Whack-a-Quilter!

So here I am again, popping in for a quick update.  I feel like that carnival game, Whack-a-Mole, where the mole pops up out of a hole and you have to try to whack it before it drops back down and then up again in a different hole 😜  (Better hit me quick, 'cause I'm popping back out again in a poof of smoke LOL!!!)

I just had to take a quick break this morning to check in with you all and say Hi!  I always miss you when I'm gone too long!  First, I have to thank you all for your sweet get well wishes!  I had a couple of rough days for sure, and was happy to bid that sinus infection farewell!  It did knock me back a bit on my schedule though, so I'm still playing a bit of catch-up.

I never found time to even touch my February OMG project.... Dreaming of Planes.  You can read about my thoughts and plans HERE if you're interested.

So that will now be my March OMG project 😎. I have a wonderfully relaxing week at Mountain Quiltfest coming up this month, so I'll just have everything prepped and ready to rock and roll during our evening sewing at the cabin.

Currently, I'm up to my armpits in quilting my February UFO Challenge project for Music City guild - Fantasia.  Here's an early shot just after I finished sandwiching it - better photos will follow in the Finish post :*)

A Rainbow Scrap Challenge project from several years ago

My original thought when I put quilting this top on the UFO list was to simply pull it out of the flimsy closet, choose a backing fabric, pop it on Joanne's longarm and knock it out in one afternoon.  Weeeeeellllllll, you all know me, right?  If I can make something complicated and much more work than it should be, I will!!!

First I couldn't decide on a backing fabric - which is always a problem for me when I'm backing blocks that are all a different color.  Finally I decided on black-and-white, but because I couldn't settle on just one fabric, the quilt demanded a pieced back!  No really ... It did ... It demanded!!!  So I had to get creative with that - I designed an enlarged block - 48" for the back ...

Then it demanded that I custom quilt it on my domestic machine ....

With RULERS!!!!

Yes, I'm nuts - certifiable.... especially considering this is my first time quilting with rulers.  But I do love how this is coming along ❤️  And needless to say, I am never without eyes watching me to be sure I do everything exactly as it should be done .....

So all that to say, this "quick" UFO finish has taken waaaaayyyyy longer than I anticipated, and it has to be done by this coming Tuesday morning!  I think I'm in a good rhythm and should be able to finish without killing myself so long as I keep at it.

On the yarn front, I wanted to share a new adventure!  Mason-Dixon Knitting is starting A Year of Techniques and although time is something I don't have just now, this is something fun that I just couldn't resist joining in!

The first Technique was just announced and it is how to work Helical stripes - below is a photo of Jen Arnall-Culliford's photo of her project using the technique.

Photo courtesy of Mason-Dixon Knitting

Don't know what Helical stripes are?  Me neither!  LOL 😜. But I was intrigued of course, and although I've done quite a bit of knitting the past few years, I'm mostly self-taught and jumped on the chance to learn new techniques and refine my skills.

Basically, this is a technique that allows you to knit stripes in the round in a way that does not cause the little "jog" in the fabric where the round joins.  It's a fun technique and I'm looking forward to playing with it once I get Fantasia quilted and my life is not all-quilting-all-the-time once again.

Each month you have the option of buying the yarn they recommend for the Technique.  I probably won't do that every month since it will mostly be practice for me and I can use some of my "crappy" or leftover stash for that.  But this month they offered Zauberballs - and I LOVE Zauberballs!  This is the one I ordered - it is called Tropical Fish - wowzers!!!

Of course, I won't start out using that yummy ball of yarn just yet.  I'll have to practice a bit.  And since the project is arm warmers which I don't often wear, I may even save that spectacular Zauberball for a pair of socks - YUM!!!

There was no way I could just not start though, right?  I mean, it's a new start for crying out loud ... I had to pick up the needles and at least cast on some yarn to practice, right?  I dug out some leftover sock yarn - remember these?

Won't that pink and yellow make nice Helical stripes?  Like Juicy Fruit gum!!!!  I can't wait to get to the point where I can see those stripes coming to life.

The Year of Techniques just started on March 1, so if you're interested go on over HERE for the information about how to get signed up!  (There's no charge to join but you do have to buy the book.)  And if you do, let me know so we can play together!

Okay - the Quilt Police just found me hiding in the closet trying to get this posted before they caught me, and they say I gotta go quilt!  This was such a nice visit with you all ❤️ Hope you have a lovely weekend my friends!!!

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

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Linking up

On the Needles

One Monthly Goal

The Blue Screen of..... Uh Oh!!!

Talk about a scary way to start the day!!!   I was just minding my own business this morning, happily enjoying a relaxed Sunday at home by reading some of my favorite blogs, when all of a sudden, the photo I was viewing pixelated in some totally weird ways, and then.....POOF!!!  The Blue Screen of Death popped up!!!  I wasn't quite sure what was happening, but I was pretty darn sure it wasn't good!  Good thing my very own Personal Technical Expert (my wise and all-capable hubby) was in residence and came running when I screamed LOL!!!

Friends, I don't have a clue what he did to our computer - he tried to explain it to me.... something about drivers and service packs and downloading a bunch of stuff (of which I understood not one word) - but in no time flat he had it back up and running - Hooray!!!!

We do have another computer - our desktop system upstairs - but this laptop downstairs is so convenient and only a few years old.  It would have been a shame to lose it.  Plus, I'm pretty sure there are quite a few pictures on here that we have not backed up on CD or flash drive.  You can be sure that will be taken care of this afternoon!!!

So, while my husband worked to keep our laptop from going to computer heaven, I picked up my Dreambird bag and headed out to the side patio to knit and calmly reclaim the peace of my Sunday!

I have 11 feathers done now and this project is really getting into a rhythm.  It's going quickly now that I pretty much know what I'm doing.  Of course, just saying that guarantees that my next feather will develop some sort of problem, right?  LOL!

One of the bloggers who has been instrumental in inspiring me to pick up the knitting needles is Denise Russart at Just Quiltin.  She is always knitting something new and beautiful, and making it look easy in the process too.  She's also a very talented quilt designer and offers some amazing patterns, often for free.  She's got a sale going on right now for a fun set of patterns - Dog Pound Pals Adoption Society.  These are some really adorable dog patterns, so check it out HERE if you are interested.  This past week, I received this fun mousepad that I won from Denise in a giveaway she held last month......

Don't you just love the design and colors?

Believe me, I was pretty tickled when I saw I was a winner!!!

Thanks Denise!!!

This weekend, I've managed to mark off a few tasks from my list....

I finished off the BABY BLUE scraps for the September Rainbow Scrap Challenge, making the above Lone Starburst block as well as my Hatchett blocks and left-over HST's (not pictured).  I'm not sure what I was thinking when I put these together - how is that fabric in the bottom right a "baby blue"???  Oh well... sometimes my brain just goes on vacation!  Thankfully, this is not a block by itself, and all these sections will be mixed up with the other colored sections I've been making all year for a scrappy rainbow quilt, and that darker section will fit in great with the overall quilt :*)

I managed a little slow-stitching embroidery on my Winter Wonderland, but not enough to post a new picture yet.  I also prepared the next pattern for my Summertime wool applique project......

Darva's Daisies by
Mary Lou Designs

I just couldn't resist doing the cat block next!

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The pattern needed to be reduced by 54% to get it to the 8-inch square-ish size to fit in with the other blocks for this project.  I will probably not do the dragnfly unless I can find a way to make it fit without distorting the block.  It also occurs to me that it might be fun to have a few colorful dragonflies floating free over the quilt... hmmmm.

My friend Daryl, who blogs at Patchouli Moon, shared a few tips with me about how she works with wool applique.  She doesn't use fusible because she says it makes the pieces harder to stitch.  She just uses an Elmer's Washable Glue stick and no staples.  I think I'll try that with this next block :*)

The rest of this week, I think I'll be busy doing some quilting.  Have to get ready for Oktoberfest the middle of October!  What are you up to this gorgeous Sunday?

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

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Linking up with:
SoScrappy - Rainbow Scrap Challenge
Kathy's Quilts - Slow Sunday Stitching
Freemotion by the River - Tuesday Linky Party

Dreambird Knit-a-long

I'm only halfway finished with my Dreambird Shawl, but Judy (Patchwork Times) is finished and Denise (Just Quiltin with Denise Russart) is almost there.  Judy has posted the Final Linky Party, so be sure to go over and see the wonderful Dreambird projects!!!  Here is how my beloved Dreambird looks so far....

I hope to finish this shawl in the next couple of weeks, because I have a few new projects percolating in my head - you know how that goes, don't you?  *wink-wink!!!*

I have to admit, this project has been so much fun, I'm seriously considering making another one when I finish this one.  I have some of the colorful Noro Sock yarn in fall colors - wouldn't that be gorgeous in Dreambird?  Gotta finish this one first though :*D

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Final reminder to join me tomorrow for my Crazy About Wool project!  

Here's another little "sneak peek"!!!

Today's participants are:

Elizabeth Coughlin Designs

Wooly Red Rug

Chic n Fish

Maria do Carmo

Selina Quilts

Sunshine Quilting

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

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On the Needles - 8/23/2013

I finally fired up my courage and blocked Cloud Illusions!

I had never blocked a knitted project before, and I hit a roadblock when I realized that I might need blocking wires - which I didn't have.  A few knitting friends suggested that I could probably get away with not using them on this shawl if I was careful to not pull the neck out of shape too badly, so I decided to go ahead and try it.

This shawl turned out to be quite huge!!!  It is much larger after blocking than I thought it would be!  I used the directions for the extended body section because it seemed to be working up very small, but in hindsight, I'm thinking I could have stayed with that smaller size and been fine.  Look at how I had to add another piece of matting, and a small portion was still on the carpet.  One of these days I'll invest in another yoga mat to replace that piece of one LOL!!!  I think I cut that one up a couple of years ago to have pieces that I could kneel on in the flower beds.  It sure came in handy to have it!

Doesn't the lacework look pretty?  I can hardly believe I actually did that!!!  

I'm not sure I did everything correctly during the blocking process, even though I had a supervisor in the room with me.  Gypsy sniffed around a few minutes to see what in the world I was up to crawling around on the floor with wet stuff and pins, but I think she quickly decided that her bath was much more urgent and satisfying LOL!!!

Of course, I have to show you a few more views of the shawl....     =^..^=

...............on the love-seat in the living room - the light coming in the window washed out those gorgeous colors, but I like the way it shows off the expanse and delicacy of the lacework ....

It's so long, I can't even reach to each tip!!!

Overall, I would have to say that I'm happy with my first knitted shawl, and my first lacework project!

Next in line is to get busy on the Dreambird Shawl!  We start the KAL on August 25th!!!!

My current project to keep my needles busy until I can get back to Dreambird is a much smaller one....  

This is the Noro Bias Lace Scarf pattern (free on Ravelry!) using a Noro Silk Garden Sock yarn in a range of deep, rich fall colors.  I love the diagonal design to it!  I'm not really very fond of the yarn - it is not as soft as I would like and it curls up quite a lot off the skein.  But you all know I'm a COLOR girl, and those colors just sucked me in!!!

Be sure to go to Patchwork Times to see what others are creating On The Needles!

I know I haven't shared a lot of quilting items lately, but there's a very good reason for that.  I have been busy, busy, busy at the sewing machine, but I haven't been able to show you....

What am I sewing, you may want to know?  

Well..... come back on Monday to see!  

That's the day that I magically turn into a Hexie Queen!!!

I hope you've all been following the Hexie Queen blog hop so far!  Madame Samm and Cheerleader Debby Kratovil have put together a doozy of a blog hop for our entertainment!  And I have been simply amazed at the abundance of wonderfully creative hexie projects being shown!  Click HERE to find all the posts!

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

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Dreambird Yarn Choices

Judy is posting a link-up today for us to show the yarns we've chosen for our Dreambird projects...  I'm so excited!!!

Here are the yarns I've chosen to work with....

The top yarn is a black fingering yarn, which will pop those blue, aqua, and purple Noro feathers like crazy!!!  Like quilts, like knitting, it seems - I just can't help loving black as a background!!!  And of course blues and aquas are always a favorite of mine. :*D

Here is my inspiration picture once again for those of you who might have missed it in my earlier post - Reminder:  THIS IS NOT MY PROJECT!  It is a picture from Ravelry of another knitter's project that I love and chose colors to make my own as close to it as possible :*D

Go to this link to see this shawl made by Bienenfresser
http://www.ravelry.com/projects/isiss/dreambird-kal

Since our local knitshop, The Knaughty Knitter, held a Dreambird Knit Along (KAL) last month, my friend Joanne and I went over to start our shawl and get some pointers before we get into this project too far.  Joanne has done two feathers so far, and I have completed one 'perfect' feather - after tearing my first attempt out (see post about that HERE).  I'm in LOVE with this sweet feather!!!!

That's where I've stopped so I can start the KAL with Judy and Denise on August 25th.

If you're looking at this project and thinking, "I WISH I could do that, but I'm not a very experienced knitter" - then I encourage you to read Judy's post today!  Last year this time, I was drooling over the socks she makes on her blog and saying that same thing to myself.  It had been years since I had knitted anything, but I was really itching to learn how to make socks.  So I took her excellent advice and decided to start small.  I made a million simple knitted dishcloths to get my rhythm and tension back up to speed - which by the way everyone in my family loves and I can't keep enough of them knitted up!  I started reading a lot of sock-knitter's blogs and soaking up information.  Then I made a couple of scarfs.  Then I bit the bullet, bought some sock yarn and a couple of books/patterns and set off on my grand adventure.  And what an adventure it has been!!!  I've now made two pair of socks and love them!!!  And now I'm comfortable tackling this Dreambird Shawl project. You CAN do it too if you really want to!

Be sure to go to Judy's Patchwork Times HERE to link up if you are doing this wonderful shawl!!!

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

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Kitten Cuteness Overload!

If you don't like kittens, then this post is definitely not for you!  On the other hand, if you think kittens are just about the cutest thing God ever created, then hold on to your hat 'cause I've got a lot of "Kitten Cuteness Overload" pictures to show you!!!  I spent the past few days with my daughter, who STILL has not passed that dratted kidney stone!  On Wednesday, the doc removed the stent and told her he thought it would come through within 24 hours.  Not!  But we're hopeful it will be soon, as this is her third week of pain and dealing with this.  Luckily, we had the new baby KITTENS to distract us from all the drama of the kidney stone :*D

At the end of the post, I will show you my progress on my Cloud Illusions shawl, but really, how can that compare to KITTENS?????

NATASHA (the sweetest of the sweet!)

LOKI (Emma has him spoiled rotten already!)

HULK AND THOR (two big boy twins who love to play!)

Can you tell my daughter and granddaughter are HUGE fans of the Avenger movies?  Yep, every kitten has an Avenger name LOL!!!  That's some big names to grow into :*)  But Hulk and Thor are definitely doing their best.  They love to rough and tumble and play!  They are big boys!

You can see how tiny they are by the size of this one next to my hand!

Did I mention how sweet Natasha is?

Who can resist watching kittens play?

And I love how they all fall asleep together suddenly, as if a bell rings to tell them "Time Out!"
They all kind of fall down in a pile and sleep however they fall :*D

How do they manage to fall asleep in these positions???

There were kittens everywhere you looked!
We had to be so careful to watch where we were sitting and walking!

Mama Addie is doing a really fine job for her first (and last!) litter!
She's such a sweetheart!!!

While my daughter and the kittens were sleeping, I managed to get quite a lot done on my Cloud Illusions shawl!  I finished the beginning section - the Garter Stitch Body, and have completed 17 rows of the lace section.

I stopped by the Knaughty Knitter on my way out of town to compare the size of mine with the shop sample (you can see the sample in a previous post by clicking HERE).  Meredith knitted hers using a cotton yarn and following the small size pattern, but my yarn is more of a lace yarn which makes it work up much smaller than her sample, so I wasn't sure whether to stop at the small version like she did or go on with the extended size.  After comparing the two, I decided to go for the larger size in order to get it closer to the size I liked.  Fortunately, I had purchased two skeins of this gorgeous yarn just in case, because she didn't have any more.

So far, I think the lace pattern is working out well....this is really fun seeing the design come to life!!!

You can see other yarn projects over at Judy's Patchwork Times today.

I'm looking forward to some quality time at home!  I need to get my sewing studio back into some reasonable kind of order and get back to work on some of my priority quilt projects.  There is a certain little granddaughter who is already 4 months old and still doesn't have her baby quilt!  Bad Grandma!!!!

Genevieve Rose

And we have another on the way, due the day after Christmas!  They have decided to be surprised when the baby is born, so their baby quilt will have to wait until it is here.  Whew - a little breathing room :*)

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

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WIP Wednesday 3/6/2103

Lots of things going on here, but mostly just working on things already in progress and shared.  I thought I'd share just a quick follow-up on a few projects.

Here are the beginnings of 3 fire trucks for Hudson's Heroes....

Aren't those ladders just the cutest things?    They will go with these ambulances I shared the other day...

Click on the name of the quilt if you want to learn its history =^..^= 

Tiny, tiny bits of pieces here, but with paper piecing, it goes so smoothly!  Well, mostly.... every now and again I mess up and have to rip out a seam.  And with the thin paper and tiny stitches used for pp, no matter how careful you try to be, too often this happens....

So, here's my tip for you all today.  Keep some Scotch brand Matte Finish Removable Tape on hand for times like this!  It's the blue tape and it says "removable" on the label.

Just tape the two sides back together.  You can then sew through it and your needle will not gum up from the glue on the tape!  The only thing you need to be careful about is ironing directly on it.  It works perfectly!

One reason it is important to tape this back down is to make sure you have perfect seams when sewing the different sections together.  If that paper is not in place, then your seams will not be either.

I've also made a little progress on improving my yarn skills =^..^=

Here is my start on the Swishy Scarf .... 

......so far it's just a long, long, long (258 chains!) row of half-double-crochets!  But it is easy to do and I'm enjoying it.  This yarn is reward enough with all that lovely color and a little bit of bling :*)  Now looking at the picture, I've got to go see what that yarn blob is there- see it, on the bottom left?  I hope I don't have to take all that out!

I also started a dishcloth out of Sugar and Cream yarn.  I thought this might be the perfect project to just practice getting my tension right as I pick up the knitting needles again.

Isn't it a cutie?  It makes for the perfect carry-along project too because it is so small :*)

And last, but not least, you'll never guess what I found at Goodwill yesterday.....

Well, did you guess?   

I didn't think so!!!

What a wonderful find!  A Jim Shore hummingbird feeder in excellent shape - needs a little cleaning of course, but I love it!  And for $2.99 - whoohoo!!!!  I'm betting the hummingbirds will love it this year too :*)

That's it for me!  Hope you all have a Happy Hump Day!!!

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

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