The Sweatpants of Dresses

This week I sewed a couple of dresses.

The pattern is the York Pinafore by Helen's Closet - a Canadian designer! 

The dress is perfect for putting on over a T-shirt for the summer. It was incredibly easy to make and so nice to wear - that's why I made two. And check out those pockets!

 The green one is the first one I made. I used some cotton twill I had at home.

Then I wanted to try it out in a lighter weight fabric, so the blue one is the second one.

Here are my thoughts and some changes I made -

I made size medium. The pattern is designed for someone with a B-cup, I am definitely not a B-cup, so I added length to the front straps like the pattern suggests (I added even more for the blue one - green one about 1/2", and the blue one another inch). I also made the blue one a bit wider in the 'bib' front. 

The dress is a cocoon style, which works in the twill, but I ended up taking some of the roundness out  of the blue skirt, it just didn't sit right.

I knew going into this that this style is not the best for me - I love tunics, overalls and loose fitting tops, but they 'ski-slope' off my boobs and look like maternity clothes. To help a bit I added a piece of elastic in the back (about a 6-7" piece at my waist).

I used a 3 stitch zig-zag stitch to sew it in.

For the binding I just made single fold bias tape,

I made so much that both dresses have the same (and why the second one was so quick to make).

For me this is a perfect home dress. Easy to wear and so comfy. The pattern is wonderful. It has very clear directions. Indie designed pattern are so nice to sew because there always seems to be lots written about them - tips, changes people make, sew alongs, tutorials, hacks.... There is a post on the designers blog showing the testers dresses here.

For other sewing -

This is the Moda Blockhead block - a 6" block.

And the 1880 Sampler Sew Along block - a 4" block. For this one I just picked out random fabrics without much thought, I think it shows but I am trying to step out of my comfort zone.

I spun a skein of yarn from some Merino fibre that I had dyed recently.

The yarn is about fingering/sock weight - 168g and 649m. I dyed and spun it for an Entrelac knitting project.

the roses are at their peak

All the best!♥︎

Another Quilt Along!

I decided to start another quilt along!

This one is called Moda Blockheads 2, a block of the week that started on June 6th, and ends next April (I am sure that I won't make them all, but I enjoyed making the first two).

The first one is Stellar Star, a 12" block,

and the second is Buckeye Beauty, a 6" block. I am using the same fabrics as all the other blocks I have been making recently, and these will be added to those blocks.

I dyed the yarn I had finished spinning last week.

I also did some practical sewing for a change - mending a well loved pair of shorts for my son.

This past week my sister and I volunteered for the Manitoba Sheep Association at a local fair.

There was a pair of lovely sheep to see,

and I enjoyed chatting with people about spinning. There was lots of great reactions - one little boy yelled at me from the other side of the barn that he knew what I was doing, I was using an old fashioned sewing machine!

All the best!♥︎

Finished Fleece

I finished spinning the third raw fleece I was given last fall.

1583m and 639g of yarn! I will dye most of this yarn.

This is how it all started - the raw fleece before washing, combing and spinning.

Here is my 1880 Sampler Sew Along block from the Temecula Quilt Company for this week (a 4" block).

My stack of "orphan" blocks is really growing. The plan is to make blocks until the end of the year, and put them together into a quilt top.

Because I missed having a crochet project to work on, I started another Granny Stripes blanket, this time using leftover handspun yarn that is all about fingering weight. This one is about 70cm/28" wide.

a pair of Goldfinches at the feeder

All the best!♥︎

More Blocks

It's nice to keep up with quilt along blocks for a change!

This first one is the May block for Antebellum Album from  Civil War Quilts - a 12" block called Cross and Crown.

And this one is for the 1880 Sampler Sew Along from the Temecula Quilt Company - a 4" block.

I have been trying to just pick out fabrics without too much thought, because lots of the blocks I have been making recently tend to be made with a few of my favourite fabrics.

This week I finished spinning three skeins of yarn (they average around 90g/200m each - about a sport weight yarn), these are from the raw fleece that I combed.

I also finished knitting a pair of socks. These were knit two-at-a-time, top-down, on a 100cm, 2.5mm circular needle with 64 stitches. This was my "car knitting".

The yarn was handspun BFL/Nylon blend,

from fibre that I dyed.

All the best!♥︎

Mystery Socks

I finished the mystery knit along socks this week -

The pattern is SKA May 2018 Mock by verybusymonkey. I used yarn from a Canadian hand dyer Tanis Fiber Arts (Blue Label fingering weight) in the colour way Chartreuse. 

I also got caught up on the 1880 Sampler Sew Along blocks from the Temecula Quilt Company. I changed some of the blocks so they would have fewer seams (they are 4" blocks).

Another thing that happened this week is that I finished combing my last raw fleece. Three bags (full) ready for spinning!

I love getting comments, and I am happy to answer any questions, but please make sure I can reach you (a few recent questions were asked by 'no-reply bloggers', and I couldn't find a way to reach a couple of people - sorry).

All the best!♥︎

Woven Table Runner

I finished the woven table runner I started last week.

It is about 16"x25" (not including the fringe) and is woven with leftover handspun yarn from my Granny Stripes blanket.

The warp is crochet cotton, but you can't see it in the weaving because the threads are sett so far apart (this is a weft faced weaving sett at 7.5 threads per inch). The crochet cotton does make a great fringe (this one has four threads twisted together).

I also finished knitting another beaded bracelet. This one is long and narrow and wraps around my wrist three times. Made from handspun natural linen with #8 seed beads. I also made the clasp from 18 gauge wire.

The mystery knit along socks are coming along nicely. The last clue comes out tomorrow. This has been such an enjoyable knit, the lace pattern just flows beautifully so it has been very easy. It is a free pattern on Ravelry - SKA May 2018 Mock.

We have had great weather this week, so I have been doing a lot of outside work.

I divided and moved perennials to make this flower bed just perennials for a change.

We did have an unusual storm in the middle of the week - really interesting clouds, lots of wind - lots of swirling dirt and only a sprinkling of rain.

It even freaked out our little visitor!

All the best!♥︎

Knitted Bracelets

This past week I was given a small amount of dog hair from a friend who has Kerry Blue Terriers, to try spinning it. The fluff was easy to spin (the yarn soft, with a nice shine and halo), and since she is not a knitter, I wanted to make her something with the yarn (I only had a little 9g skein).

After a search online I found a knitted cuff from a Craftsy class "Knitting with Beads with Laura Nelkin". The pattern is Pioneer Cuff by Laura Nelkin, a super quick knit, and part of my Year of Craftsy.

I had so much fun making it that I had to make one for myself out of a leftover bit of handspun.

Now I am making myself another beaded bracelet (this one is inspired by another Laura Nelkin bracelet). I am using some handspun linen. Hooked on knitting with beads!

I finished a couple of other things this week - 

A skein of yarn for socks (this is a merino/nylon blend that I had dyed).

I also finished the pillow I made with the piece of embroidery my Dad made.

I put a long warp of crochet cotton on the loom to have something to weave over the summer. I am making this first table runner with leftover handspun yarn from the Granny Stripes blanket.

I just wanted to mention something that happened this week -

I ordered a couple of knitting books (both were highly recommend and I am really pleased with them),

but the box they came in had a big warning sticker. Maybe it is the digital/ebooks age, 2 books are considered heavy now!

All the best!♥︎

Cross Stitch

My Dad made this lovely piece of cross stitch for me -

The pattern is from a Veronique Enginger book (Mon Atelier) I brought back from Japan.

I am turning it into a cushion cover. This week for the Temecula Quilt Company 1880 Sampler Sew Along the block was the same as a previous block (just different way of piecing), so I made a couple of 4" blocks from earlier in the sew along. I just have to machine quilt the top and add a back.

Since finishing my Granny Stripes Blanket I've started a few things but can't seem to settle on a project I enjoy as much as that blanket!

I did skirt and wash another fleece - I just saved a bit of this one because it was so dirty, but it is incredibly soft.

I also started a mystery sock knit along (I usually participate in one a year), the pattern is SKA May 2018 Mock by verybusymonkey. The clues come out on the first four Tuesdays in May.

Since the weather has been so nice (31ºC today) it has really been a time to work outside - cleaning up the yard and washing windows.

Little plants enjoying some sunshine.

All the best!♥︎