Archive for the ‘WIP’ Category

• Sidetracked

  Date: 2010.03.27 | Category: Sewing, WIP, knitting | Response: 0

  

  You may notice that this is not the dress I was supposed to be making for little Annabelle (who, by the way, is nearly four and really not so little anymore). Anyhow, I took a slight detour from the other dress. This little number has been peeking out at me from a box under my workspace where I keep various WIPs. I started it last summer and have gone back to it once or twice since then, but kept getting hung up on the shirring. I read through half a dozen tutorials with folks declaring how easy it was to make a shirred dress, but still found the elastic thread to be a tricky sort of thing to work with. So, the other night I decided to give it another look…and eureka! After a bit of fussing with the bobbin thread tension, I too was in pure shirring bliss!

  

  While some tutorials stated the opposite, I found that I had much better results with the elastic thread wound nice and snug around the bobbin. Not incredibly tight, but no looseness either. You can see the difference in that picture up there. The elastic thread should look like a nice straight line pulling the fabric together. 

  It’s just the tiniest bit too big for her still, but I’m hoping she’ll be able to wear it by the end of the summer. And if not, there’s always next year. I’ll take too big over too small any day!

   

  And I started a new knitting project. Nothing big. In fact, I’m still not sure what it is. I was following a dishcloth pattern, but soon realized that it was wayyyy to big to be a useful dishcloth. So, I’ll just keep knitting along until I decide what to make of it. I’m thinking it might make a good mat to put our pets’ food and water dishes on. Seems to be just the right size for that, but we’ll see. In the meantime, it’s just the right thing to help me feel productive while I watch old movies.

    Have a great weekend!

• Piecing

  Date: 2010.02.05 | Category: Sewing, WIP | Response: 0

  

  I’m finally trying my hand at paper-piecing with these little hexies. In the past I’ve tended to shy away for hand-stitching, and I don’t even know why, now. The basting went very smoothly and now I’m just hoping the rest goes as well! Once they’re all pieced together they will be making their home on a little doll quilt I’m making for a friend’s daughter. I’m totally excited about this quilt as I am also hoping to incorporate some hand printed blocks!

  FYI, I followed a tutorial from CraftSylish on how to piece these which also included a link for printing your own hexagon template. You just customize the size, print, and cut!

• Progress

  Date: 2010.01.17 | Category: Books, WIP, knitting | Response: 0

  

  knitting scarf, originally uploaded by hickety_pickety.

  Slowly making progress on the scarf. It’s been a nice change of pace to use a pattern that allows me to knit while getting caught up on a little tele time. We don’t have cable, so Hulu has been my best friend this past week. I’m actually a slow knitter, but I’m clicking away just as fast as my little fingers will go as I am anxious to get started on some other projects. This book in particular has been incredibly inspiring:

  
  

  I’ve always loved the idea of making my own prints, and I’m ready to move beyond potato stamping. I can’t wait to get started!

• Back end of a Turtle

  Date: 2010.01.09 | Category: Sewing, WIP | Response: 0

  

  There's more to this little turtle than meets the eye. Wish I could show you more, but alas, there are still some tweaks. Soon my child, very soon (said all cryptic and squinty-eyed).