Monday, August 27, 2012

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!

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

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?