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The Unbroken Thread » Blog Archive » Marriage Pillowe: Laid work

2011-09-23T18:27:00.000-07:00

The Unbroken Thread » Blog Archive » Marriage Pillowe: Laid work

A couple more blackwork flowers

2011-09-16T18:44:00.000-07:00

Amigurumi minion

2011-09-13T18:08:00.000-07:00

I saw this little guy on Craftsy, and I just had to share! Isn't he just the cutest?

Help the needle artists who have lost so much on the Texas fires!

2011-09-12T17:32:00.000-07:00

I saw this on Kathy Shaw's blog Shawkl, and am posting it here for whoever actually reads my blog. There are other organizations who will provide these people with the basics, but for most of us crafters, our stash and our work are just about as important (some will say more so). Anything you can do to help restore this link to sanity and normalcy to the people who've lost so much in these fires will be greatly appreciated.

I’m requesting that you read it…and if you have a blog, or belong to a quilting or needle-arts group/guild/club that you make them aware of the effort as well. Getting the word out is most appreciated!!

QUOTE: The following letter is being sent to this and several other needlework sites. I am hoping we can get a good response that will rock the socks off of the Bastrop community!

We are all aware of the devastating fires that recently shook eastern Texas. We know several ladies who have been affected by these fires. For instance, Michele P., and Debi H. both of Bastrop have lost there homes completely to the fires there this past week as have several other of our stitching friends. Lyn G., who is also from Bastrop, has her home still standing but she was totally without power/electricity for several days. Frannie S. and Kay F. of nearby Cedar Creek have their homes still standing but they had been evacuated. All three of these last ladies have suffered a great deal of smoke damage to everything in their homes, including their stash.

The members of Stitchmap are working on coordinating donations for helping to replace the stash of the ladies who lost everything and those who may have suffered smoke damage beyond repair. We are accepting donations of all types of stash from scissors, floss, fabric, mags/books, needles, etc. If you use it in CQ, embroidery, quilting or other types of needlework, they can definitely use it to replace what has been lost. We have also had a suggestion that a donation of gift cards for the local needlework supply stores - such as the local quilt shop, Joanns, Hobby Lobby, etc. - might be a good idea so that they can replace those items like cutting mats, etc. that are awkward to mail. Whatever we can do to help will be done.

It is our intention to collect the donations at one central location here in Colorado. Then we will personally transport a delivery as soon as we hear that they have had a chance to regroup, talk with their insurance agents and that they have decided whether to rebuild or move into some already built place. Some are living in 5th wheelers right now. We are coordinating with one of our Austin members (just 30 miles away from Bastrop) who will help oversee the distribution of the Christmas ornament donations. Without a place to store the needlework stash donations, and with the holidays soon approaching, it seems senseless to send that to them right now. I am sure they have more important things to worry about at the moment than where to put a new donation of stash. We have had a watertight, covered 8 'x 12' trailer offered for hauling the things down to Texas (can we say Road Trip!) and to deliver the stuff to these stitchers personally. Several of us from Colorado will be going down at the time so there will be a complete accounting for all donations.

Here is the plan: Once the fire victims who have lost everything have had an opportunity to take what they can use from our donations, we will arrange for the members of their local quilting group (who were also affected but not to the degree of losing everything) to have an opportunity to take what they can use. If there is anything left at that point we will offer it to the local community to help replace what may have been lost by any stitchers in the area. We are working on establishing a site to set the donations out so that these needle-woman can come and see what is offered/donated. We are working on a method of advertising this opportunity to the community beforehand. It is our intention to come home with an empty trailer.

ALSO: In the meantime, we have agreed to work on helping to replace precious handmade Christmas ornaments for these fire victims. We would be more than willing to include your ornaments among the donations if you are inclined to make some for them.

Everyone will be credited on a list of donors that will be given to the recipients. We are targeting the week of Thanksgiving as the completion date for Christmas ornaments so that we can get them to Texas before Christmas. We will take stash donations between now and the end of the year, to be delivered in person right after the first of the year, hopefully. Exact delivery date will depend on their ability to receive something at the time.

If you would like to help in this effort please contact me privately (if you haven't already) at ladyjspice@aol.com or call me at 719-392-6303. I will be in touch with you right away with more information and details.

Hugs, Shari Jensen (Colorado)
Stitchmap Yahoo Group Owner

ENDQUOTE

Donations should be mailed directly to Shari. Please email her or call her to obtain her address for mailing/shipping/drop-off. Please spread the word! Thanks so much!!!

blackwork flower motifs

2011-09-10T17:14:00.001-07:00

I've been working on some small flower motifs to add to my crazy quilt.

More blackwork

2011-09-07T19:23:00.001-07:00

I did the next step of the long & short stitch tutorial, but I realized that I'm really just not into it right now. So I went back to doing blackwork - motifs this tome that I can use to embellish my crazy quilt blocks.

Long and Short Stitch Shading Lessons

2011-09-03T16:39:00.001-07:00

I've started working on Mary Corbett's Long and Short Stitch Shading Lessons. As you can see, I haven't made a lot of progress yet, just the first step of the first part of the first lesson. Of course, this is the second time I've stitched it. The first time, I didn't make my stitches nearly long enough. Now to try step two.

Blackwork Heart on Crazy block

2011-08-30T17:53:00.001-07:00

I've done some embellishing on the crazy block set around the blackwork heart. I think I'm going to do some more on it, but for the moment, I'm going to set it aside in favor of starting on Mary Corbet's long and short stitch lessons, which I mentioned in my last post.

Meanwhile, I thought you might like to see what my worktable looks like. The four-block crazy section that has the blackwork heart on it completely takes up the empty space on the table.

Stitch Painting

2011-08-25T19:27:00.000-07:00

I just finished downloading Mary Corbet's Long and Short Stitch Shading Lessons from her site: Needle 'N Thread, where she has all kinds of good embroidery-related info, from tutorials and videos to book reviews and designs to download. I strongly urge you to check it out.

Meanwhile, amid the blackwork and the crazy quilt and the combination thereof, I mean to start working on long and short stitch in the not terribly distant future. I'll be sure to post pics for you when I do.

and so, so the blackwork heart becomes part of the crazy quilt

2011-08-24T18:48:00.001-07:00

I'll post another pic once I've embellished the exposed seams.

Blackwork Heart Complete!

2011-08-22T14:49:00.001-07:00

I've finished stitching my blackwork heart last night, and I've decided what to do with it - or at least what my next step will be. I'm going to put together some of my crazy quilt blocks that I haven't embellished yet, and applique the heart in the middle. Then I'll embellish the exposed areas of the crazy quilt blocks.

Then I'll have to decide what I'm going to do with that.

And now back to the Blackwork Heart Project

2011-08-20T19:39:00.001-07:00

I've finished section 9. Just one more to go, and then I have to figure what I'm going to do with it. Any suggestions?

We intrerrupt the Blackwork Heart Project for this helpful message

2011-08-20T18:24:00.000-07:00

Many of you may know that I've been out of work for two years, and I'm sure a lot of you are in similar straits, or at least you're having to cut way back on spending for crafting supplies. Here's an article from the Cloth-Paper-Scissors blog with 10 tips for how to keep crafting when resources are tight.

If the link doesn't work for you, paste the following into your browser's address window:

http://www.clothpaperscissors.com/blogs/clothpaperscissorstoday/archive/2011/08/15/10-creative-tips-for-tough-times.aspx?utm_source=WIR&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Qr110820e&a=qr110820

Blackwork Heart Project

2011-08-18T13:45:00.001-07:00

Here's section 8 done!

Blackwork Heart Project

2011-08-16T19:27:00.001-07:00

I would have have finished this section sooner, but I started it with a different pattern. I was almost halfway done with it when I decided I didn't like it, and picked it all out.

Blackwork Heart Project

2011-08-13T17:50:00.000-07:00

Moving right along, with section 6 completed. I find it interesting to note that, of all the patterns I tested before starting this project, I've only used two.

Blackwork Heart Project

2011-08-11T15:35:00.001-07:00

I just finished section five. The sort-of-concentric circles made me feel like I was seeing double. I don't know whether I'll use this pattern again.

Blackwork Heart Project

2011-08-08T18:19:00.001-07:00

I just finished section four. The pattern came out rather more square than I thought it would. I'll have to pick something a bit rounder to go next to it.

Blackwork Heart Project

2011-08-05T14:02:00.001-07:00

I got section three finished, and I have plenty of daylight left to get a good start on section four.

Blackwork Heart Project

2011-08-04T20:21:00.000-07:00

I thought I was going to get this section done today, but my kitten had other plans. :-)

2011-08-03T19:48:00.000-07:00

Well, it took me longer than I thought it would, but I've finished the section. What do you think?

Blackwork Heart Project

2011-07-30T20:03:00.001-07:00

I've started the second section. I tried a different pattern, but after several tries, it just wasn't working for me, so I decided to use this one. Which is why it's not in the top section; I didn't want to put this pattern so close to the first one.

Blackwork Heart Project

2011-07-29T18:18:00.001-07:00

I've finished the first section of my blackwork heart. Now to pick the pattern for the next section.

Blackwork Heart Project

2011-07-27T15:08:00.000-07:00

Last night I stitched all the outlines; the outside line is in chain stitch, in #5 pearl cotton; the interior lines are in stem stitch, in #8 pearl cotton. This morning I hooped it, and started stitching the first fill pattern, using one strand of DMC cotton floss. Actually, I had it set up in a frame, but found it too awkward to work around that big shape. The hoop is easier.

Blackwork Samples

2011-07-25T20:38:00.000-07:00

These are done in one strand of DMC floss over one thread of 32-count linen.

Blackwork Samples

2011-07-25T20:34:00.001-07:00

These were done in two strands of DMC embroidery floss over one thread on 18-count linen.

Blackwork Heart Project

2011-07-24T21:31:00.000-07:00

I'm in the planning stages of a new project (I know, I have so many projects waiting to be finished, but you know how I am, I'll get back to them, I promise. Eventually). This will be an embroidered heart in a crazy-patch style, with the patches filled in with different blackwork embroidery patterns. Toward that end, I've been spending a lot of time over the last few days stitching up sample bits of various fill patterns. I'll post pics of the samples sometime in the next few days.

2011-07-24T21:29:00.001-07:00

Okay, this is the last one for now:

2011-07-24T21:27:00.000-07:00

2011-07-24T21:25:00.000-07:00

2011-07-24T21:24:00.000-07:00

2011-07-24T21:23:00.000-07:00

2011-07-24T21:22:00.000-07:00

2011-07-24T21:20:00.000-07:00

Crazy for Quilting

2011-07-24T21:10:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a crazy quilt that will actually fit in our bed (I think)! I've made over 200 blocks, which will finish a 5" x 5". Of those. I've got over 30 embellished. Here's one of them. I guess I'll have to post them one at a time, since I can't seem to make multiple images play nicely right now.

Catching up...

2011-07-24T21:05:00.000-07:00

Since the last time I posted, I've had cataract surgery on both eyes, and can now see distant things without glasses! The trade-off is that since I'm no longer near-sighted, instead of holding small stitching close up to see it, I have to hold it farther away, and use magnifiers. It's hard to change a life-long habit, but I'm determined!

tiny knitted candy corn

2010-10-19T20:48:00.001-07:00

I saw these and I just had to share!

Welcome back to Tactile Arts Play Group!

2010-10-06T19:56:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm back, after a long absence. I won't bore you with why I was away. Never mind that, I'm back now. I won't be able to post pictures for a while yet, because my old printer/scanner won't speak to my new computer, so I need to get a new printer/scanner, but that has to wait until after Honey gets a new computer. You'll have to settle for words in the meantime.

The big news today is that Sharon B of Pin Tangle has started issuing modules for a stitch dictionary. You can read all about it here.

What I'm up to this week

2008-09-27T16:50:00.000-07:00

Well, I've made a little progress on the Cathedral Windows piece, but the tutorial is going to have to wait awhile. I got new batteries for my camera, but it's still dead. So, in a couple of weeks (after the rent is paid), I'll finally get a digital camera. Nothing high-end, because that's just not in the budget at all. But Radio Shack has quite a few decent ones for about $100 or so.

Meanwhile, One of the quilting email groups I belong to is doing a mystery: all in the color family. I spent a couple of hours today rummaging through my stash, and wound up pulling fabric for four different colorways of this quilt. Now I'm prewashing everything before I cut. I always prewash my fabrics (one at a time, in the sink), because I want them to do any bleeding or shrinking they might do before I've used them in a quilt. Know what I mean?

And those lovely two-inch stars I did for the mini swap? Were supposed to be three inches square. Oh well, I don't have time before the deadline to redo them, so either people will be okay with sashing them up to three inches, or I'll get my own blocks back.

The paper-piecing group that did the four-inch teacup block swap has started a six-inch stocking block swap for the holidays. The deadline for that is December 1, so I have plenty of time.

I've sketched out the next part of the "Opening Your Creative Eye" series, so I'll try to get that posted tomorrow. I still need to carry out that step on my example picture, so you can see what I'm talking about.

Well, the timer just went off to tell me that it's time to swap fabrics in the sink. Later!

Opening Your Creative Eye

2008-09-21T13:48:00.000-07:00

The preceding three pictures have several things in common:

They are all from nature
They all play with shapes, colors, and textures
They're about seasons: two spring, one fall

What about your pictures? What do you see when you look at the world?

Opening Your Creative Eye

2008-09-21T13:43:00.001-07:00

I love trees that get flowers on them, before they even have leaves. There's just something reaaly special about, that really says "Spring" to me. Up close, I see clusters of flowers, elegant in their simplicity. When you look from a distance at the tree covered in these clusters, it kind of looks like popcorn.

Opening Your Creative Eye

2008-09-21T13:41:00.000-07:00

There are several things I like about the third picture:

The contrast of soft new growth to the rough texture of the existing bark
The colors: several shades of green and brown that complement each other
The shapes: the fans of new growth perpendicular to the furrowed trunk.

Opening Your Creative Eye

2008-09-21T13:25:00.000-07:00

I took this picture because I'd never seen ivy that turned red in the fall, and it's such a rich red, like Japanese maple. I also like the lushness of it against the square flat tiles of the wall.

Opening Your Creative Eye

2008-09-21T12:51:00.000-07:00

Many people believe that they are not creative. I believe that many of those people could be creative, if they could learn one thing: how to see like an artist.

I believe that this can, in fact, be taught, and I've been thinking for quite some time about how I might do just that. So here is lesson one.

The first step is to get some pictures of things that appeal to you. These can be pictures that you've taken of things around you or places you've been, or they can be pictures that you've found in magazines. The important thing is that there's something about these pictures that "speaks" to you.

Pick three of those pictures, and ask yourself the following questions about them:

What is it that I like about these pictures?
What (if anything) do these pictures have in common?

I'll follow with a few of my own "inspiration" pictures, so you can see what I mean.

Cathedral Windows Update

2008-09-21T12:38:00.001-07:00

This is what I've gotten done so far on my Cathedral Windows. My friend saw it and wants me to make it king-size, for her. That could take a while, since the colored squares are only 1.5" on a side!

I was going to take pictures today so I could show you a tutorial of how I do my Cathedral Windows, but the battery in my camera is dead. So it's going to be a few weeks until I can put that up, by the time I get a new battery, take pictures on the weekend (because by the time I get home from work there's really not enough light to take good pictures), and then get them developed to CD. Yeah, I'm still using film. The only digital camera I have is on my phone, which is so not up to such a task.

In the meantime, I'll give you the first lesson of a class that I'm developing, called "Opening Your Creative Eye". Stay tuned.

Cathedral Windows Update

2008-09-14T19:41:00.000-07:00

I cut my black background squares last night, and started sewing today, following the tutorial that I linked to earlier. What I discovered was that, sewing by hand (I don't presently have a functioning machine) resulted in some really ugly squares.

So I decided to take a different tack - literally. I had already marked 1/4" from the edge on my squares, for a sewing line. I decided to use that as a line on which to fold and press the edges. Then I folded the square in half, first one way and then the other, finger-pressing to mark the center of the square. Next, I folded each corner toward the center, hiding the folded raw edges. I tacked all the corners down in the center, and pressed all the folds. Then I folded the corners to the center again, again pressing and tacking them down.

Now I have some much-better-looking squares. I've started whip-stitching the squares together, and I've cut the batik squares for the "windows". I'll scan some to show you when I get some more put together.

Mini Stars

2008-09-13T20:37:00.000-07:00

As promised, here's a pic of the mini stars I made for the swap. I made four of each star, and they'll finish at 2" across.

I've Been Away Too Long

2008-09-12T20:20:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry for being such poor correspondent. I've been busy having life.

Anyway, I've recently been able to spend more time playing with fabric, doing some paper-pieced blocks for a couple of online swaps. I'll show you some of them later this weekend.

Meanwhile, I've been inspired by this Cathedral Windows tutorial. I'm going to do a miniature one in black with bright batiks in the "windows".

What are you working on?

The Sweater Is No More

2007-06-19T19:09:00.000-07:00

Yeah, the top-down seamless sweater with the cowl neck. I undid it all on Sunday, for several reasons:

I didn't like the way it was going
I wanted to make this shawl
The only yarn I have enough of to make it is what I was using for the sweater
Buying more yarn is so very not in the budget right now.

So, the sweater had to be sacrificed. The shawl is coming along nicely, though.

What Flower Are You?

2007-06-19T19:02:00.000-07:00

I am a
Hydrangea

What Flower
Are You?

Today, it's all about the Fabric

2007-05-19T10:30:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I scanned a huge stack of my stash into my computer, so I can use it when I play with EQ6. Then, I started washing and pressing it and putting it on the shelves in my soon-to-be studio. This takes awhile, as I wash each piece separately in the sink before pressing it dry. I use the hottest water I can handle, because if it's going to run or shrink, I want that to happen before I use it in something.

Anyway, I still have a good-size stack of scanned fabrics to wash, so that's what I'm working on today.

Monkey Shines update

2007-04-24T20:17:00.000-07:00

This is one of the Monkey Shines blocks. As you can see, I've done the Monkey Wrench in four colors instead of the usual two. It looks really cool, but I realized when I started setting some of the blocks next to each other that it kind of messes with the secondary pattern. Now I'm doing more of them in just two colors. I'm still using all four colors, but only two per block.

Monkey Shines

2007-04-21T13:28:00.000-07:00

I haven't finished my sweater yet (I still have about 12" to go on the cowl neck), but I'm starting a new quilting project. I mentioned last week that I've been playing around with EQ6 again, pulling up some traditional hand piecing patterns to use instead of paper piecing as I usually do. Right now I'm working on a bunch of 6" Monkey Wrench blocks, which I'm calling Monkey Shines because I'm doing it in four colors instead of two. I'll scan a block later this weekend (when I finish some) so you can see them.

Catnip Mousies!

2007-04-15T11:58:00.000-07:00

I went to the Natural Foods store yesterday, and bought (among other things) some buckwheat hulls and some catnip, so I could make some catnip mousies for my kitties. I also bought some lavender, to stuff a sleep mask for me.

Anyway, today I got out some flannel scraps that I got from a coworker, and made myself a mousie template from an index card. I drew it about the size of their favorite non-catnip mousies, forgetting that those mousies have their little skins stretched over a hard body by a machine. I came to that realization after sewing four of them and turning two right-side out. These were way too small to stuff with anything but a cotton ball, and we don't have any of those. So I tossed them, and the cats are going to get little square pillows instead.

Back to stitching!

The Sweater Progresses

2007-04-08T17:43:00.000-07:00

The cowl neck is now about 10 inches deep. I did a lot of it while watching the week's recorded crafty shows (hooray, Tivo!), and then I did more this morning while watching movies with Honey.

I still need to do at least another 10 inches - I want to make it big enough to cover my head.

Sweater Progress

2007-04-01T13:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I did finally finish the second sleeve, and started on the neck. As I said before, I have plenty of yarn to do a nice deep cowl. So far, it's only about 3 or 4 inches, but it will get there.

Frogging the sweater

2007-03-25T15:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning, I spent hours hanging out with Honey, and working on my sweater. I was almost done with the second sleeve, when I realized that it was a good two inches shorter than the first one. So I had to "rip-it" out; and since I'd been decreasing at a pretty good clip, I had to rip almost back to the elbow. sigh

So I picked the stitches back up and got back to work on it. I haven't gotten nearly so far on it, though, because I also got busy doing other household kinds of things.

In the afternoon, my neighbor across the street took me to the Natural Foods store (called Harvest House) about a mile-and-a-half from here, and then to the produce market that's near it. Harvest House is a treasure trove of grains, flours, herbs, teas, and all kinds of such goodies, including all the stuff to make salves & ointments & such. Oh, and buckwheat hulls for herb pillows. Needless to say, I'll be going back there often!

Shortly after I finished putting away my purchases from that foray, Dee came home and gave me a ride over to Safeway to pick up more mundane things, like prescriptions and cat litter.

Today, after I finished going through this week's craft-show recordings (I love Tivo!), I did a load of laundry in the kitchen sink (which makes a wonderful washtub), and hung it out to dry in the back yard. I do love having a yard where I can stretch a line to dry things in the sun! Now it's a bit too warm to sit with a lapful of wool, so I'll get back to my knitting later.

Making use of down-time

2007-03-18T18:38:00.000-07:00

At least, it was supposed to be down-time. I went to bed at 10pm. When I still wasn't asleep by 11:30, I decided I might as well get up. So I turned the TV back on and got out my knitting. I got the second sleeve of my sweater 1/3 done between midnight and 4am, when I finally did go to sleep.

Sweater Progress

2007-03-09T17:10:00.000-08:00

I've been working on (and off) this top-down seamless sweater for quite awhile, so I thought I'd give you an update. I haven't had as much time as I would have liked to work on it lately, since I've been working all this insane OT. But the other night, I made time to sit and watch a movie with Honey, and knitted while we watched. I now have a third of the first sleeve done, as well as the body.

And now, back to my busy life.

Smacked by the Muse

2007-02-24T09:51:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week, I was looking up origami patterns online, because it occurred to me that doing origami on my work breaks would be a good remedy for typing so much - an alternate hand activity. Anyway, I wound up on WikiHow, and one of the other articles listed in the sidebar was how to Create an iPod Tarot Deck. Not only is it a really cool article, and an idea that makes great sense when you think about it (or at least when I thought about it), it reminded me that I used to read Tarot cards and that I want to again.

I haven't read the cards in years, but I still have 8 different decks (about half of the collection I once had), and I remember wanting to design a deck. So that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to refresh myself on Tarot, and start designing my deck.

My overall plan for that is to translate card proportions up to the biggest size that will take an 8.5" by 11" sheet of paper and use that for a template to make a mini-quilt of each card. As I finish each one, I'll scan it so I can show it to you, and so I can reduce the image back down to card size. My goal is that at the end of the project (which I expect will take several years), I'll have a full deck of Tarot cards and some really cool art as well.

Each piece will be mixed-media, with beads, embroidery (the TAST project will come into play here), and whatever else seems right for that card. This is going to be fun!

inaminuteago - the blog » Take a Stitch Tuesday

2007-02-11T12:58:00.000-08:00

inaminuteago - the blog » Take a Stitch Tuesday

I figured I should link to the update, so everyone can see how far behind I am.

Hopefully, I'll be able to start catching up sometime next month.

What I've been up to

2007-02-11T09:28:00.000-08:00

When I have time to knit, I'm working on the seamless neck-down sweater. I've got the body done, and I'm onto the first sleeve. I'll take pics of it when I have it done; it's too big to scan.

Besides, I haven't finished unpacking and setting up my office/studio; I haven't had the time or energy for it.

I've been really busy working overtime, coz we need the $$.

Life is, eh?

Yarn Harlot: Dear Daughters

2007-01-13T11:34:00.000-08:00

Yarn Harlot: Dear Daughters

Helpful advice for when one of the parents is out of town.

Hi honey! We' re home!

2007-01-13T10:18:00.000-08:00

We found a new place - a sweet little cottage on a quiet street, within walking distance of everything. It has lots of big sunny windows, a gas kitchen, a fenced yard, and lots of closets and cupboards. We only have one bedroom, so I don't have a separate room for my studio, but the living room's big enough that I'll be able to set things up in there. That is, once the landlord gets in here to finish painting (which is supposed to be sometime this weekend). Then we can actually put the furniture where it needs to be, and get things unpacked and put away. I don't want to do as I have with so many other moves, and live out of boxes most of the time, never able to find anything.

One of the many good things about this place is that there are laundry hookups, so once we can get machines in here, we'll be able to do all our wash here instead of going to the laundromat. Yay!

Well, I'd better get to unpacking the kitchen - at least there's no painting needed there...

Take a stitch Tuesday progress

2007-01-05T09:27:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, I haven't had time to work on it at all.

You can read on my other blog, Samildanach, about how the shit has hit the fan, and we're currently playing a frantic game of "House-Hunt Scramble" (or "How Much is That Window for a kitty?").

I'll post when I have bits of time here and there, but I'm gonna be pretty busy for awhile.

Take a Stitch Tuesday - Week 1

2007-01-01T17:20:00.000-08:00

This week's stitch is Herringbone. Sharon shows all kinds of ways to play with it. I'll do some later this week and post scans on the weekend.

I finished the mitered square scarf

2007-01-01T17:14:00.000-08:00

So I started a sweater. This is a really easy pattern; custom fit, knitted in the round with no seams. I started it yesterday evening, and I've gotten about 4" down from the neckline so far.

Take a Stitch Tuesdays start this week!

2006-12-31T17:01:00.000-08:00

Sharon's been having a lot of trouble with spam on her site, so she's come up with a back-up plan. Click the title above (or here) for her post on the subject.

Celtic Horoscope

2006-12-28T16:46:00.000-08:00

You Are A Pine Tree

You love agreeable company, peace, and harmony.
Compassionate and friendly, you love to help others.
A natural poet, you have a very active imagination.
You are very soft on the inside - needing affection and reassurance.
You can fall in love deeply, but you will leave if you feel betrayed.

What's Your Celtic Horoscope?

trying something new

2006-12-25T11:06:00.000-08:00

Since I finished my mittens, I've been playing with Holly Shaltz's Mitered Squares. She shows how to make a scarf, hat, and mittens set with them. My plan is to make the squares into a vest, because sometimes my back gets cold.

Besides, I love playing with these colors. The yarn is an alpaca/wool blend from Fearless Fibers. It's really soft and warm, and feels good in my hands. You can check it out on Deb's blog or her eBay store.

Right Brain or Left Brain?

2006-12-23T16:46:00.000-08:00

You Are 30% Left Brained, 70% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning.
Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others.
If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic.
Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet.

The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility.
Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way.
If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art.
Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

Mittens! I made mittens!

2006-12-23T15:33:00.000-08:00

Here's a pic of one of them. I had Thursday and Friday off last week, and all of next week, so I've been spending a lot of time playing.

Besides mittens, I'm continuing to work on my "Wild Garden", and I want to make a scarf for one of my co-workers, and a sweater for me. And as if that weren't quite enough to fill up more time than I actually have, I'm also thinking ahead to Sharon's Tuesday stitch challenge that starts next month.

Stay tuned!

What Chrsitmas Tree Are You?

2006-12-21T21:05:00.000-08:00

You Are a Cranberry and Popcorn Strung Tree

Christmas is all about showcasing your creative talents.
From cookies to nicely wrapped presents, your unique creations impress everyone.

What Christmas Tree Are You?

And to keep track of your stitch play...

2006-12-17T10:01:00.000-08:00

A visual journal. In this post, Sharon shows how you can add pages to a wire-bound book.

I'll make my journal differently, simply because I don't have the kind of drill set-up her honey has. I'll post pics to show my progress.

Take a Stitch Tuesday Challenge

2006-12-17T09:32:00.000-08:00

I haven't been keeping up very well lately - so busy with holidays and family, you know how it is.

I found this on one of the other lists I subscribe to, and thought it might be fun to play along. The challenge is being hosted by Sharon B on her blog: InAMinuteAgo. Every Tuesday, she'll play with a different stitch, to see how it works in different colors or fibers, or how it goes in different arrangements. You can come or go as you please, but let's play along, and keep each other posted.

More Fun Stuff!

2006-12-16T12:03:00.000-08:00

I've added a new gadget to my page: a free coloring page of the day, from FreeKidsColoring.com.

This site has all kinds of coll goodies for playing with (and teaching) your kids. My favorite is the coloring pages, because they make great patterns for redwork, appliqué, or whatever!

Have fun!

Upgrade!

2006-12-03T12:11:00.000-08:00

I've had Electric Quilt 5 on my computer for several years, and it is so much fun to play with. For those who don't know, Electric Quilt is a program for designing - you guessed it - quilts. Version 6 was just released this past week, and I got my copy late yesterday. Needless to say, I installed it immediately, and then sat up until bedtime playing with it.

As with version 5, I'm starting by going through the lessons in the book, to familiarize myself with the new tools and abilities of the program. When I start pulling together some of my own creations (at least digitally; actually sewing them will probably happen much later), I'll post pictures.

If you want to find out more for yourself, you can go to the Electric Quilt website (www.electricquilt.com if the link doesn't work for you).

Red Shoe Ramblings: How To Make A Fabric Postcard DebR Style

2006-11-25T16:48:00.000-08:00

Red Shoe Ramblings: How To Make A Fabric Postcard DebR Style

I know this is kind of an old post from Deb's blog, but 'tis the season for making and sending cards!

She's got lots of other cool stuff, too! Check it out!

Approaching the end...

2006-11-25T12:22:00.000-08:00

...of the first vacation I've had in years.

No, I didn't go anywhere; but I've had the whole week off, and I can't remember the last time I took so much time off from work and still got paid. I've spent most of the time loafing in various ways, which has been very nice, but not long enough.

I thought I might do some cleaning, so I could move some of my fabric and stuff into my studio, but none of that has happened. But I have been working on my Wild Garden, basting hexagons and sewing them together.

One of the reasons that I wanted to start getting my fabric out of the closet in which it is packed (and I do mean Packed! To get any of it out, I'll have to get everything out, and I'm just not ready to tackle a project of that magnitude), is that somewhere in that overstuffed closet is a bag containing several sections that I've already stitched together, and a box that has the fabric I want to use for the backing, and all my batting. I figured that if I could excavate those elements, I might already have enough to quilt into the lap quilt for Honey.

Oh well, I'll keep stitching with what I have out, and maybe tackle the closet when I'm off again in December.

Every Play Group Needs a Toy Store

2006-11-23T18:46:00.000-08:00

You can now find lots of crating-related goodies by clicking on Tactile Arts Toy Store in the link section to the right. Right now, it mainly has knitting stuff, but I'll be adding more over the next few days.

Have fun!

Wild Garden

2006-11-23T13:41:00.000-08:00

One of the many projects I have going right now is a Grandmother's Garden variation I call "Wild Garden". To the left is a segment in progress. The hexagons are 1" on a side. When the section has 6 hexagons on each side, I'll quilt it. When I have enough sections quilted, then I'll put them together into a wheelchair blanket for my honey. One of the other things I have in mind for these is a robe that I refer to as my "coat of many colors".

I love English Paper Piecing because it's 98% portable. There are really only two stages that aren't. The first is printing out the hexagon templates on full-sheet label paper (no pins required!); the other is cutting and sandwiching the batting and backing for each section. All the rest of it can be done anywhere; from cutting out the templates and sticking them to the fabric, all the way to connecting the quilted sections. I carry it along to do on the commute train (one of the joys of public transit), I do it while watching TV with Honey, I even do it at my desk while waiting for pages to load on my computer.

Another thing I like about working on small projects (or big projects in small sections) is that it lets me see progress very quickly, which is the sort of positive feedback I need. Not only that, but it lets me use up little pieces of fabric that might otherwise go to waste. One of the women I know at work is also a quilter, but she considers anything smaller than about 1/8 yard to be a "scrap"; for the kinds of things I make, that can be quite a bit of fabric! I can use anything bigger than 1/2" square, especially in foundation-pieced minis.

What are you working on?

Let's Play!

2006-11-23T13:04:00.000-08:00

I like to play with all kinds of crafts:

quilting
knitting
crocheting
cross-stitching
beadwork
embroidery

Basically, if it involves needles, colors, and/or fibers, I'm probably there.

Things I want to play with but haven't yet include:

scrapbooking (for which I've collected many supplies)
weaving
dying my own fabric

What do you like to play with?