Learning to Crochet

I came across a link to Craftyminx's Crochet School a few months ago, but with Christmas coming and my baby deciding to start nursing 2 or 3 times a night after sleeping through the night for months, I just didn't have the energy to contemplate starting something new. But I have been wanting to try crocheting for a while now, particularly because it's so portable. So I bookmarked it and started watching the videos a few weeks ago.

These are really great videos! She is very thorough, and if you don't understand something you just watch it again! So far I've watched all the videos up to "Granny Squares". I got sidetracked by a yarn sale and bought some yarn to make dish cloths. Not very glamorous, I know, but I thought they would be perfect for practicing on before I jump into something bigger. So far I am really loving the repetitive nature of crocheting. It's very soothing and relaxing. I doubt it will ever replace sewing, but it is a very nice addition!

Here are a few pictures. Please don't look to closely!


This is my sample swatch. Starting with single crochet all the way to treble crochet.




This is my crocheting in the round.




And this is my first dish cloth. Next time I'll make it a wider because once washed, it shrunk a little. Either way, it works great!




Do any of you crochet? Do you have any advice (or great links!) for me?

Happy Groundhog Day!

Bethany

A Little Shopping

Last weekend, I did a little cross-border shopping. I hadn't been fabric shopping in the States for a long time and everything pointed to it being the perfect time to go. I had a 50% off coupon that expired that weekend, Kona cotton solids were on sale, batting was on sale, and fabric I had been wanting for quite a while was on sale too(all at Joann's Fabric). Not to mention that my mom was able to come and make the hour and 40 minute trip to my grandma's (who lives about 10 minutes from the border) much more enjoyable. It was also one of the last free Saturday's I would have until after Christmas.

My mom stayed and visited with my grandma, while Evie and I went shopping! Unfortunately, it took about 50 minutes to cross over to Port Huron :( Thankfully, coming back went much quicker, only about 10 minutes!

Here's what I bought!


I've been wanting some of Denyse Schmidt's fabrics since they came out. They're a little more traditional looking than my usual taste, but there is just something I love about them. I tend to buy larger scale prints (for making purses) but lately I've really been drawn to quilting. I really love the small scale of some of these prints. This line is only available at Joann's, so I couldn't order online from my usual sources. Plus, they were 30% off. Score!




I bought quarter yard cuts of most of them, except the top two on the left. I bought 2 yards of the green floral for a backing (or most of a backing) and 1 yard of the blue/green dots for binding. I have no definite plans for them yet, I'm just happy to look at them :)


Kona cottons were 40% off, so I stocked up. This first pile are to match some fabric I won online (oh, I should totally post about that!).







And this group is to make some patchwork potholders for Christmas gifts. This photo doesn't do the colours justice. In real life they look so pretty together.






I also stopped at Mary Maxim's because I had a 50% off coupon. I need to recover our high chair and they sell laminated cotton and oilcloth there. I picked this fun bike print by Michael Miller. They had a couple really pretty floral fabrics (an Amy Butler and Kaffe Fassett) but I decided to go with something that would go with my kitchen and be a little more gender neutral. I love the bikes!






Mary Maxim also had buy 3, get 1 free fat quarters. But by the time I got to my grandma's I was missing one :( I checked my receipt and I was actually charged for all four. Turns out that wasn't such a good deal after all :( I need to be more careful! But I still ended up with a few cute fat quarters for my stash.





I also bought 10 yards of fusible fleece and 3 yards or Warm and White batting. All in all, it was a very successful shopping trip. I also did some shopping at Target. I ♥ Target :)


Have a great weekend!
Bethany


P.S. My baby turned six months old on Wednesday. And my husband turned 38. And it was our ninth wedding anniversary. (Happy Anniversary Baby!). Here's a picture of my big girl.

Quilting Suggestions?

I just finished basting this quilt top and now I feel sort of stuck. I can't decide how to quilt it. I initially thought about straight line quilting it, but the blocks are pretty big (about 15") so I'd have to do more than just echo quilting the seams. Maybe a design? Random lines?

Or maybe free motion quilting? All I've ever done is a meander/stipple. I thought about loops, but then I'm not sure if I should do them randomly, from side to side, from the centre out? Ack, decisions! I'm usually pretty decisive, but not this time :)

Any and all suggestions would be welcome!

Thanks and have a fabulous weekend!
Bethany

First Day of School

Here are a few pictures of our first day of school yesterday.


It was chilly again this year, so jackets were a must!





First day of SK (Senior Kindergarten).





First day of Grade One *tear*.




Being silly with Daddy :)







Just a little bus this year :)




They were both a little nervous but they came home super happy and could not wait to go back today! Hard to believe that next year three will get on the bus :)

Millrace Folk Festival

So this past weekend was my second year having a booth in the craft village at the Millrace Folk Festival in Cambridge. Other than a couple (pretty lame) Christmas shows, this is the only craft booth I've done, and I love it! It's a really great festival. If you're local and you've never been, you really should check it out next year. There are 2-3 main stages and a couple acoustical tents and a few of the downtown pubs have performances too! There are folk dancers, clowns, food vendors, the craft village and more. I've never been down to the main stage at the Millrace but I've heard some really fantastic music up in Civic Square. I also had some fabulous pork tacos :)

This year I got my first choice for booth location and chose a corner spot. I loved my booth set up last year but it only left my mom and I about 24" of space behind the tables and I knew that wouldn't work this year because I'd have Evie with me all weekend. The corner booth didn't work as well for displaying but we had lots of space for a couple chairs and the stroller too. Plus, I had more exposure. I'll definitely try for the same space next year but rework the set up because next year I'll be baby free again :)

Can I just tell you how wonderful my baby is? We were there Friday from around 4:45 pm to midnight, Saturday from just after 8 am until almost midnight and Sunday from 12:30 pm to almost midnight again and I'm sure she didn't cry more than 5 minutes combined for the entire time! She really is such a happy, easy baby. I feel so blessed. Our booth neighbours kept saying how they couldn't even tell there was a baby there because she was just so quiet. It really was lots of fun and my mom was in Grandma heaven :)

Here are a few pictures from the festival!



My booth!





A closer look






Evangeline napping with my mom






Sleeping again :)






Me and my sweet girl





I'm still recouperating but already looking forward to next year!

Have a great day all!

Bethany

Houndstooth Baby Quilt

I first saw this quilt on V and Co. I thought it was fabulous. I love how it's both modern and classic at the same time. I showed it to my mom, and her being the quilter extraordinaire that she is, told me how to make it!

Here it is!





I hadn't planned on piecing the back but I made the quilt larger than I initially planned and this was the best way to make what I had work!




A closer look at the quilting. I get frustrated doing free motion quilting. It feels like I'm always fighting with the quilt and it takes so much concentration. It still feels like it's not good enough, but when I look at the first quilt I did like this I can see a huge improvement. I really love the look of free motion quilting though, so I'll just keep practicing :)




One more shot. I really need to get more creative with my picture taking :) Every quilt I make get the same shots - taped to the kitchen wall and laying on the kitchen table. Maybe next time!




This quilt measures approximately 45" square.

Tomorrow is the start of my three day craft shoe at the Millrace Folk Festival. I'm so excited about spending some quality time with my mom! Hopefully I sell something too! I'll let you know how it goes.

Have a great (long, if you're in Canada) weekend!

Bethany

Vintage Sheet Strip Quilt

This is the second quilt I've made with vintage linens now (see the first one here) and I think it's really cute. This one went together quickly! There are a few things I'd change next time though. First, I think it could use some darker fabric for a bit more contrast. The problem is I don't have many dark sheets in my stash. And second, I think I would vary the width of the strips a little more. These strips were all cut months ago while I was cutting other stuff and I thought there would be enough variation in size, but I was wrong :)

Overall, I'm happy with it!





It is quilted approximately 1/4" away on each side of the seams. The quilting isn't too dense, which keeps it nice and soft.





The great thing about using sheets for binding is there are only two seams. I do straight grain binding on all my quilts and cut it 2" wide.









I'm thinking I will keep this to sell at the Millrace Folk Festival, which is only a month away! I'll mostly be focusing on making purses until then. I can't wait!

Have a great day :)
Bethany