Gathering Mode

I'm back in that gathering mood. Back to scouring the thrift stores for big chunks of certain things with only a vague idea of what they'll eventually become.

Blue bathing suit bits? Watching too much wrestling has gotten me into a mood to work with spandex and garish patterns. Not that I can really do much without a serger/coverstitcher, but these things might be in my future, I think, and I'm getting supplies ready. 

And for my class, terrible thrift store garments to transform. The theme this years seems to be 'terrible patterns and embellishments.'

Been knitting away at what I think will be a hat, if I've planned right. I'm sort of making a pattern up on the fly--I couldn't find a flat-topped flapped hat design that I liked, so we'll see how this goes. 

Close up. Loving the fair isle so far, should really work more with it, I enjoy the process a lot. Maybe time to break out my graph paper book and work out some designs. These were mostly just chosen at random from a book. 

And what post would be complete without a couple Dear Jane blocks? G-6 through G-10. Nothing too tricky in this batch. Don't know why people find y-seams tricky, I never have a tough time with them. Then again, after doing an enormous bit of hexagon patchwork by hand, I've got lots of practice with them. The pink and blue one here was probably the worst, but it was just tedious, not difficult. 

Keeping it Together

Or at least trying to.

It's been a very difficult week. Seamus has been in the hospital since Monday with some major pancreas problems. It's tearing me up to see him so weak and so out of it.  I've been visiting him as much as I can, but it's a half an hour walk each way, and we're now in 90+ degree heat. Plus the electricity partially went out (taking the A/C with it) at work earlier in the week, so I'm running on fumes, both physically and emotionally.     Understandably, I'm not exactly in the mood to be working on things, but I did get some things done before all this went down, and I've been drawing a little bit too.

Dear Jane G-5 and G-6. Two particularly fussy little blocks. I tried to do the right one as full patchwork first and it was a mess, it worked better as a partial applique. The tiny, tiny star in the middle of the star block was also tough, especially since I'm not paper piecing. 

I did also do some more work on the braid coat, but one un-attached strip of braids looks pretty much like another, so no picture there. However, I am getting back to sketching the finished product a little bit. I'm now thinking it's going to have a kimono-like collar of braid that is wool on both sides, but I'm going to have to make a sample and see if it gets too thick. 

I also did a little bit of knitting this week. When I bought all those double-pointed needles for my Lenore Tawney project, I also bought a chunk of Knit Pick's Palette yarn to get to free shipping, and I've been sitting on it ever since. I decided to finally bust it out a swatch some fair isle. I think I'm going to make a hat, I'm coming up with a shape right now. 

Which got me thinking about hats, and so doodled out this very embarrassing and not at all stylish hat for Sal. To keep his horns warm? Somehow I don't think they get cold. But it's a nice sentiment. 

And a last little drawing, this one's pretty old. Just trying out a more cartoony, thicker lined style. Still not drawing as much as I ought to though. 

Back to Braids

After a long hiatus, I'm back on the braid coat. The amount of time sunk into this one is getting ridiculous, and I need to finish it to move on, so I'm trying to buckle down. 

Progress has been made, a side has been joined together, and it no longer quite looks like just an odd flat rectangle with long bits attached. I'm liking how it curves away a bit in the front. 

And the inside, looking good, just gotta keep on it. It's not the most exciting project, and progress moves very slowly on it, which is why I think I've been dragging my feet getting back to it. 

More Dear Jane Blocks this week. These, on the other hand are just super fun to make, even if the quilt as a whole will take forever to finish. G-1,2,3 and 4. G-3 is really pretty lopsided, my applique is never going to be all the great, I think.

It's been a while since I posted the entire thing so far. I'm nearly half way through the blocks. I'm thinking now I'd like to sash them with chocolate brown. I know I don't want to use black or white, but I'm between a medium gray and a brown. I think a brown will give it a bit of a 70's feel. 

Chain Quilting

Posting has been slowed because I was back on a slow grind again. I kept putting off hand quilting my Irish Chain quilt, but it's getting warmer out, and I need a light weight blanket for my bed, so I had to really buckle down.

I had to get it *usable* if not finished so I got all the diagonals quilted, and did the circles in the center of each gray block, then did the binding. I'll do the motifs in the center of each circle as I get the chance, but at least I can put it on my bed now and get rid of the heavy comforter.

It's very big, which is good, my boyfriend is very tall, and it needs to cover both of us!

Drawing out the center wreath motif. 

My very sophisticated templates--the top of a cookie container and a piece of posterboard. 

I did manage to get one motif quilted, just to see how it looks. I'll keep plugging away at them! I realized you can't really see the binding in any of these shots, but I just pulled the backing around to the front.  

In other updates, did a few more Dear Jane blocks, they always cheer me up. F-8 through F-13. Nearly halfway through the main blocks. At this rate it should be finished in, oh, 2016 or so. 

And a super quick project, I've begun jogging a bit and needed something to hold my iPod, so I made a little  arm band. In making this, I measured around my bicep--11 inches now! It was about 9" when I started working out, so hurray for that. I've also nearly got abs--nice to see positive results.