Continuing where my last post left off...
I made a couple of doilies for Granny W. using a dusty rose thread that matches some of her decor.
First, a pattern that I've used before (in blue, that time). I found the chart online, and I don't remember much about it. I don't know its name-- don't know if it even has one-- but I call it "North Star" because it looks vaguely star-like to me. It's fairly small and very simple, so long as you don't mind trebles. Possibly it's meant to be made in large numbers and joined together to make a tablecloth or lacy bedspread?
The other doily was worked using the same ball of thread. (Actually, I made this one first, then worked up the smaller doily with the remnant.)
It's a Patricia Kristoffersen design-- "Majestic" from her Masterpiece Doilies booklet.
(There are a more photos of most of these projects on my Flickr photostream, by the way...)
A few years (?) ago, I stocked up on flannel at Jo-Ann's Black Friday sale. It was 99 cents a yard. (I think-- certainly no more than that.) I had recently been bitten by the rag quilting bug and apparently thought I was going to cover every surface in the house in rag quilts, judging by the amount of flannel I bought. (Oh, the shame. Will I ever use it all?)
Anyway, I put some of that flannel to good use this year making a Christmas-gift rag quilt for my little niece Clarabel. My brother-in-law (her father) had given me some of his old jeans to use for rag quilting, earlier this year (I think), and right away I had the idea of using them to make a rag quilt for Clarabel. Here it is:
(It's not the best photo, but it gets the idea across...)
And here's the back:
If nothing else can be said in its favor, at least no-one in her right mind would deny that it is BRIGHT and CHEERY (with a vengeance). ;o) Also very pink and little-girly.
As you can tell, I let it go pretty much completely random on the back. None of this nonsense of trying to make diagonal stripes. (I've done that before, and it was a huge headache. I had to rip things out and resew, something I don't enjoy.) I did try to distribute the different shades of denim fairly evenly on the front, though, while still letting it be random(ish).
In any case, I think it's cute, and I know from the rag quilts we use at home that they can be quite warm and cozy (if heavy). I do like rag quilts, even though they're a huge pain to launder. (Fortunately, they don't need washing that often, in my experience.) Maybe I'll try to find anothervictim recipient to make one for... I'll make more for us, too, but at some point, a household of two people has reached its capacity for blankets. (Or so they say... I'm still not completely convinced. There are just too many afghans I want to make, for one thing!)
I added a few sparkly sequins and beads (and a little extra stitching) to the front, as well as the year and my "signature" to the back. It's not perfect, but I think it has a certain handmade charm. That's always safe to say, right? (g) (And there's no rule saying she has to use it, if she doesn't want to.)
I made a couple of doilies for Granny W. using a dusty rose thread that matches some of her decor.
First, a pattern that I've used before (in blue, that time). I found the chart online, and I don't remember much about it. I don't know its name-- don't know if it even has one-- but I call it "North Star" because it looks vaguely star-like to me. It's fairly small and very simple, so long as you don't mind trebles. Possibly it's meant to be made in large numbers and joined together to make a tablecloth or lacy bedspread?
The other doily was worked using the same ball of thread. (Actually, I made this one first, then worked up the smaller doily with the remnant.)
It's a Patricia Kristoffersen design-- "Majestic" from her Masterpiece Doilies booklet.
(There are a more photos of most of these projects on my Flickr photostream, by the way...)
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A few years (?) ago, I stocked up on flannel at Jo-Ann's Black Friday sale. It was 99 cents a yard. (I think-- certainly no more than that.) I had recently been bitten by the rag quilting bug and apparently thought I was going to cover every surface in the house in rag quilts, judging by the amount of flannel I bought. (Oh, the shame. Will I ever use it all?)
Anyway, I put some of that flannel to good use this year making a Christmas-gift rag quilt for my little niece Clarabel. My brother-in-law (her father) had given me some of his old jeans to use for rag quilting, earlier this year (I think), and right away I had the idea of using them to make a rag quilt for Clarabel. Here it is:
(It's not the best photo, but it gets the idea across...)
And here's the back:
If nothing else can be said in its favor, at least no-one in her right mind would deny that it is BRIGHT and CHEERY (with a vengeance). ;o) Also very pink and little-girly.
As you can tell, I let it go pretty much completely random on the back. None of this nonsense of trying to make diagonal stripes. (I've done that before, and it was a huge headache. I had to rip things out and resew, something I don't enjoy.) I did try to distribute the different shades of denim fairly evenly on the front, though, while still letting it be random(ish).
In any case, I think it's cute, and I know from the rag quilts we use at home that they can be quite warm and cozy (if heavy). I do like rag quilts, even though they're a huge pain to launder. (Fortunately, they don't need washing that often, in my experience.) Maybe I'll try to find another
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Back to doilies!
I crocheted this "Wreath of Roses" doily for Granny L. It's my first Irish crochet doily. There were tons of ends to weave in, but the flowers and leaves actually weren't that tricky, once I'd made one or two.
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Finally, I made a little felt Christmas ornament for Clarabel. My sisters and I usually (always?) received one special Christmas ornament each year from my parents, when we were growing up. When I was married and decorated my first tree away from home, I already had a small collection of ornaments all of my own, so we didn't have to buy a lot of ornaments to have an attractively-decorated tree. It's a nice tradition. :o)
So, anyway, I decided to make Clarabel an ornament this year-- and because she especially likes birds right now, I thought a festive cardinal would be a fun choice.
I lucked up and found a really impressive (and totally free) collection of patterns for felt birds at the Downeast Thunder Farm blog. (That link takes you right to the patterns. See how many there are?! I'm really tempted to start making some of them for our tree, too...)
I added a few sparkly sequins and beads (and a little extra stitching) to the front, as well as the year and my "signature" to the back. It's not perfect, but I think it has a certain handmade charm. That's always safe to say, right? (g) (And there's no rule saying she has to use it, if she doesn't want to.)
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Well, I think that brings me up to date, aside from one or two non-gift projects that I've yet to photograph.
I hope 2013 is off to a good start for you! I'm feeling a little tired and headachy, myself. (Irregular schedules, too much rich food, dreary weather, and caffeine overload probably haven't helped.) Here's to getting back to a more normal routine and starting the new year properly-- eh, starting tomorrow! (g)