Owen's car quilt (FINALLY DONE!!!!)

This was going to be an easy project, but I had some problems with it.  Mostly, it stemmed from trying to applique flannel letters.  They were too small and my stitching was too wide so they frayed around the stitching. Then, I couldn't decide how I wanted to fix it.  I finally ended up using my seam ripper to remove the frayed letters, cut new ones, then appliqued them on with a narrower zig-zag through the whole quilt.  It isn't what I wanted to do, but it turned out okay after it was all done.  I like the difference in texture with the flannel and the cotton and the frayed edges.  I hope Owen likes it too!

Angora socks for me

So, I did work on several of the things on my list recently. I finished the binding on Owen's car quilt, but when I washed it, I had some problems with the applique wanting to fray around the stitching, so I have to fix that.  I also started working on a prototype for the copycat purse for Jen, but didn't get done with that either.  I did, however, skip all the way down my list to spin yarn and make slipper socks for me!

It all started when I bought some angora rabbit fiber from a local rabbitry, Oldhaus Fibers and Rabbits (http://oldhaus.net).  It is so soft!  I mixed it 30% angora, 70% wool.  Here is the pile of fiber, angora on the left, wool on the right.

And here it is after I carded it and made it into rolags ready to be spun.  I prepared this much fiber twice for my slipper socks.

Here is one skein of yarn.  I ended up with three.  See how the rabbit fur makes a fuzzy halo?

Finally, here are the slippers.  The one on the right was done almost a week before the other and I wore it around a little.  You can see how much more of a halo there is on the one I've been wearing.  The other should look like that before long too.  They also look a little different because the last skein of yarn I spun was a little thinner, so the gauge was a little different. I think that is fine, since they are just for wearing around the house.  I am pretty happy with them.  They are so soft and comfy!

2011 Crafting To-Do List

I feel like I already have my entire year's worth of crafting planned out!  I have so many things I want to do.  Sometimes I lose track of all the ideas I have had, so I thought I would make a list here and see how it changes over the course of the year.

• Make a pattern for Cole's Robot Quilt (I've had requests for this!)
• Finish hand-stitching the binding on Owen's Car Quilt
• New purse for Jen - Copycat Challenge (more details coming soon)
• Bluebird purse (a customer request based off of this bag.)
• Natural Dying - read books on natural dying that my sister gave me for Christmas, try out natural dying with the dye stuffs she gave me, plant natural dye plants in my garden, harvest them and dye with them.
• Finish my half done fancy feet socks...Well actually, the kit came with yarn and instructions for 7 pairs of anklets, but I'm just trying to finish one pair (the Saturday pair) for now.  I'll have to post a work in progress post about these.
• Revamp the Andrea Bag - Messenger style (for me!)
• Master Charles hat for Cole in the color Robot (silver) - I already bought the yarn a long time ago and started on it last summer, but it ended up being too big and I haven't gotten around to doing the new one yet.
• Master Charles hat for Owen in black and yellow just like the one in this post.
• Spin yarn for and knit slipper socks for Jeff (like the ones I made for my dad). This should probably be two bullet points since the spinning is one craft and knitting is another!
• Spin yarn for and knit slipper socks for me!
• Read and knit the sampler in "The Sweater Workshop" to try to learn how to knit a sweater.
• Spin yarn for and knit a sweater for my dad.
• Hawaii Quilt from this fabric I bought in Hawaii
• Peacock Quilt
• The always present, never finished first quilt I started in 2003

There is probably no way that I will accomplish all of that. Especially if I get side-tracked by any other projects or if my friends and family keep having babies at the rate they have been!  These are somewhat in the order of expected completion with the first few on the list being things I hope to accomplish this month, the last few being things I probably won't really do, and the ones in the middle are ones that I want to do, and probably will, but they'll have to wait until I get a few other things done.

Hand spun, knitted, suede-bottomed slipper socks for dad

I spent a lot of time spinning yarn this winter for this project.  Here is a pile of approximately 70 yards of hand spun yarn.  The slipper socks ended up using a little over 230 yards of yarn.

My dad bought me a spinning wheel and two fleeces last year for Christmas.  He wanted a sweater, but I wasn't quite prepared to jump straight into a sweater yet, so he settled for some knitted slipper socks with suede bottoms.

I ordered the correct size of suede bottoms at my local yarn shop and found a pattern for plain stockinette stitch socks in about the same size yarn as my hand spun on Ravelry.  Then I found a pattern for the open cable pattern, converted it from straight needles (back and forth) to circular, and incorporated it into the sock pattern.  They were pretty quick to knit except for the fact that I had to stop every few inches to spin more yarn!  I had no idea how much it would take, so I just kept spinning about 30 yards at a time until I was done.

I just finished last night, so I haven't had a chance to send or take them to my dad, so I had to have my husband model for me!

Andrea Bag - Messenger Style

Back in October/November I attempted to modify the Andrea Bag below into a messenger style bag.

Several people had suggested this and I really wanted a bag that was big enough to put a folder or pad of paper in for when I go to conferences or at work, etc.  So, I enlarged the bag and changed from 2 straps in front and back to one side-to-side strap.

Just looking at it like this, I am fairly pleased with it.  I love the fabric on the inside and the belt/bow.  But, when I started using it I realized that I really was not happy with it.  I think moving the handle to the side made it lose some of it's shape.  It is too flat across the top.  But even worse, I made it too wide but not deep enough, so it still doesn't really hold papers or folders very well, and it is so wide that I fell like my things might just fall out.  Also, you might be able to see in the bottom picture, that by placing the handle on the sides, it pulls the two sides together when you actually use it and the top bunches up because of that.

Overall, I am considering this a good design learning experience.  I eventually want to take a second attempt at this and will probably go back to the original handle style, but just make it a little bigger.  I might also consider going with the side strap but changing the shape so that the top naturally is narrower to avoid the bunching that it does now.  Oh, and I'll use a sturdier interfacing.  This bag just feels flimsy.  Hopefully I'll have better luck next time!

Owen's car quilt (sneak peek #2)

I got done 4 more blocks for Owen's quilt today.  Here they are!

Owen's car quilt (sneak peek)

I know it has been a long time since I have blogged.  I have been crafting, but I've been lazy about posting...well mostly taking pictures.  For some reason, that can seem like the hardest part sometimes.  Well, anyway, this is a sneak peek at my current project and I'll post some of the other projects I have completed (or at least started) in the last couple of months soon.

These are the first two blocks for a quilt I am making for my friend Jenni's new baby boy Owen!

I have 6 different flannel prints from the same line, and am mixing them with 3 different solids to make 12 blocks.  From each flannel print, I plan to reverse applique it onto the solid and then use the cut out portion to applique onto the solid block.

Here is the reverse applique block.  Actually, I don't know if that is a real thing, but that is what I am calling it.  I decided to cut the shape out of the block to show the fabric beneath instead of the usual method of applique where you sew a shape onto the background.  I stitched around the outside of the shape and plan to leave the edges raw to add texture.  I think it will look better when washed.

Here is the regular applique block.  I think I like the contrast of the fuzzy flannel block with raw edges and the smooth cotton block with the clean, finished look of the traditional applique. Opposites!

And here are the rest of the fabrics...soon to become blocks.  I can't wait to get this done and give it to tiny, cute, precious Owen! I meant to get it done before he was born, but it just didn't happen.