tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43838328115573372262024-03-20T01:32:10.926-07:00aberdaisyHaziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095106677922460576noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4383832811557337226.post-41447431338857225362017-11-16T23:56:00.000-08:002017-11-16T23:57:10.545-08:00An Otter baby quilt<div dir="ltr">
This little quilt was so much fun to make, I really feel like I'm getting my sewjo back. <br />
It's using <a href="http://https//www.lewisandirene.com/portfolio-items/down-by-the-river/">Lewis and Irene Down by the River</a> fabrics. This fabric line is so pretty, but I felt it needed a little lift so I teamed it with yellow (Bella solids Buttercup 9900.51)<br />
I had bought the fabrics with the intention of following <a href="http://www.shannonfabrics.com/download_patterns/MenageriePattern.pdf" target="_blank">this shannon fabrics pattern</a>. However after using that pattern for the <a href="http://aberdaisy.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/safari-scribbles-quilt.html" target="_blank">Safari Scribbles Quilt</a> I thought I would try something different. <br />
Lewis and Irene do produce patterns to go with their fabric ranges, but I felt that the suggestions for this range were too fussy and didn't show the fabrics to their best. In the end I decided to follow <a href="http://https//www.lewisandirene.com/portfolio-items/welcome-world-quilt-2/">this pattern</a>, with the slight adaptation of omitting the half square triangles. Because of this change I was able to strip piece the four patches, and the quilt top went together like a dream. Cutting and piecing was all accomplished in one rainy weekend. The other deviation from the pattern was to add a narrow border. This was added to separate the quilt top from the binding as I was using the same fabric in both. So it has a 2" strip of teal from my stash which I hope picks up the blue of the kingfishers and finishes off the quilt. <br />
Although Aberystwyth now has two newly opened fabric shops, they both are in the fledgling stages and there isn't a great range of stock yet. I couldn't find a suitable cotton to use as backing, so am using fleece. <br />
It is the first time I have used minkee. I was suprised how different it is to fleece. Although it's lovely and soft, it's very thin, and has a right and wrong side. It will need a wadding as well to give the quilt weight and make it snuggly. This does cancel out one of the benefits of fleece in my opinion. <br />
We took the quilt out for photography on a sunny, but very cold and windy late Autumn day. Unfortunately it fell in a muddy puddle early on, so is slightly grubbier than I'd like in the photos. The upside is that I have seen how well it stands up to washing!<br />
Here are the photos...</div>
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Haziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095106677922460576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4383832811557337226.post-45389277500697892292017-09-29T00:52:00.000-07:002017-09-29T00:52:05.157-07:00Safari Scribbles quiltFinally, I have time to do some sewing again. I had a busy first six months of the year, studying for an extra qualification at work. But the coursework is completed, the exams have been sat, and now I can get back to the enjoyable things in life while I wait for the results.<br />
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To rest and recuperate I had a week of annual leave in July. We spent the first half of the week helping my brother out with some DIY, he's helped me a lot lately, so I felt good returning the favour. Back home again and the plan was to go walking the rest of the week. However, this is the weather we woke up to.<br />
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Nothing else for it - I decided to stay in and sew. With two looming deadlines- a new baby neice or nephew due at the end of August, and a special birthday for my Mum in September, I needed to get on with the gift-making.</div>
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The baby quilt was the first to be tackled. I am doing my best to use up stash fabric, and had some lovely soft flannel waiting for a project. This <a href="http://www.shannonfabrics.com/download_patterns/MenageriePattern.pdf" target="_blank">pattern by Shannon Fabrics</a> has been on my wish list for a while, but it has been surprisingly difficult to find exactly three prints that go together to make it. Frustratingly, fabrics seem to fall naturally into pairs or groups of four, but not threes. The three patterned fabrics are from the <a href="https://www.michaelmillerfabrics.com/shop/collections/flannels/nature-babies.html" target="_blank">Michael Miller Nature Babies range</a> and the orange spots which I've used for sashing are F3665 from Scenic Route by Riley Blake. Although both are quilting flannel, and are similar enough to allow them to be sewn together easily, the Michael Miller fabric feels thicker and firmer, while the Riley Blake fabric still has a little bit of stretch even after pre-washing.</div>
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Full of enthusiasm I started cutting late at night despite being tired...This was the first mistake. The pattern is designed for minkee cuddle fabric, and has half inch seams. I was using flannel with quarter inch seams. All my pieces were too big. I decided to drink some tea and ponder whether to cut half an inch off each side or find some other bodge to make it all fit. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimdVOtgqqTeNXIWOHfhs4kLTN7IC2tzbqgCV0-mqodlYsf4DkevKIHjEqijfPmsT5nQBp5eurPgsGDqdiKlzMEhklp7s-LkoRrZ22CPbGTF76DV4fRs32n9TDE7_uNij1MgP_P6OogqvBA/s640/20170721_093201.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Miller Nature Babies</td></tr>
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The solution I chose in the end was to cut the orange sashing in half lengthways and trim a quarter of an inch off each long piece. I now have a whole lot of orange strip scraps, but I am happy with how this quilt has turned out, and think the proportion of the blocks might even look better with a bit less orange. I left the sashing between blocks the original width.</div>
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The next mistake might be obvious to those people with a better sense of size and scale than me. This photo shows the quilt blocks laid out across the foot of my king sized bed. It was only now, after I had added the sashing between blocks and laid out the two halves of the quilt that I spotted the problem.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's a cuddle jungle out there</td></tr>
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This lovely soft snuggly flannel quilt was intended for a new born baby. It measures approximately five foot by three foot, which is way, way bigger than a cot. </div>
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I do really like the layout of this pattern, and I did consider just carrying on and finishing the quilt as it was. However, I think that the fabrics are just too babyish for a quilt that size. By the time the baby is big enough to have a quilt this big, he or she will be too old to like it. </div>
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I decided to treat this second mistake as a bonus, and make two half sized quilts from the blocks. The easiest way to do this would have been just to split the quilt down the middle as it is in the photo above. However, this has all the directional prints facing the same way, which would be sideways across the quilts. This jarred with me, so I unpicked all the sashing between blocks, and shuffled them around until I got a new layout which I liked, with the directional prints all facing different ways. </div>
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For backing I just used a big piece of the blue animal print. I decided for the quilting to practice some more free motion. Since I am still very much a learner, I chose to do an irregular loop de loop pattern. I feel that the it looks a bit (a lot) like childish scribbles, which tie in with the baby-themed fabrics. I used variegated orange Silk finish cotton by Mettler, simply because it was on offer at a local shop. I won't use this thread again. I loved the colour, but I had quite a few problems with the tread snapping. This might be due to my poor free-motion technique though. </div>
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The wadding was a 100% cotton from the sewing shop in Machynlleth. It is quite heavy and released a huuuuge amount of fluff as I was quilting it. I had to clean the bobbin race out about four or five times as it got so clogged with fluff! I didn't take any photos of my quilting before I washed it, and it has gone very, very crinkly after a short 40C wash. The crinkling is all attributable to the wadding since I had prewashed the flannel fabrics before use. Some people don't like this look, but I'm happy that any sewing wobbles get hidden in all those crinkles.</div>
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We're off to gift this to my new baby Neice tomorrow, so I hope she (and her parents) like it!<br />
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Haziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095106677922460576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4383832811557337226.post-87806515474569605232017-03-17T15:34:00.001-07:002017-03-17T15:49:10.758-07:00Final finishes of 2016<p dir="ltr">These two makes both got finished between Christmas and New year. The blanket was started around easter, but with other projects taking priority it has been neglected for a while. It's just simple granny clusters and has been my in-between project, for when I felt like making something, but didn't have the concentration for anything complicated. I don't have a recipient in mind yet.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The tractor t shirt was started and finished all in one day on New Year's Eve . My nephew whose birthday is 2nd January is going through a keen tractor phase. We saw some cute Tshirts which I nearly bought, but they were £25 each! I couldn't bear to waste so much money on something so simple. I decided to buy a T shirt and add some appliqué. <br>
Unfortunately it wasn't quite so simple. The really tricky part was finding a plain T shirt to start with. It took a lot more hunting than I expected. The buttons were a lucky find, and the applique luckily all went quite smoothly. I am pleased with the outcome and I hope that he is too.</p>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCOxxHvQDa5KMhhnaIEYYSGO4vRhhaquABzkH0-Emdw-SWuAYYye1R3Ppwx6ULi7WQmh3grZ4NEhXkpBdQ4u-fEqPvECKicemBnHLOCfzVhM3jOoD3yZdKxT1xLZisuajbaiUWbUmeJtvi/s1600/14713506_10154665719208408_4438504318697380981_n+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCOxxHvQDa5KMhhnaIEYYSGO4vRhhaquABzkH0-Emdw-SWuAYYye1R3Ppwx6ULi7WQmh3grZ4NEhXkpBdQ4u-fEqPvECKicemBnHLOCfzVhM3jOoD3yZdKxT1xLZisuajbaiUWbUmeJtvi/s320/14713506_10154665719208408_4438504318697380981_n+%25282%2529.jpg" title="Aberdaisy crochet wedding dress 1" width="151" /></a></div>
...my wedding dress!<br />
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As soon as I saw Jillian's <a href="http://giacanali.com/blog/2010/05/jillian-daxs-romantic-handmade-everything-california-mountain-elopement/" target="_blank"> beautiful creation</a> on Pinterest I thought that it would be wonderful if I could recreate something similar for myself. She says that she made her dress in two weeks - that girl must crochet like lightning! As documented here, I have been slowly making doilies for over a year (just in case). This work was also interspersed with other crochet and quilting projects. Around six months ago my partner and I decided to finally take the plunge and get married, so the project stepped up pace. <br />
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I was very nervous about how the dress would turn out, after all, your wedding dress is guaranteed to get a lot of scrutiny! I am so happy and relieved that it turned out like I hoped. Here are some more pictures from the big day!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3aEZfkBL-Cd1im_2TqKb7pxaWXV6StOtLZP_Q4XYOLpKU6xw9jd1kBbow1XxfNZiv-6jmnmyFxkfyi8_0bnt2M-LLKaH2cVfvK6Ww7eUqpjnpOdYOx6gPl4N7eoQXFsuSm60ygDsrUPkQ/s1600/2016-10-19+08.02.56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3aEZfkBL-Cd1im_2TqKb7pxaWXV6StOtLZP_Q4XYOLpKU6xw9jd1kBbow1XxfNZiv-6jmnmyFxkfyi8_0bnt2M-LLKaH2cVfvK6Ww7eUqpjnpOdYOx6gPl4N7eoQXFsuSm60ygDsrUPkQ/s320/2016-10-19+08.02.56.jpg" title="Aberdaisy crochet wedding dress and bouquet" width="208" /></a><br />
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<b><u>The nitty gritty</u></b><br />
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For those who like to know the hows and the whys, here are all the details of how I made the dress.<br />
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First I made a base dress. This is made using Vogue 8897 in blue polyester satin.<br />
Next I used the same pattern pieces to make a net copy of the dress. The net is to give the doilies support, so that the weight didn't drag them out of shape. <br />
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All the doilies were made individually following patterns found free on the internet. I've counted them all, and there are 116 doilies on the dress; these vary from the biggest at over three foot, to teeny tiny ones an inch across. I wanted to only use each pattern twice, but there weren't enough very small patterns, so there are about a dozen of the tiny gap-filling flowers.<br />
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Using many, many safety pins, I arranged the doilies on the dress and then sewed them by hand to the net layer. It was essential to use a dressmakers dummy for this, as I needed the doilies to take the shape of the dress.<br />
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The net and the satin layers are only joined at the back, where I sewed the two together down each side of the zip. I didn't want an obvious line to show the zip, so I used hook and eye fasteners to close the doilies over the top.<br />
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I can remove the doily layer and have a very wearable blue satin dress. I am undecided what to do with the doilies now. They are all cotton, and sewn on with cotton thread, so one possibility is dying these to a less bridey colour. After all this work its a shame to only wear it once!<br />
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To add a bit more interest I decided to try out some of the fancy stitches on my sewing machine. They do help to liven the quilt up, but they were very slow, and used huge amounts of thread. I think this quilt would look even better with a bit of free motion quilting, but that is a skill I need a lot more practice at.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Once again I backed this quilt with snuggly soft fleece, it's quicker, softer and more washable than batting and backing, so good news all around! </div>
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Haziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095106677922460576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4383832811557337226.post-67203515115812274732016-09-12T00:02:00.000-07:002016-11-01T08:15:56.957-07:00Autumn reflections doily<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
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Doily name. Autumn reflections doily</div>
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Pattern source <a href="http://www.crochetmemories.com/blog/autumn-reflections-doily/">http://www.crochetmemories.com/blog/autumn-reflections-doily/</a></div>
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Thread arderns crochet cotton size 22 (found in great aunt's workbox)</div>
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Hook 1.25mm</div>
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Finished doily diameter</div>
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Finished doily weight</div>
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Comments. This is the second version of this doily. It is much, much faster to do the same doily the second time. This one took about 4hours in total, and I only had to unravel one round because of a mistake. The first version had at least 4 hours work unravelled in it because I struggle with the written patterns. I think I will have a go at hand drawing charted patterns for any others that I like.</div>
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I have quite a few little balls of this size 22 thread, but I'm not sure that I like it. Because it is much finer, it does have a more lacy look, but the thread itself is quite stiff and the finished doily feels scratchy.<br />
The photo shows the doily in Aunt Lydia's cotton.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEa6fYrsd0ZgtjBOIzFuM6Uh4sEGljlMwu4wvSk0cDrLLBDHPUeqsXGIjr4fj4teEgs2clhHWOej0ujHDvPqc6cxIF0wD0MN2q9DIkAnA3kb9-plzyIk07W7FDgAh2s39vMdb1A_0cRorN/s1600/Autumn+reflections+doily.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEa6fYrsd0ZgtjBOIzFuM6Uh4sEGljlMwu4wvSk0cDrLLBDHPUeqsXGIjr4fj4teEgs2clhHWOej0ujHDvPqc6cxIF0wD0MN2q9DIkAnA3kb9-plzyIk07W7FDgAh2s39vMdb1A_0cRorN/s320/Autumn+reflections+doily.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Haziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095106677922460576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4383832811557337226.post-76234358328102083272016-07-03T02:24:00.004-07:002016-07-03T02:24:59.506-07:00Doily project gathering paceThe doily project has been gathering steam, helped significantly by the discovery of a website choc a bloc full of charted patterns. That, and the combination of rainy weather and long train journeys. All the patterns I am about to show you (and many more) are available <a href="http://www.livemaster.ru/topic/1667673-otlichnoe-zanyatie-dlya-vyhodnogo-dnya-20-shem-dlya-vyazaniya-salfetok-kryuchkom" target="_blank">here</a> as charted patterns. <br />
<br />
My brain works so much better with charted patterns, I find it so much easier to see where I am going. The only difficulty I had was printing them off in high enough quality that I could count the stitches. I need printed copies, so that I can take them on the train, but also I like to colour the rounds with a highlighter (<a href="http://aberdaisy.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/doily-challenge.html" target="_blank">like this</a>) and tick them off as I go. The text is all in Russian, so I have no idea what they're called, and the only way I've worked out to link to the individual patterns is to copy them to pinterest first.<br />
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All the doilies on this page were made using Aunt Lydia's classic 10 crochet cotton, and a 2mm hook.<br />
<br />
This doily was very easy, it is a nice repetitive <a href="http://pin.it/XgdqJCw" target="_blank">pattern</a>, and because it is so open, it was very quick to make. It measures 40cm or 15 3/4" across. The first photo shows it after blocking, and the second photo shows it pre-blocking, with another doily from this web page.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BoshhxQNLgc/V3etmGT5pMI/AAAAAAAABsU/4eh7eNACyeUGOqxMQyisM1fJuxe8Iku6QCKgB/s1600/3f140de4-b7e7-4723-b5c4-3865ce0e50bd" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BoshhxQNLgc/V3etmGT5pMI/AAAAAAAABsU/4eh7eNACyeUGOqxMQyisM1fJuxe8Iku6QCKgB/s320/3f140de4-b7e7-4723-b5c4-3865ce0e50bd" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CSHSLnlBgaQ/V3etmKn81HI/AAAAAAAABsU/DBuOjJsU2yMgnIaElcTSUuqRSVGj3qaNACKgB/s1600/d850e93b-a6c7-4a65-9514-37d73bc54c4c" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CSHSLnlBgaQ/V3etmKn81HI/AAAAAAAABsU/DBuOjJsU2yMgnIaElcTSUuqRSVGj3qaNACKgB/s320/d850e93b-a6c7-4a65-9514-37d73bc54c4c" width="320" /></a></div>
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The smaller doily is actually just the first seven rounds of a larger<a href="http://pin.it/2WxNUkd" target="_blank"> pattern</a>. It measures 14cm across.</div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m1W__oOqIrg/V3etmADXa4I/AAAAAAAABsU/UPHgcI4jKkgtJrL_A3KaPb7dp5VvQQb4ACKgB/s1600/2c741462-ec53-494d-8474-1fec5884c39b" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m1W__oOqIrg/V3etmADXa4I/AAAAAAAABsU/UPHgcI4jKkgtJrL_A3KaPb7dp5VvQQb4ACKgB/s320/2c741462-ec53-494d-8474-1fec5884c39b" width="320" /></a></div>
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This doily is took me from Aberystwyth to Shrewsbury on the train (about 2 hours). It measures 71/2" or 19.5cm diameter. Although I like the doily and it was easy to make, you have to cut and rejoin the thread twice, which I didn't like.</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BcDk1bXxix8/V3etmAa91tI/AAAAAAAABsU/7quqlOBIEVotO-GE7AU-DM9CsIoh8QJpgCKgB/s1600/6595bb0c-6ef9-4156-b7cc-d440e30ea90c" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BcDk1bXxix8/V3etmAa91tI/AAAAAAAABsU/7quqlOBIEVotO-GE7AU-DM9CsIoh8QJpgCKgB/s320/6595bb0c-6ef9-4156-b7cc-d440e30ea90c" width="320" /></a></div>
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These four doilies took the next three hours of my train journey. Again, they are the centres of larger patterns from the same webpage.</div>
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Seven doilies is probably enough for one blog post, but there have been, and will be more from that website. The football has been on in our house a lot recently. At least the football is a lot more positive than politics at the moment.</div>
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<br />Haziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095106677922460576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4383832811557337226.post-43001892722635934102016-05-23T00:24:00.000-07:002016-07-01T00:07:46.888-07:00Doily project - Doily 7797<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I've made another doily, (not my 7797th unfortunately) but this is the name given to it in the pattern available <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/doily-7797" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhIyM8JQq4Zxer9gREvY3uBl-9M7gGQVsuP3vymfYAkoN297MkROn8mfI3fwf7RXCnfXQcVaejyjFWstuvpyzZewefyo7kHZA1ZulYAYiWoGOUHgD9ZsGbABGLyXgQuIPgZs0_TKwsFpfG/s1600/doily+7797.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhIyM8JQq4Zxer9gREvY3uBl-9M7gGQVsuP3vymfYAkoN297MkROn8mfI3fwf7RXCnfXQcVaejyjFWstuvpyzZewefyo7kHZA1ZulYAYiWoGOUHgD9ZsGbABGLyXgQuIPgZs0_TKwsFpfG/s320/doily+7797.png" width="226" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQZGGWtpu_VSri7N9RJU7J3IThR0XdIFgiW-VYllT_Z9ex4qVWBmaGlsKXiPGVFmruVqzIhkHkn80OO7dh69SrQTuOekPeWUUzEUdQcKRo3Ux9Y1P5zxbk_IRVxpqiQcqhddLUGYmAhEo/s1600/doily+7797+round+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">This is a re</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">ally pretty doily, which will look far prettier
when I can be bother to block it. (one
day...) It’s about 16 inches across.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">
</span><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The pattern is nice and repetitive, so once you have deciphered the instructions it is quite easy to get into the rhythm of each round, and it comes together quite quickly. However, it would really, really benefit from some charted instructions. <span style="font-family: "calibri";">It would have been so much speedier if I hadn’t had to go backwards so many times.</span> I struggled to follow in a few places, so have done some photo instructions and notes here to remind me next time.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">
</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">General</span></b></div>
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Terms used are American crochet. </span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Sc = UK dc (no thread over hook)</span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Dc= UK tr (1 loop)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Tr= UK dtr (2 loops)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Dtr = 3 loops</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Tr tr = 4 loops</span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Long tr = 5 loops</span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">5</span><sup><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> round</span></b></div>
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">These instructions are a little tricky to follow, but the tr
tr should be made into the pinnacle and the space between each petal of the
previous round.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg62PpYF2CONYBJcX_iJhxcuQwi-JKR4pc_eCA2Df4oyu13ERrgeepBzFmehmihaX7gJ-mZt7Q_p_FuQV_dIttO7G9q7HbSV51QLchjT2CnVUboaPC18QcG1kptLz3Iv_dz8mIytrOrjJlY/s1600/doily+7797+round+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg62PpYF2CONYBJcX_iJhxcuQwi-JKR4pc_eCA2Df4oyu13ERrgeepBzFmehmihaX7gJ-mZt7Q_p_FuQV_dIttO7G9q7HbSV51QLchjT2CnVUboaPC18QcG1kptLz3Iv_dz8mIytrOrjJlY/s320/doily+7797+round+5.png" width="193" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">9<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> Round</b></div>
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I found these instructions particularly difficult to follow,
so have done myself a step by step photo tutorial.</div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Ch9, holding back on
lhook the last loop of each tr tr make 4 tr tr in 6<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> chain from
hook, thread over and draw through all loops on hook (cluster made)”</i></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
Let’s break this down...
First ch9, then make a tr tr in the 6<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> chain from hook (in
the chain you just made)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYwMwjzyAxewtVbmLuLyUFChOH1GgBOYm9SGckHpwbHXdEXaEULGHYjU6ODDv-9VoMx5ViJ9bV8iNMDWgyCwBIA65tp2FI4l_xVw94XeR_ux4v3EHbgHZK24JxvyaB2miMAxt7oZ73KURA/s1600/Doily+7797+round+9+a.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYwMwjzyAxewtVbmLuLyUFChOH1GgBOYm9SGckHpwbHXdEXaEULGHYjU6ODDv-9VoMx5ViJ9bV8iNMDWgyCwBIA65tp2FI4l_xVw94XeR_ux4v3EHbgHZK24JxvyaB2miMAxt7oZ73KURA/s320/Doily+7797+round+9+a.png" width="193" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPaT-Y8BbUP40TPsyMBuGH7ytFlV4qsLCeaVAdyYGh2Jb6bOdIIoJy5DgoQMGhkeoZvsF4_ECF2sNfE0mBXsRhMl5qcyAn-UBjMsBBBzq-PE_V2yHf9QyFjJjxlfwNN6T6Yaz0NAQewExi/s1600/Doily+7797+round+9+b.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPaT-Y8BbUP40TPsyMBuGH7ytFlV4qsLCeaVAdyYGh2Jb6bOdIIoJy5DgoQMGhkeoZvsF4_ECF2sNfE0mBXsRhMl5qcyAn-UBjMsBBBzq-PE_V2yHf9QyFjJjxlfwNN6T6Yaz0NAQewExi/s320/Doily+7797+round+9+b.png" width="193" /></a></div>
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
When you make the Tr tr, keep the last loop on the
hook. You will see that alongside the
initial chain, this looks like two tr tr.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4vTMLdkjzigSJskOk-xpWwUFJow0lCTyojQ3mIo510SYLahCK3qI1I79Vbkl1UWOBp2k52Xrs-sH1OtIwhb5JythXrIkWm8KSK_DBAETVp00hYFGMmPSElsw5dSnIhp6PHOhl6bKMnRa6/s1600/Doily+7797+round+9+c.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4vTMLdkjzigSJskOk-xpWwUFJow0lCTyojQ3mIo510SYLahCK3qI1I79Vbkl1UWOBp2k52Xrs-sH1OtIwhb5JythXrIkWm8KSK_DBAETVp00hYFGMmPSElsw5dSnIhp6PHOhl6bKMnRa6/s320/Doily+7797+round+9+c.png" width="211" /></a></div>
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Do this three times more, so you have five in total.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivAuXWcBehjqzLEfrsRySM-VuDpqeiQ1iTLGbtLMoxV4tb39d6tDw4Kq-toSrMCkF4vCNKnMcHkmm10xZ8hhn-8a4z2QK86sVMRvxusv_pydFIirbvoYq7Fiq-URutSHjMbubvYdyueZac/s1600/Doily+7797+round+9+d.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivAuXWcBehjqzLEfrsRySM-VuDpqeiQ1iTLGbtLMoxV4tb39d6tDw4Kq-toSrMCkF4vCNKnMcHkmm10xZ8hhn-8a4z2QK86sVMRvxusv_pydFIirbvoYq7Fiq-URutSHjMbubvYdyueZac/s320/Doily+7797+round+9+d.png" width="193" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></div>
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Finally, draw the hook through all loops to form a cluster. The
next step in the instructions is “</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">in 5</span><sup><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-family: "calibri";">
chain of next loop make 5-tr tr cluster”</span></i><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> So, you make another cluster in
the centre chain of the next loop.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7nK-0wftbZ8k4be6EXAecnwV1h1sMawHuEmgdo0VMgT0wbTQqPfpeSTDvKZxVkxpjm-wKMJpTEC8gc4S3glN2Pl6KXpPGYqHHSNILQJeA_toPoDNzFv4i-WQFaamRBzrhRP_vEhfIeq6s/s1600/Doily+7797+round+9+e.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7nK-0wftbZ8k4be6EXAecnwV1h1sMawHuEmgdo0VMgT0wbTQqPfpeSTDvKZxVkxpjm-wKMJpTEC8gc4S3glN2Pl6KXpPGYqHHSNILQJeA_toPoDNzFv4i-WQFaamRBzrhRP_vEhfIeq6s/s320/Doily+7797+round+9+e.png" width="193" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After
completing the second cluster <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“ch6, make
4-tr tr cluster in 6<sup>th</sup> chain from hook”</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is similar to the first cluster, you
need to make the cluster at the base of the chain you just made.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once again, the chain will form the 5<sup>th</sup>
tr tr of the cluster.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMBVb83IQelFHyVAxbs5GmKgZDWZvkl9PXvqdoPr1AcTmbnRSypg-bnvHjaCc9RNnnO6D19WQnOeMlkgvUmkh7jmhYB4hYv9Xa8PffK_5dGXTsRJaG8Op7EL3fI0CpBqrSoSGrYE1EcYNm/s1600/Doily+7797+round+9+f.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMBVb83IQelFHyVAxbs5GmKgZDWZvkl9PXvqdoPr1AcTmbnRSypg-bnvHjaCc9RNnnO6D19WQnOeMlkgvUmkh7jmhYB4hYv9Xa8PffK_5dGXTsRJaG8Op7EL3fI0CpBqrSoSGrYE1EcYNm/s320/Doily+7797+round+9+f.png" width="226" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The third cluster is anchored to the middle of the next loop
of the previous round with a dc </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">“dc in
next loop”. </span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0SulYJ22gC0PGOUNyMeVlbix2YN4TDsiDP28u8vnt67wW5F-zeN8gDFsI5PntOXnnmL4i9J-g5kizyMwiCEUbcdCnGwOiqRVtniF79rEh_IqamoXKN9a3hRzq2BFcBClssiATjutCHt3/s1600/Doily+7797+round+9+g.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0SulYJ22gC0PGOUNyMeVlbix2YN4TDsiDP28u8vnt67wW5F-zeN8gDFsI5PntOXnnmL4i9J-g5kizyMwiCEUbcdCnGwOiqRVtniF79rEh_IqamoXKN9a3hRzq2BFcBClssiATjutCHt3/s320/Doily+7797+round+9+g.png" width="193" /></a></div>
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">After this, the instructions are much easier to follow. “</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">ch9,sc
in next loop, ch9, dc in next loop, ch 6. Repeat from * around”. </span></i><span style="font-family: "calibri";">This last ch6 is the beginning of your next
cluster.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The other slightly confusing round is the 19</span><sup><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-family: "calibri";">
round (the last one). </span><b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">19th rnd: *
Skip 3 ch, 11 tr in next ch, </span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: calibri;">sc in next tr, ch 7, sc in next tr, ch 7, turn;</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: calibri;">(skip 1 tr, 2 tr tr in next tr, ch 7) 5 times; skip 1 tr,
tr tr in next tr, sl st in next tr, ch 1, turn;</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: calibri;"> (in next sp make
half dc, 7 dc and half dc; sc between next 2 tr tr) 5 times; in next sp make
half dc, 7 dc and half dc; sc in next sc, ch 7, sc in next tr.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: calibri;">Repeat from * around. Join and break off</span></b></div>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Haziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095106677922460576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4383832811557337226.post-9351595351639372472016-03-27T01:30:00.001-07:002016-11-01T08:18:42.998-07:00Spring on the building plotI know I have mentioned it before, but I am so lucky to have an excellent local sewing shop- Aberdashery. It's not a very big shop, but it is choc-a-bloc full, and almost always has what I've been looking for. Many a quilting emergency has been saved by the lovely Jane.<br />
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Until recently, my 2016 challenge to finish more things than I started was going quite well. Then the fabric started calling me again! This gorgeous little Construction strip roll by Fabric Freedom just begged to be bought. I try to resist the ubiquitous pink and blue gender stereotyping in children's products, and originally thought that the little vehicles were tractors, so planned to give it to my farming niece. However, when I unrolled the fabric I saw that they were diggers. I forgot that machinery is also subject to the colour police - tractors are red, diggers are yellow! Fortunately my little nephew is a huge Bob the builder fan, so I didn't need to look far for a new recipient.<br />
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There are just five fabrics in the roll, each repeated four times. I felt that another yellow fabric was needed to balance it out, so bought this gingham to co-ordinate. <br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ja1GxfJ2rXg/VveOtFz5BvI/AAAAAAAABn8/2M3-dJ-I-KcVkuN6Zf6LBltzSZYnDAwOQ/s1600/20160312_214511.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ja1GxfJ2rXg/VveOtFz5BvI/AAAAAAAABn8/2M3-dJ-I-KcVkuN6Zf6LBltzSZYnDAwOQ/s320/20160312_214511.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
I wanted the quilt to feel fresh and modern, and toyed with the idea of solid white. I think it would have looked gorgeous, but not very practical for a gift for a toddler. I settled on this pale blue instead, and now I can't imagine any other choice.<br />
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g1hS13YSuMw/VveOrs2zz_I/AAAAAAAABn0/w9WeVw57Kqc2BB78SD067tQSMp-EPQm_A/s1600/20160312_214345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g1hS13YSuMw/VveOrs2zz_I/AAAAAAAABn0/w9WeVw57Kqc2BB78SD067tQSMp-EPQm_A/s320/20160312_214345.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KU3j84XZfOk/VveOoC5JZiI/AAAAAAAABng/K9SKoQcEUoQ03ADrYgvwcQRz24exgJU2Q/s1600/20160312_215351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KU3j84XZfOk/VveOoC5JZiI/AAAAAAAABng/K9SKoQcEUoQ03ADrYgvwcQRz24exgJU2Q/s320/20160312_215351.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="192" /></a><br />
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I followed the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5WgTyqB8Pc" target="_blank">Summer in the Park tutorial</a> from Missouri Star Quilt company to make the blocks. Having never used a pre-cut before, I was so impressed how zippy-quick it went together. In a couple of afternoons I made 42 blocks, which are 8" squares (7 1/2" finished).<br />
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A 6x7 layout would measure 45 x 52.5", which is a generous cuddle quilt, but not quite big enough for a single bed. As my nephew is only three, I felt that a smaller size would be better, so have two quilts - 5x6 blocks, measuring 37.5" x 45" and a 9x9 layout measuring 67.5" square. I laid the blocks out differently in the two quilt tops.<br />
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The smaller quilt top is not finished, and I might add a border.<br />
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I wanted the fabrics to be the star of the show (and also wanted it finished quickly), so I chose to stitch in the ditch with my walking foot. I quilted all the horizontal and vertical seams as well as the main diagonals. It isn't a lot of quilting, so I hope it's robust enough to withstand toddler use.<br />
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0uC7K3Gs0sk/VveNyPWGbGI/AAAAAAAABnY/QfOpIa4x3rQ7GzFEgMulVEhC6_b9lblJQ/s1600/20318270-8af3-4f7d-9ead-0e3458619afa" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0uC7K3Gs0sk/VveNyPWGbGI/AAAAAAAABnY/QfOpIa4x3rQ7GzFEgMulVEhC6_b9lblJQ/s320/20318270-8af3-4f7d-9ead-0e3458619afa" width="320" /></a><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />
There wasn't a suitable green fabric in the shop for binding, so I bought bias binding off the roll. I won't use it again. It's too narrow for a quilt, so was a battle to get it on neatly. I do love the colour though.<br />
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I really love the bright cheery spring colours. I don't think adding in the extra yellow was necessary, but it wasn't a bad choice either. Perhaps because making this quilt tied in with some gorgeous sunny weather, I really love this.<br />
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Here is the total list of materials used.<br />
1 Fabric freedom strippers roll (1.25m of fabric)<br />
25cm of yellow gingham<br />
2m of solid blue (there is some left over)<br />
4.5m of pre-made bias binding <br />
1.5m of fleece <br />
A whole 250m reel of thread!Haziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095106677922460576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4383832811557337226.post-17875386731740628902016-03-06T11:42:00.002-08:002016-03-06T11:43:36.474-08:00Unforgettable- The Welsh Quilt Centre 2016 exhibitionOn Saturday, the <a href="http://www.welshquilts.com/" target="_blank">Welsh Quilt Centre</a>'s 2016 exhibition opened. Tied in with this was an exhibition by one of my favourite local artists - <a href="http://www.valeriane-leblond.eu/home.html" target="_blank">Valeriane Leblond</a>. I buy her calender every year, and treat myself by not peeking at it in advance so I get a beautiful surprise every month. The pictures of hers that I love the most are the ones done in conjunction with the quilt centre. To tie in with the annual exhibition, she has painted a series of pictures featuring the exhibited antique quilts. Her work is very popular, and has always sold out quickly. This year, I highlighted the date in my diary, visited on opening day... and am soon to be the proud owner of some original artwork! I'm so excited!<br />
I didn't photograph any of the paintings, and I only had my phone to take pictures of the quilts, so they're not the greatest quality. This quilt is the one featured in <b>my</b> painting.<br />
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I'm always surprised by how bold and bright the colours are in the antique quilts. I would associate them more with the 1980s than the 1880s!<br />
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In the second gallery are a series of cot quilts had quilted by Sandie Lush. They really do not photograph well, but are absolutely beautiful in real life. I think these were made for exhibition, but would be an heirloom to treasure if made for a baby. Most of the quilts are whole-cloth in plain fabric, which deservedly allows the quilting to take all the attention. I also liked the ones with pretty borders. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZI0-zQxUw9g/VtyC6_iH0HI/AAAAAAAABmY/5Ecwhk8BcmU/s1600/20160305_151934.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZI0-zQxUw9g/VtyC6_iH0HI/AAAAAAAABmY/5Ecwhk8BcmU/s320/20160305_151934.jpg" width="192" /></a></div>
Sandie will be running a workshop at the quilt centre in September, and I have signed up straight away! I love having something to look forward to.</div>
<br />Haziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095106677922460576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4383832811557337226.post-29452834981697311402016-03-06T11:13:00.001-08:002016-03-06T11:14:19.977-08:00Owl always love you!My new baby niece arrived a little bit earlier than expected, and I had only bought the fabric for her quilt about a fortnight before. I had entered <a href="http://www.calicokate.co.uk/" target="_blank">Calico Kate's</a> quilt shop in Lampeter with quite a clear picture in my head of what I wanted to make. I only needed three fabrics- a statement print, and two complementary smaller prints - I thought it would be easy! It wasn't- even with the vast selection available in Calico Kate. <br />
On my many circuits of the shop a bright cheerful Owl panel kept catching my eye, so I abandoned my original plan, and decided on a simple quilt with a central panel and matching border. I am in the camp who believe that children's items should be bright and cheerful, and this certainly is! It's all made from the "Owl in the family" line of fabrics by <a href="http://www.desireesdesigns.com/shop/Fabric/Owl-in-the-Family.htm" target="_blank">Desirees designs</a>. Owls seem to be in fashion at the moment, and my Dad (the baby's Grandpa) said that they symbolise wisdom, so we hope baby will be clever!<br />
I really love the owl puns written around the border fabric.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xcl5G6IR27M/Vtx69dqyjaI/AAAAAAAABlI/gYSyIdsOkCE/s1600/20160306_184422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xcl5G6IR27M/Vtx69dqyjaI/AAAAAAAABlI/gYSyIdsOkCE/s320/20160306_184422.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The quilt top was super-easy to put together, I simply cut out the panel, and added two borders from the complementary fabric. I used a poly-cotton wadding, and backed the quilt with another fabric from the same range. Backing the quilt at this stage was a mistake, as the next thing I did was outline quilt around many of the features on the central panel, to give the quilt a 3D effect. The pictures on the front are outlined in black, so this was the only suitable thread choice. This gave me a dilemma. Hand quilting stitches would show on both sides of the quilt, and I didn't like the idea of black outlines on the lovely pale green back. I decided to machine quilt, with black on the top, and pale green bobbin thread. There would have been two advantages to only quilting through the top fabric and wadding and adding the backing afterwards; firstly, I could have used the same black thread in bobbin and top spool, which would have solved any slight tension issues going around the intricate designs; secondly, I wouldn't have needed to bother with the most tedious task in quilting - burying all those thread-ends. I absolutely hate this task, although these easy-threading needles have really helped. Instead of threading the needle in the usual way, you just pull the thread over the back of the needle, and it threads itself. A real sanity-saver!<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5KswduoUfVc/Vtx6yCgUp4I/AAAAAAAABkk/Gs1aVAAY6TY/s1600/20160227_094146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5KswduoUfVc/Vtx6yCgUp4I/AAAAAAAABkk/Gs1aVAAY6TY/s320/20160227_094146.jpg" width="192" /></a></div>
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Sewing around all those intricate designs also called for the use of another tool I wish I didn't need - the seam fix! This gadget is a really, really good seam-ripper. The point is lovely and sharp, and the rubbery white ends help to pull all the loose threads out neatly. The only thing that irritates me about this is that the cap which covers the pointy end for storage doesn't fit on the other end when in use.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IFkE9qwvhPc/Vtx62Q7a2ZI/AAAAAAAABkw/m8zXLtsy2so/s1600/20160227_094028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IFkE9qwvhPc/Vtx62Q7a2ZI/AAAAAAAABkw/m8zXLtsy2so/s320/20160227_094028.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The reason the seam-ripper had so much use, was that I tried to free-motion around the outlines. This first picture shows my wonky attempt around this poor owl's eyes and ears. I think it's a little bit scary-looking!<br />
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The next picture shows what I can do with my walking foot if I go very, <b>very</b> slowly. Pretty neat, if I do say so myself!<br />
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Although insufficient skill is a large part of the problem, the different machine feet also contribute. I have two walking feet for my machine. For this work I used the open-toe one, which means that I can see <i>exactly</i> where the needle is going in the fabric.<br />
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The free motion foot, however, is clear plastic. Although in theory, you can see through the plastic, it actually refracts the light and distorts my view, so I can't clearly see the crucial exact point where the needle enters the fabric. An open-toe free motion foot is definitely on my wish-list now.</div>
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Trials and tribulations aside, I love the 3D effect now that it's finished. Although it doesn't photograph well, it really lifts the quilt in real-life. Most important of all, the new parents liked their gift, and hopefully baby will too when she's a little older.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9xPeTUFpShachVXJHn21bT1nmNrMf71AhX3wjHgsf3gmIJiNBL-VfRoonHZfiQ_sPbeCwl5ctEDjeTPpLtAZD58Ht4r-d4LEESeaPdtYEwIn1gpDqVus8s_dKRbHk-2kxPgfmbLKY-UW4/s1600/DSC_0821.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUPlNuakWzFbTdtQkaiwE-n74Ec23G6dPlLsJi8rEfz-oFVfbzKmXisiREgsRY1EyapQMCG8mOUDgFINESEiqSX4jp3JZw84Hp0q20XY63HAsZr-5yLnxuVmEnFKFyZHIhx2eUptJdB3ye/s1600/DSC_0825.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUPlNuakWzFbTdtQkaiwE-n74Ec23G6dPlLsJi8rEfz-oFVfbzKmXisiREgsRY1EyapQMCG8mOUDgFINESEiqSX4jp3JZw84Hp0q20XY63HAsZr-5yLnxuVmEnFKFyZHIhx2eUptJdB3ye/s320/DSC_0825.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Haziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095106677922460576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4383832811557337226.post-53381225946235123452016-03-06T10:08:00.004-08:002016-03-06T10:08:34.475-08:00February progress<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
<b>This post helps me to remember where I am with my projects, and what I have to do next!</b><br />
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I have knocked two projects off my UFO list- the <a href="http://aberdaisy.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/secret-santa-quilt.html" target="_blank">Secret Santa Quilt</a>, and Baby and Big A vests. <br />
After the earlier than expected arrival of my new baby niece, her quilt jumped rapidly off the NESY list.<br />
I have unfortunately though bought enough fabric for THREE new projects, so no progress into the fabric mountain.<br />
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<b>UFOs - Unfinished objects</b></div>
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Lacy Scarf</div>
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Cross stitch train</div>
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Pink elephant</div>
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Minnie mouse bag.</div>
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Party dress</div>
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Crochet doily project</div>
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Snake</div>
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Rainbow crochet</div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tree quilt</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Flower puff blanket</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">New neice quilt</span></div>
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Nearly finished</div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Threadcatcher pincushion</span><br />
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<b>NESYs - Not even started yet!</b></div>
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New cushion cover</div>
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2nd snake for upstairs</div>
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Covers for cubes </div>
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Colourwash with liberty lawns<br />
Kaffe Fassett Stripy something</div>
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Christmas bunting</div>
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Tree skirt</div>
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Picnic blanket with samples, including more NY beauty</div>
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More caddy bags</div>
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Caddy bag for scrap sorting.</div>
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More totes best friend</div>
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Amended totes best friend with tutorial</div>
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Crochet tank tops with tutorials</div>
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Tesselated pinwheel tutorial</div>
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Dress!</div>
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Ispy quilt - possibly a picnic blanket with little huts.</div>
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Something for hallway with indigo batiks</div>
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Strawberry quilt</div>
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Anna summer dress</div>
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Bettine dress from jersey </div>
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Fauxby wrap<br />
Construction jelly roll<br />
Owl caddy bag.</div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />Haziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095106677922460576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4383832811557337226.post-42603095489383139042016-03-06T09:59:00.000-08:002016-03-06T11:14:33.250-08:00Secret Santa Quilt<br />
The advantage of the horrible weather at this time of year is that there is plenty of opportunity for staying in and sewing. <br />
It seems that when I'm at work I spend far too long talking about what I get up to at home, because Secret Santa nailed it with my present- fabric and chocolate! Obviously the chocolate was put to good use almost immediately, but the fabric has lasted a bit longer.<br />
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I was given a little collection of 5" squares in very pretty florals. I had been wanting to make a quilt with <a href="http://christaquilts.com/sea-of-squares/" target="_blank">this pattern</a>, for a long time, and this was a perfect opportunity. In the tutorial, the pattern is called <i>Sea of squares</i>, but I'm not sure if that only applies when it is done in blues, greens and whites. <a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-19Mf9nXLJk0/Vsq_9j3gfNI/AAAAAAAABkE/O2QsYNvuUU4/s1600/20150118_173211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-19Mf9nXLJk0/Vsq_9j3gfNI/AAAAAAAABkE/O2QsYNvuUU4/s320/20150118_173211.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I combined the little squares with a plain cream which was a bargain duvet cover from a charity shop. I used my trusty zip-lock sandwich bags to keep everything organised while I was sewing.<br />
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hY5dkCSHJeM/Vsq_-xk8d6I/AAAAAAAABkE/iYSu1_IVDZw/s1600/20150118_172708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hY5dkCSHJeM/Vsq_-xk8d6I/AAAAAAAABkE/iYSu1_IVDZw/s320/20150118_172708.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
After sewing my patches I tried a few different layouts, but nothing seemed to work. <br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MKebcgCNEdE/Vsq_8xmOhEI/AAAAAAAABkE/qAO9wU-N4k0/s1600/20150123_203522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MKebcgCNEdE/Vsq_8xmOhEI/AAAAAAAABkE/qAO9wU-N4k0/s320/20150123_203522.jpg" width="192" /></a></div>
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There was no other option - off I went to my wonderful local fabric shop - Aberdashery to look for something to co-ordinate. I am so lucky to have this little shop nearby. It doesn't have a particularly big selection of fabrics, but the owner is absolutely lovely, and as usual, we managed to find a perfect complementary fabric.<br />
Adding in the extra fabric helped the pattern to work, this photo shows the new fabric with the original blocks laid on top.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_3wB2b16OLw/Vsq_8Kl-YvI/AAAAAAAABkE/2WvE_AB64k4/s1600/20150123_183104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_3wB2b16OLw/Vsq_8Kl-YvI/AAAAAAAABkE/2WvE_AB64k4/s320/20150123_183104.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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After sewing the quilt top together, I really wasn't sure what to do next. I usually have a use in mind before I start sewing, but not this time. I pondered between making a picnic blanket, a snuggle blanket for a little girl, or a table topper. The snuggle blanket won out because I felt the cream would show too much dirt to be a table topper or a picnic blanket. <br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XBQyjfisHds/VrSYlOgA9WI/AAAAAAAABi4/INUbL7oFKAA/s1600/96dbda8c-7103-43b7-9453-1ac3a786d479" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XBQyjfisHds/VrSYlOgA9WI/AAAAAAAABi4/INUbL7oFKAA/s320/96dbda8c-7103-43b7-9453-1ac3a786d479" width="320" /></a></div>
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I decided instead of wadding and backing I would simply back the top with fleece. This has the advantages of being warm and snuggly and machine-washable, as well as being one less layer to fight with when pinning and quilting!<br />
I really wanted to free-motion quilt this top, and it sat in its unfinished state for months while I struggled to master the technique. Unfortunately I still haven't got the hang of it, but I did find some excellent inspiration on Pinterest on how to use the walking foot creatively. I'd only ever sewn stitch in the ditch, or long wavy lines before.<br />
I used my favourite Crayola washable markers to mark the pattern on the top, and off I went.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qGrZwxRMTu8/VpuJ47ucamI/AAAAAAAABfk/t6UAC-sBlOs/s1600/6c27f950-69fc-4b91-8501-b77ae4febc44" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qGrZwxRMTu8/VpuJ47ucamI/AAAAAAAABfk/t6UAC-sBlOs/s320/6c27f950-69fc-4b91-8501-b77ae4febc44" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here is the finished blanket. <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-krjmNoQERaM/VpuJ5v2wdUI/AAAAAAAABfM/3F6nCgT3jj8/s1600/9a3c7fb8-e611-44e7-9a03-98589864effd" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-krjmNoQERaM/VpuJ5v2wdUI/AAAAAAAABfM/3F6nCgT3jj8/s320/9a3c7fb8-e611-44e7-9a03-98589864effd" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm glad that I've started to expand my quilting skills, rather than just piecing a top and thinking it was finished. I will keep practicing FMQ, perhaps on the next project!<br />
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<br />Haziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095106677922460576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4383832811557337226.post-79164797021269684422016-02-03T00:47:00.001-08:002016-02-03T00:47:14.613-08:00Aliens and monsters!<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 17px;">Or UFOs and NESYs.</span><br />
<span style="color: #454545;">As usual, I am slightly behind the deadline in summarising my crafting outputs from last year. My resolution for 2015 was to finish more projects than I started. This was a resounding failure. At the end of the year, this is how the project lists looked:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 17px;"><b>Projects finished </b></span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 17px;"><b>2015</b></span><br />
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
Sunshine waves blanket </div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
Star caddy bag</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Summer dress</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Anna dress</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Infinity dress</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Christmas runner</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Various doilies</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Nephew and Niece Advent panels </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Blind for living room x2</span><br />
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<b>UFOs - Unfinished objects</b></div>
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Lacy Scarf</div>
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Cross stitch train</div>
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Pink elephant</div>
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Minnie mouse bag.</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
Secret santa quilt</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
Party dress</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
Crochet doily project</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
Snake</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
Rainbow crochet</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
Baby and Big A vests</div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tree quilt</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Flower puff blanket</span></div>
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Nearly finished</div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Threadcatcher pincushion</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"></span><b></b><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
<b>NESYs - Not even started yet!</b></div>
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New cushion cover</div>
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2nd snake for upstairs</div>
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Covers for cubes </div>
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Colourwash with liberty lawns<br />
Kaffe Fassett Stripy something</div>
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Christmas bunting</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
Tree skirt</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
Picnic blanket with samples, including more NY beauty</div>
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More caddy bags</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
Caddy bag for scrap sorting.</div>
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More totes best friend</div>
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Amended totes best friend with tutorial</div>
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Crochet tank tops with tutorials</div>
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Tesselated pinwheel tutorial</div>
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Dress!</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
Ispy quilt - possibly a picnic blanket with little huts.</div>
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Something for hallway with indigo batiks</div>
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Strawberry quilt</div>
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Anna summer dress</div>
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Baby james quilt</div>
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Bettine dress from jersey </div>
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Fauxby wrap</div>
Haziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095106677922460576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4383832811557337226.post-14284073889147577412015-12-14T14:49:00.002-08:002016-03-06T11:15:27.636-08:00Poinsettia Table RunnerMy quilt teacher recently moved into a new studio. At the grand opening she had a display of student's work where I fell in love with a poinsettia table runner, and immediately signed up to learn how to make it.<br />
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The pattern is available from <a href="http://www.bearpawproductions.com/store-detail.php?cat=5&ID=0" target="_blank">bear paw productions</a> as a kit. I didn't use a kit, but chose my own fabrics. Luckily my far too big box of spare fabrics contained plenty of glittery and gold fabrics, and I only needed to buy two fat quarters. The gold leading is <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Clover-Quick-Bias-Tape-Gold/dp/B000YZ1Q4K/ref=sr_1_3/276-2280863-2876827?ie=UTF8&qid=1450131644&sr=8-3&keywords=fusible+bias+binding" target="_blank">clover fusible bias binding</a>, and you need two rolls, so this is not a cheap project to make. Since I'd never tried this technique before I made two extra poinsettia blocks to practice, which needed another roll of gold- oof!<br />
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I don't know what method is recommended in the original pattern from Bear Paw. The method I used was not difficult, but very time consuming. The whole thing from start to finish took me about 25 hours. Although I love it, I will certainly think twice before making another!<br />
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First you trace the whole pattern onto a backing sheet. Then cut strips from your fabrics, which you back with bondaweb, then cut the strips into squares, and trim. Iron the squares onto the backing sheet. I love how you can take some lightly meh fabrics, cut them up, mix them up, and ooh!<br />
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The poinsettias are made like ordinary applique, by tracing onto bondaweb, then fixing into place. After everything is bonded into place, you apply the gold leading. I was lucky to be able to borrow a mini-iron during my classes, which I'm sure made it much easier to apply the leading around the tricky curves. <br />
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Next, you need to sew down both edges of the leading. This process totally transforms the texture of the leading, somehow making it less shiny and more sparkly!<br />
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My most hated job is hiding and tying all those ends!<br />
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After the poinsettias are finished, sew the poinsettia blocks to the ends of the table runner, and apply the leading grid before sewing. Even though these are easy straight lines, there are a lot of them, and I went quite slowly as I was trying very hard to be precise.<br />
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Finally you need to back and bind the runner. Frustratingly I didn't have enough of the fabric I liked for backing and binding in one, so I had to do them separately, but finally the runner is finished!<br />
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I really, really like this. It is just so bling and Christmassy!<br />
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<br />Haziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095106677922460576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4383832811557337226.post-73571420400686334332015-11-19T13:56:00.001-08:002015-11-19T13:56:48.597-08:00Progress... or lack of...It's been a long time since I last wrote on this blog. Partly that has been due to frustration with the technology. I have been trying to use an ipad and a smartphone, neither of which have been ideal. I now have a new laptop, and I'm hoping that it will be much easier to type, and add photos. Since I haven't yet taken or transferred any photos of my crafting, here are some totally unrelated pictures from my holiday last year.<br />
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Seems to have uploaded OK, and it also is much easier to type around the photo on the laptop. Good news.<br />
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On a slightly less positive note it was March when I last checked in on my projects. This is the current situation:<br />
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<strong>Projects in progress</strong><br />
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Lacy Scarf</div>
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Cross stitch train</div>
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Pink elephant</div>
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Minnie mouse bag.</div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
Secret santa quilt</div>
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Party dress</div>
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Crochet doily project</div>
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Big Heart, little Heart Tank tops.</div>
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Rainbow ripple blanket</div>
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Puff flower blanket</div>
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Green and white quilt</div>
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Poinsettia quilt</div>
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Neice and Nephew Advent calendars.</div>
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<strong>Projects finished</strong></div>
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Anna Dress</div>
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This does not look god for my new year's resolution. It seems I am definitely a serial starter. However, some of these projects are nearly finished, and I'm confident to have at least two more items off the list before the end of the year.</div>
Haziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095106677922460576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4383832811557337226.post-18195917928577362972015-09-01T10:53:00.000-07:002015-09-01T10:53:40.893-07:00Doily challenge progressWell it's four months since I started the doily challenge, and I have completed 23 doilies. This averages out at about one and a half per week. I haven't blogged all the doilies so far but I will. The main thing preventing me is my terrible lack of blocking. As you can see from the picture below, blocking is not something I am good at, even though it is badly needed. I do feel that if a doily is going to have a post all to itself it needs to be photographed in its best light.<br />
At this rate, I should achieve my goal of 100 doilies in around a year. My doily making is going quite a bit faster now that I have decided to make each doily twice, immediately after each other. This means that any problems I encountered on the first doily will be fresh in my mind for the second one, so I am less likely to get stuck on the same bit again.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eBuWQlX0yUw/VeVodiKjxpI/AAAAAAAABb0/_yvUZ7wKsqk/s1600/2015%2B-%2B1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eBuWQlX0yUw/VeVodiKjxpI/AAAAAAAABb0/_yvUZ7wKsqk/s320/2015%2B-%2B1" width="320" /></a></div>
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Later I will need to make some design decisions so that the variety of sizes and patterns works for my project, but for now i'm going to try any and every pattern that takes my fancy.Haziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095106677922460576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4383832811557337226.post-86711248525349357592015-08-28T00:40:00.000-07:002015-09-01T10:39:47.511-07:00Hearts desire doily<span style="color: purple;">Doily name </span>Hearts desire doily<br />
<span style="color: purple;">Pattern source</span> www.redheart.com<br />
<span style="color: purple;">Thread </span><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; font-weight: normal;">Anchor size 8 pearl cotton. </span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">Hook </span><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; font-weight: normal;">1.25mm. </span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">Finished doily diameter </span>11cm<br />
<span style="color: purple;">Finished doily weight </span>6g<br />
<span style="color: purple;">Comments</span><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"> Instructions were easy to follow. This doily took me about 2 1/2 hours.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U0t2ywJADyo/VeAP5YqKVhI/AAAAAAAABaw/_kUQfbhnZmo/s1600/2015%2B-%2B1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U0t2ywJADyo/VeAP5YqKVhI/AAAAAAAABaw/_kUQfbhnZmo/s320/2015%2B-%2B1" width="320" /></a></div>
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Haziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095106677922460576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4383832811557337226.post-59419402257591778612015-08-28T00:30:00.002-07:002015-08-28T00:31:12.069-07:0028-50 soft lace motif doily<span style="color: purple;">Doily name </span>28-50 soft lace moti<span style="color: purple;">f </span>doily<br />
<span style="color: purple;">Pattern source </span>http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/28-50-soft-lace-motif-doily<br />
<span style="color: purple;">Thread </span><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; font-weight: normal;">Anchor size 8 pearl cotton. </span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">Hook </span><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; font-weight: normal;">1.25mm. </span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">Finished doily diameter </span>15 x 20cm<br />
<span style="color: purple;">Finished doily weight </span>6g<br />
<span style="color: purple;">Comments</span><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"> I really enjoyed making this doily. Each little flower is so easy, I was soon able to make them without looking at the pattern. Each flower. Only takes me about 15 minutes to make, so it's a bit addictive to see how many more I can squeeze out of little bits of spare time. The main downside of this doily is the number of loose ands which need to be hidden.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fkFjZnJXgE8/VeAMsP4z1eI/AAAAAAAABZo/z3dm1SQIfDY/s1600/2015%2B-%2B1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fkFjZnJXgE8/VeAMsP4z1eI/AAAAAAAABZo/z3dm1SQIfDY/s320/2015%2B-%2B1" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></span>Haziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095106677922460576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4383832811557337226.post-42691618153245620422015-07-27T00:16:00.002-07:002015-07-27T00:17:27.277-07:00Doily project - Rosette doily<span style="color: purple;">Doily name </span>Rosette doily<br />
<span style="color: purple;">Pattern source </span>http://www.crochetpatty.com/patterns/thread/rosette_doily.html<br />
<span style="color: purple;">Thread </span><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; font-weight: normal;">Anchor size 8 pearl cotton. </span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">Hook </span><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; font-weight: normal;">1.25mm. </span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">Finished doily diameter </span>17<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; font-weight: normal;">cm</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">Finished doily weight </span>7<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; font-weight: normal;">g</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">Comments</span><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;"> I found these instructions a tiny bit confusing as they seem to start each row with the last stitch of the previous row. However this was only a tiny thing, and overall this was a nice straightforward doily to make. </span></span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y5C9VEGqrXs/VWVy9YrmDdI/AAAAAAAABYs/Vou0Woo7e1g/s1600/Crochet%2Bdoily%2Bchallenge%2B-%2B2" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y5C9VEGqrXs/VWVy9YrmDdI/AAAAAAAABYs/Vou0Woo7e1g/s320/Crochet%2Bdoily%2Bchallenge%2B-%2B2" width="320" /></a></div>
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The other doily in the photo is the tiny cluster doily. It is only 6cm across, and is made of clusters of five treble crochets.</div>
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Haziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095106677922460576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4383832811557337226.post-58939643927208524482015-07-26T23:59:00.000-07:002016-03-06T11:15:48.963-08:00Evening starsThe reverse side of C & R's quilt features evening stars in three sizes- 6", 12" and 18". Using <a href="http://www.abramsbooks.com/stc_craft_news/sssq/images/YellowPotpourri.pdf" target="_blank">this</a> as inspiration I drew the layout on graph paper and numbered the stars so I knew how many of each size to make. After all the stars had been made I took over the living room to design the quilt. I don't have a wall big enough to lay out this design. I try to get a balance across the quilt of the colour values. As well as staring at it a lot, I took photos on my ipad, which helps to get more perspective. Converting the photos to black and white helps to identify areas that stand out.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qdrkqnlhHuc/VIapEKlaBKI/AAAAAAAABBg/9dW6EBMuvPI/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qdrkqnlhHuc/VIapEKlaBKI/AAAAAAAABBg/9dW6EBMuvPI/s1600/image.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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After I had decided the final layout, I labelled every star on the floor, and on the graph paper. See the little white tabs? This meant I could sort the stars into piles, and had a key to follow, releasing the living room to normal use while I sewed them together.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3yhkFtuidEs/VIapD3u6poI/AAAAAAAABBc/dIXiLUAFSmI/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3yhkFtuidEs/VIapD3u6poI/AAAAAAAABBc/dIXiLUAFSmI/s1600/image.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Haziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095106677922460576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4383832811557337226.post-43924409890300357612015-05-27T00:34:00.001-07:002015-07-27T00:17:27.283-07:00Doily challenge<h2>
<span style="color: purple;">Doily name </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); font-size: 17px; font-weight: normal;">Crochet 19</span></span></h2>
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<span style="color: purple;">Pattern source </span><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; font-weight: normal;">onlycrochet.blogspot.co.uk</span><span style="color: purple;"> </span></h2>
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<span style="color: purple;">Thread </span><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; font-weight: normal;">Anchor size 8 pearl cotton. </span></h2>
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<span style="color: purple;">Hook </span><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; font-weight: normal;">1.25mm. </span></h2>
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<span style="color: purple;">Finished doily diameter </span><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; font-weight: normal;">26cm</span></h2>
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<span style="color: purple;">Finished doily weight </span><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; font-weight: normal;">8g</span></h2>
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<span style="color: purple;">Comments</span><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;"> This was the first charted pattern I tried. Initially I struggled, but I found it much</span></span><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> easier once I used highlighters to distinguish between the rows, and ticked them off by pencil as I went. It was also my first attempt at blocking, and there is obviously a lot of room for improvement.</span></span></h2>
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Haziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095106677922460576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4383832811557337226.post-18890718332146344622015-04-26T03:11:00.000-07:002015-04-26T03:12:36.562-07:00Ditzy dressThis is my first ever foray into dressmaking. It has been a very, very steep learning curve. I had thought that the transition from patchwork to dressmaking would be easy. Sewing is sewing, right?<br />
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Little did I realise that there are actually two distinct skill sets involved with dressmaking: sewing (which is surprisingly different to patchwork), and fitting. The dress is McCalls <a href="http://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m6959-products-48438.php?page_id=108" target="_blank">m6959</a>, and is classed as "easy". I struggled with every process in making this dress, and re-sewed several of the seams in order to get them pattern perfect. Then I tried the dress on, and it was awful! It fitted like a sack, and made me look totally tubular! Also the sleeves were far too taut, and I couldn't lift my arms away from my body without the whole dress feeling like it would rip across the middle.</div>
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So, having painstakingly sewn the whole thing so accurately, I took my dress along to class where the teacher pinned, and tucked, and adjusted until every single seam had to be re-sewn again. The mistake I had made was to cut the size corresponding to my largest measurement (waist). This meant that the bust and back darts all needed adjusting to bring the dress back in. What I should have done was to cut according to bust size, and adjust outwards at the waist. You live and learn. </div>
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I'm not sure whether the arm problem was due to poor pattern drafting, or my physiology. It wasn't due to picking the wrong size. Although the circumference of the sleeve fitted neatly around my arms, and looked great with my arms hanging by my side, there was no movement at all. To solve this, I followed these tutorials (<a href="http://www.flamencodressmaking.com/2010/12/how-to-sew-sleeves-that-let-you-move/" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://www.21wale.com/2013/12/flatten-your-sleeve-cap.html" target="_blank">here</a>) and flattened the sleeve head. This would have meant that the original crescent shaped sleeve would have ended up very short. To counter this, I had to change the bottom of the sleeve from a concave to a convex curve. To give even more movement, I made this curve slightly longer than the original, thus increasing the diameter of the sleeve for more ease .</div>
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The third adjustment I made was to the length of the skirt. I added two inches to the original pattern, and this fell at mid knee. In the end I felt this was a bit frumpy, so cut an inch off again. I'm not entirely sure this was a good move, as although I prefer the shorter skirt, it now ends at just above my knobbly knees, which is not such a great look either.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RaUIy4GZnC0/VTy5CA3WtoI/AAAAAAAABX0/VCaDkeaaV3E/s1600/20150418_111540-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RaUIy4GZnC0/VTy5CA3WtoI/AAAAAAAABX0/VCaDkeaaV3E/s1600/20150418_111540-1.jpg" height="320" width="189" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WBRsCiFnzeg/VTy5J0XU2NI/AAAAAAAABX8/P_l3Q4Od5rE/s1600/20150418_111545-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WBRsCiFnzeg/VTy5J0XU2NI/AAAAAAAABX8/P_l3Q4Od5rE/s1600/20150418_111545-1.jpg" height="320" width="195" /></a></div>
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So, here is the final dress. I am very pleased that it looks like a proper dress. I am happy with my fabric choices. But, I'm pretty sure it won't turn into a favourite. Despite the arm adjustments, it is still annoyingly restrictive. The skirt is also a bit hit and miss. Because of the fullness, it has a tendency to flare up in the wind. Despite a safety pin holding the wrapover together, I had several Marilyn Monroe moments on a breezy seaside stroll. The other problem is that the fullness in the skirt has a tendency to all gather over my backside, which is not an area where anyone wants to add bulk.</div>
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I started this dress in January, and it was finished in mid April, just in time for some spring sunshine. So, one item crossed off my projects list this month, and a good dent in the fabric stash.</div>
Haziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095106677922460576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4383832811557337226.post-60395037486333117822015-04-13T00:30:00.002-07:002015-04-13T00:31:31.778-07:00Crochet doily project.Not to be put off by the last post, which shows that I am hugely over optimistic when it comes to starting projects, I have hatched a new Grand Plan.<br />
This plan is sort of secret, (mainly so I don't have to admit it if I don't acheive the goal). But I am very happy to share the progress along the way.<br />
Inspired by Pinterest I have decided to do a great big crochet doily project. Eventually I will need something like 100 doilies (told you it was ambitious). A doily a week would take about two years, and a doily a day would whizz through in just over three months.<br />
Having never crocheted anything small or lacy before, I thought I ought to practice before jumping in and buying all the materials. I have had this book for quite a while, and since snowflakes and doilies are kind of similar, I've practiced with a few of these.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jsUqbEUn8gA/VStuMOGYKRI/AAAAAAAABXc/BMwHnrzH8L0/s1600/2015%2B-%2B3" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jsUqbEUn8gA/VStuMOGYKRI/AAAAAAAABXc/BMwHnrzH8L0/s1600/2015%2B-%2B3" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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On the advice of the lady in my local yarn shop I used 4-ply cotton, and a 2.5mm hook. Her advice was good, because I think these are a good size and weight for starching and hanging on a Christmas tree.<br />
The next step in the plan was to try an actual doily. I followed a free pattern off pinterest. The crochet itself was quite easy, but the 4 ply was way too thick. This next photo shows the 4 ply made with a 2.5mm hook, next to the same doily made with size 8 crochet cotton and a 1.25mm hook.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-03ZIVOcMYEQ/VStuMGIW4OI/AAAAAAAABXk/TSiU1ieyDCA/s1600/2015%2B-%2B1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-03ZIVOcMYEQ/VStuMGIW4OI/AAAAAAAABXk/TSiU1ieyDCA/s1600/2015%2B-%2B1" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
The crochet cotton is much more what I wanted, this gives a light lacy feel, whereas the 4ply is more like a trawler net! The downside of the crochet cotton is that the doilies come out much smaller.<br />
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I have carried on with my pinteresting, and made two more doilies. I'm pleased that I've now learned to read charted crochet, I still haven't got the hang of predicting the finished size. I need to learn blocking next, so that they look a little tidier, then just crack on with the other ninety seven! Wish em luck!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FhQk4E3V6lA/VStuMGqWnpI/AAAAAAAABXU/Cjr_s9-h4QI/s1600/2015%2B-%2B2" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FhQk4E3V6lA/VStuMGqWnpI/AAAAAAAABXU/Cjr_s9-h4QI/s1600/2015%2B-%2B2" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Haziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095106677922460576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4383832811557337226.post-27492694645558455732015-04-10T00:16:00.001-07:002015-04-10T00:16:52.871-07:00March reviewSometimes at work I go on soft-skills, corporate type workshops. Negotiation, influencing, that sort of thing. I learned that if a commitment is made publicly it is more likely to be kept. For me, declaring my sewing goals on this blog was supposed to be the public commitment needed to spur me on to action.<br />
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However, the lists show a different story.</div>
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<b>Projects in progress</b></div>
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Lacy Scarf</div>
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Cross stitch train</div>
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Pink elephant</div>
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Minnie mouse bag.</div>
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Secret santa quilt</div>
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Summer dress</div>
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Party dress</div>
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Crochet doily project</div>
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<b>New projects started</b></div>
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Threadcatcher pincushion</div>
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Snake</div>
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So, no finishes, and two new starts. However on the plus side, it has been lovely and sunny, and the garden is looking a lot more loved.</div>
Haziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095106677922460576noreply@blogger.com0