UFOs finished and projects in progress

My Hazelwood Sweater is almost ready to wear, just a few buttons to sew on later today!  This one was planned to start over a year ago, but finally got going last September.  Of course, it was set aside off and on, but the ends have been woven in and it's been blocked.  Just some buttons and trimming of ends and it will be ready to wear!!!

I've shown you pictures of the Paris Toujours shawl, but it hadn't been blocked.  Well, now it's blocked and it's HUGE, it grew so much, but I love it!  This one is a cotton and wool blend, so I may end up wearing it year round, since it gets cool in the summer evenings.  (Just for a size comparison, those pads I'm blocking it on are made of four 2' x 2' squares, and it is almost 8' wide!)

Have swatched for a couple sweaters (shown above with the shawl and also below), but am really trying to finish up more UFOs before starting either one, however, they're really, really tempting!  The brown swatch is for Amy Herzog's Options Rowan Sweater KAL and will be striped with an off white and coral pink, just like her sample.   The magenta swatch is still under consideration, since I'm waffling between a summer cardigan (Basia) and 3/4 sleeved top (Turks and Calicos), since it's a summer yarn.  Since I really want to try Custom Fit patterns, I've been thinking I could merge Charlie's Cardigan in Custom fit measurements for me with the Basia pattern.

Some handspun yarns have been washed and now feel wonderful and ready to  knit with!   This one is definitely going to be a cowl!

Sam's wedding shawl is almost ready to start the lower edging.  It mostly looks like a pink blob with beads on the needles right now, but if I spread out a little area, the design has really taken shape and I can't wait to finish it!  The pattern is Sweet Dreams.

I've been following The Splendid Sampler quilt-a-long posts and planning to start making blocks.  If you follow them, you'll be able to get all the patterns while it is in progress, but after the quilt a long is over, the blocks will be published in a book by my publisher, Martingale / That Patchwork Place, so if you miss any, you'll still be able to finish your quilt!  Some of the block designers (not sure how many) are also making other quilt designs with the blocks and I believe  at least some of those designs will be included in the book when it is published.  So far, I have been collecting patterns and fabric, with hopes to start making blocks soon!

Of course, I couldn't decide to make one sampler quilt, I also fell in love with the charm of Lori Holt's Bloom quilt and bought a kit so I could start it right away!   She's doing a sew-a-long on her blog.   All the pieces are cut out, except the outer border, because I'm thinking of changing it a bit and have purchased more of one of the coordinating prints.   Hopefully, later today I'll start preparing the applique pieces and basting them on the blocks (am waiting for fabric to arrive for some of the stems, and am hoping it arrives soon).

Knitting, Spinning, and Quilting too!

Last night I finished knitting a Paris Toujours shawl!  It's a wool / cotton blend that is light, soft and fluffy, and I'm hoping will be comfortable not only in the winter, but also on cool winter evenings.

Before Thanksgiving, I finished spinning this Waterlilies roving from The Yarn Wench on Etsy.  Since I had two braids, I combined them and chain plyed, to keep the color changes as clean as possible.  It still needs to be wet finished (soaked and dried), but love how it came out.

After Thanksgiving, the spinning wheel was out, along with braid of wool called Young and Old from Three Waters Farm.  It looked like this while it was being spun:

and this once it was chain plyed:

In 2010, Bunny Hill Designs was doing the Snowbound Block of the Month on her  design, and although I was able to keep up with it for a while, I did fall behind, put it away, and have just pulled it out again.  (If you remember, my book was released in October, 2010, so it was a busy year!)  If I keep working on it, it should be finished in time to hang before Christmas next year.

That's it for now....

Cool Little Iron for Applique and more

Earlier this week, we were discussing irons for applique in my Crepe Paper Poppies class and I promised to take a picture and post information on the little iron I was telling them about in class.  I got this one several years ago, when I was working on a hand appliqued quilt and the tacking iron that everyone else thought was great, wasn't that way for me.  I do have a little Clover iron, but it is too tiny, and my regular iron is larger than the tacking iron, which was way too large for the tiny pieces I was working with, but this one was suggested for the quilt I was working on so I ordered it.  I love it, especially for little applique pieces!

This cute little iron is wonderful for applique of all types.  No holes to interfere with bonding, the angle of the head is adjustable, and the handle is so comfortable it's great to use!!!  Recently, I noticed it as one of the recommendations when I was on Amazon, and although I think the packaging has changed, it looks the same  and is called the Dritz Petite Press Portable Mini Iron.  So for those of you who are interested, you now have a link to find it.

Teaching Local

Starting in March, I'll be teaching at Quiltworks Northwest in Bellevue, WA!   Some of the classes are designs from my book or pattern line, but others are brand new, like my floral vest, embellished bag, and stamp carving for quilters.  To see more and sign up for my classes go to their website HERE.

Floral Vest:

Sunflower Garden:

Stamp Carving for Quilters:

Crepe-Paper Poppies:

Beaded Bags:

Summer Blooms:

Sunflower Garden

Earlier this year, I taught my Sunflower Garden quilt class at Gossypium Quilt Shop, and Shelly L. sent me a picture of her finished quilt.  Isn't it beautiful!!!

Dorene's Basket Quilt

Isn't this quilt beautiful!  Dorene Mittwer made it from a combination of my Summer Bounty quilt pattern and flowers she made with her embroidery machine.  She's such a nice lady too, driving me around while I was visiting her quilt guild in Southern California, and even taking me on a mini shop hop!

Quail Family

This project has been waiting for me since last year, when it was packed up to take the class with June Jaeger in Sisters, OR.  Not only is it out of the bag, but the center panel is complete and waiting for borders!

The quilt pattern is called "Quail Family", by June Jaeger and published by Log Cabin Quilt Works.  I noticed it is still available from the Stitchin' Post, which is where I bought my copy.

Airplanes for Dad

Some airplane fabric has been hiding in my stash for a few years, while I tried to decide the best way to turn it into a quilt for my dad.  I decided I'd better make something made that he could use, have around him all the time, was washable by anyone, and finished in time for me to take it to him for his 92nd birthday.  Since I had two fabrics with airplanes, one with a white background and the other with black background, a simple block would showcase them best, but sashing and a touch of red would give it a little spark of color.

He loves the quilt!  Told me all about the airplanes, if he had flown that type or had a friend that had had one.  He even complained some were not "exactly" correct, and of course I had to keep reminding him the planes were artwork that may have been drawn and colored by someone who might not have known anything about them. Unlike the real thing, you can only fit so much detail on a tiny plane that is printed on fabic :-)

Remember when

I made this fabric:

well, I finally made it into an over-sized purse / bag that can hold quite a bit!

Ashley's Quilt

A picture of the full quilt would probably be overwhelming, but I wanted this quilt to be cheery!  She had seen the fabric in my studio and said she liked it, so I thought the prints would be a good choice for her quilt because she had lost 2 people close to her within months of each other and I really wanted it to be a cheery, comfort quilt.

The quilt pattern is in one of Karla Alexander's books, I think in "Color Shuffle", but the book isn't with me, so I can't check.  This pattern is great for a scrappy, contemporary looking quilt, with an allover block design.

What I've been up to

is a little of everything.

Because I know many of you love Pinterest, and I had told you not to pin my work, I've decided to start placing a copyright on them, so that you can pin them if you wish.  That way, the pictures will be traceable back to me and my ownership of them will not be lost.

The Improv Berries quilt is now pin basted and ready for me to begin quilting.  This will be a slightly new adventure, since I've decided to try Tuscany Wool Batting, and it's at least twice as thick as the cotton I've been using.  My friend Richla said many of the people she does long arm quilting are requesting she use wool, and I've heard quilts with wool batting don't crease as much as those with cotton batting when they have been folded, so it's time to try it.  There just happened to be a package of Tuscany in my batting closet that was the right size for this project, so that's how I chose this brand (I also have some other battings in there to try in the future).

Here's a little watercolor from one of my journals.  The paper is handmade that I purchased in a little packet at Daniel Smith to make the journal with.  In between the watercolor pages are card stock pages that I can use for other media or notes.

I'm also taking an online class at Joggles, called "Creating History and Mystery" which is a wonderfull learning experience for me.  My homework is on several mixed media pieces on watercolor paper and art boards that are in progress at the same time.  There are many layers of paint and other materials.

This first one is on an art board.   The left portion has a transfer on the left side, which I plan to make more visible by adding color in future layers, while the right side has a dimensional, stenciled leaf, which I have painted.

The next one may be finished, but I could still add more if I change my mind.  It is painted on watercolor paper, using leftover paint from the art board paintings.

This one is an experiment with different gels and pastes, as well as other techniques, and the paper that you see will be rubbed away to reveal the transfer once it is dry.  The circles and wheel shapes were stamped on using an empty thread cone that I had saved.

The fish will hopefully appear once the paper is rubbed off of this watercolor paper painting.  The teacher referred to the ones we make with leftovers on watercolor papers as our throw away sheets, and she is right in that they are coming out just as beautiful as my "real" painting projects, just different!

I've already rubbed the paper off this passion flower transfer and will add color once it has dried.

There are already many layers on these paintings, and yet more will be added as my journey to finish them continues!

Improv Berries - Top finished!

Wide borders have been added, but I'm planning to crop and maybe even keep some of the irregular shape once it is quilted.  For now, the larger borders will be quilting space while deciding what I'd like to do for a finished shape.  The binding will be a traditional one, in the same fabric as the border, so it will disappear when you step back from the quilt.

The quilt is really lighter in color than the picture above, but a  bit darker than the one below - somewhere in between, and definitely on the warmer color side, like above.  Somehow, this little pocket camera does a better job at getting more correct color when the flash goes off, but these were taken in the same room, same daylight florescent lights, and still the camera had a mind of it's own, changing the colors a bit.  Anyways, I stood a bit closer and let the camera crop the borders to give you an idea of how it would look if it is cropped with straight edges - just squaring up the quilt.

Now off to my stash to look for backing fabric.  I should have something that would work, or could be pieced together to work.

Improv Berries - Center Panel

The center panel is now one complete, although ragged piece.  Next, will be adding dark borders so that it can float.  All the uneven edges will make this another challenge, since I don't want to smooth them out any more than I did when piecing the panel.  Not sure if it will be "finished" or not, since I've already begun entertaining the idea of adding some painted things, but will wait until the borders are on to decide.  Besides, there's always the option to add 3D things, even after the binding is on...

Improv Berries -progress

Having decided to just go for it and start cutting my strata into chunks, I'm finally making progress on this quilt and can finally see it coming together, although I'm sure it still needs something.  Will be adding more of the dark blue / leafy fabric as borders, but unsure whether I'll end up with even or uneven edges.  (If I'm not happy with it as a top, I'll just add another layer - maybe paint?)

A Quilt for Cathy

Sorry my blog's been neglected for a while.  Two large trips, more trips and trying to find time to work on projects in between.  This one couldn't be blogged until it was gifted, so I had to keep my lips zipped.

Earlier this year, my dear friend Cathy lost her dad.  They were very close, and I wanted to make a quilt for her - I think of it as "Cathy's Quilt".  As soon as I heard the news, I started looking for a quick quilt, maybe using a jelly roll and found this free design.  It's called Bali Song, and can be found here at Hoffman Fabrics.

I finished the quilt top during a retreat several months ago, but quilted and bound it during the first week in July (sometimes deadlines make finished projects), so that I could take it with me and give it to her when we met up in Sisters, OR.  She loves it, and my only regret is not having a picture of the finished quilt (that's what happens when I hurry), but at least I have a picture of the top!

Dresden flowers

Have been busy working on this quilt top, as well as other projects.  After seeing a friend's blocks in progress, I couldn't help starting one from my stash!

A close-up of one of the central blocks:

Hoping to get it layered and pin basted this weekend...

Cathy's Quilt

My friend Cathy lives in Texas and needed to make a raffle quilt.  She had lots of beautiful Texas themed fabrics, but wasn't sure what style of quilt she wanted to make.  Using EQ7, I designed this quilt for her, sizing the blocks so she could use  motifs from a panel for the center of each block.  

Isn't it beautiful!  Great job Cathy!!!

Camano Island Quilters

This morning I did my Power Point presentation for their quilt guild and everyone enjoyed themselves.  These ladies love getting together and had a feast of snacks  to share as well.  I was really surprised when this lady opened her quilt for show and tell and it was the cover quilt from my book!  I wish I knew her name (maybe someone will leave a comment with her name and I can add it), but was happy I had my camera to take a picture.  The lady that made the quilt is standing behind it in the first picture, and behind it in the second, because they held it up higher so that I could take a better picture.  She did an awesome job!!!

The Camano Island Quilters are a great group of ladies, and I'm looking forward to spending tomorrow with them too!

Should I?

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.  I've played around with the leftover blocks from the Figs and Ginger quilts and amazingly, this is what I've been able to do with them:

They could make a wall hanging or child sized quilt and two pillows, depending how they were finished.  However, I was thinking it might be a bit overwhelming to have them in the same room with the two twin sized quilts.  What do you think???

Ginko Leaves - Ready to Quilt

This design is from Pacific Rim Quilt Company.  I purchased a kit from them at the Block Party Quilt Show in 2010, but never started working on it until this past summer.  I used the traditional Hawaiian quilt techniques from the pattern and hand appliqued the design, cutting away the unnecessary fabric as I went.  It has been worked on and set aside many times, but is finally pin-basted and ready for quilting.  Traditionally, the Hawaiian style quilts are hand quilted, but I'm thinking of machine quilting it, so now it waits for my decision...