Adventures in quilting - version 2 part 3 (son's quilt)

Update on my son's quilt. I started sewing 9 patch squares today...



I was worried it would be really dark, but with the lighter striped squares, it brightens it up a bit. I think it is going to look really good when it is done.

Adventures in quilting - part 9 (daughter's quilt)

Forgot to update about what I did over the weekend. I didn't get nearly as much done on my quilt as I thought I would. I pinned the binding and hand sewed 1/2 of one long edge, and that was all I got done. I have all of the strips cut and ready for piecing on my son's quilt though, and plan on working on it today while my daughter is at school. I can't really work on hers even though she's not home, because my son will want to climb on it and it is full of pins.

I realized last week that I need a quilting hoop to do the hand quilting, so we ran all over town on Saturday looking for one. I'm pretty annoyed with the fabric store I usually go to. Not only are the staff not particularly pleasant or helpful, they're closing the location that is most convenient for me (it is near the kids' doctor), so now I will have no choice but to rely on my husband to drive me to the fabric store on weekends if I need anything since the other location is in an area I never go to. We really need more fabric stores in this city. There's one near my house, but it is more of a clearance place and it is hard to shop there since there are no prices on anything and the store is totally disorganized. They don't sell thread, patterns, or notions either. Very irritating.

At any rate, I got my hoop, and embroidery floss to do the hand quilting on both quilts, as well as thread and more quilting pins and another blade for my rotary cutter which has a dull spot (very annoying since it was brand new when I started cutting my daughter's quilt and it has been giving me problems since the first time I used it).

As of last night, I'm more than 1/2 way finished handsewing the binding on my daughter's quilt. I figure I'll be done with it by tomorrow night, then I can start the hand quilting. I'm not 100% sure if I'm going to knot it or sew a pattern. Decisions, decisions..............

Adventures in quilting - part 8 (daughter's quilt)

I sewed on the binding last night, and pinned it in preparation of hand sewing. I figure it will probably take me the rest of my life to do the hand sewing!

Adventures in quilting - version 2 part 2 (son's quilt)

The sewing bug is still making me itchy, so I decided I may as well sew strips for my son's quilt. I sewed all of them together! Now I have to press them and cut them into pieces to make the blocks.

And I even made my seam allowances the right size. Aren't you proud of me?

I can't believe how quickly his quilt is coming together. Hopefully there will be no hiccups along the way like I had with my daughter's quilt!

Adventures in quilting - part 7 (daughter's quilt)

I am so freaking excited... I want to stay up all night sewing, but I can't!!! I put my layers together tonight. It looks fantastic!!! I need to pin on the binding still, which I'll do tomorrow night since my back is killing me from crawling around on the floor for the last hour and a half.

I realized I'm not as smart as I thought... I laid down the quilt top, then put the batting on top of that, and realized I had no way of knowing if the quilt top was flat before trimming the excess batting. Duh. I had to start over, putting the batting down first, then the quilt top, smoothed everything out with probably 75 pins, and trimmed the batting. Then my husband & I flipped it over and I repeated the process with the backing.

I am so close to being finished that I can TASTE IT.



Dang, I need a hoop in order to do the hand quilting. I don't have one. Crapola. Maybe I can sweet-talk my hubby into a trip to the fabric store on Saturday to pick up a hoop. I need more thread for my son's quilt anyway. I'm not smart enough to realize just how much thread a project this big will take!!!

Ravelry

I may have found a new obsession. I read about Ravelry on a web community I belong to, and signed up. It is invitation-only since it is still in beta testing, but it only took 2 weeks to get my invitation. It looks to be a wonderful resource. I spent a couple of hours playing yesterday, adding people I know to my friend list, and adding patterns I have bookmarked into my queue. I'm sure I'll be adding dozens more patterns as I browse the site more, since there's plenty of inspiration there! Heck, maybe I'll even learn to crochet!

If you are a member there, or become a member, my username is kimberlily. Feel free to add me to your friend list!

Adventures in quilting - version 2, part 1 (son's quilt)

Yes, I'm getting ahead of myself, but I wanted to work on quilting today and couldn't do anything on my daughter's quilt since I don't want her to see it. Instead, I decided to cut fabric for my son's quilt.

I'm nearly done cutting. I have to do the solid strips (17 of them) and then it will be done. I figure it will take me about 30 minutes.

I came up with a rather clever idea for measuring while cutting. I wish I'd thought of it while cutting my daughter's quilt. I took a business card, drew a line on it at 2.75" (the width of my strips) and use that to measure the width while I cut instead of marking the fabric. It makes it go twice as fast, and it is just as accurate.

Skincare - cleanser recipe

I made myself a new facial cleanser today. I've been using natural soap bars that I buy online, but they aren't doing much for me anymore, and I want something cheaper anyway. I prefer a liquid cleanser with some exfoliating power.

Castile & honey cleanser

1 tsp citric acid (exfoliant)
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (exfoliant)
1/4 cup distilled water
1 tsp vitamin E
2 tsp vegetable glycerine
1 oz grapeseed oil
4 oz castile soap

Heat the water, and add the citric acid. Stir until dissolved. Add all other ingredients and pour into a sterilized 8 oz bottle.

Adventures in quilting - part 6 (daughter's quilt)

All strips are sewn and the borders are on...



I'm putting the backing on and binding the edges today, and will hand quilt it over the weekend.

Adventures in quiliting - part 5 (daughter's quilt)

I've sewn 10 of the 14 strips together. 4 more to go, then I can do the borders, batt and back it, and quilt it! I figure I should be done by this weekend.

Adventures in quilting - part 4 (daughter's quilt)

Well, scratch that. I measured my fabric and no, I didn't buy enough for queen sized quilts. But dummy bought batting for queens. Whatever. The kids don't need giant quilts on their twin sized beds anyway!

Progress is being made. I've sewn 4 of the strips together, and it is starting to look like something. I have 10 more, which I'll sew tonight. Pictures will follow.

Adventures in quilting - part 3 (daughter's quilt)

I said some bad words over the weekend. I'm a dummy. I sewed my seams closer to 3/8" instead of 1/4" because I was lazy and used the standard foot on my machine instead of hunting down the piecing foot. So now the quilt won't be the size it is supposed to be. I had to cut down the big squares by 1/2" to make them the same size as the 9-patch squares. Grr. Now finishing the quilt will be a bit more convoluted, because I have to fuss with it. I think I might just do a wider binding to make up the difference.

Also, the instructions only tell you how many strips to cut for a twin sized quilt, but I'm making a queen, so now I have to cut more strips. Oh well, what do you do.

Adventures in quilting - part 2 (daughter's quilt)

Hard to believe this handful of fabric will become the top of a full/Queen sized quilt!



I am going to start sewing tonight, but for now I need to take a break and do some housework... I will likely update tomorrow!

Adventures in quilting - part 1 (daughter's quilt)

Okay, here I go! I'm going to start cutting my daughter's quilt today!

The pattern is from Better Homes & Gardens "Quilt Lovers' Favourites" and is called the "Convent Quilt". I chose it because it is a very basic pattern.



These are the fabrics for my daughter's quilt:


And these are the fabrics for my son's quilt (which will be discussed in a separate set of posts):


I'm doing my daughter's quilt first because I THINK the colours will be a bit more forgiving of mistakes... but I could be wrong!

I think I figured out today why I've been anxious about this project. Partly because of the size of a quilt - it has been a long time since I last sewed something so substantial. But mostly because quilting is an art, and I definitely don't see myself as an artist. Sure, I'm crafty, but I'm not an artist.

Maybe I will discover a new passion. And my inner artist.

Choli pattern modifications

I had an inquiry about how I modified the choli pattern, so here goes nothing...

Save all pattern pieces to your computer, and resize them until each square on the grid measures 1"x1". Print them out, and tape the pieces together. Take your back piece and tape some extra paper toward the center back. Extend the bottom line as far as you like (I made it about 12" longer but had some extra that I ended up cutting off). Make the strap about 1.5" wide, and draw a shallow curve to smooth the transition from the backless area to the strap. You should end up with a pattern piece that looks like this:



Sew according to directions, omitting the steps involving the straps. You do not need a neck tie. Keep in mind that you will probably need a little more than one package of bias tape. You can either tie the back (which will allow your bra back to show, so not ideal) or button/hook it at the side seams. One side will hook on the inside, and the other side will hook on the outside.

Choli...

Well, I did it. I made myself a choli. Now all I need is a bellydance skirt and I'm all set! Not that I'm interested in performing, but it is more fun with the proper clothes instead of just wearing a tank top and tights.

I used Annabella's choli pattern, but modified it a little. I like her backless choli, but that would mean I couldn't wear a bra, which isn't my style, so I made a crossover back. It covers my bra completely, and hooks at the side seams.



Pardon the odd expression on my face. I am not very good at taking pictures of myself!

It was very fast to make. Including layout, cutting and modifying the pattern, it took me about 2 hours to complete. Now I just need to get shimmying!

Crafts waiting to be started

I have a LOT of crafts waiting in the wings. Here's a quick list of what I hope to accomplish by the end of the year (okay, by Christmas, actually).

1. Choli for bellydance.
2. Two twin-sized quilts for the kids.
3. Four pairs of PJ's (one for each kid to open on Christmas Eve, and one each for Christmas Day).
4. Two calorimetries.

It may not be a long list, but the quilts are big projects, so they'll be very time consuming. Especially since I've never made a quilt before. If I was smart (and I'm NOT) I would make a table runner or wall hanging first. But no. I am jumping in with both feet and making quilts for my children. In the spring, I plan on buying fabric to make a King-sized quilt for our bed. I also have other sewing projects I want to tackle after the holidays are done and over with, including a bellydance skirt.

Adventures in knitting

I have done a fair bit of knitting lately. Not only did I finish my daughter's shawl, but I have made a couple of calorimetries. They're fabulous headwarmers if you want to wear your hair up or just don't want to frizz your hair by wearing a hat. Plus, they keep your ears toasty warm. I made one for my friend Marge who lives in Michigan, and another for my friend Angie, who lives in California. I'm working on a sage green one for another Californian friend, and the next one (hopefully the last for a while) will be for me. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of the two that I've made recently, but I'll make sure to post a picture of Vanessa's calorimetry (aka knitted headwarmer thingamabob) when it is done.

I've been attempting to learn to knit Continental style, but I think I'm going to throw in the towel. It looks so easy, and is supposed to be faster, but I just can't get the hang of it. My grandmother, who taught me to knit in my early teens, didn't knit Continental. She was what is often referred to as a "thrower", meaning that instead of holding the yarn in the left (inactive) hand and passing it back and forth using the index finger (Continental style), you hold it in your right hand and "throw" the yarn across as you knit. It is slower, but given that when I knit Continental, my stitches are all twisted and it doesn't feel natural to me, I find it faster than Continental. I gave it a shot. And it just didn't work out for me. Not a big deal. I have more control of my tension if I throw, and I learned it that way. My grandmother was not a slow knitter, so in time, I'll be the fastest thrower in the west *LOL*

I haven't started my knitting bag yet. I hate the circular needles I bought since the yarn gets hung up on the joins and makes me cuss and swear. I'm hoping to get a set of KnitPicks Options. They're pricey, but I'd never need to buy needles again since they have all the different sizes in the set. I've heard nothing but good things about them.

Updates

Okay. It's been a while. So I'm going to flood my craft blog with recent projects!

First. I promised pics of my daughter's finished shawl.



She wears it a lot, and even brought it for show & tell at school. I guess Mommy did good :)

Second. Finished Renaissance garb.