Stitchin' it up

There is a whole lotta stitchin' goin' on!

My quilting frenzy has continued. I finished the quilt top of DOOM that I've been languishing over for over a year, and despite the rampant mistakes and the fact that it doesn't quite lay flat I'm rather pleased with it:

I've also been working on the jelly roll throw that I started with the green batiks. I now have six strips sewn together and all the other strips laid out in a pleasing pattern on my sewing table. Every so often I sit down and stitch another strip on quick. I'll post a picture of that when I get a bit further on in the quilt top.

In other-types-of-stitching news, I finished my felt applique mug cozy, although the velcro keeps falling off, so I might have to stitch it on:

 

I also completed a plastic-canvas needlepoint coaster that goes with a set I've been working on off-and-on for a couple years. I'm about 1/3 the way through another, which will be the final of the set of six, so I'll take a pic when I have them all done. They look like roses, and they are so beautiful!

I also started a teeny cross-stitch picture of a hedgehog holding a balloon. We lost our little hedgie to cancer a couple weeks ago and I've had this picture for quite some time, so I thought this could be a tribute to her. The stitching is going well, but sorting the yarn was the worst! The color guide calls for dark brown, medium brown, light brown, beige, and light beige colors, which are all essentially BROWN and I had to lay them all out on a table under a light to try to determine which was which. I think I have it figured out now. If it turns out right it will be adorable. 

I've been continuing my foray into reteaching myself knitting. It's starting to come a bit easier. I experimented with different ways to tension the yarn and I think I've stumbled across something that works for me. My only problem is I can't get myself to do more than three or four rows at a time before I get sick of trying to stumble through it. I lack the patience that would help me get along in this faster, but I will plow on for the sake of my wrist. 

Finally, I am planning to crochet a cardigan soon that will be a stashbuster. I've pulled every ball of worsted-weight acrylic yarn I own out of various baskets and storage bins and I have a plan. It is the cover picture from this book:

I crocheted up a swatch last night so I could check my gauge to get the perfect fit, and it only took me one try! I must be a pretty accurate crocheter. Here is a picture of my gauge, which is monochromatic to save the pretty colors for the real thing:

The swatch is 4" square, which is perfect! I can't wait to start this coat, but I need to get some of my other WIPs (works in progress) done first. I'll save the start of this coat for May.

I feel like I'm starting a lot more projects this month than I'm finishing! It just occurred to me that my monthly wrap-up on May 1st might have just one project on it if I don't get cracking on these WIPs. I'd better get to it!

Happy Easter, Passover, or other spring holiday! I hope you all get some time off work to enjoy the spring weather. It's not very spring-y here, but at least the sun is out. Enjoy!

A bit of a Quiltatholon

This weekend was the weekend of quilting! I've been interested in sewing for awhile now, but I don't have much experience and I've not had great luck with the projects I have attempted so far. However, this weekend changed everything!

My mother and I went to a local quilt shop and purchased the materials to make a paper-pieced pillow wrap. My mother has been very excited about paper piecing lately and she had a new technique she was trying- no-tear paper piecing using freezer paper. Last night we watched this video and got to work sewing the pieces together, and it was SO EASY! I absolutely love it! I cooked through the entire center block in about two hours last night (and that was with repeated video viewings to check technique, plus some confusion in the cutting of the fabric) and then today I put on the backing and facing pieces, sewed on the ribbon, and had this:

Isn't it adorable! I can't wait to try it again!

After I finished this pillow wrap today I was so excited and inspired that I sat down to the sewing machine again and finished putting in the main block pieces in the wall quilt that I've been slaving over for more than two years now. All that is left is the borders and then sandwiching, quilting, and binding. It's pretty messy looking (that's an understatement- I made several mistakes along the way) but I'm determined to finish it and to learn as much from it as possible in the process. I plan to get the borders on and then take the batting and backing home for Easter so my mother can help me get it basted. Then I plan to hand-quilt it on a hoop. I used to do a lot of hand-quilting when I was a little girl to help out at my mother's craft store, and I remember enjoying it immensely, so I hope this will be a good experience and not tarnish the memories of my youth.

Then I went back upstairs and got some housework done and read a novel for a bit, but I couldn't stop thinking about sewing, so once I had dinner in the oven I went back downstairs and started a different project. Friday I purchased a jelly roll at a JoAnn's Fabrics because I thought that I could try making a jelly roll quilt, or at least just practice sewing by sewing all the strips together. It's a beautiful pack of green batik prints. So I laid them out on my sewing table in a pattern that looked nice to me and started sewing them up! I only got three done before I had to go check on dinner, but progress has been made.

After dinner I settled down to a couple different projects. I did all the stitching of my felt appliqué mug cozy and then glued on one of the two velcro pieces that will become the closure. I'll get the other piece glued on tomorrow, and then I should be able to post pictures by Wednesday if I can find the time.

Once I was done with that I pulled out some knitting needles and a ball of yarn and set to work practicing continental knitting. I am typically a thrower, also called English style knitting, where you use your right hand to control the yarn. However, I have been having right wrist problems, so I thought I would try to learn to knit continental, also called picking, where you use your left hand. There is a lot less right hand motion, which I know will be good for me, but trying to learn a new style is so frustrating! I felt like the first time I ever had needles placed in my hands. I'm having a hard time getting used to tensioning the yarn. It just feels weird! I'm just knitting a practice piece in garter stitch (knit every row) until I get comfortable with the knit stitch, and then I'll start practicing the purl stitch. I hope I can get used to it.

This week is a busy week in the FuzzyDorff household, but I will be taking my plastic-canvas-needlepoint coasters with me to work to stitch during breaks this whole week, so I'll at least be getting a bit done in the next few days. I also have a cross-stitch kit in my craft basket in the living room, so I'll hopefully get a start on that later this week.

This blog is making me so much more excited about my crafts! I keep thinking, "Oo, I can't wait to write about this in the blog," or "Oh, I have to take a picture of this for the blog." I hope you are all enjoying it so far! Please feel free to comment on anything. Want to see pictures of a specific project that I mentioned in this post? Want me to try out a different craft? Let me know in the comments, or you can always email me at fuzzydorff@gmail.com.

Happy crafting!

April Showers!

It's the first of April, which means it's time for the monthly wrap-up! Each month on the first I plan to post all of the crafting projects I have made in the previous month, plus include a little back story on each project. I hope you enjoy!

These are the projects I made in the month of March:

Go Stars! scarf-

This simple ruffle scarf was inspired by the beautiful black and yellow yarn I found at a shop in the northeast part of the state near my hometown. It incorporates the colors of my high school, which is why it is named Go Stars! after the school mascot. I gave this scarf to my mother, who works at the school, to use as a decoration for her office. This project was started on February 19th, but finished March 1st.


Pillow for the Headmistress-

I made this simple machine-sewn pillow from a pattern I found on the website howtosew.com with a scrap of fabric I purchased at a local big box store. It is comprised of two rolled hems, two seams, and is the perfect size for an 18" pillow form. It now graces my living room chair.


Broomstick Lace Belt-

I made this crocheted belt using a large knitting needle as the "broomstick" to create the big lacy loops in the pattern. It is made of linen, so it is strong. I absolutely love how it turned out, and I have already worn it several times!

Rapunzel Hair for Z-

I made this for my "niece" (the daughter of a friend) for her birthday. It is essentially a crocheted hat with a thick long braid attached to the back of it, tied with yarn at the end. It drags on the floor behind her and is absolutely perfect for what she was hoping for! Hooray for good gifts!

Mock Cable Wristers-

I made these for me! I love fingerless mitts (even though I rarely seem to wear them) and I love the color and feel of these. Plus, the pattern, which looks like beautiful cables, is simply a ssk (slip, slip, knit) pattern that gives the appearance of cables without having to fiddle with that silly cable needle.

Krup Neck Warmer-

A pretty, incredibly soft, keyhole scarf. I'm not exactly sure what I will do with this yet. I might keep it, I might gift it to someone in the future, or I might sell it to the right buyer! Let me know if you're interested!

Lava Flow Cowl-

This cowl is all mine! I purchased this kit at a wool show last fall because it reminded me of the lava formations I had seen on vacation the previous summer. The ripples in the cowl look exactly like (and according to the pattern, are actually inspired by) the pahoehoe (puh-hoy-hoy) lava formations that captivated me last June.

Dish Scrubber-

This is a bit anticlimactic after the other beautiful things I made last month, but yesterday I whipped up this little dish scrubbie that fits on your hand. I have a pile of dishes that desperately need to be washed, so I'll be putting this little guy to work very soon!

It was a productive month! Eight projects in 31 days, not too bad! I haven't started a single thing this month yet, but some possibilities include a plastic canvas needlepoint project, a cross-stitch project, and a quilting project that I've been slaving over for more than a year. I also plan to pull out some yarn and knitting needles to try to teach myself how to knit all over again. I'm a "thrower" (a style of knitting) and it's been bugging my right wrist, so I'm going to try to learn to be a "picker" and control the yarn with my left hand instead. Wish me luck!