My Latest Baby Quilt

I am behind in my grandchildren's quilt making.

My tenth grandchild was born last year on Father's Day. This quilt top was finished before she was born but I finally got around to quilting it. 

I hadn't known how to quilt it and so it wasn't until I had put it on the frame that I knew what I was going to do. 

I had taken a few quilt stencils out - mainly ones that had hearts.

A few close-ups.

It was a lot of fun deciding where to put the different hearts.

Finished quilting and off the frame.

I was undecided as to what binding to put on it. At first, I was going to use one of the rainbow fabrics I had but both my middle daughter and I thought it would be too much and in the end, I went with a mauve.

Sorry the lighting isn't all that good.

I liked putting this whole quilt together. It was a free pattern from Sew Can She. I was thinking of making one or two of her other patterns when I have the time.

I thought the hearts on the label were a nice touch. This is a better photo of the colour of the binding. It's a bit lighter in real life.

Here she is at Christmas. I had a photo of her with the quilt but I somehow misplaced it in one of my photo folders.

I trust everyone is social distancing. I hear that some people still don't have a clue as to what that means - and self isolation. Hopefully, things in this world will revert back to some kind of 'normal' soon.

Twin things

My youngest daughter, Ayla, gave birth to twin boys. They are fraternal - meaning that they are not identical. I made a couple of things twice.

Two white hats - before we knew the gender.

Two blue hats (a slightly different pattern.)

And two stroller blankets. I made these before leaving Canada. The little colours are small balls of yarn by Lion Brand and they are called Bonbons. I had to add a different colour for the one on the left because the package of Bonbons I had included white - so it wouldn't have shown up at all if I used white as a background. I had seen someone use a gray colour but I thought I would go with navy blue. Most of my grandchildren have a variation on the rainbow coloured one. They are fun to make. The pattern is called Lemon Squeezy Stroller Blanket and it's free at Ravelry or on Lion Brand Yarn's website.

I hope you are all well and keeping busy.

Keeping busy

While this virus has us all staying put, one needs a hobby to keep busy with. I wonder if there are any people out there who don't have a hobby but have now started one? We, who already paint, draw, write, sew, knit, embroider, crochet, do woodworking or stained glass have a wonderful creative outlet to keep boredom away. I have friends who don't have a hobby and they apparently are bored with TV already. Too bad. There are all kinds of free things one can do on the internet too. Research the weird and wonderful. Learn about something new. I wondered about toilet paper the other day - because it was so talked about. Who invented it and why is it that no matter who manufactures it, it's all the same size? Who came up with the size and the perforations? 

Anyway, since I do several needlecrafts, I tend to switch from one to another. Just before leaving Canada to come here to England, my daughter told me that the blanket I made two and a half years ago as a stroller blanket for her little son had gotten thin and worn. I was surprised since it was made from James C. Brett's chunky yarn. It was nice and soft and a good size too. I had knit that one and so when I decided to make another one, I thought I would crochet it. I had crocheted a blanket about 8+ years ago for my eldest grandson when I was visiting British Columbia. It has gone through many washings and has held up fairly well. It's now used by a cousin as a stroller blanket and because it is crocheted, it is thicker. 

Anyway, I had a huge ball of yarn in a pretty green colour and so I thought I would use it up because it was a Red Heart yarn that wasn't all that soft. It does become soft with age and washing but I couldn't think of anything else to use it for. I started it before getting on the plane and finished it shortly after arriving here.

This is what I used up the green yarn on. If I had done more crocheting lately, I would have known that it didn't need to be so wide. It's not symmetrical but I like it this way. The stitch is a shell stitch and I thought the navy blue would look nice on a boy's blanket and I liked the white accent too. I have a big ball of white to use up now too.

Little Atticus uses it in his crib so it hasn't made it outside yet. I'm glad he likes it. I think I may make more shell stitch blankets. They are easy (not that fast), look very nice (because of the stitch) and they are warm. If you've not tried it, there are youtube videos out there to show you how.

Happy creating.

Rediscovering

I have made a lot of things in my life. I sew, knit, embroider and crochet. There are a lot of things I have made that I have forgotten about and so it's always nice to come across something years later and "rediscover" that item.

I am currently in England visiting my youngest daughter Ayla and her family. Every once in a while I need a needle and thread and this little needle case comes out. I made it several years ago (probably when everyone else was making needle cases on their blogs) and since she didn't have one, I gave it to her.

I had forgotten about it. It is made of scraps and is a handy little thing.

The felt pieces hold needles and pins.

The little pockets hold whatever one wants. I think there are buttons, a box of pins, more new needles and a seam ripper. 

You never know how handy these are until you need one. Little 2 year old Atticus had a hole in his brand new sock and so I took this out and found what I needed and then mended the sock. It won't get any bigger with little fingers going into it.

Stay safe and remain healthy. Over here people are definitely taking things seriously and they keep their distance from you when going for a walk. Staying safe when no one really knows much about this virus is the smart thing to do.

Little things

I belong to a couple of facebook groups and one of them is knitting in Canada. A while ago there was a post about a hospital in Alberta (I live in Ontario) that wanted baby hats. There was a call out to knitters and there were specific guidelines. I think the number of hats wanted was 400. The yarn that they wanted the hats made from was one I had never used before - Bernat's Softee Baby in colours of Antique White, Gray Marl,  Gray, Mint and Lemon. There was also a pattern given. One ball of yarn made 6-7 hats. The request was mainly for knitters in the Alberta area but I was sure they would accept hats from anywhere provided the specifics were met. 
Well, off I went to purchase the yarn. I ended up making 10 hats and sent them on their way. There was a deadline but that was April and I wanted to finish them quickly. They didn't take long to make - an evening while watching a bit of TV. I enjoyed making them and I was glad that my efforts were appreciated. I do hope they met - or exceeded - their goal.

This is just one of the Gray Marl hats that I made. They aren't very big and the yarn was very soft.

I am now in England for an extended period of time. My youngest daughter, Ayla, gave birth to twin boys on March 13th and I came over to help her out. We are all in self isolation and thankfully, there is a park nearby.

Keep well and I hope this time passes quickly. I have supplies for knitting, sewing and reading so I shall keep busy.