February Free-Motion Quilting Challenge

Hard to believe I have finished February's challenge and it is only the 18th.  This month's tutorial was by Diane Gaudynski - a teacher I have wanted to take a class from for years.  Her tutorial on the challenge site was great - and I have her book Gaudynski's Machine Quilting Guidebook which I referenced often.

My main problem with this challenge was the feather's that I drew.  I used a 0.9mm ceramic lead pencil and the grey/green fabric is a piece of Cherrywood fabric I have had in the stash for some time.

They are too fat, and too far a part.  As I was quilting them, I didn't stay exactly on the line and was able to improved them slightly.

After I did the feathers I changed to a lighter color thread and stippled the remaining light grey area.  The stippling really highlighted the feathers.  I am pretty please with the stitching - as I do more and more free-motion the consistency of the stitch size is improving.

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I am trying to make something out of every tutorial this year - my studio is filled to the rafters and another sample will not fit.  So after I finished the quilting this piece, I turned it into a notebook cover which I will be selling at our Member's Boutique at the Cobblestone Quilter's Guild Quilt Show in two weeks.

Kneat Knitting

After finishing my last knitting project, I started looking at the next one in line - Catkin by Carina Spencer.  I am slowly making progress on it - but not ready to post pictures.  However, while looking for the needles I needed for this project I came across this rats nest:

I decided it was time to organize a little better - so I made this:

And now my straight needles look like this:

Unfortunately the circular needles are still in the nest. 

Madelaine Shawl

This piece was knitted from Vintage Modern Knits by Kate Gagnon Osborn and Courtney Kelley.  The yarn is Classic Shades by Universal Yarns in Shapphires.  I loved the softness and the color shift of this yarn - but not trying to back out any stitches.

The pattern was very simple and did not require a lot of reverse knitting except for one right side row knit on the wrong side!  For a while I thought I could leave it - but the more I looked the more my eye was drawn to that one row (out of about 600) so back I went.  Luckily I spotted it about 6 rows after the error so it wasn't to bad.