Diamond Scrap Quilt is Done!

I am happy to report that the Diamond Scrap Quilt (formerly known as the Depression Era Quilt) is now a done deal. I do have to make a label for it, a task that must wait until I can find my labels. Otherwise, it's bound, washed and dried. Photo to be provided on the next sunny day. It's so great to have a done thing! I will say that machine binding doesn't look nearly as good as hand binding, but on the other hand, the binding was done in 1 day rather than 4.

I also finished Block 1 of this year's Thimbleberries Club BOM. Looks wonderful. The kit includes enough fabric (except center thing) for 2 blocks. Haven't figured out what I will do with that extra stuff. Maybe I will buy a second panel and make one for Mom? Hmmmm... For now, here's a photo of my block!

Happy Thermal Solstice Day!

Yes, it's Thermal Solstice Day once again. This is where we typically reach our minimum normal temperatures for the year. Here's one of the cookies my sister made to celebrate today. It's a lemon sugar cookie and probably very yummy (too cute to eat yet).


As promised, I took a photo of the Sister's Choice blocks. Although a few 9 patches actually match, most of them will be much more scrappy such as the bottom one.


Today, I've been tying the Diamond Scrap Quilt. Pretty much all day, it seems. All the ties are now tied and I'm trimming. Maybe I'll even do the binding tonight!

Progress Photos!

Yes, more progress! I spent a couple of hours on Wednesday and a whole bunch of hours yesterday just putting in the little yarn ties on the Diamond Scrap Quilt (formerly known as Depression Era Quilt). I still have to tie the suckers. Here's a photo of my quilt while I was working on it at the quilt shop. Kim (Quilters Basket-Brooklyn Park, MN) lets customers use her table to do pinning or tying of quilts when there is no group there. I've also trimmed it so that I can add the binding whenever I'm ready. Tonight, I'm going to park myself in the recliner and see if I can't tie those ties. Otherwise, I'll have go back to the shop and tie them. My knees cannot take doing this on the floor and sometimes a big flat surface is just easier. Alas no kitchen table. Maybe I can borrow a cardboard table. I really do want to finish this during the weekend.


The Banff Sweater is a different story. I've progressed up to the point where I need to start reducing for the raglan. I was working on it while chauffering my brother to his medical appointment. Alas, there was an abbreviation I did not understand. Fortunately, I had some cotton cord and could take it off the needles and start on the sleeves. However, after doing so, I can't help but think that I'm way too loose on my gauge! So, I'm going to have to remeasure this-I would hate to reknit it, but it's best to find out now if I've messed up than if I go further without checking. Anyway, here's a photo of what I've done so far. It's done in the round, so it just looks like a big rectangle. Yes, that ribbing is still there! Oh, and I would love to have this lovely wooden coffee table! This was in the hospital waiting room though, and I suppose they want to keep it, but it's just a great table!


Finally, this year's Thimbleberries Club project is a block-of-the-month that uses panels ("Vintage Stitches"). I'm going to do that this year, but only the front of the quilt. What I haven't figured out is what to do with the extra fabric (as a result of not doing the blocks for the back of the quilt). Questions, questions. These too shall be answered. I just couldn't see making blocks deliberately for the back of the quilt. Normally, you would just put experiements that didn't work or orphaned blocks.

Tied Up

I started tying the Depression Quilt today at the quilt shop. Not even a third done. Tomorrow, though I have more time and don't have to stop for other errands including buying the yarn to tie it (purchased at All About Yarn in Coon Rapids) . I'm using Cascade 220 wool yarn in a light oatmeal with colored flecks. Looks very nice on both sides. If I don't finish the tying tomorrow, I won't be able to finish until next week as I don't have the space at home to spread it out. Wool yarn has several advantages over both embroidery floss and yarn made from artificial fibers. When you tie it, it stays tied just due to the nature of wool. Even better, if you throw the thing into the washer and dryer (gentle please), it felts, further locking in those ties. Don't let this put you off if you want to use specialty yarn! I've seen one baby quilt tied with eyelash yarn-she had to tie it an extra knot, but this makes a very interesting tie to a tot! Also, I can here fellow quilters gasp, "you aren't washing that quilt in the washing machine!?". The answer is well, yes, because that is how my Mom and sister will deal with it (they are vying for the quilt). They know enough to put it on gentle, and most times it will be hung to dry outside. Doesn't work when it's 23 degrees out.

Camp Snoopy at the Mall of America won't be Camp Snoopy after this month. All the Snoopy stuff has to be removed. I can't imagine anything that will be comparable-the Snoopy figures just MADE that little amusement park. I've only been to Mall of America a handful of times (the roller coaster is very tame) despite living only an hour from it, but that was one of my favorite places to see-so much happiness going on there!

Still working on the Banff Sweater. I hope to give you a pictoral update tomorrow or Friday.

Little Stuff

Been catching up on '24' through Netflix before the new season starts on the 15th. However, in the meantime, I've been working on my Banff sweater, a charm quilt, Sister's choice quilt and the Wash-cloth-a-thon.

Banff sweater is just about to the point where I start reducing for the raglan yoke. A 24 inch length was just too short for me, so I've added an additional 3 inches. Although I really like this nubbly yarn, I found I have a tendency to get 'holes' because I'm not pulling the yarn tight enough. So, live and learn. I have to remake the January WashCloth - I need to use a smaller needle in order to get something square-like.

The charm quilt is the 1000 pyramids. I think I only have 600 pyramids. However, I wanted to get started on doing them just because I need to know how many of some colors I need to finish those sections. Amazingly, after all the warnings I've received from others, not a single bias edge was stretched. I'm sure happy about that! The Sister's Choice quilt is my leader-ender project. By the time I've finished the pyramids, I will also have finished half the Sister's Choice quilt!

Photo Finish!

Here is a photo of my completed bug quilt. It's a full-sized quilt, but on a queen sized bed (only place I can actually take a photo of the whole thing). I stitched-in-the-ditch around the red stars and then meander quilted the border. I considered quilting in the center areas where the bug fabrics are but it just seemed excessive. I've quilted a few butterflies and dragonflies, but that was it. It was nice to have another finish, right to the wire (I finished the binding on Dec. 31).



Ok, here is a photo of my completed Depression Quilt queen-sized quilt top. I will finish the quilt during January. It is being displayed (a little kattywampus) on a full-sized bed. This photo was actually taken at a different house than the other one! This quilt emptied 2 boxes of scraps. I have a couple more blocks to make from the squares remaining. These and the other extras(about 5) will go on the back. I'm just trying to determine if I already have fabric that I can use for the back. I've been steadily using up fabric that just doesn't go with anything else on the backs of quilts. Since I am tying, not quilting,I prefer large pieces of fabric rather than a bunch of little ones. It feels nicer.