Stippling

I have been stippling for hours now, gone through three bobbins and a fourth is loaded in the sewing machine. For reference, I am using the BSR on my Bernina 630, set at a 1.7 stitch length. This is slightly shorter than the default 2.0, and gives a much smoother curve to the tight stippling I am doing. The feathers are done with the 2.0 length, it works for them. I am now on the last side of the inner section of stippling, which includes echoing the triangle feathers. It is having the desired effect, I am loving the look. And I will also love being done stippling! I just might do a few blocks when I am done with this section, then go back and stipple the outer edges. Then the big question, to scallop or not to scallop the edge. The scallops would echo the line of the feathered cable, but the issue, as it was before, is the corners. They are not the same. So I will have to lay it out and look at it before making the decision (and I know I would love the scalloped edge, it is just getting it to work!).

No Sylvia’s Bridal Sampler blocks are being done right now, all of my sewing time is spent quilting in an attempt to get this done for the show, to my satisfaction. Then I have to get the binding done on my Cube Lattice. It is back from the quilters, which was quick. I didn’t expect if for another week.

This weekend

Friday night I spent working on the feathered cable border of my Dear Jane My Way, and got it to the point where I could wash out the blue marker (Yeah!). So I did that and it was very wet, and I hung it up to dry. Until I can really wash it, it will not go into the dryer! And that won’t be until it is done. I was trying to get the blue out because I had one more corner that just wasn’t right and needed to be re-marked. I did finally remark it today, so the feathered cable is all done. Then today I echo quilted around the cable so I could stipple outside of the feathers. I have stippled the inner section about 2/3 of a side, and it is looking good J. Taking a break, stippling is hard work. I ran out of bobbin thread (in the bobbin, have several waiting to go in) and thought it was a good time to relax the shoulders a bit. The stippling is having the desired effect of emphasizing the feathers, thank goodness! As far as the rest of the quilt, all the pieced triangles are now quilted, along with 1/3 or so of the center blocks.

Saturday I went to Stitches West and got blown away by all of the yarn. I came home with more than I planned, not a big surprise there.
Socks that Rock – 2 skeins of heavyweight and 1 of silkie – for socks

Cherry Tree Hill – 4 skeins of DK weight, 10 of select (fingering) (for sweater of many colors) – Beth snagged one of the DK weight to knit a scarf
Stickwear – 1 shawl kit
Gedifra – 16 balls of worsted weight medium blue (for sweater)
Miss Babs – 3 skeins of Yummy sock yarn – for socks

5 pairs of Skacel circular needles (40”) (sizes 6, 7, 8, 9, & 10)

Now to get busy!

Still Quilting

The last few rounds of quilting have been doing the boring cable around the last two sides of my DJ border. I've done 3 rounds, and the fourth on one side. I am going to do the fifth cable line on the third side so I can do some free motion for a while. This is just too boring.
On the non-boring front, I went to see Wicked Tuesday night. I loved it :) But it was a very late night, and I was very tired the next day. Very little quilting got done last night. Tomorrow should be better, it is Friday and a short day at work. Saturday is Stitches West, well it started today, but I am going Saturday. Since I am just a beginning knitter, this is rather intimidating, rather overwhelming actually. I have been plodding away at a little washcloth the last couple of days, getting my stockinette stitching better. Cotton is very unforgiving. I need to get a winder, and maybe a swift. We'll see. I can wait on the swift.

Finally Quilting

I've had the border to my Dear Jane quilt marked for a while. I finally got around to starting to quilt it this weekend. All of the plain triangles are now not so plain, they have a feathered triangle quilted in each one of them, 56 all told. When I was quilting the feathers I, every now and then, quilted a pieced triangle as well, so some of them are now quilted too. Then I started on the outer border. I added a border to the quilt so it will be big enough for my queen size bed, and marked a feathered cable on it. One corner might get remarked, but meanwhile, I am quilting what I like. One side is pretty much done (except that funky corner), and I am working my way around the next side, so at least one corner is done! I am using my walking foot to stitch the five rows of cable, boring, but essential. Then I do the other half of the cable with my BSR stitching a feather pattern. The second side is getting its feather treatment. If I can get them all done today, I will be happy, and the quilt border will be halfway done. More or less, I still need to add the background stippling after I do an echo quilting all the way around. But still, making progress.

Friday I finally got the backing pieced for my niece's quilt, and gave that to my sister to quilt. She came down to go to the Pajaro Valley Quilt guild's quilt show with me on Saturday, which was lovely. I saw lots of lovely quilts, and some lovely fabric. Michael Miller has some new Flower Fairy fabric, and I got some of the Periwinkle line. If you go to their website, they have several quick quilts, and I will probably end up doing one of them.

Then Tracey Brookshier had a booth. Love her BB bag, which I plan on making soon! But yesterday I got her Crane Moon pattern. You can see it at http://www.quilterswarehouse.com/itemdesc.asp?ic=BSD07736

I also got the center panel from her, and several coordinating fabrics. I just don't have that many purples! Or didn't, now I do.

I also got some applique thread that comes on bobbins. Such a great idea from Superior Threads. I got a set that comes on a bobbin holder. And a tip, store it upside down so it doesn't get dusty. I generally wind a thread color that I am using on a bobbin anyway, so this saves that step.

I made the fatal error of stepping into Pincushion Boutique's booth, and came out several Sweet Treats later, some to be used in the BB bag mentioned above . Others to be used with the Crane Moon quilt.

All in all, a very quilty weekend

E-2 Corn and Beans and knitting progress

One more SBS block done, E-2 Corn and Beans. I ended up using the Marti Michell templates for this. I have quite a few now, and rather than pawing through them willy-nilly, I put together a spreadsheet (one of my favorite things to do) with all the pieces (almost all, still have a few to add, like the Feathered Star…) and what the finished size was. Then I sorted by type and size and put an illustration next to the type so I can find things easily. The actual templates are in different tins, one with the 4” block bits, one with the 3”, and one with 8-pointed Stars and Feathered Stars. Somewhere I have the sunburst too, I think, need to get more organized. Anyway, doing that made it easy to see if I had the right pieces for Corn and Beans, and I did, so I used them.
Started another dishcloth this weekend, and finished it last night. I am much better at keeping an even tension now. Cotton is very unforgiving, no stretch or easing like wool that hides that unevenness a bit. So, I had to get better, and I did. I now hold my yarn a bit differently, more like the pictures I have seen, with the double wind around my finger, instead of just one, holds better, thus better tension. So this morning I started another swatch for my socks, using US size 1 needles, and with my new improved technique, actually got 7 stitches per inch, which is what I was shooting for! So now I can figure out how many stitches to cast on and start my first pair of socks, Woo hoo!
Made Russian Cabbage Borscht from the Moosewood Cookbook, by Mollie Katzen, last night, using mostly Farm share produce (beets, cabbage, carrots, celery), along with some staples (onion and potato). Tonight will be either lamb stew or Ham, yams and apples.

SBS block update

M-9 King Davids Crown - this weeks BOW

E-10 Hunter's Star - the last BOW of January
E-5 Handy Andy - last week's BOW

The February challenge is to do nine blocks from the second column. I have already done several, so will add a few blocks from elsewhere to get to nine blocks.

A-2 Shoo Fly

G2 - Oklahoma Dogwood - February challenge block - redid it once, finished is better than perfect

I-2 Winding ways - done with John Flynn's templates, made it pretty easy.

L-2 Mother's Favorite


M-2 Wild Goose Chase

L-1 Friendship Quilt - another block with the same name...

Happy Valentine's Day

I got rose red yarn for Valentine's Day, along with a sweet card, from my DH. I told him I didn't want flowers, and this is much better. So soft, and enough for a pair of socks, maybe even two, if I knit them like I like to wear them. He also discovered a new to me yarn source, and showed me where it was!