Are You Sewing Along?

Every Wednesday through August a new block will be released

for your sewing pleasure--are you sewing along?  I'm saving

the patterns, although they are still on the website to

download anytime.

 Sewcial Bee Sampler Page

will take you to the information you will need to begin

This is the twelfth block of the series and is called

Right Angle!  This is an interesting way to use those

half square triangles--

Tiny Treasure

The other day I was straightening up my closet--it's amazing what I can

find in the dark recesses of that place.  Years ago, we were fortunate

enough to take a journey to China--an enlightening adventure to

say the least.  We picked up some interesting textiles on that trip-

like this 

tiny shoe from a generation of bound feet!

We visited a museum in this Shangani gentlemen's home

He had made it his life mission to visit Chinese ladies who

live in outlying regions to see if they had shoes from

this era of bound feet.  He had a massive collection--

it was a sight to see!  So many different little shoes--

hard to imagine they came from those who did

the unthinkable--but it was the custom to have tiny 

feet--to be waited upon by the family members.

Most of his collection were pairs, but he did have some

singles.  Of these he allowed me to buy this one.

I chose this tiny one because of the indigo features in the details.

Someone in the family, maybe even the wearer, had

used indigo bath to dye the fabric and threads used to

decorate this ornate footwear.

It is a treasure--just wish I knew more about the person

who this foot adorned.

Decisions!

We need a quilt--a longer wider quilt!  We purchased a 'mattress in a box' and hubby got the extra thick one--and then we added a topper!  It's like--run and take a flying leap to get into bed.
Maybe, we need a small trampoline to jump on to make that hop!  Anyway, really like that bed, but
all the quilts are too short--he likes to tuck them in at the bottom--now, all we have are not that long--hence the search for a new quilt pattern--that is quick plus it must be easy--we would like to have it by winter time.

How about this one?  Stash buster from Cluck Cluck Sew free tutorials

the bins are full of scraps and it would be nice to bust that scrap bin wide

open and GONE!

This one is pretty much the same type of pattern, but longer rectangles. 

Two by Four  Film in the Fridge has another free tutorial that looks

quick and easy

another stash buster

This is called Bricks and Stepping Stones

Quiltville has a free pattern breakdown for this charmer.

I also saw it here 

Confessions of a Fabric Addict has this tutorial on what she calls a slab block

This is just a little more involved--so, this might be left for when I have

more time--when is that??

Art Gallery Fabrics has this super looking quilt called The

Belle Wave--

I just can not decide which one to begin--

And I'm still looking!!

And Then There Was Some Sewing Time.................

This house is one total disaster--furniture is moved away from the walls; some has been moved into other rooms--pictures have been taken down--it's a land mine waiting to happen!  We have the painters in....................and they are painting downstairs, which has high high ceilings.  Scaffolding has to be used to reach the water leak problem.  While the painters are working downstairs I found time to sew!  Yes, I could sew in my studio upstairs!!  And stay out of the way of the painters!  Here is the fruit of that progress.............

This is April's pattern from A Quilting Life

I'm using greens and pinks from a layer cake

I bought some time ago.  Not my favorite

colors, but it will be a charity quilt and I'm

sure someone will love it.

I found that I hadn't finished last week's pattern

from Pat Sloan's Solstice Challenge

And this one was on the ironing board--just needed to press on 

the petals and do the blanket stitch around each.

Estonian Knitting

It's hard to photography this knitting--but, trust me,

I'm knitting away and finished the April pattern

for Elizabeth Ravenwood's Estonian knit along.

Here is the second Estonian pattern from 

a different knit along--this one designed by

 Toni L. Lorenz--both patterns are on Ravelry.

It is also April finish!

I've enjoyed both of these knits and with the addition

of beads, the scarves will look smashing.

Traditionally, Estonian knitting uses nupps--which

are not for me!  I tried them once--that was enough

to know I don't like them!

If two Estonian knits wasn't enough, I signed up for a third--

this one is also designed by Elizabeth Ravenwood and

it will give me patterns that that the other two do not.

I'm using Knit Picks lace weight yarn in an icy blue--it's

Alpaca/silk blend and feels really good.  I'm just on the

fifth row; had to stop to look for beads to use--still no

nupps for me!

Challenge! Join In!

Devan Alana has a challenge for us--

her knitalong began yesterday--April 17th 

there is no reason why we can't join in today

or any day this week or next.  This is the Elena Shawl

KAL and will be featured on Ravelry or here on her

website.

She proposes to finish May 13 in Sevilla--would I like to

be there to knit along with everyone else!  

She has instructions in English and Spanish--

it goes to prove Knitting language is universal!

What To Do With Leftover Easter Dyes

Do you shop the after Easter sales?  Not just for the candy--which is fun--I shop for the leftover dye kits for eggs!  They usually sell cheap and I hoard them throughout the year.  They can be used to dye eggs later in the year, but I like to use them to dye my fiber.  I have dyed silk yarn in the microwave with dye mixture.  I came upon this cool way to dye a 'cake' of yarn--

Have fun!! and dye away!!