Sew I See!

I've been trying to finish up a couple of old UFO quilting projects, lately.  There are so many other new projects I'd like to start, but the backlog of UFOs was weighing on my conscience.  I'll feel better with some of the old WIPs wrapped up and scratched of that mental list.   - - - - - - - My first UFO pick-back-up of the year was the stack of rainbow-colored string blocks.  You may remember them... I originally thought I'd make them into a quilt of my own design, based on paper lanterns, but as time went on, I lost steam and didn't want to spend that much effort on them.   At that point, I wasn't sure what to do with them, instead.  I played around with ways of laying them out in rainbow order, and came up with a layout that would be "okay", but I still wasn't excited about it— and then serendipity struck, and I found something better! I had some digital rewards points to use up on Amazon before they expired, so I bought the Kindle version of...

There's a new sewing machine in the house!  And this time it's an actual new machine, not a "new" vintage machine.   I bought my "old" computerized sewing machine-- a Brother Designio DZ2400-- during a Black Friday sale in 2014.   It's been a good machine, and it's still going pretty strong.  So much so that I'm keeping it as a back-up machine-- especially because it has some features that, while I don't use them often, are occasionally very useful.  (Zig-zag and decorative stitches, mainly.) However, it does sometimes make some squeaky noises, and... well, it just felt like a good time for an upgrade to a better machine for piecing.  That upgrade, bought in another sale around Black Friday, is a Juki TL-2000Qi.  Be Advised: This is a long, rambling post about the features of the new sewing machine, comparisons between the new and the old, and so on.  It's probably not interesting to anyone who isn't considering buying the same sewin...

I finished a larger-than-usual (for me) diamond painting, since last time.  There wasn't much left to do, after I filled in most of it while Donald was travelling in July.  (He went to a figure-painting show in the Netherlands, then visited his family in Sweden.)  I needed a break from it, so set it aside.  The last 1.5 inches or so went pretty quickly, once I got it back out again.   It's a 40x60 cm diamond painting, with an image of jars of wildflowers against a dilapidated wall with peeling paint-- I mean, against a shabby chic wall.  😜   * * * Sidetrack!  Is shabby chic still "a thing"?  I'm sure some people are still decorating in that style.  In fact, I recently saw a decorating magazine where many things looked like the "primitive" or "country" style I remember from the 90s.  Are those things back in style or did they just never go away for the people who love them?   I think I've officially reached that ...

I'm back, and it hasn't even been a month since the last entry!  😁 Nothing new is finished, but I have a few photos to share. First up, here are the string blocks waiting to become HSTs.  I've made sure to use a wide strip in the center, since that's where they'll be cut in half.   I'm not sure how many I need, because I'm not sure how big the quilt should be.  I'll probably keep making at least a few more blocks, then sit down and do a little math to decide how many more are needed.   - - - - - - - Speaking of doing a little math, earlier this week I calculated how many more crumb strips I need to make a decent-sized throw quilt.  (This is the project with the 3"x10" strips of crumbs pieced onto phonebook foundation papers.)   At that point, the project still needed nineteen strips, but I've been making more since then and probably need only about a dozen more.  However, I'm very low on crumbs now, so that's temporarily on hold....

While trimming down a batch of string squares (not many more to sew!), it occurred to me that I could share a couple of tape-related tips here on the blog.  (Something to fill in the gap until I get around to taking a few photos for the next project-related post.) These aren't ground-breaking, cutting-edge ideas of my own, but I've found them useful and thought that someone else might not have heard about them yet.  Doesn't hurt to pass along things that have worked for you, right? First, washi tape.  It's a pretty common craft supply, these days, readily available in countless colors and patterns.  If you're not familiar with it, essentially it's a semi-translucent, slightly waxy tape that is easily repositioned without leaving behind a sticky residue. There are probably quite a few quilting-related uses for washi tape.  For instance, you can put it on the bed of your sewing machine to serve as a seam allowance guide. My favorite quilty use for wash...

I have an update on the yarn I'll use for the 2018 Advent Scarf project, but that'll wait for another blog post.  This time, I'm here to share a couple of progress photos of a couple of WIPs (and to complain a little about something). First, there's the "Sitka Spruce" hat.  As expected, it looked a little shallow/short for a beret, so I've followed the example of many other knitters before me and added in an extra half of a repeat (so it has 1.5 repeats, total).  I'm just a few rounds short of finishing that, then it'll be time for the decrease, and hats usually fly off the needles, at that point. Hats don't usually take this long, but I've taken my time on this one.  I'm not a speedy knitter at the best of times, and these twisted stitches have slowed me even further-- plus I've been working on another project or two, so there have been some long breaks. Incidentally, I noticed when skimming my project notes for the 2015 Adve...

I blogged recently about a new set of steel crochet hooks I'd ordered. While I was satisfied with the quality for the price, they weren't exactly what I'd been expecting.  Mainly, the metal part of the hook didn't run the full length of the handle and the texture of handle was more plasticky than the Clover Amour hook I was replacing. Since I'd had success on my first order from AliExpress, I decided to order another set of steel crochet hooks (so I'm really  set for years, if not life).  This time, I tried a different product from a different seller:   Super Nova 10-piece hook set ( not  an affiliate link-- not even sure that site does the affiliate thing).  As of this posting, the set costs $6.20, shipping included. (The product name/description includes the words "Mom Grandma Gifts".  Ha!  Great stereotyping, there, Super Nova. (g)) They came fairly quickly (considering the source).  I placed my order on May 19th and received the...

First, a couple of sets of finished objects! I recently came across this (free) pot-holder pattern ( "Double-Thick Diagonally-Crocheted Potholder" ), which is perfect for mindless crocheting. I wanted to use up what cotton yarn I had in-stash (which turned out to be Hobby Lobby's I Love This Cotton!), so I had limited color choices.  It's kind of an autumn palette, but I'm not enough of a seasonal decorator to bother about that.  They'll be used year-round. I ended up with seven of them before my yarn ran out.  Two have gone to another home, but that leaves more than enough for us. ;o) It's an easy pattern-- particularly after you get past the crocheting into the chain part.  The only possibly tricky bit is deciding when to seam it closed.  I found that I tended to want to close them up earlier than I should, so once or twice I had to rip out a seam and add another round or two.  If you close them too soon, they might be slightly rectangu...