October

Wow. It is the end of October.  Time flies when you thoroughly slack off  during a worldwide pandemic. I had meant to start blogging again once we got home. So it goes. We spent most of September at the family cabin at the lake. I had bought a used sewing machine that I could use up there and leave it so I don't have to haul a machine back and forth. And Sweetie scored a white plastic folding table for free at a yard sale. So I pretty much have all the makings of a sewing room for the cabin. All I needed to do was pack a tub with some projects and I would be good to go. Our niece, Amy was getting married the first week of October so I went looking for the quilt top I had set aside for her.  I know I had it in a safe place in the sewing room or either of the closets that I use in the house for fabric/projects. I could not find it anywhere! I spent several hours looking. Tried to remember the last time I saw it. Ah, the last time my local quilt guild had a sew day in March. I think I brought it to show someone. Of course, right after I emailed the gang to see if anyone may have gathered it with their stuff, I remembered that I had rearranged my sewing room a bit to switch out my table and some things in tubs went out to the shop (where I had already looked through some stuff). So I went to look again. I knew that there had to be some more tubs of my stuff. Sweetie comes over and asks me what I am looking for. He then MOVES a stack of large coolers that were blocking my view of another stack of tubs. And there it was! Efficiently labeled in the correct place to see if those coolers had not been blocking. 

Labeled Tub

Amy's quilt top

 So in theory I would have worked on the wedding quilt. A little bit. I took three lengths of fabric and sewed them together for the backing. That is it. I meant to work on it since we got back home, not a stitch. I will open the tub today, really, I promise.

I had another project with a mid September deadline. It is for a "Deck of Cards" challenge. 

Strip piecing for the hearts

I had meant to take a lot of in progress photographs. Only had a few.

Before the edge treatment. I had found this fun, funky shirt fabric at a retired costumer/cosplay yard sale. It looks like Seinfeld's pirate shirt!  I quilted it and then added the hearts. I couched down the hearts with a fun frou frou yarn. 

Finished!

The corners needed to be rounded to mimic a playing card. I am sure that it will be easy to guess which card I was assigned!  You can see the entire collection at Utah Quilt Guild go to photo gallery and click on Deck of Cards.

Queen Anne's Lace

I had this shawl finished for a long time, finally got around to blocking it. I just love this design!

I am still spinning yarn. I try to spin a little every day. It really has improved my skills. Now if only I could FMQ a little bit every day that might help with my skills in that area as well.

Sunset at Bear Lake

I have been trying to end all my posts with a pretty photograph. This is a sunset one of the last days we were at the lake. 

I hope all of you are safe during these scary times. 

Linking to:

Beth

Judy

Sarah

Nina-Marie

Home Sewn by Us

Sisters

 The Stitching Post canceled their outdoor show for this year. It was the right thing to do. Even though the show is outdoors, so many people attend that it would be impossible to safely social distance.  Valori put out the call on FB for quilters to take a photograph of a quilt outdoors and post it. I got a bit carried away. I was trying to figure out where to hang a quilt for a photo op and thought of my fence facing the street. I realized I could make a mini show so I filled my fence with quilts!  I left them up all day.

My filled fence

Me with the hashtag sign.

Slash preview

 Last time I talked about a collaboration piece I had been working on. I used the two quilted pieces to make the finished piece. I thought about hearts being broken and shattered.

In progress

Love

This is the finished quilt. It is 15 inches square. I had trouble with the brown lightening bolt being secure so I added the bias tape and I think it worked even better in highlighting the slash. It went off in the mail to the coordinator. It was nice to get something finished.

I have still been spinning every day for  Tour De Fleece. These two skeins are the results from spinning sample bits.

Pretty Clouds yesterday

And my pretty photograph for the post.

Linking to:

Nicole

Judy

Cooking up Quilts

Beth

Gail

Nina-Marie

Sarah

July heat wave

I am trying to finish a collaboration piece. The Heart is what I received, I quilted it. I plan on slashing it and adding the brown piece between the slashes. Stayed tuned, I hope to show it completed next week. Just getting my nerve up to do the slashing.

Baby hat and mini mitts

My friend's daughter is expecting a baby girl, due in the next couple of weeks. I send baby hats for the new babies. Lately I have also been including mitten ornaments.  They are simple knits and use up the last bits of sock yarns. Pattern is here. 

Sample fibers

A finished yarn!

These last couple of weeks I have been spinning for the Tour de Fleece event. I bought a spinning wheel two years ago. I spun a bit the first summer and then only every great once in a while. Then I had some issues, I needed to buy a new drive band and it took longer than I thought it would to arrive. And the wheel needed some adjustments.  I did a small, practice spin the end of May. Yesterday I plied it an got a finished yarn. Might be enough for a hat. My dear friend, Karen, got me hooked into spinning. We used to knit together and drink coffee. I moved 3-1/2 years ago and she just moved to Washington state. I have missed our get togethers. I was able to go up to see her last year and have a spin lesson. Of course, since I didn't practice, it did not take. Karen has also gotten into weaving.  Her yarns are beautiful and her cotton towels are wonderful!  You can see her stuff here. 

I have noticed an improvement on my spinning since I have been practicing almost every day. Karen had given me a large box of fiber when I got my wheel. A lot of it was samples that she had and didn't want, along with some other treats. I also have bought a few braids on my own. I have enough fiber to keep me busy for a while.

Canoeing on Jackson Flats Lake

And here is my pretty photograph for the week. Sweetie and I took the canoe over to the little lake nearby. We went early, so very few people out there. It was calm and peaceful. And bonus! Sweetie caught 3 fish!




Linking to:

Sarah

Nina-Marie

Tish

Nicole

Beth

Cooking up Quilts

Judy

Lazy June

I am having a hard time getting back to the sewing machine. But I have been knitting! I finished a pair of socks, but lost at yarn chicken.  Plan B is the pattern.

Plan B

I also finished a colorwork hat! My Ravelry group did a KAL for this pattern. It was hard for me, colorwork is not my strong suit. Katie's Kep is the pattern.

Katie's Kep

And next on the needles is Diamonds in the Fluff.  This is a memorial KAL for the Sock Madness group. One of the designers died this spring.

Diamonds in the Fluff

And last of all is a pretty photograph. Sweetie and I drove to Cedar Breaks National Monument recently. It is about an hour drive from our home. It is a less visited park, so we felt it was safe to go and visit. We did wear our masks when at the viewpoints and when anyone was near us on the hiking trail.

Cedar Breaks

Linking to:

Jen

Nina- Marie

Sarah

Progress? Eh, not really.

I sewed on my scraps. Got a lot of parts made and put on the wall. I keep moving them around. I couldn't see anything working, so I emailed to some friends for advice. I need more yellow spots. And I need some more light contrast. Maybe next week you will see a finished top.

Red Knoll Scraps

Plan B socks

Unusual gusset decreases.

I am still working on my Plan B socks. The colors are brighter than what the photograph shows. I have both heel flaps finished and did the first gusset and decrease. It is a bit different, the decrease is on the bottom of the foot. I am enjoying knitting this design.

Blooms on a weed

Cow tongue Cactus 

Getting ready to bloom

Prickly Pear

I am trying to post a pretty photograph every week. Just for something positive in these crazy times we are living in right now.  It will be interesting to see the cactus blooms next week. Frequently we are out of town when our various cactus are blooming and miss the show.

Linking to:

Tish

Nina-Marie

Sarah

Mid May

Red Knoll Scraps

 I have a ton of projects I could be working on, so instead I started to play with the scraps from making "Saving Red Knoll". These are parts that I have so far. Still a pile of strips and what not on the cutting mat. Stay tuned, hopefully next week there will be a top.

Plan B

Still working on my Plan B socks. I don't knit my socks two at a time but decided to do so this time. I had 2 balls of yarn and just wasn't in the mood to work on the heel so cast on the second sock. I love how the yarn is striping.

Zion

We did a drive this week. Drove the road through Zion National Park. As it was not open yet (just the road, Highway 9) we obeyed the rules and did not stop or park while driving through. I shot this as we were driving. The park opened the next day with limited services. I hope people won't go nuts. We have had some problems with visitors to the local state parks the last few weeks. No social distancing, destruction of petroglyphs, and there was an incident where the crowd would not step aside to let first responders through to help an injured woman.  With limited staff and a lot of the amenities still closed, people have been acting like idiots. I hope that it will calm down.



Linking to:

Nicole

Judy

Cooking Up Quilts

Beth

Sarah

Madame

Nina-Marie

May Day

Just a few things I have finished in April. Happy May Day everyone!

Baby Hat

 My cousin's daughter is expecting a boy in the next couple of weeks. Here is a little hat for the new guy.

Saving Red Knoll

 Finally have a finished quilt to show. Saving Red Knoll is for Stretching Art Challenge. The theme is Community.

Lacy not Lazy

 I did not make it through to the next round of Sock Madness. My team (Q) is fast! I have one sock finished and am halfway through the second. I will still be able to knit the next sock pattern, but I am no longer in competition. The new pattern will be out sometime this week.

Iris

My Irises are blooming beautifully right now!  A friend gave me some starts a few years ago and this is their best year so far!

Linking to:

Ginny

Nicole

Beth

Judy

Laura

Nina-Marie

Sarah