Keeping in Stitches

The Busy Bee Throw is done.

I blocked it after it was sewn together, which was a challenge. I didn't have enough blocking mats, so I used what I had to make a frame and put plastic lawn bags in the middle, so it wouldn't get the rug wet.

The throw is going to come in handy this winter, and it was dry just in time for our first snow of the year. I used City Tweed DK in most of the colors, using "Obsidian" for edging the hexagons, sewing up and a final sc border around the whole thing. The designer is Shaina Scott.

The Kaleidoscope quilt is coming along. I have all the fabric cut and completed two more blocks this past week.

Most of the fabrics are from Connecting Threads' Kaleidoscope line. The pattern was inspired by "Fresh" from Simply Retro with Camille Roskelley: Fresh Quilts from Classic Blocks. I removed a lot of the seams. It takes a little more effort to assemble the blocks, but as my background is in hand-quilting, I'm always looking for ways to eliminate extra seams. I'm having to take some care with bias edges, and some of my fabrics have a direction (one way is right-side up, like having a nap), so I'm having to pay attention to how I put those fabrics together if I don't want the seam to be obvious.

I needed a small project to take with me when we went to the theater during the week, so I CO the Trickle Socks by Katie Douglass. There's not much to show yet, but it will be easy to keep in my purse. I'm using KP's Stroll Tweed in "Firecracker Heather."

Finally (and I mean finally), here's the third (and final) quilt shop in St. George visited with Vintage Stitchers a few weeks ago: Scrap Apple Quilts.

144 W. Brigham Rd. #23

St. George, UT 84790

(435) 628-8226

(800) 994-0097

Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday thru Saturday

https://www.scrapapplequilts.com

Thanks for giving me a reason to revisit these great quilt shops.

Oh, and one more thing: I'm still out a car. DGD went to pick up her new car on Monday, and over the weekend, someone decided she needed to come up with $1,000 as a down payment. We were trying to work it out, but later in the week they wanted $2,000 down with no change in interest rate, which was exorbitant. She scrapped the whole thing for now. Fortunately the two jobs she works are very close to each other and not far from our home, so we can take her and pick her up when DH and I both need cars. But still. [Sigh!]

What's on my needles:  Hand-quilting the Delectable Pathways and Trickle Brick Socks.

What's on my Featherweight: Kaleidoscope Quilt, four blocks finished.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished Just Deserts by Jinx Schwartz, then listened to Sea of Stars by Amy A. Bartol, the second in the Kricket series. This book was left up on the air, so I immediately downloaded the third book, Darken the Stars. (All of these were from Audible.) Still reading Three Silver Doves by Deborah Garn on the Kindle app.

What's in my wine glass: Rex Goliath Free-range Shiraz. Yum.

What's my tip of the week: When making socks, if you find yourself with "ladders" where you switch needles, try switching one or two sts at the end of one needle to beginning of the next needle (whether dpns, two circs)  every so often. It's easier to avoid ladders if the new needle starts with a K st. Just be sure you put in a marker for the beginning of rnd, so you don't get your pattern off.

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals were harmed during the production of this blog post.

Heading South

The Pine Burr Quilt is finished. (Well, it still need a label, but it’s as good as.)

The pattern was from McCalls Quilting, May/June 2012, "Pine Burr Made Modern." Paper-pieced. Fabrics from multiple sources: local quilt shops, Connecting Threads. Quilted by Stephanie at Quilts, Etc., Sandy, Utah.

I posted a photo on Facebook, and Franklin Habit said he liked the colors. I’m feeling so honored. (His blog is so much better than mine, well worth a read.) I do think the colors would make a great Fair Isle sweater.

In the meantime, remember the Kaleidoscope fabrics? I added some fabrics from my stash.

I’ve made a mock-up of the block I think I might use.

It would be roughly a 24” block. The background is Kona Snow. The inspiration quilt (“Fresh” from Simply Retro With Camille Roskelley Fresh Quilts From Classic Blocks) had 16 blocks this size, and was made up of mostly 4” (finished) HSTs. There are lots of extra seams, so I eliminated a few. Construction is a little more complicated, but I think it’s worth it.

Also in quilting news, the last pieced “First Ladies Quilt” is pieced. It’s the Mary Todd Lincoln Block is done. 

Just the appliqué blocks to finish.

This past week Vintage Stitchers had their first quilt retreat. We met at Julie’s place in Washington, Utah, just outside St. George. We took our fifth wheel and parked a couple of doors down from Julie’s winter home. It was hot with no AC, but we had basic power (Julie ran an extension cord from her house), along with water and sewer, and the location was so much nicer than the overflow parking next to the trash bins, even though we could have used the AC.)

DH and I did some hiking with the pups, and the three of them hiked alone while I was having some quilting/knitting fun.

We did have some knitting, as well. Julie has her mother and aunt making Little Cotton Rabbits animal friends for her grandchildren. Julie is working on the kitty, with colors picked by here granddaughter. Here’s the head:

I’m hand quilting my Delectable Pathways quilt. We had some show-and-tell, as usual. Julie is also working on a wool felt/flannel quilt, a wall hanging, which is embellishing:

Marilyn has finished this appliqué block:

Julie’s mother is working on this quilt from Pennies from Heaven by Gretchen Gibbons.

Rebecca inherited this great partially finished Christmas quilt from a friend:

Remember Barbara's Poinsettia quilt? She just has the binding to go.

Here’s Julie’s witch, Hazel, well, the body, at least.

I can just see Hazel with the kitty head….

We did a sort of impromptu quilt-shop hop in St. George. Watch for my report on each of the three shops we visited in the following couple of weeks. 

I can’t go too long without yarn in my hands, and the crocheted hexagons for my Busy Bee Throw are coming along. 

One hundred hexagons done and 36 to go, and they go fast.

What's on my needles...er, hook: More hexagons for the Busy Bee Throw.

What's on my Featherweight: First Ladies Quilt, last pieced block finished. Now for the appliqué. Unnamed quilt using Kaleidoscope fabrics.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished The Girl With All the Gifts by M. R. Carey, an Audible Deal of the Day. I really enjoyed it, although it isn’t my usual kind of book. Finished Miss Goldsleigh's Secret by Amylynn Bright on my Kindle app. Good story, but the sex seemed gratuitous, as if the publisher insisted on the author’s including it to sell the book. I would much rather the publisher had provided an editor. There were missing words from time to time and spelling errors, such as “shown” for “shone.” Very distracting.

What's in my wine glass: Nathanson Creek Cabernet Sauvignon. With the frog on the label. Of course.

What's my tip of the week: If you plan on changing the colors in a quilting or knitting project, try copying the photo in your pattern in black and white. Then choose your fabrics or yarns and copy them in black and white. The contrast shows up better, so you can see what colors to put where, while avoiding the distraction of the colors in the original.

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals were harmed during the production of this blog post.

Accelerating Towards Halloween

Vintage Stitchers met at Barbara's this week. Her home was already decorated for Halloween.

Diane was working on a scarf. The pattern is called "Lacy Leaves." She just had a copy with her, and there was no source, but she said it was from a booklet with four or five patterns.

Marilyn has been busy embroidering with her machine. She made some dish towels, like this:

and this:

She also had finished this wall hanging. Just the binding to go.

Rebecca showed us this framed cross stitch.

and this table runner, using hand-dyed wool.

We talked about our upcoming quilt retreat in Washington, Utah. DH and I will be taking the trailer down, so we can sleep in our own bed. Others are staying in local hotels. I think most people will be taking hand work, but I may take my Featherweight.

I picked up my Pine Burr quilt from the quilter on Friday. Just the binding to go. (You can get a glimpse of the backing at the upper corner folded over.)

The pattern was "Pine Burr Made Modern" from McCall's Quilting, May/June 2012, but it looks completely different because of the fabric/color choices and the fact that I elected to make the background scrappy.

Remember the Kaleidoscope fabrics I was expressing my admiration for last week? I ordered 12 of them for a new quilt. I'm leaning toward "Fresh" from Simply Retro with Camille Roskelley. It's sort of a quick and easy version of a block that looks like the LeMoyne Star.

In knitting news, my first Pucker Up sock is finished and the second started.

The pattern is Cookie A’s ”Wanida” from Sock Innovation. The yarn is Knit Picks Stroll Brights in “Pucker.”

What's on my needles: Pucker Up Socks. Still hoping to CO the March of the Fiber Animals Cardigan for DH. Finished a few more hexagons for the Busy Bee Throw.

What's on my Featherweight: Binding for the Pine Burr quilt.

What's on my wheel: Languishing, but I have some yummy spinning fiber to inspire me.

What's on my loom: Multi-scrap scarf, no progress since before the trip.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished Lady Maybe by Julie Klassen on the Audible app. Now listening to A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce. This book is an award winner, and I can see why. Finished Blood Red from the library, an actual book. Delightful. Now reading Cut from the Same Cloth, by Kathleen Baldwin, one of my new favorite authors, from Kindle. This is the last of the "My Notorious Aunt" series. Funny.

What's in my wine glass: Foxhorn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon. Nice value.

What's my tip of the week: I save all those ends of bread no one wants to eat and keep them in the freezer. When I need bread crumbs, I thaw them, break them into pieces and grind them in the blender to use as topping on casseroles or any time I need bread crumbs.

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals were harmed during the production of this blog post.