August 2013 – Thimbleanna

Piecing and Thinking

32 Comments / August 31, 2013 October 8, 2013 / Quilting

Well hello there! How’s the weekend going? It’s a beautiful, relaxing week here in ThimbleannaLand. I’ve been piecing more Steampunk blocks, taking my time and really enjoying the process. So far, so good. Out of 48 blocks, I only have 14 left to go. Slow and steady wins the race. ;-D

For most of the summer I’ve had my sewing machine on the kitchen table. TheManoftheHouse hasn’t complained but he must be getting tired of it. It’s getting harder and harder to sew in the dungeon, because the view from our kitchen is so pretty and I just want to sit there to sew all the time. Really, I’d just like to move the whole sewing room to the kitchen. That’s how it should be, don’t you think?

While I piece along, my mind wanders. Last night I was thinking about the blog posts not to long ago where people were sharing their favorite quilt book. My favorite book is my first quilt book MeMum bought me. The It’s Okay If You Sit On My Quilt Book by Mary Ellen Hopkins. My quilty peep Junie told me a few weeks ago that Mary Ellen recently passed away, which is very sad. I don’t remember taking a class from her, but Junie says I did one year when we were in Paducah.

It looks like someone in the family took a class from Mary Ellen — I found the papers below in MeMum’s The It’s Okay If You Sit On My Quilt Book. Either way, I adored her style. Her approach was simple and straight forward. This book is full of quilt blocks and simple ways to put them together to make great quilts. It’s an approach that I think we sometimes fail to teach to new quilters. I feel we talk patterns too much, rather than teaching new quilters how to dream and plan and make quilts of their own.

I love how the pages of Mary Ellen’s book are on “graph paper”. It’s so fun to plan blocks out on graph paper and see how simple blocks, when placed together, form lots of different patterns. Mary Ellen doesn’t give you a quilt pattern. She just shows you the blocks and then you make your own pattern, whatever size you want.

I remember pouring through the blocks of this book when I made the quilts we have in our guest room. Do you see the block above that I used in the first quilt in the picture below?

I knew I wanted both quilts to have pinwheels in them, but I wanted the quilts to be different. The block in the second quilt is also in Mary Ellen’s book.

Oh well, I’m quilt rambling — back to the Steampunks! Just wanted to check in — hoping everyone has a great weekend. Especially if you’re here in the US where it’s a long one!

XOXO,
Anna

4. Start My Lopapeysa

31 Comments / August 25, 2013 September 21, 2013 / Knitting

Zip! Another week whizzed by. We’re in that end-of-summer-busy-ness phase. Trying to stuff a lot of things into what little remains of summer. We already have leaves changing and it’s still August for crying out loud! I’m not a hug fan of summer (too hot!) but I’m not quite ready for fall yet. It probably has a little something to do with the fact that I still have lots of things to do on my 10 Things this Summer list.

I feel like I’ve cheated on the list though. I REALLY wanted to complete the third item on the list (finishing the 10-year sweater) before I started on the fourth item — starting my Lopapeysa sweater with the yarn I purchased on our trip to Iceland. I did drag the 10-year sweater out and look at it (shouldn’t that count for something?) but then I shoved it back into the bag. I need courage. Or alcohol. Or something. I reeeeeaaally don’t want to work on that sweater again. ;-)

In the meantime, the trip to Utah came along and I wanted something new for vacation knitting, so I succumbed and started the new sweater. Here it is, lying among a few fallen maple leaves. (Don’t let that fall scene fool you though — it’s HOT out there today.)

I LOVE working on this sweater! This is how all sweaters should be knit — bottom up with NO seams. The torso is done up to the armpits and I’m currently knitting the sleeves — two at a time just like knitting two at a time socks. I love this method — that way I know the stitch increases will occur in the same places on both sleeves. And I won’t have second sleeve syndrome. ;-D

I’ll knit the sleeves up to the armpit and then the body and arms will all be joined together and the neckline will be knit. So far, this sweater is clipping along at a pretty good pace, but it will slow down when I get to the neckline. That requires three different colors of yarn going at once and I’m pretty uncoordinated in that department. I’m using THIS free pattern from Alafoss Wool.

Oooh, look — I found some of those cute little sheepie stitch markers when I was in Utah. I had forgotten to take stitch markers with me and I was using yarn scraps, but I kept knitting them into the sweater. I could have bought the plain little plastic circles and saved a lot of money, but where’s the fun in that?

So, I’m whittling down my summer list — not much time left. And while I’m at it, I’m taking credit for number 6. Clean Some Closets. I haven’t done so many closets, but among the drawers and cupboards, I did clean the garage and the dreaded tupperware cupboard. That’s enough suffering for a month or two!

Have a good week!
XOXO,
Anna

Birthday Adventure Girls

22 Comments / August 19, 2013 September 21, 2013 / Chat, Quilting

Hello, Hello! Did you have a nice weekend? I had a great weekend — with LOTS of sewing. ;-D

I gave in to the call of my Adventure Girls quilt kit. I was going to make it for me, but while I was piecing the top on Saturday afternoon, I realized that I was worrying about not having a birthday present for MeMum. Then it dawned on me — she has a flannel throw quilt for tv watching, but not a lighter quilt for the summer. The Adventure Girls would be perfect! So, I kicked it into gear (and stayed up late!) so I could finish the quilt in time for her birthday — which was yesterday.

My version of the quilt looks just like the full view I showed you a few posts ago, so I didn’t take a new full view shot. This quilt was SO fun to make. Those little Adventure Girls are so cute and it was fun to look at all the details while I was sewing away. I quilted it very simply — 1/4″ quilting on both sides of all of the seams, and then I quilted around most of the figures in one way or another. You can sort of see how I went around the figures in the picture below. (Look at the cute little dog!)

While I was quilting, it seemed like the quilt was just so flimsy and didn’t really have much substance. I remember I felt that way when I was quilting the graduation quilt for my nephew. It always amazes me how washing the quilt really makes it come to life. The process makes the batting bloom and it really makes the quilt cozy. I chose the blue flower print for the back of the quilt.

I LOVE this little quilt and I’ll have to make at least one more (possibly two)! And I love having fun, quick projects now and then, in between the longer, more detailed projects. Here are the Adventure Girls all bundled up before I gave them to MeMum (complete with a small adventure girl giving my bow the once over).

Now that I’m refreshed from a fun project, I can get back to the Steampunk blocks. Oh, and the rest of the items on my 10 Things this Summer list. Summer is almost over!

Have a good week!
XOXO,
Anna

Steampunkiness

30 Comments / August 15, 2013 September 21, 2013 / Quilting

Hello Boys and Girls! Just checking in on a slooooow week. We’ve been trying to get back in the groove after our little vacation. ‘Tisn’t easy! I’m making slower than slow progress on my steampunk blocks, but I’m chugging along. Here are six new ones. That brings the count up to 18 finished — not even half-way yet.

I’m loving the process though so I’m taking my time. I have my piles of fabrics in two laundry baskets — one for prints already used and one for ones that are yet to use. I’ve duplicated a few prints already and I’m sure there will be more duplicates. I don’t use my rotary cutter either. I know it takes more time, but I’ve been tracing around the templates and then cutting them with scissors. Just like quilting happened before rotary cutters. I love cutting the pieces out while I’m watching tv. I put my old cutting board on my lap and go to town.

So, 18 blocks finished, 12 in one state of progress or another, and 18 left to go. I have to get going if I’m going to make my goal of all blocks finished by the end of summer.

FWIW, I’ll be counting the end of summer as the official end of summer (the autumnal equinox) — not the start of school. I can’t believe kids are starting back to school already! It feels like autumnal equinox weather around here this week — it’s been unseasonably cool. Makes you worry a bit about what winter has in store. I know it will get hot again — it always does.

Do you have any exciting plans for the weekend? I’ll be fighting the urge to interrupt the steampunk blocks and slip those Adventure Girls into the sewing queue — I’m betting the Girls will win! ;-D
Have a good weekend!
XOXO,
Anna

We Were Made for Adventure

21 Comments / August 11, 2013 September 21, 2013 / Quilting, Store

Do you remember when I went to quilt market in May, and I showed you a picture of The Sweet Life line of fabric by Cori Dantini — and I told you that you would be seeing it again? No? Well, the fabric surprise that happened while I was on vacation, is the arrival of The Sweet Life fabric that I ordered at market. Here’s a picture of the quilt that was in the Blend Fabrics booth at market.

I fell hard for that sweet little quilt. I think it’s the perfect quilt for the girls in our lives — for birthdays, graduations or for stepping out into a grand new adventure. My favorite panel is the cute middle panel in the quilt above — We Were Made for Adventure.

And look at this adorable print — the little girls are doing fun things like gardening and embroidering. Soooo, so cute!

Blend Fabrics has put out a free quilt pattern for this cute quilt. Here’s a better shot from the pattern.

I’ve put together some kits for these cute quilts — I hope you’ll love them just as much as I do. Each kit has almost 8 yards of fabric – enough to make the quilt, as pictured, plus a quilt back. Plus, there will be one We Were Made for Adventure block left over — it would make a cute pillow to go with your quilt!

I can’t wait to make one for me – I’m trying to exercise some self control and finish the Steampunk blocks before I start this quilt. Although, it will go together so quickly that it wouldn’t really hurt to let it cut in line. I also bought some extra Adventure Girls fabric panels. Each panel has three blocks — Dare to Fly, Enjoy Your Days, and We Were Made For Adventure. Both the kits and the fabric panels are in my Etsy Shop.

Considering that MyDadLovesMeBestSister and CuteNiece1 jumped out of an airplane today, do you think maybe they need We Were Made for Adventure quilts too??? (Just between you and me, I think they need We’re a Few Fries Short of a Happy Meal quilts — cah-raaay-zy!)

XOXO,
Anna

Month: August 2013