Just Because

Just because some moments are too precious not to share.

<3 Kelsey

Pillow Progress

It's time for round 7 of the Pillow Talk Swap, and since I will be moving next month, I wanted to get a jump start and not procrastinate on this one. I was inspired by this quilt by Red Pepper Quilts. It is just so colorful and modern, I couldn't resist. :)

I pulled these fabrics mostly from my stash, with the exception of the two black and white prints in the bottom right . I had to buy those two special - apparently I rarely sew with black.

I shrank the original block design down to 5" blocks, and my final pillow will be 3 x 3 blocks, with 1" sashing in between.

With the first four blocks done, the feel of the pillow is finally starting to come through. Hopefully my partner likes where I am heading!

<3 Kelsey

 PS. Finishing these blocks was my goal for the One Thing, One Week Challenge over at Amy's Creative Side, but I didn't manage to finish them all since I got sick on Thursday. But I am still pleased with my progress, even if it wasn't as much as I hoped.

Orange and Grey Cowl

Having recently finished my first knitting project, I jumped right into my second. This time I went with a nice simple garter stitch to avoid the rolling that happened on my first cowl. I actually really love the feel  and the density of the fabric that resulted - it was almost sponge-like.

 

I also challenged myself to one new technique by working with two separate yarns concurrently. I chose a bright orange and grey for a more masculine look. Turns out working with one yarn is just about the same as working with two. :)

This cowl was a gift for a good friend who we went to visit for a weekend recently (moving out of state causes a sudden need to give everyone gifts as it may be the last time you see them).

Next challenge: knitting in the round!

<3 Kelsey

The Longest UFO

I started this quilt just over two years ago. It was the very first quilt I ever started.

Back then I didn't know anything about fusibles or any other tricks to make appliqué easier. It was appliquéd entirely by hand with nothing more than a needle, thread, a pair of scissors, and a pin or two.

I originally started it as a gift (I worked at 23andMe at the time), but when I didn't have time to finish it, it got packed away and essentially forgotten about. 

Before I left 23andMe for a new job, I had promised I'd finish it for decoration in the office. Since we're about to move to another state in a month and a half, I figured I better make good on that promise. :)

This was my first time trying any free motion quilting other than stippling. I quilted two double helixes, and while I was initially concerned with some flaws, in the end I am pleased how it looks as a whole. I did a simple loopy FMQ design for the background. 

This also was my first time having my own fabric printed on Spoonflower. I used the company logo to create a custom quilt backing. It was a lot harder than I expected to hide the repeat! But I hope to get to try my hand at a lot more fabrics in the future. :)

It feels good to put this near 2 year UFO in the D-O-N-E pile!

<3 Kelsey

Lord of the Kindle

Today I'd like to share another project I made as a Christmas gift for a family member. My husband and I got my Dad a Kindle Touch back in October, and he has still been carrying it around in the box it came in. Clearly, this needed to be rectified. :)

My Dad had loved The Lord of the Rings since before I was born. We went and saw every movie opening day when I was in High School. We've read the books countless times. We both still play a Lord of the Rings based online video game.

So when I saw this pattern for a paper-pieced Gandalf quilt block, I knew I must use it to make my Dad's Kindle cover. I didn't use any particular pattern for the case itself, but followed pretty standard procedure for making a slim carrying case.

Of course I ran out of time to photograph it before Christmas, so both these pictures and those from my last post are curtesy of my parents. :)

I used fusible fleece for the batting (that stuff is great for bags!) and did some simple straight line quilting on the front, with a velcro enclosure.

<3 Kelsey

My first knitting project

I learned to crochet when I was in the third grade, but until recently, I had never tried to learn to knit, though I always planned to someday. Well, I finally made someday happen, and decided to knit my mom a cowl for Christmas.

I did a simple stockinette stitch using a yarn I got from Joann's that was in a colorway I thought my mom would like.

Interesting facts I learned:

1. Stockinette stitch will curl in on itself. If you don't want this to happen, you should border your work with another stitch, like garter stitch.
2. Always plan out how much yarn you need and what length you want it to end up. If you just say "I'll just go until I run out of yarn.", you'll likely end up at an odd length where you wish it was either shorter or longer.
3. You can make a pretty gather to hide the seam on the back (if you aren't knitting in the round) using the tails you're weaving in.
4. I think I personally prefer a regular loop for my cowls, instead of adding a mobius-like twist. But that is just personal preference. :)

It's far from perfect, but I though it was pretty good for my very first try at knitting. :)

<3 Kelsey

Chasing Chevrons quilt along

Jennifer at That girl...that quilt put together a quilt along with an amazing design composed entirely of chevrons and plain squares, which she called the Chasing Chevrons quilt along. 

I used EQ7 to put together several color variations, and I've finally settled on the following design to hang in our master bedroom after we move:

I really can't wait to get started - I just have to quilt two more quilts first!

In the meantime, check out the That girl... that quilt Flickr group for lots of chevron inspiration!

<3 Kelsey