Saturday, November 21, 2009

Joy in the New Year Challenge

I'm a little late to the party over at Tallgrass Prairie Studio, but Jacquie is hosting a challenge to finish as many UFO's as possible before the new year. I have seven. That's not counting anything I want to make for Christmas presents. I'm excited to have some new motivation!

Here's what I've got as of today:
1. Rectangle Bobble Bag (crochet)
2. Green Gable Sweater (knitting)
3. Second Cotton Sock (knitting)
4. Mother Bear Project Teddy Bear (knitting)
5. Scrappy Log Cabin Quilt Top
6. Fresh Cut String Quilt
7. Summertime Nightie (sewing)


New books and a string quilt

I've been adding to my craft book stash on a regular basis lately.  I probably spend more on books than I do on fabric or yarn.  Here are my most recent purchases.







I pre-ordered One Yard Wonders and it's a beautiful book.  It's spiral bound, so it lays flat.  It came with patterns and is nicely photographed.  But, there aren't as many fresh ideas as I had hoped to see.  I think it would be great for a beginning seamstress and would serve as a great reference for loads of basic patterns.  I can't wait to make the fabric origami box (on the cover).  


The Sweater Chop Shop was worth every penny.  I love it.  I've got a stash of old sweaters that I started collecting a few years back for felted projects, and this gives me some great ideas.  I highly recommend this one.


Color Your Cloth is another gorgeous book.  Even if I never dye a single piece of fabric, I'll enjoy having this one just because it's beautiful to look through.  I love the colors and can't wait to try some of the techniques.  I have a friend from Indonesia who brought me some batik wax and a Tianjin from a recent trip home.  I just had them on display, but now I think I'll use them!


On another note, here's the string quilt I started a few weeks ago.  I'm going pretty slow, but I love the way it's coming together.  I cut into some of my Heather Bailey stash (Fresh Cut) and I'm glad I did because I love the subtle colors.  I think I've got fewer than 50 blocks to go.  




I'm anxious to finish up some UFO's this week.  I want to quilt my scrappy log cabin and try to finish the Green Gable sweater I started last summer.  Maybe I'll go look for something to finish right now.

Friday, November 20, 2009