A Rainbow of Fabric

Finishing a quilt, even a small one, is a magical thing.



My daughter enjoyed the work in progress as well.



And nothing sets off color better than sunlight!



The little gnome fellow soaked up some sun too.

I think I've had a very productive week. I finished a quilt! Something that at one time would take months or even years....yet in a matter of days I managed to start and finish a 36"x36" quilt for a baby. As much as I hate to admit it, machine piecing and quilting can be a wonderful thing!



I was also able to send a homemade gift to a friend and her newborn son.



And also make a playmat for my own child!

Massive Post Christmas Craft Dump

The holidays are OVER! Rejoice! Sadly I've let the crafting photos pile up...so I figure it's about time I just post them all and get it over with.


Before the holiday I had a commission to make some knitted dolls for a friend's daughter. Two mermaids, two girls, a dog, and a cat. I was particularly happy with the mermaids!


I got a bit carried away with the knitting and decided to try my hand at designing a pattern for knitted ponies. Still a work in progress...but they didn't turn out bad by any means.


Next I came up with some knitted cars with wooden wheels. They do actually roll, which I was very happy about...I made 3 for Bear for Christmas and 2 more for her friend.



Not a great photo, but I knitted a cabled tam for my aunt. Bear is modeling it here.



Two Black Apple Dolls for Bear and E.



One for my niece.





A purse, sweats, and necklace set for my niece, Ash.




An art-roll and a memory game for my nephews.



And finally, I recovered a foam chair for Bear. :)

The Holidays Cometh

I have been doing massive amount of crafting, particularly knitting, in recent history. Sadly, my camera is currently at my mother's house so I can't take photos of anything. Bah! I left it there over Thanksgiving...but I should be getting it from her sometime this week.

ANYWAY....I have done a lot since the Halloween extravaganza. I set up a nature table by the door which I decorated for fall. I will be changing it over to winter/Christmas very soon. Knitting is my top hobby right now. I've made several hats, toys, and am now experimenting with Mobius baskets and bags. By the way, I have no idea why I haven't joined Ravelry till now! What was wrong with me?!? Obviously a site like that is practically made for me...so I seriously don't get why I put it off.

Oh, I have also taken up spinning wool with a drop spindle. It's rather addictive, by the way.

I recently purchased a Waldorf craft book published in 1986 (the year after I was born, by the way) that I'm absolutely in love with. Particularly the gnome hat knitting pattern which is why I bought it in the first place. I highly recommend The Children's Year...and it's a steal if you purchase it used. My copy cost under $3! I already finished Bear a gnome hat which has been a huge hit.

With the holidays coming up I, of course, have massive amounts of things to do. This evening I started work on a foam chair cover for Bear (to replace the original Spiderman motif)...I need to start work on some dolls. I purchased a few odds and ends this afternoon for that.

Beyond the crafting...this has just been a rough time of year for me. We're still waiting for news about our move. It's been a very slow and frustrating process. I'm trying to be patient and not go completely nuts while I'm trying to get work done in a very small space...

More pics coming soon!

Craft Sloth - Not So Much

My lack of posting, thankfully, is no indication of my lack of crafting. I have done quite a bit, actually.
I had originally planned to make The Bear a bear costume for Halloween...however, I really didn't have the time or materials for it. Instead, I put together a quick witch's cloak and wand for her. I had a small witch hat from a previous Halloween that was just the right size for a little one and completed the costume nicely.

At the same time I was trying to finish some knitted Fairies for a friend before Samhain.

My knitted toys have been a big hit. I've have several requests for them.


Finally, I knitted up a couple gnome hats. I only have a photo of one of them, however.

Birthday Gifts

Bear's friend E. had her first birthday this past weekend so Mommy did some sewing.


First I finished off a UFO that I'd had stuffed in a cabinet for 5 or 6 years. I had 5 rainbow Drunkards Path blocks ready to go, added 4 squares of super soft furry stuff I picked up at Joann's, sandwiched the top with a layer of flannel and woven cotton backing fabric, tied it, and then bound it with silky blanket binding on two sides. I'm digging the tying method over quilting right now...hand quilting is impossible for me with a toddler around. Machine sewing doesn't always happen either...but I can easily tie a quilt like this in under an hour.


Next I put together a quick dress, shirt, and set of DIY Babylegs. The shirt was made from a tee of my own. I didn't have to hem it because I used the bottom edge of the shirt as is. I did something similar to the Peasant Blouse tutorial over on Blueprints. The dress was just something I came up with on the fly. I will try to put together a tutorial for it soon. I embellished it with some Yo Yo's, but otherwise it was just a very basic rectangle dress. I again used the same Babylegs tutorial from my previous post.


Then I made some cute knitted little people/animals which I altered quite a bit by the time I was finished. By the way, the loopy skirt thing was the same stitch as the one used in this lion washcloth. From left to right - Suki the dog, Bear, E., and Cerra the horse.


And another split-pea filled monster. This time with horns and a cute little smirk.

SO now I need to try my hand at play-food. E. got an awesome up-cycled play-kitchen from her parents and needs some food to go with it. Bear also LOVED it...so hopefully we'll be making her a kitchen of her own in the near future.