WIP Wednesday - 1/30/13

I've made a couple more arrow blocks.



But now I'm not quite sure what to do with them. The layout I had in my head seems a bit boring now. Kinda wish I had used some varying shades and/or patterns of grey for the background of the blocks. May have to sit on these a bit until inspiration strikes.

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Just for fun, I made a couple of little spool blocks yesterday. Aren't they just the cutest?!



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I finally committed to a layout for my Modern Meadow HST quilt and it feels so good to actually be sewing these blocks together!



I decided to go with layout #2 (of the three that I posted last week). I had a few more blocks in reserve, so I added blocks to the right and bottom to make the X more off-center. Now that I've sewn about half the rows together, I've really got the motivation to finish this quilt!

Brattleboro Hat

I finished the Brattleboro Hat this weekend for the Downton Abbey Knit Along.



The pattern is from the book New England Knits. I found the pattern through Ravelry, but I borrowed the book from the library. I've been a member of Ravelry for several years, but haven't really used it to it's full potential. I've sort of re-discovered lately. Right now, it's rivaling Pinterest for my internet-time-wastage.

I knew my gauge was too small for this pattern, but I was in a hurry and wanted to work with yarn I had. So I just decided it would be for my daughter.



I love the texture of the moss stitch on the crown. Since my gauge was too small, I thought the button band would be too long to pick up stitches from, so I made the crown and the band as two separate pieces and then seamed them together. And the buttons are just sewn on-- no real buttonholes.



I hope to have another one done (in the correct gauge!) by the end of the knit along for me!

WIP Wednesday - 1/23/13

I've had the idea of an arrow quilt block rattling around in my head for a bit. Yesterday I sat down and drew out a few different versions. AND I managed to stitch one up too.



I'm thinking of making a few arrows in different shades of pink for a Valentines mini quilt.

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In other work-in-progress news, I've decided my next "big" quilt project will be to finally finish my Modern Meadow HST quilt. However, I'm still not totally sure which layout I should choose:

#1


#2


#3


I looked at the dates on these photos and they were taken almost two years ago. Sheesh am I indecisive. Luckily, I still love these fabrics! I think I'm leaning toward layout 2, but what do you think?

Making Things to Hold Other Things

As anyone with kids knows, the older kids get the smaller their toys get (and the more tiny pieces come with any particular toy). I've had my eye on this pattern for clear storage bags for a while, and after the arrival of a bunch of new Christmas toys, it seemed like a good time to sew a couple of them up.

I already had some vinyl in my stash that I had picked up in a remnant bin quite a while ago. For this first bag, I used the leftover Star Wars fabric from the Kindle cover I made for my son. Which was quite fitting, since it's purpose is to hold Star Wars toys!



I cut my fabric pieces according to the calculations in the tutorial, but my vinyl tube was about an inch larger than my bottom circle. Not a huge deal- I just trimmed the excess and sewed the tube back together. I assumed I just messed up the math, but after I was all done I went back to read the comments on the post and other people had the same problem. Apparently you should find your circumference measurement by using your diameter minus the seam allowance. When I made the second one for my daughter I used this adjusted formula and everything came out perfectly.



Vinyl is not the easiest thing to sew with, but it's definitely worth the extra effort. It's a lot like working with laminated cotton, which I've written about before. I love how the vinyl makes these bags stand up on their own- makes it easy to put toys away at the end of the day.



For myself, I made another little bag pattern on my to sew list- the Lined Drawstring Bag from In Color Order. I had no real purpose in mind for this bag, but I'm sure I'll find a use for it.



Now I want to put everything I own in a cute little fabric bag!

Sophia Cowl

I finished the Sophia Cowl a few days ago...



I love it and I think it will come in quite handy as the low temps for the next few days are supposed to be in the single digits. Blerg. I hate winter.



I used the Martha Stewart Extra Soft Wool Blend yarn I found at Michaels in the color Igloo. I'm a knitter on a budget, so I think this wool/acrylic blend is a nice alternative to the pricier yarns out there. And the seed stitch looks beautiful in this yarn!



I made it for myself, but K is a much cuter model (there is a child size for the pattern that I may knit up too!).

Back in the Knitting Saddle

It's been way too long since I've had the knitting needles out, so in this post-Christmas lull I've cast on.


Sophia Cowl by Green Bee Design

And just in time for the knitting bug to bite again, I see there's a Downton Abbey Knit Along! Um, yes please!

Gifts & Such

Happy New Year to all!

The gifts have all been given, so I can now share the projects I've been working on the past few weeks...

Red & White Heart Embroidery


A gift for my grandmother-in-law who turned 100 a couple of weeks before Christmas. Pattern found via Pinterest.

Hummingbird Mini Quilt


A little hummingbird mini quilt for my grandma. Grandma always had hummingbird feeders on her back deck when I was growing up. These little birds make me think of the summer afternoons spent at Grandma's pool, watching the hummingbirds flit around her backyard.



I tried something new with this little quilt-- triangles sewn into the binding to use for hanging. I really like the look and will definitely use these on future projects!

Kitty Potholders


A set of potholders for a cat lover in the family, made using this tutorial. My first time using Insul-Bright, and now that I have some on hand I see lots of potholders in my future!

Mug Rugs






Mug rugs to go along with some photo mugs I had made for the grandparents. I love them all, but I think the flower may be my favorite!

Star Wars Cover


A heavily-padded electronic gadget cover for my son. I was going for ultra-protection, but the first version I made was sooo thick with batting that the tablet wouldn't fit! Adjustments were made and eventually there was a functional case.



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Not only were gifts given, but I also received some great sewing gifts! I've got lots of inspiration to keep me busy in 2013!