Finish-A -Long, Phase 2

Phase 2 of the Finish-A-Long includes one of my oldest UFOs, a cross stitch project that I started about 8 years ago ( Long Dog's Mouline Rouge).  I know it was 8 years ago because I wrote the date I started it on the chart. My plan was to stitch one page of the nine page chart each month until it was complete.  I did well for about 3 months.  Then it sat for a while until I decided I could never complete it on my own.  I sent it off to some of my stitching buddies (Ming & Juli in Canada, Gaby, Dane & Ilsa in Germany, Angela in England ).  They did most of the rest of the stitching, and when it came back to me I had only about one and a half  pages left to stitch.

You would think I could complete the rest of it in less than  5 years, but it has been sitting in my stitching cabinet since it got home.  I keep moving it around, and  every time I reorganize my stitching stuff, I look in the bag and feel guilty.  Time to get it out again and finish it!

The next UFO to complete will be my zipper quilt.  This is a scrap quilt I started last summer after seeing something similar on someone else's blog. Sorry I don't know who inspired me.  I like the way this one looks from far away.  Close up, the zipper pattern is lost.

Then there is my pineapple passion quilt.  I have completed the center and just need to get the borders on.  I really need to finish it, though before I start on the zipper quilt, or I'm afraid I won't get back to it. 

There is a slight chance I could finish another quilt, so I pulled out my second spider web quilt.  I think I have about 1/2 of the blocks done.  I like making the blocks.  I dislike putting the blocks together, so we'll see how far I get.

The final quilt I need to finish is a quilt I'm making for my sister.  I had it long arm quilted in July of last year.  I got the binding sewed on the front, but I still need to hand stitch the binding on the back of the quilt. 

Considering how little I've been quilting lately, this is a lot  for me to get done in 3 months.  Here's the link to see what other quilters hope to accomplish. http://gapquilter.blogspot.com/2012/04/pre-second-quarter-linky-party.html

What's on Your Bed?

Bonnie Hunter is having a What's on Your Bed  linky party today. http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2012_04_09_archive.html

 Here's what's on my bed:  the quilt I finished in February.  It is 116 in. x 116 in., the only king sized quilt I've ever made.   It was a  sampler class I took at my LQS. I learned how to miter a border, how to machine applique, and how to do a bargello pattern on this quilt. 

LQS

I took a trip to a LQS (Quilter's Corner) last week and got permission to take some pictures.  I am not sure how to post a slide show of them.  I tried following Blogger's directions in the help area but got nowhere.  Instead I'll post a few pictures here, and if you want the rest, here they are http://www.flickr.com/photos/47892556@N02/sets/72157629749207997/.

First post of April.  Remember to back up your blogs!

http://craftingdotdotdot.blogspot.com/2012/02/blogger-scare-please-read.html

Can't Keep Up

It was my intention to document all of my flowers as they come up and bloom this year.  It has been so warm, though, that everything seems to be coming up all at once.

Hosta

Pincushion Flower

Azaleas (Coral Bells)

Hosta

False Indigo ( I like the way it comes up looking like asparagus.)

Pineapple Blossom Continued

I honestly thought about making a pillowcase, so I would have some yardage used to report.  We ended up going to the movies this afternoon, though, so I had no time to make a pillowcase.  I have gotten some sewing done on my Pineapple Blossom quilt, but it isn't done yet.

I use the floor or my bed as my design wall.  We have a lot of windows and a lot of furniture in the room I sew in, so I don't have any space for a real design wall.  This whole quilt will be made of scraps, and I've run out of my orange, pink and yellow polka dot.  I'm going to make 12 more blocks, using plain white in place of the dotted fabric.   Three blocks made with the white fabric will be put in each of the 4 corners.  I hope it will look more like I planned it that way, not that I ran out of my background fabric 2/3 of the way through the quilt. 

If we have a lot of rain this week, I will get more sewing done.  Otherwise, I will be outside spreading mulch and weeding flower beds.

Stash Report                                                                                                                                    

Used this week: 0 yards
Used year to date: 32.5 yards
Added this week: 0 yards
Added year to date: 18.25 yards
Net used for 2012: -14.25 yards

First Iris

A couple of years ago, I split my irises and gave some to my next door neighbor.  I have a mix of yellow, purple and white irises, and it is impossible to tell from their leaves which are which.  The last time I split them I must have given all but one of my early blooming purples away.  My neighbor has had purple irises in bloom for over a week.  Mine just bloomed yesterday.

My mother said that my grandma hated irises.  Every time one would come up in her yard, my grandma would throw it over the fence.  Since irises don't even have to be covered in dirt to grow, ones she threw over the fence would take root and grow where she threw them.

I like irises because they are deer and rabbit-proof. Pretty green leaves that last year round here.  They are easy to grow as long as they get enough sun, plant them shallowly, and don't mulch them.  If they get too wet, they might rot.  They survive in our heat and summer droughts. And they multiply.  If your irises aren't blooming the way you want them to, they might be too deep.

Yesterday the contractor came and took final measurements.  He also marked out where the porch addition and patio will be.  He is doing the drawings now, so we can submit them to the  HOA.  After they approve the plans, we can get started.

Katia Triana vs Starbella

After making my Starbella scarf, I was determined not to use that yarn again.  But the owner of the yarn shop told me that the self-ruffling yarn she carries (Katia Triana) is much higher quality than the self-ruffling yarn you can find at a regular craft store.  The Katia Triana I bought was about $9/a skein more expensive than the Starbella.  But they were both equally unpleasant to knit with.  When you are knitting with regular yarn, you can control how tightly the stitches are held on the needles.  When you are knitting with one of these self-ruffling yarns, you use the holes in the yarn tape to cast on your stitches.  There isn't a way to tighten up the stitches, and if you aren't careful, the stiches can just slide off  the bottom end of the needles. 

As far as the yarn quality goes, I can't tell a difference.  The Katia Triana might be a little bit wider than Starbella, so the scarf might be a little fuller.  I think some of the fullness will disappear with wearing, though, as the scarf itself stretches out a little.  Both the scarves are fun to look at and touch.  A friend of mine says hers gets snagged on EVERYTHING, so use care when selecting jewelry if you are wearing a scarf like this.

Here's a picture of both scarves (Starbella is pink; Katia Triana is blue).