The Two Summer Sweater

Long time no post, but here's the sweater I finished in September -- a mere 18 months after beginning!  Chalk it up to extreme busy-ness.  But aren't we all? 

This is done in Olympic from Artful Yarns, one of the first variety yarns I've worked with successfully.  The pattern is from Knitters magazine, Summer 2007, if I remember correctly.  The knitted texture on this yarn is really nice, but it doesn't enjoy being ripped and re-knitted (but you weren't supposed to know that, were you?)

Hurrah!!!

Okay, it's ... not done! I know! But what were you expecting, a miracle? It's been TEN FREAKIN' MONTHS so get with the program. It's not done.

But this much is.....

Many, many thanks to Big Brain and Little Brain for providing their arms and legs and patience in the photographing of this quilt (kiss, kiss). And to Xena and her merry band of Warriorettes for their patience, too!

Now we begin the second phase -- the back and label, the layering up, the quilting, the trimming, the binding.... pant pant. Do you get it? We're not out of the woods yet! But I do see a glimmer of daylight, waaaaaaay over .... waaay over there!

Keep the faith!

Time flies when you're having fun.

(Sigh) I know, I know... these posts need to be put up more frequently so that people will be reassured that things are still moving along. Well, they are. I just haven't had a chance to take a picture. However, I've gotten far enough to start showing the quilt top around town to interested viewers. Comments so far are glowing, except for one flat "Oh, yes, that's a mistake." But I already knew that. So there.

Don't worry. Pictures to follow. Keep the faith!

It's not over til it's over

With the friendship panels completed, it's time to move on to the border. I have a variety of photos that were taken on an October road trip (thanks, Karen!). Taking a number of them and chaining them together for impact seemed like a good idea at the time. Here's the photo:


Great! Looks fabulous, right? Then I measured the quilt and found that it would be six feet long and about three feet tall.

Uh, no.

So the panel had to be pulled apart (remember? "the seam ripper is your friend...."). After a long afternoon, this was the result:


Will it remain as pictured? Hmmmmm.... only time will tell!

For the time being, though, enjoy.

Progress in the Temple of Spools

Here's the amazing truth about any large project: eventually you make progress. With all the thrashing and moaning, I'm thinking "this will never be done!" Then I stitch a few more stitches and do a little pressing and, VOILA!!

That's right. A little here, a little there. Lay the thing out and look at it. Cut fabric. Arrange the bits and see if it pleases the eye. Change the combo, look again, fire up the Bernina and sew a seam (and sometimes rip it out!).

Press.
Consider.
Rearrange. Reorganize. Rethink. Remember, "the seam ripper is your friend!"

My previous post was pretty standard for me in the throes of a large project: Woe is me! I've become distracted by other Pressing Matters of Life! And then it's : Okay, fine, you got distracted, NOW what are you going to DO about it? Huh? That emotional hurdle cleared, the week's effort brought us to this:

We're moving in the sashing portion of the project, and oh how sweet it is. Click on the snaps to get a full screen image. And yes, Molly, your portion has been edited:

(the seam ripper is my friend... and again, and again, and again)

AND, for the overscheduled "I don't know what to write!!!" participants (you know who you are):

Last but not least, because I promised, a photo by special request. The hour was advanced and the makeup was long gone, but what the hey. Princess Warrior wanted to see the new specs, so here they are:

Comments welcomed, especially effusive praise. Critics begone. You know I love you, but I've got work to do....

-- susi

(sigh) It's not the mileage, it's the octane...

Oh, dear...

And right when things seemed to be clicking along so nicely. What is it that sends a creative effort off the rails? Lack of time? Competing commitments? Or the creeping sensation that, when this is done, you might NEVER think of something good to do again?

Hmmm.... a serious pep talk would seem to be in order. Clever Jane (aka Super Talented Seamster) must wrest herself from the glowing video, climb the stairs to the Temple of Spools, consume cookies along the way, and shove a tape into the VCR. That, and the soothing hum of the beloved Bernina, will soon have her in tip-top, clickety-clack, sewing motion.

Okay. And with that tomfoolery written, I'm off....

-- susi

No Blog post is complete without a picture.
Little Feisty, above, is wearing the scarf I knitted
for Aunt Sharon last August.
Problem is, I don't think I ever sent it to her.
Rats!

Hey, Molly, check these out!

And now, fans, for close-ups of some of the demanding piecework that's been going on in The Lair. Note the insouciant, carefree fabric choices set against the precision piecing. What a tour de force! (We all know it's because she rubs the Bernina down each night with silk flannel and keeps it warmed with its own tiny electric blanket, but let's just keep that our little secret, shall we?)


Once we have all the people in these photos identified, we'll be able to figure out just where they're supposed to be on the quilt!