August In Felt.
Posted on August 10, 2023 | 6 Comments
A few little bits and pieces have been finished. And all have been worked in felt.
I made a box/cube using four Sue Spargo designs.
Each of the designs was stitched onto a felt square.
At first I was a bit stumped as to how to use the pieces. I think they were originally in a wall hanging. But the size made me think about a cube box.
Each piece was backed with more felt and had plastic inserted like a sleeve to stabilize the sides. Looks like it has worked okay.
The sides are about 10 inches square, so quite handy for storage. I am now thinking about making a smaller one.
I have been continuing my work on the Squash Squad blocks and have finished two more.
There are now only two left to finish and both of those have a fair bit done already.
I have finally reached the end of the rows for my Harbour Blanket (crochet) and only have to complete the border. Yay!
Happy to have that on my lap on these cold nights.
The weekend is coming. Have a good one.
Cheers, Karen
Jumping Into July.
Posted on July 7, 2023 | 10 Comments
It has turned very cold and wet. Not surprising for the middle month of Winter. But it still feels Brrrrrr….. .
The trees have taken a while to change colour but the last two weeks have changed all of that.
Perfect weather to be inside stitching. And that has led to a finish.
My Tinsel BOM, (Sue Spargo), is now a completed top.
I have shown the blocks along the way as each one was completed. That left the border to go. All those snowflakes kept me busy, 144 little circles in all. Once sewn down, each little circle was stitched around in silver thread. Now it is time to work out how to quilt it.
A little bit of knitting has been done. A small Scandi Bear.
It is only about 15cm tall and uses 10 ply. This one knits up very quickly. I bought the pattern through Ravellry.
I have also been working on a new quilt top from Zen Chic called Spring In Paris.
It is a bit crowded on the design wall, but at least you can see where it is up to. I now have to trim both sides so they are straight, then add more white to the left hand side. So nearly there. I only needed a Fat eighth bundle to make the top, and I still have plenty left over. Maybe I will have it quilted by Spring?
It has been school holidays here so that means we get to have the grandies for sleepovers and lots of play. Can’t beat it!
Hope you are looking forward to a good weekend.
Cheers, Karen
Making Progress.
Posted on June 4, 2023 | 8 Comments
Bits and pieces are starting to come together. Always good to see progress.
The last block for Tinsel has been completed.
So now the nine blocks are ready to go together. There is then more applique to go on to overlapping blocks. Plenty to keep me busy with this project.
I have also manged to finish a second jumper for our granddaughter. Good timing as it has turned quite cold here. This was a quick one as it was a 10 ply yarn.
That is a short a sweet post for today. Have a great week.
Cheers, Karen
Christmas, Easter And Winter.
Posted on May 20, 2023 | 8 Comments
That’s a few of the holidays and a season covered!
Christmas refers to the Sue Spargo embroideries for Tinsel.
I have two more finishes and only one more block to go. Of course that is not the end as there is also a lot of work on the border.
I am leaving some of the guideline markings there for when I eventually trim the blocks.
Next, Easter. Our neighbours had a lovely Easter display in their home. They used some fun rabbits purchased from one of the chain stores. I asked to borrow them and had a go at making my version.
And last of all, we have Winter.
It has been time to get knitting for the youngest grandie girl, as she is the only one who will wear a knit jumper. This one took a while as it was in 5 ply with a pattern that kept me on my toes. Definitely worth it , though.
She chose the pattern and the colour. Perfect.
One of the features I really liked on this design was the buttonholes. They look great.
I am always learning.
That’s my collection for the day. Very happy with these finishes.
Cheers, Karen
Over the Hill And Far Away.
Posted on May 5, 2023 | 12 Comments
This quilt is a design by Wendy Williams named Over The Hill. When I first saw it, the curved backgrounds for the blocks took my interest straight away. And of course I love working with the wool felts.
It was easy to work on as the design was broken into smaller sections, making it very manageable.
I used the picture on the pattern to help with quilting each of the blocks. Here is a quick summary of the sections.
I found a lovely print full of circles and thought that would make an appropriate backing.
I also used it for the binding.
Well, it took a while to complete the blocks, and then another while to finally get the quilting done. But now it is finally a finish.
I hope you have a lovely weekend planned.
Cheers, Karen
Short And Sweet.
Posted on April 15, 2023 | 7 Comments
As the title says, this is a very short post.
I am working on several baby quilts, trying to collect a pile for friends who are having grandchildren. They can give them to the family, or keep them to use at their home when the new grandies visit them.
This is the latest finish.
This is a very simple design using a sweet doggie fabric.
In fact, I have enough of this fabric to make a similar quilt with another colour in the sashing, and a third one using leftover scraps in circles.. Neither is quite finished yet.
I had a coloured spot in my stash that I was able to use for the backing.
So there it is. Short and sweet, as promised.
The grandchildren are arriving tomorrow for most of the week, so lots to do to get ready to play!
Cheers, Karen
One Sock, Two Sock.
Posted on March 24, 2023 | 11 Comments
The title makes it easy to work out what I have been busy making. Socks of course.
But not the average, run of the mill sort.
These are Norwegian Rainbow socks.
These are knitted in a mix of 8 ply yarns. A friend travelled through many countries a few years back, especially Norway and Finland. She was kind enough to bring me back a kit with the wool to knit the socks.
But, there was a problem. A big one. The pattern was written in Norwegian and I am afraid that is not something my high school taught! I tried Google Translate but ended up with the weirdest collection of words I had come across. It took a while, but I finally made contact with a person at the company that printed the pattern. They were able to tell me how to order the PDF in English.
Here is the link for the Rainbow Socks, but take a look at the other fun patterns they have, too.
The rolls are knitted in purl to turn them outwards. And the little fleur de lis are are knitted into the stocking stitch. I have stretched out one sock to display the full design.
The kit came with lovely wooden DP knitting needles. They were a delight to use. And the kit has enough wool to make a second pair. I think my toes are going to be very warm this Winter.
This last photo is just to show the difference in length with the full stretch of the sock.
Now to head in a different direction. I have finished my sixth block of the Sue Spargo Tinsel BOM.
Three more to go and then the border.
That’s it for now. We have a busy weekend coming up. Lots to do.
Have a lovely weekend, whatever you get to do.
Cheers, Karen
A Baby Quilt.
Posted on March 19, 2023 | 10 Comments
Lots of babies are on the way for friends in the form of grandchildren. So a few little quilts will be needed as gifts. I thought it would be easier to make several at once. So this is the first one.
This is an Amy Bradley panel from way back. It was simply waiting for the right time. I kept it easy by adding a thin green inner border and then the striped outside border.
I kept the quilting simple but made sure it would stand up to a good wash in the machine and then a turn in the dryer. I know most quilts are now used as play mats, so they have to handle regular washing.
The striped border was from the same range as the panel. And I has more of the range for the backing. Surprising what is hiding in the stash.
Purple was the right colour for the binding, again from stash.
Quilting consisted of straight line, meandering and outlining.
That’s one down and a couple more to go.
It is great to use up favourite fabrics and make something special to give.
Back to the sewing machine. Cheers, Karen
Small Things This Time.
Posted on March 5, 2023 | 10 Comments
These little faces have been watching me for a while and I think that was a way of reminding myself I had to get them, and their clothes, finished.
They are a knit pattern from ak traditions. I have made some other patterns from them a long time ago, but found these and thought they were sweet.
The body holds its shape really well as there is a separate fabric insert made to go inside ( like in a cushion).
And then there are clothes to knit.
There are dozens of outfits in a separate pattern book, so I can see the needles working overtime for a little while.
In keeping with the small things theme, this is the little softie that travelled with the Moose Quilt to its new home.
It was a pattern from Bunny Hill Designs. The pattern name is Elvis!
And then I finished off another little stitchery from Marg Low Designs. The original pattern is in reds, but I had seen it done in different colours and wanted to give it a try.
Just another little hoop to go up on the wall.
That’s all the show and tell. It is a hot day here with a strong wind so the plants need a lot of watering. We are collecting a huge number of passionfruit from our vine this year. Our friends, family and neighbours are not complaining.
Our weather is planning to do an about face tonight. So much so that when I am going in to Melbourne on Wednesday it will be only 14 degrees celsius. I will need a coat for that. A friend and I are going to see The Mouse Trap. Hope the theatre has good heating!
Have a great week. Cheers, Karen
Moose On The Loose.
Posted on February 18, 2023 | 14 Comments
A moose quilt was requested by our eldest grandie. The family spent time at Yellowstone National Park last year and the moose was the standout animal. So it was no surprise when that was requested as the theme for her next quilt.
I didn’t have to search too far as I had purchased a pattern from The Red Boot Quilt Co a while back. The design was approved so away I went. And this is the result.
The fence is a great place to hang a quilt until you realise there is a fence post pushing the quilt out! Never mind. It’s a good size – 62 X 78 ins – so will easily fit the bed in her dorm room with a bit to spare. She attends a residential Governor’s School For The Arts
I was able to have a bit of fun with the fabrics and slipped in a few references to Australia, even though the quilt will be living in the US.
Aboriginal designs in the antlers.
Melbourne trams in the background.
Gum leaves in the block borders.
Flowering gum blossoms in the body.
And then with other blocks I just played with some fun fabrics.
I found a lovely blue backing in my stash and then selected a a stripe to use for the binding.
If all goes to plan it should be in the mail on Monday, heading over the seas.
I wouldn’t mind if I could do that, too. Keep enjoying the weekend.
Cheers, Karen
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