Bonus, not Waste

While making blocks for my Merrily Christmas quilt, I ended up with a lot of extra HSTs (half square triangles). These are literal waste because of the way the block is put together. Well, I can't let that fabric go to waste. (It doesn't help that they're small and look so cute! I'm a sucker.)

The pieces all comfortably cut down to 2.5" square so that's what I did. Some people find this tedious and not worth the effort but I enjoy it.

HSTs are nice because you can arrange them in so many ways. I decided on zig zags, doing one across and one up and down. I sewed 12 HSTs together and had a good start for two mug rugs.

I layered in some leftover batting, also "waste" cut off of another project. With a small project like this, I don't bother sew the pieces together; I just lay them side by side and pin the layers. I used white fabric for the backing because I wanted it simple, wanted to save time, and the white fabric was out and convenient.

I quilted both pieces following the zig zag lines.

I had wide enough strips left over of the grey that I did a machine sewn binding. I made a great discovery that made my corners so much better.

I usually pin the binding clockwise, the same direction I sew. But when I pinned it counterclockwise and tucked the first side under the second (right side under the left side in the picture above), the miter lined up so that nothing shifted as you sewed it. When I did it the other way, the right side was on top and the zipper foot just pushed it out of position as the needle got close.

I'm still not super neat with my machine sewn binding, but this technique will help a lot!

I didn't have very wide scraps of the red, so I hand sewed it.

2 inch binding on the red, folded in half, machine sewn on the front, folded to the back and hand sewn. 2.75" binding on the grey, folded in half, machine sewn on the back, folded to the front and machine stitched.

I was inspired to make these mug rugs because I have two gift bags to fill that will go to a boys club for them to give to their mothers. I thought a cute mug with the mug rug, a treat and a coffee store gift card would make a nice package.

Half Way Sewn

Only one picture today:

But don't be deceived by your first glance...the quilt top isn't done yet. And don't get me wrong...I'm still pleased to be this far!

I could lay out most of the quilt on my bed, but couldn't quite get the edges so that made laying it out more difficult. I was also surprised by just how hard it is to lay out a design that must be sewn diagonally but has a horizontal pattern. So yes, I laid it out an extra time or two to make sure I had it right. And I hung it up and took a picture so I could stand back and check it again.

The reason the quilt top can hang even though it is only half sewn together is because I tried a new way of assembling the top. I sewed all the seams going in the same direction, but I didn't cut the threads when I went from one block to the next. So now the blocks are held together in their proper places and I should be able to easily sew the seams in the other directions without having to lay it out again and again.

I had read about this method but not tried it yet. So far, it makes a lot more sense for the sewing, but makes it take quite a bit longer and more fiddly to press the seams. I'll probably decide on future quilts based on my mood at the time.

But the best news of all is that I have next week off of work and I really, really think I should be able to find the time to sew this top together! wOOt wOOt

Ravellenic Games 2014 Report: Day 7

So I was home Friday because I wasn't feeling great. I felt bad for the new guy who was at the office alone and then especially bad when he called and said that there was water in the basement, but I was also glad I didn't go in because I sure wasn't up to dealing with all of that.

All this is to say that I got more progress done on some Ravellenic projects, even though it wasn't nearly as productive (or enjoyable) a day as Wednesday was.

But between watching mens figure skating live, mens curling (Canada over Norway with an exciting 4-ender), and napping, I finished this bib:

A true quick project as I just started it the day before, and had to ravel the first try when it was half done. (Too small.)

The reverse side. Not quite as nice, but not so bad.

I had the idea to make a chevron bib, since zig zags are still a going craze and I thought the shape lent itself rather nicely to the function.

It's a really simple project and when I have a few minutes, I will jot down a "pattern recipe" so you can use my notes to make your own, if you would like. (In the meantime, notes on the Rav page would give you a pretty good start.)

So that's medals in Free Dance, Junior Ravellenics, Nordic Colorwork Combined and Stash Skeleton. More importantly, it's one bib done for that baby shower!

But wait! There's more...

While I'm talking about bibs, I'll show you the other one I finished on Thursday:

I believe I could have technically entered it in the Ravellenic Games as a WIP, but I didn't bother.

The center section is double knit so you can see the reverse colours here:

I had thought the all-blue side would be the "right" side but now I kind of like the white side better. Of course that is the point of double knitting it--both sides look good even with a colourwork motif.

The elephant is from the Elephant Sock pattern that I used recently. A nice little elephant.

Games Update, Friday, Feb 14:
1. Rainbow Cowl DONE!
2. Rainbow Hat DONE!
3. & 4. Ravel Sweater 1 and Sweater 2 DONE! DONE!
5. Dye Green Yarn DONE!
6. Spinning DONE!
7. Woven Band
8. Baby Bib DONE!

Not a lot of choices of what to do next, is there! We'll see if I can push through one more event.