QAL Switcheroo

I ended Monday's post with this photo of possible borders for the Oh My Stars QAL quilt top. Since I was thinking about one QAL, I got out the blocks for the Fat Quarter Stars QAL (FQSQAL) as well. I had 2 blocks left to make but looking at the 10 I had, I kind of fell out of love with the project. I had no desire to do the last two blocks and I didn't really want the finished quilt on a bed but on a wall. And while I looked at my two QAL's I noticed something...

... the yellow I was using for one looked good with the other. Here is the yellow that I had been using as the background for the FQSQAL beside the Oh My Stars quilt top. I like it. Debating on putting a square of space fabric in the corners - I think probably not. I cut these at 4 1/2 inches and I am hoping this will be enough of a border.

Closer look. There are dots in the yellow. 

And the orange I had been leaning towards for the Oh My Stars border is now the sashing for the FQSQAL top. I picked the first 9 and made a wall hanging. It is about 46 inches square right now. I don't think I will be adding another border. If I had made the last 2 blocks, I wouldn't have enough orange to sash them, so I'm glad I stopped at 10.

In the corners I used a green from the Frolic fabric line. I had used a brown and a white fat quarter from that line in some of the blocks. I really like the orange with these blocks. Brings out the orange in the fabrics used in some of the blocks. Going to use block #10 and some scraps to make a pieced backing. 

Our landlord is showing our house this afternoon and my tea is done. Time to get off the computer and clean-up.

One Thing, One Week Challenge #11

Last Monday I challenged myself to complete one knitted item and one quilt item. I needed to finish the cardigan for my mother, whose birthday is today - Happy Birthday Mom. And I wanted to finish piecing the blocks for the Oh My Stars QAL and perhaps start putting the quilt top together. I am happy to say I was able to complete both challenges. Go visit Amy's blog to see how everyone else did on their challenges.

I finished the cardigan Saturday night. It's brown yarn with flecks of colour in it, as requested. This is my third attempt. The first two had cables but the yarn didn't look good with cables and after a few inches I ripped out the stitches and started over. This is a plain cardigan and the free pattern can be found here. 

Side view. I think the length in the body will be okay for my mom. Personally I would like it a little longer. I'm afraid the arms will be too long for her, since they are just right on me and she's a bit smaller than me. 

I am happy to cross this off my list, but I'm not very happy with the cardigan. Mom, I've already put your name back on the cardigan queue and you'll be getting another one (no promises when though). 

My mom asked for no buttons, so here are the buttonless button bands which took a lot longer than I thought they were going to take.

But I thought if she wanted to keep it together a pin might work. 

Now onto my quilty challenge. I finished all the star blocks for the Oh My Stars QAL and put the quilt top together. By the time I was done yesterday it was too dark outside for pictures and it is too yucky outside this morning so crappy indoor pictures it is. Sorry. 

I am in love with this quilt. Here it is lying on our bed but it will soon be on my son's. I am also hoping to put this in our quilt guild's show next month if my son will let me. He doesn't want it to go.

I had to replace some of the stars with space fabric since I ran out of background fabric. I'm glad I did because I really like it.

Still need to add borders. Trying to decide which fabric to use. Any thoughts? 

I hope to decide on the borders this week and have them ready by Friday for this month's Friday Night Sew-In. Go to Heidi's blog to sign-up.

Finish It Up Friday

Linking up again today at Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish It Up Friday. Thanks to Amanda Jean for giving the motivation every week to have something done for a Friday post. Sometimes the week goes by and I feel I have nothing to show for it. These Friday posts really help me focus on what I've done this week and what I need to get done this weekend and next week.

One last scarf for my niece. This is the fourth scarf I've made her for her birthday. None of them are really meant to be warm, more an accessory she can wear all day - as requested. You can see the other scarves here, here and here.

Turned a pair of pants into shorts for my son. I have 4 more pairs of pants waiting for me to decide whether I am going to patch them or turn them into shorts. It's my goal this weekend to get them off my sewing table.

Here is the little pant ripper eating his after school snack yesterday. The weather has been beautiful here and I spent 2 hours on Sunday and 2 hours yesterday sitting outside and knitting. I am hoping to do the same today once the sun hits the back of the house. I spent most of my time outside working on my mom's cardigan. Her birthday is this coming Monday. So how close am I to being done?

I finished the left and right fronts on the weekend.

Finished the first sleeve yesterday and cast on the second. Finishing the second sleeve today - before lunch? - and then hopefully putting it together tonight. I'd like to have it in the mail tomorrow so wish me luck.

Took a little knitting break last night and finally did some quilting. 9 more blocks for the Oh My Stars QAL. I have 14 small blocks left and then I can start piecing the top together. 

I have also been working on the Mystery shawl hosted by Jen of Knitting Like Crazy on ravelry. She just released the second clue today so it isn't too late to join (the pattern is free). This is as far as I was able to get this week. Chart A, Chart B and then Chart A again of the lace pattern. I need to do Chart B, Chart A and Chart B again before I can move onto today's clue.... Chart C, done one time. Once I get my mom's cardigan done I think I'll be able to catch up this week.

Oh... and I read 2 novels this week. Maybe the cardigan would be in the mail by now if I didn't have my nose in a book so much? I finished the above book yesterday and I recommend it. It's a bit of a mystery, but also the story of a woman coming into her own after a divorce. I found my copy at the local library - I love the "New Books" shelf. 

A Week of Finishes

Linking up at Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish It Up Friday. 

This week was one of those weeks where a lot was completed, so sit back and enjoy.

Monday: I finished the vest for my BIL. His birthday is this coming Monday but I didn't get to the post office until Wednesday so it is going to be a little late. I used the same pattern that I used for my brother's vest but omitted the cables on the front. Hope it fits.

Tuesday: I finished the socks for my mom. I made these as part of a knit-along on ravelry in February. Everyone who finished and posted a picture by the 29th was entered into a drawing for a skein of sock yarn and guess who won - that's right, ME! I am very excited to see the yarn as I put myself on a yarn AND fabric diet this year. I haven't bought any and have been working completely from my both my yarn and fabric stash this year. It feels good to see space open up on the shelves but it's been difficult.

My favourite part of any sock, the heel and gussett. It was the hardest part of sock knitting to learn but I love it now.

Wednesday: finished a hat and scarf set for my niece whose birthday is later this month. She asked for "fashion" scarves (she's turning 11). I already made her one and I admit that this set is a little more practical and less fashionable but I thought she might like the purple yarn. 

Better view of the hat. It is a free crochet pattern that you can find here. The scarf I made up on my own - just a bunch of half double crochet rows until I ran out of yarn and did a row of single crochets around the whole scarf in blue

Thursday: another scarf for my niece that is definitely "fashionable". Another free crochet pattern that can be found here.

I also finished the last 6 star blocks that use blue and white fabric for the Oh My Stars QAL. Have about 24 to make with yellow stars and black background fabric. Then I can start putting the quilt top together. There are 64 star blocks in the above picture.

Today is the beginning of a mystery shawl KAL on ravelry. Hosted by Jen of Knitting Like Crazy (she also hosted the sock KAL in February that I finished on Tuesday). If you're on ravelry go and check it out. It's free and uses sock/ fingering weight yarn. I am using Knit Picks Stroll Tonal sock yarn in Canopy.

And look mom, I haven't forgotten about your cardigan. I cast on the left front this week and have been making some good progress on it. Hopefully I'll have the cardigan done by your birthday so it will definitely be late but at least it will be done. Sorry.

And my sister, Sarah Vee of Sew Joy Creations, finished something this week - her first eBook! You can buy it in her etsy shop for just $1.38. In the eBook she guides you on creating different fabric palettes for quilts by using products in your house - she uses a box of tea in one of her examples. I'm going to give it a try this weekend and see what I come up with. You can get her eBook here.

February UFO and a change for March

Here is my February UFO all finished and washed. It's been done for almost 2 weeks - I finished during Friday Night Sew-In on the 17th, you can read that post, here. I have since washed it and took it outside for better photos. Last week we had no snow. Now we have just enough to remind the kids they still need to wear their winter coats. 

I used some leftover bindings for this quilt. I use to have an overflowing bag of leftover bindings that I couldn't close. I have only used bindings from that bag this year and it is now only half full and closed.

This was quilted with random lines all over. Love how it turned out and that it doesn't distract from all the different prints in the quilt.

Judy picked #8 for March which is suppose to be working on a dresden plate quilt. I got out the 180 pieces I have cut and sewn so far and laid them out on the background I had picked. I no longer like it and my desire to do this project is completely gone. I will find something else to do with the dresden pieces but I am going to use the background for something else.

When I saw the Made in Cherry QAL that was happening , I really wanted to participate but since I was already working on the Fat Quarter Stars QAL and the Oh My Stars QAL, I decided it was best if I didn't. Then I started seeing people's finished tops and I knew I had to make it. So I am changing UFO #9 (which I had also set aside for the dresden quilt) to the Made in Cherry quilt using the yellow background and green. I have a lot of greens in my stash and have already started cutting a few. Looking at them on the yellow I like the lighter, brighter greens with the yellow but will still add some darker greens. 

I am replacing UFO #8 with the Oh My Stars QAL. I am almost done making the blocks and picked border and backing fabric from my stash this morning. I am making this quilt for my son and I'm really looking forward to completing it. Above is the layout of the quilt. The blacked out squares are being replaced with space themed fabric and the blocks with a "B" will have a star with black background instead of white. Of course this is just a guide and who knows what the actual quilt will end up like.

I was able to get 2 more blocks done this week for the Oh My Stars QAL. I have 6 big (12 1/2 inches) blocks left with the blue and white fabric and then I have just over 20 blocks left to make with the yellow and black fabrics. 

Go visit Judy's blog to see other February UFO's.

What was I suppose to be working on?

I think on Friday I commented that the vest for my BIL was to be my focus this past weekend. His 40th birthday is a week from today and I need to get it finished and in the mail. I know it's going to be late but I don't want it to be really late. So here's what I actually did this weekend.

2 big stars for the Oh My Stars QAL. These are 12 1/2 inches. I have 8 more of these to make before I work on the yellow stars with black background fabric. These don't look like a vest to me.

6 stacks of medium star blocks for the same quilt. These are 8 1/2 inches.

Here are all 25 medium sized blocks laid out. So... that's 27 quilt blocks done, what about that vest?

Friday evening and Saturday morning I worked on the second sock for my mom. I finished the leg and started the heel while my husband and I watched "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark". Forgot how awesome that movie is. We are planning to watch the rest of the original trilogy again but I didn't touch the vest on Friday. I did a bit on Saturday...

... but on Sunday I forced myself to work on only the vest. I finished the front, sewed the shoulders and sides together and started the neck trim. Finished the neck this morning and since this picture was taken I finished the trim around the right arm hole as well. Just have the left one to do and then I'll throw it in the washer and dryer and it should be in the mail tomorrow as long as it doesn't fall apart in the wash this afternoon. Glad to know I'll have at least one thing for Finish it up Friday this week.

The rest of my week

I was able to spend an hour Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoon working on some Oh My Stars QAL blocks. I finished the smallest with the blue and white fabric - still have some this size with yellow stars and black background to make. There are 28 here and they are 4 1/2 inches.

Here they are all laid out after being ironed. Hope to get some more done this weekend. 

Been making a lot of progress on the vest front in the evenings. Divided for the left and right front last night so the end is in sight. Need this to be my focus this weekend and get it in the mail Monday or Tuesday.

The Long Weekend

The weekend started out good. I finished the first sock for my mom on Sunday. By the time I went to bed that night, I wasn't feeling so good and spent all of Monday in bed with a nasty bug. Glad it was a holiday so my husband was home and took the kids to their dentist appointments.

By Tuesday evening I was feeling a little better and cast on and finished the cuff of the second sock after the kids went to bed. I did two pattern repeats this morning. I really love this pattern and have already planned a second pair. 

Some time over the weekend I also added a couple inches to my BIL's birthday present. Probably going to be late but hopefully he won't mind.

And since I haven't touched my sewing machine since Friday night, I am hoping to tackle some Oh My Stars blocks this afternoon. I had the pieces all laid out so I could work on them over the weekend but that didn't happen. Fingers crossed I am able to keep my lunch down and spend the afternoon sewing and not back in bed.