee surgery. I'm scared to death and I've been postponing the surgery. I need to get it over with.
• Be more patient with my boys (and that includes the hubby!). I need to let them act like "brothers" sometimes (but not all the time!) and just let a little chaos happen.
• Get myself more organized. Not sure exactly how I will start this. Working on it a little everyday, it may be a year long endeavor.
• And I need to get these quilts finished!

I can't just give them up. I look at them and I can still see the masterpiece that I saw when I first started them. And now that the quilt shop will enable me to used their quilting machine, I'm hoping to quilting process will go a lot more quickly. I've got about 4 to 5 packages of batting ready to go.

My Square- Or Is It? quilt is almost done. Will need to figure out the quilting design to use on the square blocks and I still need to purchase the backing fabric. I'm envisioning a curvy-swirly print.

I'm also trying to get my Round the Block quilt completed. I already know how I want it quilted and I'm wanting to use a check fabric for the back. If I can get it done pretty quickly, I can get it on the quilting machine once they are ready.



Now back to work to better myself and working on these quilts!!

Jane

Christmas greetings

Ho Ho Hoping everyone is having a jolly Christmas!!

Happiest Time of the Year

Just two more days until Christmas. I'm feeling the holiday preparations almost done, but there always seem to be one more. I finally got the final gift purchased (I hope it's the last) and now to wrap them all. The kids will help bake cookies for Santa tomorrow.

I'm wiped out. For me, this time of year is such a frenzy (but I know that it's like that for everyone!). Just had two birthdays and I am anxiously awaiting the priceless expressions on the Christmas faces! I'll know then that it was all worth it.

I had just finished making some Christmas gifts today (cutting it pretty close, I know).

I had made some easy candy jars for the kids' teachers, one for the hairdresser... you get the idea. They were so simple to make and the turned out pretty cute. I had gotten this idea when I was browsing other blogs a few months ago (so sorry, I couldn't locate the blog name). It's made from a coffee drink bottle, some Christmas themed fabric, ribbon, and card stock.

I had made these lil' Scrabble pillows, too. These turned out so adorable, they turned out to be pretty addicting. I had made them to spell out the names of the recipients. The pillows are only 8 inches square or they would have be wrapped up in a huge box otherwise. I would like to make some more of these for my future Etsy shop. Perhaps I would make them in several sizes.

I'm finding myself taking a short break tonight before I'll start on the Christmas yummies tomorrow.

I wish everyone happy holidays and a whole year filled with joy!!

Jane

Gonna Get Quilting

Been busy lately. At this time of the year, I've got the Christmas to-do lists, like everyone else. But in addition, I have two birthdays to take care of. Yes, both of my babies were early Christmas gifts. : ) I feel like I've been running around with my head cut off - lots to do that doesn't seem to involve quilting.

While I was doing some Christmas/birthday shopping the other day, I stopped by one of the quilt shops. They had started selling quilting machines. They had mentioned that they were planning to let their customers rent time on a machine to work on their own quilts. My dream come true!!

I hate to admit it, but I am not enjoying the quilting process on my sewing machine. I know that it can be done, maybe I just don't have to patience.

One of the associates at the quilt shop gave me a peek at the machine and a quick demonstration. I was in awe!! The machine moved so smoothly over the quilt, she was able to move it with just a few fingers. The stitches were perfectly even with its stitch regulator. And the hum of the machine was so relaxing.

I wanted to start right away, but the classes won't be starting until the first of the year. I hope it's enough incentive to finish those quilt tops, that are almost finished, so I can get it on one of those machines. Although I love to hand-quilt, it just takes me too long to finish a quilt.

January can't come soon enough!!

Jane