Baby Socks

These cute baby socks are a quick project to use up some of the stash of short pieces of yarn.  They are made using Sweater from Spud and Chloe.  I love this yarn!  It is so soft and warm.  I have a cuddly sweater I made for myself out of this precious yarn and am in the process of making another sweater with a cable pattern that will be a challenge for me.  It will be worth the effort and with all the work that goes into hand knits using the best yarn that you can afford is important.  The pattern for these cute baby socks is a free one from the Spud and Chloe blog.  Jelly Bean Socks knit up fast and you can practice your sock knitting using a worsted weight yarn!   

 

One More Time!

 

I know I haven't posted for a while but not much has changed around here. Who would have thought we would be having a SNOW DAY this late in April?  This may have been the biggest snow event of the year and this late in the season it was not welcome.  We woke up to 13 inches of the white stuff this morning.  I had planned to take the day off when I heard the forecast and I think I made the right decision. 

 

 

I haven't made it up to the sewing room yet but I have another jumper project that turned out pretty cute.  I was able to find a small piece of denim in the stash so I put together a jumper for grand daughter Faith who just turned 2.  The ABC buttons have been in the button bin for years, probably since her mom was little, and I thought they looked great.  The most trouble I had with this little dress was finding yellow buttons for the shoulder tabs.  I really didn't think it would be that hard to find plain yellow buttons but I think these are perfect to complete the primary color theme for this little number. It has already been gifted to Faith and she has worn it so I know it fits.  I was worried about including the long sleeve top for underneath but this year I am not sure we will ever get out the short sleeves!  

SNOW DAY ...SEW DAY

A snowy day here in Minnesota and we are staying out of the elements.  It was the perfect excuse to clean up the cutting table and get to work on a set of jumpers for E & A.  It's a blessing to have these two little granddaughters so close by.  I have had the fabric for a while but had misplaced the pattern I planned to use so the project has been on the to do list.  Luckily, I made it to Jo Ann Fabric  during the latest pattern sale and picked up a couple simple ones so I could get the project underway.  With the snow today it was the perfect excuse to get going.  Because I had the fabric before the pattern I did not have quite enough fabric for 2 jumpers but by putting a seam at the center back of the larger size I made do with what I had.  The fabric is a thin wale corduroy so I had to take the nap into account or I might have been able to avoid the extra seam.  I added the rickrack as an afterthought as it was in the pile of trims and matched perfectly.  The second one is cut and ready to sew but I better cook supper now as I am sure the hubby will be hungry when he gets in from blowing snow. 

Fat Quarter Bag

Another stash busting project completed!! Just a small bag that will hold a small knitting project.  Seems like I never have enough bags or maybe I have too many projects!  I used the pattern I found here.  It's a quick project and makes good use of the fat quarters that are stacking up around here.  The instructions were well written and there are great illustrations included for us visual learners.  Check it out.  This would be a really easy gift for all your knitting friends. 

Jar Quilts

Just a bit of stash busting that I would like to repeat. This is a sample jar quilt I made to try out an idea I saw on Pinterest.  I used a strip quilting technique using a muslin backing with a light batting and stitching down the strips, quilting as you go.  I did add a few quilting lines for accents.  The buttons are closed with loops of elastic stitched into the bias trim.  I am sure I have a stash of fat quarters that would make a whole set of these cute jar quilts.  One set for the kitchen to hold everything from coffee beans to sugar cubes and one set for the sewing room to organize all those little accessories that are waiting for the perfect project.  This sample was sized to fit a pint jar but you could use any size jar so I guess that makes this a good recycling project too.  You could paint the jar lids to coordinate with the fabrics you choose. Lots of ideas to expand on this project idea when I have more time. 

Bicycle Pillows

Stash busting has been slowed down due to "life" happening.  I have managed to make some pillows form an original drawing by Sylvia that I have converted into machine embroidery using the software for my Viking Husqvarna embroidery machine.  I think they turned out really cute with the addition of some freestyle hand embroidered flowers in the baskets.  The additions of the flowers makes each pillow unique.  The linen look fabrics are from my stash, so there is a little bit of stash busting going on.  Now we need to find a gift store near a bike trail that would like to carry our bicycle themed creations.  When our girls were growing up we spent many weekends camping near our favorite bike trails in Minnesota and Wisconsin and riding our bikes so this theme brings back many memories.

Busy Bag #3

They just keep coming around here. This bag literally cost me $1. I got some paint swatches with perforated circles you could punch out. (They are BHG from Wally's). I bought a $1 pack of clothespins and hot glued the punch out onto the end of the clothespin. I also wrote in the names of each color to help with name recognition. It's all tucked neatly in another drawstring bag. We've got a growing collection!