New Beginnings

After finishing a big quilt (Quilt Oddity) and finishing the top of another one (Double Star - no photo yet, but basically the same as last April) I decided I was 'allowed' to start another quilt.
I decided to do 'Flames' from the book 'Modern Rainbow' by Rebecca Bryan.
My starting point for this was a small jelly roll in rainboy colors, though I added additional fabric from my stash.
So far I'm made red, pink, orange, gold, and yellow flames.

Now on to yellow/green, green, blue/green, blue and purple. Making these flames is a lot of fun, really. The layout above is not the final layout, there's a lot of sashing that will be added later.

I also decided to get back to do some stitching. I've got  a couple of larger x-stitch kits that sit in a box at home, which is really a shame.
The first I pulled out is called 'Panda Row' and was a gift from a friend many, many years ago. I even was a good girl and did a proper grid before I started stitching.

This kit has a fairly limited palett of colors (I think it's only 17 or 19 colors), but the result looks pretty cool if I may say so. And isn't that panda super-cute?

A Quilt Oddity

This quilt has been a while in the making.

I've been collecting 2 inch squares basically since I started quilting. Eventually I started sewing 9 patches together, storing them in a tin box and adding to them whenever I didn't really know what else to sew.

I found the pattern for this (called 'Growing Up Odd') a while back and it was one of several options before I finally decided to got with this.

So I present (tata!): 'The Quilt Oddity'

The back is basically the same pattern. I stuck with solids only (all from my stash) and used 5 inch squares instead of 2 inch. The sashing then is black instead of white (which makes the colors pop quite lovely, even in the crappy weather we have today)

The size is fairly decent with circa 234 cm x 188 cm (91 inches x 73 inches)
For the quilting I went with simple, just an all over meander in white thread on the front and black on the back.

The binding is in black with a bright, colorful faux piping. I really like the look of this type of binding, even though getting it to look neat is a pain in the butt.

Knitting

It's been a while I've showed anything knitting related.
Part of this is that I haven't knitted that much. Another part is that I forgot to take pics of the socks I've knitted before xmas for presents.
But here are two projects I have pics of.
I bought the yarn I used in this shawl more than a year ago for a different project. And then totally forgot about it. I found it two weeks ago by chance and desided I'd like to make a smallish shawl, a quick little project just for fun.
The pattern is called Nurmilintu (and is free) and I used Debbie Bliss Fine Donegal yarn for it. It was a fun little project, even if I had more problems than usual with the lacey bits (but nothing that a ton of stitch markers couldn't solve). I added two more lace repeats than the pattern called for in order to use up as much of the yarn as I could. With some extreme blocking if turned into a light, reasonable sized shawl.

The other one is a longer term projects using some small amounts of different Wollmeise yarns. I'm using 8 differen blue/greens alternating every 8 rows with Maus alt. It has about a million ends to weave in, but other than that loads of fun. I'm almost done with that.

Better Late Than Never

My Christmas table runner is a bit on the late side. I had some problems with deciding on the binding, and, also, was quite busy with other stuff before Christmas.
But, well, rumor has it, there's going to be another Christmas in 2018, so I just use it then.

The center is the feathered star block I made in November, I just extended it on both sides with some christmas-y fabric to make a table runner out of it.
As I was late anyway (I finished it yesterday), I took my time with the quilting, playing around with curves and grids.

I'm really happy on how it came out.
Christmas 2018 can come (only 355 or so days to go ...)

Happy New Year 2018

May all your wishes for next year come to pass!

Here, take a muffin.

(Banana-Caramel-Buttermilk Muffins)

Cookies 2017 And a Finished Quilt Top

Last couple of weeks have been busy, so don't have that much to show.
My scrappy 2 inch quilt top is finished. It followes the pattern for the 'Growing up Odd' quilt and used about 1940 individual scraps. I really like how bright and colorful is turned out and how all those little scraps play nicely together.

I won't be able to finish this before the end of the year, though, but I do have a week off at the beginning of next year, and I hope I have the time then to make the actual quilt.
This weekend I finally got around to to my x-mas cookies.
Heidesand with ginger (5) are back, as well as the 'Gebabbte'(3) and Walnut-Konfekt(7).
New are Black and White cookies (1), Vanilla Moons (Kippferl) (2), Eliesenlebkuchen (6) and Nutty Clouds (4) - which only exist, as I had too much eggwhite left.

I've made them together with my friend and we split the results, so we both have a good variaty.

Foldover Bag The Second

My Mom liked my Foldover Bag so much, she asked me if I would make one for her. As today is her birthday, I was more than happy to dive into my stash and get sewing (Psst, I would have made one for her anyway, but she doesn't need to know this ...)

The fabric for the top part was a Rome find. On our last day, we came across this store with fabrics for interieur decorationes. My sister and I both liked that one fabric so we convinced the gentleman to cut off half a meter for us (though normally, they only do full meters)
The bottom bit is the same fake leather I used on my bag, and I lined it with a light, almost golden fabric from my stash.

Do you have things on your quilting / patchwork bucket list? A pattern or something you always wanted to try out, even though there's no specific goal or project in mind?
One off my list now is the 'Feathered Star'

It's definitely on the fiddly side of things (i.e. there are 48 tiny HSTs needed). Still, I totally love how it turned out and am also very happy with my fabric choice.

Rome

Four days of Rome is definitely not enough.
Still we only had four days, and we made the most of it.
Day 1: Coloseum and Forum Romanum

Day 2: Vatican Museums (we waited 2 hours to get in)

The Laocoön Group

It was not allowed to take pictures in the Sistine Chapel ...

Day 3: General sightseeing, like the view from the top of the Monument to Victor Emmanuel II, and St. Peter's Basilica.

Day 4: Pantheon and more general sightseeing

Beautiful City, great food, and about a million tourists (at least - one would think end of October there would be fewer)

Foldover Bag

Two weeks ago, I came across the youtube tutorial for a Foldover Bag by Rob Appell of Man Sewing (a youtube channel I've been following for quite some time already).
As I was on the lookout for a simple hand bag, I started cutting right away.

 I've used some blue upholstery fabric, black fake leather, and for the lining a light green cotton fabric.
By chance I also has the proper hardware already in my stash.

The bag came together quickly following the instructions in the video.
It turned out really nice. And it already passed the praxis test with flying colors.

It came with me to Rome for four days, and it held up really well.
Only thing I would add if I'd ever do this again would be a zippered outside pocket.

Variations on a Theme

A while back, in April, I talked about quilty WiPs I have. One is a scrappy quilt from 2" squares.
This was my plan at the time:

Later I reviced my plan to include wonky yellow stars (a pretty crappy photo - sorry about that). I've already made a couple of stars, when I changed my mind once again.

This is the latest and final version. The pattern (if you call it that) is called 'Growing Up Odd' and is using blocks of 9, 21 and 49 pieces of fabric (odd numbers, you get it?). Using some sashing, 17" x 17" large blocks are made.

I've have now 20 of those larger blocks, which leads to a quilt of 94" x 75.5" (235cm x 192cm), which is plenty big. I've used up a total of 1940 pieces of 2" scraps. Not that I counted (no, I simply did the math ...).

Triangle QAL

A few months ago, Bernina started a quilt-a-long for a triangle quilt.
As a triangle quilt was definitely on my to-do list, I decided to join. The QAL asks for 10fat quarters. I didn't have 10 FQs (well, I do, but not from one line) but what I've had is a lovely layer cake of Robert Kaufman fabric in the line 'Blueberry Park'. I did some math, and decided that it should just be enough to do the quilt (in the mean time I started thinking that it might be too tight, but I'm sure I can improvise - after all, that's what's quilting is all about)
So far, 4 different blocks have been published.
Block 1 is a simple half and half (and I'm thinking I'm missing one - there should be 15 and I'm counting only 14):

 Block 2 was little triangles on top of the triangles:

 Block 3 was triangles with a stripe in the middle:

 Block 4 was stripes (this one was paper pieced)

So far it's been a lot of fun and I#m lookign forward to the next blocks.

Marisol and Kvothe

Marisol is a blouse pattern by Lillesol Women. There are a couple of nice details, like this front fold.

 The neckline is easy to make and I always like V-necks anyway.

The fit does need a little bit of optimisation still. I have enough fabric already for two more, so in time that should work out.

Kvothe is a drop stitch shawl on the bias. The pattern (which. btw, is free) is named after one of my favorite book characters, Kvothe, from the 'Kingkiller Chronicles' by Patrick Rothfuss (a book I highly recomment to any fantasy lover - I can't believe, that the third book in the series is currently announced for 2021!)

 Yarn is Wollmeise 100% in the colorway 'Guide to the Galaxy'

 What can I say, I'm a geek at heart.

Wa(h)lsonntag

Today is election day in Germany.
Fun fact: in the German laguage the word 'Wahl' - 'Election' - is homophone to the word 'Wal' - 'Whale'.
So I made whales (yes, I made two), as we have two votes in our election system.
I used a free pattern from this webside here.
Number one, nickname 'Grünwal' (Green Whale), went to a friend's daughter.

If I'm to be any judge, it was well received (she insisted, it had to go to bed with her)
It can even make a head stand and show off its lovely striped belly.

Number 2 - Blue Whale - is made with the same striped fabric I used for Green's belly and from an old jeans of mine for the rest.

I used tiny, itty fabric scraps to stuff them both (I just don't throw anything away)

Disclaimer: The color choice of the two whales have nothing to do with the way I've cast my vote today.

Hayner Burgfest and Shirt No2

Last weekend was the Hayner Burgfest, a medieval market in the neighboring town. For some reasons I have managed to miss out on this one before, only a recommendation from a lovely lady at another market got us to check it out.

Even though I saw this demonstration of falconry before at yet another market, I realy enjoyed it.

We met this brave knight at the entrance, and he had no issues with posing for us (he was not quite as handsom once the helmet was off ...)

There were a couple of interesting demostration all over the place, and also really great food to buy.

This one will definitely go on our calender for next year.

I made a second t-shirt from the burda pattern I bought, this time a size smaller, which was much better. I had to improvise a bit, as I bought the blue patterned fabric a few years back, thinking of making yet another shirt, but found that the result (half way along) was not what I wanted. I didn't want to throw the fabric away, but didn't have enough for a full shirt. So I bought some more blue jersey, and made the upper front and the back in plain blue.

The shirt itself is okay, but there was one problem I couldn't fix. At the neck line, when I used the twin needles, several stitches were skipped. It happened only on the blue fabric, the other one was okay.

The root cause is that the twin needle I have (2.5mm) is not really for jersey.

I did buy one for jersey with a 4mm gap, but that one doesn't want to fit in my machine (when I try to tighten it, it just falls out again). It should fit (as the numbering and size should be the same as the other needle), but well, it doesn't.

I have to see what I can do.

Baby Steps

After I bought the dress dummy, I thought to start small with a simple shirt without any frills.
It was challenge enough for the beginning.

Sewing clothing is quite different than sewing a quilt pattern. Just preparing the pattern is not so easy. What size to pick (a picked wrong, by the way - I should have gone down at least a size, if not two).
The fabric is different, more stretchy than quilter's cotton and the transfer from pattern to fabric was tricky (that fabric is quite slippery and just doesn't want to get marked)
Then 3D sewing has additional traps. The neckline refuses to lay flat (I can smooth it a little when on the doll, but wearing it, it does stand out)

All in all, I learned a lot, so I do have that. The shirt is too big, but I propably will leave it as it is, and will get farbic for a second try soon.

Knitting wise, I finished this shawl for a collegue of mine who is leaving the company in October. She always complains it's too cold in the office...
The pattern is called Ley Lines by Loji Locatelli. The yarn is Drachenwolle Merino 500, a new long transition yarn I've bougth this year at the Schwabsburger Wollfest.

The Quilt With No Name

I finished this quilt a couple of weeks ago but still don't know what to call it.

The working name was 'The Blue HST Quilt' but this is a bit boring. Though, it decripes exactly what it is. It's mostly blue and it's made entirely with HSTs (half square triangles). I used fabric from various charm packs and also some I cut from my stash. Each block is made from four identical HSTs, all pointing in the same direction.
It's a decent sized quilt, about 140 x 160cm.

Quilting is simple straight lines with my walking foot, left and right of the block connecting seams. Backing is pretty much what I had left from the Bookshelf Quilt (a flanell duvet cover) and even the batting is left overs from the last three quilts I've made.
It doesn't have a home yet, so it may stay with me. Or maybe not ...

Hello Dolly

Say hello to my new roommate, Isolde.

Isolde's job is going to be to help my sew clothing that actually fits me. Not an easy job, I'm sure, but she seems to be fair game.
Another part of her job is going to be to model some of the stuff I'm knitting (or have been knitting), as in this case the cardigan which I actually already finished back in March. The pattern is called Rocio by joji Locatelli (though there are some hefty modifications). I knitting the cardigan using various lace yarns from my stash held two together. Somehow I have a lot of different blue yarn sitting around, most of it too little to become something useful, so I decided to throw everything together and do this.
I'm quite happy with the result, though it's much too hot to wear right now.