Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Virus Poncho in Wizard

I couldn't resist giving this Mandala yarn a try. I decided it might look great as a virus poncho.
I carried it around for weeks. Working on it in the car or while waiting for appointments or for dinner. 
Even when it was little I thought it was pretty awesome. 
More work in the car. 
Until it was a finished object. I used two cakes of yarn for this project. 
I'm glad I gave this yarn a try. It isn't anything fancy, but if you like acrylic for wash-ability, it might be for you. And the colors are pretty fun, too.

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):
Crochet hooks: Clover Crochet Hook Set (10 hooks)

Monday, February 25, 2019

Another Dotted Rays

I started another Dotted Rays early in the year. I've been working on it during those times while I'm waiting, or riding in the car. These little bits of time are rarely wasted.
This one is pretty small as it uses less than 150 grams of sport and DK weight yarn. More of a shawlette than a shawl. The solid is a DK from Knit Picks. The multi is a Knit Picks sport weight yarn I dyed last June.
As usual, I decided a nice wet-blocking would open it up and give it some character.
See, it just fits around my form's shoulders.
Blocking really opens up the details.
An understated shawl but a perfect scarf.

Tools and Supplies (affiliate links):
Needles: Knitter's Pride 6/4 mm Dreamz Fixed Circular Needles, 32"
Blocking mats: Balance From Puzzle Exercise Mat with EVA Foam Interlocking Tiles
Blocking wires: Knit Picks Lace Blocking Wires & T-Pins
Knit blockers: Knitter's Pride Knit Blockers & Pin Kit

Friday, February 22, 2019

Charity Quilting

This week we have a couple bright rainbow charity quilts. This great string quilt was pieced by another member of  Annapolis Quilts for Kids.
Another one from the group.

Here is the EpochConverter for 2019.

2019 Charity Quilt Count: 12

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

The Not Blue Ridge Beauty

I shared a little about my take on Bonnie Hunter's Blue Ridge Beauty in early February. I didn't have a bunch of blues, so I decided to make it with a bunch of reds I had on hand.
The block design is Blue Ridge Beauty from Bonnie Hunter's book Adventures in Leaders and Enders.
I decided to play with the layout in Electric Quilt (I use EQ8). I liked this layout so I rearranged the blocks until I had it on the design wall.
I used a technique called webbing to get the blocks all sewn up in the layout. Such a great technique for keeping the rows organized. If anything is wrong now, it's staying forever. 
I loaded up the quilt with a pieced backing. This quilt really is a great from my stash project. Not buying new fabric to finish a project is even better. 
I quilted it with an all-over flower motif. 
This is a great filler and goes rather quickly. It's one of my favorites. 
And a scrappy binding for the finish!

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
Creative Grids 6.5" Square Ruler
Cheryl Ann's Quilting Design Wall - 72" White
Bonnie Hunter's Book Adventures with Leaders and Enders
Quilt design software: Electric Quilt

Monday, February 18, 2019

Embroidered Pouch

I have a few machine embroidery designs from Disorderly Threads. Occasionally, they announce a discount on new designs through their Disorderly Threads Facebook page. The Octopus design was one I couldn't resist.
This design is an in-the-hoop machine embroidery design. These are great for people that want to do machine embroidery and sew small projects but aren't so great at the sewing part. All the steps, including adding the lining is done completely on the embroidery machine. My bag-making skills are fine, but it is nice to use the embroidery machine to work on something while I'm doing something else. The steps for these projects is clearly outlined in with clearly written directions and photos to help you understand what may be new concepts. This is the step tacking down the applique fabric on the top of the bag.
I really like Disorderly Threads designs because the applique is just right, meaning even if your trimming isn't perfect it will still come out great. This is after I used my Fiskars 4-inch Curved Craft Scissors to trim the excess fabric away.
See how the satin stitch covers all the edges of the applique? Perfect!
Sometimes, even with perfect directions, I end up with an oops. This was a pretty simple fix. I just used the seam ripper to remove the stitches on that flap and ran that step again on the machine. I didn't tape down this piece and it got folded when I loaded the frame on the machine.
Overall a great project. I've been thinking about how I could incorporate this into a larger project, perhaps as an outer pocket on a larger bag. I'll have to think about it for a while, though.

Tools and Supplies (affiliate links):
Fiskars Rotary Cutter
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
Grabbit Magnetic Pin Cushion
Fiskars 8-inch scissors
Fiskars 4-inch Curved Craft Scissors
Dritz Large Seam Ripper
Juki TL-2010Q

Machine Embroidery Design: Octopus In-The-Hoop Embroidery Design by Disorderly Threads

Friday, February 15, 2019

Charity Quilting

Another fun charity quilt! Both of these were constructed by other members of Annapolis Quilts for Kids.
And a panel. Both quilted and headed to Annapolis Quilts for Kids.

Here is the EpochConverter for 2019.

2019 Charity Quilt Count: 10

Wednesday, February 13, 2019

Rattata Stuffie

I pick up every Free Pattern Friday release sew desu ne? hosts. Because I like to be prepared for any stuffie emergency. This isn't an emergency, but I did want to use one of their patterns to make a Pokemon stuffie of Rattata.
I grabbed some purple fleece and set up the embroidery machine to do some fun stitching. The first stitch-out was fine, but poorly aligned, so I had to stitch it out again. Thank goodness I still have fleece. If you want to get into making stuffies, I highly recommend their collection of tutorials. Great stuff!
I cut out all the bits. Some of these seem so small!
I assembled the head. I stitched the center seam a little off-kilter, but I don't mind. 
I modified the tail so I could get the appropriate Rattata curl. 
Assembled the body, then stuffed the head and the body. The hardest part was hand-stitching the head onto the body. I suppose it wasn't difficult. It just took patience. 
Here is the backside. 
That signature tail.
And the darling little face.

Tools and Supplies (affiliate links):
Fiskars Rotary Cutter
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
Grabbit Magnetic Pin Cushion
Fiskars 8-inch scissors
Poly Pellets Weighted Stuffing Beads
Pellon Perfect Loft
Juki TL-2010Q
Rat Plush Pattern

Monday, February 11, 2019

Crochet: Dragon Scale Gloves

A crafty friend of mine shared a desire to make a pair of Dragon Scale Fingerless Mitts. I decided to try my hand at a pair as well. I grabbed a some fun self-striping yarn. This is Knit Picks Chroma Worsted. It is a light worsted, so it worked up great! 
There are loads of tutorials on YouTube to make some version of these mitts. I used this tutorial to learn the stitch. I thought it was a clever way to use simple double crochet stitches to make something different. 
I had just enough of this colorway of yarn to make a short pair of mitts. If you decide to use this yarn, I do recommend two full balls. The cuffs on these are okay, but I would have liked them longer.

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):
Crochet hooks: Clover Crochet Hook Set (10 hooks)

Friday, February 8, 2019

Charity Quilting

Here is another string pieced quilt top I assembled and quilted for Annapolis Quilts for Kids
Another member pieced this fun flannel quilt. I quilted it up and trimmed it. It will head to another member for binding.

Here is the EpochConverter for 2019.

2019 Charity Quilt Count: 8

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Leftovers

I decided not to use the small half-square triangle units in a border for my Good Fortune mystery quilt. That meant I had to find a home for them.
I did some quilt math, and discovered I had enough to get half way to a crib quilt. I pulled out some coordinating prints and got stitching.
I also used the narrow string pieces to make the inner border on the quilt. A fun print of numbers and I had a complete crib-sized quilt top. I have some snuggly flannel in a coordinating color around here somewhere, I'm sure. Not bad for leftovers. This is a great Sew My Stash 2019 project.

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
4.5" Easy Angle Ruler
Creative Grids 6.5" Square Ruler
Cheryl Ann's Quilting Design Wall - 72" White

Monday, February 4, 2019

The Not Blue Ridge Beauty

In an attempt to work through my ridiculous amount of fabric, I decided I should add one of Bonnie Hunter's projects to my list for the year. This year, I did not make a Get It Done UFO Challenge list. I finished all the quilts last year, and didn't have a stack to put on the list. I didn't even have an unfinished quilt beyond Good Fortune.
I'm not excited about putting completely nascent projects on the list. That doesn't mean I don't have plans for the year. Just that I don't have things leftover from last year. The block design is Blue Ridge Beauty from Bonnie Hunter's book Adventures in Leaders and Enders. If you haven't tried a Bonnie Hunter design, I highly recommend you check out her blog Quiltville. There you will find free patterns, tips, tricks, and even paid digital patterns. All great stuff.
It isn't made with blues, but it is still turning out to be a beauty. I made some of the units as leaders and enders and I have been working on units between other projects.
I have also decided to keep track of the fabric that comes into my studio. A local quilt shop had a sale on Sunday and I ventured out to pick up some Kona Cotton Snow. I am planning another big project and needed a cohesive background fabric. I don't often have this much (five yards) of a single fabric. I prefer to use several different background fabrics. This is intended to pair with a stack of 1930s reproduction prints I have been collecting for far too long. Keep an eye out for that one sometime this year.

Fabric purchased this year: 5 yards

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
Creative Grids 6.5" Square Ruler
Cheryl Ann's Quilting Design Wall - 72" White
Bonnie Hunter's Book Adventures with Leaders and Enders

Friday, February 1, 2019

Charity Quilting

I've been working through the charity quilts at a good pace. I'm hoping to finish up all the tops I have before the next meeting. This is one of the string quilts I pieced. These are fun to make. 
This cute panel quilt is quilted and ready to go to another member of binding.

Here is the EpochConverter for 2019.

2019 Charity Quilt Count: 6