Couthouse Steps

I think I am kind of addicted to working on on log cabin, or variants of the log cabin quilt. This is my first go at the Courthouse Steps block and I just absolutely have to say, I like it!

As I was pressing the blocks of this quilt I kept thinking the back side is lovely. There is an extra stripey effect caused by the contrast of the subtle wrong side of the fabrics contrasted with the bright right sides visible in the open pressed seams.



This quilt is based on something I found in a book, Best of the Best Quilts by Leslie Beck, which I checked out from the public library -- but her quilt is in palest pale pastels and has more fabrics and more rounds.

I don't think I realized how bright my quilt was going to be until I began to lay out some of the finished blocks. Not only are the colours bright, which I had noticed, but they appear even brighter enhanced by the diagonal push of the pattern.



Now, I have to think about what to do about the border. I have fabric laying all around the outside of the pieced portion of this quilt top, but nothing is speaking to me. I will definitely need to think about it for a bit.

New Year's Resolutions

Okay, so I am a little late with my resolution, but the idea for my first resolution only just came to me last week.

I am teaching a knitting class this term, and in preparation I went to the public library and checked out a couple of knitting books, one of which was Hip Knit Hats by Cathy Carron. In the process of working on one of the patterns, so that I could help a student, it came to me -- I could and should knit 52 hats this year, basically one a week except that I am starting a bit late so I will really need to get my skates on. I have a simple go to hat pattern, which is infinitely variable, and which knits up quickly and almost always produces a satisfying result, but I think I will use this resolution as an excuse to do a little stretching. I plan to make a bunch of new hats.

This book has several very cute patterns, which I plan to make for kids rather than for adults. I have one hat knit -- except for the pompom and another hat well on the way. I think it is a bit small, so I have a wonderful excuse to make it again, in a slightly larger size. Plus I am not completely satisfied with the cast on and crown, so I may want to make a few more variations.

And since this whole hat project involves what is essentially a weekly task it occurred to me that I should also commit to at least one post a week. I can do this! I will prove it to you.

Quilting Done

After some thought, I've come to the conclusion that I am finished quilting my Blocks in Boxes quilt. It is not quite as heavily quilted as most of my more recently quilts, but I think it works.



And I am finished with the quilting on my friend's quilt. I think it is a lovely. I quilted it a little more densely, I think (I hope)my quilting compliments the pieced work.



I especially think the light thread on the dark flying geese works well (and my photo does not do that justice). The light thread makes the geese pop. If my friend had not given me light thread, I probably would have started with dark thread, but I think this worked better.



Unfortunately by the time I got around to photographing this quilt the sun was moving further west.

My Friend's Quilt Top

Several months, honestly probably something like six months, ago a friend left a quilt top, along with batting, thread and backing at my house so that I could do the quilting. The top is very pretty and larger than anything I have ever quilted so I was terrified, afraid to tackle the big project and afraid that I would muff up my friend's quilt. I was definitely not too excited at the prospect (although I do rather enjoy the process of quilting). As my friend expects to give the finished quilt to her sister, this year, for Christmas, my opportunity to procrastinate is over.



Now that I have begun the process (and am over my first small failed attempt, I am relatively pleased with my progress, even though it is pretty slow progress.) The more I work the more fun it is although my hands actually got sore controlling the big roll of fabric.

Finished Quilting?

I think I may have finished quilting this test run I began quilting before I got on with quilting my friend's quilt top. I think it was the biggest piece I had worked on before I began quilting on Jody's quilt.

Anyhow, I think it is a little less densely quilted than usual, so I am contemplating adding a line of stitches though the biggest square.



Aside from the question of should I do a little more quilting, or not, I am relatively happy with this one, and I think I have the blocks to make a second similar quilt top, but that will be a task for the new year.

Quilting

For the last couple days it has been sunny or sunnyish so I have been a little bit sidetracked from my quilting. This afternoon, I even mowed the lawn, or mulched the few fallen leaves (and actually I guess it has been warm enough that the grass had grown a little since the last mowing). I think the growing season is now over and the leaves in my trees are actually turning green, so they will be falling over the next couple weeks.
While I have been side tracked I have not completely overlooked the quilting. I made some progress quilting this piece -- my biggest quilt to date. I have a slightly larger quilt I need to quilt for a friend waiting impatiently on the cutting table, so I had best get cracking.

Red and Gold