Sew I See!

One of our family Christmas gatherings was scheduled for last weekend, and I ended up wanting a couple of little "extras" to go in with a gift.  (Doesn't that always seem to happen?!) First, here's my purple  Dumpling Kitty : Pattern:  " Dumpling Kitty ", by Sarah Sloyer (free pattern, available on Ravelry) I always struggle with the embroidered faces... I do think those orange button eyes were a good choice, though!  I could only find two of them, so it worked out perfectly. This pattern is not difficult, but small stuffed toys almost always have some fiddly bits, and this one's no different.  The color changes for the stripes on the back were a nice touch-- and the pattern explains how to change colors, so don't worry if you've never done it before. And then there's this green  cloche-style cap : Pattern:  " Olivia's Butterfly ", by Valerie Whitten (free pattern, available on Ravelry) T

I've woven in the ends on my last two spring-themed sampler afghan blocks!  Just have to find the perfect arrangement ;o) and the perfect join ;o) and then get them all attached!  Seriously though, I'm planning to not nit-pick this too  much.  Though all the blocks have the same stitch-count, some are a bit bigger/smaller than the average, but I'm hopeful that it'll even out when they're joined. Here are the two final blocks... " Spiro Star of Spring ": Pattern:  " Spiro Star ", by Helen Shrimpton (free pattern, available on Ravelry) Some of the project notes I read suggested that it was best to use the photo tutorial version of the pattern (avoiding errors), which I did through the twelfth round.  At that point, I followed a fellow Raveller's rewrite, which is meant to reduce rippling (see my project notes on Ravelry for the person's Ravelry handle).  Following this method, I think it turned out pretty well.  It seems

There are two more blocks (for the spring-themed sampler ) finished and photographed! - - - " Firenze in Spring ": Pattern: " Firenze ", by Julie Yeager (paid pattern, available on Ravelry) This block is easy to crochet, with great graphic appeal.  It's another that can look very different depending on color choice and placement. I changed the last round to sc to match the size of the blocks I've already made for the sampler, but otherwise, I think I stuck to the pattern. My block is skewing/twisting a bit, but I think it'll straighten out once it's joined to the other blocks-- certainly well enough to suit me. - - - " Emmalynn in Spring ": Pattern: " Emmalynn ", by Carolyn Christmas (free pattern, available on Ravelry) This is a pretty, floral pattern with an interesting construction.  Each corner (pale blue and lavender, in my version) is joined and worked separately; this leaves more

I've finished two more blocks for the spring-themed sampler afghan.  That brings the total of finished blocks to twenty, which was my goal-- but now that I've laid them all out together, I've decided to make four more, for a 4 x 6 layout instead of the 4 x 5 I was originally planning.  So I need to make four more blocks, on the double! I've started the first of the Final Four, and I've also begun considering the joining and border. Since each block has its own border, I'll probably use a simple slip-stitch join.  As for the whole-blanket border, I've marked several possible options in Edie Eckman's Around the Corner Crochet Borders .  (These are affiliate links, by the way, as are the clickable book-cover photos.) Side-ramble:  I love that book, by the way, and highly recommend it to anyone who crochets many afghans-- and you can use the patterns for edging any project, of course, not just blankets. While looking up that link, I just saw that Edie

I have two more sampler afghan blocks to share today! Maude in Spring : Pattern:   "Maude" , by Polly Plum (paid pattern, available on Ravelry) This felt like a fairly complicated pattern, in places, but as usual with Polly Plum patterns, the instructions are extremely detailed, which helps.  The "woven corners" (Rnd 8) are particularly tricky, but it's possible to leave them un-woven, if you prefer. I changed things slightly to get my block to the right size to match my other sampler blocks.  (Details on my project page, linked above the last photo.) Tons of scope for playing with colors here. - - - - - - - Springtime Victor : Pattern:   "Victor" , by Polly Plum (free pattern, available here on the designer's website, everytrickonthehook.com ) This is a pretty block-- and it's free!  When it was first released, it was only a 9-inch block, but the designer has since added a free 3-inch border, which was a h

I've completed my first "real" quilt! (Though I like them, "rag quilts" aren't the same, in my opinion, as a REAL quilt.  I've made a few rag quilts, but this is the first blanket I've sewn with a pieced top, a backing, batting, quilting, and binding.) I don't want to admit how long it took me, from start to finish-- so I won't!  Mom put together the kit for this string quilt years ago, as a birthday present.  It sat for a while until I decided I was brave enough to start working on it.  It's been a big learning experience, and as I approached each new step (joining blocks into strips, joining strips, making the "quilt sandwich", pin basting, machine quilting, binding), it went into time-out until I could muster up the courage for whatever came next. No wonder it's taken so long! But now that I have this little quilt under my belt, I feel much more confident and excited about turning my other quilt top into a finished

Two more blocks done for the sampler !  That makes a total of sixteen. First, it's the one I "sneak-peeked" last time: "Lise in Spring" Pattern:   Lise , by Polly Plum (pattern available for free on Ravelry) The clever construction is easier than it may appear.  There's lots of opportunity for color play, as well as good textural interest. I left off a round or two to get it to match my existing sampler blocks in size.  Fortunately, all the most interesting parts of the original pattern fit into this slightly smaller version. Second, it's "Floral Dimension of Spring" : Pattern:   Floral Dimension , by Laurie Dale (pattern available for free on Ravelry) There are quite a variety of stitches and techniques in this one!  I particularly like the "bumps" (Rnd 3) and the scallops.  I made a few changes (see my project page link above for details), but kept the central motif as written. At this point,