Cyano Print Fabric

 I mentioned in a post this last month showing a beautiful cyano print fabric one of my friends, Bonnie, made and sent to me!  What a lovely surprise!  BUT now what to do with it!  Decisions, decisions...this is always the hardest part of any art work isn't it!

So, I bit the bullet and started to play around with "what if I cut it up?"....gosh, I hate to cut it up but......

I ended up drawing funky leaves on tracing paper and laying on top of the fabric just to give me an idea on placement, etc.

Besides the blue from the cyano print and the blue mottled fabric, I just felt it needed something else so I laid red fabric under the pieces.

I took away the red fabric and cut 1/4 inch strips and just laid across the fabric and that was all this beautiful print needed!

With any quilting pattern or design work, cutting a piece of fabric up is a scary challenge!  HA  At least it is for me.  So I took some scrap fabric the same size of the print.  

I measured each section then added 3/4" for the 1/4" inserts I wanted.  I know...math!!!!

But it worked!

This is around a fat quarter in size...perfect for one of those table top pieces.  Or I may just add some type of border on one side?  Or 3 sides? Or no sides!

My plan is to sandwich and then stitch in the ditch around each insert.  Then to do some hand embroidery work.  I may do free motion around some areas as well..in fact, as I'm typing this, I am thinking I may do that before embroidery work...but who knows!  Time will tell!

Whitecaps Knitted Pattern

 

Well, Easter is right around the corner, right!  So I'm hoping I can finish this top by then.  I can always brighten up the white by wearing a bright color camisole under it.  I wear a lot of black so black will look good too!  Now to finish it!

This is a pattern by Yumiko Alexander (Ravelry) called Whitecaps.  It's a fairly easy pattern but finding the time to make the top is a real challenge for me.  Hard to knit at night if dogs are on my lap...so I have to hide in the sewing room and have dogs on the table in front of me!  HA

The red is adorable but I just don't look good in red.  You can see all the different tops others have knitted in beautiful colors.  I'll stick with 'vanilla' for now...who knows....I might make another one!  HA

You knit with 2 strand of yarn for rows then switch to two stands....

Looks weird here in a little circle...I'm using a circular needle even though we are not knitting in the round.  Just easier for me to put my knitting down!

Yes, I did slip up and had to rip out two rows!  Duh...not sure what I did and it was even on an easy 'knit only' row!  Go figure!

This is knit from bottom up, which is different from what I usually knit.  Most of my lace tops, and my last sweater, are knit from the top down. 

But I really like Yumiko's (DanDoh) patterns.  They seem so well written!  I've bought two so far.

So this is where I stand today, 2/1/2024!  Long way to go and I need two of these!  Sleeves will be added and then a side seam.  I am making the longer sleeves which have a cute curve at the end of them.  Several who have made this pattern say, it's the best knitted piece and they wear it often.  Hope that's the same for me!!!

Dye Dog #5!

 Yes, I'm finished with a 'dye dog #5!'...HA  Actually, I'm cheating since I could call this project dye dog 4.5!  

 I've posted  often on my dye dogs and on  #4 that I was hand embroidering and free motion quilting.  

Some of the hand embroidery work

And some free motion circles

Hard to decide how and what to machine quilt!  HA

All finished with embroidery work and quilting!  So now what do I do with it!  hmmmmmmmmm

I thought this was a great piece to make some upcycled purses, you can see one of my posts here on making them.  I have made over two dozen so far!  I use mine to hold my pens and highlighter next to my recliner chair in the LR.  Otherwise, Kalee does like to grab my pencil or pen...I know...bad dog mom! 

So first up is to cut up the quilt!  I was able to get two purses to make with a little fabric left over!  Now who to give them to!

Well, first I had to send a tote to Kay Sorensen from Quilts + Color.  Kay is a wonderful quilter and artist.  Most of you already know her and her work.  Kay gave several of us some of her 'dye dog' fabrics in the past to make something with.  It was always a challenge but one I did enjoy working on.  If you do a search on my blog for dye dog, you'll see several posts on work we have made in the past.  

I met Kay in person in 2012 and i did a blog post here on our meeting!  It was meant to be!  So she was first on the list to receive one!

And next up was our friend, Bonnie!  I met Bonnie in 2017 at Kay's!  And you will also remember Bonnie's name as the lady who just sent me the beautiful piece of Cyano printed fabric a few weeks ago!  

So i hope both Bonnie and Kay enjoy their small token of my appreciation of their friendship and generosity! 

This is the front or one side of the finished totes

And the back or other side!  HA  I tried to give each some circles of embroidery and free motion work...one has a lime green zipper and one has a pink zipper.  Have to keep these bright!  HA

I am making progress on my knitted lace top.  Post coming this week!  It's fun to make...so far!  HA

Kay and Bonnie, I hope you both enjoy your totes!

A little of everything!

In no particular order, but I like to have pics and narrating in my blog.  I just printed out 2023 and should have my blog book in a few days...it's been shipped!  Woohoo...I love looking through my blog book...but I digress...Here is a pic of my knitted sweater I finished!  Actually, wore it when Bob and I had errands to run on Friday!  I was freezing and didn't want to wear a sweat shirt out, so looked on my shelf and look what I found!  I had washed and blocked it over a week ago but put it away!  Hard to take a selfie!  HA HA

Yes, it's me!  VERY, VERY cold here in Michigan...although, it's up to 7 degrees/real feel is 4.  Minus 2 this a.m.  This was taken early last week when we had a 35+ degree day and girls wanted to walk!

So, yes, we girls bundled up and off for a half mile walk!

Woohoo!  Michigan win!  Talk about being a nervous wreck!

Gigi was their cheerleader!!!

Kayla (L) our grand daughter and Talissa our new 'grand daugher'..she and Ian got married this past fall.

This is Ron and his grand daughter (our great grand)...they are really close, which is wonderful!  This is a great picture!!!

This is Ron's wife, Mary Jo and their daughter Kayla !

Not knitting but this is crochet project my sister is making! She is taller than I am and this is something she would wear.  She knitted a coat years and years ago that she won an award at the local fair for knitting.  She doesn't have any pictures of it, which is a shame.  I remember seeing it and it was beautiful  This will look great on my sis too!

This is my next knitting project.  I'm making in vanilla as red doesn't look good on me!  HA  it's really very pretty in black too but I have so much black and with a black camisole under the white knitting will look good or I can wear white under too.  I love this designer's patterns!!  If you are or aren't on Ravelry, check her out.  Her page is called DanDoh...I bought two of her patterns...have to be ready for the next one, right!

Check out this beautiful cyano print on fabric that my friend, Bonnie Banks sent me.  Bonnie and I met one winter when she came to Florida for a visit with Beth Sherman (I've had posts on Beth before on my blog.  She's a beautiful quilter, artist, you name it!  Beth can do it!).  

Bonnie is also a talented quilter and artist.  She's on FB so look her up sometime.  She only lives about an hour or so from me...guess we need to meet half way sometime!!!  Bonnie is a sweetheart and I love she sent this to me.

Not sure how I will use this piece or if I'll cut it up!  I know that sounds bad but you'd be surprise how beautiful cyano prints can look even cut up.  I've not decided how to use it yet......

AND for the most exciting news!!!!!

24-23 NFC wild-card win over the visiting Los Angeles Rams this past Sunday (Jan. 20th) at Ford Field.  First time in 32 yrs!  How cool is this!!!  Woohoo!  

Dye Dog #3 almost finished!

 I started my Dye Dog # (using Kay Sorensen's fabrics) back in the /spring summer of 2023...and guess why!  I finished my sweater I was knitting.  So as it was blocking I decided I needed something to work on,   You can see one of my posts on the project  here on my blog.    

The sweater doesn't look very good here but I will model it later this week sometime.  And, yes, I have another knitted project...actually, two of them!  Next post!!!

Looking almost finished.  Still have edges to quilt.  

Fun to do hand embroidery and to combine with FMQuilting.

I'm not sure what I'll do with this piece...might end up making more bags from it.  I do love Kay's fabric that she dyes.  

So, I got back into FMQ'ing the rest of my Dye Dog #3 piece!  Almost finished...just have some outside panels to quilt and then bind.  

Have to finish so when my new yarn comes I can start to knit again!  Woohoo

Christmas 2023 visit

 

We had a wonderful few days with Bob's son, Ron & Mary Jo!!!  They live in Indiana so we don't get to see them often but they took time to visit and we are so happy they did!
We started off Thursday night with dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant, Escamilla Amigos Cantina !  Food was great as were the margaritas!!!  Home to watch a "little" football and enjoy cookies!
Friday, Mary Jo and I went to the Bodies in Motion exhibit at the Sloan Museum.  It was so interesting!  Of course we had a stop for Starbucks then back to goodrich for a stop at Cottage Used Books and to have a delicious take out sandwich at home and do a little book shopping. 
Bob and Ron went to the RC race store (Limitless in Davison) to watch and to run Bob's RC cars.  They had a great time...back home for dinner and then the guys went back to Limitless RC for night races at 7 p.m.!  That worked out great so Mary Jo and I could watch FISK, a comedy, on Netflix!  It's a great series I finished but MJ hadn't seen it before.  We laughed and were disappointed when the guys got home around 9:30!  Of course, football (college) was on so we started to watch that with the guys! 

All in all it was a fun weekend.  And MJ gave me a recipe for Lasagna Soup that was fantastic!!!  Here's the link...we had enough for two containers for the freezer and I gave two neighbors each some!!!  What a great weekend.  Kids made it safe to Holland area to spend time with MJ's dad and sisters and their family.  So glad and thankful the kids spent time with us.

This is a wooden block Ron made carving out pictures using a CNC mill that he built!!!  I love it and the girls really look like each other!!!!  What a precious gift!!!!

He also made these using the same technique for other gifts for family members.  So talented and he couldn't have given us a more special gift!!!

p.s.  Sorry for the late post!  I forgot to post it weeks ago!  Go figure!!!!!