Progress on the nine-patch

All the blocks, sashing and  rows are sewn together.

Here is a close-up of the applique block.

Next I will add two borders - one small red border and one larger blue border.

Today I am grateful for -
1.  Good friends
2.  An excellent lunch with included French Fries coated with Truffle Oil. 
3.  The wonderful colors of Fall.

Japanese Paper Quilting

Tonight I took a class in Japanese Paper Quilting at the local card/scrap book shop.  I made four cards for Halloween.  The class was well organized and productive.  The teacher was patient with me as I was the only one that had not taken a previous class in the technique.

I will definitely take another class at this shop again.  It was well worth the cost - plus you get a 10% discount on anything  you buy.  I bought some paper because I only have 10,000 pieces at home and I just might run out.

First Knitted Sweater - EVER

Today I finished my first knitted sweater ever.  It is by no means perfect, however, it is roomy, very warm, and will be wonderful for those cold, cold winter days when I am working in my basement studio.

I had a hard time figuring out how to take a picture of me actually wearing the sweater.  This is the best I could do.

The sleeves are too long and extremely roomy and the sweater itself is a teeny bit short.  I'm very proud of my accomplishment though, and it will get worn a lot at home.

Scrappy Quilt

This little quilt is made entirely of scraps from my 2-1/2 inch container and my 4-1/2 inch container.  My friend Moe did the machine quilting.

Here is the pieced back.

I decided to machine sew the binding as usual to the front, and then sew in the ditch to finish the back side of the binding.  I have never done that before and although the back side is not perfectly even and some of the stitching is a little wobbly, it still looks OK because it is black.

This little piece of stitchery is one I purchased recently.  Unfortunately I did not look closely at what I was buying and was dismayed to discover that the fabric is 32 count.  With my poor eyesight, 32 count is a real challenge.  I have my eyeball practically on top of the magnifying glass to find my place.  Thank goodness this is a small project!

The sweater I was knitting is now finished.  I just need to sew it together and steam block it.  Pictures to come soon.  There was one skein of yarn leftover so I decided to make a matching scarf, adding another skein of contrasting color from the same yarn family.  I am knitting it length-wise, so there are 275 stitches on my circular needle.

Today I am grateful for -
1.  A scrambled egg for breakfast.
2.  A phone call from a dear friend.
3.  The freedom to choose which project (from many) that I want to work on and which to ignore.

Glorious weather

No quilting or knitting or stitching to blog about.  However, I had company here this past week and we had a great time shopping, going to the theater (Billy Elliot - fabulous), eating, laughing, talking, and thoroughly enjoying each other's company.


One day we drove to Lake Geneva Wisconsin and while they all investigated the shops, I sat down by the shore, watching the seagulls, and enjoying the sunshine.  The wind was strong off of the lake and kept the sun from being too hot on my face.  Every once in a while, the wind would pick up some sand and I could feel it pricking my face.  All the seagulls stood facing the sun too, and when the wind whipped that sand around, the seagulls all turned their faces to the right like a precision marching troupe.  


These pictures were taken on my phone, facing into the sun so that I could not see the screen at all.  Yes, that is my thumb on the one picture.  Of course the pictures do not capture the atmosphere as I felt it.  I will not forget my time by the lake, drinking in the glorious fall afternoon.

Lake Geneva is a beautiful lake with magnificent homes along it's shores.  I wish I could have seen where my camera lens was pointing so that I could have gotten better pictures.  Oh well, the pictures I took are lousy, but they will remind me of a special time.  

On my design wall.......

On my design wall is a simple nine-patch with sashing and cornerstones - and I added two applique blocks to give more visual interest.

I still have more sashing to cut - and of course the whole thing needs to be sewn together and have some colorful borders added.  It is definitely a work in progress.  The picture is not good, so in case you cannot tell, the blocks are dark blues and creamy white.

9-patch and knitting

On my design wall is the beginning of a simple 9-patch with sashing that I started today.  I'm trying to use up more of  my blue stash.

I got a nice start on my second sleeve tonight while watching TV.  Only 111 more rows to go.

Today I am grateful for -
1.  My quiet home
2.  Unending fabric stash
3.  Challenging Sudoku puzzles.

A finish and a start

Finished the mini quilt tonight.......................

and started the second sleeve of my sweater.

Today I am grateful for -
1.  juicy red grapes
2.  shopping at the local quilt shop
3.  reliable twice-weekly garbage pickup
4.  reading my favorite blogs

Miniature Quilt

Today I worked on a miniature quilt for our guild's upcoming Mini Auction.  Doing a paper pieced log cabin, I found it easier to do it assembly line style.

I got the quilt finished and quilted.  All I have left to do is add the hanging sleeve, sew down the binding, sew on the decorative butterfly buttons, and sew on the label.

Little by little I have been working on the sleeve of my sweater, and tonight I finished knitting the first sleeve.

I love a day when I can see visible progress on my projects!