Sunday, September 28, 2014

Quilting ADD...

So apparently I can't finish one thing before starting another... I've had a plan for my FQ stack of Sunnyside for aaaaages... I just haven't had a chance to work on it! But since working on my Meadow quilt (which is finished - more on that later this week!) I've gotten a fire lit under me for piecing. So I decided to make a "sample" block... which turned into 6, which turned into cutting out the whole quilt. And I've even gotten the backing already! (I am SO BAD about making tops and then procrastinating on the backs forever!)

Sunnyside

Sunnyside


So here is what I have so far - I'm using Tula Pink's Treasure Hunt pattern, which she released for Acacia.

Sunnyside

I'm still working on this pretty steadily, so I'm sure I'll have some more to share soon!

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Knitting progress!

So in my lack of time for quilting while in grad school, I've been very happy to have a little bit of knitting to turn to in the evenings when I just need a few minutes to unwind. I started knitting last fall, and I think I've made some progress, but there is still a long way to go before I would consider myself proficient...

My first pair of socks was a worsted-weight "learning" pair that turned out ok, and I've since finished another pair!

These are Hermione's Everyday Socks in some Joann's yarn. I did these cuff down with a fish-lips kiss heel. I really liked these, but I had to frog the first sock because it was waaaay too small for my size 10 feet! I restarted them on slightly larger needles, with a slightly higher stitch count, and they turned out pretty well! I would consider them a tiiiiny bit too big, but they fit really well just after they're washed.

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I actually finished these a while ago (much like the pillow...) but never blogged about them. I've almost finished another pair since! These are not quite finished, I have like 5 rows left of the cuff on the second sock. These are my first toe-ups and I LOVE how that worked! I didn't have to worry about running out of yarn at the toe! I just did vanilla stockinette, pleasantly mindless for tv watching, etc. These socks are from the same dye lot but the blues look VERY different. The yarn was another cheap Joann's purchase, so I'm not terribly upset.

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I also bought some "good" yarn for a Color Affection shawl! I'm very excited about this! I started it the other night (since the other socks are almost done and I want something on needles at all times!) and looked at some of the mods people made on Ravelry. I'm doing KFBs instead of the M1s, and I'm adding yarn overs to the right side rows.

I've already had to frog it once, since my dropped YOs left big holes, (you can see them here, this picture is the first attempt) but I've started it again putting the YO between knit stitches instead of between a knit and KFB. It's looking better already!

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I'll keep you posted as to how this goes, I've never done colorwork before, and I'm excited about it!

Monday, September 15, 2014

Forgotten Finish!

You might not even remember when I started this project... last summer!

Jumped right on some vacation sewing late last night thanks to a quick last minute trip to @quiltrva yesterday to grab some @paperpiecesepp ☺


I love hand work, and this was no exception. I remember distinctly working on this while my grandmother was in the hospital last year, just before she passed away. Maybe that's why I put it away for so long?

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I even had a moment of ineptitude where I wasn't paying attention - don't try to hand piece and watch Scandal! At least it was an easy fix.

So this is what happens when you try to sew and watch scandal at the same time... Oops.


But anyway, I actually finished this several months ago, and neglected to share it with you. But here it is!

I quilted it with straight lines radiating out from the peach ring, with Aurifil 2600 (my go-to for everything!) The back is a simple pocket with navy Pearl Bracelets.

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Monday, September 8, 2014

Something Sunny :-)

Remember this picture?

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I really love Meadow by Leah Duncan. I made enough blocks for a little quilt. (I'm also actually hoarding a half-yard bundle of Tule, just waiting for the right moment...)

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I liked it so much, in fact, that I decided to make more blocks.

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Then I decided I wanted to put it on my bed, so I made even more.

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These blocks are done now, so I just have to put them together and finish the top!