Throwback to Thanksgiving Moneta

As I've become a more prolific sewer, I continue to try and sew garments. Sometimes, just like in stores, I find a garment that I love, but that just doesn't work with my body type (like my quasi-successful wiksten tank, and my failure wiksten tank). And then I find a patternmaker that probably custom made the dress for my body. Right? I previously made a Moneta Dress by Colette Patterns, and it turned out great. Following on that success, I decided to make another version for my Thanksgiving dress!

Hanging in my Kitchen pre-turkey. 

It was a super quick sew, compared to quilt making! I made it Tuesday morning in about 2 hours. I really wanted to break out my serger, but since I'm still not confident, I made it on my regular machine. Investing in that 'knit sewing on your domestic machine' class was a great idea. One issue I came across was a huge flaw in the fabric I used. I chose Anna Maria Horner's knit fabric 'Mary Thistle' in Saffron. 

That rough section? A HUGE FLAW!

Luckily I trace my pattern pieces before cutting them out, and as I was laying out all the pieces I noticed this huge rough section. It goes across the fold, so it's actually about double what you see here. And, since it goes across the fold, it's hard to avoid! I had just barely enough fabric after a bit of maneuvering to cut out all the pieces that needed to be along the fold. In general, I was kind of blah about the quality of the fabric. It seems kind of linty (would flake off) compared to the birch organic I used on my other dress. However, the other dress has faded significantly in the wash, so perhaps this one will hold up better. 

Here's a few action shots of the dress on the big day. 

Carving that turkey with precision. 

Me, my sister, and my cousin. Family!

It was super comfy, and I got several complements on both the fabric and the dress (which is always nice!). It even survived the scavenger hunt. This year, as an intermission during the eating of 10,000 calories, my father designed a scavenger hunt that sent us running all over the farm. It was a great way to make room for more pie. And it was fun because we had snow on Thanksgiving for the first time in about 15 years!

So, I hope you all had a lovely holiday last week as well. I'm crossing this off my Q4 finishes, which is a nice feeling. I've also got a bunch of projects and a tutorial on a lined and lapped pillow to share, so hopefully I'll get around to doing that soon. 

Red Hook Wedding Pillow

A few weeks ago my restaurant bosses got married. They've been together for 10 years or so, and now that same sex marriage is legal in NY state they decided to make honest women of each other. As is usual, I was working on a pattern design and decided it would make the perfect gift! In this case, it's a paper piecing pattern for a Red Hook (the unofficial symbol of my neighborhood of the same name). Someday I'll stop experimenting on gifts for people I know...

Paper pieced Red Hook (Brooklyn) representing in the house! 

I picked up this Michael Miller Tammis Keefe fabric in Austria, and once I thought up this design I knew it was perfect. Red Hook, Brooklyn is a small community, off the beaten path of the rest of the borough. I like how eclectic and artsy it is, and, frankly how underdeveloped it is (still highly industrial), with great water views on many sides. I can even see the Statue of Liberty from my bedroom, when there aren't leaves on the trees! This also made it especially susceptible to Hurricane Sandy, and many businesses are still recovering more than two years after the storm hit. That's what inspired the newsprint fabric, as it's a very newsworthy neighborhood. 

Cats Cats Cats!

The just meow-rried couple has several cats, so I thought I'd make an Elizabeth Hartman inspired cat patchwork second side for the pillow. I just drafted the cat heads myself, and the stripes across they eyes were actually an accident, since I made a fatal cutting error (fatal to the fabric, not to any of my digits). Not wanting to cut into anymore fabric I just raided my scrap pile and added some nice headbands to the kitties. Make it work, right?

I quilted the cats in parallel lines around each head, and then just along the headband lines. I like how it emphasizes each one and doesn't detract from the fabrics. For the hook side, I left the hook unquilted and used one of the few specialty stitches I've got up my sleeve: the 3-stitch zig-zag. The batting I used is super low loft, so you don't see the impact of the quilting as much. None the less, I like the idea, and hope to try it again on another project. 

They like wine. Enough said. 

The ladies opened their restaurant with visions of a wine bar dancing in their head. Right now they only serve brunch, but they still have a large wine collection, so I thought I'd give a nod towards it on the label. In addition I put their initials and the year. The other side is my typical label with the cheese stamped in green and my initials. 

Cat tested, cat approved. 

Daegan enjoyed the photoshoot process, so I thought I'd include a couple shots of him with the kitty cat themed pillow. Hopefully the cats in it's new home will love it just as much! I'm also drafting a pattern for the paper pieced hook and how to turn it into a pillow. If anyone's interested in being a pattern tester feel free to comment or send me an email (link on the right). 

I also get to check this off my Q4 finish along list. Three down, four more to go. 

Big Herringbone Cowl - Finally Finished!

My mom is a knitter. She's been knitting for a long time, it's her go-to hobby. Besides gardening. And playing soduku. One of the things that facilitates this hobby for her, is that she lives on a farm. With sheep! And, where there's sheep, there's wool. I liked making things, she knew how to knit, and we had a large selection of free wool for me to choose from. It's easy to see how I started out knitting. I'd make a hat here, a scarf there, some mittens. I had a lot of fun choosing patterns and colors. But it wasn't really my thing, and eventually I found quilting, which is why most people are reading this - so bear with me for the rest of this brief post.

Completed cowl blending into my weathered door. 

I saw some other blogger's (sorry, don't remember who) completed Big Herringbone Cowl by the Purl Bee when I first started reading blogs a couple years ago. I knew I had to make it! My mom actually got me some softer yarn from the place that processes our sheep wool, and I was off! Not being a 'real knitter', and it being two years later, I don't remember the details about the yarn.

My starting point. 

I started knitting everywhere, on the train to school, watching Hulu, when travelling. But the darn thing was so big it was taking forever. So I lost momentum. And then I just kinda hid it in a drawer. I finally decided to finish it this past week because, a) I lost my other circle scarf, and it was getting cold, and b) I put it on my finish along Q4 goals, so at least I can check it off my list!

Left side 'right side', right side, 'wrong side'. 

The herringbone stitch is a little tricky, but repetitive once you get the hang of it. The hardest part is coming back to it and trying to remember which row I was knitting (there are two rows that alternate to make the stitch). If I were so inclined, it would be fun to make this again using two colors. However, the likelihood of that happening is slim to none - just not a knitter any more.

Me and Dino, my sunshine (or ghost cat). 

I still need to block the scarf (something I've never done before), because I think that will help keep the edges from curling up. I've worn it a few times and it is nice and warm, and less scratchy than most of the yarn in my mom's stash. Win!

Finish Along - Q4

Last quarter was my first time participating in the Finish Along hosted by The Littlest Thistle. I completed two of my four goals, which isn't that bad. This quarter I've got a whole bunch more WiPs that I want to knock out. Let's see if being ambitious will pay off!

First up, I'm going to roll over my The Birds and The Butterflies quilting project. I feel like if I can just take the time to mark the lines I'll be able to get that quilt done! Plus, I really want to put it on my bed, it's getting chilly!

Over 400 pins used in basting this bad-boy!

Next up, and this should be a quick finish, I want to finish my herringbone cowl. I started it 2 years ago, and have half a skein left to go. I just need to sit down, watch a few shows and FINISH IT UP! Once again, it's cold, I need it to stay warm!

Here's what the stitch looks like.
I've got plenty of missed stitches/improv sections, it's not all this nice!

I've got a pattern I'm developing for a pillow. So far I'm working through the paper piecing of it. I need to add a border and quilt it up, then turn it into a pillow, likely a wedding gift for my bosses. 

Red Hook. A little busy - hence the motivation to gift it. 

I've got a set of cushions planned for my couch. Just need to finish up a few more of these improv log cabins, piece them together and magically (or not so magically) turn them into cushions. 

Each block is 5.25". Aiming for 18.5" square cushions for 20" inserts.

I've also got a boxy pouch planned for my friend who's a new mom. She can use it for her stuff and match the quilt I made her son, or she can use it for some of his supplies. So far I've just got strips cut and fabric chosen on this one. 

Looks like I need to iron, too!

I'm halfway through my EPP project, which you might have followed along with in my tutorials. I need to make one more panel, and then I can turn them into an eyeglasses case! I'm pleased with how the Arizona fabrics play together here.

70 3/4" hexagons, all ladder stitched together. 

The final goalI've set for myself, I want to get done by Thanksgiving. I attempted to make another Colette Moneta earlier this summer, but that failed miserably. This time I'm going to attempt it on my new-to-me serger, and finish with a double needle on my regular machine. Fingers crossed, otherwise I'll be in a potato sack for the holiday!

Love this AMH knit! Hope I can make it work!

Well, now that I'm feeling overwhelmed I'm going to take a break and work on some bee blocks. So, basically I'll let this list sit and rest for a bit! Wish me luck!