A Finish!

Finished a project!! In the nick of time!! Here's the Take-a-Long Granny square afghan that I've been working on. It's about 45x65 inches (standard afghan size) and based on a photo of a kit that I saw in the Mary Maxim catalog. I used Red Heart yarn in white, sage, time and dusty rose. Yep, it's a scrap afghan. I plan to gift it sometime in January.


Bad photo- it's just been dim and dark outside. I'll replace this with a better photo when I can.

Another Top Done!

Finished the Garden Party top last night. The blocks are from a swap at QATW. I made the bee, dragonflies, ladybug and bunny. It's roughly 75x85 inches. I'm going to have someone quilt it in January, so this will get done early! I'm now going to work on finishing the 2009 BOM. The final 6 blocks have been cut out, but it is putzy piecing, but I still am hoping to get it done before the end of the year. I plan to send both Garden Party and the 2009 BOM out to be quilted. Quilting is not really my favorite part of the project, and I just want to get some of these done.

Snow, snow, snow!

Finally got our puffy winter snow last night. It was a shame I had to drive through it, but not too bad. So today is mostly going to be shoveling out.

Yesterday, I brought my Dad for an all day appointment and got quite a bit done on the granny afghan. I'm on the final row, which of course takes the longest. I'm doing a 9 triple crochet scalloped border. Nearly done with 2 sides, so for certain will have this project done within the next week. I did about half of sewing in ends already, so that won't take as long as usual.

In between, I need to spend some time doing mending. Yes, non-hobby stuff, darn it. ;)

Garden Party Almost

A UFO project is progressing! I've been working on finishing this swap top called Garden Party from Spring 2009. That pieced sashing takes FOREVER. I think I went through 5 short audio books to finish it. Still to do are the borders (and a better photo). I'm definitely thinking of tying this quilt, since the idea is to use it in the Spring (in March, we still have snow, usually). On the other hand, the quilting on this would be pretty simple - just another large quilt to mostly meander on.

Crocheting Near Finish!

Just thought I'd show you some progress on the crochet front. Here's a photo of the Granny Square afghan. I've completed the body. I still need to work in ends and then do the edging. I plan to make some crocheted kitties to attach and personalize this afghan. This is just brainless crochet for someone as experienced as I am, but it sure looks nice. I still have a LOT of leftover green and pink, so yes, I'll be making another one. I cannot BELIEVE how many skeins I bought thinking I wouldn't have enough and of course, Mom then wanted a change of green. I don't know who the final afghan will go to, but it will be my main project in December. I still cannot knit due to my arm pain, so a good time to work on the project.

I use a BASIC GRANNY SQUARE pattern and change colors every row. I'll include more instruction when I finish the afghan. Right now, I'm thinking of going with my favorite scall0ped edging. I'm going to first consider some of the edging options in 50 Crocheted Afghan Borders. I was hoping for something more like a flat braid, but using an H hook, that doesn't always work in a larger size. We'll see. I'll experiment tonight.

Disarming

Well, injured arm anyway. Last week, I fell on the patio rushing around so that I could get to the fabric store before it closed. Didn't seem like a problem in the hour after I fell. It has been a big problem all week. I still can't use a rotary cutter. Picking up a 6x24 inch ruler with the right hand -nuh uh...not happening. Today was the first day I could crochet, and it hurt some, but I got quite a bit done.

So, I decided to focus on applique and machine sewing things already cut out for the weekend. I hope to post some finished blocks tomorrow and Sunday. Lots of snow expected. I'm staying in with my cocoa.

Halloween Cut Outs

As mentioned yesterday, I'm hard at work cutting out two Halloween Wedding Ring quilts. I've finished 82 insides and between 250 and 300 melons. I need 96, so I'm almost done. I hope to finish cutting those tonight and then will move on to cutting the semi-solid arcs to make two samples. I'm not sure if I will be using yellow or orange for the arcs. I have no shortage of both. I'm thinking red for the 4 patches (appear when you assemble blocks). I'm using the Double Wedding Ring template set from Shar Jorgenson (now sold by Omnigrid) and it really makes cutting this out quick, easy and accurate! If you get this set, consider getting something that applies to one side to prevent movement of fabric or your melons will shift as you cut.

Surprisingly, there was a lot less fabric waste than I'm accustomed to when doing fussy cutting for a large quilt. The melons don't have to be spot on like the center piece. After cutting out pieces for my Halloween version of Lucky Stars (Atkinson Designs), the remainder will go into a string quilt. I really thought I would have TONS of leftovers with this project given how much Halloween fabric I do have, but honestly, I'm not going to have any of the quilt shop fabric left and much of the Debbie Mumm will also be used up. So, it is looking like 5 quilts will use up all 96 yards plus I may have to buy backing for one quilt. The 5 quilts are: Witch quilt (top done), Spider quilt (top 50% done), 2 Wedding Ring quilts, 1 Lucky Stars quilt and MAYBE a sampler lap quilt depending on the remainders. My biggest concern right now is that because I have none of these quilts done, and all the nicer fabrics already cut, what am I going to use to cover the table where we give out treats this year?


I want you to know how tough it was to cut a lot of these can't-cut-it-fabrics! I may need beer to get through the next one.

Cutting, Cutting, Cutting

My hand is starting to get a tad sore from cutting for 2-3 hours every day. The big moment finally arrived and I have started cutting into my can't-cut-it Halloween fabric! I'm cutting for 3 quilts - 2 Wedding Rings and 1 Lucky Stars. I need 96 inner rings and have cut about 72. Most also have 4 matching melons to complete the circle, but I know I'll have to use some random fill-in for that. Katier825 over at the Quilting Board provided me the cutting dimensions for Lucky Stars after I misplaced my pattern. It's here somewhere, but at least I can cut.

I had a lot of advance on the crochet project last week due to chauffeuring my Dad to the ER and then his subsequent appointments. Several appointments next week as well, so this project is going along pretty fast. I do want to gift it before the end of the year, so that works for me.

My sock knitting for the annual Sock Scarefest came to a sudden stop, alas. I'm having a little trouble with hand control. Temporary problem, but sometimes it's just best to set stuff down and ignore it for a couple of weeks and then pick it up again. I won't win any prizes, but I have the patterns and the finished sock will be a prize. Speaking of socks, while I am so-so on the LOOK of these socks, they are OH so comfortable and warm. I speak of Baba's Bed Socks made with Woolease. I have large feet (10W), and with my somewhat loose knitting, the size is perfect. They stay on. They don't wrinkle. They fit snugly. Try them! I finished these last April so only wore them a couple of times, but I really appreciate them now that it's getting cold. I plan to make another pair using more leftovers from a completed afghan. The only disadvantage is that two of my cats love the Woolease afghan and love these socks. I often find them in the hallway at night. Cat toys. Who would have thought?

Crocheting and Cat Beds

A 3-4 hour appointment turned into 5.5 hours of solid crocheting. As a result, I was able to get nearly 3 of the large squares done last week. Each large square is about 14 inches and the entire length is roughly 43 inches. Once all the rows are done, I think I'll finish the edging in scallops. I love scallops.



I have a lot of cat help at most times. But what they really do is sleep. Everywhere. All day long unless you are working on something and then they help. Their current favorite sleeping bed are the 2 boxes from the grocery store.
It's not like they don't have other beds. Its there. It's a cardboard box. I'm going to sleep in it.

Cleo-Claudine and Bart (he's the all black one). Cleo and Bart tend to sleep together. Bart is very much a mama's boy. See that ugly chair in the back? I'm hoping to refinish it before it snows. Gotta buy some paint stripper this week.


Polly in grocery cardboard boxes. Too tired to even look up.



Here's the cat bunk bed. I think this photo was taken last Spring. From top to bottom is Bart, Cleo-Claudine, and Sylvester.


Here's Polly sleeping in a chair. Too funny.


We bought these beds for about $6 at Walgreens. Polly was in it so quick, I didn't even have the tag off! This is their winter livingroom bed.

Crocheting Afghan Again

Well, today I'll show you progress on the crocheting project. This is the my take-a-long project granny afghan. It's based on a photo for a kit sold at Mary Maxim. After getting my leftovers from the rose afghans together, I realized that I had only 3 skeins of white and 5 or more of rose and green, so my color arrangement had to vary.



Here's a closeup. Threading in the ends is always such a pain in the neck. So, I just stick in DVDs and watch movies or series while threading in. Star Trek Next Generation is good for this since I've already seen most episodes before, although some were so long ago, I've forgotten them. I'll have to start crocheting the larger blocks now. I do want to finish this afghan (as well as the Ladybug afghan that continues to linger) before the end of the year.

After I finish these two projects, I have 5 more afghan projects for which I have yarn. Planned projects include a dragonfly afghan, an Irish Rose pillowghan, Winnie the Pooh, and an animal afghan.

2009 BOM progress

Yes, you read that right. I'm working on the 2009 Block of the Month from QATW board. I got behind when first the printer failed and then the computer. Since the pattern information for the blocks will likely disappear in January, I thought it was time to get a move on. I have completed all the flying geese parts. Here is the first panel. That first block may get replaced. I couldn't figure out why I had two of them, and now that I can see that the white edging just disappears, I remember why I had made a second one. Oh well. I have six blocks still to make and then complete assembly.



The quilting on the Pine Grove quilt has halted temporarily while I take some bad stitching out.

Template Free Applique

Usually, when I post a new technique, it's because I tried it. I haven't yet, but I am so awed by this applique technique that I wanted to post a link so that you can see this wonderful step-by-step tutorial on it. This is template free applique and the method is just ingenious. I am definitely going to try this on one of my Hawaiian applique blocks that have multicolors.

Template Free Applique

Puff - A Sad Day

My sister's cat Puff died yesterday. He was about 10 years old. He was diagnosed with cancer a couple of months ago and we knew he didn't have a long time. He was finally losing his battle and it was just time to go. Puff the Cat God, also known as the Guardian of the Water Bowl and Keeper of the White Rump Spot was a dedicated quilt inspector whenever I housesat. He and his catmates always made sure that no block went unnoticed.

Here is the Cat God preventing the Barbie Quilt from moving in 2006.


Here's my sister's other 3 cats. That cat in the front is Huff, Puff's brother, followed by Ptolomy and the all black spot in the back is Spitty.

A Loss To the Quilting World

Bonnie Lehmann passed away on the 5th of September. It is because of Bonnie and one of the cover quilts she designed for her magazine Quiltmaker that inspired me to take up quilting in the first place.

Here's a link to additional information on Bonnie.

This photo is the finished quilt of the inspiring cover. My first quilt. The instructions were so clear for someone who had nobody else to ask. As I recall, this pattern came out before rotary cutters became available in my area (1992). I really need to take a better photo of this quilt - it predates my digital camera.

This was my second finished bed quilt - Also from the cover of a Quiltmaker Magazine. I believe both patterns were designed by Bonnie. Both of these quilts were done by me while still a beginner.

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Tropical Quilting?

My chances of returning to a tropical paradise are slim to none, but I've decided to try Hawaiian quilting finally. I actually started a Hawaiian Style Quilt-a-long over at Quilting Around the World (secretly it is so I can get tips) for encouragement while I work on all these large blocks. Anyway, here is my first block all basted and ready to start appliqueing. Elizabeth Root's instructions were very good and this first one came out correct the first time. Well, pretty close anyway. It's all basted and I'll start doing some of the needleturn tomorrow. The final block will be around 18 inches square - these are based on designs for pillows, but I plan to put them in a quilt, so just a lot of large blocks. I definitely need to make my backgrounds smaller. Didn't think of that when I cut it out.



I've also been completing swaps. I've finished the Goose In the Pond swap, round 1. I also completed the Spooky Attic Windows swap. Here are my participant block! I figured nobody else would have these fabrics as all but one or two are pretty old. Remember, I mentioned before that I had like 97 yards of Halloween fabric? You don't get that over night. Takes several years of collecting! See those orange and black ghosts? I think that fabric must be at least 12 years old (Bernatex). Couple of Debbie Mumm plus a 1930s repro-like fabric. This was my style of the Attic Windows pattern. Two strips of black. Easy. Not sure if I will participate in the Goose In The Pond Round 2 - I've hit that time of year where everything is a struggle, so I think I will focus on things that don't require a deadline. I can meet that.

Working on the Swap

Since I haven't posted much, I thought I would include some photos of my current swap progress, Goose In the Pond. As you can see, Polly came along to help. This is my cutting table. It's one of those resin folding tables sold in some big box hardware stores. Not perfect, but I do ok. That little white container at the end is my 2 inch squares - the current leader/ender project that will ultimately end up as heart blocks.



Of course, I can't accomplish anything with her help, so I had to resort to bribery. Despite the fact that there are several bed choices, all very costly, her preference is a cardboard box with or without a quilt folded into it. Obviously, she needed the quilt for some prompting. I've made a quilted pad for her - just have to add the binding. Unless she is in the box, I can't take the risk of using the rotary cutter - cats move so darn fast.



Anyway, by the end of tonight, I have finished all the rows for this block and will start assembling the rows into blocks tomorrow. I'm hoping to press, bag and tag to mail on Saturday. I plan to do Round 2 of this swap, and then I should have nearly all the blocks I need to complete a large quilt.

Swap Works

Haven't posted in a bit, but I have been working on projects! Currently working on a swap and I hope to have a photo soon. Yes, I really need to stop participating in swaps for awhile so that I can finish other stuff, but couldn't help it. I had always wanted to do this other one and then someone came up with an easy peasy Halloween swap, so just the way it goes. So far, I've resisted joining a charm swap, but it's hard. I was collecting charms for SO many years, but really don't need them now that the Pyramids top is done.

I hope to spend some time soon making my sidebar look a little less crowded. I've seen how some people are linking between multiple blogs in order to streamline. Not sure my stuff can do that, but I'll try. Part of why I have so many links is simply to maintain them for me. At least if my bookmarks go astray, my most important ones are on the blog!

Progress on UFOs

While I still have more work to do, periodically, I go through my links to make sure everything works. I noticed that my list of 'selected UFOs' has shrunk a lot in the last 2 years.

These items have been on there for at least 2 years. Potentially 3, if not 4, will still come off the list yet this year! In some cases, due to a quick cleanup, parts were separated and I'm finding them now. For instance, the Summer Sling bag has been completely crocheted for 2 years. I just found all the parts a couple of days ago. So, I'm going to make an effort to make that lining and attach, so that I can finish assembling the bag. I need to add a zippered pocket to the inside of this bag, so it's great that I have some additional yarn left over, as I don't have enough lining fabric to make one.

July Was A Bust

I got so little crafting done in July. I spent much of it mostly cleaning, cutting up scraps and doing other things. I've made a fair amount of progress on the granny afghan. Photos to be up later this week.

I did start working on a hand pieced Apple Core quilt from the scraps I've been accumulating. I have roughly 500 apple cores and according to the sheet, you need about 900 to make a queen sized quilt. Well on my way, I'd say. Why hand pieced? I have tried machine sewing these and I seem to spend as much time taking some apart to fix than it would take to hand sew these in the first place. It's a mostly mindless task. I have a needle with a larger eye and don't even need my needle threader to do this AND my bifocals aren't driving me nuts while sewing them up. I sew 5 or 6 sets of two during an hour of watching a show. No rush to get it done. It will likely become my take-a-long project when I finish the granny afghan.

August projects include quilting the Pine Grove quilt and continuing to work on the Spiderweb quilt top. While I'm getting progress on the quilting, the Spiderweb has come to a stop given that my sorting areas include the ironing board. Finishing that this week and can then focus on my swap and the Spiderweb. Swap? Yes, bad me. I joined another swap, that again required me to buy fabric because I didn't really have stash. This time, it's a plaids/strips Goose in the Pond block using shirtings as a background. It's a simple pattern - HSTs with 9 patches and rail fences. The fabric choices will make it look very cabin like and homey. We're doing a 15 inch finished block, so that should go fast. Who gets it? Me. All quilts are for me unless I decide I can part with it. (evil grin).

Couldn't Help Myself - Another Swap!

Joined another swap, mostly because I had the fabric and the final quilt will be fabulous. It consists of 12.5 inch star in a star with alternating HSTs in lights and darks. Here's the blocks I've done for the swap, although I will be making more to finish off the fabrics. If QATW doesn't do a second round, I will finish this over the winter using other FQs. My only limitation is that I don't have a lot of lights to choose from, but there is always a FQ sale around New Years. In fact, I attended a FQ sale at my LQS and was so proud of myself to limit my choices to things I needed for projects already in progress. Yes, I bought some spiders for the Halloween quilts - you understand that collections must be fed, which is why I'm trying to finish all the Halloween quilts so that the collection can go away.



I've mostly been cutting through scraps in the last week or two, but am working on quilting the Pine Grove quilt. Today I have both a doggie and a kitty pad to finish off. The doggie pad is a gift to my mom's coworker in celebration of her new dog and already planned, but her husband had a stroke last night, so I'll just get it made so my Mom can give it to whenever she next sees her.

On the knitting side, they finally had both yarns in that I needed to finish off the Kitty Pi Bed! They arrived the other day and I hope to finish that project this month. Yes, yes, I did buy a single skein of sock yarn for socks. Not sure why, but I just loved this tonal green. I'm not a bright green sort of gal, but we'll give it a shot.

Tonal Stroll Sock yarn by Knit Picks

This weekend involves some marathon recording, which is great because I will get a lot of crocheting done on that granny afghan. I record favorite shows and take the commercials out to save for my Mom to watch later. Naked Science has a new episode tonight. Being Human season 2 starts Saturday and I can do some catch up episodes for Dr. Who before the season's grand finale this weekend. Of course, I can't miss Eureka on Friday night. Have you noticed the sort of geek format of my favorite shows? It is not a coincidence.