Perfect fall sweater (for a perfect little girl)

I think about 2.3 seconds elapsed between when I cast off The Middle Child's sweater and when Last But Not Least started whining, "But where is miiiiiiine???" And as I worked on it over the past couple months, the kid was like a slave driver. "Aren't you done yet, Mommy?" "Knit faster!"



Anyways, I am so happy that I was able to crank it out in time for her to wear this fall....and to capture the gorgeous color of the yarn amongst the gorgeous colors of nature!



Knit it a couple sizes big....you can bet if I am going to knit it, I am going to make it big enough to last awhile!



Tested and approved for running and frolicking purposes.....



Had fun walking through the park and snapping photos. The Middle Child was the "director" of the photo shoot and would swoop in after each shot to rearrange hair and offer suggestions to her sister about hand placement, etc. Suggestions were usually taken graciously. Ah, sisters!





More details on my Ravelry page here, for those who would like to know :)



Linking up at Rachel's Celebrate Color contest :)

Drunkard's Path QAL- block arrangement ideas

So many possibilities with this block! The combinations are endless. My quilt-along partner, Kate, is talking all about it on her blog today, so go on over and visit her! You can also look at other DP inspirations quilts that I have collected here and here.

See you back next week to start cutting up that fabric!

bi-CRAFT-ual

I have been having a bit of an online discussion with some concerned blogging friends lately about my craftual orientation. They have noticed me wandering over to "the knitting side" quite often and they were worried about me. Have I forgotten about my first love, Quilting? Is there room in my heart for another love?

Well, I am here to assure you that I am completely at peace with the 3-way going on over here. And if you really care about me, you will accept me for who I am.

I can't deny it any longer.......I am BI-CRAFT-UAL, hear me roar!!

So all you knit-haters, shield your eyes because I am going to show off a new hat, henceforth known as The Bicraftual Hat. Now, if I had anticipated that its "coming out" post would have had this particular slant, I might have knit it in a rainbow yarn, but regardless, I am very happy with the Malabrigo Rasta in leguna negro that was used here.



I used the Chunky Slouch Cap pattern from Ravelry. Made it a bit bigger and longer to allow for more slouch. I had to restart this baby 3 times because I had initially started it too small, then messed up the pattern, etc. Typical of me!



Love the way this hat looks and feels. I see another in my near future.....

Sewing Summit Gossip

The sign of a good weekend?

My baggage gained 25 lbs! "Only" 42 lbs on the way to Salt Lake City, but 67 lbs (!!) on the way home. Fabric binging, people!!




Looking at this {yummy} stack it is kind of embarrassing, really...I need a 5 year plan!

Good times were had. I really don't know how to begin to make this post even a bit coherent. There is so much to say.

My impressions:

It is the oddest feeling to walk into a room of 100+ people that you "know"....but have never seen. The opening reception was a bit overwhelming for that reason. I walked through the sea of people and then would spot a purse I recognized...."OH! I know that bag! It belongs to so-and-so" and boom, a connection was made!

Out and about with my BF Samantha, who joined me from Toronto to take in Sewing Summit, we were lucky enough to find an awesome art show selling handmade items by local artists. As I was trying on a cool belt I hear a voice behind me say "blahblahblah Joel Dewberry blah...." My head whips around. "You know your fabric. Are you from Sewing Summit?" And sure enough- it was Amy from Amylouwho! Along with Dana from Old Red Barn, and then Diary of a Quilter's Amy and Leigh of Leedle Dee Quilts. All such wonderful, genuine ladies.



Finally met that crazy Kaelin! And that girl spoiled me again with....drum roll....3 fat quarters of KJR ribbon Flowers. Eeep!!! Along with some amazing New Orleans treats! Love them!



I had brought her a little goody bag with some Canadian chocolate bars and an extra large eraser shaped like, what else, a plaid scottie! But me thinks I came out on top with that little exchange...thanks K! Enjoyed dinner with her and some other amazing girls- Angela, Cara, Candice, Cherie, Ali, Michelle. Good laughs!

Also finally got to meet my lovely Drunkard's Path QAL partner, Kate, in person! Had some fun shopping for fabric and hanging out over dinner with her and Natalie (another one of my very favorite blogging people!).



I also had a very intimate, special interlude in the washroom....ran into my new friend Becky who had a "special delivery" for me....a hug from our common Australian buddy, Shay! She decided to deliver it promptly.....




....don't worry, I had already washed my hands!

Also met so many more of my favorite ladies.... so nice to put faces to the names (and quilts!).





Saturday night Sam and I were lucky to take part in a dinner organized by Dana. She even arranged goody bags for the occasion! I gathered together some little fun personalized notepads to add in that I ordered locally (here):



And Dana spoiled us all with handmade pouches containing these adorable sewing machine silver pendant necklaces, made by Cinnamon Sticks! How stinking cute are these??? AND did I mention that she had gotten these for 40 of us???? Worn with pride all weekend long (and beyond). Thanks, Dana!



Speaking of shwag, man did we get awesome freebees! A huge tote, full of goodies, patterns and more upon registration!! And, in Jeni's color class, we got a free Kaufman Kona color chart! Whoo hooo!!! So needed for a Canadian girl who has to order all this stuff online!



I can also now reveal that I was one of 22 ladies involved in the SSSS Bee- "Super Secret Sewing Summit Bee", organized by the ambitious and talented Ali of a2w, where we made blocks to contribute to quilts for Amy and Erin, the organizers extraordinaire of the Sewing Summit. These were presented Sunday morning to two very emotional, proud (and TIRED!) ladies who had worked so hard to bring all of us together. They really are the NICEST ladies, knew us all by name and made us feel like they had invited us all over personally to their house for a party. I was so pleased to be able to give them a little something back :) My block was one of the wonky ones on the quilt backs!





So, what's a Sewing Summit without sewing??? We had open sewing time in the evenings, and Sam and I closed it out at 1 a.m. both nights. Had a blast! Here is what I pulled together using those lovely Baby Lock machines (a definite step up from my clunky cheapo Kenmore!):


(above photo by Natalie or Greenleaf Goods) :)


It was so much fun piecing this together in the sewing room with so many awesome sets of eyes coming over to give advice and support, taking photos for me to look at to analyze until I had the right balance, and cheering me on. Can I take you all home with me, please???

I could go on even more but I will wrap it up to say that it was a lovely weekend of making connections with wonderful people. It was so refreshing to be in a room (or 4) full of people who "get it." I am kind of on my own up here at home, I really don't have any friends I can get together with to share my passion, so all of my interaction is 99% online. Though I may not be able to do this annually, I do hope to make it back to Sewing Summit again someday!

How to spot me at Sewing Summit

Can't WAIT to get my arse on that plane and join several hundred of my bloggy friends in Utah this weekend! But, however will we recognize each other? I don't exactly look like my cartoon icon. I thought I would post some pictures of myself so that you can recognize me.

Since I rarely take a photo of myself (apparently), all I have that is reasonably recent are these shots by my 4 year old....nasty flash, head cut off, good stuff! And, yes, I am blogging (my kids know where to find me when I go AWOL)!


Yikes! I can only go up from there, people!

Imagine me like this.....big smile on my face as I arrive to register, attend classes and such. Probably wearing some impractical shoes that I adore, a cute clutch in hand or maybe my messenger bag slung over my body. Makeup on, hair presentable, clothes without kid snot on them.

And, at around 9 pm: sweat pants of some variety, pony tail, reclined with knitting in hand, a half-drunk bottle of wine in a brown bag by my side (and probably some chocolate, too). Talking far too much, and laughing way too loud!

So, if you are at Sewing Summit and spot either of the above creatures, be sure to run over and say hi. Better yet, give me a big squishy hug or a sloppy kiss, both of which I will return with enthusiasm- we are already old friends, right?

Drunkard's Path Quilt Along- Fabric requirements

Let's talk fabric, people! Here is the nitty-gritty about fabric selection for the Accuquilt Go! Baby leg of the quilt along. Once again, if you are using the template method, go hop on over to see Kate for the info there!

The design plays and important part in your fabric selection. Do you want to go all prints like in Megan's Bohemian twins quilt?

Drunkard's Path is striking using 2 alternate solids like in this quilt by Chez B:

Or pair some prints and solids like Kate's?

Also, you can just do some DP blocks amongst other blocks, like in this uber-modern looking quilt top by Dan from Piece and Press:

This is also a great opportunity to use up some scraps like in this gorgeous quilt by Zilla Cook:

So, plenty of possibilities! Feel free to revisit my inspiration mosaic to help stimulate the brain!


Here is some basic math about this block.

Each single block will be 3.5 inches finished in your quilt. So, you can really do any size you want, using that at your starting point. Fabric requirements will of course vary based on size. I am going to make suggestions for a lap quilt and a baby quilt.

The beauty of the Go! Baby? Perfect for use with a layer cake! One layer cake "slice" cranked through your Go! Baby will get you pieces for 4 blocks with minimal waste. I have some handy-dandy tricks on how to do this that I will show you once it is cutting time. Easy as pie...or layer cake, I guess ;) Now, 4 blocks from the one layer cake slice sewn together will give you a 7 inch finished block. So, using simple math, you can multiply the number of blocks to get the quilt size you would like.

One layer cake will yield 42- 7 inch blocks. So, a layer cake will give you a generous baby quilt of 42 inches by 49 inches (6 blocks across by 7 rows) if you use all the slices. A more typical baby size would be 35 inches by 42 inches (5 blocks across by 6 rows), which utilizes 30 of the 42 slices.

Two layer cakes, or a layer cake paired with 42- 10 inch squares of solid, will generate a cozy lap quilt of 63 inches square (9x9 blocks with 3 blocks left over).

While layer cakes add to the simplicity factor by being pre-cut, you certainly can use fabric from your stash as well! This would then just be cut into 10 inch squares prior to cutting. Scraps would also be great! There really is a lot of freedom here.


Fabric requirements for lap quilt (63" by 63"):

Using pre-cuts:
-2 layer cakes (two printed cakes OR one print and one solid cake) OR 1 layer cake and 3.25 yards of solid

For a quilt top using only 2 fabrics you will need:
-3.25 yards of each fabric

For a quilt top using an equal mix of solid and prints:
-3.25 yards of solid fabric
- 11-10 inch cuts by WOF of a variety of prints of your choosing OR scraps to generate 168 "outie" pieces and 168 " innie" pieces

For a quilt top using prints only:
- 22- 10 inch cuts by WOF of a variety of prints of your choosing OR scraps to generate 336 "outie" pieces and 336 " innie" pieces (wowza!)

In addition, for all lap quilts you will need:
-1/2 yard fabric for binding
- 4 yards fabric for backing


Fabric requirements for baby quilt (35" by 42" OR 42" by 49"):

Using pre-cuts:
-1 layer cake OR 1/2 layer cake and 1.5 yards of solid

For a quilt top using only 2 fabrics you will need:
- 1.5 yards of each fabric for the quilt top

For a quilt top using an equal mix of solid and prints:
-1.5 yards of solid fabric
- 6-10 inch cuts by WOF of a variety of prints of your choosing OR scraps to generate 84 "outie" pieces and 84 " innie" pieces

For a quilt top using prints only:
- 11- 10 inch cuts by WOF of a variety of prints of your choosing OR scraps to generate 168 "outie" pieces and 168 " innie" pieces

In addition, for all baby quilts you will need:
-1/2 yard fabric for binding
- 1.5 yards fabric for backing for 35" x 42" baby quilt, or 3 yards of backing if you are making the larger 42" x 49" baby quilt


What fabrics will I be using? I will be slicing and dicing my Bonnie and Camille Ruby layer cake (minus a few slices used in my Moda Bakeshop framed purse tutorial) and pairing that with equal parts of solid white to make a snugly lap quilt all for ME! I la-la-LOVE this line, and can't wait to dive in! I am also contemplating cutting up some Bliss and making a baby quilt...perhaps as a Christmas donation to the local Children's Hospital :) I have what (I think) will be a funky design idea...stay tuned!



I can't wait to see what fabrics you choose! Be sure to show off your choices in the Drunkard's Path quilt along Flickr group!

Christmas inspiration

In terms of crafting, Christmas is really just around the corner. Looking for some inspiration for some fun Christmas crafts?


The folks at All Free Christmas Crafts have put together and eBook of some of Holiday crafts. It is a free download and can be found here. They have included my Mini Monet Christmas ornaments :) They also have a slew of other free Christmas crafts to try on their site.

Ho ho ho!

p.s. speaking of inspiration....happy birthday today to the best dad ever! You inspire me every day, Dad!