April Finish

This is my finish for April, another mug rug.  This time I decided to not put a binding on but to "birth" it.  Above is me turning the outside out from the inside.  Not an easy task on something so small.

Here is the finished "rug."  I didn't do a lot of quilting on it, just enough to hold the three pieces together.

The edge is only 1/8" and for the first time I was concerned that I was going to stitch right onto my finger.  The little area wanted to bunch up, especially at the corners, and not move.  So I had my fingers there to help it.  I had to keep reminding myself to take my foot off the pedal so I wouldn't accidently sew me onto the rug.  OUCH!! 

Lastly is the backing.  This was a fat quarter that came in a bundle years ago.  I really didn't like it but it seemed perfect for this application and shouldn't show much dirt:  this little rug is going to reside on my craft table which gets quite messy.

Later today I will be taking pictures of my knitted shell.  It is not finished but the front and back are all done and seamed.  I think I will try to put it on a mannequin for pictures.  That post will probably show up tomorrow.

Have a great weekend everybody!  Gari 

This Weeks Projects

 I am getting really excited about this shell.  I have been knitting both the front and back but I will shortly have to work just on the back while I knit in the arm holes and then the neckline.  I decided to do the back first as it seems to be easier and will prepare me for the front.

I have been doing a little on these socks but because I won't be wearing socks for the next 6 months my interest has flagged. 

I also need to knit a new hat as my last one was stolen and my head got cold this past winter.

I did make the top of the second Pat Sloan mug rug.  It is all appliqued but still needs to be sandwiched, quilted and bound.  I can't tell you how much fun it is to be working with fabric again.

 So much fun that I have started working on Esther Aliu's mystery quilt, Sweet 16.  Here I am with pieces of the block #1.  They are supposed to be something like éclairs but right now they look more like hamburgers.

But now we have three sets of three red velvet éclairs, chocolate éclairs, and vanilla éclairs.  They will eventually be piled up on a plate and kept under a glass dome.  Mine are a little mundane but I just couldn't make multicolored cakes like Esther's original ones. 

I will try to make up for it with the lace I found to attach to the bottom of the cake platter.  This is the leftover lace from a quilt I made several years ago called Baskets & Lace.

The only thing that has been hindering my sewing time is that we are having such wonderful Spring weather.  And I frequently find myself sitting on the deck, knitting.  The puppies love it that I am out there as they can play in the fenced in area and bark at every car that passes.

That being said, I'll close and knit a few rows before I turn in.

Night ....... Gari

PS: Linking with Patchwork Times: On The Needles.

Gone and Back`

This was Spring Break week for my hubby.  So what did I plan for us?  To take a trip to Lakeland, FL to visit my mother.

When I got sick last year I requested no visitors.  I was too weak to entertain and I didn't want people to come just to stare at the hollow shell I had become (some exaggeration there).  My mother, who is now 93, really wanted to come but with Eric being my primary care giver, as well as teaching 2 days a week, and everyone else working, and no guest room, I didn't have anyone available to provide transportation or to help with any problems she might have.  So with Eric available to travel with me I suggested that we go to see her so she could see how well I have become.

We had a very nice visit and lunch at Longhorn but by the end of the day all were tired so it was a good time for a night's rest and a day's travel home.

Over the years we have traveled several times to Lakeland, Kissimmee, and Orlando so we know I 10 and I 75 quite well.  And our primary travel interests have been antique malls.  We have seen several come and go but two have remained constant and we time our travels to be able to visit them both.  This year Eric was concerned that I wouldn't be able to walk long enough to really enjoy the experience so he rented a wheelchair that he could push me around in.  It folded up and fix nicely in the car so off we went to renew our enjoyment of travel.

When we got to the first mall there was a sign on the door that stated that we could bring a dog inside so it wouldn't be left in a hot car.  Well, we just happened to have a dog with us, our 17 year old, blind Shih Tzu that Eric knew no one could care for except him (probably right, I can't).  So we bundled her up and brought her with us.  

This is Buffy and me at Webbs.  As you can see in this blurry picture, we used the wheelchair to push the dog around.  But I found it so easy to push that I used it more as a walker than a wheelchair and I was very grateful to have it.  Walking or standing makes my back hurt and having this to balance me and to take some of the pressure off was wonderful.  We didn't buy much but as soon as I am fully unpacked I will show the one thing I got.

 Here is the finished mug rug I completed prior to our trip.  I gifted it to my sister-in-law for her birthday, today.  She is quite crafty herself so it took me a long time to be willing to share what I make but for the last several years we have become a mutual admiration society, of two.

 And today I started working on making another one for myself.  Please note that I wrote "petal" on each of the petal pieces so I wouldn't think they were leaves this time.  Although I really like the first one and would have kept it and used it if Cera hadn't had a birthday right as I was finishing it.  Oh well, I guess I will just have a boring regular flower. 

Have a great weekend everyone........ Gari