Carolina Crossroads: The machine quilting in the quilt center is now complete. The red inner border has also been quilted. Did a simple serpentine stitch on the inside edge of both sides of the red border using the blue variegated thread. The only thing left to do is to get the two blue borders quilted. I started working on that yesterday, but need to play around with my quilting design just a bit more. I thought I had a quilting stencil that would work. The design was exactly what I was looking for. It just wasn't the right size. So out came one of my favorite books, Encyclopedia of Designs for Quilting by Phyllis Miller, and my circle templates. I'm now in the process of drawing up and making a template for the quilting design that will be used in both of the blue borders.
Other Quilting: Last night I started on an applique project. Nothing real complex or large. It's simply two turtles appliqued on a blue background that will end up being framed and given as gifts. The huge thing about this project is that I haven't picked up an applique needle in months. Probably seven months if not longer. Considering I'm a huge needle-turn appliquer.......this is definitely a very good sign of things to come. Looks like those applique projects I started on so long ago will finally be pulled back out and finished. Yea!! The turtle design I'm using is actually an Hawaiian applique design being done in hand-dyed batiks. I will be sure to post a picture once they are done. I'm really just so incredibly happy to be stitching again!
Knitting: Still working on my felted fair isle bag. The bag itself is finished. I just need to knit the loops at the top edge of the bag that the handles will be attached to. I hope to do this today and then get the entire piece in the wash for felting (or fulling...whichever term you prefer). The bag is actually rather pretty. I still need to practice keeping even tension when stranding while doing colorwork. I'm sure I'll eventually get it though. :)
Spinning: The Manx Loghtan is now all plied and ready for use. The rest of the Columbia/Dorset is also plied and ready for use. I am now spinning up some polypay that I dyed using one of my new colors - gunmetal blue. It's actually a very pretty blue color. I was expecting it to be more on the gray side of things......so a very pleasant surprise there.
I still have a bit of Gotland to card up and then it will be ready for spinning. This has carded up into some very lovely, very soft batts. I think this will spin up into a lovely dk weight yarn (if not a fingering weight). Still don't have a clue as to what it will be used for. All I know is that my basket (wicker laundry basket) of hand-spun yarns is very, very full.
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