Trying Out Some Ideas

This quilt is one I'm quilting for my guild.  It's a great time to try some things out that I can mess around with.  I've been enjoying the work of Judi at Green Fairy Quilts.  I put some of the ideas she's used on her last quilts here.  This was the perfect quilt to work on with all the blank spaces intermixed with the patchwork blocks.

I did not use the stitch regulator on this quilt, which is pretty new to me trying not to get little bird's nests in the back where I pause.  I did get better at that.  I also was doing designs with no marking on the quilt.

I practiced no mark feathers doing them different ways and just trying to get neater and not rush so much.  I don't know if I really accomplished that.  The swirls were great also.

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THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT

Thou shalt not steal.

What does this mean?  We should fear and love God that we may not take our neighbor's money or goods, nor get them by false ware or dealing, but help him to improve and protect his property and business.
                                    Martin Luther's Small Catechism

Isn't this great?

Helen's Quilt

She did her quilt out of vintage dress fabrics. They were very sheer and took some care.  I had  a problem with one portion puckering on the back.  I think it's because my knob was stripping that holds the quilt taut. I ripped out some but didn't want to do too much because of the sheerness of the fabric. At least the back is busy and doesn't show much.

This shows the flower I did in the center of the squares with leaves surrounding them.

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The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.
                                                                                                                                           Patrick Henry

One Weeks Progress

I'm doing better than I thought on my stole.  But the more you do it, the better you get.  I can do approx. a repeat and a half each evening.  And it doesn't take as much concentration as it did, although it still takes some. I have 13 repeats done.

It's not as wide as I had hoped it to be.  The pattern didn't give a gauge and I went down 2 needles sizes because that is my norm in any pattern.  I could have gone with the asked for size and had a wider stole.

Can you find a mistake in this picture?  I do have a few in there, but for a beginner, I don't think it's bad.  I have done a lot of carefully taking out and also counting back to see where my mistake might be.  One time I couldn't find it and just had to make the adjustment to have the correct amount of stitches.

When I get tired of concentrating and want to relax, I've switched to other knitting.  After all, evening knitting is supposed to be relaxing, at least that's what I think.  So I'm making dishcloths out of all my scrap cotton.  I needed something to do with that yarn.  I don't like the idea of just throwing it out because there's not enough to make something.  It's not exactly the colors you'd pick to go with each other.  I did another out of blues also.

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THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT

Thou shalt not commit adultery.

What does this mean?  We should fear and love God that we may lead a chaste and decent life in word and deed, and each love and honor his spouse.

                                           Martin Luther's Small Catechism

Problem Day

The weather is cooling down, so I won't be sitting outside doing my applique for Eva as I have been doing for her quilt everyday.  I've been taking on the pressure of having to get it done by her wedding, but that is something I don't need to do.  It'll be a great heirloom even if she gets it a year late (which she won't).  When the pressure comes on, it doesn't become enjoyable anymore, because you have to get it done.  I do really enjoy this  quilt.
Today I'm cutting out the outer borders and am going to trace my pattern for the trapunto onto them.  After making the pattern, I traced it onto one panel and then realized I should have started from the center as I had made the panel longer than needed.  So I washed the blue out and it's in the dryer now.  I think I'll sew the whole quilt together first and then trace to make sure everything works out right. My border as I'm drawing.

I spent the morning on my longarm doing a customer quilt. At one point, I saw the back had a wrinkle in it, so I'm ripping out to ease the wrinkle in.  I never had that happen before.

 Also I think the screw got stripped on the knob that keeps my quilt taut at the top of the frame. So saggy quilt.  My son can fix that. I have a spare knob if need be. I just have to wait til he gets home.

I did get most of the quilt quilted and the pattern for Eva's quilt is ready to go.  So things are moving slowly along

My Porch and Backyard

Summer is here and I love it.  I have shown pictures of my yard, but the photos never did them justice.  You couldn't feel the breeze and hear the water and they looked rather bland.  What helps make a yard a great place is the people in it.

Having some friends over.

The children enjoying the man-made creek

 Getting wet even!  It's not very deep.

 

We have parties in our yard.

School children sometimes take field trips through the woods and have lunch in our yard.

Sometimes the twins have photo shoots to show off the clothing they sell.

They ride in carts,

chase and catch chickens,

and swing on our wonderful tree swing.

Sometimes we even do work in our yard.

 There's also mowing that we do, but I have no pictures of that.

Sometimes games

 We've even had a volleyball net set up and played, but that's gone now and no pictures of it.

Our Porch - a wonderful place to sit

and share with others.  My sister and family from Kansas were here.  They enjoyed the cool 85 degree weather.

My husband enjoys reading

And I like quilts hanging off my railing.

  

 Many times we end the day with a campfire in our nice big pit, roasting marshmallows and making s'mores.

Sea and Shells Stole

I decided it was time to knit something for myself.  When I get to feeling a little cool, I'm always looking for something to wrap around my shoulders. The sleeves get in the way with sweaters or jackets.  When I'm in Hawaii and the cloud comes up a sarong is just perfect.

I was searching on Ravelry for shawls, but what I was finding were triangular pieces of very beautiful lace work.  My idea was rectangular.  Then I came upon the word "stole" and that's where I found what I was looking for.

This is a free pattern.  It is a test for me.  It calls for a lace cast on, so I had to do a little research and I came up with a site that had the one I was looking for.  It also told why you use it - so your edge isn't tight.  It didn't really work for me (it was very tight), so I ended up doing my normal cast on loosely. That seems to be OK.  I did have to start the project over a couple of times, mostly because I would lose my place in reading the pattern.  But now it is slowly working.

12 rows a day could get it finished in a month and a half.  Anyways, it's small enough to be a good vacation project.

I also knitted up some dishcloths this weekend using my own pattern.  I really like knitted dishcloths because of their elasticity and the  texture makes for nice scrubbing. I'll put these in our store and take the ugliest ones out for my use.

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THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT

Thou shalt not kill.

What does this mean?  We should fear and love God that we may not hurt nor harm our neighbor in his body, but help an befriend him in every bodily need.
                                               Martin Luther's Small Catechism

There are Troubles

Breaking a needle.  And then more needles.  It can get frustrating.   This is Eva's quilt.  I'm doing the stitching on the trapunto with my Bernina.  I thought I'd save a lot of batting this way, plus it's easier to cut away when I'm doing smaller sections.  This is the center.  Every few stitches my needle would break.  See the dark thread on the edge of the batting?  I'm now basting it to the top to put on my longarm.

  

                                                                                                                                                                              This is the bumpy center with the trapunto underneath.  I didn't have this problem on the center part. It's the tan edges that are having problems          

The cut-a-way of the center.

   

On my longarm and doing fine.  This is just the way to go.  I use the purple pen where I can't see the blue.  My blue pen is very fine and light.  I won't buy that one again.  The felt tips are better. 

  

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THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT

Thou shalt honor thy father and thy mother, that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

What does this mean?  We should fear and love God that we may not despise our parents and masters, nor provoke them to anger, but give them honor, serve and obey them, and hold them in love and esteem.