The Find

For Halloween my neighbor, who volunteers at hospice, gave Jessica a beautiful Strawberry Shortcake Dress.  It's darling in red and Jessica wore it to school the first day after I washed it.  Everywhere she went people complimented her on her pretty dress.  It's an apron style dress so it will work great with long or short sleeves under it.  Dresses work perfectly for Jessica who is so skinny, so I asked my neighbor if there were any more dresses.  Sure enough there were.  Aren't these beautiful?

I nearly forgot to tell you the about the dresses!  They are handmade never worn dresses.  The story my neighbor told me is that years ago a husband and wife started up a business the wife made all of these children's clothes. When the wife passed away the husband brought in all of the remaining dresses that his wife had made and donated them to hospice.

My personal favorite is the sundress with the pink and yellow 1/2" straps.  It has a pretty little purse attached to the waist with ribbons that hold it to the dress.  The little purse even opens for little treasures (hopefully I'll always find those little treasures before I wash clothes!)  The Cream dress to the left of it has a similar little purse which I'm certain Jessica will love having. 

Stormy Update

Stormy is sporting his third ball of yarn in this photo and has grown to be 36" long.  Shoot I've gone and knitted the length of a child!  Jessica loves to use my knitting needles as wands so one metal needle went missing for a night, I used one of my wooden needles that night instead and those were the hardest rows to put on by far!  But the lost is found and it seems to be going a bit faster now.  (the bamboo needle of the same size has more friction therefore I had trouble with drag).

 I'm personally currently in a rush to make an Advent Calendar for my friend Vicki over at Felines and Fibre Arts.  It's funny you think oh Christmas I have plenty of time.  Not so with an advent calendar.  I figure I need to have it in the mail before U.S. Thanksgiving to ensure it arrives in time.

That's a Quilt!

Well now as much as I want to people would be confused if I said that's a wrap when really it's a quilt. The Feathered Star is officially done. I finished it Friday, but I felt like it needed more quilting so this evening Jessica and I sat down together and added more. I'd say it's done now. The flannel back is really nice; it makes me want to curl up with it, which I did Friday afternoon even in 80 degree weather. It does amaze me how the simply adding quilting takes three pieces that feel nothing like a quilt and viola even as it moves within the sewing machine I can feel the change. For me it's like stitching in magic.

This quilt is two sided, the back being two of the softest flannel I've had the joy of working with.  Oh and if you think those simple four squares are easy take a second look.  Since the seams never match I had to sew a little and stop, line things up and sew some more.  I do like the finished look.  This is the butterfly/easter egg fabric, so tell me which one do you see first?  I saw the butterflies first, but everyone else says the eggs.

These are part of a scrap challenge.  They are going to be reversible 4-holiday placemats.  This side is the Christmas - Valentines side and I have a print checkered fabric that I'll be using for the fall side.  I plan to make 10 but for my entry it will only be six, since the requirement is to only use what you have and I ran out of red thread on number seven haha.  I'll also be making a reversible tablerunner/wallhanging to go along with these.  If you want to participate click on the words "Scrap Challenge" you've got till Nov. 6th.

Last but certainly not least is my Stormy update.  What a growing scarf I have on my hands.  Measuring in at 18" inches and on the second ball of yarn!

Holiday Greetings from your Local Toilet?

When I was little my Grandmother had a cornucopia on the back of her toilet. Every Thanksgiving she would fill it with Thanksgiving type things, I recall leaves and squash but I'm certain there was more and the rest of the time it had little guest towels in it. Well Grandma must have been sitting on my shoulder today, as I began to wish for one of my own, a table runner of sorts to spread over my table this Thanksgiving. I had a pattern from my "Quilt for All Seasons" book, but oddly I didn't have any orange fabric. Orange was my Grandmother's favorite color, or so she told me (perhaps to get me to use the orange crayon) so I'm rather partial orange fabric when I'm feeling sentimental.

So no Orange Fabric?!?!  What is a girl to do?  I've been meaning to use crayons in a child themed quilt but hadn't gotten around to it, so this was the perfect time to try.  I used the applique pattern pieces and traced them through onto unbleached muslin, but the color detailing and layout is all me.  Must have been all those college art classes I took.

Before I could bring myself to iron my work, I colored up a sample, which I'm certain to use in something.  Isn't it great when things set just how you wish they would?

I think it's time for a Stormy Update as well. This is by far this is the closest color match to what Stormy really looks like. It was taken AFTER the sun had set - with me back to my yellow living room light. That's certainly not what I read up on how to take a photo. Go figure.

Stormy's Beginnings

I have a new knitting project. Which I'm calling Stormy. No it's nothing inspirational just the name of the wonderful yarn that I'm using. This thick yarn has sucked in all of my knit stitches so both the front and the back look like rows and rows of pearl stitches. I think it's rather pretty, what do you think? This scarf will be headed off to Shelly, so I'll be updating here as I work on it for all to see.

The Back for the Apple Quilt is done. I'm so glad. It was touch and go with this one for a while. It's a bit more "folk art" than I usually like. The entire Apple Quilt was a self challenge for me to put colors together that I wouldn't have selected to work with under other circumstances. This quilt started out life as a Jelly Roll. My first one in fact. To have come so far on just one Jelly Roll must be some sort of testament.

Shelly has generously offered to quilt this one on her Lizzie, so I left plenty of extra fabric all around.  I've never had anything longarmed before, so I'm a little nervous!  Here's hoping she wont curse me to much while this one is with her!

Does anyone have any thoughts why all my photos today have lines running through them?  I even used different settings.  Maybe the batteries are getting low?