Warmth in the North

hopscotch baby

    This little baby quilt is all finished and ready to go.  I took these photos after washing and drying it but before ironing it, honestly I'm tempted to give it without pressing.  I have a sneaking suspicion that it will be more likely to be used if it's already looking cozy as opposed to starched.

    As the baby hasn't arrived yet and here in British Columbia they won't tell you, the parents don't know if they're having a boy or a girl.  I picked out the green colourway from Lily & Will, the muted green shades are pretty and should work for a girl or boy.  While my instinct is to go with something brighter the softer shades and sweet little bunnies are more likely to appeal to the mother.

    The top is a jelly roll with the leftover Bella Snow strips from fandango.  I pieced three of the lighter strips into the back for some variation.  The quilting is a simple grid in the center and then straight lines on the boarders.  There should be one more white border but I ran out of Snow and I like the finished top without it so it's not much of a loss.

just in case...

pattern ~ Hopscotch Baby by Bunny Hill Designs

fabric ~ Lily & Will in Green & Bella Snow

leftovers

    Considering the number of finished things that I haven't blogged about yet I thought I'd better get cracking.  First up is my new pillow cover made entirely of leftover binding from the Random Reflections quilt.  It's entirely improvised but I'm really happy with the result, plus it's covering one of my ugly couch cushions.

    I'm not sure if I miscalculated or the pattern was overly generous but once I'd bound off that quilt I was left with a ton of extra binding tape.  Reams of the stuff.  So I shoved it in a box with some notions to be forgotten, when it dawned on me that it might be a really simple way to make a pleated pillow top. 

    It's just a square of fabric with strips of bias binding tape sewn on.  At first I was a little nervous that there wouldn't be enough but it worked out almost perfectly.  Once the top was covered I used some leftover backing fabric from the same quilt to make a simple envelop back.  Simple and quick projects are hard to resist.

pinterest anyone?

 
     I'm sure you all know about Pinterest, and the wonder of all those little virtual bulletin boards, so I'm not going to bore you with an explanation.  However when Natalie followed me I was reminded that I have 6 unused invites.  As it stands you have to request an invite from the site and wait or get an invite from a member.  So if anyone would like to try it out leave a comment and I'll send you an invite on a first come first serve basis. 

ready, set, sew

    I was motoring along with the baby quilt yesterday, sure that it would be finished before the day was over.  Unfortunately it wasn't until I'd set myself up on the couch with a movie that I realised none of my thread matched well enough for binding.  With yesterday being a Sunday and today a long weekend Monday I've had to put it on hold. 

    Instead of binding I've moved down my project list and have started a new Birdie Sling.  I love the blue one made in March, it's so incredibly comfortable, but it's a little drab.  With luck and some planning, all the thread is lined up and accounted for, it will be finished today.   If the bag is finished up quickly I may even work on a few other odds and ends.

finish me now

    I've been writing posts in my head for days now, a few of them are halfway done but I keep getting distracted.  Despite the sad lack of blogging the crafting is still going full steam ahead.  I'd really like to get this little baby quilt done by the end of the weekend.  The top had been finished since March but it somehow drifted to the bottom of the sewing pile.  I pulled it out and with any luck it will be ready to go well in advance of the baby's appearance. 

    Everyone around me is having babies so I need to get moving and start on the next quilt.  However it's going to be one in, one out on my crafting list for the next little while.  Therefore this puppy needs finishing so I can move on. 

not my forté

    I've been playing around with the layout of this quilt top for the past few days.  The pattern calls for 10 prints, as I only used 5 the layout has been tricky.  I didn't want to end up with columns or stripes but I also wanted to keep the individual bricks from touching a brick in the same fabric.  That sounds really complicated but it makes sense to me. 

     Anyway, although I enjoy messing around with the fabric I'm not very good at it.  I always end up sewing the top and then finding a glaring error.  For instance it wasn't until I was sewing on the binding of my Random Reflections that I realized something was rather even.

    I've decided to commit to the top as it is and start sewing this afternoon.  Perfection might be the goal but it's not always achievable, at least in my case.  I'm ok with that... for now.

on fire

    Today at work we looked out a window and saw this big plume of smoke rising up out of one of the surrounding fields.  Burning fields to prepare them for planting isn't common at home and but the airport is covered in farmland so I get to see some of the local farming practices up close. The fire was far enough away and across a parking lot from the tower, a reminder that I'm not living in Toronto anymore. 

    Later in the afternoon the burning moved into the areas next to the runways.  I'm not sure how easy it is to spot but if you look right between the smoke and the grass you can see the fire.  That line of flames moved really quickly along the ground until it ran out of fuel.  Apologies for the i-phone pics but I wanted to preserve this moment for myself... proof that you can work in a glass box and return home smelling of smoke.

the thing about fabric

    Sometimes it's nice when things speed along and I'm able see progress.   I have a feeling that work is going to take most of my energy for the next little while so I'll be devoting most of my time to this fabric.  Eventually it'll become a Colorbrick, the big pieces and super simple tutorial have made it a great wind down project.  I'm going to fiddle with the layout tonight and might even start sewing the rows together tomorrow.  No charts and no thinking just a feeling of satisfaction... occasionally fabric trumps yarn.

get cutting

    I spent this morning cutting into my stash of Modern Meadow by Joel Dewberry and some Kona cotton in navy.  If I'm particularly ambitous some sewing may even occur but after this evening it will probably be a while until I get a chance to sit down a sew.  It might have been better to have held off and waited till a decent block of sewing time appeared but I couldn't wait.  Those prints have been calling my name since the moment they entered my stash and it was lovely to start using them.

damson

   

    When I went home a few weeks ago I brought along some knitting to give away.  My unscientific method for getting rid of everything was to pass the first person everything have them pick out their favorite and move down the line.  It worked out rather well, giving me room in my suitcase to bring home some yarn and fabric.

    This Damson shawl was one of those knits that I passed on.  I'm not sure if it really qualifies as lace, while the increases do come from yarn overs it's mostly garter or stockinette.  The finished shawl has a wonderful crescent shape that works really well for draping around your shoulders.  It stays put without pins or tying which is nice.

    Part of the reason I chose this pattern was a desire to start using some of the many patterns in my collection that I overlook all the time.  I tend to see something new and then immediately want to cast on forgetting about everything else.  It wasn't until I went searching for a pattern that I realised that so many of those neglected patterns/books are for things I don't really knit at the moment ie. socks.  Luckily I found Damson and was more than happy to knit her.

just in case...

pattern ~ Damson by Ysolda Teague

yarn ~ Springtree Road Muscadine Sock in Juno, 1 skein

needles ~ 4.0mm (US6)