Prost to the New Year!

Still on the Swiss Army Blanket kick.  Last night I had a dream about designing a Swiss Army Coaster.  I also had a dream about another great idea, but I was too tired to get up and write it down, convinced that I would remember it when I woke up.  Well, when I woke up, I remembered that there were two ideas, the coaster and.....  Should have written it down.  I designed the coaster in Bernina V6 software.  WoolFelt is the fabric, of course.  Quick.  How many do you want?  I hear the Swiss Army may want to order a few thousand for their  mess halls.  Jerilynn

The Hills are Alive....

The following blurb about Swiss Army Blankets is taken from here.  "The original Swiss army blankets are a unique product in many respects! Manufactured from the end of the 1900`s through the early sixties of the last century, their intended use was providing warmth if the swiss would become involved in a war. Stored in caves in the Swiss Alps, they remained there for many years as fortunately that war never came. In the sixties production of this type of blanket stopped. Every once in a while since then, a limited number of these blankets, unused en brand-new, but at the same time pure vintage, have become available.

And then, DEKEN tapped into this hidden treasure....

Made of pure sheeps wool and in various shades of gray-brown, marked with a red and white cross-track, the blankets are hand made and indestructible, typical of genuine Swiss quality. The blankets are individually marked with the initials of the maker as well as the year of production. From the variation in colour of the band and the shape and way of construction of the crosses you can instantly recognize the hand of individual makers; sometimes the bands are more orange, sometimes they have a pretty, clear Swiss cross and sometimes they even have a stainless steel coin or seal. As such, all blankets are different, which is part of the charm. When combining several items from different blankets, the variations in colour and markings match strikingly. "

That is your history lesson for today.  I have become blanket crazy lately.  Maybe it is the time of the year - I have warmth and coziness here at the cabin and am drawn to all sorts of blanket types.  The Swiss Army logo has always been a favorite of mine.  Simple.  RED.  Somewhere on the internet I saw a red Swiss Army watch that I marked as a favorite.  I will find the bookmark someday.  The Swiss also make Berninas.  Fabulous sewing machines.  I have a couple of other brands that I use and like, but you never get over your first love.  I think the machines are no longer made in Switzerland, but I have read that they are made to the exacting Swiss standards.  Years ago we had a foreign student for a school year.  David.  From Switzerland.  He would bring back wonderful chocolate for us when he would go back home for a visit.  Plus, wish I had a nickel for every time I have watched Sound of Music!   Did you happen to catch the cast reunion last year on Oprah?  Magic.  Bawled the whole show.  I just saw the second Sherlock Holmes movie and it appeared, for a bit, that Sherlock Holmes met his death in Switzerland, at a castle built over the Reichenbach Falls.  Turns out...WARNING...SPOILER ALERT!...that he survives, but I found through some research today that  the breathtakingly beautiful castle was digitally invented.  Darn.  I was ready to spiff up my German or French and book a trip.  So, given the whole blanket, Swiss thing, I decided to make my own Swiss Army Blanket Pillow (top photo).  I used WoolFelt (of course) and used the Bernina V6 software to add my initials and date of manufacture to the bottom front.  I used 2012 as the date...I rushed things a bit, but it is so close to 2012 that I took liberties.  Fake castle over the Reichenbach Falls, fake year on the pillow.   Jerilynn  P.S.  Found the watch - it is in the Sundance Catalog....$295.00....eeek.

Winter Blooms

The first picture is of the amaryllis that I planted around Thanksgiving.  It looked like it might not make it, but just in time for Christmas it decided to put on quite a show!  The blooms are a bit heavy, so I grabbed a knitting needle, red of course, to try to prop it up.  Actually, it is almost spent at this point, but it makes me smile every time I pass by.  The bottom photo is of some mystery bulbs that my mother-in-law sent me.  I think they are also amaryllis, but I will report back to you in a few week.  They came with the pot and what looks like just fine gravel.  No instructions.  So, I just plopped the bulbs in, put in some water, and have it sitting by the sunny window in the studio.  I already think the green sprouts have grown 1/4 inch since I planted the bulbs two days ago.  Oooh, I hope the flowers are red, don't you?   Jerilynn

Shopping Alert!

Hello, holiday survivors!  I have stuff to show you, but I wanted quickly to give you a great shopping heads-up.  I got these spools of string/ribbon from Sundancecatalog.com and they are FABULOUS.  Lots of yardage, plus when empty, the spools will be fun to do something with.  The spools are about 3 inches high and 2 inches wide.  Much bigger than I thought they would be.  PLUS, they are on sale now, AND all sale items are 30% off.  Hurry, scurry, before I buy them all up!!  Jerilynn

Are You Done Yet?

That seems to be a popular question these past couple of days.  Are you done?  Are you ready?  I seem to think I am, but then get another idea to make something or get a little something for just one more person.  I think the only thing that is going to solve this is the passing of time...in just a few days, family will come, food will be prepared, gifts will be shared.  Done.  Jerilynn

Shrinky Dinky Mittens

I love these felted mittens from the pattern Fargo Felted Mittens by Theresa Gaffey.  Doesn't the name "Fargo Felted Mittens"  just promise to you that these are going to be  warm, non-nonsense winter hand protection?  Yes, indeed.  I have lost count of how many of these I have made.  The pattern has instructions for Child's Small through Adult X-large.  I haven't made any small ones yet, but I have made plenty of the big ones.  As you can see from the top photo, after they are knit of a worsted weight, wool yarn, they are GIANT!  And this pair is adult medium...you can imagine how big the X-large ones are!  The second shot shows how they look after a first wash in hot water.  I usually throw them in with something else, like jeans, using detergent and fabric softener.  The third shot is the result of a second wash...perfect!  At this point I shape the damp mittens to fit nicely on a real hand and let air dry.  Don't you just love the sock-monkey inspired yarn choice?  Carl, who is a die-hard lined leather glove kind of guy looked at them and said "Hmm, they might be good for snow-blowing snow!"  So, now I have another pair of these half done, size large.  Perfect knervous knitting project at night while mulling over all the things that still need to get done for the holidays.  I know, I don't have many days left.  Jerilynn

Cabin Star Table Runner

Here is a new design I have been working on.  It is a table runner made from, are you sitting down:  WoolFelt!

I am not sure what this "flavor"  of this style is, but I seem to be seeing it a lot lately.  Navajo?  Southwest?  Aztec?  Adirondack?  Camp?  I call this runner Cabin Star, but that doesn't really describe much about it.  I almost feel it has a quilty, Amish look here and there, too.  I am working on a pillow to match it, sort of.  I will try to finish it and get a picture posted for you.  This holiday thing is just keeping me a bit busy...how about you?  Jerilynn

Winter Poster

This is the winter image from the studio...sort of.  A couple of years ago I ran across this great tutorial on how to change a photo into a drawing-type image.  I have used this technique on buildings and also on people.  It is done using Photoshop Elements, which is a relatively inexpensive, but very powerful photo editing software.  I continue to try to learn more about the program, and improve my photos.  It is a process.  I thought you might enjoy the shot and also maybe try the technique out yourself!  Jerilynn

O Christmas Tree!

Last year, when our youngest grandson was one year old, I drew around his chubby little hand and made a quick felt wreath with the hands going every-which-way.  His parents, of course, loved it, and hung it proudly as a decoration.  I am happy to see it made the wall this year, too!  His mom, Katie, asked if maybe I could do another craft this year... It isn't quite as easy to draw around the hand of a two-year-old.  But, I got somewhat of a good outline.  I cut out a bunch from some woolfelt and asked Carl to cut a triangle shape out of some lightweight board.  I glued a piece of felt on top of the board, then glued just the tops of the hands to that.  You can't really see it too well, but I embroidered Benjamin's name and the year on the star in metallic thread.  For a bit more sparkle I got out my hot crystal wand and put on a bunch of multi-colored "lights".  Slap a hanger on the back and you've got yourself a dandy little decoration.  I will be on the look-out for a three-year-old hand idea for next year.  Jerilynn

Happy Holly

Hey, Martha!  Look at this!  Remember the maple leaf felt bowl?  My friend, Shirley (the cute one I talked about a few days ago) came up with the idea of turning the leaf into a holly.  So, I did a few attempts and came up with a pretty good looking felt-holly-bowl.  For holly berries, I glued on sparkle red pom-poms.  Bet you didn't know that such a thing as sparkle red pom-poms existed.  I haven't bought any cutely-wrapped Christmas candy to put in the bowl yet.  It is just resting on the stair banister looking perky.  Heart bowls?  Shamrocks?  Easter Eggs?  Lots of bowl ideas.  I will go on a candy hunt to get just the right shape, color, taste, to put in the bowl.  You may drop off candy auditions on the screen porch at the condo. Jerilynn

Hudson Bay Dishcloth

My friend Laura from Next Door Laura gave me a great suggestion.  She read my blog "Inspiration" from November when I talked about the Hudson Bay Blanket that was knitted out of wool.  She commented that I should make that design into a washcloth.  Brilliant!!!  A bit of knervous knitting later, I have one done.  It is very cabiny, don't you think?  The yarn didn't cost much at all, compared to what the blanket yarn would have cost, and I got it done before I had to give up knitting due to arthritic hands.  I am sure that even if I could afford all the yarn for the blanket that it would be a bag project for many, many years.  Bag project?  Don't pretend to not know what that is...you buy all the stuff you need for something and you can't wait to begin.  Then life happens, or maybe something else shiny catches your eye.  Suddenly, you have multi bags full of stuff to do.  It is so overwhelming that you decide to just to knit dishcloths.  Jerilynn

Snow Time

My friend Shirley has the cutest clothes.  She always looks nice and has something fun on.  She had on a black long sleeve tee shirt with a snowflake in sparkles.  So I asked her if I could take a picture the design and try to do a similar look on an old tee that I had.  I drew some chalk lines (still visible on the red shirt) and used some crystals and a hot crystal wand to set them in place.  It took a while, but I am pleased with the results.  I should have turned the design so that one of the spokes was pointing up, but it is a bit late to change that!  I now need to brush the chalk away, and just enjoy the shirt.  It will look cute under a plain cardigan for a little Christmas shine.  I won't look as cute as Shirley, though.  Jerilynn

Cabin Times

Life continues to be a new adventure here at the cabin in the winter.  Each day the lake shows a new color, a new mood.  I never realized before how much color there is in the winter - it is just more subtle and you have to take time to see it.  The trees are so beautiful without their leaves - strong and delicate at the same time.  We got a heavy snowfall two days ago. The big-flake, sparkly kind.  The trees still are carrying their frosting quite well. With the outside lights on toward the lake, I felt as if I were in the middle of some Bing Crosby movie.  Our squirrels up here are black, and the contrast with the snow is perfect.  They seem to be enjoying this new look, also.  Inside I have turned up the heat a notch and have been sewing.  I found a paper piecing pattern, the cabin pillow on the right, Crooked Pine Camp by MH Designs.  I changed the cabin color on the pattern cover to red (of course I did).  Then I decided to print the picture I did of the original cabin up here on the fabric that will go through my printer (the pillow on the left).  I finished both with some strips of 100% wool.  Now I need to make some sort of other red cabin pillow for the collection.  Must have three for a collection to count.  Today, however, I have work to do.  I will think about a cabin idea as I go about my checking tasks off my list.  Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you have a good week ahead with a nice surprise or two.  Jerilynn

Quilt is Up!!

I made this little wall quilt today from the pattern Tree's Up!  Lights on! by Pieces From My Heart.  the piecing was a bit different than what I usually do, so I enjoyed the challenge.  The Quilt is 30 blocks.  I wanted to get something done before I turn 100, so I made just 6 blocks.  I have it hanging at the bottom of the stairs coming down from the studio.  It is really more even than the picture looks.  I need to have Carl make some sort of board for me.  I didn't quilt it - I just used a fusible fleece and sewed the backing on as if I were making a pillow.  I wanted it to look poster-like.  It snowed today - big, fluffy, shiny flakes.  So pretty here at the cabin.  Jerilynn

Ruched Happy Bag

Isn't this little bag just the sweetest?  I bought the pattern, Ruched Happy Bag,  from Amy Friend at her Etsy shop, During Quiet Time, you can find it here.  The pattern was emailed to me very promptly and I was quite impressed with the easy-to-follow instructions and great pictures!  I added a bit of vintage crochet to the top band, then added a beaded zipper pull.  Quick to make and fun.  I plan to whip a couple more for Christmas gifts.  Amy also has a blog, duringquiettime.blogspot.com .  Go visit her, go to her shop, buy some stuff.  Especially the Ruched Happy Bag.  I bought the pattern and now I am happy.  Jerilynn

Holiday Hand Towel

Another fast attempt to add some holiday fun to the cabin.  I quickly digitized a very simple cross stitch snowflake in my Bernina V6 software.  Copied it five times and sewed them out in a row on the band of a hand towel that has been used, but not too abused.  Just enough decoration.  The way the snow lasts up here in the northwoods, I can probably keep this towel in use until May.  I will wash it now and then, of course.  Jerilynn

She's Getting Lazy

Sharp and long-time Jerisew(s) blog readers will recognize the above shot of Christmas coasters from a 2010 post.  I am conserving my energy by posting the old photo, but today I made more new Christmas coasters.  You see, I am in my studio, at the cabin, and all my Christmas decorations are at our condo in a different town.  At some point we are moving to the cabin full-time, but until the condo is sold, I will have items in both places.  How in the world does Oprah handle as many houses as she has?  Does she have duplicate Christmas coasters, too?  This time, however, I used cream colored thread on the tree, holly, and ornament.  I think I like it better than the black.  I think I will use my Bernina V6 digitizing software and make a new design to add to the collection...maybe a pine cone or candy canes.  I am not sure how a candy cane shape will be a good, table-protecting coaster, but that is where the challenge begins!  Jerilynn

Inspiration

Hi!  Didn't think I would be gone this long.  My dad had another heart attack and it has been, needless to say, a stressful week or two.  Good news is that he is better, back at his apartment, and can drive starting on Monday.  Add that to the Thanksgiving holiday, the first one that my mom is in a nursing home, and, well, you get the picture.  I didn't have much of an opportunity to do any creating, just getting good ideas.  I sometimes think that is half the process, though.  Don't you?  When you are really doing mindless tasks and not really seeming to be doing much.  But in the head you are working out designs.  Yep.  So now I just need to get an interface to plug into my brain and auto download ideas to the computer.  The above shot is from the Purlbee.com and is their Hudson Bay knit blanket.  I have been on a huge camp/Navajo/Amish/Pendelton kick lately, so when I saw this blanket, I thought it was something I would like to knit.  Well, the yarn used would total over $300.  Not going to happen.  But, then  my mind starting to work on the problem and came up with a good idea.  How about doing a Hudson Bay blanket in quilting cottons?  The stripes could be one solid color or they could be squares of colors:  the red stripe would be squares of different reds, etc.  The background could be, of course, the solid white.  I also think I am going to try to do some kind of Hudson Bay thing in woolfelt.  Maybe a pillow.  I need to spend a day or two getting things back to an organized state, and then I will spend some solid sewing/creating time.  I hope you still will check in with the blog now and then.  I have missed writing it, but just was a bit out of sorts.  Jerilynn

From Mighty Oaks

This is a picture of the necklace that I will be  making once I get back to the cabin and my jewelry tools.  It is from Beadaholique and the kit I ordered has all the stuff I need for it plus some extra stuff for earrings, etc.  There are lots of acorns at our cabin and in the autumn it is almost like walking on marbles sometimes.  One year the grandkids made games to play with the acorns - an acorn olympics.  I have always liked those cute little capped balls, and when I saw this necklace, I thought it was one I needed to make.  I must get it done soon - it is almost time to think that red and green stuff is stylish.  Jerilynn

Studio Time

Wonderful day spent in the studio putzing around. A bit ago I bought Redwork from The Workbasket that had a CD of hand and machine embroidery redwork designs. It recently bubbled to the top of the pile, and, avoiding other tasks I should have been doing, I decided to sew out the 12 flowers of the month. I got 10 done, 2 to go. Once they are all done, I need to figure out how to frame them out and sew them together for some sort of quilt. While sewing, I spent a bit of time staring out the window and marveling how different my view is now that the trees are bare. Lots more water. I also love how the sun sets in a different location - previously over to my right: now it is right in front. Rock star viewing. I shot of couple of pictures. You had to be there. There is a full moon tonight. I hope I have a good water reflection view by the time I go to bed. Jerilynn

Gorgeous Purse!!

Wowie kozowie. Dian S. at Indygo Junction made my Permission Purse using machine embroidered circles on the squares rather than using machine stitches. Absolutely gorgeous!! She used the Artistic Quilt Blocks designs by Ace Point Designs. You can find them on the Oregon Patchworks website here. There are several Artistic Quilt Blocks collections, and I thought the Collection 3 looked pretty fun. The thing about downloading embroidery designs...pretty instant gratification! Plus, they were on sale...such a deal. I sewed just one block out so far, and my color choices turned out to be not the best, but I think I love these! I might play around with the kaleidoscope feature on my Bernina V6 software to see if I can make some of my own designs. Seriously, I love the purse that Dian made! Jerilynn

Knervous Knitting

I am doing some nervous knitting and decided to give the whole dishcloth/potholder thing a rest for a few days. I found a pattern in the book Knit Noro for a Zigzag scarf. You can see a little of the Noro Silk Garden scarf in yesterday's blog photo. I wondered how the scarf would look narrower, so I stopped knitting on the wider scarf and started a red wool Zigzag using 15 stitches. The zig and zag are also more frequent. I think I am liking this. Of course I do. It is red. It is garter stitch. It is mindless. Jerilynn

The Days are Numbered....

How much longer will this be the view from The Red Chair? We are back at our condo for a few days for youngest grandchild's birthday and realtor interviews. Yep, we are going to put our condo on the market and live full time at our cabin. I am finding it harder and harder to leave the cabin and feel most at home there. We are conflicted: we love the condo and our neighbors and the location, but having two big Northern Wisconsin homes is a bit crazy. Not a great time to sell a house, both market-wise and time-of-the-year-wise, but call us crazy! We are starting to force our kids to make a list of "stuff" they want. After moving my folks around these past 9 months, it will feel good to lighten our load. So far it has been interesting to see what some of the desired items are. I think childhood memories are involved at times. Once we have all the wishes listed, we will go through and try to figure out who gets what. A delightful task, for sure. Maybe this is why people don't do this until after they are long gone! I do know, though, that The Red Chair and The Red Couch will not be on the give-a-way list. That is for double sure. Jerilynn

Heavenly Help

I was in a funk because my Bernina V6 software suddenly stopped working! I have no idea what I did, but there it was...just not working at all! I researched the internet to see if others had that problem and didn't really find much of an answer. So, I went downstairs to start dinner and maybe have a glass of wine to calm me down, when Carl looked out the window and said "Wow, do you believe that sunset?" Seriously, it was this purple in real life! I dashed to get my camera and get a shot off before the light changed. Quite the view. It just kept getting better, too. All different colors. Carl made burgers, I got out the pasta salad I had made earlier. The Relax wine was nice and chilled. Dishes cleaned up, wine gone, I announced I was going to go and try to figure out how to fix my software. Opened it up...and all was normal!! I think the magic sunset not only fixed my mood but also the software. Heavenly. Jerilynn

Do You Think This Guy is a Sports Fan?

I finished another tee shirt quilt for a friend of my daughter-in-law. I like making these things. They are fairly quick using my serger and a fleecy blanket on the back - no batting. I have showed you these before, so nothing too new here. But, what was different this time...the person wanting the quilt made as a surprise for her husband had "pre-cut" some of the shirts. Oh, oh. Yep. All different sizes. Some little squares, some rectangles. I usually just take the shirts, plop down a big square ruler and cut around! Not this time. I had to do a little thinking. So, what I did was base the squares and rectangles on units of 4, with the biggest square 16" and the smallest square 4". So, I fit the 16", 12", 8", and 4" combos together like a puzzle. It actually turned out quite good! Not that I want to think that hard again. Jerilynn

A Cowl for a Friend

I'm baaaaack! Whew! The fast, short trip to Florida went well. I have decided that even though it was beautiful there this time of the year, a visit to the beach in February or March is much, much, more precious! I guess I love autumn too much to really want to miss any of it! Except the leaves....just spent two days helping to rake our leaves at the cabin. On top of a sore throat and earaches imported from Florida. Don't feel too sorry for me...with the leaves off the trees and at the yard waste dump, I have an even better view from the studio. Sparkly water, blue sky, and still some rust leaves to tease me with their dropping. Perfect. While on our trip, and a few days since I have been home, I managed to knit a cowl for a friend. She sweet talked me into making it for her because she said her hands hurt...hmmm...I fell for it. Only because she is a good friend from my old neighborhood. We had a short chance to catch up before I left and it was fun thinking of her and old times while knitting. Isn't that a fun thing about making something for someone? You think about that person the whole time. I hope you haven't lost interest in Jerisew(s) over the long break. I have a quilt to show you tomorrow! Jerilynn

Jerisew, What Have You Been Doing and Where Are You?

Walking on the beach, looking at sunsets from front balcony, looking at sunrises from back deck, and watching dolphins and manatees frolic. Believe it or not, I miss Beaver Dam Lake! Jerilynn

Clothesline Bowl

Indygo Junction did a blog interview with me on clothesline crafts that you can read here. Head on over and make a comment or two! Above is a fabric covered clothesline bowl. I used 1 1/2" strips that I cut rather than tear and I decided just to leave the other side of the bowl with the raw edges. It actually looks pretty cool! It is pretty big and currently houses my extra knitted dishcloths. I need to get back to my sewing machines and do some new sewing. I will be away from the studio for a few days and the knitting is much more portable than the sewing...I will probably bore you with more knitting shots in the next few days....Jerilynn

Funky Funfetti Bibs

I have been using the dishcloths with the exposed knots and must confess I like them a bunch. So, I had the idea to add the "funfetti" look to baby bibs! I realize that it might be hard to distinguish between chunks of food and the knots, but it all comes out in the wash, right? I like this bib pattern: the strap has three buttonholes so you can adjust the bib to fit. I used two buttons for each bib - layered them for more color. You can find the instructions for the basic bib here . Jerilynn

What All the Lamps are Wearing this Autumn

Finished Bandana Cowl. I tried it on almost every lamp in the house to get a picture. Heaven forbid I put it on and take a picture of me looking in the mirror. The first lamp is in our condo living room and I think it is a good stand-in for me. The second shot is the lamp in the upstairs guest bedroom. I think the scarf looks like a crazy long shore fisherman with a pointy beard. Don't you agree? Jerilynn

Roseanne Bandana Anna

I would love to claim this as one of my newest knitting projects, but, alas, I cannot. It is the Bandana Cowl from Purl Soho, and you can find the pattern here. I had a great ball of yarn, multi-colored, and made one! It is being blocked as we speak. Stay on the edge of your chair for the big reveal. The pattern uses short rows, and in the Purl Soho tutorial they reference another tutorial on how to do short rows. Of course, the first time I did them, I misunderstood exactly how to do it and discovered waaayyy into the knitting that something was not right. Good thing about yarn, all I wasted was a few hours. I ripped out the goofy knitting, re-read the instructions, and was happy to see it looked good this time. I should find some multi denim blue yarn and make one of these...a good nod to the traditional bandana. As much as I love color, however, the pictured neutral yarn is calling to me. It looks like the kind of accessory that you could throw on when you are having a bad hair day and get tons of compliments on how stylish you look. Understated chic. Classy. Okay, maybe I can't pull it off, but I still like the color. Jerilynn

Triangles

I found some leftover stripey sock yarn and decided to knit a triangular scarf. I started with three stitches and increased one stitch at the beginning of each row. Toward the end of the project (aka beginning to run out of yarn), I increased three stitches at the beginning of two rows to make the tie ends a bit longer. I blocked the project, and I think I will look very jaunty with it tied casually around my neck and under my chin(s). Quite oddly, I read that there is a big bandana revival going on...who knew??? A couple of posts ago I showed you the mess of buckaroo bibs made out of bandanas and washcloths that Ellen made for a craft fair. Am I picking up a random triangle vibe out there? I will keep my eyes open for other bandana-type spottings. Prior to now, the big scarf fad was with long scarves...I just may get to pull out my old square scarves, fold them diagonally in half, and be on the cutting edge of high fashion. Jerilynn

And the Bead Goes On

This is the final piece of jewelry that I made a few days ago. It is Jasper, I think Leopard Jasper. Three different sizes of round beads. I have been in a round bead mood lately. Maybe because I have been seeing more pearls on people, especially worn with casual clothes. This necklace also has some subtle autumn coloration. I wonder if autumn is my favorite season because of the weather or because I like autumn colors. Mostly the red maple leaves, of course. Jerilynn

Sunflower Maze

I got the components for this necklace in a great little bead shop in Taylors Falls. MN. I think I got them all on the African Trade Bead table, but I won't swear to that. They had so many cool beads that I lost track of where I actually bought what. They give designers a good discount, which really is very helpful! That is also where I bought the trade beads for the bracelet/necklace combo I showed you a couple of days ago. Tonight I am a bit pooped. Moved my dad from the condo to an apartment today. I think I have lost track of the moves we have made so far this year. He seems happy there and I hope he won't be quite so lonely. I did manage to do a little knitting, but that was about it. Tomorrow we help him do some more settling in. The weather couldn't have been more beautiful for the move! Thank heaven for such little miracles! Jerilynn

I Spy a Cute Quilt!

I finished this I Spy quilt yesterday. It is going to be for our grandson's second birthday. The front is 6 inch squares cut from a huge variety of "conversation" prints, some of which came from old friends over the years. The back is a map of the world that I ordered from Etsy. The size of the quilt was determined by the front needing to fit the back map, so it turned out to be about 36" x 52". The map was actually a bit smaller than the front when I was done sewing all the squares together, so after quilting I just brought the front to the back, turned under the raw edges and zigzagged into place. The binding now looks "pieced" from the map side and I think this type of edge is a good, sturdy one for a toddler quilt. I think it has endless opportunities for conversations and play time. At some point I had read a poem about an I Spy quilt, but when I tried to search for it on the internet, I didn't find anything that I remembered. If you know of a good I Spy poem, let me know! Jerilynn P.S. The quilt looks crinkly because I like to wash and dry my quilts that are made from unwashed cottons after they are all done. It makes it look soft and worn in. I also turned the squares every-which-way so there is no right side up.

A Fine Mess of Buckaroo Bibs!

My daughter, Ellen, and a friends of hers and the friend's mother came up on Friday for a few days of sewing in the Studio (aka Heaven). Ellen is in a gift fair in Milwaukee in a couple of weeks and she decided to add the Buckaroo Bib to the items she will be selling. Love her colors and I thought after they were all done that she made a fine mess! You can learn how to make them here. She also took pity on my huge pile of knit dishcloths and potholders and took them along. I am sure they will be a very popular draw to Ellen's table! Jerilynn