Weekly Update

I didn't get much done this week because I bought a new computer and have been busy setting it up and getting it organized. I owe myself a lot of needlework time.

I did get some more work done on Weathervane Variation, the April installment of the Block of the Month (BOTM) series by Deanne Eisnenman of Snuggles Quilts.  Hopefully I'll have this one done and be caught up before she puts out the June block.

I didn't work on any of my other projects.

Weekly Update

Blackwork:

I got some more done on the Blackwork Chessboard by Anne MacGregor.

 

Cross Stitch:

I finished the top section of the "frame" on Brilliant Butterfly Celebration from The Gold Collection by Dimensions.

Swedish Weaving:

I did a little more work on the Feathers To and Fro afghan from Learn to Make Monk’s Cloth Afghans by Marilyn T. Magly.

Finishing:

I finished Purple Passage from Learn to Make Monk’s Cloth Afghans by Marilyn T. Magly.

I think I'm going to have to call this one a learning experience -- I'm not happy with it. I've learned that I do not like working with beads. In future, I'll stick with textiles. I may remake this into a mini quilt someday, but for now at least it's out of the box and on the wall.

My next finishing project is to make a mini quilt out of Tech Support, a design by Linda Connors of
Calico Crossroads®, adapted from the artwork of Kathleen Kelly of Kats by Kelly™. So far, I've
washed and ironed the fabric I plan to use.

Quilting:

I got started on the April installment of the Block of the Month (BOTM) series by Deanne Eisnenman of Snuggles Quilts, Weathervane Variation.

I didn't do any knitting or crocheting this week.

Weekly Update

Quilting:

I finished the Twisted Star block from the March installment of the Block of the Month (BOTM) series by Deanne Eisnenman of Snuggles Quilts. I hand pieced it.

I also cut some of the fabric for the April installment, Weathervane Variation. I'm using the same blue as before. The background is a different color since I ran out of the beige fabric I used in the other blocks. I'm replacing the green with turquoise, and in place of the red I'll use a purple fabric from the same line as the green that I used in the other blocks.

Blackwork:

I did a bit on the Blackwork Chessboard by Anne MacGregor today.

I didn't do any work on my other projects.

BOTM Rolling Stone - Finished

I've finished the Rolling Stone block that Deanne Eisnenman of Snuggles Quilts chose for the May installment of her Block of the Month (BOTM) series.

I hand pieced it and used batik scraps from my stash. I'm usually a bit more original with my color choices, but I happened to have some fabrics in the same basic color scheme that Deanne used that looked so good that I decided to go ahead and use them. I'll mix things up a bit on later blocks.

I've already started cutting fabric for the March block, Twisted Star. I had just enough of the beige background fabric left, and I'll be using the same green and blue fabrics that I used in Rolling Stone and adding in a brown.

Weekly Update

Cross Stitch:

I made good progress on Brilliant Butterfly Celebration from The Gold Collection by Dimensions. The top part of the "frame" is almost done.

Finishing:

I finished the hem on Purple Passage from Learn to Make Monk’s Cloth Afghans by Marilyn T. Magly and started on the beading.

I had originally intended to do netting around the edge, but that didn't work. So I tried fringe at the bottom and that didn't work either. I finally settled on a single row of beads around the edge, but it took me a couple of tries to figure out how to sew them on properly.

Once I'm done with these, I've got to figure out some sort of hanger.

I've decided that I don't much like beading. Darn things are slippery and don't stay where they're put.

Quilting:

I've got the first 4 rows of Batik Cascade (Batik Go-Round) by Karen Combs sewn together.

I've gotten distracted again. Deanne Eisnenman of Snuggles Quilts is doing a Block of the Month (BOTM), and it looked like fun so I decided to join in. She's on the third month already so I have a bit of catching up to do, but not too much. I'll continue to work on Batik Cascade as well.

For May, she's chosen a Rolling Stone block. Every time I see the name of this block the following song starts going through my head.

So far, I've got the first 2 rows of the block almost completely sewn together, and have started the first unit of the third row.

I didn't get anything done on my other projects.

Weekly Update

Crochet:

I finished my sunhat.

I didn't do any work on the afghan.

Quilting:

I finished the 4th row of Batik Cascade (Batik Go-Round) by Karen Combs.

Cross Stitch:

I did some work on Brilliant Butterfly Celebration from The Gold Collection by Dimensions.

Swedish Weaving:

I got a bit more done on the Feathers To and Fro afghan from Learn to Make Monk’s Cloth Afghans by Marilyn T. Magly.

Finishing:

I finally got started on my finishing project. I'm making Purple Passage from Learn to Make Monk’s Cloth Afghans by Marilyn T. Magly into a wall hanging.

I've almost finished hemming the edges.

When I'm done with that, I'm going to make a "frame" for it with these beads:

I didn't get any work done on my blackwork or knitting projects this week.

Weekly Update

I felt better this week. I finally got to the store and bought supplies, and I worked on each of my projects.

Crochet:
It was hot when I went to the store and I really missed having a hat (the one I have is ugly and has to be washed by hand, so it's sitting at the bottom of the clothes hamper), so I bought some yarn to make the crocheted sunhat I keep promising myself. I'm putting aside the afghan just long enough to get the hat done, then I'll get back to it.

I'm a fast crocheter, and I got this done just while listening to Creative Mojo yesterday. I'll probably have the hat done tomorrow or the next day.

I'm using a trick I learned from Carol Wolf's blog, Wolf Crochet: I'm crocheting the brim with 2 strands of yarn to make it stiff rather than floppy. I used one strand in the crown to keep it lightweight.

Quilting:
I've sewn 7 squares of the 4th row together on Batik Cascade (Batik Go-Round) by Karen Combs.

Blackwork:
For my blackwork project, I pulled out the Blackwork Chessboard by Anne MacGregor. I plan to make it into a wall hanging and display it as a sampler rather than use it as a chessboard.

Here's what I already had done. The design calls for metallic gold thread, but I decided to substitute a dusty aqua rayon floss. The rayon floss is difficult to work with, but nowhere near as bad as metallics are.

Detail of 1 of the squares:

And here's what I'd got done yesterday:

Details of the 2 squares I finished this week:

Cross Stitch:
I made good progress again on Brilliant Butterfly Celebration from The Gold Collection by
Dimensions.

Swedish Weaving:
I got one whole row done on the Feathers To and Fro afghan from Learn to Make Monk’s Cloth Afghans by Marilyn T. Magly.

Knitting:
For my knitting project, I pulled out yet another UFO: the adorable Octopus Garden Blanket by Georgia Vincent. The best link I could find for her was this writeup of her winning entry in a Patternworks contest. Apparently this talented lady enters -- and wins -- all the contests. The Octopus Garden Blanket was a winner in a 2006 Patternworks contest.

This afghan is made up of many knitted panels which are embroidered and then joined together. The octopi are knit separately and then appliqued.

I had finished knitting the center panel and started the embroidery.

This is one of two sides. It's a bit hard to see since I apparently stopped in the middle of a row.

This week I got a bit more of the embroidery on the center panel done. I also discovered a mistake and had to frog a few stitches.

I also did some more knitting on the side.

I haven't started my finishing project yet, other than opening a few of the supplies. Hopefully I'll have done some work on it by next week.