Crochet Crazy

When I saw the Blooming Star (Ravelry link) pattern  I just had to buy it and give it a try. This was my walk through following the video tutorial. I love how two yarns create this great brioche effect. I can't wait to try it with some ombre yarns. Have you tried any new techniques recently?  

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Crochet hooks: Clover Crochet Hook Set (10 hooks)

Stitch markers: CLOVER Lock Ring Markers 20/pkg 

100 Blocks 100 Days Finish

I grabbed my scrappy binding and got stitching. 

I love all the little details in this quilt. Look at that little skeleton!

I used almost 30 feet of binding and I didn't even make a dent in that bin of leftover binding. 

This was my all-time favorite sampler quilt. Just a great project. 

Check out the great images folks are sharing on Instagram under #100days100blocks2021. Newly finished quilts are showing up so you can see how people are putting these blocks together. 

Pattern: Kinship: 100 Block Fusion Sampler 

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Creative Grids 6.5" x 24.5" Rectangle 
Creative Grids 4.5" x 12.5" Rectangle Quilting Ruler

Wrights 4.5" Easy Angle ruler

Fiskars Rotary Cutter
Fiskars Rotary Cutter replacement blades
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
BLACK+DECKER Classic Steam Iron
Grabbit Magnetic Pin Cushion
Fiskars 8-inch scissors

Juki TL-2010Q

Dritz Craft Pins, 1-3/4-Inch (250-Count)

Charity Quilting

After a slow start to my week (I was doing things not fun, nor crafty) I finally picked up some speed. 

First, I pieced a little charity quilt using some 5" squares I had leftover from other projects. 

Laying them out was likely the longest part of making this quilt. I didn't have that many sets of five to make the pluses. In the end I think it worked out fine. I may need to see how many more charm squares I have and make another. 

This little cutie was mad using even more leftovers. This time, the 2.5" squares and the 4.5" squares. I love taking these little bits of leftover fabric and making a quilt. So satisfying. 

If you want to contribute but don't have the time or skills, you can support the national Quilts for Kids by shopping through Amazon Smile. I don't earn anything from this link. This link lets your purchases support Quilts for Kids through Amazon. I don't add affiliate links to my charity quit posts on purpose. I donate my time, my machine, my thread, and my skill to the cause. 

My personal goal is to quilt at least one quilt per week throughout the year. To that end, check out the EpochConverter for 2022 to see how I'm stacking up.

2022 Charity Quilt Count: 22

Crazy Week

This week has been a little crazy. Not bad. Just not as productive as I wanted it to be. 

As a demonstration, here is what my cutting table looked like at bedtime on Tuesday. Hopefully I will have something more substantial to share on Friday. Enjoy the rest of your week!

100 Blocks 100 Days

I finished my blocks in October 2021. 

I managed to get the blocks arranged and sewn up in March 2022. These things don't happen quickly. I added a 3" border to frame those 100 blocks. 

I even pieced the backing, because that's how scrappy quilts can be. 

For binding, I dug into my bin of leftover binding. Yes, this is a thing some quilters have. Mine never gets enough love. There are so many leftover pieces. I need to come up with another good scrappy idea to use some more of it up. 

I spend a bunch of time trying to figure out which quilting design to use. I landed on this great flame design from Urban Elementz called Heatwave. I didn't hesitate to pick that pink thread. I will share the finished quilt once I get the quilting finished and the binding attached. 

If you are on the fence about trying out this pattern you can check out the great images folks are sharing on Instagram under #100days100blocks2021. Finished quilts are now showing up so you can see how people are putting these blocks together. 

Pattern: Kinship: 100 Block Fusion Sampler 

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Creative Grids 6.5" x 24.5" Rectangle 
Creative Grids 4.5" x 12.5" Rectangle Quilting Ruler

Wrights 4.5" Easy Angle ruler

Fiskars Rotary Cutter
Fiskars Rotary Cutter replacement blades
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
BLACK+DECKER Classic Steam Iron
Grabbit Magnetic Pin Cushion
Fiskars 8-inch scissors

Juki TL-2010Q

Dritz Craft Pins, 1-3/4-Inch (250-Count)

Frolic Mystery Quilt

Part 4: Quilting

It has been ages since I finished my version of Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt Frolic. This was the Quiltville Winter Mystery for the 2019/2020 season. I played with colors so I could use some fabrics I had on hand. I went with constant fabrics throughout and most of them read as solids. There are solids, but not as many as it seems upon first glance. 

I added my embroidered label directly onto the backing fabric prior to quilting. I really like this as it makes sure that label stays with the quilt.  

I chose the quilting design Quagmire from Urban Elementz to keep with the on-point design. 

I quilted it rather large (approximately 1" between lines of stitching) and I love the finish. I wonder if I cut binding for this one when I finished the top. Now it's trimmed and ready for that binding. 

You can buy a copy of the digital pattern for Frolic directly from Quiltville. 

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Creative Grids 6.5" x 24.5" Rectangle
Fiskars Rotary Cutter
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
BLACK+DECKER Classic Steam Iron
Grabbit Magnetic Pin Cushion
Fiskars 8-inch scissors
Juki TL-2010Q
6.5" Easy Angle Ruler
4.5" Easy Angle Ruler
Companion Angle Ruler
Wing Clipper
Creative Grids 6.5" Square Ruler
Cheryl Ann's Quilting Design Wall - 72" White

Cranky Socks

This time, with self-striping yarn from Knit Picks. This was fun adventure in stitch manipulation. Yarn is Felici from Knit Picks. Knit Picks regularly has this yarn on sale and changes the colorways regularly. I wear socks made with this yarn regularly. It is a delight to work with. 

Pairs of socks knit in 2022: 9

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Knitter's Pride Aqua Sock Blockers, Medium

Fiskars 7 Inch Softgrip Student Scissors (snipping yarn)
5 Pieces 5 Different Size Bent Latch Hook Crochet Needle Hook (picking up dropped stitches)
Cable Clamp PRO Cable Management 4 Pack (used in place of weight buckle)
Brightech Lightview Pro Flex - Hands Free, Magnifying Glass Desk Lamp for Close Work (lens removed)
Zibra PB100LZR Grip-n-Glide 1-Inch Round Trim Paint Brush (to clean lint/dust from machine)
24 Pack Metal Rectangular Empty Hinged Tins (hold extra machine needles)
addi Express Hook (picking up dropped stitches, hanging setup bonnet, finishing missed stitches)
Do4U Drinking Home Office Table Desk Side Huge Clip (I use it to hold the ball/cake of yarn while I crank but it could hold your drink, too)
BLACK+DECKER WM225-A Portable Project Center and Vise (this is my machine stand, slightly modified for a larger work surface)

RuMe Bags Baggie All (Aspen) (to hold my hand-finishing supplies: yarn needle, needle threader, scissors, Kitchener directions, stitch markers, etc) 

Meeples and Monsters

In case you don't know, I love  a good board game Kickstarter. Meeples and Monsters from AEG is one of those board games. 

The finish on everything in this box is just awesome! Look at these bags. So many times everything in a Kickstarter project is great except they cheap-out on the bags for dice, or pieces. These are big enough to get your hand into easily. 

Printed meeples are necessary for this game but they add a little to the overall finish. Yes, some of those are just gray, which is intentional. We call those the drunken meeples. It will make more sense if you play the game. And yes, one is missing an arm. That missing tiny arm is the only thing wrong with this game and it doesn't affect game play. 

We played through a couple times during the last game night. It went well, if slowly the first time. 

I mean, look at this first player dragon meeple! Isn't it awesome! I think so. As part of full disclosure, I didn't win either time. Maybe next time. 

I hope your Pi Day is a good one. 

Games and supplies (affiliate links): 

Here are some easy-to-get games from AEG that we have enjoyed. 

Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG) Smash Up - 4 players, loads of fun expansions

Space Base - 2-4 players

Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG) Thunderstone Quest - 2-4 players

Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG) Calico - 1-4 players

Roll-Play Board Game Mat 3' x 4' | Neoprene Tabletop - this is the one I purchased in 2019. It is no longer available but the page is a great jumping-off point to find one that is available. 

Charity Quilting

This one was pieced by Mary for Annapolis Quilts for Kids.

Julie pieced this one. It's great to work with people that give their time and energy to this project. 

Mary pieces some great scrappy quilts for Annapolis Quilts for Kids. This is another winner. 

If you want to contribute but don't have the time or skills, you can support the national Quilts for Kids by shopping through Amazon Smile. I don't earn anything from this link. This link lets your purchases support Quilts for Kids through Amazon. I don't add affiliate links to my charity quit posts on purpose. I donate my time, my machine, my thread, and my skill to the cause. 

My personal goal is to quilt at least one quilt per week throughout the year. To that end, check out the EpochConverter for 2022 to see how I'm stacking up.

2022 Charity Quilt Count: 20

Cranky Socks

Let's talk about texture. I saw this simply circular sock machine pattern in the Circular Sock Machine Knitters Facebook group. I decided to give it a try. I must admit, I dropped a stitch early on my first try so I had to restart. Overall, a fun way to manipulate stitches and come up with something different. 

The next time I try this I'm going to use self-striping yarn. I think that will be exciting. 

Pairs of socks knit in 2022: 8

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Knitter's Pride Aqua Sock Blockers, Medium

Fiskars 7 Inch Softgrip Student Scissors (snipping yarn)
5 Pieces 5 Different Size Bent Latch Hook Crochet Needle Hook (picking up dropped stitches)
Cable Clamp PRO Cable Management 4 Pack (used in place of weight buckle)
Brightech Lightview Pro Flex - Hands Free, Magnifying Glass Desk Lamp for Close Work (lens removed)
Zibra PB100LZR Grip-n-Glide 1-Inch Round Trim Paint Brush (to clean lint/dust from machine)
24 Pack Metal Rectangular Empty Hinged Tins (hold extra machine needles)
addi Express Hook (picking up dropped stitches, hanging setup bonnet, finishing missed stitches)
Do4U Drinking Home Office Table Desk Side Huge Clip (I use it to hold the ball/cake of yarn while I crank but it could hold your drink, too)
BLACK+DECKER WM225-A Portable Project Center and Vise (this is my machine stand, slightly modified for a larger work surface)

RuMe Bags Baggie All (Aspen) (to hold my hand-finishing supplies: yarn needle, needle threader, scissors, Kitchener directions, stitch markers, etc) 

Effortless Twin Pouch

Spencer Ogg recently posted a free tutorial to make the Effortless Twin Pouch. A friend of mine is a big fan of their patterns. I learned about this tutorial through the Facebook Spencer Ogg Bag Sewing Group. I popped over to the site and checked it out. 

These are my fabrics for the two pouches I made. 

Zippers are from ZipIt on Etsy. Excellent selection and service. My favorite source for zippers in an amazing array of colors and sizes. 

This is a great little project that uses about one fat quarter worth of fabric and a coordinating zipper. I think it would make a great add-on for swaps. I've already filled the orange one with my pens and pencils to tidy my desk. I'm sure it would hold your sketching supplies, or colored pencils, for art on the go. 

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Creative Grids 6.5" x 24.5" Rectangle 
Creative Grids 4.5" x 12.5" Rectangle Quilting Ruler

Fiskars Rotary Cutter
Fiskars Rotary Cutter replacement blades
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
BLACK+DECKER Classic Steam Iron
Grabbit Magnetic Pin Cushion
Fiskars 8-inch scissors

Juki TL-2010Q

Dritz Craft Pins, 1-3/4-Inch (250-Count)

Charity Quilting

This scrappy beauty was pieced by Mark for Annapolis Quilts for Kids. 

I love working with Annapolis Quilts for Kids. I love knowing these little quilts will go to children in need. 

If you want to contribute but don't have the time or skills, you can support the national Quilts for Kids by shopping through Amazon Smile. I don't earn anything from this link. This link lets your purchases support Quilts for Kids through Amazon. I don't add affiliate links to my charity quit posts on purpose. I donate my time, my machine, my thread, and my skill to the cause. 

My personal goal is to quilt at least one quilt per week throughout the year. To that end, check out the EpochConverter for 2022 to see how I'm stacking up.

2022 Charity Quilt Count: 17

Cranky Socks

Last week I cranked two pair of socks. First up was this great yarn from Knitterly Things. Such great colors in the Vesper Sock Yarn Club. This is the December 2021 colorway Woodsy. 

The semi-solid for the toes and heels is just perfect!

These bright socks were made using Activ yarn I purchased from CSM Supplies. If you want to knit with yarn from a cone and have hard-wearing socks, this is the yarn for you. Color choices are constantly changing. I would buy one of each if I wasn't already drowning in yarn. 

Pairs of socks knit in 2022: 7

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Knitter's Pride Aqua Sock Blockers, Medium

Fiskars 7 Inch Softgrip Student Scissors (snipping yarn)
5 Pieces 5 Different Size Bent Latch Hook Crochet Needle Hook (picking up dropped stitches)
Cable Clamp PRO Cable Management 4 Pack (used in place of weight buckle)
Brightech Lightview Pro Flex - Hands Free, Magnifying Glass Desk Lamp for Close Work (lens removed)
Zibra PB100LZR Grip-n-Glide 1-Inch Round Trim Paint Brush (to clean lint/dust from machine)
24 Pack Metal Rectangular Empty Hinged Tins (hold extra machine needles)
addi Express Hook (picking up dropped stitches, hanging setup bonnet, finishing missed stitches)
Do4U Drinking Home Office Table Desk Side Huge Clip (I use it to hold the ball/cake of yarn while I crank but it could hold your drink, too)
BLACK+DECKER WM225-A Portable Project Center and Vise (this is my machine stand, slightly modified for a larger work surface)

RuMe Bags Baggie All (Aspen) (to hold my hand-finishing supplies: yarn needle, needle threader, scissors, Kitchener directions, stitch markers, etc)