Snow Day Activities

A small scrappy flannel quilt with flannel backing

Perfect day for hand sewing the binding on this little scrappy flannel quilt.  Part of cleaning up the studio means sewing up the scraps into utility quilts.  This one used up all of the flannel scraps in the scrap basket and is mostly florals.  The backing and binding are also flannel so nice and toasty under it while doing the hand work.

Some spinning was accomplished as well.  One bobbin of Hello Yarn Club that had been on the wheel for longer than I care to admit was finished.  It is now resting before being plied.  And the wheel has been cleaned and is ready to spin up some fiber from the stash.  This time I am going to aim for a slightly thicker than my normal fingering/DK weight handspun.

A bottle of chocolate raspberry port chilling

And the snow was very nice to have to chill a bottle of Far Eastern Shore‘s Dream which is a chocolate raspberry port. That is the perfect nightcap on a chilly evening.

Another Finished Quilt

Yes, yet another one.  Actually it has been finished but I keep forgetting to post it. I am either basting hexis, working on finishing both knitted or quilted UFOs or making jams it seems this summer.  I need to get some of them photographed since I am playing with different flavors this summer.

The weather has meant that some of the stone fruits I normally miss are just coming in and I am able to get my hands on them.  Apricots and plums are my new favorites.

But the new finished quilt is not really a mini but more of a large doll quilt. It only measures 32 inches by 27 inches but it is so cute. The fabrics are a War Between the States reproduction if I remember right.  And I actually bought two of the kits but only one is completely finished so far.

Stained Glass

Okay not real glass but a stained glass quilt that finally was finished.  The binding had been sewn on long ago but blind stitching the sleeve down was another story.  It has been done now and another quilt UFO has been cleared.

 

Only down side is when I washed it, some of the hand dyed fabrics bled a bit.  And I did not notice this until I went to photograph it.  I plan to rewash it again in cold water just like the first time and hope that some of the bleeding gets lighter.  But it is fine as it is.

 

 

 

Thinking Ahead

Cleaning up the studio aka the fabric/fiber/yarn room has meant finding some surprises like quilts only needing a few hours of work to finish them off. This one was partially quilted but it now is ovr in the finished pile. I call it the poison berry quilt since well I am allergic to them. This is a simple utility quilt that salvaged blocks from a tote bag. Not sure where this one will end up finding a home at yet but come the cold days of winter it will be loved

Summer Afternoons

Nothing like a quiet early summer afternoon in the sun room basting more hexagons with a cat for company. Of course a cat will remind you of the proper priorities for summer – nap, stretch, nap some more and of course big yawns

Hexilove

Ring Around the Rosy

Strange title, I know but it has to do with something I was reading in a book last night. I managed to finish yet another cowl last night. I was making one for P out of some Malabrigo in Stone Chat. She wanted it to be at least 10 inches long and I managed to make it 12 inches before I decided to bind it off. I need to wash it before mailing it to her. She will block it out to lengthen it if needed. The pattern for her cowl was the traditional feather and fan lace pattern. And yes, I have started another cowl. This time it is the Seaweed Cowl in yet another color of Malabrigo that is in the stash. I am fast running though my Malabrigo stash though since it was very tiny to start with. But I love the feel of the yarn.

I have been reading Mistress of the Vatican: The True Story of Olimpia Maidalchine: The Secret Female Pope by Eleanor Herman for the past several weeks. I have read the previous books by this author so I did not hesitate to spend the money on a hard back book. If Olimpia Maidalchine was born today she would be a woman to be admired. But she was born in a time when women not allowed to do anything without the approval of the males in their family. She found a way to work the system in her favor. Actually, I think there may be one or two female politicians who may have taken lessons from her. Even today, this woman would have been called a few unfavorable names. From the facts available to us, she came from a relatively poor background and rose to power. She was the force behind her brother-in-law becoming Pope Innocent X and in the manner of the time, she became an extremely wealthy woman through marriages, bribes, theft, crop speculation, shrewd business deals, and plain old greed. Wait, she sounds like some of the people in power now. And yet despite all of her riches and family connections through marriages, she died alone. During her lifetime, and through the centuries, the bubonic plague aka the Black Death killed many. It struck every one equally. The nursery rhyme Ring Around the Rosy has been said to have come from medieval times although there are many folklorists who say otherwise. I am need to hit the bookshelves tonight in search of another book that will keep me going for a week or two.

She stopped moving long enough to capture her

And there has been quilting going on. I have a quilt that I need to go out and purchase some binding fabric for this weekend. I have been slowly working my way through the huge pile of UFO quilts. And the fabric used in this quilt was a special one but I do not have enough left over to bind the quilt. I think this one will look perfect in a friend’s lounge so I want to finish it and mail it to her before the cooler weather truly hits. I know she reads the blog so I don’t want to say who. But P, it is not you. Your quilts are almost ready.

This one needs binding still

The Japanese maples are showing their fall color