by small means

well, last night i sewed up the lining for my purse and started sewing it into the tube. i got about 75% done when i tried zipping it up. i seems i sewed the knit outside of the purse too close to the zipper. i couldn’t zip it up. i didn’t have the patience last night. so, i set that aside and got to work on the robot quilt. 

i decided to stitch in the ditch the robot and do some heavy quilting on the white. i figure this will help the robot to stand out from the background.

(sorry, i just realized the photo is half blurry and i don’t feel like taking it again)

in the past i have always been a backstitcher on my quilts that had quilting that didn’t flow from one end to another, but was never happy with the results. when i started this quilt i remembered this post over at pink chalk studio. my plan is to give it a try. in the comments of that post she gave instructions to bury the knots, which i plan on trying as well. i have only started the quilting and am a bit nervous about all the knots i’m going to have to bury, but maybe it wont be too bad.

ok, i can check them off my list.

i just love how they fit in my hand. soon there will be a little guy who will fill these with his tiny feet. too sweet. holding these make me hungry for a little one again.

for these booties i used a pattern from this book. (classic bootie pg 13) i did however make a few changes. i made a rib cuff instead of the roll top increasing the number of rows to 15 and did seed stitch instead of the written sockinette on the top of the booties. i also added the ties. they give a little extra help with keeping them on extra busy feet. i used super soft and yummy baby bamboo yarn in snuggly blue, with size 4 needles. 

wow! thanks for all the quilt love. did someone link to my blog? i have received so much traffic and so many e-mails the past few days. anyway, thank you.

so, my summer is coming to the end. i have one more week until we start homeschooling again, and than at the end of september i will start taking classes again. last year once school started for me i had very little time to do anything other than school related stuff for my kiddies or myself. it was kinda depressing not to be able to hang out with friends or go to church functions (other than sunday) or anything. if i had finished my homework and was willing to stay up late i could squeeze in a little crafting time but that didn’t happen very often at all. oh well. i figure that this year will be the same, so i dont have any grand plans in the works as far as projects go. i do however have a short list of things i want to finish before i start classes.

first let me show you the cute blankie i finished this last week. i followed the happy things tutorial again. it turned out way cute. i took my time and top-stitched each stripe since i wasn’t going to use batting and quilt it. when i finished the top i simply cut out some flannel the same size and bound it pillowcase style. i also added a few ties using embroidery floss, to keep the back from shifting away from the top. oh wait, before i sewed the flannel to the top i appliqued on an “e” with matching fabric. than i stitched around it with contrasting floss.  i love blankies like this. just perfect for wrapping a little one.

the e stands for elliot. a little boy who just arrived last week.

ok, now for my plans. i want to finish up these projects before school starts at the end of september.

the robot quilt: the top is done now i just need to quilt and bind it. the only problem is that i am not sure how i want to quilt it.

the self striping yarn project: i knit up a tube when i was on vacation in idaho but decided it was way to big to make as a purse so i frogged it, reset the yarn and started over with a smaller purse. the tube is completed as well as the strap. now i need to sew up one end of the tube add lining and a zipper and sew on the straps. i am much happier with the size. the biggest dilemma with this project is that i can’t decide if like the side showing or the inside better. i turned the tube inside out a realized that i like that side as well.

and than i have this fabric that i am dying to make into another quilt.

oh and one last thing. i have a friend who is need a pair of booties. i think the booties will come first since this week i will be traveling and they can come with me. i could also sew up the lining on the purse and bring it since it needs to be sew in by hand. yes, i think i will do that.

so anyway that is the plan. who knows how much of it i’ll get done. i’ll see you again if i make any progress.

this gate seems to be the place to photograph my baby quilts. i finished this one last night.

here is the close up.

it is very similar to this quilt.

this one is for my mother to give as a gift to a new mom she knows. i also made a diaper pouch to go with it.

i fell in love with these trees the first time i saw them. i’ve lived in washington most of my life and have never seen them here. my first viewing was while we were living in utah and took a trip up into the mountains. i don’t remember where we were exactly but it seemed that there was grove after grove of these trees. i instantly fell in love with their silvery bark and flat leaves which always seem to be moving; even in the slightest breeze. i love how they looked growing close to one another. i would imagine myself wandering through them for hours in my own little world.

well anyway, i just got back from a trip to idaho. we had a great time visiting with family and for the last couple of days we stayed in a cabin pretty close to yellowstone. when we drove up it was dark and late, but after breakfast i opened up the front door to these beauties. i was so excited. for some reason they just make me happy. i was a little disappointed at there only being a few and was longing to find a huge grove to wander through, (i still need to realize that dream)but was happy to touch and admire them.

here is a close up of the bark. seeing this sets me longing to touch them again.