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I accepted Tonya's Priority Hope Challenge and made this little (8.5" x 12") quilt in just a few days. You can check out the blog here. I did some free piecing and some applique and a little hand quilting. I dedicate this one to my husband's grandmother who suffered from Alzheimer's Disease.
Thanks for all of Ryan's birthday wishes! We are heading out for a weekend camping trip- have a great weekend!
Ryan's quilt top is all together as you can see. I had to make a few more units to get it all together, but I really like how it turned out. I hope to baste it soon and get working on the quilting. Here are some close-ups.
Ryan is 14 today! That's one of the reasons I'm motivated to work on the quilt. He's one of those boys who's so hard to photograph, so I'm very pleased with this one. Ryan is my funny guy who still loves anything with a motor, but also loves to bike and swim and go new places. He'll also still cuddle with his mom for a good story. Love you, sweetie!
I've got a start on my Folklore quilt from Sue Spargo. I do think though that sticking to the pattern is not going to be my style, so stay tuned for some changes. I joined the wool quilt club at the Stitchin' Post which is a once a month thing. It gives me some motivation to get going on this. I have a ton of wool pieces and really feel I need to make a dent in it!
Here's some of what I've been doing lately. Putting together the puzzle pieces of Ryan's quilt. I really like how this is working out. It is a trick though, to make everything fit together.
I can't remember if I've shown this quilt top here before. These little row houses are from one of Kaffe Fassett's books. I put the blocks together perhaps over 2 years ago. A few months ago a pulled them out and added the appliqued windows because it needed a little something. I just put the borders on the other day.
This quilt is a real oldie. I pieced this with foundation papers (NEVER AGAIN!) during our year in Hawaii over 5 years ago. It was soon after that I realized I can't hand quilt with batiks and then we moved here where such a tropical quilt seemed out of place. It's just been sitting and waiting for a backing. Well, I got the backing pieced and will take it to a longarm quilter as soon as can find her info.
I'm going to keep working on Ryan's quilt so I can get it off the floor. A design wall would be really handy right now! I don't want to put it away until the pieces are together so I don't have to figure it out again. Then I want to baste the top two so I can get down to the hand quilting!
Remember this?
While I was putting together all those Jacks on Six and Shoofly Fungly blocks, it occurred to me that I should make a little quilt for Lazy Gal Tonya. Tonya has been one of the biggest sources of inspiration for me and hers is the first blog I check every morning. It's hard to keep these things a secret, but she received it today and I can finally show this little quilt.
I hand quilted it with a sample of wool batting I got from Cathi. I enjoyed quilting with the wool, but I'm still not sure if the puffiness is to my liking. It is less puffy than the last time I used a wool batt so that's better. I've also been experimenting with bamboo batting which isn't great for hand quilting and silk which is absolutely fabulous. I've been busy these last few days- working on some wool and cotton blocks for a Sue Spargo quilt, making a backing for a long forgotten quilt top that I don't think has ever been seen here, putting borders on another quilt that I'm not sure I've shown before. Photos to come of those goodies in their own time. I also have the border fabric for the other two funglies and I plan to put them on soon. I've got a pile of newly washed fabrics that need to be ironed before going into the stash. Like I said, busy, busy, busy! Meanwhile we're having our last gasp of summer with temperatures in the 90's today. I hope to take Ryan to the pool later as it may be our last time there.
The Oregon Unschoolers' Chautauqua was a huge success with the most fabulous weather you could imagine! The kids played outdoors nearly the whole time and I got some much needed rest and relaxation. There were hikes.
Beach rambles.
Temari ball making.
Watercolors on the beach using sea water.
A sea lion who came to visit.
Even some knitting. These are two at a time on a Magic Loop with one of the Regia Kaffe Fassett sock yarns.
It was a blast. There are plans afoot to attend next year. Now we just have to convince more of our COOL friends to come!
The Lizard Ridge pillow is finally finished only because I wanted to give it to my parents as an anniversary gift. I didn't block it before sewing up, so it's still bumpy, a look I prefer. I do haven another one of these in progress, but we'll see how long it takes me to finish it! And the back:
Happy 45th Anniversary to Mom and Dad!
What's that about knitting? I figure all the knitters out there who used to read my blog gave up in disgust ages ago, but I have actually been knitting. Where I fall down is always with the finishing. I've got a whole basket of stuff that needs ends woven and/or a few seams. However, there are a few finished objects I can show you.
The hat above is another incarnation of the Live Dangerously, Don't Swatch Hat. I love this pattern, which is great for using up leftovers, because you start at the top without regard to gauge, knit until you get the crown big enough, then knit the sides. I also like the super simple, but cool looking rib pattern which is just a repeat of: round 1- knit, round 2- k1, p1. This one is made from a variegated Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted and Mission Falls 1824 wool. I've been experimenting with magic loop and did this hat completely on a 40" size 6 addi turbo.
These mitts are a pattern in the book, Kristin Knits. I love the use of color in this book and it was great to make these with leftovers from my crochet ripple blanket (which, by the way, is another one of those UFO's). These are a birthday gift for my neice.
Like I said above, I've been experimenting with magic loop and also with knitting two at a time on said loop. I borrowed the book, 2 at a Time Socks, from a friend and gave these sample socks a try. I really enjoyed the method this time as opposed to my first experience several years ago. However, I have to caution that the book is full of errors, including the most grevious error of mistakes within the technique section. If you have the book get the errata online or you'll drive yourself crazy. These socks are made with more leftover Mission Falls 1824 wool and they are nice and thick and cozy. They are, however, sized for a toddler so I need to find one of those.
Lastly, I made another version of Wendy's fingerless mitts just because. Just because my hands get awfully cold in the winter when I'm on the computer for a while. This is leftover Mountain Colors 4/8's wool, another of my favorites. I'm using up the leftovers like nobody's business.
I'm still having computer problems and my hubby hasn't worked it out yet. Next week I'll be gone to the Oregon coast to have some time out with other unschooling friends. So, while I may post a time or two before then, I'll be away for a little bit. It's starting to feel like fall here. The days are still warm, but you can feel the crispness in the air. I love fall, so this is my favorite time of the year. Hope you're having a good one!
While cleaning up my scrap bin I had a little hankering for a little something. This is the outcome. I've since quilted it and it's just awaiting the hand stitching of the binding on the back. I'm not sure what I'll do with it, but I like it a lot, it reminds me of summer.
I have plans for more scrappy things including something done with four patches. I've been making lots of little four patch blocks with Bonnie's leader/ender technique. I'm thinking about doing something with the four patches set on point like Bonnie's gorgeous nine patches on the cheddar ground. Meanwhile, I've also started my first 6"- 12" mini quilt swap for September. The theme is owls and I couldn't resist. Photos to come in a few weeks after my partner receives it!
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