A Hat Trick and An Hourglass on Design Wall Monday

All in all I did get a lot done this last week. I was determined to get things sewn together and not just take the blocks off the design wall and put them in a ziploc bag where I knew they would languish for a long long time. I kept telling myself that if I got these two tops done I could play with my Kaffe fabrics with no guilt. And hopefully that will happen later this week.

PB&J Hat Trick

Okay this is my entry for the Vintage Schnibble parade. It is Hat Trick pattern and I used the Basic Grey PB&J collection from Moda. Now mine is square instead of the rectangle the pattern called for, but I always prefer square quilts, no matter what the size.

I love all the patterns in this collection and the colors. I used a brighter yellow Grunge fabric than the one in the collection and I think it coordinates well.

This border print is what really hooked me. I LOVE any fabric that has the alphabet on it. For me it combines two things I love - samplers and quilts. A perfect combination.

After dinner last night I got my butt in gear and got the border on my Hourglass quilt. This is the pattern on the cover of Kim Brackett's new book Scrap Basket Beauties.

I ended up using an olive Grunge for that inner border and the cornerstones, instead of the rust one I originally picked. The top measures about 74" square. I love how it ended up having a bit of an I Spy quality.

There is a bunny or two...

And a pink squirrel too!

And I love the birds and the little mushrooms that are in the border! Notice this quilt also features a border fabric with an alphabet. I told you I couldn't resist them - LOL!

So I should be able to sew with the Kaffe fabrics totally guilt free this week....if I actually have some sewing time.  College classes are over for this semester for my youngest son so I'm freed up from that schedule, but we are starting his "vacation" time off with an early morning appointment at the doctor, then breakfast, a trip to drop off his laptop to get rid of the virus it picked up, a noon appointment with a contractor and some grocery shopping and laundry. And Tuesday is looking just as busy. I'm looking forward to maybe Wednesday or Thursday being a free day for me. After I get my hair cut and drop off a load of quilts for a quilt show and take a top or two to get quilted.  Arrghh..... the days just fill up so fast.

Happy stitching-
carol fun

Some slow stitching on a rainy Sunday

It is gray. It is rainy. It is a good day to stay indoors and stitch. And that is my plan! Last night I got another house finishes from my Blackbird Designs Anniversaries of the Heart.

That was a big house to "paint". It took longer than I expected (but then they all take longer than I expected - LOL) to fill in all the gray green. I changed the design a bit here and there. I only put in 3 birds - one for me and one for each of my boys. And since I don't have any family birthdays in this month. I left out the initials and added more hearts. I love hearts on a piece!

And then I started the first block on the LAST row!!!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE that big pumpkin. It is going to be one of those white pumpkins - isnt' that cool? I'm hoping to get the house framed out today so I'll be left with the mindless fill in part for later in the week.

Here is a wide shot of the entire piece.

I feel like I'm in the home stretch. And right now I'm jazzed about getting this one DONE! I pawed through my stash of UFOs the other day and found several other BIG projects that I would like to release from their ziploc bag repositories. I will NEVER EVER EVER EVER run out of projects.....and I think that is a VERY GOOD thing!

Today is my youngest son's 23rd birthday - Happy Birthday Nick! He requested one of his favorite meals for dinner tonight. Marinated grilled chicken over penne pasta with alfredo -yummy! I got the chicken chilling and marinating and we have a cake all ready to go. Just gotta find the candles.

Hope there is some stitching in your Sunday!

carol fun

On, well actually off, the Needles Friday

Remember when I said I had lots of waiting around time in my week, well here is the proof. I got an entire pair of socks knit! These are another skein of Opal Antonia Hand Dyed. I think this is the most consistently pooling yarn I have ever knit. Every single skein I've knit (and I've done 4 now) has pooled spectacularly - I LOVE IT!

Opal Antonia Hand Dyed yarn

And this pair is also the most "matching" of the pooling yarns I've knit, which surprised me. I didn't do anything to manipulate the yarn. I started the second sock at the end of the yarn from the first sock. Same number of stitches on the leg as the foot. And yes that orange still reminds me of the double yellow line on a road. It almost glows! LOL

Right profile

Left profile

I hadn't planned to get both of these done but when I finished the first sock it was the only yarn I had with me. It is nice that I have another pair done. This is my 2nd pair for Judy L's Pooling Sock Yarn Challenge. I cast on the second sock for what will be my third entry for this challenge the other night. And I think that may be enough for now. I have some cool striping yarn that is calling my name. Again it will be plain stockinette socks but there is just something special about striping and pooling yarns that elevates this simple pattern -- in my humble opinion.

So do you have any plans for the weekend? I hope to sew a bit on my Hourglass Quilt and I need to fix a special birthday dinner for my youngest son. He will be 23. How did that happen??? I don't remember getting any older. However I do clearly remember that turning 40 was difficult for me, not because of the decade but because I was turning 40 and had a extremely active 2 year old. OMG-it was probably a good thing that I had some maturity with him or one of us might have been dead.

Have a great weekend- happy stitching and knitting and sewing and crafting!

carol fun

A Scrappy Trips Finish

I am so very  happy with this quilt! This is my second Scrappy Trips - I'm calling it Scrappy Trips 2.0.

Scrappy Trips 2.0

Lots and lots of dots and brights. This one is an 8 X 8 square block, so 64 squares per block. And the squares are bigger - they finished 2 1/2". The quilt is 84" square and I can't wait to sleep under it.

Lots of dots and brights!

Here's a close-up of the quilting. My friend, Terry Finnerty quilted this one. I talked her into purchasing variegated thread and she liked how it came out as much as I do. The pattern looks like a spring - and thought the curved lines were a nice complement to the all those squares.

Now I know I haven't shown the first Scrappy Trips I did, but I don't have it back from Cass yet. She's been very very busy. Stay tuned. I hope to get it next week
.

Okay I have a little sewing time today and then some important business to take care of.

Happy stitching-

carol fun 

It was a magnificent Monday!

It was a magnificent Monday!!! It began with breakfast with my quilty lady friends and a truly tasty coconut waffle -- with a yummy side of bacon. And then I said "I'm thinking of going up to the Fabric Shack. Want to join me?" And my partner in crime shopping, Stephie responded "Sure I'll go." So off we went. Now I'm lucky to live only 30 minutes or so from Fabric Shack . If you haven't checked them out in person or online, you should. They have a fabulous selection of fabrics and great prices. And they didn't pay me to say that - the people in the store are just as nice as their fabric!

So after a lovely drive, blue skies and sunshine, we arrive. Stephie urged me to ask if the new Kaffe Fasset collection had arrived. We are both BIG fans of his fabric and the buzz was there would be new fabrics this week. So I asked and they said "Wait a minute, Mandy will bring it over from the warehouse." In a flash, Mandy back up her BIG SUV and opened the back hatch and oh my goodness!!! It was absolutely stuffed with bolts of the new Collective by Kaffe Fasset, Brandon Mably and Phillip Jacobs. There were EIGHTY TWO bolts of gorgeous fabric! (If you want to check them out I put links on each of the designer's names and you can click on them. I'm not responsible for any damage to your keyboard from drool- LOL!)

So I know stop with the yammering and show me the fabric.... here it is...

Group photo!

I was GOOD, very very GOOD. There were 82 bolts and I only got a 1/3 yard cut from 24 of them. Such restraint! (Again with the disclaimer, I'm not responsible for your spewing your coffee on your keyboard from the absurdity of my statement regarding restraint.)

Here are the cool blues...

the hot pinks and reds...

and the wonderful wonderful yellows....

I was thrilled with how many yellows were in this collection. Now I can't wait to cut into these beauties and sew sew sew.

Getting these fabrics was a total surprise. My main intent when I decided to go to Fabric Shack yesterday was to get a yard of the rusty Moda Grunge that I need for my Hourglass quilt -- never fear, I did get it and 3 yds of the buttery yellow Moda Grunge too!

It was a magnificent Monday!

Happy stitching-
carol fun

Like sand through the hourglass on Design Wall Monday

Well it does appear I have made enough units for the blocks of this Hourglass quilt on the cover of Kim Brackett's new book Scrap Basket Beauties. And thinking about the name of this quilt called to mind that opening line from the soap opera "Days of our Lives"...like sands through the hourglass. Oh I just had a flashback to my childhood... I remember my Mom watching that show... in black and white. That was a long time ago - LOL!

I like how it is looking. It takes 324 units to make 81 blocks. I've only got one row sewn together so far. Eight more to go! Before the borders it will measure about 55" square. I want to add a narrow inner border and then a wider swath of that Moda Alphabet print.

I like this rusty Moda Grunge fabric but I don't have enough. I see another trip to Fabric Shack in Waynesville in my future. I was there last week and purchased a half yard for my Vintage Schnibble, Hat Trick. I'll show it later this week. I got the top done but I haven't decided how I want to quilt it yet.

Okay, lots of running around this week. My youngest son has exams and I have a couple of appointments too. Hope we all get some sewing time in.

Happy stitching-
carol fun

On and off the Needles

So the last couple of weeks have provided me with a decent amount of knitting time and here is what I have to show for it. Both of the socks are candidates for the Pooling Sock Yarn Challenge over on Judy L's blog Patchwork Times.

This first sock is done with Schoppel Cat Prints Hand Dyed Collection. It comes packaged as two discs of yarn with the idea that you would be able to knit similar pooling socks.

Notice it started out with some nice pooling action but separated into stripes before I got to the heel turn and then after the heel turn it is just a mush of colors. HUH?? I got no clue why it knit like this. I used the exact same number of stitches on the leg as I did on the foot.

Next is another one of those Opal Antonia Hand Dyed yarn that I've had lots of pooling success with.

And this one is looking fine. Now when I posted this yarn on Wednesday I mentioned my son said it looked like the colors on a road construction project - the orange is the shade of the double yellow line and there are hints of that fluorescent lime green that all the outdoor workers wear these days. Some how I conjured up a mental image of a big burly guy with a scraggly beard leaning on a shovel. Sorry I don't mean to offend anyone but that is the look of the guys I see working around here. Anyway Catherine commented that she pictured "a sunset over a tropical sea, while sipping on a refreshing beverage brought to me by cabana boys!" Oh I like this image... I think I need to find my little stash of paper drink umbrellas - LOL!

So I'm not real happy with the pooling action on the first sock, but I will say I love the colors - reminds me of raspberry sorbet (hmmm... I seem to have lots of food references today). And the second sock is really in your face bright. We'll have to see which one gets its mate knit first, or if I abandon both of them for another flashy sock yarn.

Have a great weekend-
carol fun