Bluesy on the Quilting Frame

I couldn't leave Bluesy alone last night until I'd pinned together the three layers and set them up on my new quilting frame. It sure makes hand quilting a lot easier than with a smaller embroidery hoop!

Border #2 for Bluesy

The picture says it all!

Next step: put this together with the batting and backing, and hand quilt it on the new frame I just bought in the US. Stay tuned.....

Border #1 for Bluesy

As my sister-in-law, Kris, predicted, I had to get at my quilting when I got home from my trip yesterday, so here's the result: the first border on Bluesy is completed. Two more to go!

And while I was downloading some pictures off an old camera, I found these shots of our first Stitch Club session in January '08. Carla (on the right) is giving Michelle and Lisa some knitting tips......

Bear Claw is Complete!

Well, I had to fly back home to Prince George this morning, but we got all the hand quilting done yesterday, and here's the finished product. Alice was pleased to finish this quilt and already has plans for the next one. I think my quilting bug was contagious!

The Last Bit of Hand Quilting

Alice and I decided to finish up the last hand quilting around the edges of her almost-done bear claw quilt. We'd both love to see the project done before I go home in a couple of days!

This is a beautiful wall hanging/table decoration that Alice made a few years ago. I really like the geometric pattern.

Alice's Bear Claw Quilt

I have a new appreciation for my mother-in-law, Alice's, talent for quilting. This is a bear claw quilt that she has almost completed - I love the colors!













She has carefully handstitched the whole creation. It's a real delight to look at this one closely. Someone will be the lucky recipient one day soon.

Stitch Night With Carla and Heather

Heather, Carla, and I got together tonight to do some stitchin' and chattin'. Here's the knitted mat that Heather was working on. I really loved this concept, because it seems a perfect blend of knitting and quilting.

Heather knits well without looking - not bad!

Carla brought her hand loom along and showed us how that all worked. She's already made a couple of triangle pieces and plans to create a poncho out of them.

Here she is hard at work on her looom. It looks like a fun project.

Heather and I watched in fascination as Carla showed us how to do a "Russian Join" to splice together two skeins of wool without a knot.


Step one: divide each of the two ends into two parts - about an inch and half long.


Step two: Insert your darning needle into the "fork" of one divided section - also about an inch and a half in.


Step three: Insert half of each divided end into the darning needle.

Step four: pull the inserted ends through the yarn. Repeat on the opposite side.





Step five: smooth it out and pull it taut - VOILA!







One more shot of Carla's loom to get an idea of how the pegs are set up.........


I had fun tonight and gained some good ideas about new knitting projects to make. We'll see if I can manage that Russian Join on my own!