Improvised Knitting

When you can't  carry your sewing machine around with you to places such as the hair salon, kntting is a good option. I am working on a dress using Classic Elite Sprout bought from Holleys Yarn Shoppe here in Dallas. The pattern is (surprise) slightly improvised. It's based on the dimensions and look of the Emma Peel dress pattern from Mason Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines. However it's mostly reverse engineered based on Elizabeth Zimmerman's knitting philosophy. So that math I learned at Hockaday has been useful for something!

The only problem is the growth rate of my garment is not keeping up with the growth rate of my kid. Knit faster!!!

The quilt saga continues

Now that I have completed my Master's degree from University of Denver *woot* I have no excuse not to blog or do actual crafts. Thanks to my friend Ashley at Decorology for the encouragement! So I'm still working on my first overambitious and lightly planned quilt. I have put the quilt sandwich together (top, batting layer, backing) and am now HAND QUILTING, yes, you heard it right, hand quilting the border around the colorful strips.

Hand quilting - going in circles...

My technique

1. I outlined the rectangle with back stitch in No. 8 Perle Cotton in indigo blue. No, I didn't mark this out with chalk! I just eyeballed the distance from the straight edge.
2. I took a pot lid and the chalk and started at the upper right corner. Trace overlapping circles with the lid and chalk.
3. I'm going along the long side outlining the circles in back stich and the same No. 8 Perle Cotton

I'm thinking about hand writing something, like a quote, along the top and bottom strips, so my handwriting will also be a part of the quilt for my kid.

Next intimidating step will be creating my own bias tape!!! This is terrifying. Stay tuned.