My Most Ambition Knitting Project

My Catkin by Carina Spencer is finally done!

This pattern stretched my knitting skills (several pages of charts, stitches I had never heard of before let alone try to knit, and blocking.)

I saw the pattern on the Yarn Harlot blog in August of 2011, purchased the pattern shortly there after, found the yarn at the Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair in Asheville,NC in October of 2011, worked on it off and on for months, finished all but the blocking and buttons in August of last year and then it sat as I was afraid to block it.

Finally I watched several videos where the knitters just used regular pins (which I have plenty of) and I decided to go for it.  This is Catkin waiting to be blocked

Catkin pinned out - next time I will use a bigger bed.  It grew a lot more than I expected.

The back:

and details:

and all that is left of my Pumpkin Spice yarn:

Thinking of Snow

Most people move to the south to escape snow and all the problems associated with it - the cold, the terrible driving conditions, the shoveling and the list goes on. However, I grow up in Colorado and I miss a real Winter.  This weekends forecast is for the temperature to almost reach 80.  In January.

I guess that is why I have had snowflakes on the mind.  This little quilt is one I will be using to teach fusible applique this month at Stitch n' Sew Fabrics.

I like the back as well as the front.

We have had measurable snow only once since moving here - about 1 inch.  I am not holding out any hopes for this year.

December Free-Motion Quilting Challenge

Last day of the month, last day of the year and last 2012 Free-Motion Quilting Challenge.  I have truly learned a great deal this year and many thanks to SewCalGal for putting this together this year.

December's challenge was just that a challenge.  Patsy Thompson did a wonderful job for the last challenge.  Borders and more borders and feathers - oh my!  I started working on this in about mid-December finding the piece of fabric for the front out of a stash of my hand painted cloth.  I then picked these threads to work with:

I used a very busy print for the back and the darkest purple for the bobbin.  Of course this is the time in which I had no tension issues what so ever and wish I had chosen a plainer back ground to show off the stitching.

I used a soap sliver to mark the borders and quilted them in the dark purple as well. Then I started on the borders.

I had to remove the top motif three times before my hands and brain would get the pattern.

I love feathers, but I have always been intimidated by them.  No more.  They are far from perfect but I can do feathers.

The whole quilt.

If you want to see my other completed challenges here are the links:

January,  February, March,  April,  May,  June,  July,  August,  September, October, and November 

        

Hope everyone has a safe and happy new year.  I can't wait to start 2013 and the next quilting challenge.

The Stockings Were Hung by the Chimney With Care

Merry Christmas!

The quilt was finished a few days ago.  It started as a exchange of Christmas Trees in one of my splinter groups with Cobblestone Quilters Guild last year and my goal was to have it up this year (just made it!)

Have been working on numerous class samples for next year and lots of Christmas presents (which of course I can't post).

Picked the fabric for my free motion quilting challenge piece and hope to have a few quiet hours in the next few days to quilt.

November Free-Motion Quilting Challenge

I love spirals and so was very excited to see this month's tutorial by Sarah Vedeler. I printed out the practice sheets early in the month - and they sat on my desk until yesterday (a busy month with teaching, doing a trunk show with ATW and family).

After practicing with pen and paper I marked my sample fabric using a template I had recently purchased from Pam Clarke and a Quilt Pounce I purchased many years ago at a quilt show but hadn't really used.

As I have mentioned before, I really hate marking quilts.   But as the year has gone on, I am finding it to be easier and love all the different techniques I have learned and used.

I first started quilting the basic spirals in a straight line.

Then I worked on spirals that alternated direction.

Then I did smaller spirals in both techniques.  The larger ones are about 2" and the ones below are about 1".

I am pleased, for the most part, that my stitches are consistent in size.

Another great tutorial.

Portal - Another Time, Another Place

The latest challenge for my art group (ATW) was to do a piece based upon the phrase "Another Time, Another Place".  I choose to do a almost whole cloth quilt from a photo I took in 1981 near Killarney, Ireland at Muckross Abbey.

This has always been one of my favorite photo's I took while traveling during my junior year of college.  Several friends where traveling with me and we had a picnic lunch on the Abbey's grounds.

I used several of my favorite "quilting" tools to make this piece - my scanner, computer and printer.  After scanning the photo in and doing a little color adjustment, I printed it out on four pieces of fabric which I then pieced together to get the full quilt.

I used a little trapunto on the largest arch way, a little thread sketching and lots and lots of machine quilting.

I knew I wanted an irregular edge, so I finished it with a little bit of yarn that I couched over.

I called the piece Portal as I could see this as a doorway to the past - both to mine and the monks.

A Day With a Few Friends

This past Saturday, my husband and I spent the afternoon with a few friends - about 70,000 - at the University of South Carolina football game.

My son, who plays trumpet, is in the marching band for the second year and this is the first time we have been able to make a game.

We had a great time, although it was a little chilly.  They did a great half time performance in honor of Veterans Day.  I think my dad will especially like this photo as he is retired from the Air Force.