Friday, May 26, 2023

Checkerboard Afghan

I knit this one without a pattern.  The edges are a simple garter stitch.  I then knit the inside in a block pattern of knit blocks/ garter blocks in a checkerboard pattern.  The yarn is Valley Yarn Berkshire Bulky in colorway dark grey heather.  Finished it measures 50 in x 68 in.  I gave this one to a nephew and his wife.  I finished it back in March. 




Friday, May 12, 2023

Where the Side Walk Ends Afghan

This afghan was finished back in February after starting it in Dec 2022.  I gifted it to my nephew Carson.  The pattern is Where the Sidewalk Ends by Fifty Four Ten Studio.  The yarn is Plymouth Yarn Encore Chunky in colorway oatmeal.  I cast on 130 stitches, did 32 pattern repeats to get a larger size than the pattern intended.  The finished size is 57 in x 69 in.  



Friday, April 14, 2023

Coin Quilt

This quilt was made for my nephew.  It measures 87 in X 88 in.  I made the coin sections in a quilt as you go fashion. Then after putting all the pieces together added additional quilting. It was actually finished back in February but I just haven't gotten around to posting it.




The back (with my dog in the photo). 


Saturday, December 31, 2022

Trellis Afghan

I started this afghan in early August and finished it about a week before Christmas.  Mailed it after Christmas to my niece (just because gift, not a Christmas present).  The pattern is Trellis Afghan by Elizabeth Vindedahl.  The yarn is Valley Yarns Haydenville in colorway 21 (yellow).  Blocked it measures 65 in X 72 in.  




Friday, November 25, 2022

Mending Old Quilts

I am not an expert on mending old quilts but I had two old family quilts that needed some mending.  The tops were pieced by my paternal grandmother in the late 1960s/ early 1970s.  My mother and my youngest sister quilted them for me (not the best quilting jobs but they did it) while I was in college.  I decided to simple sew new fabric pieces over the torn/ frayed ones rather than removing the old pieces.  In some areas I simple reinforced weak fabric with embroidery.  

The first quilt was an album quilt with names (family and friends)/ places embroidered in place.  I used this old shirt fabric as a substitute in this block.  Wish I had taken an after photo.

I used an old denim striped shirt fabric for the repair in this block (lower right).  Failed to take a before photo of this block.
Did take a before photo of this block and the planned (see pins) repair.


The second quilt (an old log cabin) needed a lot more repair. Here's a sample of some of the repairs. This photo (after) and the next (before) show a frayed center block which was repaired using a cotton shirt fabric.

This photo shows where I embroidered some weak areas to strengthen them. 
These next two (first is before, second the after).  Sorry the orientation isn't the same.  

Another one showing areas reinforced by embroidery.

There were three areas of full thickness damage from me taking the quilt on a camping trip back in 1982 and embers from the fire damaging the quilt.  These areas had to have all three layers (top, batting, backing) replaced so I decided to just make very obvious repairs. 



Here are the repairs (front/ back) of each of the above.  The first one


The second one


The third one




Friday, September 30, 2022

Scrappy Log Cabin Baby Quilt

A friend recently became a grandfather so I gave this quilt to him for his new grandchild.  It is machine pieced and quilted.  Measures approx 38 in X 42 in.





Friday, September 2, 2022

Gitanes Shawl

I started this shawl in early January this year.  I finally finished it in early August.  The pattern is Gitanes by Mrs Smink.  The yarn is Lost City Silk in colorway Abstraction.  Finished size after blocking is 26 in X 80 in.  I gifted it to a niece.



Friday, August 19, 2022

Simple Four-Patch Baby Quilt

Our neighbor's daughter is having their first grandchild soon so I made this quilt for them.  It is machine pieced and quilted. Measures 38 in square.  The expected baby is a boy, the grandfather to be is a pilot.  The family loves it which makes me happy.




Friday, August 12, 2022

Doctor My Eyes

I made this small art quilt last month and gave it to my ophthalmologist.  It's sort of a self-portrait since I used a photo of my eyes/ face but I didn't add all the fine lines/ wrinkles.  It is raw-edge applique and both machine and hand quilted.  Measures 4.5 in X 10 in.  I think he liked it when I gifted it to him at my recent yearly exam.





Friday, June 3, 2022

I finished this small art quilt this past weekend.  It is machine appliqued (raw edge) and machine quilted.  As I wanted all the design elements to go to the edges I chose to finish the edges by facing it rather than binding it.  The quilt is 16 in X 21 in. I was inspired by the “Night Swimmer” by Sarah Morgan.




Friday, May 13, 2022

Small Bags/Purses

Recently I have been making small bags/ purses just large enough for a cell phone, keys, and maybe lipstick/ chap stick with a pocket for credit card/ money.  The finished bags measure approx 6 in wide/ 8 in tall.  Some with removal straps and some w/ adjustable straps.  

This one is going to be a birthday present for a young preteen niece.



This one I mailed to a friend.


These two were made for a niece and her daughter (my grand-niece). 

This one hasn't been designated for anyone as of yet.



Friday, May 6, 2022

Scrappy Log Cabin Quilt

This quilt is another made mostly from my scrape baskets.  Log cabin pattern.  Machine pieced and quilted.  It measures approx 50 in x 66 in.  I plan to keep this one.



found a small frayed opening in a seam while I was doing the quilting which I had to mend.
You can see the mended piece in a photo showing the surrounding area.