Plaids and Stripes

This Churn Dash quilt is made from various stripes and plaids, only the sashing being a solid. There are several old cotton shirts used as well, one of my favorite ways to acquire fabric! It measures 60 by 60 inches and the blocks are 12 inches.
I used triangle paper to make the half-square triangles, 4 inch size. I spray starch all my fabric to avoid distortion, in fact that is the only way I ever have any accuracy in my piecing. This was my first "on point" setting, and I think it turned out fairly well. You have to have the entire thing ready before you begin that type of setting. It is machine quilted with rayon thread. I did not mark it, just followed the pattern pieces and used a walking foot. The binding is an old curtain. I wanted this to look really old, and I think it does.
Here is the back:

Old Shale Baby Blanket

"Old Shale" is another very easy lace pattern that becomes almost mindless, also called "Feather and Fan". This yarn is an inexpensive Red Heart worsted weight varigated. This is a very well known old standby pattern. There are many free patterns on the web for it in variations. I like it because only one row in each 4 row repeat is a little complicated, the rest are just purl and knit. Even the harder row becomes easy, making it an easy take along project. I used sized 9 knitting needles. This will be a charity baby blanket, or else a gift for someone. I like the subtle colors.
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Socks Completed!

After many years of knit and crochet, I finally learned how to make a pair of socks. This is Lion Brand "Magic Stripes" sock yarn (makes its own stripes). I used the Joan Fernbach pattern found at: http://knitting.about.com/library/blthreesock.htm
I used size 3 double pointed needles instead of the recommended size 6 because my gauge is very large. This is made with three needles and you work on the fourth needle, I could not get the hang of working with a five needle set. I had to practice patience and undo many stitches until I finally got it, then it was very enjoyable to construct.
I could not have finished without the great pictures found on this site:
http://www.socknitters.com/lessons/lessons.html
Here is a link to a page with some great sock sites, too:
http://www.knittingpatterncentral.com/directory/socks.php

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Prayer Shawl

This is my knitted prayer shawl, almost finished, the fringe isn't on it yet, and I still need to weave in loose ends. I made up the pattern as I went. It is done in stockinette stitch with a garter stitch border at sides, top and bottom.
"Pray without ceasing" , 1 Thessalonians 5:17.

Dear Jane Blocks

Here are some of my blocks from the Jane Stickle quilt. I began in 2001, and still only have around 60 done. I was thinking of setting a time limit, and if I don't have all 169 plus the triangles done, then just make a small quilt, but......I probably won't do that. I guess it is a very long term project. I use every technique for this, applique, hand-piecing, foundation paper-piecing, machine piecing, whatever I can do to get the block done. For those unfamiliar with this 1863 reproduction quilt, the blocks are very small, 4 1/2 inches.
I hope some of you will leave some comments if you are doing one too.

Pinkwork

I am working on some nursery rhyme blocks, here is the first one I finished, "Little Red Riding Hood". After I did it, I realized I was supposed to reverse this pattern, but she stays as she is!
I am using DMC floss number 961 which I think looks like the antique double-pink fabrics found in old quilts. It is really a bubble gum pink, I love it. It is lighter than it looks in the picture, actually the color of a piece of bubble gum, looks very vintage! I used a small light box and red pencil to trace the design onto the fabric. I use two strands of floss, except for small details I use just one strand.
This was a free pattern, along with a whole set, here is the link, I hope it works:
http://www.patternbee.com/FREENQ.html

Vintage Blocks Rescued

I was given some very distorted old vintage blocks, so I put them together with a 1930's repro sashing, and added the pink corners with fabric from an old shirt. I think the original blocks were supposed to be "Ocean Waves" blocks. I machine quilted it. It is crib size.
Its funny how we strive to be perfect in our piecing these days, in the old days, they didn't worry about that.

Here is the back.

More Filet Crochet

This is filet crochet valance also done with a number 7 steel hook and size 10 crochet thread. The snowflake pattern is from The Filet Crochet Book, a great book of beautiful and do-able patterns. I don't know if the book is still in print, but most libraries have it.
I have a very odd gauge, so to make my pattern come out with the squares actually being square, I have to work the grid using three double crochets for the filled in spaces and for the open spaces just double crochet, then chain one, then another double crochet.
Most filet crochet is worked with a four double crochet grid. Mine turns out rectangle if to that, so I have to compensate. I don't know why that happens, I guess the way I hold the hook, or my tension.
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Proverbs 31

Proverbs 31: 30, 31.
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Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain:
but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.
Give her of the fruit of her hands;
and let her own works praise her in the gates.

Flying Geese Antique Look

My "masterpiece" in progress. A Flying Geese done in old fashioned strippy set, I tried my best to make this look really old. Most of the fabrics are reproductions, but some just look old. You can see the basting thread still in while I am working on it. I am using a blue thread to quilt the "geese" and will use brown for the brown reproduction floral strips. I have had this fabric for several years and began making the geese blocks a couple of years ago. There are five strips of geese with 23 in each strip. The geese blocks are 3" by 6".
Will try to put a photo on when its done.

String Quilt Top















I am going to quilt it with the old time fan pattern by hand. This is a replica of an antique one I saw, but I didn't try to make an exact match, just basically used the colors and similar patterns, and didn't worry about the placement. The blocks were done on notebook paper, then trimmed down to 9 1/2 by 6 1/2. The pattern comes from the center all being the same fabric.















Here is a close up. I am very happy with this one and will make it again, probably as a gift in another color.

Filet Crochet

Some Filet Crochet in progress....My design of a Celtic Cross. Used a size 7 steel hook and size 10 Crochet thread. This is my own design.

Broken Dishes

I made a replica of an antique doll quilt, the pattern is "Broken Dishes". It measures 20" by 20", but I made it larger than original. Jo Morton did this on Simply Quilts, but I had planned my quilt before I saw that episode. Couldn't believe it when I saw she was doing the same thing. Her's however, was done in the original size.


Here is the back of the little quilt. The quilting is done by hand with brown thread.

Knitting Lace

This is a baby blanket I knitted for my grandaughter who is now seven. Believe it or not, this pattern is very easy, and becomes almost brainless after you do it for a while. I call it "Zig Zag" lace. I also knitted the edging.

Some Banner Photos~
I am just getting started with this sewing blog, and I hope readers will enjoy the photos. The blog will basically be about sewing, quilting, (also knit, crochet and embroidery), and I hope to share some of my love of our Lord also. I do a lot of church sewing, so here are a few pictures of some banners I have made.
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This is a large Alpha and Omega Cross that hangs in our Sanctuary. I designed it myself and it is made on a heavy twill type fabric with no lining. I used Wonder Under, but found I always have to machine stitch the motifs on when using that product. There is fringe on the bottom which does not show in the picture.



















A very large Advent Banner. This is a medium weight fabric, and I lined it with felt. Again, I had to machine stitch the motifs down, and I glued the candle flames that are made of ribbon. The white candle is a ribbon, the rest of the fabrics are cottons, some with gold in them. The large white Cross is also ribbon. This is one of my own designs, the pointed bottom with tassels does not show here. I did some quilting stitches through both layers in a few places to keep the front from sagging away from the lining. One thing I think I am learning about making banners, it is better not to line them if you don't have to.



















This is a Christmas banner, the pattern was from a book with some innovation on my part. It is a very light weight polyester fabric which I lined with felt. After I made it, I had to cut the lining away from the sides and bottom, so it would hang well. Surprisingly, this fabric worked out very well, and it works great having the lining loose and only attached at the top. The fabric is too light weight to not have something behind it. I originally decided to use this fabric because I already had it. The large gold Cross is ribbon, the rest of the motifs are cotton fabrics and one gold Christmas type fabric.

I lay my banners out on one of those folding cardboard cutting boards to do my design work (the kind you can get at any fabric place).
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Blessings~