Misc October 2019 Fireside Chat

marsh

On TB every waking moment
I finished quilting and binding the big full sized baseball quilt. There is free motion in the center around the baseball players, ruler work in the star points and in the cream colored area around the starts. It is a utility quilt, so I tried to keep it soft and cuddly, yet still get some skills practice in.

I have a panel that has a cute witch on it for a wall hanging. I look forward to doing some outline and free motion quilting on it. Then I have some quilted carrier or messenger bags to make for my daughter, grand daughter and grand son for Christmas. These are my October projects. This means listening to lots of audio book novels - lol. You have to quilt the big pieces the individual bag parts are made of before you even start.

I have my quilting ruler work class to continue and I signed up for a class in free motion feathers to start. These are open ended so I can do them whenever I have time. This is October and likely the beginning of November.
 

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marsh

On TB every waking moment
I tend to listen on the light side because I am doing something while listening. I do really like Dan Brown, though and the Outlander books. I tend toward the fantasy genre. I am just finishing the Witch series (Paula Brackston.) Before that, I finished the C.J. Archer Glass and Steele series. (You can tell I am going down my library alphabetically - lol.) I loved the Jodi Taylor Chronicles of St. Marys series and the series by Deborah Harkness. I binge read when I am quilting. I binge listen to music when I am weaving or spinning. (Movie composers and blue grass/mountain music.)
 

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
I tend to listen on the light side because I am doing something while listening. I do really like Dan Brown, though and the Outlander books. I tend toward the fantasy genre. I am just finishing the Witch series (Paula Brackston.) Before that, I finished the C.J. Archer Glass and Steele series. (You can tell I am going down my library alphabetically - lol.) I loved the Jodi Taylor Chronicles of St. Marys series and the series by Deborah Harkness. I binge read when I am quilting. I binge listen to music when I am weaving or spinning. (Movie composers and blue grass/mountain music.)

I'll have to check some of those out, thanks.
 

Jacki

Senior Member
My Aunt and I have a tradition of selling crafts in front of a local general store. This year we are starting early. We both do a wide variety of crafts, including a lot of knitting and crocheting. Things like dishcloths, and slippers like grandma made are always a hit, as well as hats and scarves.

We tried selling during the summer, but it seems like cold weather is the needed ingredient for sales.

So I am knitting more inventory for the coming weeks. Lots of dishcloths, hats, and cowls.

Jacki
 

marsh

On TB every waking moment
What fun, Jacki! When I was in a weaving phase, I was making a lot of dish towels. My daughter was trying to get me to sell them. I would have to have a lot of inventory for that. It must keep you busy! I bet it is fun meeting all the customers.

[Right now I have a warp for a complex overshot table runner on the loom. I did one and donated it for a school auction. I have warp for two more. I wish I had just warped it for some twill towels, it would be easier to get back into it. Once I start the pattern, I need to complete it or I will never find my place again.]

______________
Late this afternoon, Angela Walters is offering another Free motion quilt challenge. Check it out later today at youtube.com/channel/UC0pG03YOX2DSwn8Se32TnNQ/videos
 

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
What fun, Jacki! When I was in a weaving phase, I was making a lot of dish towels. My daughter was trying to get me to sell them. I would have to have a lot of inventory for that. It must keep you busy! I bet it is fun meeting all the customers.

[Right now I have a warp for a complex overshot table runner on the loom. I did one and donated it for a school auction. I have warp for two more. I wish I had just warped it for some twill towels, it would be easier to get back into it. Once I start the pattern, I need to complete it or I will never find my place again.]

______________
Late this afternoon, Angela Walters is offering another Free motion quilt challenge. Check it out later today at youtube.com/channel/UC0pG03YOX2DSwn8Se32TnNQ/videos

Marsh your link doesn't work.
 

Sacajawea

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Hmmm. I have a slightly different project I'm contemplating and collecting materials for. British special forces paratrooper smock in forest camo. It's going to have to be based off a Green Pepper Anorak pattern, for the base... then I'll have to wing a lot of the details from photos I can find. So I'm basically altering a pattern, making new pattern pieces (for things like pockets) and using a different style vintage jacket for sewing sewing detail reference. I HAVE found a couple sources for the correct buttons (velcro got used on these after WWII.)

Hope to have it done by Yule.
 

Jacki

Senior Member
I really like the Green Pepper patterns. I occasionally find them used, and buy them whenever I find them.

Jacki
 

summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
I really like the Green Pepper patterns. I occasionally find them used, and buy them whenever I find them.

Jacki

Yes, they're great! I've mad a bunch of fleece socks over the years ftom one of their patterns...hubby loves them for boot socks. They make grest Christmas presents, especially done up in wild colors snd patterns.

Summerthyme
 

Jacki

Senior Member
I think they started in Eugene, Oregon, and used to have a store in downtown. I have a wide variety, including horse blanket, dog packs, and a wide variety of outdoor clothing.

I am always looking for interesting patterns, including historical ones like Folkwear, etc.

Jacki
 

Melodi

Disaster Cat
I have mostly just been knitting hats, they are fast and husband uses them constantly (and destroys them pretty fast too - the same way he does sweaters).

Now that I have a working computer, I'm hoping to get a bit more organized and see if I can get gun oil to oil the knitting machines and try to use them again.

I'm starting to think that making him some quick "work sweaters" would be a good idea to supplement the ones I get from the Charity shops as he doesn't seem to get the difference between a work sweater and one of my art pieces.

I am delighted he is finding his hobby in midlife of serious gardening and poultry raising but it is rather hard on the clothing especially in this climate.

Meanwhile, double hats (one hat with a lining or second hat inside the first one so they are reversible) are in process.
 

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
I have mostly just been knitting hats, they are fast and husband uses them constantly (and destroys them pretty fast too - the same way he does sweaters).

Now that I have a working computer, I'm hoping to get a bit more organized and see if I can get gun oil to oil the knitting machines and try to use them again.

I'm starting to think that making him some quick "work sweaters" would be a good idea to supplement the ones I get from the Charity shops as he doesn't seem to get the difference between a work sweater and one of my art pieces.

I am delighted he is finding his hobby in midlife of serious gardening and poultry raising but it is rather hard on the clothing especially in this climate.

Meanwhile, double hats (one hat with a lining or second hat inside the first one so they are reversible) are in process.

Is he no longer in medical school?
 

Melodi

Disaster Cat
Well, what a difference one conversation makes,

Nightwolf admitted the reason he keeps wearing my "art" sweaters to do work outside in (sigh) is because they are "so warm" and the commercial sweaters (even wool) are not (I get them cheap at the charity shop).

Now they are warm because they have two strands of yarn in the pattern and/or because I knit them on smaller needles so the fabric is thicker (with exceptions for Icelandic or other really bulky yarns).

He showed me the probable handknit (by someone else) thrift store sweater he put on the clean the stove and said "it is so loose between the cables and it just isn't very warm."

I looked at it and it looks like one of those old "weekend" sweater patterns (probably more like a week in this case) done on size nine or ten needles with aran yarn.

It looked lovely (or it did when I got it for a work sweater) but it is very open and I can see why it doesn't work well for outside work.

So end result, he needs a couple of fast track sweaters so I'm going to use some of my yarn stash and a bit to make him a couple, that should tide him over until I can get the knitting machines working well enough to make them really fast (I made myself a sweater in an afternoon years ago but I had a friend helping me with her machine).

Thankfully the sweaters are larger projects so I will still be casting on hats and socks which are the other things we really need.

I just wish he had told me the problem about four or five dead "art" sweaters ago lol

(oh and he hates stripes so I will probably go for Norwegian "lice" patterns and other "tricks" to make warmer fabric, though he thought even the single knit layers in the smaller needles were warm enough)
 
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packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
Well, what a difference one conversation makes,

Nightwolf admitted the reason he keeps wearing my "art" sweaters to do work outside in (sigh) is because they are "so warm" and the commercial sweaters (even wool) are not (I get them cheap at the charity shop).

Now they are warm because they have two strands of yarn in the pattern and/or because I knit them on smaller needles so the fabric is thicker (with exceptions for Icelandic or other really bulky yarns).

He showed me the probable handknit (by someone else) thrift store sweater he put on the clean the stove and said "it is so loose between the cables and it just isn't very warm."

I looked at it and it looks like one of those old "weekend" sweater patterns (probably more like a week in this case) done on size nine or ten needles with aran yarn.

It looked lovely (or it did when I got it for a work sweater) but it is very open and I can see why it doesn't work well for outside work.

So end result, he needs a couple of fast track sweaters so I'm going to use some of my yarn stash and a bit to make him a couple, that should tide him over until I can get the knitting machines working well enough to make them really fast (I made myself a sweater in an afternoon years ago but I had a friend helping me with her machine).

Thankfully the sweaters are larger projects so I will still be casting on hats and socks which are the other things we really need.

I just wish he had told me the problem about four or five dead "art" sweaters ago lol

(oh and he hates stripes so I will probably go for Norwegian "lice" patterns and other "tricks" to make warmer fabric, though he thought even the single knit layers in the smaller needles were warm enough)

Why not buy a charity shop sweater that's a couple of sizes too big and gently felt them so that there are no gaps? I've done this in the past and it made for a really nice sweater vest.
 

Melodi

Disaster Cat
Why not buy a charity shop sweater that's a couple of sizes too big and gently felt them so that there are no gaps? I've done this in the past and it made for a really nice sweater vest.

Yep, good idea and I will probably do that too - I used to be able to find more felted ones where people had taken wool Aran sweaters and washed them in a hot wash by accident. They were perfect for when he was blacksmithing or working out in the cold.

But you don't find nearly as many of those anymore as most people get their sweaters cheap at places like Lidle or Aldi and they are usually at least 50 percent polyester so they don't shrink and felt like that - the stretch out, pill and get ugly but if anything they tend to stretch out even larger not shrink.

I do still find them on occasion and this really is the time of year to be looking. Nightwolf still has the "weighlifter" build of the very small waist and extra-large sized shoulders even though he doesn't work out like he used to and that also makes felting down old sweaters a bit harder but again I'll look - he doesn't much care for vests.
 

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
Yep, good idea and I will probably do that too - I used to be able to find more felted ones where people had taken wool Aran sweaters and washed them in a hot wash by accident. They were perfect for when he was blacksmithing or working out in the cold.

But you don't find nearly as many of those anymore as most people get their sweaters cheap at places like Lidle or Aldi and they are usually at least 50 percent polyester so they don't shrink and felt like that - the stretch out, pill and get ugly but if anything they tend to stretch out even larger not shrink.

I do still find them on occasion and this really is the time of year to be looking. Nightwolf still has the "weighlifter" build of the very small waist and extra-large sized shoulders even though he doesn't work out like he used to and that also makes felting down old sweaters a bit harder but again I'll look - he doesn't much care for vests.

Are you able to get thermal underwear there?
 

marsh

On TB every waking moment
Here is number one of two wall hangings (pattern the same.) I used an extension of the webs for quilting. Next time, I am putting one web from the corner across the quilt. There are two unquilted areas with large spiders and two with a pumpkin and a cat by her feet. I sketched out the outlines on freezer paper and then stitched through and tore away the paper. (You can see one of the spiders about half way up on the right side. It was a neat experimental effect.

One is for my daughter and one for me. They will have sleeves and a dowel for hanging. You can see a glimpse of the candy corn fabric to the right that I will use for binding.

Haven't gotten as far as I wanted with the computer messenger bags for my daughter and grand daughter for Christmas. There has been flu in the family and I have been called on to babysit a lot.
 

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Melodi

Disaster Cat
Wow, the quilt is amazing!

I was ordering Long-Underwear from Winter Silks but they went out of business last year, so now I am looking for new sources.

We do get some in Aldi and Lidles but I am very sensitive to polyester next to my skin (as in I can break out in boils if I get too warm) I can wear it when it is very very cold and I do - Nightwolf has no issues with it so right now I'm using the old Winter Silks and I'm getting him some of the poly stuff as soon as it comes in.

I may eventually try making some EZ-Longies for me, but I've got a number of other projects ahead of those - although if the Winter is bitter cold, I might change that.

I've ordered some new (to me Cottage Creations patterns) and sent Caroll (the designer) some photos of some of what I've made from the old ones.

I went to make husband's Wonderful Wallaby, I'd misplaced the pattern and there is a new version that has a button-down/snaped front pocket as he asked for so I ordered it.

I also got the Scandi Hat pattern and the Baby Wallaby (old pattern had those sizes included) as I make a lot of small-sized ones for kids, they can put frogs, jar lids, snails and eggs in them to the joy (or horror) of their parents. Nightwolf plans to use his to gather eggs and carry small garden tools.
 
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