Travel Efficiency

Thank you everyone for your kind words on my tartan scarf. I feel like I am starting to get my groove with weaving and I am really hoping that I will make time to do more in the next few weeks and months.

For Christmas this year I had made TJ a shaving kit, as he travels so often and his old one was…..icky. I used a roll of seat belt material that I stitched together to create a wide fabric. Then I made a basic box bag with it, and used waxed canvas for the inside. I changed how it was stitched around the zipper because the standard way that I make them wouldn’t have worked with the thickness of the seat belt material.

He really liked it, but he had an idea for a shaving roll to go with it that would hold a few of his things. So….

Tada! It is vinyl lined to keep it clean, and uses the same waxed canvas on the outside. The little pieces of elastic hold all of his travel toiletries securely, and it means he is not rummaging around in the bottom of his bag for a sharp razor.

It rolls up neat and tidy and fits right inside the bag. The little pocket at the end even has a little bit of elastic to hold his collar thingies.

The seat belt material on the outside of this one was actually made from the original seat belt from the very old car that he has (he has had it since he was 16…it’s going on 30 years old now!). So I was excited to get to use that. And he even helped me a bunch! He figured out layout and came up with a few of the construction details, and even sewed a few things.

It was a fun project to work on!

shavingroll 4

Designing My Own History

I have been involved with a weaving study group for almost 2 years now. There are 9 of us in the group, and we have all learned so much from each other. (Alright, I have learned much more from them than they have learned from me, but that’s ok!).

For our current course of study we all had to choose our own topic to explore, and then present to the group. Last year about this time I took a tartan weaving course, and then just two weeks ago I took a Scottish District Checks and Tweeds class, so I decided that I would do a presentation on tartans and Scottish cloth in general.

My grandpa was a Cameron, and I have woven a Cameron scarf in the past. I love it, and have worn it a lot, but I really wanted something that was a bit more my colours. So I designed my own! I used this site to roughly come up with the sett (the colours and numbers of each thread), and then wove off my very own Warren-Miller tartan.

Project Details:

Yarn: Jaggerspun Zephyr (Wool/Silk blend)
Sett: 30 epi, 15 dent reed sleyed 2-2-2
Warp: 3 yards, 352 ends (8 selvedges)
Loom: LeClerc Fanny II 45″
On Loom Measurements: 82.25″L x 10.75″ W
Finished Measurements: 74.5″L x 10.25″ W
Fringe: 4″ each end

This one is quite a bit softer and has more drape than my previous scarf, as I used a 50/50 wool-silk blend. I have basically been wearing it non stop since I finished it.

In addition to doing the actual weaving, I did a presentation to the group on the history of tartans. Did you know basically most tartans are completely made up? I absolutely loved learning all about the history, reading about some of the major Scottish battles (particularly important to tartans is the 1745 rebellion) and doing the actual presentation to the group. I am doing another tartan class this summer at MAFA so I am hoping to continue my study on this. Eventually I would like to make a modern kilt, but that requires a massive amount of fabric so we will see.

In the meantime I will continue wearing this one endlessly, or at least for a couple of weeks before the weather gets crazy hot here. I am pretty chuffed with the outcome.

Mug Rug Swap

On Tuesday we had our monthly Roanoke MQG meeting. We had decided last month that it would be fun to do a little mug rug swap.

I had seen a few different quilts/mini quilts that used black quilting thread almost as if they had “drawn” the shapes on the quilt. Like an outline, I guess. So I decided to try it out!

Hedgie!! And bunting!! I used raw edge applique and then stitched over top with the black. I used a little button for the nose too, just because. I should have taken a picture of the back, because it was grey plaid. I thought it worked well with the dots.

When we pulled names Whitney and I ended up exchanging! Look at the super cute rug I got from her:

She used a couple of different Denyse Schmidt lines and then tried out her free motion quilting with her new Bernina. I love it! It is a perfect match both to my Herdy mug and my studio. It’s sitting right beside my machine for my constant cup of tea. Thanks Whit!

I love how doing small projects like this is really allowing us to try out new things and develop us as quilters (and as a guild). We have a small but wonderful group and I have learned so much from them already. I can’t wait to see what we do going forward.

More Quilts of Valor

A few months back my friend Melinda brought some quilt tops and backings to the Roanoke MQG, looking for someone to quilt them and finish them off to be sent as Quilts of Valor. I decided to take them, and then the craziness that was this holiday season took over. But I am finally finished!

This first quilt Melinda called “Autumn in Virginia. I quilted it with “Signature” which is a loopy free form pattern. I thought it sort of looked like the way leaves would swirl around. Plus it’s my favourite pattern, so I use it a lot. I bound it along with Nicole and Lindsay one night at Lindsay’s studio (thanks ladies!)

The second quilt Melinda called “Blue Ridge Fog”. Again I used Signature quilting on this one. I bound this one myself using a green blender fabric.

I got word the other day from the folks that coordinate the shipping of the quilts that I was to send them to a rehab facility in GA, for service personnel that have trouble adjusting to life back home after a deployment and are struggling with substance abuse issues. I am proud that these quilts will be helping someone at a dark moment in their life and I hope that they bring comfort and a feeling of love. Thanks for all those that helped put these together!

Better Late Than Never?

At the beginning of December good friends of ours welcomed their second baby girl to the family. With the total insanity that was my “4th Quarter” (look at me using the business lingo….) my personal work and gifts really suffered. (As a side note, I plan on doing all of my Christmas stuff in August this year and not committing to getting anything other than work done from Oct-Dec. That should work, right?) So sadly I didn’t get their gift finished until the middle of January. Luckily they are lovely people and were very understanding.

I love baby sweaters, but I always worry that babies grow so quickly and thus don’t get much wear out of them. So I decided to make a little baby shrug instead, figuring that would fit for at least a year or so.

Sorry, no modeled shot. There are some really cute ones on the Ravelry link though!
Pattern: Victorian Lace Baby Shrug
Yarn: Skacel HiKoo in 009
Needles: US 5

I really liked the little lace pattern on this one.

It was challenging enough to be interesting but easy enough to memorize after a repeat or two.

The yarn is amazing to work with, and perfect for baby stuff. Really soft, but not pilly at all.

I also wanted to make baby N a quilt, as I had made one for her sister and it got tons of use (thanks J and M for that by the way – I love seeing things I have made get USED!)

I roughly used this tutorial, but I added a large border as I just didn’t feel like it was large enough.

I used two small charm packs for this one (of course I have already managed to forget what line of fabric they were from, duh) and kona ash for the sashing. The border and backing are both from Hope Valley, and the binding is a DS for Joanns. I used my new favourite quilting pattern on this one, called Signature.

I hope that baby N enjoys both the quilt and the shrug! Although realistically, she is not likely to remember the shrug. Congrats again J and M!