No Rest for the Wicked...or the Weary

Common Threads met at Carol's.

She had this great quilt top finished. It was made from a pack of 19th Century Reproduction fabrics from a fabric/fiber museum, which has since closed. I was hand-quilting (my Sistine Chapel), Margareth was working on her appliqué quilt top, and several people were knitting various projects.

Park City Quilt Guild met that evening. I asked for volunteers to make house blocks for a quilt for Habitat for Humanity, for the silent auction. Several people offered. I'll pick the finished blocks up at Davidene's on September 1st. We had a small turnout, probably because many people have fled to Montana, Idaho and Oregon to view the eclipse. However, we had a rewarding show-and-tell.

This quilt was based on the instructions and quilts in the book “One Block Wonders” by Jan Krenz. 

This baby quilt was made from a panel that was cut apart and then sewn together with other fabrics.

A member of an Airstream trailer organization made this quilt as a fundraiser for her group.

This quilt is in the process of quilting. It will be a gift for a friend of the quilter.

The doll-clothes sweat shop is still in operation. I finished a robe for Carter to go with his PJs. The robe is based on McCalls 2506, but without the extra thicknesses of facings and lined collar. Fleece is thick, but it doesn't fray, so I only hemmed the edges where I needed to cover seams.

I made one for the Habitat girl, too, but in purple. Then I made a hat and scarf for each, while I was working with the fleece. It was like this one I made for Daphne's Hannah last year. 

For the hat, you cut a rectangle 7" X 14", then make cuts 1/2" apart and 2" deep slong one of the long sides. Sew the short sides together and tie the "fringe" together with a 1/2" X 7" strip of fleece. Cut the ends of the tie off to match the fringe. For the scarf, cut a strip 1 1/2" X 21" and make cuts 1/2" apart and 2" deep on each end. There's only one seam for the hat and none for the scarf. Easy.

Then I made a shirt and trousers for Carter.

The shirt is based on the Cowgirl Shirt in Fancywork and Fashion’s Best Doll Clothes Book by Joan Hinds. I used the pattern to draw a new one, with the bottom cut straight instead of curved, and the length the same as the center front and back. I also made short sleeves. The trousers were based on Liberty Jane’s Boot-cut Jeans pattern, but since they would be skin tight on Carter, I added 1/4" to the width of each pattern piece for the front and the back. I left off the back pockets, but made everything else the same. Here you can see one of the front pockets.

The Habitat girl needed a sun hat, too, so I made one for her with denim and a blue quilting fabric lining. She also needed a water bottle. Since I didn't have any more Thyrovet bottles (yet), I used a party-favor bubble-stuff bottle, with the bubble stuff still inside. I glued a bead on top. The recipient can have fun making bubbles, and then have the water bottle for her doll.

I made the mistake of posting photos of Carter on Facebook. Someone from Therapy Animals of Utah (an organization I belong to) saw it and recruited me to dress a doll for their silent auction in early November. My deadline is October 28th. Yesterday my Habitat contact brought the Creatology girl over for "fittings." Fortunately, the clothes I've made that have been modeled by my in-house models fit her, so I'll be good for both dolls. We picked out some things for the Habitat girl, and there was plenty left, so other than making more PJs, another Jacket, scarf and winter hat and a sun hat, I may not have to make too much for the second one.


Carter went off with them. He will be interviewed by our local paper on Thursday, and I hope to have a link to the interview for next week's post.

I took time out from Habitat duty to proofread a sewing tutorial for a dress for Götz Happy Kidz dolls designed by a friend and test-sew it for her. Here's my version of her dress (she has four other test-sewers):

I'll share the information when she's ready to publish the pattern. For a preview, see Andrea's blog.

And because Mandy is so stinkin' cute, here's a closeup.

I did finish my spinning project. Here it is on the bobbin.

As I'm writing this, the yarn has been washed and is hanging up to dry. I'll try to get a yardage count when it's dry. I've been busy.

What's on my needles: Still the Gracie Cardigan in “Cyan” for Mandy. Ready to start the "sleeves" (they're very short).

What's on my Featherweight: Still clothes for the Habitat for Humanity dolls, a house block for the Habitat quilt and…doll clothes for Therapy Animals of Utah.

What's on my loom: Still waiting.

What's on my wheel: Finished spinning the Woodland Woolworks Merino Combed Top Multicolor Mojave Heather and N-plied it. Stanzi is now awaiting her next task. 

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished listening to Stranger Child by Rachel Abbott (One of my favorite authors). Now listening to And the Rest is History by Jodi Taylor, one of the Chronicles of St. Mary’s novels. On the Kindle app, still reading Undeniable by Laura Stapleton.

What's in my wine glass: Two-buck Chuck (Charles Shaw from Trader Joe’s) Merlot. I prefer their Shiraz, but the Merlot is pretty good, and certainly a good value.

What's my tip of the week: Dropping freshly hard-boiled eggs into cold water makes them easier to peel.

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.