A UFO kind of week!

Sometimes I just have to say WOW! Did I do good!

I am on a mission to work on my UFO's...one big one at a time and smaller ones mixed in.

 

 

I laid out my flying geese and sashings...it is going to be huge!! 104" x 104".

 

 

(Do you like all the foot scrunches?) It is all ready to piece the rows together now. I'm needing one full day in my sewing room though so when I get started I won't have to stop.

 

Next on the UFO list...

 

Two small lap quilts got machine quilted and bound.

 

I have not a clue what I am doing with this one. It was made from scraps from a quilt kit.

It will probably become a gift eventually.

 

 

This one is going to become a car quilt...

 

 

And I finished a bit of knitting too! I am glad I got these done BEFORE winter was over!

 

 

 

So...WOW! Now to go clean up a bit!

 

Happy Stitching!

 

 

 

 

So Glad I Have a Blog!

A blog is a wonderful way to document your UFO's! These next couple of UFO's I have actually blogged about so I know for sure without even looking they are not too many years old! But I thought I should look perhaps at when I did blog about them....

 

The first little UFO is this adorable Dresden Plate that I have been finishing. I started it about 3 years ago before I even had a blog! Then it sat until just recently when I decided to finish the quilting. I had actually started quilting it, and I remember that I was quilting it without a hoop and with a long needle at the table. I decided to continue the method but I sat in my rocking chair instead. I have to say that my stitches were way better at the table. Maybe I had a bit more control and I learned that I really do prefer quilting in a hoop. That said...it is so cute!!!!

 

 

Each little block is just 3-1/2" square. My intention was all along to do a scalloped border. Here is my tip for scalloped borders. I never cut them before quilting. All I do is mark on the desired edge of the quilt. Then I know where my quilting lines should end. When the quilting is done, I baste just inside the line (maybe 1/8"). Then  you just need to trim on the line. This will keep your edge together nicely while putting on the binding and you don't have to worry about weird edges while quilting.

 

 

Now it's ready for binding!

 

Remember my Farmers Wife blocks I started back in October 2010. I found them in the bottom of a container last weekend. I had 23 blocks in all. That's enough to make a lap sized quilt. I dug around in my fabrics and found just enough blue and brown to get it done. Here it is in progress...

 

 

The missing row is sitting beside my sewing machine!

 

While I was searching for old posts on these UFO's I realized I should really get better at using labels on my posts. I never did find the post for the Dresden Plate but I'm sure it's there somewhere!

 

And finally, winter is coming so I thought I had better get these scarves finished. All they needed was blocking.

 

 

The top scarf is Strangling Vine . It was a fabulous knit! The only change I made was that I cast on 33 stitches instead of 42. I used Knit Picks Palette yarn for this one.

 

The bottom scarf is Saroyan. It was fast, fun and beautiful. Very girly!!! This scarf is made from Knitpicks Sugarbunny. Angora is so soft. I often don't make swatches (I know...bad , bad, bad of me) , and this is a case I should have. Although it is beautiful and great the way it is, if I was to knit it again with Sugarbunny, I would go down a needle size.

 

Back to my UFO's - it is so satisfying to get a few of these done! I wonder what I will find next?

 

Happy Stitching!

 

 

 

 

 

Testing a Block!

I finally started a test block using the John Flynn Miniature Double Wedding Ring template set. 6" double wedding ring blocks are small! Once I decided to actually follow the instructions (!) it went together very nicely. It was a good thing I still had the smallest rotary cutter size to get around the templates!

I did notice that the templates fit nicely on a charm pack so I picked one out to make a very scrappy mini. Now I have to get sorting the charms into lights, mediums and darks. After that I will start cutting!

After testing that, I thought I would work on some more Farmers Wife blocks. Six more done!

I am still trying to figure out what size of quilt I want to make with these. I am now thinking I may make a lap size quilt. That would mean I have about half the blocks made that I will need to finish the quilt!

 I also finished the shawl I have been knitting in the evenings. It was actually quite an easy patterrn and I was very able to do it in front of the tv without getting too lost. It is the Meandering Vines Shawl found on Ravelry. I did mine with Alpaca Cloud. It is so soft!

Here is a close up!

My sewing room is a MESS so the next thing I am doing is a good cleanup!

Happy Stitching!

A Very Productive Week!

Before I show and tell, I wanted to share a couple pictures of the visitor we had yesterday afternoon. We are hoping he comes back today!

Isn't he wonderful! He was very suspicious of me and did not take his eyes off me while I snapped a few pictures.

And now for my regularly scheduled blog....

I have no idea where it came from but I have been very productive this week! I finished knitting another pair of socks...that makes four pairs in November. I'm taking a break from socks for a bit...or am I? I am still feeling a bit of a tug to knit another pair but I had better save that for Christmas holidays. I have things to finish for Christmas.

I finished another knitting project as well (and just in time for winter!)...a scarf knit with wool from New Zealand that my cousin Heather brought back for me in the spring. It is kid mohair and merino and it is wonderfully soft. I can't wait to wrap it around my neck! The picture does not do it justice. The colors are much more vibrant.

 

I did finish the next 3 Farmer's Wife quilt blocks as well. I am really starting to enjoy all the colors coming together. Even though I have a long way to go, I have started thinking about the sashing and border. I am thinking I may choose either black, charcoal or dark blue. My instinct is telling me dark blue...

I don't make cards that often anymore but I needed to make a couple special ones for a friend. I can't show those but I did do one extra Christmas card just because I loved the paper!

So that is some of what I finished up this week!

I have just one more project to go...a Christmas stocking!

Happy Stitching!

My Favourite Snips and More Farmer`s Wife

It was a very sad day in my sewing room yesterday...my favourite thread snippers are on their last legs.

The spring is not working well and the little clip that closes it is loose and catches when it is not supposed to. I have had my beloved thread snips for well more than 10 years, maybe closer to 15. 

At least Fiskars still makes them so they can be replaced! I'm on the lookout!

While I was fighting with the snips. I was working on some more of the Farmer`s Wife blocks.

When I first got the book, I drafted all the blocks into my EQ7. I had bought fat quarter packs of Thimbleberries Village Green fabrics in Dawn, Dusk and Midnight so I downloaded all the fabric swatches for them to use in EQ7. My thought was to preplan all the blocks but I have ended up just grabbing from the pile. It is great though to have a general feel for the project right in my EQ7.

 My Aunt Sharon`s class is doing Blocks # 8, 18, 80 and 90 so I got right to it ths weekend.

The class is only doing 24 blocks in all, and I plan to make the queen size quilt so I have started from Block #1 and will slowly do them all. I did #6 and #7 yesterday as well. That's 14 blocks done!

I have plans for three more blocks today and a bit more Christmas present making as well!

Happy Stitching!

Farmer's Wife Blocks

My Aunt Sharon and I are working on the Farmers Wife quilt. My aunt is doing it through her local quilt shop Candlelite Quilts each month and I am following along making the same blocks as her. I am a little behind but I thought I'd show what we have done so far.

These are my blocks so far... # 29, 54, 19 and 77.

These are my Aunt Sharon's blocks so far.

I do have a bit of catching up to do!

I just got back from Vegas and had an amazing time. I printed off directions to quilt shops, wool shops and a rubber stamping store but did not make it to a single one. I did however get pictures of floors and ceilings for inspiration. There was a lot of that! I thought I would share pictures of a few floors that inspired me.

What a great way to spark your creativity!

Happy stitching!

Fat Quarter Prewash Experiment!

To wash or not to wash is a question debated by quilters everywhere. I am a prewasher. I like how the fabric feels after washing and I have had fabrics run...not often but enough. I also like prewashed fabric more for handquilting and I almost never know what I'll use the fabric for when I buy it.

I recently bought a couple of fat quarter packs to make the Farmers Wife Quilt. It's a lot of fat quarters and more than I usually buy at one time.

Then I wondered about prewashing them all. I normally just throw them in with my yardage and I usually only have a couple fat quarters to wash at a time.

I divided them into lights, mediums and darks.

 I pinked the edges of the lights using my pinking rotary cutter.

The mediums I left as they were and for the darks I had read a tip somewhere to sew 2 edges together to form a tube. It was supposed to keep them from tangling.

To the washing machine I went. I used a shortened regular cycle with a warm wash and cool rinse.

And now for the results!

The lights...

The mediums...

The darks...

The strings of thread I cut off...

And the winner is the lights with the pinked edges. I was really surprised with the results. It was a very noticable difference. The lights didn't even tangle up while the mediums and darks both had to be cut apart.

From now on I'll be pinking those edges!

Now I can start that Farmers Wife quilt!