There’s been little crafting with all this kitchen stuff going on, and yes, it’s still going on. I don’t know what possessed me when I thought I could do the whole room in 2 days, but it’s coming along. Some deliveries still need to arrive to finish, and I left my floor only partially laid tonight because my hand was killing me from cutting tiles, but by next weekend, all should be done. I have to say, for a small cosmetic only makeover, it’s looking kickass so far in comparison to what it looked like before.

But I took a break from it last night to finish binding the baby quilt. All I need to do is wash it now, and it’ll be ready for my grand nephew. The quilt is not any particular pattern other than a traditional pinwheel, and the rest I just played by ear. It’s my second quilt ever, and first attempt at free motion quilting. I originally tried a stencil but I found for inexperienced me that I did a lot better just going hog wild with the stitching. It ain’t great, but I’m fairly pleased.

(Added later - I didn’t notice till now that I messed up the diagonals on the right side. Oops. I’m not gonna stress over it.)

The front.

The back.

Quilting detail.

Next on my agenda - a quilt top made into a duvet cover rather than quilted. When the kitchen is done…

Sewing Stuff, Quilting Stuff | 9 Comments »

And have been being creative, but in other ways than the usual.

Yarn colors have given way to this:

Quilt fabric has been put aside for this:

Piecing blocks have become this instead:

And I’ve been spending a ton of time on the internet researching (and spending!) on things like these:

Hopefully after this weekend, I’ll have a much nicer kitchen. In the meanwhile, you’ll probably find me at the paint store.

Home stuff | 3 Comments »

It’s been ages, eh? And I have precious little to show you at this point. Yesterday I finished quilting the baby quilt, but there’s still binding to deal with, so I haven’t taken any photos yet. Knitting is at an all time low and I am still on the left front of the green Ribby. I did cut some other fabric to make a skirt, but cutting is as far as I’ve gotten. Geez, what HAVE I been doing? Let’s see…

Socializing quite a bit. Since Valentina’s been in town, and my friend Ayelet just came for the weekend, and there have been various birthdays scattered about, I’ve been seeing friends more than usual. I unfortunately missed yesterday’s gathering due to the most torrential rain my lifetime has ever seen, and a dog that just wouldn’t go out in it so needed to be taken out for his evening walk a lot earlier than usual.

Activities - like baseball games, Loser’s Lounge, marathon TV watching of Dr. Who with a friend, shopping and lunches, dinner with Ayelet’s family, who has time to knit or sew?

Now that work is back on a regular schedule, various friends are going home (sob) I’m sure I’ll get back on track with the craftiness and bloginess.

Personal Stuff | No Comments »

Been working hard on the baby quilt. This is not AT ALL what I had planned. I ended up eliminating one of the fabrics, adding a few others, and breaking it all up with solid brights. It’s REALLY bright. Not so much my taste. But babies love bright colors, and he’ll grow into this well because it’s not so babyish, right? It’s a design still in the works as I am not following any set pattern. These are just blocks, not sewn together, and I keep moving them around. Work is slow, so I have the next few days to work on it with little interruption.

Next, check out this great skirt my mother made for me. She copied the basic style from an Anthropologie skirt I had, but made it cuter with trim and the fabulous Liberty cotton. I love this skirt. I didn’t even *start* my dress yet!

And here’s proof I still knit once in awhile. Ribby cardi - Cascade 220.

Knitting Stuff, Sewing Stuff | 7 Comments »