Funky Frogs of Looove!

See what I did yesterday? I tell you, this pattern works up so fast! (Even when you barely have enough of some of the fabrics! The lovelovelove and the stripey fabric was just enough to do the job.) I wonder how many of this pattern I'm gonna make.

Stashbuster Alert! I was driving home Sunday and thinking about my stash. Hmm, I thought, I've got some frog fabric. So I got into the green box and pulled out the two from there. I think I could use some pink to offset the green. So I opened the pink/red box. Ooh, pink frogs! But they won't go nicely with the green frogs. Guess I'll have to make another quilt with just pink frogs. So I cut up the green frog fabric and the pink frog fabric and coordinating fabrics for both. You know, I think I may have some really ugly purple frog fabric... And whatever happened to the orange frog fabric? So it's called "The Funky Frogs of Looove". See the frogs? See the love?

... and the Red Thread Continues!

Here's the February installment of the Red Thread. Gosh, I like this project! I almost want to start March now, but discipline is a good thing. You might be able to see where I used the hand-dyed threads as opposed to the standard DMC colors: The hat & little heart and the red thread itself. It's nice to have options. Especially less expensive options!Warm Water Wash is moving right along. The trunks are a little like my DH's, and I've had a black bathing suit with a gold buckle--how funny is that?And here's Liberty Bears! I'd like your opinion. As you can see, the pattern calls for a checkerboard border around the whole thing. I'm thinking of deleting the border and just framing it without. The border seems awfully busy and will just underline the country theme which is not really my style. Will the no-border look just kinda bleed off the edge? Am I just trying to finish it sooner?

Singin' the Blues on Pink Street

I finally finished the flannel blanket that's been sitting in pieces on my desk for (ahem!) three months... or more. I call it finished because I put the label on it, too. The rule is "It's not finished until you've put a label on it." Quilters can be so rule-bound! Took me a while to come up with a name for it, but as it's going to a singer... although it was sewn on an Elna... never mind.

The fluffy side
The "smooth" side

Below is a quilt I started last Friday at PQM. Today, all I had to do was cut and sew the last two borders. I was planning to only have two borders, with a large purple outside, but inspiration hit. I would have loved to put a little of the disco floor fabric in the border, but I used it all up! Same goes for the black. It's hard to see in the photo, but it's actually a checkerboard black on black. This is another Disappearing 9-Patch, ala Life is a Stitch. It always blows me away how fast these little boogers go together! I'm going to title it, "Geometry."
Stashbuster Alert! These are blocks I've had waiting around for me to do something. I made about half of them and the other half were part of a swap. And here's the layout for my next prayer quilt. I think it's the one for my pop. He's got polymyalgia rheumatica and it's no fun. What do you think, Mom? I know you're reading this. Will he like it? Maybe "Geometry" would be more appropriate.

Girlfriends Group

Yesterday, I went to something fun: a Girlfriends Group from MeetUp.com. We met in Point Loma at Panera and brought our knitting (although crochet and other handwork would have been welcome!). I started this baby blanket, Christie was working on a dress (!), Sherry brought a vest she had gotten stuck on--Christie fixed her right up--Heather, our organizer, was working on a cute little dog sweater, and Jillian brought herself back up to speed on the needles. We keep saying how pleasant it is, to get together with "nice, normal women with no drama." (Heh, heh, heh.... wait 'til they really get to know me and my evil twin!)
I put a little tag for the group on the sidebar, beneath my Way Too Many Projects section, so you can check it out. Yes, it's a baby blanket. No, it's not for me. Give that up! I've been wanting to make this pattern for about a year. Now finally someone I know is obliging me by having a baby! Yay! It's all about me, isn't it?

Rainy Doris Day

This is my patio. Note that it is wet. Today, something special happened in San Diego: water fell from the sky! For hours! It was like something out of a fairy tale. I sat myself up against the window and listened to it. The rhythms as the wind pushed it around were almost musical. Maybe that's because I was listening to Doris Day on my iPod. Hmm...
In the meantime I finished my little snowman from the Red Thread SAL. See how his scarf is trailing off the edge of his frame? It's going to be incorporated in the next block. And the next and the next. Cool, huh?

Red Thread--Here I Come!

Hooray! I finally got all the materials together to start the Red Thread Stitch-Along (SAL). A SAL is an online group that all works the same piece together. In this case, it's a monthly piece with charming little patterns and a message about the people you are destined to meet. I'm a month and a half behind!
I had to wait until my LSS (local stitchery shop) owner came back from Nashville, where they have a big convention/sales thingy--I don't know the real name--people just call it "going to Nashville!" She brought me back this delicious peachy-pink cloth--Bittersweet 28 ct Jobelan. I was so excited upon leaving the shop, I went right home and took a nap. Well.... it's a long drive.... and I had a busy afternoon and evening ahead.... okay, I'm a wimp. But I'm going to work on it today! Oh, boy! Oh, boy! Oh, boy!

Bad Yarn

Hey, Kids! A little warning: don't buy this yarn! It splits really easily. I couldn't even finish casting on with it. I plan to return it as soon as I can get down to the store. I want to make the blanket from the novel The Store on Blossom Street. In support of small business, I've tried two of my local yarn shops (LYS) , but I think I'll have to go to the superstore and buy acrylic. Boo. Warm Water Wash is progressing nicely--it's almost all I did yesterday! Tomorrow I get to go to the cross-stitch store and I can look for something appropriate to make the sun look good. Also, I can start on the Bent Creek SAL, God willing.
Consarn it, I suppose it's time to set some goals! By the end of February, I want to

1. Finish the pink & blue flannel quilt
2. Bind Kiwi Twist
3. Start Bent Creek SAL and finish 1 element
   

De-stressing

Warm Water Wash is proceeding with alacrity--I suppose that's due to

1. a big headache (but it will be over)
2. the desire to avoid stress. I love my DD, but raising a teenager (and being one, if I recall correctly) is like walking into a haunted house at the fair: you never know what icky thing is going to jump out at you but you're sure something will any minute and you won't like it. To carry the analogy further, you know that it will end, and approximately when. Further, it's pricier than it should be.

The flosses I've pictured are the ones suggested to create the sun. However, the dye lot is quite different than the one in the picture supplied--I'll have to make some changes. Bwah-ha-ha! The mad scientist emerges from her psyche...

Washing Liberty?

As you can see, I've started Warm Water Wash. These threads are a bit tricky to work with. I want to preserve the striations that come from the deliberate unevenness of hand-dying so each stitch must be completed on its own rather than running a row in halves then coming back over it. Some of the color runs show variety better than others. Also, this one is another that requires good lighting. I can only sit in Starbucks so long to sew! Longer if I can get a window.
Also, Liberty Bears is showing some personality. I decided to focus on the bears so they can keep me company. Their names are Troy and Zelda. This one is huge count--I don't know, maybe 7 stitches to the inch! Sometimes that gives a simple piece a more primitive feel and, as the fabric looks almost like natural burlap, that seems appropriate. Happily, it doesn't require great lighting!

Sous-Stitcher

I'm doing the prep work for a project. I guess that makes me a sous-stitcher (ya know, like a sous-chef in the kitchen!) The hand-dyed floss is beautiful, and I love the variations apparent in the finished work. However, look closely at the label. See the two scary words? You can almost hear the knell of doom: "not colorfast." Do not ask for whom the bell tolls, baby, it tolls for thee. (John Donne gets the credit for that line--but I added the baby part.)
Some of you know exactly what that means: something so beautiful could just ruin the thing it's creating. So it's time to wash. And blot. And hang to dry. And (eventually) wind it on a card so it won't tangle while it's waiting to be stitched. All so I can sew this: Okay.

CSI: Quilt Group

Well, I delayed getting in the car as much as I could, but I did get to the meeting.

Today at Prayer Quilt Ministry--I swear, we need a better name than that!--we had some beautiful quilts hanging around. The first three were made by other quilters. These are just a few of 'em:

In the Navy
I think Valerie made this one

This cool quilt whose name I don't know but Sharon made it

Valerie's Flannel Quilt
Lost in the Fabric Jungle

This one I did make, but 4 years ago. My style has changed in the interim, as you may notice. Kimlee brought it back for repairs on little splits that came about from use. Now it's faded and soft from regular washing. It's the Velveteen Rabbit of the quilt world: it's missing an eye and has had all its fur loved off... but it's REAL. Kimlee also knows how much we love to nibble during our meetings and brought in this sweet little cupcake tree. Aren't the roses beautiful? But look at the top. Hmm. Something seems wrong. There's no frosting rose! And a decided tongue print left behind. Valerie, our beloved leader was CSI: Quilt Group all by herself. She spotted that, spun around, and pointed a finger at me! How did she know? Must be DNA evidence...