Stressful last few days but...

Some more weight loss, for a total of 3 lbs this week!  Stressful week in terms of home,family, and work, but I don't blog about that.  it's typical middle class kid and family stuff.  I was tempted to eat and gave in a little, but not much.  And I lost some weight.  Hurrah!  when I reach my next milestone I will buy myself some roses.

viridian

VTT: Make-do quilt top

But I have a quilt top purchased from a friend of a friend that came from Alabama.  The maker used what she had so it is a make-do quilt.  It is also vintage.

Very busy today so I'll have to sign off now.
Enjoy all sorts of vintage things at Coloradolady's meme.

Ruby Tuesday

But, posting it on Monday night.


Ruby Tuesday, at Work of the Poet

Viridian

Monday update

1. I was able to fix my sewing machine by cleaning the dust and gunk out of the working parts (again) and changing the needle.  it seems to be back to its usual self, saving me a repair bill.
2.  I was able then to sew on orange borders to my Halloween quilt wall hanging, pictured in the previous post.
3.  The finished size of said quilt  is 47 by 62 inches, just larger than the 40 by 60 inch craft batting I had in my sewing closet.  Isn't that typical?  So it's off to the big chain craft store for a single bed sized batt.
4. Oh yes, over the weekend I was able to finish the binding of my Perkiomen quilt.  Now for a label and it's done!

Here is the Halloween quilt top I started on the spur of the moment!  Most fabrics are from the Haunted Mansion line, and the squares finish at 4.5 inches.  I still need to put on an orange border, but my sewing machine is having problems.  I hope I can tweak it myself instead of sending it out for repairs.

This is post number 201!  Stay tuned for a giveaway.

viridian

Friday's post

Friday's post is over at my postcard blog, where I am participating in Postcard Friendship Friday.

Happy Friday and have a good weekend.
Viridian

Another cosmic heart

I am posting this  as part of Clytie's meme, Guest Heart Thursday.

This image can be found as TODAY'S Astronomy Picture of the day at http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html.  With Clytie's hearts, (read her posts), this is not a coincidence.

Credit & Copyright: Rogelio Bernal Andreo. It is known as the Heart nebula and another picture here is amazing.



My other cosmic entry is here: http://viridian61.blogspot.com/2010/09/random-heart-friday.html

Viridian

VTT: Needlecraft Magazine

I am joining Coloradolady this week for Vintage Thingy Thursday. See what other people are sharing - click on the icon above.

At a local 'antiques' store I picked up a copy of Needlecraft from December 1934.  The depths of the Depression, though it's hard to tell from this issue.

Various crafty gifr ideas are included.  And ads for items a homemaker might worry that she needed, such as a Perfolastic girdle - reduce your hips 9 inches!

I hope you enjoyed your trip into the past.
viridian

Knitting noddy

That is what I call this item.  However, it is labeled by the manufacturer (Susan Bates) as a French knitter.  Perhaps you have seen this before?

The written instructions were totally useless but the diagrams were helpful in getting me going.  I now have a little tube.  NOW what do I do with it?  However, the knitting, like my potholder making that I described before, is restful and rather therapeutic.  I am concentrating on the knitting and not on all the other things I usually think about.

On another front, I have started another quilt project (like I need one).  I bought a charm pack of fabrics from the Haunted Mansion line and I am going to make a small Halloween wall hanging for the holiday this year.  A very simple pattern: just putting black lattice strips between the charm squares, and few other fabrics I found that go with this line rather well.

Happy Blogtoberfest!  See tinniegirl's blog to see her progress.

Viridian

Update on crafty stuff

I machined quilted the border of my Perkiomen quilt top.  It looks like bad free-motion stitching, but I think it will grow on me.

I stopped by a big chain craft store to pick up a poster frame, and browsed  in the needlework aisle. I couldn't resist the potholder kit - do you remember these? Making a potholder with stretchy loops on a small weaving frame? And once I had it, I just had to make one:

And here it, finished:

Gosh this took me back.  Actually rather relaxing.  I am hoping to use the frame with more expensive special fibers, and experiment.
Who knows, I may go back and get a knitting noddy.  They are only $4.99....


viridian

Weight loss

As you can see from my header, I have lost 14 pounds so far.  Remember I am on a doctor-supervised diet where you lose more quickly than plain diet and exercise.  I hope I can continue at this rate.  I have a conference at the beginning of November and I want to look good.

On quilty things: I layered and did some machine quilting on my Perkiomen top.  I quilted in the ditch - with feed dogs up  as I always do.  It's all I know.  Yes I should try free-motion - maybe later this week.
viridian

Perkiomen quilt top: Blogtoberfest day 6

Ok, so I am not blogging every single day, but I am more active.  I came home early from work to finished my Perkiomen top:

The border fabric is a blue and black print; one I have had for many years.  Scraps were cut into strips for the body of the quilt, so this is a scrap-busting quilt.

The entry with the start of my project is here.
Possibilities are explored here.
Barbara Brackman's commentary on Perkiomen quilts is on her blog, Material Culture.

I also did a set of blocks in 30's reproduction fabrics and need to put those together in a top.  Working with depression-era reproductions is more difficult than you think.  So many of the fabrics are medium in value and it's hard to get the contrast between light and dark in the block.
Viridian

Nosegay quilt - current progress

The nosegay quilt top (also known as Bride's bouquet) is pieced, layered, and being quilted by hand.  As I said in a long ago post, you have to really want one of these to attempt it.

This is my current project, quilted at night while listening to the TV.  I am close to finished with the main bouquets, and then to start quilting the partial bouquets.
I hope to show you more tomorrow on my Perkiomen quilt.
viridian

Blogtoberfest Day 2

My post for today is over on my other blog, Viridian's Postcard Blog, where I am participating in Pink Saturday.
V

Blogtoberfest begins!

Blogtoberfest is an annual blogging festival started and hosted by tinniegirl, based in Australia.  The post listing all participants is http://tinniegirl.blogspot.com/2010/09/your-journey-starts-here-blogtoberfest.html.

The idea of Blogtoberfest is to blog everyday, or most everyday.  You can join too.

tinnie is a writer and a crafty girl, so I will be blogging mostly on my quilting and other crafts.  I did get a bit done this summer, but have neglected to update you, my readers, about it.  Now is the time.  Blogging on crafting and creativity is what I did last year too!

Remember my Perkiomen quilt project?  Well I am done with the center (bigger now than what is shown here) and ready to put on borders.  As rain and cold is likely tomorrow, perhaps that is what I will do. 

In addition I have my weight loss journey.  I hope to update the 9 to a higher number in my header, after the official weigh-in.
viridian