Sewing WIPs

I finished sewing a couple of English Paper Piecing projects and am now at the thinking stage of how I will finish them.

Back in the summer of 2022, a bunch of us went up to a quilt show and sale at the Farmer's Wife Retreat House in Beaverton.

I got inspired and purchased a couple of kits to make a mat using English Paper Pieced hexies. Of course I hurled myself at this new craft and quickly finished the top of the mat. Then tucked it away for finishing.

Another time, Jen1 and I ventured to a yard sale at Bolts and Bobbins near Woodville and I found an awesome striped fabric that was perfect for making 3/4" hexies.

I made a whole bunch with a project bag in mind but didn't quite make it long enough. Sunday night I glued two more rows of hexies and sewed an extra two rows to make it long enough to finish.

Now I have to decide what lining fabric I'll use. I'll use one of the dark strips from the remaining yardage for double-fold binding.

I also made this from random 1" hexies. I believe the fabrics were 5" charm squares I had quartered into 2 1/2' squares. It's not big enough for a project bag but I may just finish it this size into a smaller zipper bag.

Another Checkerboard quilt piece is ready to be made into a project bag. The sewing on this was finished ages ago. Finishing it is taking much longer. I have a couple of options for lining fabrics that aren't perfect but will probably work out OK.

These projects will go back into my WIP bin (aka my 'bin of shame') and I'll do more work on them after I get back from my upcoming trip.

I finished a Wm Morris project bag last week and had the leftover 9-patch ready to be made into an ort tray.

Today I lined it and added the snaps.

Unsnapped and tucked inside the bag.

Ready for action.

While I'm on the subject of sewing, I really am getting lots of use out of the point turner I bought a while back. It was pricey but I do use it a lot.

I signed up for the online Sashiko class that is taking place this week. At the time, I knew it was going to be a busy week but all the live classes are videotaped and accessible afterwards with no time limit. I'm going to wait until I can devote a good chunk of time to doing it. There's also the matter of locating my Sashiko materials. I have everything in my stash - pens, needles, threads, fabrics, etc. I just need to hunt for them.

I've done my creative bit today. I must start getting ready to pack for my trip.

Reading Your Knitting

I finished the second Cousteau VEVO (neck warmer) and it's dried from blocking. This was the smaller version with the 148-stitch cast-on.

This is a great item to just shove in your coat pocket, yet around the neck is warm and snuggly, and stylish, too!

It's not hard to figure out which is the right side/outside. The background before each set of stitches in the pattern is 2 purl sts. For the meandering motifs, there is a series of knit stitches with either left-leaning decreases (ssk - slip slip knit the two slipped stitches together) or right-leaning decreases (k2tog - knit two stitches together). To create the lacy holes, yarn overs(yo) balance out the decreased stitches.

I'm glad there was enough yarn in the MadelineTosh Prairie superwash merino yarn to complete the second (and smaller) neck ring, even with two strands held together to get the desired weight. 

On a couple of the previous neck rings I used two strands of laceweight but spun/plied them together with my spinning wheel. But somehow this yarn had been split into two equal balls so it was easy to hold them together.

Last night our guild had an executive meeting to discuss starting an informal community stitching group at one of our local libraries. One of our new members suggested this way to promote our group.

 I had just finished with that Zoom call and I got a message from my niece, Ana, inviting me to a crafty retreat in March. We talked about what projects we might take to work on. They're primarily quilters so it would be appropriate for me to take my sewing stuff and make a couple more project bags. 

Ana has an interest in learning how to crochet a blanket - her kit was purchased quite a while ago. It's called 'Skulls in a Row' and was designed by Chelsea Reese of Chelseacrafts.

She asked if I could teach her. After she sent me the .pdf, I grabbed a couple of balls of worsted weight yarn and started a swatch. I like having charts to back up the written pattern but none were provided. I cast on enough chain stitches to do three repeats of the pattern. The first set of stitches is row of complete skulls, Then the next set of stitches offsets them.

Here, the skulls are outlined.

Very scary! LOL. I tried to find software that would let me chart it but I don't think StitchFiddle has a provision to show stitches 'between' stitches in the row below. Oh well.

All this talking about crocheting got me thinking about the Mystical Lanterns blanket again. There are several options offered from the Wool Warehouse in the UK - depending on which yarn is used. I will wait until after I return from my Spanish knitting tour to decide if I'll 'pull the trigger' and order it. 

VEVO 2.0

After blocking the Cousteau VEVO, I felt it was too wide. Folded over, it was perfectly snuggly against the neck.

I had more than enough yarn left to make another one the size smaller - 148 sts. I started it last night and finished it this afternoon. It still needs blocking.

This shows the difference between the look of an item before and after blocking. On the right is the previous VEVO with one repeat of the pattern folded over. This will be similar to the size of the VEVO 2.0 after blocking.

Wet blocking really opens up the holes (yarn overs) and shows the meandering pattern of k2togs and ssks.

I did some more work on The Light of Winter (TLOW) yesterday. The border goes much better without distractions. 

I do listen to audiobooks or have YouTube videos on while I stitch. So I've almost completed the top, right half of the pattern. 

I had to unpick a few of the leaves in the flower vase after I realized I had stitched them the wrong colour and a couple in the wrong place. I can fill them back in when I'm stitching socially next time. If you look closely, you can see the little holes where the stitches were removed.

Poppy and I finally got a response about cancelling our Hobby House Brenda Gervais retreat this June. We are still waiting for our deposits to be returned. There are 300 people on the waiting list so our spots will be immediately filled. It's kind of cheesy that we'll each forfeit $100US of the deposit as an 'administration fee' but that was clearly stated before we signed up so we knew what we were getting into. Still, with so many people on the waiting list, I'm not impressed they couldn't have made a complete refund of the deposit, especially since we cancelled 7 months ahead of the event. 

I had also cancelled last September's retreat last summer but was too late to get any refund of the  deposit. I was promised that the materials/swag bag/kit would be sent to me back then and I'm still waiting for that. I hope after all these months the materials are still accessible so they can be sent to me.

And finally, both my orchids are in bloom now!

This is the first time the little one (Piccola) has bloomed under my care. I really should find a smaller pot to put it in. From what I've gleaned watching orchid-care videos, they love to be in the sun when growing but once they bloom, they should be taken away from direct sunlight to slow down the growing process. This will lengthen the time they stay in bloom. I expect them to continue blooming for at least a couple of months - maybe even longer.

Another Neck Warmer

Yesterday I had the urge to try out some of my new fabrics and make another Zippy Bag. I'm not sure why it took me so long but I got one finished. I went for high contrast for the backing/binding.

The zipper was a regular one from my stash. I'll use the Lori Holt ones at some point.

I quilt the larger piece onto fusible batting with the non-fusible side against the fabric. I do this so I can fuse the batting to the back piece before I do the folded binding. It keeps things from shifting.

Now that I've finished crocheting my second Persian Tiles blanket, I needed something to work on while I watch TV in the evenings. I don't usually stitch whilst sitting in the family room so needed another crochet project or a knitting project.

I had a look in my big tote of laceweight yarn and discovered this MadelineTosh Prairie 100% superwash merino laceweight in the Cousteau colourway. I'm old enough to remember Jacques Cousteau's shows exploring the 'undersea world' with his ship, the Calypso. 4mm needles.

I had purchased the skein at the Kitchener-Waterloo Knitter's Fair in 2013. Good thing yarns don't 'go bad' after sitting around for over a decade.

I had divided the skein into two equal balls of yarn so for the Vent d'Est Vent d'Ouest neck ring, I held the yarn double to make a fingering weight. It only took me a couple of nights of knitting to finish it.

This morning I wet blocked it and it's in the process of drying.

This is a free pattern on Ravelry by Marie Adeline Boyer. There are two sizes listed with both written instructions and charts. This is the sixth one I've knit. 

I knit Chart A once and Chart B twice before casting off with Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off. Instructions for a stretchy bind off are in the instructions but I referred to this video to make sure I was doing it right. The video details binding off in both knit and purl stitches. I just used the knit stitch method so the top of my neck ring would look uniform.

This morning our Monday morning group was supposed to convene at Barb's but in light of the snowfall last night she decided to host a Zoom meeting instead. We used to meet this way during COVID. Another group met every Wednesday and Sunday at 1pm as well. Today we did all the usual things - showing what we'd done since last together and general chit chat on a myriad of topics.

I worked on finishing the mortar on the house.

I tried doing some of the border but counting while Zooming was not possible. I kept making mistakes and having to pick out the stitches. I am liking the look of the Algerian eyelets and I LOVE the colours. I also notice the flowers on top of the house are very similar to the flowers on the fence in Winter Rose Manor; just reversed somewhat.

After the call I had a hankering for something easy for lunch so opened a can of tomato soup and made a small grilled cheese sandwich. Pretty yummy.

With that knitting project done, I need to find something else to keep my hands busy at night. I'll be taking a look at my Favourites on Ravelry and see if anything appeals to me.

More Challenging that I Thought

Barb and I exchanged texts this morning about our Lori Holt purchases and what we'll do with them. She was watching this tutorial and figuring out what she would need to do to make one of the bags from the panel she bought yesterday.

I liked that in the video Lori used batting but I didn't like that she just zigzagged the raw edges and left them exposed in the bag. It got me thinking how I would use batting but not have raw edges exposed.

I picked a white on white fabric for the lining. 

For this particular bag, I felt the bright yardage I bought yesterday would be too garish. I also used a grey zipper from my stash instead of the heavier Lori Holt zipper.

After attaching various pieces together I added fusible batting cut 1/4" shorter inside the edges. That way, when all gets sewn together there isn't double batting on the seams; just a personal preference.

A couple of my modifications required further problem-solving but in the end, I was successful.

The fabric on the back is reminiscent of images on old sewing pattern envelopes. I didn't quilt the backing, rather, pressed the fused side to this exterior fabric.

Of course, I added my sunflower tab and had to finish it with a zipper pull.

The inside seams are finished nicely - no raw edges.

There is probably an easier way to make this as this way was quite 'fiddly'. But I like a challenge. Making the bags with a bigger back so the binding can be folded is much easier than this - anything to avoid having to create then attach 2 1/2" double-fold binding.

A Very Successful Outing

Barb and I ventured northward to Uxbridge this morning. The Quilter's Cupboard has a vast array of Lori Holt fabrics so I was pretty sure I'd find companion fabrics for my Zippy Bag panels.

I was not disappointed.  Because it was Barb's birthday, she got 20% off her total. Because all the fabrics I selected finished the bolts, I also got 20% off them. Yippee!

I bought three colours. Farmer's Daughter Cozy Weave (blue), Farmer's Daughter Tea Rose Bandana (red), and Peace & Plenty Marigold.

I like how any of them could go with any of the panels.

You will note on each panel where the zipper goes, the colour coordinates with zippers from her pack.

And lucky for me, I was given this zipper pack a couple of years ago. They're 16" long, the tapes are a bit wider; two zipper pulls on each one. 

I checked my batting stash and I have lots. 

There will also be more than enough fabric to line the accompanying little Zippy Bags. Some of them would be good with boxed corners on the bottom so they'll stand up.

In my crochet withdrawal state, I'm seriously considering ordering the Mystic Lanterns kit from Wool Warehouse in the UK. Will hold off until after I return from my knitting tour. In the meantime, I need to plan what sock project I'll take to Madrid. Socks projects can so easily be stashed in a purse or backpack - hardly taking up any room.  As my yarn stash is so huge, I don't plan to purchase much if any yarn while I'm at the knitting show but perhaps some sock yarn will come home with me after all.

Marathon Sewing Afternoon

 I was motivated to crank out a couple of project bags this afternoon and attempt to whittle down my 'bin of shame' that is piled up with quilted checkerboard-style pieces.

I got three more done. The folded binding technique makes things much simpler than a sewn-on 2 1/2" double-folded binding.

The only downside of that technique is the fancy fabric is inside the bag, not on the back.

Because I've modified my original pattern, I had extra strips of checkerboard fabric. I decided to make another couple of ort trays with the sunflower set.

I wasn't sure which version looked better - fancy fabric inside or outside. I polled the girlies and most liked the plainer fabric on the inside. One comment was that it would be easier to see the orts on the plainer fabric.

I quilted the two pieces, corner to corner, then attached the snaps.

My Zippy Bag panel arrived from Amazon today. I'm taking it with me tomorrow when Barb and I visit Quilter's Cupboard in Uxbridge so I can get coordinating fabric to line the bags. 

Below where the zipper goes, the designs would lend themselves to trimming without interrupting a big design. That way a vinyl window can be used.

One caution about photocopies next to vinyl... the toner used with laser printer can transfer onto the vinyl window and is almost impossible to remove. If you're not sure your pattern wasn't laser-copied, just keep something between the pattern and the window. 

I finished the border on the Persian Tiles blanket last night. Photos will follow at some point. Now I'm having crochet withdrawal. I need to start another knitting project. Perhaps another Vent d 'Est, Vent d'Ouest (VEVO) neck warmer? I certainly have enough yarn in my stash.

They are cozy and warm on the neck and tuck nicely into a coat pocket.