31 May 2018

Odds & Ends


I don't normally have time to participate in all the memes that go around, but one of the crochet groups I belong to recently had one I couldn't resist joining. Members posted collages showcasing their softy creations and a portrait of themselves. This was a fun way to show off some of my favorite critters over the years.


Anyone else having withdrawals like me???


This is the rainy May day view from my sewing machine. You can imagine what my kitchen and living room smell like when I open the window.

The rainy May day view from my sewing machine.

My triangle scrap pile has grown to project size, so it's time to start making squares. One of Missouri Star Quilt Company's daily deals featured a two-yard cut of Kona Silver, and that looked like the perfect starting point. Easy to match, too, if I end up needing more.


I cut the Kona into 3-inch strips, which I then sliced into triangles to match my scraps.


This was my first time ever chain-piecing.






This is resulting in yet another stack of triangle scraps - these ones so small, they won't be sewn into a project - but I do intend to use them.


I'm not entirely sure yet what the blocks will become, but I'm enjoying building prospective puzzles to explore ideas.












Last year I cut out several pairs of shorts in preparation for Ride the Rockies. I learned the pain in my elbow and neck would keep me off my bike and crochet hook throughout the summer, which created shorts-halting depression. I did finish a bunch of quilts in the interim, but the unfinished shorts hibernated all winter long.

Now we've gone - temperature-wise - from about January 120th to August 15th almost overnight. So it's time to finish and wear some new shorts. With pockets! The pattern didn't include hidden pockets, and I didn't care for the patch pockets, so I modified.


The first pair is made from leftover lizard-themed fabric I used for a western-themed dress back in about 1996. Those same leftovers have shown up in a lizard blouse and a lizard quilt or two, as well. I didn't have enough fabric for all four shorts panels, so I decided to go halfsies on the front panels. Vertical lines are slimming, right? Ha ha! I'll never have to look inside this pair of shorts to see which side is the front before I wear them.

The second pair is from my own snow-dyed fabric about four or five years ago. It was my second or third attempt at snow-dyeing, and I didn't achieve the affect I wanted, so the fabric has been tucked away, waiting for usefulness. I thought this pair would look good as cut-offs, with frayed edges, so I didn't hem the bottoms. The edges fray more every time I wash them. In about a year or so, I should have the desired affect.




Not every scrap has to become part of a quilt, right? How's this for tropical summer fun? I think these are my favorite shorts ever!


One more finish for the month of May... a trio of bandanas for the Birthday Boy!




Linking up with Busy Hands Quilts, Crazy Mom Quilts and Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

7 comments :

  1. You sure can use anything and then some to create at your sea. The way to be. Yeah, sure shot up from January 120th too. No middle ground. Ugg.

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    1. Thanks, Pat! Wow, you skipped spring, too??? I fear this means we are in for a wildfire summer...

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  2. Way to go with the chain piecing. Love the shorts.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Karen! I’m getting used to the chain piecing now.

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  3. I love your squares! So I have been using a pattern maker that presses her seams to the darker side instead of down the middle and she uses "scant" 1/4" seams. This has been a struggle for me. LOL My grandma always told me to iron down the middle like you do. I have only been sewing for maybe a year and I cannot get my squares right. Sometimes they are, most of the time not. So I think I am going to go back to this way. It makes sense to me. HAHA

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Texas Nascar Cowgirl! I have tried nesting seams, and in my opinion, they are much easier to align when pressed flat. I probably would press to the dark side if I was using white, but I think I pressed flat last year when I made a white with rainbow triangles quilt for my little cousin for Christmas. A thicker batting helped keep the seams from showing through. Got that tip off a sewing/quilting blog somewhere along the way. I would definitely suggest pressing flat again to see if you like it better.

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  4. Those tropical shorts are a blast!

    So fun to see all your triangle ideas. I always liked the planning and layout stages of quilting much more than the cutting and construction. :)

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