Sapphire thinks she has claimed the quilt! Stepping out of my comfort zone is the name of the game. Back when I used to travel all the time for work, I made it a point to visit local quilt stores in search of treasures (that is what I call every piece of fabric in my stash). Once, while working in Orlando, Florida, I found a quilt store on West Colonial Drive (it is no longer in business) which only sold Civil War fabrics. As I walked in, their vast selection of dark and muted colors … [Read more...] about Hand quilted lap quilt
Never too old to learn new tricks…
I completed two more blocks for my knitted afghan. It is supposed to have 24 blocks, but I will make two with 12 blocks each. The picture above shows the block with Yarn Overs (gate stitch) - I think I finally learned it! My first attempt at this block ended with the creation of an entirely different block (see it here) which will, nevertheless, be included in the afghan. This is another cable block (big and small cables). This pattern is so beautiful I think I will eventually make a bag … [Read more...] about Never too old to learn new tricks…
Sewing for the Kitchen
Take a look at the apron I just made and tell me if you notice anything familiar: Yep, I recycled one of my husband's shirts (while he is out of town...)! I wish I could say it was my idea, but I got it from the book Kitchen Stitches - Sewing Projects to Spice up your Home, published by Martingale, which I received for review. I was [virtually] thumbing through it when I saw the apron (picture below) - it was love at first sight! The shirt had a logo which I covered with the … [Read more...] about Sewing for the Kitchen
Freemotion flannel quilt
Just had some 'fun' quilting this lap quilt for my bedroom chair. It is a companion to the quilt I made for my bed. The colors on the picture are not quite right - it is snowing here today - but you can get an idea. I purposedly quilted it with a large motif: first, I wanted it to be really soft; second, I think it is easier to freemotion quilt a flannel top using a large, overall, design. The word 'easier' is relative... I usually SITD when quilting flannel projects as I don't want to … [Read more...] about Freemotion flannel quilt
Cute Quilts for Kids
Photo by Brent Kane for Martingale Ohhh, I am in trouble! I have just received this book - Cute Quilts for Kids by Kristin Roylance - from Martingale for review, and can't wait to start one of the beautiful quilts for my grandson. The quilt featured on the book cover ("Are We There Yet?") is a great example of Kristin's fun design ideas and innovative construction methods, bringing a breath of fresh air to the more traditional, pastel-colored baby quilts. Photo by Brent Kane for … [Read more...] about Cute Quilts for Kids
Knitted blocks
These are the latest blocks I finished for my afghan: The one with cables turned out really nice. The pattern is really beautiful and the yarn I used emphasized the cable design. The next block has a funny story: The pattern included YO (yarn over). I was so happy to be making another block that I completely forgot what YO meant, even though it was spelled out along with SSK, for our convenient reference... Instead, I kept thinking that YO meant 'yarn over the needle', and I carefully … [Read more...] about Knitted blocks