Fiber Friday

I finally made something for me! I was going through my clothing and noticed a few tank tops and tee shirts with those very tiny holes near the front hem. You know the ones that are almost unnoticeable but technically holes so the shirt is a bust? I was pretty bummed until I remembered seeing a cool tutorial online for sewing a dress from an existing shirt by just adding a skirt.

Here are a few of my inspirations:

Basic Tee into a Summer Dress

Black Striped Two-Tone Dress

Lace Two Toned Maternity Dress

I knew I had enough gray linen and plenty of shirts to choose from so i go started. I used french seams so it would be nicely finished. But when I got the waist section I was skeptical about getting it over my head. I wanted the waitlist to be high, almost empire waisted so that it would drape over "the bump". I had squeezed into a summery dress the day before and it was so comfy and forgiving I hoped this would give me lots of wear. But I had merely gathered the waistline and was going to attach it to a jersey knit top. So instead I went simple and found some elastic. I made it into a skirt instead and in the end, I have about 6 or more dressed in one!

Since the linen is a nice dark gray color, it goes with pretty much any top I owned pre pregnancy, including the ones that definitely are too short to wear. But with this skirt, I can put it over the top and it looks like a color blocked dress!

I know it's a bit wrinkled and simple, but imagine it with a black and white striped, coral, or mint green tee shirt or a tank top peaking out the top and a cardigan. I'm so in love. I also made the hem just below my knee so that it is long enough to go without leggings and long enough that as the baby grows, the skirt will still be long enough in the front.

Such a simple skirt and I hope that it will last me after baby comes. I could also alter it a bit after baby and make the intended dress, but right now, I'm loving the versatility. The only enhance would be pockets but since I was making the pattern up, I decided to to try anything too wild!
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Belated Fiber Friday

I have been doing a bit of fiber crafting lately but not a ton. It's been very practical and strategically planned around guests coming and going. I'm so glad I made time at the beginning of summer to sort, organize and purge my supplies because pulling things out for a day of stitching is much easier now. And of course, knowing things have a home makes it easier to clean up :)

Over the last two weeks I've been prepping two projects. One week i measured and bought materials for making cloth wipes and a baby snuggler. I've been making a few cloth wipes here and there all summer with spares bel I've uncovered (mostly left from other projects). I consulted a friend who cloth diapers and asked how many she felt was enough for a solid stash without going overboard. This helped a lot! So I bought 2 yards of flannel to make 20 more 8x8" squares (about 7.25x7.25 finished).

Last week I washed and dried everything then cut and pinned everything. I also marked darts on the snuggler and made a quick list of the steps since so much time passed between starting and ending this project. The out fabric is cotton and steel left over from a dress I made. It's so soft and felt "gender neutral". I took a scrap to the store and found a cute fuzzy flannel to serve as the lining - mint colored with sewing scissors.

Finally, yesterday I set up my machine and ironing board and got to work. It took about an hour and a half but it was so much fun because all the pieces were ready to go! I like this sort of assembly line style of sewing because I get into a rhythm and can listen to a podcast or an audio book while I work. It is also so satisfying to see everything stacked up neatly at the end of the project.

Here is "Baby Bear" modeling the snuggler. It's from Lotta Jansdotter and has Velcro closures.

I'm still plugging away on a few knitting projects and hoping this weekend will bring me close to finishing the onward shawl. As school approaches I am unsure of how much sewing I'll be able to do so I'm hoping to squeeze in one or two more sessions before then.

fiber friday - baby edition

After last week's fiber purge and inventory I become inspired to start some new projects. And, what better inspiration for handmade gifts than a baby!

The first project is a continuation of a project from almost 4 years ago. This blueish/lavender yarn is from Scotland, a gift from my sister. I knit up the booties in an afternoon but didn't have the heart to give them away, so I put them in a box with some other baby gifts I was storing away for future nieces and nephews. I held the yarn together with some cream colored wool, loosely following this pattern.

I pulled out the booties last week and realized there was still quite a bit of yarn left over. So i got to work on a little hat to match. I didn't follow a specific pattern, just used specifications for a baby hat and went with stripes (in case the blue yarn ran a little short). The cream colored yarn is leftover from a shawl I made. It's Quince and Co - Tern in colorway egret. I decided on a square hat because I saw a cute hat with little ears. I'm waiting to let it finish blocking before I commit to tying the corners into ears.

The other project I worked on this week was a hooded baby towel. I wasn't really a fan of the versions in stores so when I saw this tutorial from Purl Soho, I jumped at the chance to do some sewing! I went with some fun vibrant colors, since we are waiting to find out if baby is a he or a she, and I happily using all the coupons I could find with a gift card from my class. This project ended up costing about $15 for a hooded towel and 6 matching washcloths ($0 for me!).

 

Looking forward to more sewing this summer and some finishes coming up soon! The Terra shawl is just a few rows from complete! Hope you found time to do some stitching or knitting this week!

fiber friday

It's been much too long, but to be fair, there hasn't been much fiber fun happening in the last few months. Things have changed though because it is summer break and I have new found energy and motivation to create!

I started by doing a major sort of fabric. I was able to eliminate a large tub and in doing so, discovered lovely fabrics and unfinished projects! I quickly got to work sewing up some washcloths out of flannel so I could use up my stash a bit and prep for our November baby's arrival. I hear babies like messes :)

Today I sorted through my yarn which was much easier because I did a purge not too long ago. I still discovered some lovely yarn and projects I'd abandoned and was happy to find a spark of inspiration! I'm currently playing with some Berroco Ultra Alpaca in Smoky Blue. I inherited a LARGE amount of this yarn so I'm testing out some stitch patterns and needle sizes before committing. The hubby is toying with knitting something for the little one so we're considering this blanket or perhaps this project. Updates to come!

I am also making steady progress on my Terra shawl from some lovely Tosh Merino. I have worked on this weekly for a few months, during movie nights. It is a really fun knit, though the garter ribbed section felt quite long. Glad to be in the carted lace section now! Note: the color is hard to capture so I included a photo of the yarn from madelinetosh.com. 

And lastly, I started working on a blanket in April using some Inca Tweed Yarn I've had for awhile. This is a great airplane project. Something easy to remember without having to carry the pattern around. Because it's repetitive, I tend to work on it in spurts then I get a little bored. I am really liking the weight of the blanket now that I'm about halfway through!

That's the fiber news for now and I'm very excited to be back in this space and to have some projects to share. Happy knitting, sewing, and weekending!

fiber friday - 2015 recap

Another great year for fiber projects! I tried counting it all up and here is what I recorded and remember (it's quite possible I've left something out!).

Yarn project were bountiful once again! Not quite as many projects as last year, but I nearly doubled my production just in the last three months alone!

When making this list, I was pleasantly surprised at how much sewing I did. Again, December really amped up my numbers as I made gifts for my favorite people.

What an awesome year 2015 was for fiber. I'm looking forward to more fiber friday posts in 2016! Hopefully some of those unfinished projects will move to my "completed" list :) Off to go work on my featherweight cardigan. I'm loving my Brooklyn Tweed Loft yarn and am eager to wear this sweater! Happy knitting and sewing!

To see details about knitting projects, visit my ravelry.com project page.

quilt update

Oooof... Feels like a long time since I updated! Partly because it's been awhile since I worked on my quilt, but I'm here with a but of a progress report:

I cut and prepped the center square and finished two more triangles. Seeing this photos helped me decided to be sure and include some pinks, yellows, and orange in the final triangle. I like the fun randomness, but can see a lot of blue and green in the top and right triangle. Hoping to bring a bit of balance with the last one.

Early last week I finished hand stitching the center block. It was so fun and really quite manageable. This gives me hope for the next set of hand stitching - all the squares that make up an inner border. I purchased some grey fat quarters in different shapes and patterns to use for the background. It's also been lovely to have a sewing buddy who has a fantastic stash of scraps to choose from! My supplies are currently housed at Juliann's house since she has a dedicated sewing space. My home is a music studio during the week with students/families coming and going so this allows me to have a bit of freedom in my sewing schedule without having to pack up each evening.

Speaking of quilts, I started quilting my tree quilt! It was a Christmas gift last year so my goal is to have it up on the wall by this December! I hemmed an hawed over the many possibilities for quilting and finally decided to go with hand quilting some wonky stars. I'm doing them in the grey background between branches and they are each a little different.

I'm using grey thread on top and white on the bottom so that the stitches are pretty subtle. I like how the stars pop up without distracting from the fun color blocked tree.

I used chalk to draw the stars free-hand and then mostly followed the shapes on the machine, though in some places I went outside the lines. It's been a fun process and is faster than I'd expected! 

So there are my quilt updates. I'm glad to have a few sewing projects to work on and while it's fun to have a goal, I like that the Jen Kingswell quilt is going to be a longer process. Sewing is a hard hobby for me to fit in weekly, probably due to the lack of space. It is great to have some hand stitching to keep by the couch for evenings. I will admit though, it's about time for a new glasses prescription so my hand stitching has to happen in the morning when the light is good :)

Fiber Friday

So many fiber takes to tell!

This is a washcloth I made on a road trip last week. I'm on a mission to use up my stash and leftovers so I packed all my cotton yarn in a bag and have been picking away making simple garter stitch washcloths. This is organic cotton from various other patterns.

Yesterday I made progress on my quilt, thanks to a little sewing date with Juliann.

I also cut the leaves to start the appliqué border just outside this center square. I'm hoping to go to the fabric store this weekend to pick up some neutral greys for backgrounds.

So fun to dive back into the fiber world! Hoping to get to clue 4 on my summertide mystery knit along this weekend. Happy stitching!

 

fall list

I love fall. I'm one of those people that craves the crisp morning air and the slightly cooler temps. This fall I have just a few simple things i'd love to do...

1. drink cider - hot and spiced
2. go to a farm for fall festivities
3. go for lots of walks in the neighborhood
4. make #allthesoup
5. wear boots and tights
6. hand quilt on my tree quilt so it's ready for december
7. host an autumnal gathering. i'm thinking there ought to be pie
8. knit some mittens or fingerless gloves
9. play guitar more, just for fun
10. make new pillow cases for the living room

what is something you love to do when falls comes around?
or are you a fan of another season?

fiber friday

This is where I learned to sew. I was shorter and younger. The furniture has been arranged and rearranged at one point moving rooms altogether on,y to return. The machine has changed and the projects ebb and flow but the thrill of taking a flat piece of fabric and creating something new remains.

Sewing garments is something I have love hate relationship with. I remember the pattern choosing being difficult because the fabric shown on the model wasn't my choice and it's hard to imagine how the sketch on that page will transform into something wearable.

Last night I returned to this room to sew and mom my- who introduced me to all things fiber related- gifted me with cutting and prepping all the piece. I am grateful that she didn't have to rip seams for me, like the olden days and instead could pass on this gift her mom gave to her. Seam by seam I stitched, then ironed then tried it on. I am still not great at remembering easy to try on clothing when garment sewing, something that comes on and off quickly so the fit is most accurate.

Interfacingm French seams and pockets are done, just need to hem the bottom and sleeves (great fridaynifbt project!). I'm in the last stretch of the garment process, the one where I imagine all the different ways to wear the dress: the shoes, leggings vs no leggings, necklaces, shawls, etc. Then I imagine which occasions it will be best for and wonder if I can really hold off until Tuesday (first day of school) to wear the dress or if I will cave and wear it Sunday...

 

fiber friday

Wow, I've been knitting a lot this week! I worked furiously on the Glebe Shawl for my mother-in-law. I LOVE this shawl and hope she loves it just as much. Check out the slideshow below or my Ravelry project page.

Before putting it in the mail I took these shots in our yard, which seemed like a lovely, autumnal backdrop for this back-to-school gift.

I also worked one morning on one point of the center star of my Midnight at the Oasis for the QAL. I sewed all 16 triangles together one morning before work. I have most of the triangles cut for the other 3 points, just working on how to organize my supplies. I want them to be handy and easy to grab so that when I'm inspired I can dive in! I saw a brief post on twitter about this idea of daily crafting and how to make it part of the routine. After reading the comments here are my ideas that I will try and implement for achieving my crafting goal this fall!


Craft Night! Choose one night a week where crafting is the goal. I'm leaning toward Thursday but without our fall schedule completely blocked out, it might change.


Break it DownBreaking projects into small tasks helps me feel accomplished. I aim to complete one task each setting. I recently did this with the baby quilt I made.

1. cut all the triangles 
2. arrange the triangles into rows then pin pairs to prep for sewing
3. sew all rows 
4. sew the rows into a top and add border 
5. make small fox for the back and baste the quilt together (quilting prep)
6. machine quilt the top and sew the binding to the front
7. Hand stitch the binding

That was the plan and I actually ended up finishing the whole thing in 5 days. When I completed something quilting I could assess the next step on the list and determine if I had enough time to complete another step.

Find a System
I like to create an assembly line and system to make things go smoothly. When I am sewing half-square triangles or something repetitive I set up the ironing board and sewing table as an L shape at the same height, I can plow through a bunch by chain stitching and eliminating the need to go across the room to iron.

Making a pattern you know is another way to help the process. Of course, I've not been sewing enough lately to want to remake items. Instead I keep trying new patterns. Perhaps this is a good one for me to try out this fall.

currently

Maisie Dobbs / Simply Tuesday / Woolful Podcast / The Haden Triplets / QAL / Salad

fiber friday

So many projects to share! We're going bullet points today:

Knitting

• Blocking my Whispering Pines shawl, yippee!!

• Using Brooklyn Tweed Shelter in Almanac and Soot I started the Glebe Wrap as a gift for my Mother in-law:

• I am making progress on my Guernsey Triangle Shawl in Brooklyn Tweed Loft - Fossil

• Updating my Ravelry Project Page - it's a fun way to see how much I've been working on!

Sewing

• I've cut the pieces and am prepping to start sewing this top from Purlbee. I'm using a charcoal linen which should go with all my new shawls!

• I've been ironing freezer paper and cutting little triangles to join the Jen Kingwell Quilt Along. I'm making Midnight at the Oasis  - at least hoping to :)

Fiber Friday

I finished the winter sea shawl! It's funny because I knit this in the summer in the woods, but I still love it :) it was a fun quick knit and great for working on during our road trip, movies and while listening to podcasts. I am so excited to officially block this when I get home. I did a makeshift blocking since I'm away from home because I wanted it to lay a little more flat for the photos.

 

I'm so close to being done with my whispering pines. After the shawl recovered from surgery I have just 58 more stitches to bind off. That picot binding is tricky for me so I'm taking it slow. Maybe next week I'll have photos! For now here is a photo of me working on the bind off while at Holland Lake. The island just behind me we dubbed "Whispering Pines" :)

In the fabric realm I'm considering joining this Quilt along and making this quilt. I have tons of fun vibrant colors and just need to figure out a good goal and rhythm for regularly working on it.

I cast on my guernsey triangle shawl and will have to give more details later. So far I'm taking it little by little so I do it well. I also need to get yarn for a gift shawl so lots of fun projects on the horizon!

 

 

currently - vacation edition

 

 

Fiber Friday - gift edition

The main fiber event of the last 5 days has been a baby quilt for my friend's first baby. We worked together to pick fabrics and a playful pattern that felt like a good blend of our two styles. I cut the triangles months ago but didn't start sewing until last Wednesday.

I love the triangles and the zigzag quilting. I also enjoy the way the colored triangles pop off the light background on the front. When I was searched for a backing I fell in love with the dots especially as it is dark and contrasting. It seemed to pull the whole quilt together and kept this from being too much of a baby quilt and something that he could carry around as he grows up.

A fun part of this project is the challenge to add a fox on the back. She didn't want a thematic quilt but a nod to the woodland theme of the nursery.

I searched around Pinterest and decided to dissect a fox block that I saw repeatedly, so I got out my graph paper and ruler and went to work. He couldn't have turned out any better! And I love that he is peeking out of the corner of the quilt!

When consulting my quilt guru (my mom!) she suggested the little tag for a label. I am the worst at remembering to label gifts so this was a great idea as I was already handstitcheping the fix to the back. I wrote the baby's name on one side (blurred out on this image) and then the date and my name on the back of the tag.

I loved working in this project (despite the limited time I gave myself) and I certainly learned a few things:

• Piecing is fun! I loved making the fox block - perhaps it's time for more piecing?
• Triangles are harder than I remembered, they take lots of brain power and cautious working. Time for a break from triangles!
• I need to practice my hand stitching in a serious way
• I can finally make pretty corners on my quilts thanks to this video tutorial!
• I love using vibrant colors and big sections of black, white, or grey so the colors "pop"
• I like small quilts and have now made 4 quilts about 40"x40" - the perfect lap quilt/wall hanging/baby quilt
• Taking photos is important and sometimes precarious (thanks hubby!)
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