Giant re-organization project

There's been very little action in my craft room lately. Mostly, because it looks like a tornado ripped through it.



Luckily, there's a good explanation for all this chaos...I'm trying to make room for the new-to-me Grace quilt frame and Husqvarna Viking Mega Quilter sewing machine I purchased. Both are used, but seem to be in good condition. Unfortunately, there was 'some assembly required', and that job fell to my poor husband. He was a good sport about the whole thing. Hi Trav!



The frame is assembled now, but my room is still in such chaos, I haven't been able to install the machine or play around with it. My original idea was to put the frame in the space along the long wall where all the parts are pictured in the photo, but the frame is a monster at almost 10 and a half feet long, so it eventually had to be moved to where the long counter is (far right in the photos). The counter is now where the quilt rack pieces were, a book shelf has been moved, a china cabinet that I used for book and other storage have been moved out of the room, and I'm also going to lose a table and chairs that I used as a cutting table/space for my friends to scrapbook, but I think it will all work out in the end. There's just a lot of moving around to do before that.

Bottom line, right now my Janome is unaccessible, so I set up the Mega Quilter on a corner of the newly placed counter (with is also piled with boxes and other stuff) and tried out a little project for my son. He has a small, low-backed chair beside his bed. It had a grungy 'cushion' in a blah stained beige that really didn't scream 3-year-old boy. Sorry, forgot a before picture, but you can see the ugly cushion in the progress shot. I sliced open the top sides of the cushion (that create a pocket to slide over the top), then cut some Go Diego Go fabric to cover the whole thing. I had virtually no space, so it's a rough job, but I basically sewed the new onto the old and quilted it down with horizontal and vertical lines. Also added an extra stripe and some batting at the front seat, since the old cushion was too short. Not fabulous, but my oldest is happy with the result and it is much better than it was.

New toy!

Well, it's still in pieces on the floor of my craft room, but today I am the proud owner of a 'new' (to me!) Husqvarna Viking Mega Quilter machine and a Grace machine quilting frame. I'm a terrible hand quilter, but really enjoy machine quilting. My 'main' sewing machine (Janome MC6600) is a quilting machine, but I find managing a larger-sized quilt really awkward without a frame. So...I found one on the used classifieds and hubby and I packed up the boys and drove the hour to go get it this morning. I'm SO excited to try it out!

Quilting excitement aside, I've been busy knitting another pair of extra-long thumbless mittens for a friend's son. Her little guy is almost the same age as my youngest, and I've found these long mittens easy to get on and difficult for kids to pull off, since they extend up nearly to the elbow. They also stop snow from sneaking into wrist openings. One looks bigger than the other in the photo, but they're the same size in reality.


After being stalled for nearly two months, I've finally lost a couple more pounds and decided to celebrate by adding some darts to shirts that I'm shrinking out of. Still lots more to lose, so I'm hoping this will help extend my wardrobe until I can fit into some of the smaller things in my closet. Now if only my broken toe would heal so I can get back to the treadmill.

Fun with fabric markers...and toddlers!

Usually I do some sort of paper and glue craft with my boys (1 yr & 3 yrs). Today, I decided to do something different, so we tried out the pack of fabric markers we bought at Walmart a few weeks back. Cheap, plain onsie + markers + dinosaur stencil = fun shirt for kids. My oldest helped out in making this onsie romper for my youngest, but now he wants one, too, so I guess we'll be repeating this craft tomorrow. Pardon the wrinkles in the photo...the dinosaur is still wet. It has to dry for 24 hours, and I supposed I should heat set it to make it last longer.

Finished the quilt!

So I finished the baby quilt for my friend, just in the nick of time to meet her new baby this morning. And it turned out the best yet. And didn't I forget to take a picture! Grrr!

The quilt top is made of soft flannel prints in pink (of course!), yellow, white and a bright blue cut in basic squares and stitched together with a pink ribbon border. I added high-loft batting, and a white cotton backer. When I initially started quilting, I was going to do my standard (and again, very basic) cross hatch diamond pattern, but about a quarter of the way through, I realized that my backing had shifted and was no longer long enough on one side. So I ripped out all the stitches and re-pinned the layers together. That was yesterday afternoon, so I was in a bit of a time pinch! Afterre- pinning, I decided to try something new: quilting a pattern of random, overlapping circles. It turned out really pretty, so I'll have to do that again. I added some squiggly stitching in the border and then added a yellow bias-trim. I was really tired by the end, so the stitching isn't perfect, but the overall affect is nice and I'm pleased with it. Also, it's great value as a gift...I picked up most of the materials on sale (and has since been sitting in my stash), and probably spent less than $5 total. Love that!

On Saturday, I went to a baby shower for another friend expecting her second child. So on Friday night, I was sewing like a mad woman to make a little gift to go along with some books I got for the new mom and her daughter, who is about to become a big sister. I wanted to make a diaper and wipe pouch for her to take on quick errands or when she really doesn't need her whole diaper bag, but I didn't have a pattern. I ended up drafting this based on a commercial pouch I'd seen. Again, not perfect, but better than I expected, and it went over well at the shower.


It's just big enough for one of those small plastic wipe containers, a couple diapers, and a small wallet & keys.

There's a decorative button (which doubles as cover for a small goof I made!), but the pouch closes with an easy magnetic snap. Love these snaps!

One more baby UFO down...

After finding out my friend's baby was born a little earlier than expected, I've been hustling to finish his little knitted blanket. It was all done in stockinette stitch, with a celery-coloured crochet border. I then threaded more celery yard through the stitches in a 4 lines-space-2 lines-space type of pattern, just for a little interest. I had initially wanted to embroider in some sort of meaningful verse, but it just didn't work out. For good measure, I knitted a little matching hat. Now off to the post office!

To market I will go...

Well, the local farmers' market is closed for the winter season, but I finally finished the large crochet market bag I started last season, so I'll be ready to go in the spring! The bag is a simple circular design, worked in double crochet with increases and decreases to shape it. I made it mostly while chatting with friends, so I didn't bother counting how many rows and stitches -- if I make another, it won't be exactly the same, but who cares -- the end result is better than using plastic or those awful shedding 'fabric' bags from the grocery store.

Here's a pic...


I'm still working on finishing the baby afghan for my friend's new baby, due to arrive any moment, so no more UFOs to distract me until that's completed and mailed off.

Sticks and string

I haven't been posting, but I have been busy crafting in the evenings now that the holidays are over. So, without further delay, here's what I've been doing.

First off, I started knitting again. After not doing it for decades, I re-discovered knitting again this past year, and it's been great. This is a basic beanie and mitten set I made for my five-month-old nephew. I didn't use a pattern, but the pieces are very basic -- not even thumbs in the mittens.



Next up is a hat for my youngest son. It actually started out as a large, flat, swatch, but I didn't like how thick the swatch ended up being for what I originally had in mind, so I stitched it into a hat. Waste not, want not.


Next up were some cute scarves for a bevy of little girls celebrating their birthday at the same party. Three of the girls are sisters (triplets), and two others are friends, so I wanted similar, but not identical, gifts. And, of course, they had to be ruffly, girly, pink and pretty. The pattern was a freebie from Ravelry.



The four older girls were turning four and got the scarves, but I thought a scarf might have been a strangulation risk for the youngest (turning 2), so she got a felt crayon roll instead.



Now I'm working on a quilt and an afghan for two friends expecting babies in the next couple weeks. I'm not a perfect seamstress or knitter, but I still think handmade gifts are nice to give whenever possible. Will try to post some progress pictures this week.