May craft thread

[Melissa in Australia]

What are you working on this month? 

[Melissa in Australia]

I just started a crazy quilt in Victorian style. Fully handsewn, only using scraps.  Trying to stick to the Victorian crazy quilt dark browns and black  with only a tad of other colours . I don't know embroidery so am doing a crash courses as I go. 

It is a great way for using up the odd bits of lace that my grandmother cut off handmade by her  hankies and sending me. I could never work out what to do with it.  And all those other odd bits and bobs that my lace /ribbons boxs seem to have collected. 

It will be lap quilt size am hoping to do it all this month only. 

[Melissa in Australia]

just spent one of those delightful sewing sessions this evening  where I pulled out  and unpicked just about every single stitch I sewed.  Obviously it is not my evening for attempting embroidery. 

message to myself; next time stop after the second time of unpicking. don't keep trying for 3 hours..... cause it just isn't going to work . and especially don't try to embroider  onto satin ribbon until you know what you are doing, cause the ribbon starts to fray after yanking the floss out heaps of times. 

[Jane in NC]

Knitting is finished on the Marshland sweater but I think there are 102 loose ends to be woven in. And blocking.

I made a summery tunic for myself from an Indian block print using Simplicity 4149.  I have used this tunic pattern for years now, making the tunic from double gauze and chambray as well.  The only mistake was a quilting cotton. It did not hang well.

I'm currently working on a Cozy Blue embroidery kit and am about to embark on another colorwork knitting project. My husband needs more cotton boxers too.  That's my next sewing project.

 

[Mona]

@Jane in NC Wow! That looks so complicated to make. I love it! 

I went to the hand embroidery wool mat class to find out it was canceled. 😢 They are going to try to re-schedule it for May. 

I’m working on an easy pattern for a lap quilt that I saw on a YouTube video.

[Jane in NC]

@Mona--I don't find colorwork to be complicated.  It's just a matter of following a chart and (in my case) stitch counting for even floats on the back of the project.

I have decided though that there are some knitting things that are too complicated or just not fun for me. I don't like knitting lace. Last week, I had lunch a girlfriend who is frustrated by her current project involving cables and twisted stitches.  I commiserated.  I can handle cables (again, it is just reading a chart and counting) but twisted stitches drive me mad!

I think we all have to find our joy.

I admire you quilters who have projects for using up the bits and pieces.  Quilting is just not my jam. 

[Faith-manor]

Jane, that sweater is absolutely lovely!

[Miss Tick]

I finished a shirt over the weekend. It was too wear to dinner Saturday evening. Finished just in the nick of time. The collar wraps around, fastens, and then becomes the scarf on the side.

 

[Harriet Vane]

I had hoped to finish this tiny one before our vacation but couldn’t quite do it. Finished the last bits today. This will be part of a trio—two are complete and one more to go.

Still slogging through the first bit of my huge cross-stitch, hoping to post a picture before June. That one is in a large frame and requires my attention, so it’s reeeeeeeeally slow going.

 

Edited May 3, 2023 by Harriet Vane

[Melissa in Australia]

I have completed 3 squares of my Victorian crazy quilt and have 6 more pinned ready to sew. I am thinking I will make it 16 squares in size. 

[Melissa in Australia]

If I manage to get better at embroidery, specifically able to embroider flowers that look like a flower I will go back and add some

[Rosie_0801]

1 minute ago, Melissa in Australia said:

If I manage to get better at embroidery, specifically able to embroider flowers that look like a flower I will go back and add some

I watched someone making a pair of replica Elizabethan mittens. She satin stitched over pads of felt.

[Melissa in Australia]

 Alas, Satin stitch is one of those I so far have not able to get to work. I don't seem to be able to stitch evenly at all. 

The only 2 stitches I can do somewhat is herringbone and blanket stitch, and then it is best to not look too closely. 

[Rosie_0801]

6 minutes ago, Melissa in Australia said:

 Alas, Satin stitch is one of those I so far have not able to get to work. I don't seem to be able to stitch evenly at all. 

That's why she used the felt pads. It arranges itself more evenly that way. 

[Melissa in Australia]

Thanks for the idea, I will give it a go

😁

[Melissa in Australia]

A quilt top I just finished for my son's partner. She is really into skulls

[Melissa in Australia]

It us queen size. I am going to try machine quilting. Should I start from one edge or in the middle? I will be quilting in the ditch. on my treadle

Edited May 7, 2023 by Melissa in Australia

[Melissa in Australia]

All finished. 

It was very easy to quilt on the treadle

[Faith-manor]

On 5/1/2023 at 12:12 PM, Miss Tick said:

I finished a shirt over the weekend. It was too wear to dinner Saturday evening. Finished just in the nick of time. The collar wraps around, fastens, and then becomes the scarf on the side.

 

This is great!

[Faith-manor]

5 hours ago, Melissa in Australia said:

All finished. 

It was very easy to quilt on the treadle

Really cute!

[Jane in NC]

Here are a couple of things that I have been working on.  The cotton boxers are for my husband (5 out of 4 pattern). They have a v-back, not a back seam; all seams are flat felled. The biggest pain is the elastic which is stretched and stitched directly on to the boxers.  Despite having made a bunch of these, I check my notebook each time for the settings of the presser foot and zig zag width/length.  Even then, the elastic doesn't always listen to me.  Hello friend seam ripper.

The socks are my "use 'er up socks", for fingering yarn bits and pieces.  The pattern is called Rose City Rollers, once free on Ravelry, but no longer available. By the way, I knit one sock at a time (no magic loop) using Addi Flexi Flip needles, a connected variation of double points.  I love my Flexi Flips.

The embroidery piece is a kit from Cozy Blue.  Embroiderying little things like this brings me great joy even if I have no clue what I will do the finished piece.  My neighbor was over and saw a piece that I made for a friend as a gift.  Neighbor said, "But what will she do with it?" My friend hung it on her wall but the question haunted me for a bit.  Why am I making useless dustcatchers? Easy answer:  they bring me joy. So I ordered some more things from Cozy Blue who, by the way, is having a sale on her already marked down sale stuff. Take another 20% off with the code: SALEONSALE52023

[Miss Tick]

1 hour ago, Jane in NC said:

Here are a couple of things that I have been working on.  The cotton boxers are for my husband (5 out of 4 pattern). They have a v-back, not a back seam; all seams are flat felled. The biggest pain is the elastic which is stretched and stitched directly on to the boxers.  Despite having made a bunch of these, I check my notebook each time for the settings of the presser foot and zig zag width/length.  Even then, the elastic doesn't always listen to me.  Hello friend seam ripper.

The socks are my "use 'er up socks", for fingering yarn bits and pieces.  The pattern is called Rose City Rollers, once free on Ravelry, but no longer available. By the way, I knit one sock at a time (no magic loop) using Addi Flexi Flip needles, a connected variation of double points.  I love my Flexi Flips.

The embroidery piece is a kit from Cozy Blue.  Embroiderying little things like this brings me great joy even if I have no clue what I will do the finished piece.  My neighbor was over and saw a piece that I made for a friend as a gift.  Neighbor said, "But what will she do with it?" My friend hung it on her wall but the question haunted me for a bit.  Why am I making useless dustcatchers? Easy answer:  they bring me joy. So I ordered some more things from Cozy Blue who, by the way, is having a sale on her already marked down sale stuff. Take another 20% off with the code: SALEONSALE52023

I love the variety. Isn't it nice to be able to switch around depending on your mood? I made understand this week, but for myself - not posting pictures of my personal intimates! I got some fabric to make a swimsuit and I'm trying to ease up on it with underwear first, next I'll use the suit pattern to make unders, then I'll be ready to cut into the suit fabric. I also have some knitting projects going, a beaded shawl and a pair of socks. Both of which I would like to finish this month 🤞

[Melissa in Australia]

I have completed 10 squares of my Victorian Crazy Quilt. 🙂 

[Mona]

I pulled out a UFO (Christmas quilt) and started putting blocks together even though I’m almost done with the lap quilt I was working on. It just needs the borders put on. Then I started cutting out the pieces for another quilt. I always have multiple projects going on at once. I guess I just get bored easily or have trouble focusing. 😂 Then my bobbin jammed up on me last night. It’s out of thread, but I can’t get my bobbin case out of the hook race. I will work on it later today. If I can’t fix it, I’ll have to take my machine to the dealer. 😞 

Update: it's fixed! 😁 I'm back in business.

Edited May 12, 2023 by Mona

[Melissa in Australia]

I always have multiple projects on the go as well

So glad you got your machine working again

[Frances]

I started weaving last fall and finished my second project, four napkins, just in time to give them to my mom for Mother’s Day.

Edited May 14, 2023 by Frances

[Miss Tick]

2 minutes ago, Frances said:

I started weaving last fall and finished my second project, four napkins, just in time to give them to my mom for Mother’s Day.

Pretty! How big is your loom? Where do you source the, hmmm, thread? Yarn? What is the correct word for weaving fibers? 😀

[Frances]

13 minutes ago, Miss Tick said:

Pretty! How big is your loom? Where do you source the, hmmm, thread? Yarn? What is the correct word for weaving fibers? 😀

I added a picture of the loom I currently rent at a weaving center within a museum. It’s an eight shaft floor loom. For my first projects, I just bought thread from the stash at the studio, but I recently ordered for my next projects from Cotton Clouds.

We do have people in my guild who shear sheep or alpacas or buy the wool and spin it to use for weaving, but that is not a current interest for me. The guild also has regular dye workshops for those who want to dye their own fiber. That might be fun to experiment with in the future. For now, I’m still working to master dressing, or setting up the loom.

Thread, fiber, and yarn seem to be used somewhat interchangeably, although I admit to still be in the learning process for all weaving terminology. The lengthwise threads put first on the loom comprise the warp while the horizontal threads are the weft.

Edited May 14, 2023 by Frances

[Melissa in Australia]

6 hours ago, Frances said:

I started weaving last fall and finished my second project, four napkins, just in time to give them to my mom for Mother’s Day.

That is so cool

[Faith-manor]

9 hours ago, Frances said:

I started weaving last fall and finished my second project, four napkins, just in time to give them to my mom for Mother’s Day.

Love it!!!

[Emba]

I started a little quilt project for the first time in years. It’s going to be a little wall hanging, just one block, about 10”x10”, as a prize for a ukulele forum thing I’m hosting in a couple of weeks.

 Now I’ve been bitten by the quilt bug , and also I’m realizing how much fabric yardage and scraps I have stashed from the times when I did A LOT more quilting. I love buying fabric, and had quite a bit given to me as well, and there is SO MUCH, just taking up space, and I feel like I can’t buy new stuff until I use significant amounts of what I have.

 So I told my 2 boys I would make them bed quilts. I let them pick patterns (or at least, general guidelines) out of a book of quilt as you go patterns, because if I’m quilting as I go the chances of the quilt getting finished are way higher.  Wish me luck. I told them because it adds a layer of accountability for me. If I tried to surprise them I’d end up with half a quilt, guaranteed.  But now I will not want to disappoint, and the youngest will for sure pester until he gets a quilt. 
 

Years ago my MIL and  I made their sister a quilt, so I feel like I owe the boys quilts, too.  Luckily they have very opposite tastes in quilts and so I should have enough of what each one wants to make a quilt without buying much.  

though I feel like I’ve badly neglected my youngest’s education; he asked me “what are quilts for?” He has never slept under one (that he noticed), I guess, and the throws on the couch are all fleece, and was thinking of wall hanging quilts, maybe?

 

Edited May 15, 2023 by Emba

[Miss Tick]

31 minutes ago, Emba said:

it adds a layer of accountability

Works for me, too. Be sure to keep us posted on your progress and decision making. Vicarious quilt-making is a favorite hobby of mine. 😀

[Emba]

Okay, I finished the little wall hanging. 
It should have been squared up before I bound it but I didn’t, so it’s slightly trapezoidal. I’m overall okay with how it turned out. I should have brushed up on things instead of doing them all by memory.

I also got the design planned out for DS1’s quilt. I’m really looking forward to this one. It’s just the sort of quilt I like. I’m thinking I’ll try to use denim for the dark blue squares.  I’m going to do a test wall hanging (4 squares) for my bedroom to see how it looks and figure out how to do the quilt-add-you-go method.

[Melissa in Australia]

I have 13 squares completed for the Victorian Crazy Quilt. 2 1/2 to go 

[Melissa in Australia]

I also  , while searching for interesting scraps for the Crazy quilt realised how many pieces of fabric I have accumulated and am starting a queen sized quilt as you go Daisy quilt. I found the pattern in a book form the library and it is  meant to be machine blanket stitched. My electric machine doesn't have that stitch but it does have a fancier zig zag with 4 small stitches and 2 longer ones. so I am using that

[Kareni]

What a charming wall hanging, @Emba! I hope that the prize winner will be delighted to receive it.

Regards,

Kareni

[Melissa in Australia]

This is what the squares of the daisy scrap quilt look like so far they are pretty big, on 14 inch squares

[Emba]

10 hours ago, Melissa in Australia said:

This is what the squares of the daisy scrap quilt look like so far they are pretty big, on 14 inch squares

Cute! And with those big blocks it will go pretty fast, I bet.

[Kareni]

I'm enjoying seeing the wide variety of projects.

I've made several more book marks at my monthly art gatherings. This one is a surprise for my husband; my plan is to give it to him for Father's Day. I made up a book title and put my daughter's name (obscured here) for the author. The stamps are all from her letters from Korea.

Front ~

Back ~

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Jane in NC]

Mid-May stitchery.

More patches on the jeans that I am wearing. I also started another Cozy Blue piece. Too much fun with a needle and floss!

[Kareni]

And several other book marks.

Fronts ~

Backs ~

 

 @freesia, @prairiewindmomma, @CindyH in NC, @Ausmumof3, @Kanin,@Lady Florida., and @Lilaclady: thanks again for your help regarding the No 1. Ladies' Detective Agency book mark. You can see the finished product above.

Regards,

Kareni

[Melissa in Australia]

3 hours ago, Jane in NC said:

Mid-May stitchery.

More patches on the jeans that I am wearing. I also started another Cozy Blue piece. Too much fun with a needle and floss!

Wish I could embroider as beautifully as you

[Emba]

Today I made a potholder for my SIL’s wedding shower tomorrow. We got her some other kitchen things, so this is just a supplement, and I tucked a few favorite recipe cards into the pocket. I’m super pleased with how this turned out, love the colors and every bit of it except the batting was from my stash. The tutorial is here.

For my son’s quilt, I have been working on cutting out large pieces for block backgrounds and backing for my older son’s quilt. It’s not very exciting. This is my least favorite part of quilting.  I bought some football fabric to add a few blocks (on the back, it is a reversible quilt) that portray his current interest. For my younger DS I bought baseball fabric. I also bought a little over a yard to finish making background squares, and will have to buy a little for sashing/binding as well.  I’ve also just been sorting fabrics and figuring it what I have, since I use no organizational method to store fabric.

Edited May 21, 2023 by Emba

[Emba]

On 5/18/2023 at 5:51 PM, Jane in NC said:

Mid-May stitchery.

More patches on the jeans that I am wearing. I also started another Cozy Blue piece. Too much fun with a needle and floss!

The embroidery in the hoop  is beautiful! I also love the patches on the jeans. Do you have any more examples of patched jeans? I’ve got some jeans that i need to try patching, and I want to do something cute.

[Jane in NC]

9 hours ago, Emba said:

The embroidery in the hoop  is beautiful! I also love the patches on the jeans. Do you have any more examples of patched jeans? I’ve got some jeans that i need to try patching, and I want to do something cute.

Thanks for the kind words. Those are my first embroidered patches on jeans since I was a teenager. Google "visible mending" and check out the images for inspiration.

What I have been doing for a while now on those jeans is reinforcing weaker areas (usually along seams and hems) with embroidery, often using a thicker thread like pearl cotton or sashiko floss. The yellow and blue patch at the top came first, followed a few weeks later by the additional patches. I'll add to or repatch as needed with a plan of making the jeans a sampler of sorts. At this point, I'm figuring out some of the mechanics of stitching on the knee of a pants leg.  One of the books that I borrowed from the library on visible mending made it look so easy but I found it tricky to operate on the tubular piece of fabric.

I'll attach a photo of the jeans when I started the project.  It shows the first patch and what I did to the hems.

[Lady Florida.]

On 5/1/2023 at 9:08 AM, Jane in NC said:

 

I made a summery tunic for myself from an Indian block print using Simplicity 4149.  I have used this tunic pattern for years now, making the tunic from double gauze and chambray as well.  The only mistake was a quilting cotton. It did not hang well.

I just ordered this pattern. I can see it as being quite versatile. When I clicked on the link it said it's been reissued as 9130 which looks exactly the same. Sometimes when a pattern is reissued they tweak it but thankfully that doesn't appear to be the case with this one. 

[Jane in NC]

24 minutes ago, Lady Florida. said:

I just ordered this pattern. I can see it as being quite versatile. When I clicked on the link it said it's been reissued as 9130 which looks exactly the same. Sometimes when a pattern is reissued they tweak it but thankfully that doesn't appear to be the case with this one. 

Yup.  It looks exactly the same. I had wondered if they had changed the sizing but it does appear to be exactly the same. 

A lot of the independent patterns have sizes that seem truer to store sizes. I wear a larger size in a Simplicity pattern than I do in a premade garment.

By the way, if you have any confusion with the pattern, get in touch. I should be able to help you work through it.

[Jane in NC]

Before @Melissa in Australia starts the June thread, I thought I'd post the summer shift I made using a pattern from Sew to Grow, the Fremantle Frock. It has pockets tucked into the princess seams--a clever idea indeed. 

I had only sewn princess seams once before and wasn't happy with the result.  Searching online for advice, I read that the best method is outlined in the old Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing.  I pulled my late '70's copy off the shelf and followed their advice: edge stitch within the seam allowance and then hand baste the seams.  It worked like a charm!

That curved hem has a facing. Another clever idea.

Sew to Grow is an Australian company but Lindsey Rae has some connections to NC which is how she got on my radar.

[Miss Tick]

32 minutes ago, Jane in NC said:

Before @Melissa in Australia starts the June thread, I thought I'd post the summer shift I made using a pattern from Sew to Grow, the Fremantle Frock. It has pockets tucked into the princess seams--a clever idea indeed. 

I had only sewn princess seams once before and wasn't happy with the result.  Searching online for advice, I read that the best method is outlined in the old Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing.  I pulled my late '70's copy off the shelf and followed their advice: edge stitch within the seam allowance and then hand baste the seams.  It worked like a charm!

That curved hem has a facing. Another clever idea.

Sew to Grow is an Australian company but Lindsey Rae has some connections to NC which is how she got on my radar.

Looks comfortable. I like how the side panels are cross-grain

[Jane in NC]

36 minutes ago, Miss Tick said:

Looks comfortable. I like how the side panels are cross-grain

That was not in the pattern layout but in the sample shown on the pattern itself.

The fabric I used was purchased as a sales rack bolt end from a local fabric store. I wasn't charged for the extra bit over the integer yardage. Then I found that I could do a more efficient layout.  End result?  I have some extra fabric. I think I'll make a pair of pajama shorts for myself. Certainly a win-win from my perspective.