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Pacific Northwest, United States

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I've been crafting things for myself and others since my teen years. Designing and creating is not just what I do.....it's Who I Am. Thanks for stopping by.

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Got It Done–Feb 2013


I'm happy to report that I got all my February Getting It Done list accomplished.....with the exception of those darn gray socks.  In the end, I decided to postpone making them.  

Here's a listing of my project finishes I did this past month...


February Washcloth

Feb-washcloth
I enjoy simple knitting projects and I'm hoping to make a new one each month. 

This month I made the Hostess Gift Dishcloth which is a free pattern offered by Lily on their website. 

The knit pattern is a 10-stitch repeat and relatively easy to master.  This pattern would also be a good choice for a knitted scarf.





Craftsy BOM – February 2013

Craftsy-BOM-Feb
Participating in a BOM project is a perfect way for me to expand my quilting experience and skills.  

This block is called “Spring Blooms” and highlights the technique of using partial seams to attach patches to the center square.

This was an easy block to make and I will likely use it in future scrappy quilts.  







February Scrap Quilt Top

GS-Full
Each month I'd like to make a scrap quilt.

“Grannie’s Scraps” is the name I gave this quilt top which measures 58” x 67”.  

The interior of the quilt is comprised of 20 granny square blocks (aka “Arbor Window” block in EQ7 library).  The pieced border blocks are called square-in-a-square or diamond-in-square.  








Purple Baby Trip Quilt

My goal was to quilt and bind this fun baby quilt.  The finished size is 41” x 41”.  I used bright prints with a mix of solids (mostly purple and yellow).  The backing is yellow flannel and Warm & Natural cotton batting so it’s nice and cuddly.  For the quilting, I did a simple wavy line in the interior and then a double stipple in the border area.
PBT-all
PBT-1

 

 

 

 

 








  


 

 Log Cabin Throw

I made this quilt top last month and wanted to get it quilted and add the binding this month.  

This finished quilt measures 60" x 72".  I used Warm & Natural cotton batting.  For the quilting I did a square spiral following the log shapes in each block, outlined the flying geese in the border and did a flowing feather pattern in the outer border.  I blogged about my free-motion quilting on this project last week and included some close-up pics.






Getting It Done - March 2013 

Here is my list of project goals I hope accomplish during March.  

I'm participating in Judy's "Getting It Done" challenge for 2013.  On the last day of each month post a list of about four quilt-related tasks that we want to accomplish during the following month.  I have expanded my list to include some knitting and sewing projects as well.  I must say that this has helped me keep on track and finish things that I otherwise would have put off.  Be sure to visit Patchwork Times blog for links to what others have on their Getting It Done lists.

Thanks for stopping by.............Happy Quilting, Sewing, Knitting, and Crafting!!!

     ~Diane

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

WIP Wednesday - Feb 27, 2013


This week I'm working on completing this bricks & stones scrap quilt that I started years ago.  I had previously sewn together many of the blocks, but as I look at it now I see some fabric repeats that are placed a little too close to one another.  I'll be ripping out some seams as well as making more blocks.  At the moment, it measures 49" x 60" so I think I'll add enough to make it around 60" x 72".  The patches are 2-1/2" x 5" for the bricks and 2-1/2" x 2-3/4" for the stones.  I have a friend that runs a local homeless shelter, The Father's Heart Street Ministry, so when this quilt is done, I'll  probably donate it.

I'm linked up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.  I encourage you to go check out the great projects happening this week.


A little fabric shopping................

I know that I'm trying to reduce my stash and make a huge dent in my scraps, but there are some fabrics that I really, really need.  I want to make several more baby quilts so I bought some flannels for the quilt backs.  I want to make a "modern" style quilt so I bought some grays.  I have a poor selection of greens so I bought some greens to round out my stash.



Like most quilters, the sight of fabric makes me drool.   Enjoy!


Thanks for stopping by..................Happy Quilting

      ~Diane

Monday, February 25, 2013

Design Wall Monday–Feb 25, 2013

DWM-022513
Triangle Squares, Half Square Triangles (HST) or whatever you call them……I have a bunch and want to use them somehow.  I also have several sizes, from 1-1/2” square to 2-1/2” square; but the majority of them are 1-3/4” square.  They were trimmings from other project blocks. 

Placing a square over a corner of another piece and sewing the diagonal seam produces a lot of bits that I can’t stand to throw away.  This method seems wasteful, but if I can use up all those leftovers, then I guess I’ll be o.k. with it. 

My friend, Dot, uses hers to make pinwheel blocks.  For some reason, I don’t like pinwheels all that much.  So now I’m on the hunt for a pattern to use up all these little guys.  In the meantime I’ll continue to press and trim and play with layouts. 

I subscribe to Quiltmaker magazine and they recently published Block Bonanza in one of their issues.  I saved a copy for my reference folder. 

Here are a few of the blocks I favor using my HST’s.

Block-01
A

Block-03
C
Block-04
D



Block-02
B

Block-05
E

 





(Sorry for how these blocks appear.....I struggled a lot with blogger to get them to line up and just don't have all day to do it)

I’m open to any and all suggestions about using up these little squares.

Because these squares are small, I’m thinking I can use them to make mug mats, pot holders, and/or maybe a mini quilt.

Thanks for stopping by.  Be sure to check out Patchwork Times to see links for other design walls this week.

Happy Quilting,
    ~Diane

Friday, February 22, 2013

On The Needles - Feb 22, 2013

And then there was ONE (sock)!  
After screwing up my third attempt at making the heel on just one of these socks, I frogged out the WHOLE sock.  There it is on the right in the pic above.  All wound up.  That's how I felt when I tried to frog out just the heel portion and pick up the stitches.  I'd done it several times so far and the yarn was splitting and hard to get back onto the needle.  So I did what seemed best at the time.  I don't regret it and will probably do the same to the other sock.  I'm thinking that I might just start over completely and not do the ribbing pattern on the instep.  In the meantime these two will hang out in the bag and console one another while I consider their fate.

One Row Washcloth

Meanwhile, I worked a little on the One Row washcloth that I started last week.  This is the kind of project I like to have handy to work on while watching t.v.  But, sometimes I just want to veg and stare at the tube and let my hands rest idly.  
Front side of the One Row Washcloth
I have some left over cream colored cotton yarn so I've added a couple of stripes.  


Back/Reverse side of the One Row Washcloth
I haven't decided how big I want this cloth to be so I'll just keep going until it feels right.

Thanks for stopping by.  Be sure to visit Patchwork Times for links to other On The Needles posts.

Happy Knitting,
    ~Diane

Free-Motion Quilting–Log Cabin Throw

FMQ-022213
I did three styles of quilting on this project. 
Using the walking foot I stitched in the ditch around the quilt borders as well as the 12-inch log cabin blocks.  I also outlined the flying geese blocks in the border. 
LCT-022213
Then I switched to my darning foot and began quilting the interior of the log cabin blocks following the seam lines of each log.  I started with the largest log and basically created a square spiral working toward the middle of the block and then reversed direction and stitched a line in the center of each log as I worked my way outward.  This was a great plan in my head, but when it came to execution it was a real pain to accomplish.  Because there was so much fabric crammed into the throat of my machine, it was next to impossible for me to achieve straight lines in any direction except toward me.  I opted to turn the fabric each time I changed direction so I had to shift and rearrange the fabric in the throat as well as on the table.  About half-way through I switched back to my walking foot and was able to get straighter lines.  As I look at the quilt now, I’m glad that I did the design within the log cabin blocks, but I’d think twice about doing it on a quilt of this size (which is really not big at 60 x 70).  I think the additional batting around the outside added even more bulk.
LCT-corner
I decided to do freehand feathers in the outer border after I stitched the curvy spine all around. All in all I’m pleased with the outcome of my quilting on this quilt. 
I’m linked up with the FMQ Friday at the Free Motion Quilting Project blog. 
Thanks for stopping by.  Please feel free to leave a comment.
Happy Quilting,
    ~Diane

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

WIP Wednesday–Feb 20, 2013

A couple of days ago I posted a pic of my design wall with Baby’s First Spring blocks.  After thinking about it for a while I decided that I really did want the quilt to finish at around 40” square instead of 44” square.  The small version will eliminate having to piece the backing.  I want to use a single cut of flannel.

So….back to the drawing board.  I discovered that I could change the size of the outer blocks and keep the interior quilt layout the same.  Fortunately I had enough leftover fabric to make new blocks.  In fact I may have enough to make yet another baby quilt if I incorporate the leftovers from the Purple Baby Trip quilt. 

Here’s the new, improved layout.
WIP-022013

BFS-022013

I’m linked up with WIP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced.
Thanks for stopping by and Happy Quilting,
     ~Diane

Monday, February 18, 2013

Design Wall Monday–Feb 18, 2013

BFS-Design

This weekend at our quilt group get together I worked on the blocks for another baby quilt.  I’m calling this quilt “Baby’s First Spring” because the flower and colors make me think of spring (which I hope is right around the corner….because I’m getting a little sick of the gloomy skies and rain). 

I had picked out a nice burgundy batik but didn’t have enough so I had to swap it out for a solid burgundy when I cut the pieces I needed.  At present, the final quilt (which will not have any additional borders) will measure about 44x44 which is a bit larger than I’d like because I would prefer to use just one piece of 44” wide flannel for the backing. 

Thanks for stopping by.  Be sure to visit Patchwork Times for links to other design walls.

Happy Quilting,
     ~Diane

Friday, February 15, 2013

Free-Motion Quilting - Feb 15, 2013


Earlier this week I finished quilting on this baby quilt.  Because I wanted to keep the border simple and not over-quilt it like I did on a previous baby quilt, I chose to use a simple "Double Stipple" design.  Leah demonstrated this style last summer in conjunction with the FMQ2012 Challenge sponsored by SoCalGal.  This was easy and I really like how it looks.  Thanks Leah for sharing so much of your expertise with us.

I'm linked up with FMQ Friday at The Free Motion Quilting blog.  Check it out!

Happy Quilting,
     ~Diane

On The Needles–Feb 15, 2013

Last night I started a new washcloth.  I thought I’d try to incorporate the Yarn Harlot’s One Row Scarf stitch pattern.  In December I made a neck warmer for myself using this pattern. 
OTN-021513-B
I’m using my size 7 US circular needles and Peaches and Cream 100% cotton yarn. 


 

OTN-021513Then there’s the dreaded gray socks.  I started knitting these socks in November and then set them aside until after the holidays.  I remember starting one heel, goofing up and then taking it out.  I started over again, but didn’t follow through with completing the heel at the time.  I set it down again for a couple of weeks.  Well, I just finished frogging it out for the second time.  I need quiet time to concentrate and just knit both sock heels so I can move on to the easy part, knitting the legs.  We’ll see if that happens this week or not.



Funny how different lighting changes the color of what you’re photographing.  This sock looks more blue than gray in this pic.

I’m linked up with Patchwork Times, On The Needles this week.  Be sure to go check out what other’s have on their needles.

Happy Knitting,
     ~Diane

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

WIP Wednesday - Feb 13, 2013


The Grannie's Scraps quilt top is progressing.  I recently finished making all the square-in-a-square (aka diamond-in-a-square) blocks and have sewn them into strips for the border.  When I designed this quilt in EQ7, I had picked a forest green for the solid border strips, but when I went to pull the fabrics that I needed for this project I couldn't find any in my stash.  I did find two dark rose/burgundy fabrics so that's what I'll use.

My design wall is occupied so I laid out the borders and quilt interior on the pressing table to make sure the proportions and colors work.  Next step will be the cutting of the burgundy fabric and then attaching all three borders.

I'm holding off working on any other projects until this top is complete.  I know myself well enough that if I set it aside now, it could be weeks before I take the time to work on it again.  At this point, I just want to get it done so I can move on.  I have another quilt, the Log Cabin throw, that needs to be quilted this month and I figure it will take me at least a week to do that on my domestic machine.

I'm linked up with Freshly Pieced WIP Wednesday.
Thanks for stopping by.  Feel free to leave a comment.
         ~Diane

Monday, February 11, 2013

Design Wall Monday–Feb 11, 2013

 DWM-021113
At this point I have the quilt interior all pieced for my February scrap quilt, Grannie’s Scraps.










  SIS_blocks
At present, I’m making the square-in-a-square blocks which will be in the border. So far 18 of the required 58 blocks done and the remaining 40 blocks are half done.
I’m using the same light cream fabric background that I used with the grannie square blocks; and, for the most part, bright or dark squares for the center square. 



Be sure to visit Patchwork Times for links to other design walls.



Got It Done

I’m happy to report that in the past week, I finished up three of the items I have on my February Getting It Done list.
 PBT-1
Quilt and Bind the Purple Baby Trip Around the World quilt.








Feb-washcloth

February Knit Washcloth. 










Craftsy-BOM-Feb

Craftsy 2013 BOM for February – Spring Blooms block











Thanks for stopping by.    Happy Crafting!
       ~Diane

Friday, February 8, 2013

Free-Motion Quilting - Purple Baby Trip quilt

One of my Getting It Done goals for February is to quilt and bind the Purple Baby Trip quilt. 
FMQ-020813
This has been a fun quilt to make.  

So far, I have quilted the interior of the quilt.  But now I’m stuck!  I can’t seem to figure out how I want to quilt the border area.  I had started making some swirls but when the thread broke I stopped and picked out the stitches.  Back to the drawing board!   I have eliminated some of the fancier designs I have considered because I want to keep the borders the same density of stitching as the interior. 

I welcome any suggestions as to how I should quilt the borders.

I’m linked up with FMQ Fridays over at the Free Motion Quilting Project.

On The Needles–Feb 8, 2013


HotessGift_dishcloth

February Washcloth

This month I chose to knit the Hostess Gift Dishcloth, pattern by Lily “Sugar N Cream”.  I got the pattern online from the Lily website.
This looked to be a fairly simple stitch pattern so I thought I’d try it. 

OTN-020813
I didn’t do a gauge swatch because I figured it wouldn’t matter like it does with garment knitting.  Last night I finally got out the tape measure and discovered that mine is about an inch wider than the pattern.  In order to make it square, which really doesn’t matter to me, I still have about a couple inches to go.  It’s supposed to be 10-inch square, but mine will probably be 11-inch square. 
HGD-back HGD-front
I’m not certain which is the back and which is the front.  I like the patterning on both sides.
Being the visual person that I am, I found it much easier for me to follow the pattern after I converted it to a chart.  I kept getting lost between the commas and had to frog several times. 

By the way, I started using the washcloth I made last month and love it. 

Thanks for stopping by.  Be sure to visit Patchwork Times for links to other On The Needles posts. 

Happy Knitting,
    ~Diane

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

WIP Wednesday–Feb 06, 2013

WIP-020613
Over the past few days I’m been working on my February Scrap Quilt.  The grannie square blocks, 20 in all, are done and the vertical sashing strips are in place.  Next step will be adding the horizontal sashing and cornerstones.  That should complete the piecing of the quilt interior.  Then on to the borders.
I also did a test of one of the square-in-a-square border blocks to ensure I’d get it the right size.  Interestingly I discovered that if I diagonally cut two background squares that are the same size as the center square and then I end up with a slightly oversized block which can be trimmed down.  That’s a lot easier for me.  In the past, I’ve cut the background triangles too small and ended up with a block that was slightly irregular.    
GS-Border
I’m linking up with WIP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced.  Be sure to check out what others are working on this week. 
Happy Quilting,
~Diane

Monday, February 4, 2013

Design Wall Monday–Feb 4, 2013

DWM-020413
One of my 2013 goals is to make a scrap quilt each month.  With 13 blocks already made, I have a head start on this month’s Getting It Done goal.  These blocks have been sitting in my WIP basket for months and it’s time to make use of them.  

The other day I used EQ7 to design a quilt, “Grannie’s Scraps” for these squares. 
I decided on a 4 x 5 layout with sashing and corner stones so I need to make 7 more grannie square blocks.  One of the borders will be a strip of square-in-a-square blocks. 




Thanks for stopping by.  Please visit Patchwork Times for more links to design walls.
Happy Quilting,
     ~Diane
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