28 April 2017
27 April 2017
Purple Power
Before I am an old woman, I shall wear purple. Often.
Last year I began cutting up my purple dress and quilt leftovers into charm squares. One winter Saturday, I began mixing and matching the blocks to make disappearing four patches. Back then, I thought I'd make another triangle quilt like the one I made for cousin Noah for Christmas last year.
But then Artisan Spirit released the new Echoes panel. Some of my purple leftovers match the purple Echoes panel. So I HAD to have one! Made the flimsy come together much faster, too. This is one of my new favorite quilt tops. I love looking at it, and I can't wait to quilt it.
Some of my purple leftovers come from dresses I've made, including this one...
The Artisan Spirit Shimmer was the perfect frame for this panel. I wasn't sure I'd have enough, so I kept the frame narrow. I have about eight inches of the full yard left now.
After the very pale blue frame and the Artisan Spirit Shimmer, I began putting my disappearing four patches together and realized I would be just a little short lengthwise. I decided to add another border to the top and bottom so the four patch blocks would fit properly. I used the leftovers from another dress!
I like the back of the quilt top as much as the front. The triangle seams make me want to craft a Hunter's Star quilt from the remaining leftovers.
And yet, another half-square triangle quilt would be fun to make and quilt. I am anxious to start quilting Purple Haze and whatever I do with the remaining blocks and charm squares.
Linking up with Busy Hands Quilts, Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Crazy Mom Quilts.
26 April 2017
25 April 2017
Refreshing
It is SO exciting to be able to use my iPhone to take pictures again! I've been battling mouse elbow for a little more than a month now, and it is so awesome to be able to shoot with the phone and upload immediately without having to mouse. I'm even having fun playing with photos in Photoshop Express on my phone. My most recent shots look almost as though they could have been shot with one of my Nikons!
24 April 2017
Snowflake Monday
Many readers (and co-workers who've NEVER looked at my blog) have asked repeatedly over the years how long my snowflake rocks last. Or how to make them.
Going back through my photos, it looks like I started making snowflake rocks in 2012. Last year I lost the covering to one rock and had to redo it. This year, I found two more (so far) that need to be replaced (shown above).
The other 197 or so rocks still in my garden show no signs of giving up the battle. The rocks that have lost their coverings were in the line of fire (or line of pour...) of the Mountain Dew soda I dumped on my irises in 2015 when slugs were slithering rampant.
I conclude snowflake rocks, or any cotton-covered rocks, can last five years or longer. Just please don't get any Mountain Dew on them. Can you imagine what that stuff must do to your innards when you drink it?!? (No soda pop for me since 2000!!!)
Today's pattern is a variation of the Pasqueflower Snowflake Easter egg pattern, which had an error that has been corrected, modified to cover a rock, with complete instructions. Your assignment, should you choose to accept this challenge, is to find the perfect rock to fit this cozy.
You may do whatever you'd like with snowflakes or snowflake rocks you make from this pattern, but you may not sell or republish the pattern. Thanks, and enjoy!
Finished Size: 5.5 inches from point to point
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread, size 7 crochet hook, 5.5- 7-inch round or oval flat rock
Rock Hard Snowflake Cozy Instructions
Make magic ring.
Round 1: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 4 dc in ring, take loop off hook, insert hook through 2nd ch of starting ch 2 and replace loop on hook, pull loop through ch (popcorn stitch made), * ch 5; 5 dc in ring, take loop off hook, insert hook through top loop of 1st dc and replace loop on hook, pull loop through top of 1st dc (popcorn stitch made); repeat from * 4 times; ch 2, 1 tr in top of starting popcorn to form 6th ch 5 sp of Round. Pull magic circle tight.
NOTE: Working the mesh stitch here, as directed below in Round 8, makes a super cute small rock cozy.
Round 2: Ch 8 (counts as 1 dc and ch 6), 1 dc over post of dc directly below, * ch 6, 1 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 3, 1 dc in same tip; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 6, 1 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 8 to form 6th ch 3 tip of Round.
NOTE: Binding off here and weaving in ends makes a cute little snowflake. It makes an even cuter snowflake if you work the ch/10 tips in Round 2 before binding off, and it makes an adorable little rock cozy with the mesh stitch beginning here.
Round 3: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc over post of dc directly below, * ch 7, 2 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 3, 2 dc in same tip; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 7, 2 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th ch 3 tip of Round.
NOTE: Beginning the mesh stitch as directed below with minor adjustments in Round 8 on any of Rounds 2 through 5 will make cute cozies for smaller rocks.
Round 4: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc over post of dc directly below, * ch 8, 3 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 3, 3 dc in same tip; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 8, 3 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th ch 3 tip of Round.
NOTE: Adding the ch/10 tip to any of Rounds 3-5 and binding off makes a cute mini version of the Rock Hard Snowflake.
Round 5: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 3 dc over post of dc directly below, * ch 9, [4 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 3, 4 dc in same tip; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 9, 4 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th ch 3 tip of Round.
Round 6: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 4 dc over post of dc directly below, * ch 10, 5 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 10, 5 dc in same tip; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 10, 5 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 5, 1 trtr in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th ch 10 tip of Round.
NOTE: If you want to make just the snowflake and not the rock, bind off here and weave in ends. Use stiffening instructions included with any of my other snowflake patterns.
If you're not reading this pattern on Snowcatcher, you're not reading the designer's blog. Please go here to see the original.
Round 7: 1 sc over post of trtr directly below, *[ch 9, 1 sc in 5th ch from hook] 3 times, ch 4, 1 sc in next ch 10 tip, ch 5, 1 sc in same sp; repeat from * around 6 times, omitting last sc and last ch 5 of final repeat; ch 2, 1 dc in starting sc to form 6th ch 5 tip of Round.
Round 8: 1 sc over post of dc directly below, [ch 5, 1 sc in next ch 5 loop] 23 times (23 mesh stitches made), ch 2, 1 dc in starting sc to form 24th ch 5 mesh of Round.
Rounds 9-15 (or number of Rounds required to nearly cover back of rock): 1 sc over post of dc directly below, [ch 5, 1 sc in next ch 5 mesh] 23 times, ch 2, 1 dc in starting sc to form 24th ch 5 mesh of Round. Check fit around rock several times as you go, but you don't have to keep the rock in the cozy until the final Round.
Round 16 (or final Round): Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in each mesh stitch around. I do the first 5 or so before inserting the rock, which keeps the rock from falling out as I finish the Round. Take care not to scrape crochet hook against rock. At end of Round, sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 and bind off, leaving a 3- to 4-inch tail. Weave tail through each dc and pull tight, then draw up a loop through next dc with remaining tail, then draw up another loop through next dc and pull through loop on hook, bind off again. Weave remaining tail under a few stitches, and cut off remainder of tail. Place rock in garden or on desk, and note the bright happiness it brings to the space around it, regardless of season or time of day.
21 April 2017
20 April 2017
Hexie Madness
My Hexie Madness design has been making some fun splashes at Spoonflower. It's been on the Trendy List, and it's been on the Favorites List.
I made a jumper I just love. I get compliments every single time I wear it. I still have a bit left to use up.
I made versions with blue background, teal background, black background, white background and plum background. Here's my favorite...
The design was created from multiple hexagon renditions of a tree silhouette I snapped against a vivid rainbow a couple of years ago. This particular design features my very first seamless design. I did the repeat manually in a very old version of Photoshop! No automatic plug-ins did this!
After I made the mostly blue fabric, I was so tickled, I decided to make another hexagon fabric incorporating samples of all my hexie snowflakes created from photos I've taken. These hexagons were created from 102 different photos of flowers, autumn leaves, crochet, sunrises and sunsets, fireworks and snowflakes, of course. "Hexie Madness" turned out to be popular on Spoonflower, too!
I used a couple of fussy cuts from my fat quarter sample of the multi-color hexie fabric, but I'd yet to make a full project. It was time to make something to show off this fancy stuff.
I didn't want a bag, an apron, a pillow, a placemat or a potholder, but less than a fat quarter isn't really enough for much else.
I kept thinking how great the hexies would look in a jumper I could wear year-round. I decided to use my Hexie Madness fat quarter for the front of the jumper bodice!
The skirt is two yards of Moda's Primitive Muslin flannel, and the pockets, the back of the bodice and the lining are leftover plain gray flannel from the back of a quilt I don't even remember (there wasn't enough of the Primitive Muslin to make the whole dress). Perhaps the gray flannel is left over from one of The Lizard's quilts...
Linking up with Busy Hands Quilts, Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Crazy Mom Quilts.
19 April 2017
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)
