Top Down Knitting

Like just about every quilter, I enjoy a variety of needle arts, and like everyone, I am better at some things than others. I like to knit but don't consider myself really very strong in that area. While I can keep my stitches fairly consistent, I tend to knit a lot and rip out even more because I am rarely happy with the fit. When you begin a sweater at the bottom and work your way up....you get what you get.

Recently I came across "Top Down Knitting" with this method, you start at the neckline and work your way down. The best part about this is, that you can place your work onto a waste yarn and try it on as you go. So far I am really liking this.

Just as in my quilting, I do like to challenge myself. This pattern has cabling....these are my first cables .....I have discovered that they are much easier than they look!

Since taking that photo, I have gotten to an area where I will just be knitting until I get to a certain length, keeping the cable stitch pattern correct. So...instead of having the whole (7 page) pattern with me. I created a little "laminated" chart that I can mark each round with a whiteboard marker to keep my place. Once I have completed the full chart I can wipe it clean to start all over.

I simply printed the chart, glue stuck it down to an index card and then used packing tape to laminate it.

Edit:  The pattern I am using, is an Amanda Lilley Design, which I purchased it through Craftsy.... you can find it her patten here

Showing off

My designs, that is.
A friend embroidered them for me. If you are a regular visitor, you know that 6 of my doodles  have been digitized into embroidery designs and are currently built into 2 Janome sewing machines. I blogged about that excitement several times already....you can find those posts here.

Each design was stitched in gleaming white thread on black cotton, I pieced them into a simple wall hanging so that I can now proudly display them

I had great fun quilting the background.

 

Embellished Wool Applique

Do you recall this little quilt?

At the time that I showed it, I don't think I explained that it was a sample for a workshop I was asked to conduct. I don't generally accept invitations to lecture or teach but this was for my former guild, so I just could not turn them down.

The workshop was held on Saturday, it was well attended and well received. The ladies arrived prepared and ready to enjoy the day. They brought their supplies, were eager to jump right in. I really did not have to do all that much...I demonstrated a few stitches, gave suggestions for the variety of ways they could be used and they did the rest.

I was SO incredibly impressed with what I was seeing emerging as the day went on. Each and every one did a fantastic job, their imaginations were humming and you could see it in the fabulous pieces that were being created.....they were not simply "copying" the sample, they were each going in their own unique direction, adding beads, using wonderful, unexpected colour and stitch combinations....it was just so cool to observe.

you can see another post about the day from one of the gals who attended here .... Thanks Gail!!!

Working with wool on cotton is a fun way to play with design. When most people hear the word "Embellish", glitz and bling likely come to mind, but that is not what we were doing, We were building layers of texture, just doodling with stitches to enhance the basic design. This technique could be done with any design....for those who love the look of applique but perhaps don't want to do all the prep work to turn under raw edges, this is perfect. Cut the shapes, whip stitch in place and you are ready to add the magic, one stitch at a time.

While I was able to coax mostly everyone in for a group photo, I regret not getting close up photos of each of the pieces in progress...it was amazing to see how different each looked, even though all started with the same basic design, and fabric selections. Thank you for a wonderful day ladies..... I can hardly wait to see the end results.

More Dye Experiments

I am becoming a little obsessed with dyeing threads, it is so easy and yet so rewarding. A few of you have asked if I will post a tutorial....yes, I will do a post showing the supplies and process I use... Please note that there are currently lots and lots of great tutorials to be found online.  I hope to put one together in the very near future, showing how I go about it.

This latest batch consists of 6 strand embroidery floss, some strange cotton skeins that I found, along with some lovely #20 mercerized cotton (it is the finest I have found so far)

Here is a look at where I placed the colour on this skein of 6 strand embroidery floss (it started out white)

here is another skein....before it was wrapped and after...this is that #20 cotton

here you can see the whole batch. I wanted to see what would happen with dye that had been mixed (water only) not activated, but sitting for a week......I was very happy to see that it still worked brilliantly. I also used some plain old Rit dye......it worked well too. Some of these skeins started out white, some off-white, and others were already a soft colour of some sort that I simply "punched" up

Dyeing Session

I have done a little bit of thread dyeing previously, but this time, I experimented with commercial embroidery floss, as well as cotton and even tried some that had metallic thread running through it.

I started with mostly whites, but as you can see in this photo of the thread soaking, I did use a couple of skeins that already had colour

here they are, wrapped and "batching"

I am quite pleased with the results. 

just a little sparkle

In Stitches

Do you recall this little "sampler" quilt that I designed  earlier this year?  You can read posts about it here.

If you would like to create your own version you can access a PDF of the pattern here

please note that the diagrams and illustrations are for visual purpose only...please read the instructions and use the actual cutting measurements given. Since the quilt is made in "sections"  you can do it in any order you prefer, then assemble them according to the numbered layout.

Papercuts for the season

A Partridge in a Pear Tree........2 versions

This one is a little more complex

And a much simpler one

Do you see the hearts for "true love", the Partridges  perched in the pear trees? 

Dryer sheet stitching & giveaway winner

Over the last little while I have been playing with a single feather motif. In this case, a dryer sheet that I prepared with paper backed, fusible web, was cut in the feather shape and simply fused onto cotton. I love the transparency of this.

Stitching finishes it nicely

I hope you were able to come by earlier this week and check out the blog-hop, wasn't it interesting to to see how we all did the same design in such different ways?

Thank you to all who left a comment, the winner of her choice of the two featured Terri Stegmiller patterns is Penny who said:  "great patterns and a lovely give away, Love them both, they made me smile. Especially the butterfly one"

But don't forget each participating blog is naming a winner so check them all.

If you would like to make your own version of these whimsical designs, Terri's patterns are available in her Etsy shop.

Linking to Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Fridays

Blog Hop & Giveaway

You may recall, that a short time ago, I "tested" a pattern for Terri Stegmiller.

In addition to myself, there were several other "testers" who took Terri's patterns and created fabulous pieces in their own unique and creative way.  Mine looked like this, you can see the process here

Terri has generously organized a blog hop and giveaway that we could all participate in,....the prize? a copy of one of Terri's patterns.  You get to choose which pattern you'd like, either Paws in the Garden or Butterfly Moments. 

Please leave a comment in this post for your chance to win....but...wait...you have have even more chances , read on to learn how.

The pattern will be provided to you in PDF document format, which you download and print yourself.  It will be delivered to your email address.  Please be sure you provide contact information when you comment.

A winner will be randomly drawn the morning of Friday, December 13.

Please visit all of the following blogs for more chances to win (each blog will have a winner) 

Good luck everyone!

Terri Stegmiller

SewCalGal

Jill Buckley - The Quilt Rat

Teresa Raleigh - A Quilt and a Prayer

Marsha Leith - Cool Quilting

Snoodles - Lily Pad Quilting

Judy Applegarth - ScampAlot

Margie Kraft - Margie Quilts

Joy Manoleros - Bjoyful Studio

Cards

It's that time of year...do you still send Christmas cards through the post?  Store bought or hand made?
In the current (Winter 2013) issue of the Canadian Quilter, I invite quilters to make a few hand made ones for friends and family, okay, if you have a very long list, that is not practical, but you may have a quilting friend or two that you would like to surprise with one.

These cards are seen in the article and now will be making their way to a few mailboxes out there

I made this batch of cards yesterday

The snowflakes (cut from coffee filters) are sandwiched between tulle and cotton, batted, quilted, trimmed and then stitched on top of a purchased blank card.  While they may look similar, no two are exactly the same.