Friday Fortius

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Pink Friday

I'm wearing my jeans to work today, as are nearly all my co-workers. We all pay five dollars for the privilege, and all proceeds go toward breast cancer treatment. We also have had an office bake sale going on all week. My co-workers and I donated baked goods, and everyone in the office (and sometimes people from other floors in our building, too) buy the goodies, all proceeds going toward breast cancer treatment.

If I'd been diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year and saw the staff at the treatment center dancing with pink gloves like in the video below, that sure would have lifted my spirits!


I didn't realize how long it had been since I did a Pink Friday. The pink gloves inspired me!

You may do whatever you'd like with hand motifs you make from this pattern, but you may not sell or republish the pattern. Thanks, and enjoy!


Finished Size: 1 inch across
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread, size 7 crochet hook

Pink Gloved Hands Instructions

Right Hand

Make magic ring.

Round 1: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 11 dc in ring; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2. Pull magic circle tight.
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 2: 1 sc in next dc, 1 hdc in next dc, ch 5, 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 3 ch, sl st in same dc as hdc (pinkie finger made), ch 6, 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 4 ch, sl st in same dc as hdc (ring finger made), ch 6, 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 4 ch (middle finger made), ch 5, 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 3 ch; draw up loop through 5th sc of middle finger; draw up loop through next dc, yo and draw through all 3 loops on hook (linked hdc made, pointer finger made), 1 hdc in next dc, 1 sc in next dc, ch 5, 1 hdc in 3rd ch from hook and in each of next 2 ch, 1 hdc in same dc as sc (thumb made), 1 sc in next dc, sl st in next dc; bind off. Weave in ends.


Left Hand

Make magic ring.

Round 1: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 11 dc in ring; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2. Pull magic circle tight.
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 2: Ch 6, 1 hdc in 3rd ch from hook and in each of next 2 ch, yo and draw up loop through next ch, yo and draw up loop through next dc, yo and draw through all 4 loops on hook (thumb made), 1 sc in each of next 2 dc, ch 5, 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 3 ch, sl st in same dc (pointer finger made), ch 6, 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 3 ch, sl st in next ch, sl st in same dc (middle finger made), ch 6, 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 4 ch, sl st in next dc (ring finger made), ch 5, 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 3 ch, 1 sc in same dc (pinkie finger made), sl st in next dc; bind off. Weave in ends.


Finish: Hands need not be shaped, although they look better if they are pinned, sprayed lightly with water mist and allowed to dry. Hands may be stiffened like snowflakes if desired. Hands may be used as card or gift tag adornments, as mini ornaments, as appliques or as jewelry charms.

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Pink Friday

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Tickled Pink

(affiliate links to my fabric designs)

I like to feature a lot of pink on my blog during the month of October in support of breast cancer awareness. Instead of working on the two deadline quilts I SHOULD be working on, I began the month with a bit of a pink.

Back in June, I received my second swatch of Spoonflower fabric I designed, and I was so excited about how well it turned out, I couldn't wait to cut into it!

I made some pink strips from Kona cottons in my stash and made one pink log cabin block with a Pink Wave snowflake center. At the time, I thought it would be a cute baby quilt, but I had so many other things going on, I set the project aside without another thought until the first weekend of October.


We'd planned another leaf-photography trip for that weekend, this one deep in the middle of nowhere, 100 miles from anything. But I'd had such a rough week at work, I was too exhausted to spend hours and hours in the car again. We decided to stay home and relax instead, gambling there might still be a few more golden leaves remaining the next weekend. Sewing time!!!

As a super duper stay-at-home weekend treat, The Lizard invited me for a lunch date. We had a great salad, then returned to the car to head off on a much-needed grocery-buying run. My husband backed my car out, and it died. And it stayed dead for five whole days! Such a good thing we didn't go into the wilderness.

Plenty of time for sewing, once we got home, thanks to a lift to a local garage and then another lift home thanks to the garage's courtesy car. Grounded for a few days, I got in some more real quality sewing time!


I didn't remember cutting out four more Pink Wave snowflakes back when I made that first square, and I didn't remember what I had planned, but it wasn't hard to figure out I must have had four other blocks in mind. Five blocks do not a four-edge quilt make.

I dug through all my stash and pulled out every pink fabric I had, then log-cabined the remaining four Pink Wave snowflakes, each entirely different. Isn't Fairy Frost perfect for a snowflake block?!?


Because nothing else was cut and I couldn't remember what I was going to do for the other four blocks, I got to play around with design ideas again, and I ultimately decided to incorporate some of the snowflakes from my special project. I robbed myself of four snowflakes that may be too big for the special project anyway and appliquéd them to plain Kona blocks in a color I had not used for the log cabin blocks.


Originally, I had thought of making a baby quilt I could just keep on hand for next time someone I know has a little girl. But then I remembered my stair-climbing friend Connie helps manage the Race for the Cure. I used to make a Race for the Cure quilt each year to raise money to help fight breast cancer, so I have a lot of pink ribbon remnants. If I incorporated them into this quilt, this would be the perfect quilt for Connie!


Piecing went very quickly. I had plenty of remnants to piece a backing, but not enough to cover the entire back of the 44-inch square top. I thought a new pink snowflake fabric or a new pink ribbon fabric might be even better. We were getting cabin fever after nearly two full days stuck at home, so my husband very kindly offered to take me to the nearest fabric shop in his truck to see if this year's pink ribbon fabric is worth buying.

I was studying the pink section of the quilting and fat quarter wall when I heard my husband, about two aisles away, excitedly say, "Deb, you better get over here."

There, I saw the fabric HE found. Not only does it include pink ribbons, but it has circles of pink ribbons in snowflake shape!

My very dear husband knows what a huge stickler I am for six-sided snowflakes, and he even counted points to make sure they had the proper number before he called me over. Did I marry the right guy, or what?!?


The fabric wasn't quite wide enough to cover the entire back of the quilt without piecing, and I love the fabric so much, I wanted to have remnants from this one, too. So I pieced a strip of remnants to make the back big enough. I sandwiched the layers, and my husband helped me load the layered quilt onto the quilt frame he made for me.


Initially, I was going to practice free-motion quilting on this quilt, but once we got it on the frame, ideas for quilting began popping into my head, and I decided to do it by hand. I hadn't done that in a very long time, and I enjoy the process.




Hand-quilting takes a bit longer, and I learned threading the needle isn't the only time I need my reading glasses now. (Dang!!!) The stitches in the first two blocks I quilted without the glasses aren't consistently sized, and some of the lines aren't even straight. But for now, to me, that adds to the quilt. This is how I learned nearly half a century ago (only then, I could see but was just too young to sew straight or consistent), quilting in the church basement with my grandmother and other women in Relief Society, making quilts for each new bride and each new baby. I love that this quilt documents my humble beginnings and my rusty laurels as well!

I finished hand quilting all the crocheted snowflake blocks with pink thread in 10 days. I'd planned to do the other five blocks in white thread.




Because I have two deadline quilts that need to be done in two months, I began to second-think the white hand-quilting. I have less than a month now to finish the quilt for my husband's nephew. So I decided I'd better do the white quilting by machine. I had planned to put the binding on by machine, but hand-sew it down on the back. I needed to speed my way through, so I decided to try Red Pepper Quilt's total machine binding method.

I got a tiny bit brave and did free-motion quilting to make white thread snowflake designs in the middle of each of my Pink Wave snowflakes. Surprisingly, I like the way these turned out, and that's yet another much-needed boost of self-confidence.




However, I did not care for finishing the binding by machine. I don't think it saved me any time, and it was a pretty frustrating process for me. I think I'll go back to hand-stitching the second edge of my bindings from now on. I'd been using the same method Amanda at Crazy Mom Quilts uses since I was a teenager, and that works just fine for me.

The morning after I finished the quilt, the sky honored breast cancer warriors and survivors, too!












This entire pink journey has been educational.

As I was looking up my blog posts from past (pink) quilts, I rediscovered the need to make yet one more pink quilt. My co-worker who kickstarted my obsession with breast cancer awareness quilts has never won one of the quilts I've made for fund-raising raffles, even though she put in heavily for each one. I really should have given this quilt to her!!! (Kicks self in rear quarters as facial cheeks turn rosy pink with embarassment.) Nevertheless, while piecing the back for this quilt, I decided to cut two charm squares from each pink remnant in my stash, one set for another quilt I've been wanting to make for forever (which will be for my quiltless survivor friend), and one set to sell on Etsy.


This quilt taught me I still love making breast cancer awareness quilts. LOVE. For whatever reason, I don't get tired of stitching with pink in October.

I got so excited about these charm blocks, I initially thought deadline quilts may have to wait just a bit longer while I try to work my way through yet one more pink quilt. But there truly isn't enough time. I have to finish another quilt by mid-November, and I am driven to make it look good, not rush the process, thoroughly enjoy the quilting stage and put a ton of love into the gift while I work on it. It's sort of symbolic, really. The love that goes into a quilt wraps the recipient in love, right?

Another thing I gained from this quilt, which I'm calling Tickled Pink, is the memory of how much I enjoy hand-quilting with a hoop on my lap on a chilly night! Or a chilly morning before work... I could do this every cold day and never get tired of it. The warmth of the quilt blanketing me as I work is a feeling to be treasured.

I had forgotten how much I love hand-quilting. I still want to become proficient at machine quilting, but I think I've learned I don't have to wait and wait and wait to finish the rest of my WIPS while I try to perfect my free-motion skills. I can hand-quilt some of the quilt tops on my UFO rack!








This finish earned me the title of "Speed Queen" in the Ravelry Fall UFO Group because I finished in under a week of the quarter's sign-up deadline. I hope to carry this title into next year's cycling events... Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts here and Confessions of a Fabric Addict here.

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Pink Friday

I DID IT!

This is my fourth attempt ever at a mariner's compass. About a decade ago, I tried three times to make a perfect compass for a Hawaiian quilt I was making. The points on the first one didn't match up at all. The second compass was better, but still not as good as I thought it should be and could be. The third one had better points, but the block was paunchy in the middle. VERY paunchy. Like it was pregnant! (Some of my co-workers suggested I make a pillow with it instead of cutting it up for the scrap basket.) I love mariner compasses, but I was intimidated. It has taken me this long to work up the courage to try again.


Some of the points on my new pink compass are nearly perfect, and the block is flat and not pudgy in the middle! Happy dance!!!




No, this block absolutely is NOT a new notch in my WIP belt; I'm going to incorporate it into one of my existing WIPs. It's not going to the scrap pile!!!

For ten years, I have imagined how beautiful a quilt made entirely of mariner's compasses might be. I'm one step closer now to making that dream come true. I'm so excited and empowered!

Now I get to try again, with rainbow colors, for my Hawaiian Punch! Practice, practice, practice. If I keep working on it, maybe I can produce a perfect compass one day!


Linking up with Confessions of a Fabric Addict here and Crazy Mom Quilts here.

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Pink Friday

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Pink Friday

I didn't think I would have time to craft anything fiber in pink this week, much less write a pattern, so I pulled together a handful of pink flowers I've shot through the years and assembled a digital quilt.


















And then I had an remarkably long train ride, thanks to this week's Colorado snowstorm. While standing on a packed train with a bunch of other sardines just like me, I made a few musical notes. (One passenger was knitting the most beautiful cables I'd ever seen! She did manage to get a seat, though!) I stayed up late Thursday night writing the Happy Note pattern and testing it. Then uploading photos...

This pattern means I can bring my Yellow Fridays, Teal Fridays and Pink Fridays to a close for now on a Happy Note. My fiber goal was to make it at least through Pink Fridays in October. And, thanks to our October snow, I did it. !!! Yippee!

My goal also was to raise awareness of things we as crafters can do to brighten the lives of those enduring the battle of their lives. I hope I have done that.

I hope to be able to have more special color Friday patterns when things slow down a bit on this side of the computer screen, after the holidays. Until then, I hope you will continue to enjoy the pink, teal and yellow patterns I've shared, my snowflake patterns and even the book I'm serializing on Thursdays.

Happy last Pink Friday of 2012!

You may do whatever you'd like with musical notes you make from this pattern, but you may not sell or republish the pattern. Thanks, and enjoy!




Finished Size: 2.25 inches long from tip to tip
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread, size 8 crochet hook, small amount of stuffing

Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: 6 sc in ring; do not join. Pull magic circle tight.
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 2: 2 sc in each sc around for a total of 12 sc.
Rounds 3-6: 1 sc in each sc around.
Round 7: 1 sc in next sc, 1 hdc in next sc, 1 linked dc in each of next 3 sc (link by drawing up starting dc loop through previous st), 1 linked hdc in next sc, 1 sc in each of next 7 sc.
Round 8: 1 sc in next sc, 1 hdc in next hdc, dec 2 dc across next 3 dc, linking 1st dc to previous hdc, 1 hdc in next hdc, linking hdc to previous dec dc, 1 sc in each of next 2 sc, dec 2 sc across next 3 sc, 1 sc in each of next 2 sc; total of 8 st.
Round 9: 1 hdc in next sc, 1 linked dc in each of next 3 st, 1 hdc in next sc, 1 sc in each of next 3 sc. Stuff lightly.
Rounds 10-17: 1 sc in each st around. Stuff lightly.
Round 18: Dec 1 sc across next 2 st around for a total of 4 sc; sl st across opening into sc on other side of opening, ch 10.
Row 9: 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook, 3 sc in next ch, 1 hdc in next ch, dec 2 dc across next 3 ch, 1 dc in next ch, 5 dc in next ch, 1 hdc in same ch, 1 sc in same ch; sl st in top of musical note; bind off. Weave in ends.

Finish: Make a bunch. They work up quickly! Hang on last week's Pink Friday Christmas Tree, hang on a real Christmas tree, or give to someone going through chemo and bring a Happy Note into that life.

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