It's In The Mail

I finally had a break to get out of the house and mail in the package containing the Quilts For Kids kit along with a quilt from my stash. Fortunately I had finished both quilts before my home disaster and they were in a room that was undamaged. So it was just a matter of finding a time when the post office was open and no work was being done on my home. 

It's funny that both quilts ended up with a cat theme. I picked out the fabrics for Wild Cats from my stash before I received the kit for Sun Cats.  I machine quilted this one with meandering also. I used a bright textured yellow for the backing fabric. It crinkled up nicely after washing.

 Here's a look-

                                     

And a closer view-

Even though my machine quilting is less than perfect, I know how much my son would have loved receiving one of these when he was going through cancer treatment, so I really hope they bring a little joy to someone.

Great Hat Pattern

I am so excited, I won the Red Velvet Hat Pattern designed by the talented Robyn over at the minimalist knitter.  Thanks Robyn, I love it!!! She has it for sale here and it comes with directions for both worsted and sport versions, appropriate for both men and women.

It is a really cute cabled hat and I long to get started on one for me and each of my teenage daughters! But as I mentioned on my other blog, we have had a home disaster involving major damage to all three floors of our home, so it will be a while before I can accomplish anything. It is no fun having your whole house torn up. But winning this awesome pattern was a real bright spot, so thanks Robyn!!

One Down, One To Go

I finished the Quilts for Kids kit that was sent to me, I used a low loft cotton/poly batting per their directions and I machine quilted it with just meandering. The backing fabric they had in the kit would have just looked hideous rolled to the front and used to bind the quilt. Luckily, I had some lime green left from the other quilt I am making to go along with this one, and it was a perfect match. So the binding problem was solved.

Here's the front of   "Sun Cats"-

And here's the back-

I really like the cat fabric they chose for the front, but I have to admit I'm not crazy about the back. I hope some little girl likes it.

The fabric for the other quilt is from my stash, and I like it better. It seems to me a little more boyish, so maybe my quilts will go to a girl and a boy? Anyway, here's the other one, pin basted and waiting to be machine quilted.

WIP Updates

Here's what I've been working on today, not bad for a morning's progress. I was up at 3:45 this morning in order to take my hubby's aunt for her cataract surgery. So I started scarf number three for the special olympics while I sat in the hospital waiting room. All went smoothly and she is at home now.

 I like to keep a small project going to take with me whenever I know I'll have to wait. I get very cranky if I don't have something to work on while waiting. And I get nervous once I've finished something, if I don't have another project in queue.

 It has been too hot to do much outside, so I've had a chance to get some sewing done on the "quilts for kids" kit. The top is all pieced,  just waiting for me to baste the layers and then machine quilt it. I haven't decided yet how I am going to quilt it.  Pink is not my color, but I think the cat fabric is very cute and I'm sure some little girl will love it.

 Tommorrow, when I'm not so tired, I hope to browse around the 'net at some quilting ideas for this.

Quilts for Kids

When reading the blogs entered  in the Blogger's Quilt Festival back in May,  I came across a number of bloggers who had made quilts for Quilts For Kids.  This organization gives handmade quilts to kids in the hospital with life threatening illnesses such as cancer, and to children who have suffered abuse.
If you contact them, they will send you a free kit with all of the pieces precut, directions included. You need to supply the batting, construct the quilt per their directions and mail it back to them. They ask that you also donate a quilt of your own, so that more children can recieve one.

The photo above shows the kit I recieved this week. Here's another shot-

There are local chapters as well, so the quilts you make can go to your own community. I discovered that my local chapter donates quilts to the hospital where my son was treated for cancer when he was little, so this feels really right to me. After I finish the kit sent to me and mail it back to the national group, I will be making a few for our local chapter.

Loves Music, Loves to Knit

Last night the hubs and I had a rare special treat,  we went out to a concert. We had our 25th anniversary a few weeks ago, so this was to celebrate it. We went and saw Kansas, Styx, and Foreigner. It was a great show and I had forgotten how much I liked Foreigner.  As all of you who are parents know, the kids always come first. When you are raising a large family there's often no time and and even less money to do things like that. So we really enjoyed ourselves.

The concert venue was just over an hour away,  so I brought along my knitting to keep me occupied in the car. I made pretty good progress for just over an hour's work. This scarf will be going to the Michigan Special Olympics, which I posted about recently. I am knitting it in mistake rib, which couldn't be easier, it's great for those times you just want mindless knitting -  cast on  a multiple of 4, plus 3 extra stitches. Then k2, p2 across, and p the last stitch. Just keep repeating this row.  I am knitting it on big size 10 needles, so it goes fast and feels nice and squishy:) This will be scarf no. two, I don't know how many I'll get done this summer.

Apron Fun

After working for so long on the white/beige rag quilt, I desperately needed some color.  I've been wanting to make a new apron, so this was a good time to play. I couldn't find a pattern to suit me, and I rarely follow directions anyway, so I designed my own.

 I wanted the neck strap to button rather than tie, and since I am left-handed, it needed to button on the left side. As I mentioned previously, I love birds. So when I came across this bird fabric, I knew it was the one. I pulled out a green from my stash that matched the foliage, and finished it with canary yellow bias tape that matched the color of the goldfinches. For the waist ties, I cut a 3" horizontal strip, folded it right sides together and sewed it like a tube, then turned it right side out and pressed. Cut it in half and sewed one tie to each side. I did this for the neck strap also, making a buttonhole on the end of the left side of the strap, and sewed it to the top of the apron on the right side with a button on top.

 This used only half of a yard of the bird fabric ( I had a yard so that I could use it lengthwise-I cut it in half on the lengthwise fold), along with some of the contrasting green fabric, and was quick to make. I still have half a yard of the bird fabric left, so I may make another apron in a different style.

I cook a lot, as you will know if you read my vegetarian cooking blog and I tend to be clumsy and spill/drop things regularly, so I love aprons!! Here is a shot of it being worn-pay no attention to the model, it's not a good shot of me, it was 90 degrees when this was taken ;)