Changes...

I've had a new tag line in my head for the past few days. I also decided to just give in to the brown and turquoise color palette and spruce up around here a bit. Like it? Let me know if anything is wonky for any of you (let me know what browser you use).

UFO pics this weekend!

Done! Finished Duvet Cover

Whew! Finally done!



I decided to back the top afterall. I figured if I'm going to this much trouble to make a duvet cover, I didn't want to risk having any of the seams come apart. I'm quite happy with the result.

I found a 100% cotton sateen sheet (for $11!!) at Zellers to use for the back of the duvet cover. The top is machine quilted "in the ditch". I think I may add buttons to the open end to close it (safety pins are doing the job right now).



Surprisingly (ha) it matches my new "art"... :D

(almost) FO: Duvet Cover

I finished the top for my duvet cover this evening! Yay!



I'm really happy with it. It does further the color-blocked issue, but I'm okay with that.

I had some challenges with laying out the blocks

I don't have a lot of floor space and had to move some furniture around just to lay it out.

I also don't have a very big table (my sewing machine is on a desk-sized table)

so I ended up sitting on the top while pinning the rows of blocks to sew.

I would have a completed duvet cover, but the sheet that I planned to use for the back turned out to be exactly 4 inches too narrow... :( Oh well. This gives me some time to decide whether or not I should back the top and do some simple quilting for stability before I sew on the duvet cover backing. I'm still undecided on that one...

******

We're in the middle of the Victoria Day long weekend, and the weather has been amazing! Yay! It's finally spring. I spent the day yesterday with the Boy, doing some running around and took his dog to the park so he (the dog, not the Boy) could go for a swim in the river.

Late last night, I was dreaming that someone was telling me to answer the phone. I kept telling them it was nothing, but they were insisting that my phone was ringing and I should answer it. I woke up and my phone was ringing. At 2:45 am.

Now, I don't know about you, but my first thought when the phone rings that late is that there is something extremely serious going on that someone would have to call me that late.

I bolted from bed without thinking and got to the phone just as it stopped ringing. It was the Boy. The hell? He didn't leave a message and I went back to bed to try to get back to sleep. I was a bit annoyed, I couldn't figure out why he called and he didn't leave a message. I had just fallen back asleep when the phone rang again!! This time I answered it and there was no one there.

Apparently I called him back and left a message asking what was going on and why he was calling me. He saw that I had called in the middle of the night and did some investigating: He had forgotten to lock the keypad and had laid the phone on the floor to charge. The dog, sleeping nearby, had hit redial. Twice. Yay. Late night calls from the dog...

Losing track...

The other day on the phone, The Boy asked me what I was working on. I said I was seaming the squares for my Leftover blanket. He asked if that was the one that was a gift for my friend. I had to think for a minute what he was talking about and then I realized that I had started a felted blanket for a friend a while ago (I'll take pics soon) and had stalled out on it. I said no, this one was for me. He asked me how many blankets I'm working on and it got me thinking.

The answer: more than I realized.

-the Leftover blanket
-the felted blanket for my friend
-a gift for my Mom (which I will keep hidden here because my Mom is now able to read my blog! Everyone say Hi to my Mom!)
-the duvet cover/blanket out of denim strips
-a quilted duvet cover that I had totally forgotten that I started!

Yesterday morning, I woke up thinking I would work on the Leftover blanket for a while. Instead I felt like sewing so I got out the pieces for the quilted duvet cover. I started on it at 10:30, and suddenly it was 4:00 and I had this:



I'm using up a bunch of fabric that has been sitting in stash for too long. Some of it I got for really cheap at Value Village (like 2.5 meters for $3) and I can't see myself ever using it in anything else (why did I get it then? Um. $3 for 2.5 meters of uncut cotton? You would have bought it also)(Yes you would have).


Because it's a duvet cover, I'm not using batting, so I'm quilting the pieced sections to each larger background piece. My plan is to minimize the number of seams that could face wear and tear, since the pieced area will not have a backing (or it might, i don't know. Maybe I should... )



I kind of think I should complete the blankets I have started before I start anything else. Ooh, except there's that top I've been wanting to make... Oh, and that cotton sweater I was thinking about... And...

Don't look now, but...

... Spring is here! (upcoming weather possibilities notwithstanding)



... I'm (almost) finished with the leftovers for my Leftover Blanket!



I need 5 more half-squares for the edges but I'm starting to seam the squares today, I couldn't wait.



I used almost every inch of my leftovers, plus one extra ball of sock yarn which was an orphan. I love how it's looking and can't believe these little squares kept my interest for this long! The plan is to knit solid colored bands around the center leftover rectangle. I'm sure I'll be working on this for quite a while yet, but it feels good to have this much completed!

Color blocked

If you've been following my projects for any length of time, you may have noticed that I tend to stick pretty closely to the same colors. Blues, Greens, Browns. It's not always a conscious choice, I just tend to be drawn to this palette.

So it should come as no real surprise that when I decided that I wanted to make some "art" (let's be honest here: glorified wall decoration is probably more accurate) for my bedroom that I ended up with aqua-ish and brown.



I picked up some cheap canvases from Michaels and some acrylics. I wanted something graphic and not really representative of anything (although one looks like weaving... obsession coming through). There was a fourth but I'm not happy with it and I kind of like just the three on the wall.


(dud)

After I started the fourth I realized it looked kind of like stocking stitch. I may put it up eventually but for now it's in time-out.

Further evidence of my color block:

Beautiful roving purchased from Etsy seller spinswim.


I am loving this roving. The colors are very intense and I can't wait for it to be yarn. I'm spinning it fairly thin, hoping for a sock-weight-ish. It will probably become a lace wrap/scarf. I think this color will make me happy in the dead of winter. It's making me happy now, what with all the snow and cold we're having. (still. ugh)

A month or so ago I cut up a bunch of old, worn out jeans. I originally was planning to make a braided rug but didn't like how it was turning out. So, I decided to sew the strips together to make a blanket (or possibly a duvet cover. Haven't decided yet).


I'm just overlapping the edges and sewing with a zigzag stitch. I'll need to trim some of the errant threads from the cut edges but I really like how it's turning out.



I also started a shawl in some Fleece Artist Sea Wool I bought around Christmas. I was planning to make socks but decided it's so pretty and the sheen and drape are more suited for something drapey. I tend towards more utilitarian socks, it seemed a waste (gasp) of such nice yarn.


I'm using a Feathered Rib stitch from a stitch dictionary. Not much to look at now, but I think it will be nice when done.

Finally, some more pics of the leftover blanket:

I'm cheating a bit here and using some odd-ball sock yarn that isn't actually leftovers. Don't tell.



37 down... 20(or so) to go...

Seriously?

Last Saturday and Sunday we had sun and temps in the 20s (Celsius -- low 70s F). This morning?



It's about -11C / 12F with a windchill. And snow. At first, yesterday, it was a typical Calgary April snow... heavy wet snow that just melted when it hit the ground. Somehow in the evening it decided to get cold on us.



I need to venture out today. If I make it back I'll post some in progress pics of a blanket I'm working on. And a top. And another top. And the leftover blanket. And... well, you get the idea.