FABRIC FORTUNES

I enjoyed a day at home yesterday!  It has been a long time since I had a relaxing day at home!  I cleaned (which I like to do!) and laundered and picked up and then spent the rest of the day in the studio!  I pieced the rest of the blocks from the layer cake

 and sorted them.

Today, I will be putting the borders on 

so they will be ready for the quilting queue!

I also tackled the 'glow in the dark' quilt.  I have the large pieces cut and ready to begin stitching and then cutting into units!

This pile of blocks which was given for me to make a kids' quilt got some attention.  It is mostly horses in the blocks but also a funny cow in each row!  It will be very cute!

 

A WOOD BUMP

I called dibs on a burl on a tree at church.  When I saw that someone had removed it (half was rotten and it wasn't safe anymore) I reminded Bill of my claim!  He brought his chainsaw and cut the piece for me!

See the bump?  It is called a burl and it has the most interesting wood grain for a bowl!

He cut out the chunk for me and then halved the log 

so I can get to work on it this week!

I can't wait to get back to work at the lathe!

 

A WRAP ON THE WARP!

It's on the table!  

I love the thought of having my own woven runner

 and enjoyed each step of this weaving project! 

The towel/place mat looks great on the island, too!

I dressed the loom with a new warp already!

This one is from Lotsaknots.

And the new patterns is off to a good start! 

( the reddish yarn is just to spread out the threads 

and not part of the weaving!)  This time I am weaving two towels

 in another undulating twill pattern.

 

A VERY FULL DAY!

I finished my April WAL yesterday morning! 

 It is cut free of the loom!  

I need to zig-zag the ends and then I will wash and dry and press both the table runner and towel I wove.  I have some stats to record first thing this morning so I can write down the measurements to note shrinkage rates.

Mary and I did a ton of Shop Hopping yesterday!!! 

 (We forgot a pic at the first store in Deland.!)  

Daytona Beach.

Holly Hill, Florida.

Edgewater, Florida.

I will sort through the haul for the day and organize it according to project before I share the goods!

 

COLOR WORKS

I can't believe I am making this---It is totally out of character

 and yet so I am  pleased with it! lol  I have pieced all of these blocks with half of the Layer Cake but haven't pieced the rows yet.

For this half, I have just put the pieces up on the design wall

 and have not arranged the blocks yet.  I will have to pick up some border fabric and backing for both of these quilts. 

 It's a good thing I am going with Mary 

for some more Shop Hopping today! 

On the knitting front, I managed to match up the yarn for the sleeve okay but the sleeve was too small so I have ripped it out

 and have started again.  

I did write down my changes so I can replicate them

for the second sleeve--I am sure I cannot remember it otherwise! 

 I'm glad I love to knit....

 

THE VOILA OF SHAME

I did finish the binding at quilting group and when I did the 'voila!' moment, we all went silent.

And the worst part was, I saw it last week when I put the border on and said to myself, 'be sure and fix that before you quilt it!'  Which I promptly forgot by the time I got home.  I was all for taking it back home and ripping out the quilting and re-piecing the block but the QOV Director said that it was perfect just like that and she would be sure it went to just the right Vet. 

 I'm glad but the design goof has plagued me all day!

(This was the MQOV by Alycia at Quilty Girl

she named Stars like Spaghetti.)

NO ECLIPSE HERE

We didn't have proper glasses to view the Eclipse but we sat with our backs to the sun and just enjoyed the hour together!  We didn't notice a whole lot of darkening and if I didn't know what was going on, I wouldn't have noticed any difference at all!

Now I did see a big difference on the MQAL; 

 it is off the quilting frame and has some binding 

which I will be sewing in place at quilting group today!  

 I also arranged all of the pieces from the layer cake to make a lap sized quilt and then thought if I make the blocks 4 x 5 then I can make two quilts out of the layer cake!  I will make up the first few rows and see how it sizes out before I commit to anything. 

Aside from the size--this kind of quilt is so hard for me--I like order-you know, regular pattern repeats, etc, of traditional blocks so this one is a real stretch for me! 

 I just kind of squinted and placed colors throughout the space! 

 And It still looks like abstract art to me! lol

TYING UP LOOSE ENDS

Isn't it so pretty?

I still work on the shawl;  the thread/yarn is terrible to work with because not only is it dark now, it is not plied but it is just four loose threads you are working with and they inevitably separate and then one thread is loose and it is very 'unfun'!    

So glad it is pretty to make up for the misery! lol

I am still enjoying the dishcloth madness!

  I gave away 30 of them at church yesterday!

And I am still making a couple hats a week!

 

IDEAS COMING AND GOING!

The MQAL from January is finally on the frame!

I made quick work of it because 

I only have two more rows to go and it will time to bind it!

I also found a pattern I want to make with the layer cake--

--two 2 1/2' slices off each side,

cut them in half and shuffle it up to make some new blocks!

This is just a bit of play with the first slices and will not stay in this arrangement but you can see how the blocks just tip back and forth to make rows!

And the rest of the blocks are sliced and diced

 and ready for me to play on the design wall!

 

WE HAVE WEAVING!

This was another super tip I learned from watching YouTube--to sley the reed by laying it horizontally instead of trying to work over it to grab threads from the back---much easier on every level!!

And in no time, I was weaving!  

This view includes the front few inches for hemming 

and then several repeats of the actual pattern. 

 I remember the joy of throwing the shuttle 

and dancing across the treadles with my feet!  

Delightful!

And the first 12" are woven and I am into the center 36" using a cream colored thread.  It's interesting to see how the different color makes a subtle variation!

2023 SHOP HOP QUILT

The quilt from last year's All Florida Shop Hop

 is completely completed!

(and Lena approved!)

It has been washed and dried and measures out at 54" x 72"

Now I need to graph out this year's quilt

 so I can make it in a more timely manner!

 

WOOD ON WEDNESDAY

I can only sit to thread the heddles for so long 

and then my neck/shoulders can't take it any more! 

So I decided to make another accessory for the loom--

this time a supply tray for the top of the loom.

It will hold my shuttle, bobbins, scissors 

and measuring tape, etc. close to hand!

Doesn't it look just right on there?!

 

LET THE WEAVE ALONG BEGIN!

I was so excited to begin winding the warp ! 

 I had 16 threads of each color repeated for 13 times for 13".

I had two chains of warp when I finished!  

I spread them out on the back bar, spread the threads in the raddle, 16 threads per inch of each color and began winding them onto the back beam.  The weights help keep the threads under tension so things don't get tangled!

This is how it looks from the back--see how the raddle

 keeps the threads in their 'row'?!

The next step for today will be to thread these strands into the appropriate heddle to give me the right pattern, which is undulating twill!  I have watched several YouTube videos to find a better technique for this step and am anxious to try out some new ideas for making this step more accurate and comfortable for me!

I also had to wind the bobbins with thread for the actual weaving--how's this for home grown DIY ingenuity?! 

It's not my idea so I can brag about it! lol

All ready to weave but there are heddles to fill 

and a reed to thread 

and tying onto the front beam first!

I don't want to get ahead of myself; 

 ''savor each step", I keep telling myself! 

All of these steps are called dressing the loom.

 

APRIL FOOL'S DAY

It was a wonderful day yesterday, filled up with love.  I did a bit of crocheting in the evening with this yarn called I Love This Yarn in Brights colorway--doesn't it look like Easter eggs?

This pair in was from Crafter's Choice yarn but I tossed the label already!  

What will I be doing today?  Starting the WAL, of course!!!! 

 First step, winding on the warp! More pics to follow!  

These many steps before I start weaving will all be part of the process and I am not going to rush through any of them!