so many projects.. so little time

Well I have 2 projects I wan itching to take on.

First is a One Block Wonder quilt and the second is I want to knit me a cardi from some lovely Montana targhee I have here.....

but first I need to get 3 of my four WIPS out of the way..
hope to get the majority of it out of the road today

WIP1 - My Shoyoen Quilt - this is the one I am most wanting finsihed.. it needs to be done by thursday... so my aim for today is this... Finish quilting it.. really there is only about 1-2 hours of quilting left (but then there will be almost the same again in thread hidding and snipping after the horrible quilting experience), then overlock the edges and get it into the wash, then thats it. i will take it around to nannas tomorrow and use her binding machine to complete

WIP2 - Thuja KAL socks - i am about half way along the leg in my second sock.. want to atlest get into a good portion of the foot today/tonight, finishing it no later then tomorrow..

WIP3 - rainbow anklet socks -(I havent blogged about these yet but will when they are done)I have finished one but then put it aside to do thuja. I am not too stressed about fnishing this but would like to, I wont cast on a cardi till i do, but it shouldnt delay my quilting ... right??

WIP4 - Lizard Ridge - this is my 'doesnt count' wip cos its a rather long term one.


so i will update as i go on how i am going ... send me productivity vibes..

CALers - thank you

well our little online (msn) Craft-a-long went great! I was kept motivated and calm... and completed the quilting with that horrid horrid HORRID thread.. so now i am just doing the 'pebbles' aka border and that is just using normal thread, so good news.. I might actually be ready by Thursday, fingers crossed..

sooo I am also hoping to get fabric this week to start on my next quilt projects, a One block wonder quilt. will be sure to share when I do

woolaholics KAL - Thuja

so the ladies of woolaholics decided to do a Thuja KAL... well have already knit 2 pair of these and have no need for another, but who can pass up a good Knit-a-long, so I joined, i am making these ones for mum.. she likes purple...

So.... that quilt...

.... shoyoen.. hows it going??? its not... My lizard ridge is...

I have come to a bit of a stalemate with the Quilting, all those breaking thread, Its like I go from happy and creative to a forehead vane pulsing monster.. serious. But i need to keep going, its ment to be finished for a display this thursday (yes its sunday night..) so tonight i put the lizard ridge down and quilt, I have orginized a Craft-a-long for tonight to help me combat my Finish fatigue on this... on a more positive note, LR is looking great.. heres a pic

Gimme Strength!

well I have been quilting my Shoyoen Quilt, and OMG do I hate glittzy threads!!!!

I have that many stops and starts that the top of my quilt is resembling a shag pile rug...

Anyhow, I am close to finishing the sections using this thread (THANKGOD!!) and never again, actually I probably will.

Hoping to finish quilting it totally this week

FO: Stripy!

these where mega fun to dye and knit, and lovely to wear. verdict, HAPPY

FO: Jacket for Bryn

DONE!!! finally!!

This jacket orginally knitted up very quickly but then stalled on the last sleeve and it became my most shameful UFO for many months.

Well shame become my motivation and I finally completed it. I am mostly happy with it, could have been a little longer, but then again maybe had I finished it in decent time this wouldnt have been a problem

I combined two wools, alternating rows, to get the colourway.
The pattern is an adaptation of Debbie Bliss' 'Gilet'

3 Quilting Generations..

.. and I am soo proud :D

After 10 years of parading yummy fabrics and patterns infront of my mother and her mother (Nanna), and just as many years of them 'going' to make a quilt.. 'one day'.... I think today was the day.

Mum started a quilt a few weeks back and is about 1/2 way there with top, and Nanna was wanting to start, so we had a quilting day at mums.. Both mum and nanna are very skilled sewers and their quilts are looking ace!! (why didnt I take pics!!!!???!!! next time, next time)

Cant wait to show them, once they are done..

In the mean time I finished the top of my "Shoyoen" quilt. Named after the Japanese gardens here in town that are just magnificent.

The quilt was designed to be a quick and easy project, as I just wanted a quilt for around the house, and soon.

So what did I do?

Firstly all the fabrics for the background were hand dyed by me.... I am still unsure about the purple and pink, but well, dying can be a unpredictable art form.. it was this time. so I dyed the fabric..

To make the back ground, I cut 125 6 X 26cm pieces of fabric. Sew together (long sides together) in 25 lots of 5, making 25 26 x 26 cm squares. sew these squares together in a crosshatch pattern.

For the applique (which I discover is not one of my strongest areas:P) I freecut the shapes and appliqued them down, Note... I never use iron adhesive, it stiffens the quilt, bubbles and generally... I hate it! I beileve it should never go near a quilt. So I use a glue stick! yep simple supermarket UHU glue stick, put it on the back of your fabric and iron down, does a great job and washes away afterward.... :D

I lookeed high and low for the right fabric for the border.. i wanted pebble fabric.. but alas this was the best i could do... not 100% h appy with it but well... like i said this was just a 'quicky' and I just dont care enough to keep searching.

So my quilting planned for it...

For the 3 applique peices, some simple outlining and highlighting lines.
For the 'water' I will quilt in some catfish and waterlike stippling (still thinking what tis will be)
And the border will be lots of circles I think to try get that pebble look that its just not giving atm

Heres the top finished (not that happy with it but sharing anyhow)