In Black and White

The list of my sewing room projects has finally been updated, by listing all the UFO's, PIG's and PIM's. Sorting them by category helps keep things in perspective, since there are 45 total.

UFO's - Unfinished Objects, or projects in progress. Ten doesn't sound too bad, though this list is mainly sewing or quilting, and doesn't include knitting, crochet and weaving. Two quilt tops need borders added, and I'm fussing with colors and sizes. These are both quilts that I will most likely keep for myself, or if given as gifts only to a very special person. Three other quilt tops have pieces cut out, and one is a group of blocks from an exchange, where I need to make about 15 more blocks plus pieced border blocks. Napkins, burp cloths and a new studio apron are also cut out and need just a bit of dedicated sewing time.

PIG's - The largest group at 26. These are Projects in a Grocery Bag (usually plastic shoeboxes), with a pattern or sketch and some fabrics in mind. They range from a small embroidery to two bed-sized quilts (backing included). Two are not fabric-related: stitch markers for knitting, and beaded snowflakes.

PIM's - Scaled back to 9, but the group most likely to grow. Projects in Mind are usually just a pattern, purchased or marked in a magazine, or drawn in a sketchbook. Unless I've printed out a diagram, the many many quilt designs in my Electric Quilt 6 program aren't included.

The last two years I have worked with my UFO list to try and finish projects, or let them go. For example last year, two sets of blocks were given away to someone else, several projects were released, but quite a few were finished. I gave myself permission to just make tops for charity, quilting them if they were really special. This lets me try out ideas or use up fabrics that attach themselves to a design in my head.

The next step is to add my knitting, sewing, weaving and spinning ideas to the list, just to help keep things in perspective. Ravelry's "Stash" database has helped me face up to my yarn accumulation, and is a good reality check every time I fall in love with a new pattern. My favorite part of creating things is choosing a design and the materials. I do enjoy the process of creating things, but often need an external motivator (such as a deadline for a gift) to finish things.

First Finishes

Our Christmas Eve celebration was delayed twice -- once because of snow, and once due to illness. The bonus was seeing more family that had been out of town, and having more time to work on projects!

The Fingerless Mitts are from the pattern Notwoven.

The Gingerbread Men ornaments are from Urban Threads, an embroidery company with very fun designs.

Resolutions

Making New Year’s resolutions is not an easy thing for a procrastinator. I’ll think of a few things, maybe even jot down a note or two, but never get all the pieces together. I’m trying to approach my different craft interests in a more comprehensive way. I belong to an online quilting group called A Dozen Done, the original premise was that we would set a goal of finishing one quilt a month. I also belong to Ravelry, where I have projects in progress, as well as a listing of my yarn stash, and some of my books. My resolutions for my fiber crafts have a lot of overlap.

I like the Slow Stashing idea presented on Knitter’s Review. It describes how to take a careful look at your yarn stash for sorting and purging, but also how to be mindful and conscious of new purchases. It would help me a lot to at least write down why I purchase certain yarns, especially with online orders. I have done a better job in the past year with fabric purchases. The goal is to purchase fabrics to finish something in progress, or complete the parts of an idea quilt (usually sitting in a plastic box with perhaps a note about the intent).

My sewing studio wants to be usable, especially the large cutting table that ends up being a dumping ground for things to put away (new purchases, leftover project parts). I want to go in the studio and be inspired and encouraged to work on things, not depressed about how many things are waiting to be finished. I got a good start on New Year’s Day by putting projects into boxes and onto shelves. I made a list of what is in the two closed cupboards, and also what is sitting on open shelves in boxes, so when I do get inspired to work on something, it can be easily found.

I want to finish some knitting and crochet projects that are actually used. There is an afghan project that is now (as of last night) in its third incarnation, that I want to finish and use. The Daily Sweater is growing slowly, but it is progressing. Charity hat and scarf projects are ongoing too, using up smaller bits of yarn in complementary colors. I like them for meetings and travel, and have been trying different patterns to learn new skills.

And I want to set some goals for gift and donation projects. Nothing spurs me on like a deadline. I made a lovely lace scarf in two weeks for a Christmas gift in 2007. I would like a similar scarf for myself! Charities collect different things at specific times of year, and the projects can be started well ahead of time. Examples: Project Linus has twice-yearly project parties at a local store; school auctions are scheduled well in advance.

Yarn Tales

Certain projects just grab my attention. These little Felted Trees from Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines did just that. And they helped use up some of the recycled reindeer sweater yarn that really doesn't want to be in my stash anymore. It's a bit scratchy, not very lovely, and not superwash.

Somehow it popped into my head that I could overdye brown yarn and give it a new life. My less-than-careful attempt gave me two skeins of a bright green, but the dyebath wasn't spent. The next two skeins came out more blue-green, without any additional dye but a bit more vinegar. My last several dye experiments were with painted wool that just needed to be steamed, not stirred and watched. The finished trees are still plain after an attempt to embellish them. I like their simplicity when plain. The next tree to be felted is to be a dog toy, and that will have an I-cord star on top.

More wool washing: coned thread purchased on sale from Webs, still in the spinning oil. It doesn't smell of lanolin, and is much nicer to knit if washed beforehand. I found that by using my yarn meter (a fishing line counter mounted on wood) and my umbrella swift wound loosely, I can get a decent skein much faster than using a niddy-noddy, and it's easier on my neck. The samples knitted up required two yarns held together for a DK weight, so there is more skeining and washing to come.

Then back to the loom, also with wool yarn. I had wound the warp several months ago for a simple scarf, referring to a pattern in an older Handwoven, and set it aside. Somehow it was two feet too short, but thankfully it had not been cut. All my careful ties at the cross and ends helped it unwind without many tangles, and it has been re-measured and ready for warping.

But you have a sewing machine...

So of course you wouldn't mind doing all of my nasty mending and hemming that has been put off. Does anyone ever do that to you? Someone in my family did, though she did offer to pay me as I wasn't working at the time. Then another family member realized that perhaps I could re-upholster one of his cars. I explained that although I had made outdoor gear (raincoats, bivi bags), my machine was not industrial, and probably wouldn't be suited for sewing naugahyde seat covers.

For a daycare auction, I foolishly donated 10 hours of sewing time. The daycare director bought my services, then asked if I could make her a two-piece rain outfit for bicycling. I recognized that this would be much more than 10 hours, and negotiated a selection of perennial divisions from her yard for the difference (which had been her donation, way way out of my price range).

I really don't mind small mending projects for other people. Once while visiting my Dad, I realized he had tried to convert a hooded sweatshirt to having a short collar...with a stapler. He even had a sewing machine in his house at the time, and I had seen him using it to repair some of his clothes when I was a kid (my Mother was not on speaking terms with the machine). I was glad to take it home and convert it for him, removing all the staples.

Pinnies were made for my Son's soccer team (colored vests to wear when an opposing team had the same color uniforms), and one of the parents recognized my talent and had me rescue a couple pairs of his son's drawstring pants that had lost the drawstrings. I did actually stitch the new drawstrings in place in the center back so they wouldn't pull out again.

Early on in my longarm quilting career, I received a phone call inquiring if I could quilt Kevlar. The caller was from South Carolina, and I directed him to try and find an industrial sewing shop closer to his home, and my machine could NOT quilt Kevlar. He was not questioned as to what he wanted quilted, as I didn't want to know!

Old Stuff, New Stuff

This was actually finished before Halloween - and gifted to a friend who had admired it at the retreat. She has a black cat, and wondered if her ginger cat might get jealous now!

Four quilt tops were turned in to Pacific Fabrics for Project Linus, along with six caps and a scarf for their Handmade Hat and Scarf drive. I've since finished another scarf for charity and started a third - several local yarn stores collect them.

The four "Boo the Bat" were finished before Halloween too, one delivered in person and the three others via my brother for his grandsons. I was very tempted to buy some orange yarn to make one for myself after seeing all the cute versions on Ravelry. The designer asked if she could link my picture to her gallery. http://mochimochiland.com/

In other knitting, The Daily Sweater from Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines has been making slow progress. It was re-started once as the cast-on was too loose - the neck fit loosely over 2 turtlenecks! Went down a size (but kept the same needle size), the 2nd try is going much better. Also finally asked very specific questions on the MDK group at Ravelry of people who had finished the sweater. The chart is a bit intimidating, but the conversations about it (hints on how to make sense of it) have encouraged several other people to start one. It was curious before I started to see how few people had started it, compared to some other patterns in the book.

This is a before and after look at yarn recycling. This well-aged wool yarn was once a reindeer sweater (well twice if you count that I ripped

the sleeve caps back and re-knit the reindeer trying to make it fit). Didn't understand gauge at the time, had been told that I was a tight knitter (only a tight cast-on, as it turned out) and the only other knitters I knew at the time thought I had a very strange technique (continental).

Anyway, the sad brown yarn had been sitting around for many years, when suddenly I realized that it could be overdyed! The two bright skeins on the left were the first two dyed, but there was still much dye left in the pot, so the second two were soaked in hot water and added. My dyeing technique is still rather experimental. It looked like more lanolin washed out of the paler yarn, since the first two were soaked in cold water, since they were added to a cold dye pot. I've already started a Felted Tree from MDK 2 and can't wait to play with some carrying yarn and miscellaneous buttons, sequins and threads to embellish them.

Retreat

I was lucky enough to attend a sewing retreat almost two weeks ago, sponsored by the American Sewing Guild. There are other retreats offered by groups that I belong to, though often the retreats are full before I know about them, or there is a scheduling conflict. There was some prep work done in the week before, which ranged from cutting hundreds of squares and triangles for the Large Christmas Quilt (stacked neatly in a plastic box) to stuffing likely scrap strips for a string quilt into a bag.

I started with simple projects: two quilts that needed bindings - a small Christmas tabletopper or throw and the Woven quilt. My usual technique is to sew the binding to the top, then pin excessively, and sew the back side down by machine as well.

Next I started a stash quilt, using a dark navy sea-life print in the center of each block and green and orange accent fabrics. Unusual colors, but they were pulled from colors in the print and had patterns reminded me of waves, snails and coral.

Then another stash quilt, using six blocks from a Halloween panel. I kept it simple, with a sash and cornerstone around each block, and a stronger print for the border. The panel had been stored longer than I care to guess, and when packing for the retreat the original sash and border fabrics were jettisoned for the ones that made the final top. Late Saturday night I started on a String quilt for charity, using tracing paper as the foundation rather than muslin as on the last one. It was finished up Sunday morning.

A couple of simple projects (new napkins, cloth shopping bags) were left at home, which forced me to start on the Large Christmas Quilt. Usually if I look at a quilt pattern carefully, and count that a single block has 49 pieces, I find a similar, but simpler block and substitute. However, when the fabric was purchased four years ago, it was for the amounts the pattern suggested, and I just went with it.

First I made one complete block, to assure myself that I could make accurate half-square triangle and quarter square triangle blocks. The sub sections were pressed in the direction that made sense to me, and the pattern didn't specify. And it worked very well, with just a reference note on pressing the hourglass blocks in a specific way. All of the sub-sections (20 per block, plus 5 plain squares for a 5 x 5 layout) were completed at the retreat, much more than I expected. And I still love the fabrics! I had been thinking about giving this quilt to a friend when completed, but I delivered the Woven quilt to her yesterday, so will just wait and see how I feel when the quilt is finished.