Art, Craft and Needlework, October, 2023

[Harriet]

Gearing Up! ☀•-:¦:-•☀•:*''''*:•☀

It's the final 3 months of 2023, just a month until Halloween fun and probably about 2 to 2.5 months until the likeliest times of gift-giving, enjoying holiday decor decisions, entertaining.

So, that's PART of the story - possible goals of creativity for upcoming holiday moments.

Other parts might be fun projects you'd be doing anyway because you love them so much! AND longer-term goals of finishing bigger projects.

Let us know what creativity October finds you gearing up!

[Nancy]

I fringed the the last blanket.

[Harriet]

Gearing up for a long-term quilt project, so I changed to a new needle in my machine. Also changed the size I use. I used to read that 9 was the right size for patchwork but recently read some smart folks saying size 8 (smaller) is better, so I'm trying that. They said the machine needles sold for microfiber (Singer sells one) are very good - maybe someday I'll try that.

Bought a new ruler with plenty of helpful markings. Also, a little seam guide - something I've been toying with trying for a long time. But I can't tell if it is much help yet. It's a smooth metal so you still have to be cautious, because fabric will just slide up over it. I could probably figure something out myself to give it a lip. The way my machine bed is set up, I see I'll have to lift it away every time I change bobbin thread, so it might not help me as much as others. Oh well, if it doesn't work well enough, it was cheap.

Found a way to get my iron cord up out of the way so I won't trip.

Because I did a lot of cutting today, my back protested when working at regular desk height. I need to find a way to get my cutting surface up higher, at least for small work, even if I can't figure a way for large work. My small ironing board might help. I promised myself I wasn't going to resort to the counter between kitchen and den anymore, even though it's a good work height. Still have to cook and eat!

I'm making a practice piece of the most difficult part of the quilt with other fabrics, hoping I'll make all my mistakes on it. Have made one mistake so far but could correct it. If I finish without making a mess of it, it could work in a sampler quilt with other singles/orphans (so it falls into the category of what I'd want to be doing anyway). It's pretty so far, but could fizzle at any minute, lol.

[Nancy]

WTG Harriet!

I painted base coat on some rocks.
Working on some writing projects this mo.
Trying to round up supplies for that they do not seem to be in stock one more place to look before online ordering.

[Nancy]

Goal to get zippers for making these box pouch bags with loop.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mutTVfQrXmo

[Harriet]

Those are good-looking bags, Nancy. Would make nice gifts, too. Men used to use similar shaped ones for shaving stuff on trips, etc. In a man-friendly shirting fabric, even a plaid, that would be something masculine to make.

I decided to use the counter for cutting some anyway, because it is just so helpful in saving my back. Yesterday morning while HRH was still asleep, I took the chance. I spent at least an hour cutting fabric for the quilt top and got, maybe, a fifth of it done. I was able to vanish everything out of the way before he even noticed that there had been something in the way of breakfast. Not a bad plan, but I still need to keep thinking about a better one.

There's only one thread I don't have for this quilt. For applique pieces as the last part, I'd like a nearly-matching color. Normally I would buy thread nearby so that I could have some of the fabric with me to judge against it, but we don't have a fabric store anywhere near here any longer. I got that ordered yesterday along with freezer paper, which should help me for applique, too. I used to have some freezer paper but then we moved. Sigh. The grocery stores here no longer carry it. Oh well, the new will probably "stick" better than old I'd saved for many years.

In the hospital waiting room, I read over more of the part of the quilt that I'll do by pattern. It's going to take longer than I thought, but it's okay. I understand it all better now.

The practice piece came out right. Still needs finishing touches but I'm pleased that I seem to slowly have figured out what I'm doing. With a little fudging, it's a good usable size and will have a place in a quilt someday. Not wasted!

[Nancy]

Harriet thanks for that input.
It could also be of camo print.
The ideas I am currently thinking of the gnomes one family member luvs em.
I got a mug for a theme bag for that.
Elves and the seven little people of them are cute in fabrics but I am not a fan of them.
Snowmen I like however. The time factor I am not sure I have for them is one thing to consider.
lh had a shaving bag bigger dgson luved getting it and clothes said he could use or would donate em for me.
$ is such and easier gift! LOL!

[Nancy]

I got the zipper and some fat quarters for box bag pouches.
I have on hand solid colors for liners. Might be what I use for tabs and / or handles.
I ended up getting holiday prints for that.
Also a tackle box for my Happy Planner discs.
A journal and some college rules personal notebooks.
I have some fun ideas of art for them as planning bujo types of notebooks.
I did a rock drop mostly of florals and can pick up rocks to paint. I have some ideas to use on them to paint too.
Not sure I have time however.

[Harriet]

Tackle boxes are perfect for so many little items. I like holiday prints - they make you smile. I hope you have a lot of fun with your projects. What did you paint on these last blocks?

Have experimented with the freezer paper applique as a circle center on the practice piece and it works well but I need to get more experience with machine applique. Perhaps it's my eyes the stitch on the machine works, taking a little bite into the applique piece every 3 stitches, and the applique is secure, lies flat. But I am consistently stitching a little too far over toward the background fabric so you can see those stitches I wanted to hide. Really wanted that to look neater. It's okay for this piece but it will bother me a lot when it's on a dark background. I'll keep working on it. Some people just do a straight stitch or tiny zigzag.

Also, the freezer paper is different from my old roll in that it is shorter like an ordinary roll of aluminum foil or wax paper - 15 inches. Even the lady who wrote the pattern says to expect it to be 18 inches, and that's dated 2021 so it's not like she was writing long ago. Sigh. I know there are ways to piece it together if needed, but it sort of feels like you don't get your money's worth.

On the box of freezer paper (this one is made by Reynolds) they show "Arts and Crafts" and "Quilt Applique" as uses, so I don't get why they made it smaller when they know they want to sell it for lots of things. Its usual use is wrapping meat against freezer burn - do they think cuts of meat are getting smaller? lol

[Harriet]

2 days ago, this video was posted of the Scottish Yarn Festival by a U.S. art student there. Thought it might be interesting to those who know more about yarns than me! I sent it to dd25 - will listen to hear what she thinks.