New quilt in process

After a very long break from quilting I have started a new project. It will be a wall hanging for our living room. I wanted something modern, something not too wild.

Inspired by many half square triangle quilts with white or black backgrounds I made my decision: fabrics from my stash only, no plaids this time, preferably unused quilting fabrics instead of recycled clothes, curtains or such.

And what did use? The good side parts of two old white bed sheets for the background, some new fabrics I have bought for quilting but are meant for other purposes, and more than a handful of recycled shirt fabrics (not the heavy plaid ones, though). I think two of all the fabrics are proper quilting fabrics, the rest is something else, as usual in my quilts.

 

My white squares are 4½" by 6½", and the colour bits are from 4½" squares to 2½" and almost anything between those sizes.

Yesterday and today I managed to do the machine quilting, and I have prepared the binding in light grey. I must solve the hanging system problem before adding the binding.

Ugly ducklings?

No way, they are the sweetest cygnets ever! Two or three days old here. I stayed far from them so it was difficult to catch them all in the same photo.

There they are, all seven babies. One of the parents is half diving in the muddy water for food. In a few days they will all walk together to the bigger pond in the middle of the village, where the water is clearer and where there is more food, and more space to learn takeoff and landing at the end of the summer when the parents have grown new feathers and the cygnets some muscles.

On the knitting front I have finished a new pair of bed socks for myself. The pattern doesn't look much like the original. Too late I realized that I should have used smaller needles, but the loose knit is OK for bed socks.

Seen this, tried it, now I can forget about the pattern. Maybe I finally understood that patterns requiring an extra cable needle are not for me!

Earlier this year our grandson was here and wanted to learn sewing. I thought stitching with a blunt needle on waffle cloth would be a perfect start for someone who has just turned 6.

Every single stitch is his own, on both sides of the pouch. I just sewed the sides, lining and the zipper. I still don't understand how some people can make the zipper corners so neat! This will do for the young man for now. If the inspiration comes back, he can add more rows to his stitching.

I forgot to show this scarf I have knitted using yarn from my daughter. She had knitted a biggish square in stockinette and given up before the project was finished. I took it apart, washed the skeins and knitted in this 3D pattern as far as her yarn reached.

The colour is not right here but you can see the simple pattern of knit and purl stitches. I think I will sew the ends together to make an infinity cowl for next winter.

 

Old project gets a new life

Many years ago I fancied a sweet little cardigan, bought the expensive Rowan Felted Tweed yarns and started crocheting the squares. Four color combinations, three different squares, each using three or four colors. It was such fun, so I just kept crocheting and left the yarn ends for later. Which turned out to be much, much later. I buried the squares and the pattern and the yarns and the hook in a plastic box.

Then Villa Cooper decided to exhibit Granny squares and other crocheted squares for this summer, and I gave the cardigan a serious thought. So serious that I understood that I don't really wear a cardigan very often, and one with 3D flower squares here and there would not be very practical. Quick rethink, and I found a perfect solution:

I would make a shawl/throw/blanket instead! Perfect for the winter on my lap when I watch TV and knit. I used the 4 balls of grey wool meant for the sides and collar of the cardigan to join my squares.16 rows of 8 squares was how far that yarn reached and I had some squares left over.

The joining of the squares was easy once I had the setting arranged. Only the beginning and end of each ball of yarn to weave in. Google gave several tutorials for Continuous joining as you go for Granny Squares, just pick your favorite.

I have been working on a Unicef doll again. When embroidering the face on this one, I hurt my finger on the needle.

Luckily the stain on the fabric was outside my sewing line!

The blood stain was like an omen, as this doll is a nurse.

Here without her surgical mask and hat.

She is going to the Villa Cooper tomorrow, and I hope she will get a home in a nurse family.

P.S. The yarn ends of the crocheted squares are almost all still there on the reverse, but they will not show when the shawl is on display.