Yet another pincushion.....

......which helps pass the time while I'm healing. This isn't one of my favorites. I really don't care for the fabric the design was stitched on. Matka I think it's called. I did learn a new technique for fusible web appliqué which is pretty neat when doing these pincushions. You iron a piece if fusible web to the back of the fabric you are using. Let it cool. Carefully peel the backing off...opening it up like a book. Then you trace the motif on the side of the backing that will go on top of the fusible using a fine tip sharpie marker. Place the backing back onto the fusible, sandwiching the tracing between the fusible web and the backing. Iron so the backing adheres to the fusible. Let cool. Peel the backing off and your design should now be on the fusible. Now you can cut out the motif and place it on the background. The heat from the iron transfers the ink of the sharpie to the fusible web so there is no need to reverse the design first. The things I learned with this is that you need a good sharpie. One with plenty of ink. Black works best although I did have good results with brown and red. This works on any color of fabric. Of course I would probably try to use a different color when working with black just for a bit more contrast. I like it when things are easy to see.   :)

Snow!!! (Lots of photos)

My favorite snow photo of the day.......

Bluebird Pin Cushion

Another snowy day here....perfect for stitching. The first photo is of the pin cushion top after all the stitching was done. Below is a photo of the finished pin cushion. I love how this one turned out. It was a bit challenging with all the pieces and working with a dark background.....but so worth it!  :)

Staying Warm.....

.......happily stitching away inside while things are frigidly cold and blustery outside. The day before it snowed.....quite a bit. Yesterday the temperatures dropped and the wind picked up (with gusts up to 35 mph), making it bitterly cold out (talking negative numbers with wind chill). Perfect day for staying inside stitching.

Made another pin cushion (or possible warming pad). This is rather large at 7" square.  I probably could have made it smaller but I really love the way it looks. I used a test embroidery for the center.

I spent some time making blocks for the Saltbox Sampler block of the month I'm doing. These are small blocks finishing out at 5" square (5 1/2" with seam allowance). There are 41 (?) blocks in all not including the appliqué border. I've really been enjoying this one. It's been a great way to re-discover the joy of quilting. 

Pictured below are a few of my favorite blocks so far. I put the pattern itself in page protectors in a binder. As I finish a block it goes in the binder with its own page of instructions. (Some pages had instructions for two blocks on the same page.) It's been a wonderful way of keeping all the blocks together and allowing me to see where I am with the quilt. All the photos were taken with things remaining in the binder (in case the photos look a bit funny).

Afternoon Fun

This was the perfect project for a very snowy and blustery afternoon. The appliqué is wool on velvet. Finished pincushion measures approximately 4" x 6 1/2". It is filled with finely crushed walnut shells. While I wasn't real crazy about working with the velvet (frayed easily) I do love how it feels. The smaller piece was easy to hold with my splinted hand and a great way to keep busy while following doctor's orders.

Off to find a project for today. :)

Cabled Yarn

Pre-twist set :   286 yards of a dk - worsted weight yarn

Word of the Day......

......Snow!!!!!

Cabled Yarn

It's done!! I have finished cabling my very first cabled yarn. I used my Ashford Country Spinner for the cabling. The bobbin is huge on it. It will hold a pound of yarn (if not more).  The cabled yarn came out soft and fuzzy. There was some of the green/blue 2-ply left so I cabled that with itself using my trusty Tabachek spindle.  Not sure of the yardage on either. The twist still needs to be set.

Yes, that is a splint on my hand in the second photo. According to my doctor I have tendon damage in my ring finger. From what....who knows. It needs to be splinted for the next few weeks in hopes that the rest will heal things. If this doesn't work the next step would be steroid shots.....followed by surgery if the shots don't work. Needless to say I'm hoping things will heal on their own with being splinted. Not sure how much (if any) spinning I will get done. Cabling was easy because I could do it with one hand......and I thigh rolled my spindle. Spinning singles is a different story though.

Knitting is very slow going but do-able. Not sure how much I will do since it is a very slow process for me. I am able to appliqué comfortably just as long as the piece is small. Cutting out the pieces is a bit challenging but do-able as long as I go slow and am patient. So I've decided to make a couple of wool appliqué pincushions while I'm on the mend. Thankfully I can still use my sewing machine. Staying busy will help the time pass.