Binding day

More pictures later...but I'm in the home stretch and only one week late! I finished straight line machine quilting Thursday evening.

Setting deadlines

A few days ago I set myself a deadline for finishing this quilt: end of February 2012.


Now, that wasn't a problem in terms of completing the quilt top.


For actually quilting it, and binding it? That might be a bit challenging. I have five days and the quilt is queen sized.


I was going to machine quilt it but that's a LOT of quilt to wrestle as a novice machine quilter. If I hand quilt, it'll take me much much longer than five days. Perhaps a combination?

A Delicious Quilt

I decided to set a deadline for the quilt I'm making with a Strawberry Fields layer cake. After a few false starts involving fabric that didn't match and some pattern indecision, I settled on a four-patch with white sashing.


This was last Saturday morning. Let's see how far I get tomorrow morning! (the pile of charcoal color knitting in the right lower corner is a pair of Bev's booties, knit for a baby my friend Jen is expecting)

Updating the blog

Lesson: read the pattern envelope for finished measurements. Small pieces make me crazy.


This dog went to nephew #6. Same kid who got the sweater knit with one arm bigger than the other.


Poor #6 will hate handmade gifts at this rate...but he's only a year old.


Er, a year and two weeks. I have to get to the post office today.


For the duck I used thread that matched the fabric color. Who knew, that makes a huge difference. ha. The duck now lives in New Mexico.

Actually, still here

Just to prove it, I sewed something. A quick cheater quilt kit from JoAnn fabric, for a coworker who is having her baby via c-section tomorrow. She is four weeks "ahead" of me so I've been using her as a benchmark. Now what will I do? :)


I used the decorative stitch on my machine to tack down the first border (brown cord/bandanna print). No batting as this is more of a receiving blanket size.

Next in the sewing pile...um, lots of stuff. A lap quilt using the Strawberry Fields fabric, and a baby quilt using a (I hope) quick kit from Connecting Threads- also lots of mending that I have been putting off. This cooler weather is so nice. I actually don't mind moving!

More quick sewing

My sister is coming to visit, and is bringing my #5 nephew with her! We don't really have any baby things so I decided to make a few wipes.


First I used a zig-zag stitch on the edges. When I washed the wipes, they frayed badly. Then I busted out my big new Singer (from Costco, last year) and tried more comprehensive stitches. A double checkered row seems to work well.


Yay- destashing in a useful manner!

Sewing and knitting

Yarn: Bernat Baby Jacquards
size 8 needles
knit from the top down

Zipper attached to grosgrain ribbon by machine, then handstitched to sweater.

The sweater is for my #6 nephew. He's not strangely shaped, but I was afraid if I ripped back that sleeve I'd not finish it before he outgrew the sweater!