Knitting Needle carrier project for Mom

I can now safely post the project I've been working on - a gift for my mom. Mom has always knitted for as long as I can remember and she always had the same (ugly orange) knitting needle holder! Sorry Mom - orange velour just isn't my favorite!! So while she was away visiting my sister I broke into my stash and pulled out these .....

 Nice Blue-Greens with a splash of purple!

Then with pencil to paper I designed how I wanted the bag to function

and came up with measurements.

Let the sewing begin!

I had to make a few things twice -

what I thought would work in reality didn't so back and forth

I went to the cutting table and sewing machine and after a while I got this ....

The out side with a zipper all around....

and the inside!

One side will hold her short and long straight needles

and the other side I put a zippered pocket for her circular needles.

The zipper gave me a bit of trouble, but in the end

it went in and hopefully she'll be able to manage opening

and closing without too much trouble.

Not sure I'll ever make another one!

Maybe a roll up one without the zipper!!

Hope she likes it!!

Switch to knitting ...for just a moment

SO my knitting adventure continues!

However since my last knitting post - I have ripped everything out and started over!!

This time I'm paying attention.

I started with 40 stitches and now I actually still have my 40 original stitches!!

My last attempt was foiled when I some how added

an extra 9 stitches some where along the line!!

SO now I'm going along at a good clip...

I even added another skein!! I of course had to read up on how to do it! 

I'm still not sure I did it correctly -

I'll have to have my mom check it! She's helping me with this adventure!!

See it's almost a scarf!!!!

I just love these colors - reminds me of the ocean!

Experimental Iris

I've been working on several projects lately.

This one ... "Experimental Iris" as I call it - is one that I started last year

at an applique class that I took from Maria Lage (she is a fabulous appliquer!)

I had the applique Iris all done but wanted to experiment with a few different surface embellishments.

First I marked my lines and added the Sashiko stitching

then I wanted to make it "pop" so I tried my hand a micro stitching....

well this is MY version of micro stitching!

Oh I tried my quilt halo - it's weighed and you use it in place of quilting gloves.

It took me a while to get use to it - but after I got the rhythm I liked it!

The Quilt Halo is a Sharon Shamber product

Here is the micro stitching - I took it over to the edge as well.

then I wanted to do something with the moon,

I tried several different ideas ... more sashiko,

hand stitching, machine stitching....

sashiko with gold thread....

and I finally decided on a simple beading design.

next I'm going to go in and bead the flower....

but that for another post!

MQX - East

WOW ... That's it ... Just WOW!

This show exhibits some of the finest quilter's I've ever seen.

I found myself with camera in hand snapping photo's

not of whole quilts - but sections of quilts ... or rather sections of quilting on the quilts!

Did I have a favorite ... Yes! .... all of them!!!

Janet Stone' "Red Letter Daze"  Won Best of Show - it was outstanding.

The wall hanging quilt was made of smaller quilts that were incorporated

into the larger and then quilted and embellished.

I think I stood in front of that quilt for 20 minutes just examining

every little quilt ... and the quilting .... she did it one a Janome 6600!

That's it ... I'm trading in my machine!!!



this was just one of the small quilts that made up the larger whole quilt!

OK - look at all of these ribbons!!!

"Whitetail Morning" was created by Dustin J. Farrell

1st Place Art/Pictorial

Viewers Choice

Best Use of Thread

Best Machine Quilting - Sit Down



This deer looks so real!



Here are a few more photo's that I snap during the day ...

this was just so sweet!

so this quilt is purple and all the color you see is .... threadwork!!!

I absolutely LOVED this quilt!

When I first looked at this quilt I wasn't too taken with it ...
but then I stepped in for a closer look ...

Just look at this sun!! Wow!

 I was lucky enough to have my "Batik Stars in the Garden" accepted into the show!

That was such a huge accomplishment for me.

I have to give my Quilty Gal Pal Diana Annis all the credit

for her incredible quilting she did on my applique baby!

Thank You Diana!

The Process

SO I'm surfing my blog list and I'm finding this button: 

 on quite a few of my favorite blogs ... and after skipping around a bit I landed at this blog - where Rossi explains the whole process (no pun intended!)

I know I have a bad habit of just showing the finished project and not all the horror that can go on behind the scenes (if you know what I mean). That's why I decided to that the "pledge" and get better at blogging the whole process and not just the "Ta-Da moment".

Starting now I pledge to document the good the bad and the not so pretty of the projects I'm working on -

maybe it will help someone, inspire someone or just plain motivate someone to try something maybe they wouldn't have ever tried before (quilty-wise that is!)

I guess I'll start now with a project I'm working on for a class I'm teaching next Sat. It is a Terry Atkinson Design "Pockets to Go" and I'm really liking it .... except I cut my side panels too short so I had to readjust the pattern to make everything fit!

Here are a few photos and tips of the process.....

Adding the top binding - pinned in place



taking my time sewing it on - I'm using my machine's free arm to get around



Once sewn in place, I pulled it up and over - just like binding a quilt



and pinned it in place ... BUT ... I found it too difficult to hand stitch down this way so....
I turned the whole thing inside out and whip stitched it - Much easier!



Then I'm onto the larger size - I'm thinking this would be great to put all my pocketbook stuff in

making transferring from bag to bag much easier

Had to add BLING! sorry for the fuzzy pic

creating the pocket in stages

pressing it open and viola pocket!

applying the binding around all the exposed edges

once you turn the binding to whip stitch the back the front looks great

almost done - just need Pel-tex sides and top binding!

Okay so that's my first attempt at trying to document part of the process! Hope it was helpful?!

Happy Quilting, JanetAnn :)

An Old Fashion Sewing Bee ...

Ok so really when was the last time you participated in an old fashion sewing bee??? For me - never. Don't get me wrong I have my "Quilty Gal Pals" over Monday night and we sit and quilt but always on our own little projects. It's really more of a social night than a sewing night - but we do get a few things accomplished!

Last Saturday my guild had an old fashion sewing bee! You see my Quilty Gal Pal  Diana and I are in charge of the guild's raffle quilt for our Sept show! Yes we are running a bit behind but wait till you see the quilt! It's awesome!  

I brought it to sit and sew and had seven ladies all take a space around the quilt and work on the embellishing of the some of the crazy square blocks!

 

I had so much fun to sitting around and focusing

on one project with a bunch of "Quilty Gal Pals"

That's what I love most about quilting -

it brings women together to form lasting friendships.

Right now the crazy quilt is on my dining room table -

everytime I walk by I stop and add a few more embellishments!

It's addictive! I keep saying "Oh what's one more bead or flower or ribbon"!!

I've decided I'm a compulsive embellisher!!!

RNQG Quilt Show and the Supper Quilt

The show was incredible ~ everyone did a fabulous job putting it together.

Having The Supper Quilt was certainly a big draw for quilters and non-quilters alike.

Everyone was in awe of this absolutely beautiful quilt.

The quilt was made by Donald Locke of Texas.

It took him 2 years to make the quilt, and it was quilted by Linda Taylor.

Each of the squares started out as 1 inch square! that means they are 1/2 inch finished!

and he used a little feather weight to sew this creation!! Unbelievable!

For more details check here.

I loved the show for other reasons ... selfish reasons!!!!

As soon as I arrived and walked thru the door one of my quilty gal pals came up to me,

hugged me and said "Did you See?" "See what I just go t here"

Then she grabbed my hand lead me over to one of my quilts

where I found a "Judges Choice - Best of Show" ribbon!!!

Thank you Marianne for keeping me contained!

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry ... so I cried!

It is just so exciting to make something, share it with others

and have them really appreciate what you do.

So here I am with my quilt and my ribbon!

Layered Circles - RNQG Judge's Choice - Best of Show

Then .... once I came down from the clouds ...

another quilty gal pal came up and said the same thing

only it was for my other quilts in the show ....

OK - now I'm on the floor and they've come out with the putty knife to scrape me up!!!

Horseshoe Crabs and Sand Dollars - Judges Choice- Hand quilting

Stars in the Garden - Judges Choice - Applique

OKAY so it's taken me a day or two to come down from the clouds - I still can not believe I won three Judges ribbons. OH and three Vendor Choice ribbons! Just unbelievable!

As I white gloved around the show and marveled over all the other quilts,

not just quilts but - works of art,

I felt so privilege to be amongst such a talented group of ladies.

Thank you RNQG for a fabulous quilt show.