Inspired by the colors of autumn I decided to make a tee shirt to reflect the beauty and variety of the trees.
I started with a basic cotton tee shirt from Big Lots.
I went to my box of pre-cut 2" squares and pulled out gold, rust, green and orange.
I started the layout down the middle of the front and worked my way out toward the sides.
It turned out the tee shirt was asymmetrical, with more width on one side then the other. So I changed the layout from centered down the middle to a space in the middle. When I used all the pre-cut squares, I went to my fabric collection for similar colors and prints and cut additional squares.
Once it was laid out, I tacked the squares in place with a bit of washable glue stick. Then I took a picture to check the overall color balance and placement.
I took several out, they were either too dark, too bright or stuck out for some reason.
Then I sewed them in place using a straight stitch, like raw-edge applique.
It'll soften the more I wash it. It's warm too, because of the layers.
It's called Hayes' Corner and looked smashing placed together in rows on the design wall at guild.
It's rare that I make a pattern twice, but when I do, it tells me it's a great knit.
These are made from a lamb's wool, angora blend. Nice.
They're a modified version of this pattern on Ravelry, and warmer than the cotton/wool pair I made almost exactly a year ago.
My dear friend's house burned completely to the ground this summer, due to a wildfire. I quickly went into action to turn a community quilt top into a blanket of love for her.
I love the way a quilt
top becomes a quilt, emerges as a gift imbued with love and
prayers for the receiver, and somehow a name suggests itself in the
process.
What was simply called Stacked Coins before, became Blueberry Bay; which conjures up images of long summer afternoons on Cape Cod, with the sea in the background, gulls winging overhead and blueberry bushes growing nearby.
I went to the Community Garden to plant some lettuce seeds for fall. This is what I came home with.
Bok Choy, pickling cucumber, lemon cucumber, Italian squash, crook necked squash, spaghetti squash, early pumpkin, purple tomatillos, pear tomatoes, salad tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes and an English cucumber.
I didn't plant any of these! They were given to me by a woman who said it was her first time trying to grow anything, she didn't know what she was doing. I say, Keep it up, you're doing great!
I still wanted to get in the dirt this season, so I joined the Brooktrails Community Garden. They have a 12 foot fence surrounding the raised beds and for $10 a year, they provide all the soil, water and plant starts. I provide time watering and weeding and we share the produce. What a great way to get into gardening! These pictures are from July..
One Saturday we met and dug potatoes from the communal bed. We had a youngster helping and it was like a treasure hunt, turning the soil looking for yellow, red and purple potatoes. I think I had as much fun as the little one!
One of my closest friends recently lost all her material possessions when her house burned to the ground. She fled with her cat, purse, checkbook and her car. She's being taken care of by family, friends, previous co-workers and the local community. She is full of gratitude and happy to be alive.
But one of the things she sorely misses is her vintage treadle machine. It was all she ever used to sew - a hard item to replace.
I found this gem at a garage sale about two weeks after the fire. Imagine how unglued I became when I found out they only wanted $25.00 for it!
It's a reproduction made in 1973, but that just means it's in mint condition, there isn't a hint of rust on it and the drive belt isn't even worn. The pictures don't do the decals justice, they positively glow and the cabinet is in great condition. It came with an attachment box of bobbins and screwdrivers and a manual! She says it looks just like the one she lost. She feels like she's living in a state of grace...
For our 35th anniversary we played the tourist and went to Tahoe. The first morning we got up before the sun so we could watch it rise over Emerald Bay.
That afternoon we hiked to Eagle Lake for a picnic.
The second day we took a cruise on board the Tahoe Queen paddle boat.
The last day we visited the Taylor Creek State park and walked the nature trail.
It was a great trip and wonderful to 'get out of Dodge'. But I also find it's nice to come home again too.
I have a nice collection of yarn I've reclaimed or been given, I don't need any more yarn. Still, once in awhile I stop at the Senior Center Thrift store to see what they have.
Someone must've cleared out their stash, for there were bags and bags of matching yarn; not the usual leftovers, those walnut-sized balls that aren't much use except for striping.
How could I pass this up, all this natural wool yarn for ten dollars?! I skeined ten yards, weighed it and with that number was able to estimate there's over 3,000 yards. That's approximately three adult sweaters or one really large afghan!
Dear Blog,
I haven't forgotten. You know I write to you all the time in my head. And I continue to take pictures of projects, progress and life; so the process of blogging is still going on, just not online. Here at last I will share some of what's been happening. But simply put - knit, garden, quilt, hike, eat, sleep, repeat. Not a bad way to spend the summer!
My mother used to have one of these in her sewing basket. I remember asking her what it was; a darning egg. Fast forward to today and I've been trying to find one to add to my own sewing basket, without paying $20.00 or more for a vintage one on e-bay or etsy. I was tickled to recently find it in a small, local craft store in town. And the price was reasonable - $7.00. Knitters darn their socks. I wonder if the economy will encourage others to learn to darn theirs.
I've been fighting all season with the local deer in my neighborhood. The drought is so bad, they are eating everything, including plants known to be deer resistant and even toxic. It's been discouraging and frustrating. Then fawning season came...
These pictures were taken a few feet from our back door. They come almost every morning or twilight. Because their parents don't have a fear of humans, neither do they. It's hard to hold rancor when they're so darn cute. So much for my flower garden...
I made a quilt for my niece who's expecting her first child.
I had almost all the fabric in my collection, and it went together in a couple of evenings. While I enjoy challenging quilt patterns, there's something to be said for easy-to-complete quilts too.
After all that wool knitting, it was time for something lighter. I got a lovely soft cotton, linen, silk blend called Amalfi, at the LYS's summer sale.
Just off the needles.
It blocked to just the right dimensions. Don't cha just love it when that happens?
I was at the local thrift store, shopping for summer shorts actually, when I found myself browsing the sweater aisle. I let my hands tell me if a sweater is worth reclaiming. The texture of this deep pink one was unlike anything I've come across up till now.
The label said it was made in Ireland and was 50/50 linen and cotton. I've always heard about Irish Linen, but I never knew what was so special about it. It has an unexpected sheen that is just lovely.
I estimated how many yards I have and then searched Ravelry's shawl patterns, using the yarn weight and yardage filters. This is Shoreline, so far an easy pattern with an applied lace border.
I just added the shawl to my project page on Ravelry and it told me it's my 50th project. (!) That's kinda fun...
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