Another quilt for Project Linus

Here is another quilt I've made for Project Linus.  This one uses black and white fabric with touches of red.   Earlier this year I read on the Project Linus website that they wanted black and white quilts for the Festival of Quilts this year so when I saw this fabric I knew I had to have it.  Sadly, it was not complete in time for FOQ but better late than never.

I used a simple rail fence pattern and then backed and bound it with red fabric.

I've just seen on their website that the theme for next year's FOQ is railfence so I guess I will be able to make one or two quilts using up my stash!

November Journal Quilt

This month's Journal Quilt was inspired yet again by cactus.

I started by curved piecing the background using my own dyed fabric.   Yellow spines were then bonded in rows and these were machine quilted, again in rows.

Sounds simple but there were many trials getting the size of the spines right!

The next and final quilt for the year is still undecided.   I have used up all the ideas I had in January with the exception of one that I just can't seem to get from my brain to fabric.  I'm trying to come up with an idea that combines all the designs and colours of the other eleven quilts but again nothing has so far come to fruition.

Virus Shawl

The virus shawl I mentioned a few days ago is  blocked and dried and photographed.

The pattern I used was one from Ravelry and was designed by Julia Marquardt.  It has been very popular with over 4,000 projects recorded on Ravelry. It only made a small one, just one ball of wool, as I intend to wear it just as a neck shawl, secured with a pin.

I bought the wool at The Slipped Stitch in Sherborne and it is 80% Blue Faced Leicester and 20% nylon and was hand dyed.  The colour is called Olive Groves and it's only when you are working it that you can see just how mane shades of green there are in it.

Little Box Slippers

September's project for Little Box of Crochet was a pair of cosy slippers made in Yarns and Colors Charming which is a cotton and acrylic blend.

Now I haven't got a very good track record when it comes to tension which is why, apart from shawls, I tend not to make garments for myself or anyone else.  But as I always look upon my monthly Box as my monthly challenge, I set to to make this snuggly pair of slippers, ignoring the voice beside me on the sofa saying "what are you going to do with those!"

The first one, true to form, came up so big it was even too big for the voice beside me on the sofa!  I have made the one that fitted a size 7 (my shoe size) so I undid it and made the smallest size - size 4.  This was a good fit and I felt once the trim was worked around the edge, they would fit fine.   The second one was made in exactly the same way but ended up bigger than the first!  Not to be deterred, I made the decorations as instructed but as this did not make any difference to the size, the finished slippers will now be put away, never to be worn.

They look go though!  To give them their full name, they are Bohemian Dreams Slippers designed by Cecile Balladino.

One funny story to finish .... the finished slippers were on my desk when I was wrapping Hope's Blanket ready for her birthday.  However, after  wrapping there was only one slipper left!  I searched all around where I had been but there was no sign of it.   Well you can guess what had happened, and as I wasn't going to unwrap the present, I waited to retrieve it when Hope opened it on her birthday!

Now she's received her blanket, this is what the whole thing looks like.  She loved it!

New Projects

Yet again, I have a few projects on the go that I will share just in case you think I'm doing nothing!

The first is a virus shawl - so called because each row increases as you work - made in a skein of hand dyed wool I bought in Sherborne at The Slipped Stitch.

The shawl I'd actually finished but has been blocked out and is drying so I will share the finished photos in a few days.   Here's a preview.

Another project is a Christmas present for my youngest grandson, Harry.  I made the blanket for his sister, Hope so he requested a Star Wars pillow!

It's a bit of a 'make it up as I go' project, starting with a chart of the design I wanted - a storm trooper - and then adapting it to crochet using a bobble stitch.  Again a quick preview...

Hope has had her birthday this week so has received her blanket so here is a photo of the completed blanket.

Blue and grey Mandala

As I mentioned last month when I shared the Mandala from Little Box of Crochet that I had made, I have finally made a second one, this time in colours to suit suit decor.

Stash Buster for Project Linus

One of my aims for this year was to use up fabric from my stash and make some quilts for Project Linus.  It's been a while since I've done one so I had to put it right.

I had a pack of nautical themed fat quarters which I thought would make a change as I don't make many quilts for little boys.   I got some blue fabric for the backing and binding which went well with the front.

Very pleased with the result.  Now must get round to phoning our local contact for Project Linus to pass on the quilts.