Charity Quilting

A couple more charity quilts for Annapolis Quilts for Kids.

It's great to finish this little quilts. 

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. 

Here is the EpochConverter for 2020.  

2020 Charity Quilt Count: 19

Frolic Mystery Quilt

Part 3

I'm still working on my Frolic Mystery Quilt by Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville. I shared previous progress in Part 1 and Part 2 blog posts. 

I was concerned I wouldn't have enough of the green for sashing, but after I cut a few strips of the black I discovered I had just enough.

I'm always challenged by blocks set on point. Not only is there the problem with keeping things from shifting because everything is on the bias, particularly along the edges, but it just takes longer to piece than blocks in rows and columns. In this case the effect is totally worth the extra time. Sashing is also something I rarely do because it is like doubling the number of blocks you need for your quilt. Again, the design wouldn't be as good without sashing. 

I had a handful of half-square triangle units leftover, so I used them as border cornerstones. The border is pieced only to get length (I would not have survived all those half-square-triangle units). The one thing you don't get from this photo, or most of those that have gone before is the scale of this quilt is very different from the original design. I have fewer units and they are considerably larger. This finished top measures approximately 80" by 80". A very respectable size. I'm really glad I decided to wait on this mystery quilt. I modified scale and colors quite a bit. I am so happy with the finished top.

I've set the top aside to work on other things until I get to my local quilt shop to buy some backing fabric.   

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

Vintage Four-Patch

This is what my cutting table looks like most of the time. I move on to the next project and leave a pile of leftovers to put away later. This slows down some of my creativity, but not enough to keep me from doing it again. I had a bunch of strips and squares leftover from my Star Storm Quilt. I decided to trim down some of those leftovers to make some simple four-patch in four-patch blocks.

First, I made a bunch of smaller (4.5" by 4.5") 4-patch units.

Then I joined some to make bigger blocks (8.5" by 8.5"). 

So many happy little 4-patches!

I'll keep working like this until I have enough for a quilt or I run out of fabric. I am unlikely to run out of fabric, so I'm sure to get a quilt. Scrappy will win the day.

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

Charity Quilting

Last week I dropped off seven quilted charity quilts for Annapolis Quilts for Kids.

I also quilted up a couple more for next time.

Mary made these fun butterflies. I wonder if I got them right-side up?

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. 

Here is the EpochConverter for 2020.  

2020 Charity Quilt Count: 17

Little Successes

I wanted to try a crescent-shaped shawl using the linen stitch. I couldn't find any tutorials or patterns, so I made a few assumptions about the stitch, how to increase it, and started stitching.

I only had a single cake of this Mandala so it isn't a very big shawl. I made sure I didn't line up the increases from row to row and it seemed to work out okay. I think this technique is simple. I don't know that explaining it will be as simple.

The fabric is nice. This was my carry-along project for a few weeks.

I added some texture to the last few rows. It was an experiment. I may have to explore the stitch more.

The resulting shape is somewhat crescent-shaped.

More of a shawlette than a full-size shawl. Guess I'll need more yarn next time.

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):
Crochet hooks: Clover Crochet Hook Set (10 hooks)
Lion Brand Mandala is available on Amazon, though you might be able to find it cheaper locally.

Squiggle and Stripe

It took me almost as long to mend in the ends than it took me to finish knitting this shawl. I wasn't too sure about the lumpy shape of the finished piece before blocking.

I really like the squiggle effect. But all those color changes! Four different colors make for beatufule work and lots of ends.

Like usual, I went with wet blocking to get a dramatic shape. This helped get rid of the lumpy bits and brought out the squiggles. It also made the shawl a shawl shape and size. I was concerned it wouldn't be big enough. I shouldn't have been concerned.

Scrunched up it makes a vibrant neck warmer.

Draped it is even more stunning. Overall an easy pattern to follow.

Pattern: Squiggle and Stripe by Stephen West

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):
Addi Turbo circular knitting needle size 15
Knitter's Pride circular knitting needle size 4
Knit Picks Hawthorne

Blocking tools:
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

Charity Quilting

A couple more great little quilts pieced by members of  Annapolis Quilts for Kids.

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. 

Here is the EpochConverter for 2020.  

2020 Charity Quilt Count: 15

Cranky Socks

I grabbed this blue and green Felici by Knit Picks to make a pair of socks for a friend (this color has been discontinued). I realized the colors match my Frolic Mystery Quilt.

This is the first pair of socks I made on my circular sock knitting machine. 

See how well they match! Well, they don't match each other but they match the quilt. I think perfectly matching socks are terribly overrated.

I even made a label for the socks. Because sometimes labels matter.

If you are interested in having sock yarn knit into a tube to knit hybrid socks, drop me an email. If you're local, I can let you know how much it would cost to help you work through that collection of yarn. If you're not local, I can recommend a couple crankers in different parts of North America that might be perfect for you.

2020 sock knitting count:

• Cranked socks: 1 pair (no odd socks)
• Hybrid socks: 0 pair (partially cranked and partially hand-knit) 
• Hand knit socks: 0 pair (and very likely to stay this way forever)

So Many Sharpies

I have been using the super-classy gallon-size ZipLock bag to hold a bunch of Sharpies. I know it isn't fancy, but it works. I wanted to get something to hold all those markers and make it easy to see what colors I had. Fishing around in that plastic bag wasn't conducive to creativity, so I ended up dumping them all out onto my desk and that wasn't much better. 

I did some poking around on Amazon until I found one that was well reviewed and would suit my needs. The Marbrasse Wooden Desk Organizer (affiliate link) was what I settled on. This comes in a flat box and requires some simple assembly. All you really need is a cross-tip screwdriver. An extra set of hands might make assembly easier, but is not required. One caveat: the name says wood, but this is really thin MDF (Medium-density fibreboard). The resemblance to wood is limited. That isn't a recommendation against it. 

After I put the markers from my plastic bag in it, I had room for these other packs I received for my birthday. 

Overall, I'm really pleased with this purchase. How do you stay organized?

Supplies (affiliate links):
Marbrasse Wooden Desk Organizer
Ultra Fine Point Sharpies
Sharpie Electro Pop Permanent Markers, Ultra Fine Point
Sharpie Permanent Markers, Ultra Fine Point, Cosmic Color
Sharpie Permanent Markers, Fine Point, 80s Glam Colors
Fine Point Sharpies
Sharpie Color Burst Permanent Markers, Fine Point
Sharpie Permanent Markers, Fine Point, Cosmic Color
Sharpie Permanent Markers, Fine Point, 80s Glam Colors

Charity Quilting

A couple more great little quilts pieced by members of  Annapolis Quilts for Kids.

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. 

Here is the EpochConverter for 2020.  

2020 Charity Quilt Count: 13

Frolic Mystery Quilt

Part 2

A couple weeks ago I shared Part 1 of my Frolic Mystery Quilt by Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville.

I've been making good progress on the many units that make up this quilt. First, I worked through the corner blocks.

Then, the side blocks.

I was finally filling in units and it was starting to look like a quilt.

This past weekend I managed to finish all the blocks. Now, I move on to the sashing. I don't make many quilts with sashing because it always seems like so much work. Great results, though.

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

Crochet Crazy

Remember this? 

I decided to try another poncho using this yarn. Yarn is Knit Picks Swish. This tonal is no longer available, but they do sell dozens of colors of this superwash wool. 

This is the linen, or moss, stitch. I love the resulting fabric. It's quick to work with worsted yarn. 

This is a work in progress. I'm not sure how far I'll get, or if I'll add another color at some point.

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