Octopus Garden Blanket, Dolphin's Domain, Da Capo, Old Mill Pond, Step Afghan, Soft Shoulders, Mask of Colors 1, Fish City

Quilting:

Ever see a needlework kit or pattern and get utterly obsessed by it and can't think of anything else until you get your hands on it? Well, that's what happened to me when I saw these pictures of Old Mill Pond by Pam Buda of Heartspun Quilts. I pre-ordered the kit as soon as I could, and once it arrived last Thursday that was it -- I wasn't doing anything but playing with my new toy. :) Hence the lack of a blog post last week. I checked to make sure all the fabric was present and accounted for, figured out which cuts were which, rewrote the center section of the pattern to fit my piecing style (that's not a reflection on Pam's directions which are very clear; I always have to rewrite machine piecing directions because I'm a hand piecer), and washed and ironed all of the fabric for the center blocks, setting triangles, and sashing. I also checked to see if there was enough extra fabric for the center section or whether I would be more comfortable ordering extra fabric (kits make me nervous; I usually order extra materials for my projects just to be safe). I needn't have worried; there's more than enough. Those quick-cutting techiques and sewing shortcuts that machine piecers use may be faster, but they sure are wasteful of fabric. I still need to rewrite the pattern for the borders and check the fabric amounts for the borders and backing.

After all that, I did manage to make a pretty good start on the first block. :)

Finishing:

I started sewing Olivia onto the Octopus Garden Blanket by Georgia Vincent.

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

Cross Stitch:

I did some more stitching on Mask of Colors 1, a Colray Crafts chart by Michele Sayetta* of Heaven and Earth Designs* based on artwork by Linda Ravenscroft.

*I do not endorse this designer's products.

I pulled out Fish City which is adapted from artwork by Stewart Moskowitz and did a tiny amount of work on it.

I also pulled out The Dolphins' Domain designed by James Himsworth and did some more stitching on it.

Blackwork:

I did some more stitching on Da Capo by Elizabeth Almond.

Knitting:

I also did some more knitting on the front of Soft Shoulders, a sweater designed by Kathy Zimmerman.

Crochet:

Finally, I did some more work on my step afghan.