Final Finish for 2015

Great grandmother's patchwork quilt - not the typical quilt you see me working on for the Faith Circle of do. Good Stitches.

Great Grandmother's Patchwork ~ a Faith Circle quilt

Early in 2015 it was my turn to choose the design for the month of March. I got it in my mind that I'd like to go with sweet and easy, but with a twist. Instead of all the blocks being the same I asked my circle mates to sew a mix of 9, 16, and 36 patch blocks. Here are the instructions I gave them:

This month I'm going to turn us temporarily away from our usual modern quilts and head, instead, in a "passed down through the generations" look. I'm calling it Great-Grandmother's Quilt. I've no idea how this will look actually made up, but we are going to give it a whirl and find out :o) ...please use fabrics with a tan/grayish undertone. 

Beautiful old-timey quilt blocks

One of the circle members reflected that her blocks reminded her of the house dresses her Grandma used to wear - Perfect!! As you can see they did a great job on these blocks - a great way to practice that ever-important 1/4" quilt seam.

For this quilt I used the quilt-as-you-go method of assembly. This was a first for me and I'm going to write about it in a separate blog post soon so stay tuned.

For the quilt back and binding I used a couple of Thimbleberries prints that have lived in my stash for a while. This was the perfect project to put them to use. In addition, I had one extra block left from the front that I included...my motto: leave no blocks unused.

Thimbleberries quilt fabric on the back

I am so happy to have this one finished and on it's way to Restore Innocence - an organization providing aid to the victims of human trafficking. I hope that as it is used it will bring comfort and perhaps a sense of endurance and grit passed down from those who came before us.

I'd also like to share two quilts made by my local quilt group, Winchester Modern Quilters. These quilts are also on their way to Restore Innocence. They were created from Quilto (Bingo) squares we used in one of our meetings. One of our members then took the squares and created these two cheerful quilts.

Bingo square quilts - Winchester Modern Quilters

Hoping, as we transition to 2016, you enjoy a year of making meaningful gifts for those you love and hold dear. Happy New Year!

Crochet a Little Caroler

I think every knit and crochet enthusiast can relate to that lost feeling of not having anything on the needles/hook and wondering where inspiration for the next project is going to come from. Don't you love finding a sweet little project to work on?

Crochet Carolers - my adaptation of the Jolly Wee Elf knit pattern

About a year ago I came across an online yarn shop called Churchmouse Yarns & Teas. They also have a brick and mortar location on Bainbridge Island,Washington - the complete opposite side of the country from where I live. In one of their recent holiday newsletters they featured a sweet knit pattern for a Jolly Wee Elf. I don't knit {yet!}, but I am pretty comfortable with crochet and thought I'd be able to adapt this little design to a crochet version.

Crochet Carolers

For my little carolers I used Patons Kroy Sock FX yarn in the Clover colorway. This variegated yarn was so fun to work with as each caroler turned out looking like his little suit was different from the others. For their faces and scarves I used bits of sock yarn I had left over from other projects. I just made myself rough notes on the construction of the caroler so each subsequent caroler is a bit different from the others.

To help the carolers stand up I wrapped a bit of {new} fish tank gravel in plastic and tucked it in the base of the caroler, then continued to stuff with fiberfill. It's really the hats and arms that give them their individual personality.

Merry Christmas!

I can hear these little carolers singing:

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Savior's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born.
O night, O Holy Night, O night divine!
O night, O Holy Night, O night divine!

-by Adolphe Adams

These sweet little carolers have gone to live in their new home with my dear friend M :o)

Wishing all of my online friends a

 Blessed and Merry Christmas!