Pattern: Easy Lap Quilt from Bend The Rules
Fabric: 1/2 yard cuts of 6 different fabrics
Size: 50"x64"
I love the blanket in the book so much that I decided to recreate it for myself. I did not prewash my fabrics so it puckered quite nicely when finally washed.

January SewConnected Fabrics

January SewConnected Fabrics, originally uploaded by tellen24.

Here they are!! I went for the fun and funky. I have included two silk dupionis and I am really so excited to see what the group can come up with!!  Click on the photo to see it all.

November Block - Buffy

Whew! I barely made it in time! I had four days for the holiday and I took full advantage of them. I spent Friday afternoon and Saturday morning starching and cutting fabrics. Um, whoever invented starch? Right up there with the guy who invented sliced bread. I normally Hate cutting fabric and the starch just made my life so much easier. In the spirit of taking full advantage of days off, I spent Sunday afternoon sewing all my starched fabrics. :) I only have this one photo as one of the other items is a gift and the other (quilting the Pink Lemonade), well, I was just too lazy to get a good photo of it. I am using this SewConnected group as a way to learn different quilt techniques. Obviously, this month, I chose to do a Log Cabin. And I could Log Cabin all day, I loved the block so much. In doing my practice square though, I learned how important the 1/4" seam really is (you would think I would have known already but no) so I finally marked it on my machine with masking tape and it made such a difference! Now, I just need to get over to the post office and mail it...

The practice block:

Luscious cashmere

If you are a knitter and you haven't heard of Colourmart, you need to stop reading, get yourself over there, order up some of their 100% Cashmere yarn, then come back to finish reading.  And if you know a knitter, follow the above instructions but send the purchased yarn to your knitter as they will consider your gift the best ever.  Chaun and I discovered this yarn a few years ago and absolutely love it.  It looks expensive online but for what it is, it is such a bargain.  The yarn is oiled for machine knitting so while knitting it isn't nearly as soft as you expect it.  But as soon as you wash it...it fluffs up and becomes the cashmere it really wants to be.  

I just knit myself a KeyHole scarf using the My So Called Scarf pattern.  It's currently drying but I can't wait for some cold weather so I can wear it!!

Unwashed:

Washed:

Pattern: My So Called Scarf
Yarn: Colourmart 2/7nm DK 100% Cashmere
Color: Meadow
Needles: 10.5
Modifications: I cast on 30sts and knit the pattern for 26". On the next RS row I knit 9sts then cast off the next 12sts. I turned the work and cast on 12 stitches then followed the pattern to the end of the row. I knit for another 7". I bound off with a knit bind off on a purl side row. I did this to prevent the upcurl at the end of the scarf. I then washed it with dishsoap to remove the oil and to fluff up the yarn.

It's November 22.

And I have no idea how it got to be that date already! This month has just flown by. I did my sample block for the SewConnected group but completely forgot that I have to do the real one too! I did buy all my fabrics (I got really fun fabrics!! I can't wait for everyone to see them!) for my month, January, and I am SO excited to get those cut and sent out. And after seeing Rita's top in progress, I cannot wait to start seeing what the group will make. I have some Christmas gifts that need to be sewn so I think this weekend and the following will be Christmas gift weekends. I am also knitting up some hats for family members.

And so everyone knows, me and all my peoples survived the Tea Fire, no problems. I do know people who were evacuated but no one's home burned. I did have a few clients lose their houses though. And I do have one bitch about the news coverage on our fire. Montecito has a reputation for being a 'hidden celebrity enclave' or so I learned while reading online. The bulk of the houses that burned were regular people. Not celebrities. That's all!!

Sorry, I have no photos to share currently. I am hoping with time off at Thanksgiving I will be able to update, document, share everything I've been working on.

Have a great weekend!

A giveaway!

Nono, I am not giving away, I would like to win one!  Katie Jean has reached her two year blogiversary and is celebrating by giving away fabric.  I know, who gives away fabric??  Katie Jean does!!  Go enter for your chance!

Sweet Treats

I wrote about this quilt back in this post.  I left it in Idaho so Chaun's mom could quilt it for me on her long arm.  Soon after, her machine broke.  But!  She bought herself a brand new HQ16 and pulled out my quilt to finish it up.  I decided to have it backed with polar fleece (I don't really know why seeing as how I live in SB) and the quilt design shows up fantastically on the back.  I, of course, didn't get a photo of the back but here are pictures of the front.  Lois used a variegated thread and I absolutely love how it lookes!  The binding still needs to be finished but overall, it's a wonderful quilt.