Doll clothes

Yesterday I started this outfit and today I completed it. It is for a fifteen inch doll and in this case, an American Girl Bitty Baby twin doll. We are giving our granddaughter the doll and two or three outfits plus extra shoes for Christmas. She asked for a doll that has hair she can comb. I also want to get her a doll trunk so that she can learn to keep her doll clothes and shoes together.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Several weeks ago, my daughter-inlaw asked me if I'd like back the special things that I've made for the kids. When I visited them, she had a bag of items for me. The hoodie was made as a shower gift for Ben. We all love dogs and when I saw this dog pictured in Sew Beautiful magazine by Kari Mecca, I knew that I had to make something with this dog. The tug boat sweater was made when Ben was about five years old, now he's eight so it's much too small. Both of these items brought back memories of Ben as a little boy, oh so cute and so smart. Today, Adina and Eva are wearing their matching jumpers that I made them for pictures at school. I hope that they both cooperate so that I'll have pictures to share.

The Crows

After several weeks of work, this block is finally complete. It took me a few days to pick out the fabrics for this block but once my friend Gayda gave me the fabric for the moon, all went smoothly. In order to place the applique pieces correctly, I used the method I learned from Sandra Leichner's seminar, copy the layout on upholstery vinyl. It worked out well and I will use this technique whenever I have many pieces to place in a design. I already started the next block, an easy one. This block has one crow and a heart. After that, I have a block that I love. In

fact, I think that that block is the reason I chose to make this quilt.

Teddy Bear block

I just finished the teddy bear block and the companion star block and had to add them to the box with my calendar quilt blocks. Now I only have three more blocks to complete. After that I have to cut out over five hundred squares that join the blocks together to make the quilt top. My goal for finishing the top is the end of January and I really think that I'll make it. Here's hoping!

Lace Knitting

In March while I was at the Paula Nadelstern workshop in the Hudson River Valley, I met a woman wearing a beautiful shawlette. After talking to her, I learned the name of the pattern and where to find it. When I finished the cable sweater, I was determined to make this shawlette, and last week, I finished it except for blocking it. The name of the shawlette is "The Holden Shawlette" and it is a free pattern on Ravelry. The author of the pattern is Mindy Wilkes. If you want to make this shawlette, my advice would be to follow the chart as it is easier to follow than the written directions. The colors in this photo are off as the rug it's sitting on is a light orange color. After I block it, I'll take another picture and post it, maybe then, I'll get a better color photo.

A Summer Assignment

Ben, our eight year old grandson, had a choice after reading the book, A Keeping Quilt. He could keep a journal, make a quilt with at least nine blocks from fabric or paper, or make a scrapbook. His choice with his mother's help was to make a quilt from fabric. That's where I entered the picture. Ben read the book, we discussed it, and then he wrote about the book and drew some pictures on each of the nine blocks,white cotton eight inch squares. When he visited, he chose sixteen pieces of fabric from my stash that he liked to be used as sashing. Last Wednesday, I started the process of assembling the quilt, quilting it,

making the label and adding a patch on the back with Ben's family tree. To get all of the above finished, I worked at least fourteen hours. When I showed the finished quilt to Ben, he was thrilled and wanted to wrap himself up in it which really made my day. What more could a grandmother ask for?

Beaded Purse Necklace

After I finished my hooded sweater, I needed another project until I could get to the yarn store to buy yarn for the shawlette project. Several years ago, I bought a kit to make this purse and it became my new project. Until then, I'd never knitted with beads or knitted with such small neeedles, thinner than tooth picks. It was lots of fun to do this quick project. The most difficult part was stringing the beads on the pearl cotton from the nylon thread hanks. Tonight I'm going to knit a swatch to check the gauge for my shawlette. I'm really excited about this project.

Stumpwork Beetle

This is my first attempt with stumpwork. I just completed an on-line class with Arlene White through Joggles.com. I enjoyed the class and am pleased

with the results. This beetle is going to be part of a pin cushion. My quilting group is going to put pin cushions in our library's showcase this January and I think that this would make an interesting addition to what others in the group will create.

One Step Closer to Completion

With the completion of this geometric block, the calendar quilt is one step closer to completion. My goal is to have it totally finished and ready to go to the machine quilter by the end of January. I have five more applique blocks to do and then I have to concentrate on the sashing. The quilt blocks are put together using over five hundred two and a half inch squares. This project has been challenging to say the least, but enjoyable. I hope that I can say that at the end of the project. The pictures are of the block that I just finished and those that I've done so far.

Presents for Adina

The last time that I visited with my children, Erlisa, my daughter-inlaw took me and the three children to JoAnn's so that Adina, the then three year old could pick out fabric so that I could make her a pair of pajamas. I loved the fabric she picked out. What could be better than ice-cream cones, cupcakes and hearts? At another time, I purchased the t-shirt to complete the outfit. A few weeks later, I decided to make Adina's Bitty Baby doll a matching outfit so off to JoAnn's for some pink knit fabric. During the week, I made the pj's and machine appliqued the shirt and today I finished the doll outfit.

I Finished It !

On Thursday, I got all of my courage together and sewed the zipper into my sweater. When I put it on, I was thrilled with the fit, thrilled with the sweater, and thrilled that it was finished. I started this sweater almost two years ago and frogged many errors along the way. The yarn is Tahki Donegal Tweed homepun and the pattern came from the book, Continuous Cables by Melissa Leapman. I think that this sweater was the most difficult thing that I've ever knitted. After I come home from California, I think that I'll order yarn to make myself a lace knit shawlette.

Empty Spools, Here I Come

On Sunday I will be leaving for Empty Spools in California. Last year I took a wonderful class called Fabric Collage with Rosemary Eichorn. My goal was to make a vest from the collage and yesterday I finished the vest. It is definitely something that is out of my comfort zone. I'm someone who is very concerned with finishing techniques and have never done anything with raw edges and free motion quilting. Throughout this journey I learned many new techniques that I hope to incorporate into future projects. Another plus of this class was that I learned to not be so up tight about finishes and enjoy the work I'm doing rather than being nervous about the outcome. I will proudly wear my vest for Show and Tell at Empty Spools.

The class that I'm taking this time is hand applique and embroidery. Even though I do lots of both techniques, I want to learn how to use a map in order to place my applique pieces in the correct places and in the right order.

Pink corduroy jumpers

Today I finished the pink corduroy jumpers for Adina and Eva. It is the fourth time I've used this smocking plate but some how it didn't get any easier to complete. I do like the finished result and hope that the girls like them too. The jumpers are size 3 and size 2. The girls are two and almost four. The back of each jumper is closed with three pink pearl buttons and has a tie belt.

A New Quilt

Last week I completed the quilt that I started at quilt camp at the end of October. The kit is called "Mystic Blues". I loved making this quilt because the pieces were die cut and therefore went together so well. The quilting was done by Delia, a member of our quilting group. It took me a long time to sew the back of the binding on by hand but it was a job that I reallly enjoyed. It was very relaxing. Now I'm off to work on my next project, smocked jumpers in pink corduroy for our granddaughters.

Kaleidoscope Quilts

Last week, I had the opportunity to take a class with Paula Nadelstern in the Hudson River Valley of New York State. She taught how to make a needle star block and also how to make a kaleidoscope block. Before we began this journey, we learned how to draft a triangle using graph paper and then make the necessary templates to complete each of these projects.

Silk fabric

On February 24th, my husband and I took off for a tour of VietNam, Cambodia and Thailand. One of my goals was to buy pieces of silk to use for different projects. I was able to buy silk in both Cambodia and Thailand. The photo with the lesser amount of silk shows fabric bought in Cambodia. Interestingly, both assortments of silk cost about the same amount, $58.00 American money.

Keepers

For want of a better title, I decided on keepers because the zippered bag was made to keep cords together in my suitcase and the other piece was made to keep scissors together and safe when I travel with them. The zippered bag was made using a Lazy Girl pattern. Had I thought about it before I cut out the pieces, I would have made a much smaller bag. I made the pattern for the scissors keeper. Inside the pouches for each pair of scissors, I sewed by hand pieces of shammie so that the point of the scissors wouldn't go through the fabric.

A New Blouse

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Sewing clothes was the way I started sewing. As a teenager, I wanted clothes that were different. Since then and until about three years ago, I made myself lots of dresses, slacks, coats and suits. When I retired from teaching, I made my daughter's wedding gown, my gown, and three flower girls' dresses. After that, I really didn't need any new clothes. Last week, I decided that I'd like to make myself a peasant blouse. When I looked through my stash, I found a poly-cotton small check piece of fabric, cut it out and in a day and a half, my new blouse was completed. Now I'd like to make another one with a floral print on a black background. Not too long ago I saw a piece of Liberty of London cotton like that. I think I'll have to find it and buy it.

A Completed Quilt Top

Last week and the week before I worked to complete the quilt that I started at the retreat the last weekend in October. I already posted photos of the twelve blocks that I did that weekend. At home, I sewed on the triangles to make the blocks on point and sewed on the border fabric. The most time consuming of all was to make the ten medallions for the second border. Each one was made up of eight pieces. The quilt will be machine quilted by Delia who has done several of my quilts.

Christmas Aprons

These are the Christmas aprons that I made for Erlisa, Ben, Adina and Eva. Eva is twenty months old and refused to wear her apron. The pictures are of Erlisa, Ben and Adina. I traced aprons that Ben and Adina had and used those as patterns and traced an apron that I had to make Erlisa's apron. I lined the aprons with the same fabric as on the fronts. I bought five yards of fabric and only had a little bit left over. On the red strip at the top of each apron, I embroidered the children's names and on Erlisa's apron, I embroidered "Mom

Ruffle Scarf

My daughter-inlaw, Erlisa, came home from work about a week ago all excited about a scarf made from Katia Triana yarn. We looked at a video about making this scarf and then tried to find the yarn near her house which turned out to be impossible.
When I went home, I found similar yarn at JoAnn's, bought a skein, and knitted the scarf that Erlisa is wearing in this picture. The yarn is a mesh and it knits up very quickly because you only cast on six stitches and then knit until you have about a yard of yarn left. Then bind off and sew the ends using a needle and thread. This is a fun project. I already bought more yarn so that I can make my daughter a scarf and yarn so Erlisa can knit herself a scarf.