Pieces of Braid

When you piece a French braid, you have LOTS of tiny triangles leftover.




Welcome to the Jungle is a very big quilt, and that resulted in a mountain of tiny triangles too beautiful to throw away. While I was piecing the braid edging last year, I dreamed up a few different ways to use up the plethora of scraps, and today's wall quilt is one of those designs.

This is another leftover project. Everything in the quilt is made of leftovers. Most are from Welcome to the Jungle; the ocean mist is from a dress I made back in the '80s. Even the thread is leftover! Some of the light green thread is from my grandmother's stash, way back when thread still came on wooden spools, which my grandfather would craft into spool knitters as they were emptied.


I finished Lizard Leftovers with a week remaining before the Denver National Quilt Festival deadline. There wasn't enough time to free-motion quilt Welcome to the Jungle the way I envision, so I needed something else. Something small, something easy, and something fast. Something just like Running Out, my last-minute entry in last year's event.

These triangles were already cut. All I had to do was remove the stitching and stitch them again.


The project was a little more time-consuming than I expected, and I'm sure there is a faster, easier and more modern way to piece 108 triangles. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the process, especially after a challenging week of work and non-stop deadlines. Some of my closest friends think I'm nuts because I'd rush home to meet a quilting deadline after a stressful day of work.













The ocean mist triangles leftover from this project are not as gorgeous as the Welcome to the Jungle leftovers, but they aren't trash. When this cup gets filled, everything inside becomes amigurumi stuffing.






The colors from my green batik stash are still, to this day, very exciting, motivating and inspiring for me. Even after this week-long project, I still look forward to the next opportunity to work with the leftovers, which will last a bit longer because the pile is still a good six inches deep. The biggest pieces are getting smaller and smaller, and soon there won't be enough for anything but small wall quilts. But the goal is to use them up!










My overall goal is to finish up all my unfinished quilts so I can start something new. So many ideas are raging in my head!

In one sense, Pieces of Braid is something new because the top was just an idea in my head, not a UFO (UnFinished Object) hanging on my cactus quilt rack. That satisfied the burning urge to work on something different than my waiting UFOs. However, this baby also uses up some of the orphan blocks I created last year to break the monotony of piecing Welcome to the Jungle. In addition to boredom prevention, these blocks made use of scraps I didn't want to throw away because they are just too darned pretty!

I used one and a third of my Boredom Breaker blocks on the back of Pieces of Braid! I used the Welcome to the Jungle block that didn't fit the color scheme of the rest of the quilt. (I made a booboo and opted to make that block over again instead of enlisting the services of the seam ripper.) I also incorporated the remaining band of French braid. How cool is that?!?

This wall quilt is reversible! If I get tired of looking at one side, I can turn it around and admire the other!




The plan was to practice free-motion quilting again, but tension problems and a mere two days before the Denver National Quilt Festival deadline forced me to exercise. Lift the presser foot, two, three, four; rotate the quilt, two, three, four. Basting took an hour and a half on my fabulous new quilt frame. Quilting was done in about three hours.

Quilts entered into the Denver National Quilt Festival must have a four-inch sleeve. I wanted to be able to hang the quilt with either side showing, and the prospect of removing a sleeve (which would cover up some of the back) did not sound fun, so I put large loops on the top of the quilt. If the quilt does get accepted, I can remove or shorten the loops after I get the quilt back.

I also have to install a label on the back. I'm thinking about asking a friend with a calligraphy embroidery machine to stitch up a label using the same thread I used to quilt Pieces of Braid on a chunk of the ocean mist instead of printing a fabric label on my color printer.




The deadline for submission to the Denver National Quilt Festival was this week. Photos and filled-out forms have been submitted. I will know by next week if Pieces of Braid has been accepted for display in the May exhibit...

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

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Attack!

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Snowflake Monday

Back when I released this year's snowflake pattern booklet, I hinted about an embellishing contest/challenge. Life has slowed down just enough now that I think I can set the snowflakes in motion.

Featured in this year's (2014) snowflake PDF pattern booklet is a fruity snowflake called Pineapple Sorbet. While I was working up my sample of the snowflake, I thought it would be cool to dangle a pineapple charm from one of the points. But I couldn't find one! So I thought maybe I could crochet a very tiny one. That's what sparked the idea for a challenge to embellish the Pineapple Sorbet Snowflake.

If we get a lot of entries in this challenge, I may stage another challenge in the future. I've got plenty of hand-dyed yarn and greeting cards I can give out as prizes!

The Pineapple Sorbet Snowflake pattern is published only in this year's (2014) PDF booklet; it will not be published online. 2022 UPDATE: I currently am not registered for any fundraising, so you will have to contact me if you are trying to obtain any of my PDF snowflake booklets.

I have opened a Flickr gallery where photos of embellished Pineapple Sorbet Snowflakes may be uploaded. Prizes will be awarded for the audience favorite and the favorite of three non-crocheting judges. Featured prizes will include approximately 300 yards of snow-dyed cotton worsted yarn and a set of snowflake greeting cards. I may even part with some hand-dyed crochet thread in my stash if we get enough entries...

The deadline for entries will be at noon Mountain Daylight Time on Friday, April 11, 2014. 2022 UPDATE: Obviously, the contest has ended.

Hooks ready? Let's see what you can do with the Pineapple Sorbet Snowflake!

And now, on with this week's snowflake pattern:

I hate when I find a mistake in a snowflake after it's too late to fix it!

The first attempt at this snowflake was to cover an ocean rock. That snowflake turned out so well, I thought the pattern would make a great snowflake. So I made another with my hand-dyed blue thread.

I wrote the pattern, and then I pinned the blue snowflakes. And I found a mistake!

I still like the snowflake, but the mistake jumps right out at me. Can you see it?

This snowflake incorporates a combination of stitches I'm not sure I've seen in any stitch guide. I don't know if I invented it, but I call it a D-stitch because to me, when worked in multiples, it looks like a bunch of capital Ds.

The stitch is created by working double crochet stitches around the post of previous double crochet stitches, with chains in between. It creates a lovely lacey scallop perfect for edging snowflakes or other items.

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

Finished Size: 3 inches from point to point

Materials: Size 10 crochet thread, size 7 crochet hook, empty pizza box, wax paper or plastic wrap, cellophane tape, water soluble school glue or desired stiffener, water, glitter, small container for glue/water mixture, paintbrush, stick pins that won't be used later for sewing, clear thread or fishing line

D-Stitch Snowflake Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: Sl st in ring, pull up loop on hook nearly as big as dc and twist 1 time, [draw up loop through ring, yo and draw through 2 loops on hook] 2 times, yo and draw through all 3 loops on hook, (counts as starting dc of 3/dc cluster), * ch 5, [yo and draw up loop through ring, yo and pull through 2 loops on hook] 3 times, yo and draw through all 4 loops on hook (dc cluster made), ch 5; repeat from * 4 times; sl st in top of starting dc cluster. Pull magic ring tight.

Round 2: * 1 sc in next ch 5 sp, 2 hdc in same sp, 3 dc in same sp, 2 hdc in same sp, 1 sc in same sp; repeat from * around 5 times; sl st in starting sc.

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 3: Ch 6 (counts as 1 dc and ch 4), 1 dc in 4th ch from hook, [ch 3, 1 dc around post of dc just made] 4 times, skip over next shell petal, 1 dc between next 2 sc, * ch 4, 1 dc in 4th ch from hook, [ch 3, 1 dc around post of dc just made] 4 times; repeat from * around 4 times; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 6; bind off. Weave in ends.

2022 UPDATE: Easter was one week ago, as I write this update. That makes it so appropriate for yet another surprise Easter egg pattern! Yes, you probably could use this pattern to cover an egg, but I wrote it as a snowflake. An extra pattern I came up with while creating a white version for my Snowflake Directory. I have hidden such Easter egg patterns all over my blog. The original D-Stitch pattern looks a little more like a flower than a flake to me now, so I flakified it. And I think I’ve coined a new word!!!

Just for trivial interest, whenever I make edits to one of these older snowflake patterns, I have to update the formatting. Updating formatting can take almost as long as making a snowflake! This blog post was really a monster because Blogger has had MANY updates since the 2014 pattern was published. And the post needed to be updated, too, because the contest is over, and Lizard and I aren’t currently registered for any formal fundraising.

Eventually, I’m going to have to go back through all my blog-published patterns to make sure all formatting is correct. I’ve noticed a lot of older links need the letter “s” in the “http” so they may be accessed safely. (The “s” is for “secure”.) Which means the links also have to be manually checked to make sure they still work when I add that letter “s”. That means this is not a project that’s going to get done overnight. I wish I could pull a Samantha (or a Tabitha), wiggle my nose, and make all the corrections just like in Bewitched! How’s that for a trip down memory lane?!?

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

Flakified Snowflake Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: Sl st in ring, pull up loop on hook nearly as big as dc and twist 1 time, [draw up loop through ring, yo and draw through 2 loops on hook] 2 times, yo and draw through all 3 loops on hook, (counts as starting dc of 3/dc cluster), * ch 7, [yo and draw up loop through ring, yo and pull through 2 loops on hook] 3 times, yo and draw through all 4 loops on hook (dc cluster made), ch 7; repeat from * 4 times; sl st in top of starting dc cluster. Pull magic ring tight.

Round 2: * In next ch 7 sp work (2 sc, 2 hdc, dc, ch 2, sl st in 2nd ch from hook (picot made), 2 dc, 2 hdc, 2); repeat from * around 5 times; sl st in starting sc.

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 3: Ch 8 (counts as 1 dtr and [ch 4), 1 dc in 4th ch from hook, ch 4, 1 dc around post of previous dc, ch 5, 1 dc around post of previous dc, ch 7, 1 dc around post of previous dc, ch 5, 1 dc around post of previous dc, ch 3, 1 dc around post of previous dc, 1 dtr gap between next 2 2/sc groups] 6 times, eliminating last dtr of final repeat; sl st in 4th ch of starting ch 8; bind off. Weave in ends.

Finish: Tape wax paper or plastic wrap to top of empty pizza box. Pin snowflake to box on top of wax paper or plastic wrap.

If using glue, mix a few drops of water with a teaspoon of glue in small washable container. Paint snowflake with glue mixture or desired stiffener. Sprinkle lightly with glitter. Wash paintbrush and container thoroughly. Allow snowflake to dry at least 24 hours. Remove pins. Gently peel snowflake from wax paper or plastic wrap. Attach 10-inch clear thread to one spoke, weaving in end. Wrap fishing line around tree branch (or tape to ceiling or any overhead surface) and watch the snowflake twirl freely whenever you walk by! Snowflake also may be taped to window or tied to doorknob or cabinet handle.

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Friday Funny

Oh, my heavens.

Extinct. I was a switchboard operator for many years...

Clever!!! (Now that I've done macro snowflake photography for the first time, I think these are melting snowflakes shown in reverse.)

Happy belated birthday, Leonard Nimoy!

Live long and...

You know what they say about red shirts, right?

Smirk.

Cute time hog.

Too cool to eat!

Even cuter!

Tasty cute.

Peeps Knit

Amazing thread bugs, and a snail...

Oh, my

After this page loads, scroll down and keep your eye on the image. Coolest rainbow ever.

Funny only in the sense of what can be done in Photoshop.
Internet privacy is something very, very serious, and kids (and some adults) do need to be taught.

Not humor. Just one of the most inspirational posts ever. EVER.

Another Olympic tearjerker.

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My First Quilt(s)

My grandfather mail-ordered his clothes and frequently received tiny fabric swatches in the mail. Those tiny rectangles of pinked, mostly double knit were always given to me, of course, from the time we moved in with my grandparents when my birth mom took a permanent and unauthorized field trip. I was four years old, and Barbie dolls were the coolest things on the planet back then. Grandpa's little "quilt squares" were just the perfect size for outfitting red-haired and rigid Midge with comfy blankets for her cereal box bed.

Oh, how I wish I still had one of those masculine, drab little quilts. I'd never seen bright, colorful fabric back then, so browns and blacks and dark navy blues of my grandfather's wardrobe were as good as the color of the wool blanket on my own bed.

My grandmother was a very crafty person, always into something new. She was part of a quilting bee that met every Thursday for a day of quilting, and I got to go with her. My brothers got to kick around in the garage and backyard with Grandpa.

All the bee ladies were so impressed I could thread my own needle, it wasn't long before they had me quilting on a corner of the latest baby or wedding quilt right alongside them. My stitches had to be consistent, and the under side of the quilt had to look as good as the top side. I've had that drilled into me since I was about five years old.

About five years later, my new mom announced we'd be getting a new baby brother or sister. I thought by making a girly quilt, I could guaranty the new addition would be a sister, which would help with the odds of our newly blended 4-to-2 boys-to-girls clan. Off to TG&Y (which my new mom tongue-in-cheek told us stands for Turtles, Girdles and Yo-Yos) I walked to scope out the latest in baby blanket fabric. I don't know what ever happened to the lime green and pink floral quilt I crafted for that new little baby sister (Yes, the quilt magic worked! She was a girl!), but Susie carried it around with a baby doll for a few years after she learned to walk. So my babysitting money was very well spent on that wild "go go girl quilt."

I'm sure I made a few more square patch quilts before the next one I actually still have proof of, but I can't remember too many details, only that I loved bright colors, and my new mom trusted me to keep her sewing machine in my bedroom. We didn't have a sewing table; my mom would move everything into the dining room when she needed to sew, and she'd sew with the machine on the dining room table, then cart everything back into a closet. I suppose she saw keeping the sewing machine in my room as a lot easier to get to than buried in the closet.

I didn't have a table or a desk in my bedroom. I sewed on the floor. Sometimes, when I couldn't sleep at night (which still happens today, darn it), I would get up and sew by turning the wheel on the side of the machine. That way, I didn't wake anyone. It was a slow process, but it worked.

The next memorable quilt was begun after my first quarter of college. I got homesick and returned to live with my family, but they'd given my room to my little sister. I spent the next year on the couch in the living room, which conveniently had a small table in front of it, and Mom let me keep her sewing machine there.

I was working full time by then, so I could afford nicer fabric than I could buy in high school. I was really drawn to the shimmery prom fabrics, and I'd buy up remnants and clearance satins and crepes. I didn't have a real plan at first; I just loved the fabric. After buying a yard of silver satin, I got the idea to embroider favorite album covers onto the satin. Later, those squares were combined with embroidered squares of my favorite song lyrics and a few fake fur squares in a pillowy quilt I gave to a boy I hoped to marry one day. Each of the 12-inch squares was made into a slender pillow, and once I had 12 floppy pillows, I sewed them together to make the quilt. My first quilt-as you go project, so to speak.

I had one square left over, and I still have that square. I've always thought maybe one day I could make a few more album cover squares from prom dress fabric and make a new quilt that I don't give away. Mine! All mine!


Today's quilt would be much different. I would make a real quilt, not floppy pillows, and I would quilt the entire piece rather than simulated quilting along 12-inch pillow edges. The new quilt might include different songs than the 1980 version featured, but I think a modern version would be every bit as fun and memorable as the original creation.

It's just a little more difficult to design a quilt square from a piece of artwork the size of a cassette box or CD case than it was when 12-inch vinyl was still the meaning of life.

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