Jelly Roll Quilt Race

So last week in clinic, one of our regular patients asks me if I've ever seen a Jelly Roll race.  Blame it on the fact I've been dieting, but I envision a plate full of nice sweet jelly rolls with a bunch people having some sort of contest shoving them into their mouths.  Anyway, after my brief delusion, I said, "Oh yeah, a jelly roll... gotcha."  Now maybe my brain was still on the edible jelly roll, but I didn't quite get the full concept, so I Googled "jelly roll quilt race".  Boy was I in the dark!  Very cool, fun and hey, why not?

Joan's didn't have a full jelly roll and what they had was not to my taste.  Our local quilt shop here in Monticello did not have any jelly rolls, so I decided I would "design my own".  I chose 11 different cathedral batiks in a variety of colors.  The quilt shop lady inspired/insisted I throw in some brighter colors with the more muted colors I was choosing.  Anyway, after some trial and error, I chose 11 colors from the cathedral batiks.  The cathedral batiks are very cool in that they go from dark at one selvage to a lighter shade at the other selvage.  They actually look like they were gradient dyed.

Anyway, after purchasing too much (1/2 yd each), I went home and cut my 2 1/2" strips and started sewing them end to end.  After a couple of  "oops" sewing the strips together, I was ready to start the strip sewing.  Before I started sewing the strip together, I ironed the seams that joined them.  As I worked my way down, I kept folding the strips back and forth on top of each other.  When I was done ironing I had a neat fan folded pile of the strips.  I was able to take both ends, one at the bottom of the pile and the other at the top, line them up and take the whole mess to the sewing machine.  Unceremoniously I dropped the fan folded pile into a box to the left of my chair.  My eight year old son volunteered to sit beside me and kind of line up the strips.  In some ways, that just slowed me down, but for the most part I did sew pretty fast.  I did goof and run out of bobbin thread and that slowed me up to.  However, HOW that lady in the video did it in 25 minutes, I have NO clue!  I wasn't really "racing", but it took me about an hour and 15 minutes.  Even if I hadn't stopped to wind a bobbin or had to resew the area that I did with an empty bobbin, I don't think I would have been in contention.

The overall design came out fairly pleasing.  The kids are calling the Joseph quilt based on Joseph and the coat of many colors.  It also challenged me to work outside of my comfort zone.  The process is totally random and even if you try to "plan" your randomness, it is just not possible.  If you're like me and want everything planned and plotted, this will challenge you. 

The lady at the quilt shop here in Monticello had not heard of the jelly roll quilt race until I told her and so she was anxious to see what it looked like.  I took the top in today and she said she liked the way the colors came out.  We were talking, and as it is smaller than a twin quilt and my son seems to like it, I think I'm going to do some "piano keys" with the remaining fabric and then get some black to set of all the colors.  Working.....

Not just another web site...

Earlier this summer I visited River City Knits in Lafayette, IN looking for some ribbon yarn for a crochet project I was wanting to try.  *sigh*  The pattern was disappointing... or perhaps my gauge was the problem...  but I digress!  While there, I overheard the lady at the counter telling another customer about this crochet/knitting web site.  Of course I made a mental note of the web address but then forgot it, of course!  Shortly thereafter though, while doing a web search I accidentally found the site.  Membership is free, so I have since signed up for a username and password.  The site is www. ravelry.com.

It has several fun features but I like being able to save projects I want to do to a work queue or save patterns you are interested in to your notebook.  One can even enter your private stash of yarns and threads and then use that to hunt for possible projects to use up that supply.  I have started entering my stash of magazines, books and booklets. Now when I stumble on a stash at a yard sale or auction I can pull Ravelry up on my droid phone and see if I already have the issue or book. 

Finally, and one of the cooler features is adding a button on my Firefox browser called "ravel it!".  If I find something I like on a web page, I can "ravel it" and it will hunt for that pattern/design on Ravelry.  It will pull up that pattern if possible as well as similar patterns.  I did that on an interesting crochet potholder and then hit the "ravel it" button.  WOW!  Not only did I find the pattern I was looking at, I got sucked into a whole realm of other cool ideas.  Let's not forget.... Christmas is coming and crocheting a kitchen ensemble may be old fashioned, but appreciated by those who actually know how great a good crocheted/knitted cotton dishcloth is!

Nostalgia...

About 5 years ago, my maternal grandmother passed away.  Prior to my grandfather passing away, he sent many of my grandmother's sewing, knitting and quilting supplies home with my mother.  Recently I have been doing some crochet and I have been using Grandma's crochet hooks.  I have also had the pleasure of looking through her piles of magazines, pattern booklets and books.  I even found a few crochet patterns that were marked as done for me.  I remember those crocheted vests and capes!  Now as I crochet, I have to wonder, is this the hook Grandma used to crochet one of those treasures? 


Just a week ago the family had the estate sale for what remained of my grandparent's possessions.  As I looked at the old empty home, I was very glad to know I had the important thing... Memories of grandma sewing, crocheting, knitting, and gardening.  Many of her tools I have inherited and it will bring a smile inside every time I use them for my creations!

Sewing creations...

Burp clothes....

 

These turned out very nice and coordinated well with the romper and jammies I purchased to go with them.

Coming soon... Pictures of Bitty Baby clothes and baby carrier....

Free Filet Crochet - Geometric 3 Leaved Pattern

 

I created this as just a simple insert for linens.  You could also add a crochet border for a stand alone piece.

Please feel free to share this pattern and you may sell the finished item, but please do not sell the pattern.

Bronze Metal Clay

Guess this is another something I want to try.... Bronze Metal Clay.  Could make some one of a kind buttons, eh?  Web site for it is www.BronzClay.com .  I knew of the silver clay, but heard about the bronze clay on Favecrafts.com.  Check it out -- they are giving some away!

Anna's Superhero Cinderella Costume

This is Anna in her Cinderella costume. I used Simplicity 2569 as the basic pattern with light blue sparkle satin and shiny tulle. The waist band has silver embroidery. The cape was a last minute item I whipped up the night before Halloween to help keep her warm. Ann called it her superhero cape!