The Sheetrock is on

It's been a while since I posted about our addition.  My daughter's have posted since then which will bring you along with what's happening.  Now these are the latest photos.  The sheetrock is coming on.

This first one is looking into the new part from our existing shop area.

 Notice the nice canned lights.  We need good lighting.

This is our storage and dressing room.  A dressing room for fittings is much needed.

 

My  give away will start Monday, so come check it out.

Carol's Quilt

This is a quilt that I think Carol has had for quite a while.  It's an old log cabin that was tied and is now well worn.  I stippled it for her to keep it together.  I love the way black, white, and red look together, and this is a good rendition of a log cabin like that.

Tomorrow I'm going to have my first ever give-away, so check back.

Sunbonne Sue - Birdhouse and Walking in the Rain

2 more finished squares

Pam's

mine

Pam's rainy day square

and mine

 Eloise is enjoying Uncle Chris

 What is she saying to him?

Knitting for Boys

Ian came over this morning to pose for some sweaters that I made in the past few weeks for boys.  They are both different sizes but he looked great in each of them.

This sweater was made from some yarn I've had sitting around.  It is a nylon/acrylic.  I  like the softness and the way it knit up.  This isn't the type of yarn I buy any more though.  I've gotten some knowledge and taste for better yarns.

The pattern is a Sirdar pattern. It is the hat and cardi.   You can go to Ravelry to find out more.  It is also in our Etsy shop.

 This next sweater is a Debbie Bliss sweater.  The hat is my own.  I had enough yarn left to do a hat, so it became part of the outfit.

Ian really liked his binky in these photos.   The yarn is a silk alpaca which is very soft.  It worked well in this sweater.  The blue goes with Ian's eyes.

Ian's having fun.  I really should have a video, then you'd have the sounds and the full effect.

This sweater is also on Ravelry and will soon be in our Etsy shop.

Saturday Sewing

What a nice way to spend a Saturday - reading Huck Finn (it is really a good book) with my husband, some knitting, and sewing.  It's been relaxing.  And don't forget my granddaughter came home.  We got to see her this morning.

Sewing flowers on her quilt.

Lace Edged Cardigan

This is a sweater I kept liking better as I was making it.  I love the lace edging.

It's another Sirdar pattern.  Those patterns are consistently nice.  Their styles are the kind of thing I like.  In fact , I'm making every one of them that are in this book.  That's very unusual.  It makes these expensive books worth buying.  Right now I'm using leftover yarn up.  This is a nylon/acrylic.  It is soft and has a very nice feel.  I knitted a 6-12 month size.

The lace edging

Flowers

After I did some record keeping (Preparing for taxes), cooking up a pot of Chili and coleslaw, laundry, closet arranging and some other odd and ends, I sat down and cut lots of flowers.

 This is for a new and special project.  It's to go with the project my daughter's worked on for their niece.

 So, of course this is also for Eloise.  I'm backing each flower with flannel.  That's how my girl's did it.

The stack I have right now.  I do need to go shopping for the rest of the fabrics.

The girls didn't have much left over, plus I need more than what they used.

An Old Fashioned Baby Daygown with a Modern Twist

I love baby daygowns.  They can go on your brand new baby and they can wear the same one til they are about 6 months old.  A brand new baby is so scrunched, these gowns make it easy to change them without undoing all the snaps.  They come down over the feet of the baby to keep them warm.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not against those soft warm knitted sleepers babies wear, but these are nice now and then for an old-fashioned change.

This pattern is from The Old-Fashioned Baby.com .

Back in former days, babies wore these all the time.  They were probably used until those nice, soft knits and terries came out.  I know they were used in the 20's. 

Now where you mostly see them is in the southern states of the deep south.  They seemed to have kept somewhat to the tradition.  They are also the mothers that like smocked dresses also.

Here is a photo of my tiny little french seam that really does look good.  I am improving. There is a tutorial on this blog.   Plus much more inspiration

I was going to smock the neck edge.  I'm learning to smock on a curve.  It does take a little learning.  I ran the top through the pleater twice. But then my smocking looked so bad I took it out and decided on shirring instead.  So I first made this bias edge which also worked very nicely.  It is a very narrow trim.  And then I shirred.  It adds a nice gathering touch.

 But the gown needed more.  I figured embroidery wouldn't show up well, so I decided to do an applique daisy, fused machine applique.  That is the modern touch to this old fashioned baby daygown.

 

My granddaugher's still in Hawaii, so I can't try it on her for a photo shoot.  I think she's having fun though.

Sunbonne Sue

Here is my Sunbonnet Sue (from the vintage squares) quilted and washed.  I washed it because I had blue marks for the quilting all over it.  It does have that old look now.

 I  was disappointed with how the quilting looks after the wash.  I did some antique flower patterns a bit revised to fit around the Sue's.  I didn't want too much quilting in the squares because the muslin is old and not a tight fabric.  I didn't want to wreck it.  You can see the flower pattern a little bit here, but it does not show up well at all.

 

 On this square you can't really see it at all.  The background is a busy print so that does not help on the backside either.   I also didn't quilt inside the Sue's, just around them, so their dresses puff up quite a bit.

But the quilt is for me or my daughter if she wants it, so it's not going too far.  I do love Sunbonnet Sue's.

Sunbonne Sue

Here are 2 squares for Pam that are the same but different colors.  These are on white fabric, but with no batting and backing and laying on the rug, the background looks grey, not white.  The other colors are pretty right on.

Now here is my original square.

Last Night it Snowed

It's all gone now, but I like this photo.

Eloise with her mom on Maui. Quite the contrast, isn't it?

Dolly Dingle? Play Mat

What started out as a wall hanging is now really a play mat.  This mat was a lot of fun.  I put Dolly Dingle in my title because my husband said these girls look like the Campbell Soup girl and Dolly Dingle came up in all those images as I searched.

I found out I didn't need velcro.  The flannel works by itself quite well.  This mat has been child tested and approved.  That was also encouraging.

This was a good first background.  I have ideas for the next ones also, but they'll take more expertise, especially figuring out how to store the clothing.  This doll ends up having 10 dresses and several hats.

 When I decided it was a play mat, I made it roll upable and easy  to carry or store.  I've put it for sale in my daughters'  Etsy shop.

I'm going through Eloise withdrawals.  I don 't know how you grandma's that don't live close to your grandbabies handle it.  I am very blessed to live so close to Eloise.

My Football Project

It's the playoffs.  The Seahawks were going to get smashed, dashed, sliced, cut up, etc.  Well, they didn't.  To everyone's surprise and mine, they won. And I knitted.

 I took my scrap cotton worsted yarn and made dishcloths.  When I ran out of one color I just attached another.  I made them a nice 10" size.  I love using them.   I like the feel, stretchiness and texture.

I am perfecting the pattern and writing it up because I'd like to sell the pattern.

No pictures of Eloise today.  She is enjoying the Hawaiian sun and warmth.  As you can see from the picture above it is snowing here today.

Sunbonne Sue

This is the older Sunbonnet Sue.  The one that's been sitting on my pile to be quilted.  Now it's getting done.

I'm using a combination of  ideas out of an antique quilting book.  They used flowers and leaves in the quilting in a lot of squares.  So it took a lot of marking.  I'll show more of the quilting later, but you can see it a bit in the picture.

 

Here's some cute photos of Eloise.  Her mom took these.  She is so nice. She's such a happy girl.

Paper Doll Wallhangings (or Playmats?)

I bought  this paperdoll fabric a while back and started making the cloth paperdolls.  I love the old fashioned look.  They are so sweet.

 Now I'm working on a background for the first one.  I figured  a clothesline between 2 trees would be a simple start.  That's what I've been doing for the past couple of days.  Here's the basic idea.  I'll also take any ideas for other backgrounds.  I have some boys also.  I want them to be playable, so I'll probably use a little velcro so the clothes can be taken on and off.

 

Our addition is moving along.  This photo I'm standing at the new entrance and looking at the room.

 This photo is of the entrance.  You'll have to use your imagination.

My Apron Week

Last week I spent sewing aprons and hot pads.  Aprons take fabric that is delightful to use that you don't have to cut into small pieces like you do for quilts.  I love fabrics and some of them that I buy are very hard to cut up.  Aprons are also easy to make.  

 I think on all of these aprons I altered the pattern to some degree, which took some thinking.  I really don't like brain work, but I know after the first time (if I don't take to long to make another) it'll be easier.

This cupcake fabric is the one I especially like. 

I even made a child's one from this fabric to match Mom.  The girls also made an apron from this fabric but used a lot more detail than I did.  It's very nice

 

And let's not forget the matching hot pads.