Quilts and Other Fiber Adventures

Vintage Stitchers met at Rebecca’s on Thursday. Marilyn had made this sailboat quilt.

The back shows the quilting.

Brenda was making some towels for a friend who has Portugese Water Dogs.

She was also working on a kitty quilt using machine applique and embroidery.

Janet had made this great little project bag during the Stitching Society Group at Davidene’s.

Barbara inherited an old kit for this quilt designed by Anna for the original Whimsy Cottage.

She also made a 1600 quilt background for these flowers.

Rebecca and Barbara made these row-by-row quilt blocks that were part of a quilt shop hop project. The flowers are identical sets of precut pieces. The backgrounds are graduated fabrics cut apart and pieced back together.

Ellen has finished these hand-appliquéd house blocks from Home Sweet Home by Barb Adams and Alma Allen. (These blocks are from the book I got my mantle quilt from.)

Barbara had these fabrics for an Amish quilt for a long time. She repeated the same 16-patch block and used the leftover fabrics in the border and on the back.

Diane also did a repeat of one block for a completely different effect. This quilt has an antique look.

The backing fabric is a honeycomb with bees.

Carol had finished this sampler quilt, which she plans to drape over a chair.

Rebecca’s Pink Floyd has been quilted:

As well as the bunny.

Both are fused appliqué designs of Laura Heine. I spent the meeting hand-sewing the binding on Johan's I-spy quilt.

In other fiber news, my “So-not-my-palette” cardigan has grown by a couple of inches.

And the first bobbin of the “Waimea Rooster” singles is done for Tour de Fleece (TdF), with a start on the second.

I finished the hand-sewing for Johan’s I-spy quilt, and it's done.

The young man in question is in Mallorca with his parents, aunt and uncle, his brother and his cousin. Here he is shown here on the far left, sporting a new Spanish haircut, on his way to visit Ila Sa Dragonera, where there were lizards nowhere near the size of the Komodo Dragons we once saw, but still pretty cool. From left, Johan, Cousin Leo, Brother Soren and in the second row, Mom. (In the stern is an unidentified boat pilot.)

Of course, some of you are only reading this for an update on Dusty. We made it to Tuesday without mushroom incidents. Then he found the piece of mushroom I had thoughtlessly stupidly tossed back in the bushes on July 4th. It was dried up, but only half there. I couldn’t remember exactly how much of it was left from the incident the week before, so off to the vet’s office, where his stomach contents revealed no mushroom. That meant we didn't have to have him on a special diet for the next few days, because he hadn't ingested any toxins. I left the piece of mushroom with the vet, and she was going to see if she could identify it. She recommended that we get health insurance for Dusty, because she suspects he’s going to be a “very naughty boy.” Naughty, maybe, but stinkin' cute!

Now Dusty is only allowed in the backyard on his leash unless both human parents are present, one to throw the ball and one to guard the mushroom bush. This is speeding up his leash training. He and Rocky have been getting in some good play sessions, though, both with chasing the ball and pretend fighting.

Tuesday he gets his Parvo shot, and presumably can then begin taking actual walks on the street after it takes effect. In the meantime, nap times for the Little Dude and for me have been agonizingly short, as Rocky voices his concern every time a neighbor goes up and down the street in front of our house playing Pokémon GO. I’m afraid they are going to ask to come into my house soon!

GIPHY.C

What's on my needles: The “So-not-my-palette Cardigan” some progress made. Still hand-quilting my Delectable Pathways quilt.

What's on my Featherweight: Binding for Johan’s I-spy quilt is finished, and my machine put away…for now.

What's on my wheel: Still the Waimea Rooster Merino/Tencel from AlohaBlu, continuing to spin for the Tour de Fleece, now on the second bobbin.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished A Study in Sable by Mercedes Lackey and now reading Thornwood House by Anna Romer, both from Audible. Still reading Remember This by Shae Buggs on the Kindle app on my iPad. 

What's in my wine glass: Charles Shaw (aka Two-buck Chuck, or in this case, $2.99) Merlot, which is good and we have in good supply, thanks to our trip to Nevada.

What's my tip of the week: If you have a puppy who likes to chew (drawer pulls, slippers, etc.), get some Bitter Apple and spray it on anything you want to protect without having to watch all the time. Some pups don't care, but most won't chew because they don't like the taste. Fabric (like your jeans legs) may need more applications. If all else fails, order some chain mail from Amazon.com.

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.

Grandmother's House

The Little Red Riding Hood costume is finished:

Here’s the back.

Another view:

The cape pattern is Kit's Christmas Cape by Cathy Bird with adaptations, mostly for length. The yarn is City Tweed HW in “Romance.” You can get more information on my Ravelry page for the project.

I’ve always seen Little Red Riding Hood in a dirndl, although versions the fairy tale appeared in many European countries. I couldn’t find a dirndl pattern I liked, so I had to improvise from a free overall pattern for Pocket Dolls (of all things) and the blouse from The Best Doll Clothes Book by Joan Hinds, but without the collar. For the skirt and apron, I just cut a rectangle (WOF x 11” for the skirt, 19” x a little shorter than the skirt rectangle for the apron). After hemming I sewed three lines of basting at the top of each on the right side and gathered by pulling the bobbin threads. I didn’t remove the threads after sewing the bodice and sash on, but tied them together and cut them off short, so the gathers show on the right side. The bodice opens in front, with an overlap and a placket opening in the skirt.

The dress fabric came from Connecting Threads and was a clearance fabric that seems to be no longer available. The apron fabric was a fat quarter from a quilt shop. The apron and blouse fabrics came from some long-forgotten quilt shops.

I haven’t done the staging for this project yet, but I already have the basket and the wolf. I’m waiting until I can get this doll. I’m not sure the dirndl will fit, because I haven’t been able to find her measurements, but there's some room in the waist. If It doesn’t fit, I’ll just have to make another one. Oh, darn!

I plan to make a Regency costume for Dolly, so she won’t have to stand there nekkid after I send the clothes to Miss Daphne for her birthday.

I needed a project for Dolly while waiting for the Ravelry Forum “American Girl Knitters” February KAL to start on Monday and the Spin Along on Friday. Soooo…I had to CO this dress for her. It’s supposed to be a flower girl dress, but I think it would be a nice Easter outfit. I'm using Stroll in "White" for the contrast color and the main color is Stroll Tweed in "Bare" that I dyed pink with Kool-Aid.

Vintage Stitchers met at Diane’s on Thursday. She had this quilt mounted on the wall in her stairway. She told us all to take a look when we used the powder room.

Brenda is working on this flannel/wool project she had started a long time ago.

It's "Primitive Gatherings" from A Primitive Garden. (No, it isn't upside-down; the plants are hanging.)  Julie is working on this sampler.

I couldn’t find a link for it. Maybe it’s too new. However, I did find this link to a kit Julie bought from the same company, but hasn't started yet.

She participated in a workshop during a quilt retreat recently, where they all had to bring strips of cloth in different sizes. They passed out the strips, and each person took some strips out to sew together. Then they passed what they had sewn to the next person, sort of like musical chairs, except that no one was left out. She ended up with this:

Julie has finished her Cathedral Windows pillow cover.

She has the binding on her flannel/wool felt wall hanging.

Julie also took a class at the quilt retreat where they made several different kinds of blocks. This is a something-halo. (I’ve forgotten the rest of the name.)

I think this is a dahlia.

This flower will be appliquéd onto a background.

She also brought us an old quilt top from the 1950s with a plain acid-green background. It belongs to someone else, so I didn't take a photo. She wanted to finish it, but first she needed to see if she could find the green in a quilt shop. It had a border along one side. Either she needed to remove the border or match the green and finish the border on all sides. I came across her after the meeting at a nearby quilt shop, and she had found just the right thing. It's a very unusual color. She's going to finish the quilt, quilt it and give it back. What a nice friend!

Remember those hexagons Rebecca decided to appliqué onto a background? She has lots of this great fabric to use.

Barbara has finished two identical Cactus Flower wall hangings.

Marilyn made this table runner to replace the one she gave away to Rebecca:

...and this Sparkling Gemstones quilt from Jelly Roll Quilts by Pam and Nicky Lintott. (You may remember that several of the members, including moi, also made this quilt.)

Our hostess has finished this poncho in City Tweed DK. She made it according to the directions, but left off the optional cowl collar. She made it according to the directions, but left off the optional cowl collar. That makes her the third I know person to make this project.

Sundance is over. I had a great time, serving four shifts. Got to rub elbows with a few celebs and saw a few great films. I also got some knitting done while waiting for duty and guarding a door. This cold chap gave me an icy stare as I was leaving. I guess the people in the wait-list line got bored. 

He was almost gone by Saturday. It rained down in town on Friday night, although it snowed at our place. I think he melted because someone reminded him to "stay hydrated" because of the elevation, and he overdid it in the rain.

The snow continues to fall. And fall. [Sigh!]

Spinners, don’t forget, we’re having a Spin Along on the Knitting Community if anyone wants to join in.

Where? Right here, in the Knitting Community Spin Along.

When? Noon next Friday, February 5 until noon on Monday, February 8, 2016, in whatever time zone you're in.

Equipment: Spindle or wheel. (If you want to use the pencil method to spin, that's OK, too.)

Materials: Any spinable fiber. (Dryer lint, anyone?)

No prizes, no pressure, just spinning together and sharing what we’re doing.

What's on my needles:  “Time for Tea” party dress for Dolly. The Trickle Socks, waiting.

What's on my Featherweight: Doll socks, tights and undies.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished The Final Empire by Bandon Sanderson. I really enjoyed this one. I expect to read more by this author. Then I read Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen and narrated by Katherine Kellgren, who also narrated the “Bloody Jack” series. (I checked after I finished the book. One of the accents she had to reproduce rang a bell.) Speaking of bell, I’m now listening to Ashley Bell by Dean Koontz, his latest novel, which came out in December.  Finished The Other Harlow Girl by Lynn Messina on the Kindle app. It was entertaining, but sometimes you feel like the people in it are from today, and they got sent back in time. Now reading A View to Die For by Richard Houston. Not too far along yet, but it seems interesting and occasionally funny.

What's in my wine glass: Trapiche Malbec, 2014. Lovely.

What's my tip of the week: If you visit a location with a high elevation, do as Mr. Sundance Snowman did: avoid exercise, get plenty of rest, limit alcohol and stay hydrated until you get acclimated to avoid altitude (elevation) sickness. How long this takes will depend on your fitness level and the elevation where you live.

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.