Stained Glass Window

I’ve nearly got the  bonus HST top done — it was the last one destined for the crate to be quilted so want to get it finished so I can start the machine quiting marathon.  Just one problem.

Here’s my original EQ layout.

 And here’s what I stitched. 

Notice those little pinkish squares in the sashing…..hmmmmm none of those in my top at this point. Dang! I was moving right along and didn’t both to look back at the design and forgot I put those in there.  I’m definitely not going to rip anything apart but I think it needs something in those spaces between the blocks so I’ve  come up with a new plan.  And actually I think I like the new plan better.

I added a section to each end which will use the same multicolored batik in it (I think this will make it long enough to use as a topper on my dining table.  And I plan to applique circles of the same multicolor in between the blocks.   I should be able to get the two end pieces on tomorrow night and then can start on the applique so hope to have this ready to start quiting on by Wednesday.

Denise

HST progress

They are squared up, sewing in pairs and now sewn into each half of the block.

Ahhhh… I’ve missed my sewing time.  But did have to finally stop to make a sandwich.  These are only half the pieces – they have a matching section but I just stuck these up so I can see which fabrics I need to cut the addition center section from.

Back to work – I’m on a roll.

Denise

Sunday Stashbusting report

Hey – finally a little progress to report since I cut some borders for a quilt yesterday – don’t have them sewn on yet but they are cut.  So about a whopping yard used! 🙂

So the numbers are 81 total yards used YTD, 34.25 purchased YTD; net busted 46.75.  I think I’m way low this year compared to last but hope to correct that soon.  I issued myself a challenge yesterday to get a whole stack of quilt tops quilted between now and the end of next July.  While it won’t stop me from making and adding new quilts to be quilted or get quilted, I’m going to concentrate on that particular stack since the majority of them are quilts to go to charity.  Gotta get started somewhere  and it would be too overwhelming a task if I contemplate the other two storage tubs full of tops in the closet waiting to be quilted.  But all those backings and bindings should help the stashbusting efforts some (tho I hate to piece backings and don’t have a lot of pieces with large amounts of yardage so that could backfire and lead to more shopping – at least for some of them.)

Finally after what seems like weeks – and has been – I got back to some sewing yesterday after finishing cleaning the sewing room.  Squaring up some HSTs that were on the design wall so I can set them together.  And I’ve pulled the first quilt top I want to quilt so hope to get that layered today.

Last night I started on the scarf that I posted the yarn photos of yesterday.  I started and ripped out twice because I made it the number of stitches wide the pattern called for — well I’m using two strands so that was way too wide.  Clearly my brain wasn’t thinking when I cast on.  So I took it down a few stitches but had figured the pattern repeat wrong — ripped again.  Third time a charm – got a good width and recalculated the pattern repeat correctly so I had the exact number of stitches I needed.

Since the sweater with the one sleeve left to finish has gotten to akward to work on during my bus ride to work, this will be my new bus project.  I love the way the colors are looking and am anxious to see how it looks once some of the pinky, orange sections of the yarn are used.

The pattern is called “Rain on the Prairie” from Interweave Knits Spril 2011 issue.

I put a white piece of paper behind this photo so you can sort of see the open holes in the design.

I do like the Interweave Knits magazine.  Lots of great tips or techniques for simple things I’d never thought about.  For instance on this scarf you cast on with a needle two sizes larger, than you start kniting with two sizes smaller.  It stops the garter stitch rows at the bottom from sort of pulling in and looking smaller than the width of the rest of the scarf since that cast on row is a bit looser.  Now why didn’t I think of that before!  This could come in handy in many projects.   Also, like many scarfs where you knit 3 or 4 stiches at each end every row to help stop the edges from curling, this takes it one step further and you slip the first stitch as if to purl then knit the first couple stitches.  You get an nice straight edge that looks almost like a crochet chain.

Such a simple step that adds so much – I love the look of it and I think it will be much easier to thread blocking wires through that edge.

Now to get back to those HSTs.

Denise