Drive Thru

Well folks, my name suggestion got voted in at Knit and Tonic Wendy's place. She claims that she likes Quick-O Cheap-O, but that's what democracy is about. Frankly, I liked it too, but she wanted alternatives.

Sorry the photos are down :( We hope for a cure soon.

Soy silk, My First Quilt, and a pillow

This is as a quilt should be: functional (it makes a great dog bed), thrifty (made from REAL SCRAPS), and full of memories. I can remember some of the clothes that mom made with the fabrics in the quilt, especially the easter dresses. The color combination of pink and teal made me feel so good! I wanted everything to be those colors. (It looks more turquoise to me these days, but teal is what I loved loved loved.) I remember picking out the flannel backing in the fabric store that is now JoAnns, in those days it was a House of Fabrics.

I can't remember how much of the quilt I sewed, and how much mom sewed. I do remember that the triangles cut on the bias were stretchy, and hard to line up well with the blue middle strips, so I probably sewed those seams.

And the batting? My oh-so juvenile Raggety Ann and Andy bedspread. Using the old to make the new. Later, in my teens, I bought a plaid flannel duvet cover and covered the blanket with yet another layer. Plaid flannel being the fad of the moment, due to grunge.



Some soy silk samples from Dyelots, spun all thick and thin and loose and tight to explore the feel of it. Predictably, it is not as grippy as wool. I'm not sure whether I like it or not.


A project that has been simmering in my head for several years finally made it out:

The recycled sweater pillowcase. I'm still not super at zippers, as you can see by the curly edge. At least I wasn't completely lazy by sewing it shut.

Green bag

Well, this is what part of the lovely gift from my birthday pal turned into:


I didn't feel like swatching, so I just cast on a lot of stitches, started knitting, and knit until I ran out of yarn (Arcanuia (sp?) Nature Wool). Then I threw it into the washing machine. The straps are Manos del Uruguay. I was originally very disappointed with the straps, but after a few months I came around.

The lining:


I toyed with the idea of straps out of the lining fabric.

The shape is thanks to plastic canvas. Margaret, who has escaped to Seattle, made a bag from Stitch 'n Bitch Nation that used the plastic canvas, and I was impressed with the results. Not something I would have predicted just looking at the stuff.

And an oh-so-flattering self-portrait:

Weird weather

Last week it was below freezing, this week it's 68 degrees first thing in the morning. WTF? It feels like a storm should land soon. I'm not sure if the real weather prognosticators agree with me, I haven't checked.

I'm finding my taste in quilts getting even more specific. I'm currently attracted to quilts with crooked lines and irregular shapes. I ordered a book on the Gee's Bend quilts, and am looking forward to learning more about them. When I was at the Portland Art Museum the other week, I saw an abstract painting that would have made a fabulous quilt. It was a mostly solid canvas in a pale yellow or cream, with white triangles sprinkled across one corner. Maybe the colors were reversed? I dunno.