End of April

As it’s May, I’m doing a round up of what I’ve been up to in April craft wise,  at this end of the month I started and finished a Linus quilt.  My friend has some sight problems at present so was unable to sew together this quilt so passed the pack onto me.

The pack came with all the fabrics cut out and ready to sew so I got going, this was Friday. On Sunday I quilted using the wiggly stitch on my machine and sewing across the diagonal, in the afternoon I sewed on the binding.

This is a view of the back.  I finished off hand stitching the binding to the back on Monday.

It helped to listen to podcasts while sewing this up.  It was good not to have to make decisions about the choice of fabrics or making the block arrangements and just sew.  A really good quick project.

At the beginning of this month at Dorset Creative Embroiderers there was a tutor demonstrating a landscape with a murmurstion, but I made the decision to sit this one out and finish off the project from the previous month, but I ended up adding a murmurstion to what I was doing, so in effect had two projects in one picture! 

This was my landscape from March

Above is the picture made by the tutor

This is my embroidered landscape with the murmuration.  I added a stem stitch border around and next month I will get a frame for this. So that’s another finish.

I am continuing with hexagons, which gives me a bit of slow stitching time. I’ve decided to make a cover for my stitch book with some low volume fabric hexagons and will make a wrap around cover.  The hexagons from last year’s 100 hexies 100 days are being added to and making up 6.5 inch squares to sew ‘flowers’ of hexies on to. I’ve got 25 blocks so far.  It might take me a while to make a quilt.

I’ve been adding to my crochet cactus from last month with making another succulent, this time a String of Pearls. This is from the book of Crochet Succulents by Emma Varnam.

Here’s the succulent in situ.

Last month I was working on Florrie the Fox which I finished before going away on holiday.

Isn’t she sweet? You can see why I wanted to make her and she makes me smile when I see her.   Florrie is a kit from Lucy Locket Land, although the pattern is by Julie Williams of Little Cotton Rabbits.  I’m hoping a sheep one will come up in Lucy’s Year of Little Cotton Rabbits.  But I might just get the sheep pattern…..We’ll wait and see.

While away on holiday I took some sock knitting with me. I’ve only made one sock so far, A plain vanilla sock but based on Kay Jones’ Hobbity Socks, but only for the heel and toes shaping. The photo was taken on the river somewhere between Rotterdam and Kinderdijk and we had the sliding door open on our cabin. 

I have one completed sock and another to go.  The yarn is a hand dye from Cuddlebums, that I bought from Yarndale, year before last. 

Also on the needles is an Aran cardigan for David.  This is a long running project as I started this last year.  I’ve got as far as the raglan shaping on the back, finished a left front, and up to the armhole on the right front.  It’s trying to keep the pattern right while making he decreases.  Having just finished one front, I’ll get the second done before finishing the back. I hope there will be progress next month. 

The ATC I’ve made this month is on the theme of Red and I made a fabric one this month, with strips of red onto red felt with additional stitching and couching. I added adhesive gems in red and finished with red sari silk ribbon.

Before the ATC Zoom meeting there was a crafting one that I don’t often take part in but this month did.  It was to make a presentation box. After being given the size of the pieces to cut out it didn’t take long to put together.

Outside

Inside

So despite taking time out this month I’m still keeping busy.

Let’s see what May brings (brighter weather I hope!).