Quilting

Table runners...perfect for instant gratification! I haven't had time for much quilting on the longarm, but I helped my mom make Christmas presents for a friend. Plain backs let my quilting show beautifully. There was a center panel, and then two borders, as you can see by the three designs. Simple curves and swirls in the border, and ribbons in the center! The idea for ribbons came from Cindy Roth, a longarm teacher who was just featured in the longarm magazine "On Track."Baby K is babbling up a storm. Last night, she pointed to the TV where her "growth" bunny sits. Here she is loving that bunny:

Miters

I saw my friend Connie today at our LY/QS and she hinted that I should post more pictures of my mitered squares. I am obsessed with this project! I spent my free time this week (while my students were supposedly doing homework - ha!) planning color schemes and calculating sizes and quantites of yarn. I started blocking today:

In this photo you can see my project box too! I'll clear space in the sewing closet for the blocked squares and keep the bits of yarn in the box. I am making sets of 3 of each color scheme. The layout will be similar to the "card trick" quilt pattern...kind of nested corners is the only way I can describe it. I started with the teal and blue (center), then made the blue and white (on the right) and I'm currently working on the rust and blue that you see on the left. I am leaving long tails on the cast on and bind off - theoretically to help me sew all the squares together! Every set will have some blue - either of the two shades you see, plus a navy blue I bought today. I am going to alternate starting with blue or the contrast color.

Daddy and Baby K are enjoying their day off. Too bad we don't have a football game on in the background to complete the holiday portrait!

Giving Thanks

Enjoying the day with family and friends...

Happy Thanksgiving from Baby K and her mom and dad!

Sunday Sewing

I've been working on The Commission. My original idea was a Trip Around the World pattern, but I wanted a lap quilt with 6 inch squares. I decided on 10 by 12 squares, which will give me a 60 by 72-inch quilt. The traditional "trip" pattern hasa single square in the center, which didn't work with the even numbers in my layout. I like the corners in this design because it gives it a little Southwest flair. I am working on my 6th mitered square for my knitted blanket. Visit Cara's blog and search for her "Miter Madness" - that was my inspiration. I decided to use blue as one of the colors in each square, and I have a different layout in mind. When I get enough squares done to showcase the design, I will take pictures.

Baby K gets cuter every day...if I do say so myself! She is starting to use some words, like "baaa" for ball and "nana" for banana. If she wants to eat, she just points to the kitchen and grunts. Such a lady!

WIP Wednesday

Did a little bit of sewing today! No photos of the Commission, since sewing six inch squares together doesn't look much different than the layout of the fabric I showed last time!

I finally dug into my copy of Mason Dixon Knitting. I started with a Ballband Dishcloth. If I had more time, everyone would be getting these for Christmas! Fun to knit and QUICK. My gift idea was to tuck them inside coffee mugs. Maybe next year!!

Then, I knit my first miter! Another fun quick knit. Although getting enough squares for a whole blanket may take years...And Baby K got some quality cuddles with Grandpa tonight:

When I made my project list last weekend, I forgot a few things. I am going to put together a t-shirt quilt for my aunt, and I am quilting some table runners for my mom. I have Monday off (Veteran's Day) so I hope to be at the longarm most of the day. The table runners should be easy enough to get done in a day.

Reults from the Shopping Expedition

Baby K got the chance to show off her Halloween sweatshirt. She loves to visit Grandma's shop!

Here's what I found for the challenge. The paisley print is the actual challenge fabric. I think I will use the blue and white for the checkerboard and add the green somewhere for a zinger. It's not very clear in the photo, but in the paisleys there is a hint of green, I promise!

And for the commission...
I changed the layout a bit to fit the size I want, so it's not a true Trip Around the World. The yellow fabric will be the center and then it moves out until the top and bottom rows are the black. It should go together quickly, and I'll share pictures when there is progress.

Two more repeats on the dishcloth, then I can join the miter madness! These are my first selections of Tahki Cotton Classic.
I want to use this on my bed eventually, and Hubby and I love blues, so that will be the focus. The yellow and orange are there to brighten things up a bit!

In the Queue

After the Socktoberfest disaster, I needed some instant knitting gratification, so I went to the stash and grabbed the Sugar-n-Cream that I bought to make the Ballband Dishcloth from Mason Dixon Knitting:
Tomorrow I have a big shopping list for my trek to my favorite store.

1. Fabric for the Trip Around the World (to be known as the Commission)

2. Fabric for the checkerboard background of the Challenge. Kay Gardiner talks about color choices in the mitered blanket section of MDK, and she said neutrals such as beige and grey can make colors pop more that a black or white background. I originally though a b&w checkerboard would be the way to go, but I will make a point of auditioning other choices with the reddish/purple challenge fabric.

3. Tahki Cotton yarn for a mitered blanket. This is another pattern from Mason Dixon Knitting (MDK). I fell in love with the one over at January One. I'd love to make the squares from sock yarn like Shelly Kang does, but I need more info on the measurements. (Duh...she has a tutorial on her blog. I guess I can start the sock yarn version sooner than I thought!)

Hmmm...I guess 3 things isn't THAT big of a shopping list, but since they are all brand-new projects, it's kind of daunting. I mean, I do have a full-time job and a 15-month old...when do I think I'm going to get this stuff sewn up?!? It's easier when I keep the due dates in perspective. The Commission is going to be presented in January 2008, so obviously that's first. I just need to turn off the TV after Baby K goes to bed and sew for a couple hours. The Challenge is due in March 2008, so that can be the focus of the school holidays in January and February. And the miters are just for fun...we certainly don't need blankets for warmth here in Phoenix. It's forecast to be 90 this weekend. Craziness!