Design Wall Monday

This week I am working on more Pineapple Crazy blocks. It's been a little bit of time since I last worked on them.

I'm spending a few days at my daughter's house with her 4 kiddos and with Taylor while they are on vacation. I brought these and my featherweight to set up at the kitchen table so I could sew and supervise. But they are needing very little supervision from Gramma, they have their TayTay. LOL So Gramma sews on her "cute little sewing machine".

5 year old Leland was amazed that it was a real sewing machine because it isn't like his mom's. So cute and interested---for a couple minutes, then he's off again. I thought they might like to pick fabrics but no. Maybe later.

See fabulous design walls at Patchwork Times.

On The Needles

I feel like I have been such a slacker. I have spent very little time knitting and even less time blogging about it. But I haven't been slacking on other things--hand stitching and quilting have been going strong.  These are Glacier Lake Toe Up Socks. Earlier this year I decided to challenge myself and do a pair of toe up socks. So many people rave about this method and I knew if I put my mind to it, I could follow the pattern and they will be great socks. Will I make another toe up pair? Maybe, maybe not. I guess if I like the pattern enough, I suppose I will.  As long as I can knit 2 socks at a time. 

I confused myself so much on the heel flap. In the end, I learn to read the complete instructions for the row. Not just the numbers, but read the words.  Yeah, sometimes I confuse myself. *wink, wink*   This pattern has a longer heel flap than I make on my Plain Janes. Maybe an inch taller.
I'm well on my way up the leg now. I'll knit until I run out of yarn.

The Plain Jane under this sock is my travel project. I am about half way on the foot and should get to the toes this weekend as we make our way down to the Great Oregon Steam Up. I'll take the Glacier Lake socks with me in case I run out of Plain Jane work. That kitchner stitch is not for road work! When this sock is finished, I'll have another fabulous pair of socks.

I even did a yarn inventory this week and have picked the next yarn and pattern. But I won't start it until these 2 pair are finished.

Check out Judy L's great sweater and other knitters fabulous work at Patchwork Times.

Design Wall Monday

It's been a super busy week in the sewing room.  Two finishes have me pretty excited. I pulled out my oldest UFO, basted and quilted it. Too bad my evening phone picture doesn't show the true bright colors of this quilt. It is bright!!! I also finished Hanky Panky. I have such a fabulous plan for these quilts and can't wait to share it with you.

 Next up is a simple 9 patch baby quilt. I participated in an online group swap of bright and white 9 patches. This is quilt number 2 from that swap. (Here is the other one.) The yellow polka dots came from my deep stash-You know it's deep stash because the fabric is a true 45" wide. Perfect for this quilt. I can't wait to start the quilting on this. Backing is ready, binding is waiting to be sewn together.

I also pulled out my bin of novelties for some large tumblers. I don't have any little boy quilts and thought these would make for a fun project.   Sometimes you just need to start something new! I love my GO! Cutter for cutting these 6" blocks. 

Bonnie has me excited about this year's leader/ender project-info can be found in her free patterns tab. I already had a bin of 3" tumblers cut and just needed to cut neutrals to go with them. Fast, easy and fun using my GO! cutter. So a really cool setting was all I needed to jump on this band wagon! I love a fun anything goes, scrappy, happy quilt.

My biggest challenge this weeks seems to be my Millefiore block. The triangles have gone through several transformations before selecting the one I used. This is my testing of the top of the triangles. I started them out with orange on all 3 sides but that was just too much. So I took off all the orange and replaced it with the light blue. Then someone posted their block completed with the top of the triangle a dark color and that seemed perfect for me. So I found some dark blue and that is where i am now. I have 7 more round 3 hexies to sew on to complete this block. Maybe this week. But maybe not, I started knitting on my socks again.

See fabulous Design Wall Monday links at Patchwork Times.

Design Wall Monday

 You know that old saying about teaching old dogs a new trick? It happened this morning. I learned I can get pictures from my phone onto the blog. I know, I'm slow, you all have probably been doing it all along.

Progress was made this week on my Millefiore block #5. I already had those pieces so I jumped ahead while waiting for the other block parts to get here. I'm not sure I like the orange around the butterflies. That's why they aren't sewn yet. And the center is giving me fits. Attempt 3 will happen sometime this week.  On a good note, I love the outside round and love the blue and orange together.

But this has to happen first.  Hanky Panky must bet finished.  I started basting and quilting Thursday. Yesterday I finished quilting and trimmed and added the binding.  I am already have way around with the hand stitching. Another UFO is about to be marked off the list!

Totally not quilt related but so eggciting for me.  My spring babies are starting to lay. Well one of them is anyhow.  I have 8 sexlinks that will start soon, 7 Buff Orpingtons and 2 pretties that I never did find out what they are. So we should have plenty of eggs for the family. 

See fabulous design walls today at Patchwork Times. I'm going to fill my cup and visit my friends in Blogland.  Have a quilty week. 

Design Wall Monday

I did it!! I said last week I'd like to have Millefiore Rosette #1 finished by the end of the week. I finished Friday evening.

On Wednesday, I took a stack of blue fabrics to show my Binding Friends group so they could help me choose which to use for my next rosette. After much discussing, we thought blue and orange would be a fun combination. They were right, it is. I'll show you progress next week.

This week my focus is back on quilting. I will spend the day basting my next project. I'll get my tables set up this morning, find something on Netflix and pin away. Bobbins are wound and a quilting design is in my head.

See what others are working on at Patchwork Times.