Playing Around..........................

I should be working....on various projects,

BUT

I'm playing around with other stuff--

Like these cute snowmen from Fatcat Patterns.

Her designs always cheer me up!

There is a large bag filled with these squares--

don't have the foggiest idea when or why I made them--

there they are--ready for layout, so I'm playing around

with sets--these blocks are 2.5"--could make a tiny 

quilt, I guess

What wonderful blocks--all 5" of them!  I was playing

around with making coasters--

backing, a few closing stitches and

whoa! We have some nice useable items!

Oh, yeah--I like playing around!!

MKALs

Oh Good--another mystery knitting adventure for

fingerless gloves!!

FRIENDLY DRAGON--Fingerless gloves designed by Sabine Kastner

Clue 1: Tuesday, 1 October
Clue 2: Sunday, 6 October
Clue 3: Sunday, 13 October
Clue 4: Sunday, 20 October
Clue 5: Sunday, 27 October

Notions you will need:

• 3 mm (US size 2½) circular needle, 80 cm/32’’ long, to work the magic loop technique (or size to obtain the desired gauge). If you prefer other needles for working in the round over a small circumference, you will need an extra short cable needle of the same size for the cast-on.
• 6 seed beads (4 mm beads work well with sport-weight yarn)
• Fine crochet hook (must fit through the hole of the beads) or dental floss for applying the beads
• Cable needle (if you need one)
• Waste yarn, stitch markers, darning needle

The pattern includes information on how to adjust the measurements of the mitts by varying yarn weight and gauge (note that this will influence the yardage required).

This sounds so spooky--"Ghost of the Moon Shawl"

Hosted by Meghan Jones--you'll find the free pattern

on Plymouth Yarn Magazine website beginning October 1--

there will be spooky poems as well as weekly clues along

with tutorials to make this Autumn accessory

Wooly Adventure Begins.........................

Wooly Begins

How Wooly Works

• The 2019 theme is "holiday Celebrations"
• Each participating shop will design their own 8" wool applique pattern to go with the theme
• Visit any Wooly Block Adventure shop to receive one of their 8" patterns free
• Patterns and kits can be purchased online or mail order during the event, which runs October 1-November 30, 2019
• Patterns are only sourced in PDF and not mailed unless you order the print copy

Participating Wooly Shops 

Want to Waste Time?

I'm really into this--Exuberant Color--has the best ways to clean up your time wasting habits!!  Was glad to run into their blog to find these ten (10) ways to give you more time in the studio while you are quilting--

Time Waster One--disorganized fabrics--oh YES!  

my fabrics are all over the place--look how neat this

stack above is!

Time Waster Two--cluttered working area!

You bet!  mine looks terrible; just making your

working space less messy, you will find it is more desirable

Time Waster Three--wrinkled fabric scraps!

Mine look like you'd never use them at any time!

I think all these are absolutely perfect for any type of 

fiber work--check out the blog to read what the other seven

time wasters are--you'll be surprised how you can clean up

your studio to work more efficiently!

Recycling?

 May moons ago, I was weaving constantly!  I do mean constantly!  I wove many yards of fabric--most of that yardage went into my 'secret' stash bin.  Just recently, I was rearranging the closet where
the bin set--thought, why not see what's in that bin?  it was yards and yards of handwoven fabric!

Why not do something with all this lovely fabric?  

I turned them into dish cloths--that's what I did!

Some were cotton--like this one with slubs of color;

most were plain weave structure

some were linen

this was 10H weave, when I had that loom--it is

 structure drafted from my last name--cotton

I also found handspun (warp and weft) indigo dyed cotton yardage that I used for my

costume when I worked at 1790's plantation--some of my

very first handspun cotton too--not such a great job--

it was effective for what I used it for.

I've been hemming these towels for the past few days--

thinking about those days when I treadled away!

do I give them as a gift?  Use them myself?

Anyway, I've recycled from one stash bin--

to another!

CatchUP!

Not been much in the mood to sew, or weave, or knit or spin!

Just being lazy--but it's time to motivate myself--besides, it

is September!  Cooler weather, shorter days, more gatherings (

that's lots of motivation!)

Pat Sloan's Out of this World BOM for August!

Here is my version with sunflower fabrics

These are setting blocks—only one more block to finish. 

Or yes, I'm a sucker for anything fall, pumpkins, leaves, etc

this fall mystery came from Fort Worth Fabric Studio

with 2019 Spooky Halloween Mystery--each week a different

block--Here is the first block

It makes me feel cooler when I'm working with these colors!

Fort Worth Fabric Studio has the final free steps for you!

Look for another SAL with upcoming Christmas theme

Potholders............................

I bet your potholders look better than mine!  No matter how often I wash them--there is always that faded look and I get tired of seeing the same ones over and over again--I know, that's not a big deal to some.

here are the ones in my towel bin now--

I love. love the ones I made from this pattern and usually if I give

a gift it is using this pattern and I make it from handwoven fabric

This one was a gift from a dear friend--it has been

used so much but every time I use it, I think

of her.

I decided I needed some new hot pad holders!  I've been

thinking about all those 'orphan' blocks I have--

than that light bulb went off in my head--

those could be used to make some really neat

hotpads!  

I found this tutorial--yep!  

These were orphan blocks--the mittens were from an exchange 

that was done about 20 years ago--one on the left was hand stitched

motif that I didn't know what to do with--problem solved!

 another orphan star block--turned into a nice size potholder!

These two were handwoven pouches that were used for

name tags--always wanted to use them--found that

potholders were the perfect answer!

in each potholder, I used two layers of this teflon shield

fabric--works well along with two layers of cotton batting.