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.

A Bit of a Roller Coaster

 Yesterday we had lunch at the Mandarin to celebrate Barb's birthday. We enjoyed sampling many of the dishes offered - especially the desserts. They even brought out a little cupcake with a candle on it for her.

I'll be seeing Barb on her actual birthday on Friday as we'll be heading up to the Quilter's Cupboard to do some shopping. I need some Lori Holt fabric for projects using her Zippy Bag panels. Who knows what else will tempt me?

After returning home from the celebratory lunch I was motivated to tackle some of the sewing projects I had piled up.

Many months ago, I went on a quilting binge and sewed these 2 1/2" in squares together  in preparation to make some pretty project bags. I even had selected coordinating zippers.

Using the folded binding method, I made one of the bee-themed ones.

It still needs a zipper pull but otherwise, it's done. 

Today is another snowy day and our monthly embroidery guild meeting has been cancelled for tonight. I should be able to make at least one other project bag. I already have the backing/binding fabric and lots of batting in my vast stash.

I hosted my Tuesday night group last night. Alexa brought her ukulele over so we cleared up a couple of concerns she had. She started ukulele classes a couple of weeks ago. When we go to music camp this summer, she can join me in the Sing-Along Ukulele class. 

With them, and after they left, I worked on the border of my Persian Tiles blanket. Before I went to bed I got started on the last and 7th round of the border with the Mustard yarn. I didn't do the colour sequence exactly like the Eastern Tiles colourway but I did use the called-for colours. 

Knowing how much of each yarn colour was used on the previous blanket, I ordered extra balls of Storm Blue and Buttermilk, knowing I'd need them for the border. There should be enough Mustard to complete the edge but if I run short I have about 8g of it left over from the previous blanket. The blanket will get completed tonight.

Also last night, I received word that a former colleague had passed away at age 49. He was a young Special Education teacher at my school my last couple of years there and since then had transferred to another school in my board. It is so upsetting when someone so young, with a wife and two children, dies but particularly sad when they've taken their own life. I am so sad imagining how hopeless and desperate he must have been feeling to think that killing himself was the only way to stop the pain. I cannot even fathom how his wife will navigate this; dealing with her grief, needing to continue working (hopefully she can take a leave), and dealing with two young sons who have lost their father. Then there's the staff at his school who will also be in shock. The ripple effect of any death is so far-reaching, particularly in the case of a suicide. My heart breaks for all of them.

Life certainly has its ups and downs. I just had most of those 'feels' all in one day. Enjoying time with my 'peeps', eating good food, being creative, visiting with other crafty friends, then sad news about a death, etc. However, in my heart of hearts, I know the 'lows' find equlibrium with the 'highs'. 

To end this on a bright note, my orchid began blooming yesterday!! And look at all those healthy air roots!

It has been moved out of a sunny window to slow down growth. That way the blooms will last even longer - probably more than 2 months - judging from the last time it bloomed. The little one is also getting ready to bloom. 

Lots of fresh, new life to look forward to.

Crafty Day

Today was a day most of the girlies could come over to hang out and work on projects.

Jen1 made 2 more dumpling dishes. Poppy worked on knitting her colour block sweater.

Marilyn worked on her Plum Street Samplers 'Winter Moon' and Jeanette stitched a little quilt.

II worked on the mortar between the bricks of the house on my 'The Light of Winter' and took a poll about what type of stitch I should use on the 4 stitch clusters. The overwhelming favourite was the complex Algerian eyelet.

The cluster of 4 cross stitches (top) was uninspiring and the simple eyelet (left) looked incomplete. 

Backing up to yesterday...

I kept thinking about the piece I cut from the lower part of the front of the Lori Holt Zippy bag. There were these three quilt blocks that I thought shouldn't go to waste.

I decided to make a little ort container that can snap together on the sides or unsnap to lie flat in the project bag. So I used two of the blocks - one for each side.

It's itty bitty with the sides snapped together.

but flattened out, it fits nicely in the project bag.

After that, I was motivated to make another of the Lori Holt Zippy project bags. None of them had large areas I could use for under the zipper without chopping up the design. I liked the colourful blocks in this one.  I figured I could use a strip of another one of my Lori Holt fat quarters for under the zipper instead. 

It worked out well except I used the entire fat quarter. I probably could have lined the parts above and below the zipper with plain white as I was a bit short on my backing which extended beyond the dimensions by an inch. In fact, I had to trim off about 1/2" from the bottom of the unit so there would be enough allowance for the folded binding. 

I'm pleased with how these stitch up. 

Two tips to pass along. . .

First, before fusing the backing fabric to the quilted part, and after trimming/evening the sides,  I align the back and front using clips then zig-zag stitch the edge all the way around. This ensures that nothing will shift when sewing the binding down. 

Second. Presser feet will stick to the vinyl so just cover the vinyl with the tissue paper that comes with it or even just some copy paper. You don't have to sew through it, just butt it up to the fabric. I used paper over the vinyl both when I was doing the zigzag all around and when I was sewing down the folded binding.

I'm going to transfer my 'The Light of Winter' project to this bag and will show it off tomorrow at Monday morning stitching.

And finally, the Persian Tiles blanket is all sewn together except for one corner, which I'll finish tonight. I always get a second wind in the evenings and had been staying up way too late. Since the new year I've been trying to make myself go to bed a little earlier (before midnight) so I bailed on attaching the last corner triangle. 

Then I'll start the binding. On the previous blanket, I only used the two crochet hook sizes, 3.5mm and 4mm. However the pattern also lists the need for a 4.5mm hook. I wondered why I didn't see where to use it in the instructions. Last night I took a closer look and finally noted it is used for joining the blocks together. Since I'm sewing them together with the ladder/mattress stitch I didn't need the 4.5mm hook after all.

30cm of Snow

I have a snow gauge that, of course, I didn't put out in the yard before this big dump of snow. I went outside a couple of times to do it then distracted myself thwarting squirrels, putting stuff in the compost bin, or making sure the tarp was still secure on the patio table. I may, at some point, stick it in the ground sometime I'm out there but the snow is too deep right now.

I took a ruler outside the front door last night and there was 20cm (8") in the front yard and 30cm (11 3/4") accumulated on the patio table on the back deck. It's still light and fluffy. Hopefully folks are enjoying tobogganing down Glen Hill up the street. 

I hurkle-durkled this morning whilst listening to a podcast. After brunch, I sat down to do some stitching on 'The Light of Winter'. I hope to do a little bit on it every day - even if it's only a few stitches. The fabric is not as grey as it looks in the photo but I can't find the right filter to fix it.

All along the border are these clusters of 4 cross stitches. I can't decide if I'll do them as written or do eyelets one of the two ways shown below. At our stitch day I'll ask for input from the other stitchers.

There are so many areas in this project that will be great for social stitching. Now that I have all the bricks stitched on the house, I just have to fill in the 'mortar'. I started a couple of rows today.

Another stitch I enjoyed doing but requires concentration and magnification is the sawtooth satin stitch.

There's more on the left side of the flowers and below the house as well.

Last night I got the rest of the small triangles done that go in the corners. I didn't get everything attached, however. Hopefully tonight. 

I do poke away at trimming yarn ends as I encounter them. Then will come the task of the 5 rounds of border stitches.