Ooh, linen

(Reluctant) male (dog) model, Dodger, seen here under a completed Mason-Dixon Moss Grid Hand Towel.

Pillowcase 1

Left: Transfer patterns as provided. Right: Embellished patterns. I finished this in a few hours--a very quick project!

Rainy day

Goodbye, winter clothes and wooly handknits.

Hello, summer clothes and cotton skirts.

I transferred a pattern to "pillowcase 1." I will make a matching set for my sister Abby and my brother-in-law, Chad. They both play gee-tar. So far embroidering's a lot like coloring--relaxing.

Prepare to stitch

The other week I ordered a bunch of one-dollar Sublime Stitching patterns from Urban Outfitters, hoorah! And Katie bought a pattern, and I bought Jenny Hart's Stitch-It Kit, which I'd been wanting for a long, long time.

I want to embroider some pillowcases, so today I bought some nice ones in white and lilac from TJ Maxx. Since I'll be giving the cases as presents, I bought high thread counts. Ahhh, silky cotton, and (eventually) hand decorated--fab! Now I just need to wash them so I can get started. . . .

Nine-miter dishcloth

I love the Mason-Dixon Ninepatch Dishcloth, but the miters are the really exciting part. So what if one had miters instead of garter-stitch patches? Ah ha! Nine-miter dischloth!

I knit the miters in three strips of three vertical miters and sewed them together (I think you could pick up stitches and avoid as much sewing, and I may try that next time). I half-double crocheted the edge. I love using up scrap cotton yarn in dishcloths.

Knitting and sewing

Here are my latest dishcloths, a Mason-Dixon Ninepatch and the mid-March Monthly Dischcloth KAL:




I started sewing my ripstop dress Tuesday night. It was going well, but well . . . I goofed a little on some gathering. It's actually more noticable in person than in this next picture. I'll have to rip out the stitching and sew more carefully.



The front has a sort of diamond-shaped inset, sort of like an upside down keystone (it's upside down and inside out in the photo). It's proving tricker than I expected. My blue rayon cloth is more delicate than I'm used to sewing, but I'm sure I'll get it decent looking.

Springtime

Knitting group

Because Jennifer did such a good job writing about our knitting group and featured me quite a bit, I will be la-zy and tell you to read her post. It was soooooo good to see my knitting friends! And Pizza Perfect is the best in town. Deeeelicious!

"Ripstop" is a kind of fabric

I bought A LOT of this bright, beautiful teal rayon fabric to make a ripstop dress. I love love love Wendy Mullin's book Sew U! After reading most of the book, which handily is organized by sewing steps (preparing fabric, patterns, cutting, sewing), I was inspired to sew garments again. I checked out Wendy's website and fell in love with this dress. Very luckily, Built by Wendy, her company, publishes a Simplicity pattern for it.

Dodger got groomed today! Where are his eyes? There they are!

Handmade, but not by me

My friend Susan's sister Martha gave me this very cool ceramic lamp, which she personally threw and glazed and everythang. The wick is some sort of fiberglass that doesn't burn away. You put oil in the lamp and light the wick. How cute is that? Thanks, Martha!

While Abby visited Tennessee last month, she made a sock monkey for her hubby, Chad, that also looked like Chad! He's got a little mohawk (although Chad's hair is not orange and yellow), glasses, and a felt guitar slung over his back. See the red heart on his chest? Tre cute and creative!

Tagged

meme: 10 things you'd like to learn how to do

1. Quilting
2. Playing a quirky string instrument, like mandolin
3. Entrelac knitting
4. Basic car maintenance
5. Cook a few basic meals
6. Financial investing, like stocks and bonds
7. Knit short rows
8. Sew buttonholes with my machine
9. Design own styles--knitting and sewing
10. Sew and alter any garment

Sewing

I bought this cute little jacket pattern yesterday. I think it would make a nice lightweight, spring jacket. But I have so many other projects I could work on I hesitate to run out and get fabric for it.

Hancock's Fabric Store in Franklin is going out of business; everything's at least 30 percent off. I bought some embroidery hoops, and I was very glad to get some nice dressmaker's shears. They're all metal and have a lifetime guarantee. They're so nice I can take them to a knife sharpener (wherever you find one of those) and get them all sharpened up. I cut some more headbands last night and they do cut better than my old orange-handled fabric scissors.

Tiara wearin'

Here's more photos of me, one-on-one with Jill Conner Browne at her book signing and in a big group shot of Nashville ladies, in the Sweet Potato Queens' gallery. On the first page there are pictures of baby Claudia Jill, a beautiful teeny girl!