English Paper Piecing... my take on it.

So I've been doing EPP for a couple of years now, off and on. I have one quilt I'm making that will be a king size when I'm done (if I ever get it done!LOL) I have another that's to be a gift for Christmas. The top is done but I still have to sandwich and quilt it. I hope I have enough time. eeep!

The King size, not quite there yet. 

And two days ago, I started another one, but this time it's not a Grandmother's Flower Garden. This time, it's a six-point star. I watched a few videos, as always, to make sure I knew what I was doing. And I thought, hmmm... I didn't have much luck with gluing on the hexies, but maybe this is a good time to try it again.

erm... not so much. I'm sure that if I was using store-bought papers that were exactly the same size, laser cut and all that jazz, it might be a different monster, but what I'm finding is that if there's even the slightest difference in size, gluing is awful. When you needle-baste the diamonds, you can finagle the fabric around and ease things where they need to be (within reason of course). But if you glue things down as tightly as they say to on the videos, there's no leeway. You get what you get, and that's pretty much it. Unless I'm doing something wrong. But how many things can you get wrong: lay down a line of glue, press the fabric around the papers to create a nice, crisp edge.

I managed to do about 12 nice looking stars before I tried the glue thing. I now have two awful stars that aren't fit for much beyond pin cushions or something in the sewing room, where no one will see them but me. :P

Oh well... Lesson learned! I'll post pics when I'm able. Just wanted to get these thoughts down, in case I am ever tempted to try gluing again. Note to self: if trying the glue thing, use store-bought or paper-punched papers instead of hand-cut. :P

here's the star quilt after only 8 stars:

Field of Daisies Granny Afghan

 

NOTE: This pattern is in progress. I will post working pics as I take them. :) 

Supplies:

Size I crochet hook

1 skein White Super Saver

1 skein Bright Yellow Super Saver

2 skeins Wildflowers Super Saver

2 Skeins Spring Green Super Saver

*amounts may vary as I finish blanket and depending on how big you want yours and how you crochet. Buy an extra of the last two colors, if you’re worried you won’t have enough.

Center (I used Bright Yellow):

Magic loop, chain 3, 11 dc into loop. Tighten and fasten off.

Flower (I used white):

Attach white in any stitch, ch 3. Work 2 tr cluster, pull through all loops on hook. First tr cluster made. Ch 2.  In next st, work tr cluster: yarn over hook twice, insert into stitch, yo, pull through loop, yo, pull through two loops, leaving loop on hook. Repeat twice, until there are three partial tr. Yo, pull through all loops on hook. Ch 2. Repeat in each stitch around.  12 tr clusters.

At end, join with sl st to top of beginning cluster, then fasten off.

Ground (I used Wildflowers):

Rnd 1:

Attach yarn into any ch-2 space and ch 3. Work 2 dc, ch2, 3 dc into same space. *Chain 1. Work 3dc into next ch-2 space, chain 1, 3dc in next ch2 space, ch1. In next ch2 sp, work 3 dc, ch2, 3 dc. Repeat from * twice. Work 3-dc, ch 1 into each of next 2 ch-2 spaces, join with sl st to beginning chain 3. Slip stitch to chain 2 space in corner. You should have a square with 2 3-dc shells between each corner. Sl st into corner and chain 3.

 Rnd 2:

Work 2dc, ch 2, 3dc into corner. *Work 3-dc shell, ch 1 into each of next three chain 1 spaces. Work 3dc shell, ch2, 3dc, ch 1 into next corner. Repeat from * twice. Work 3dc, ch1 into each of next three ch1 spaces. Join with sl st into top of beginning chain 3. Fasten off and weave in ends if you haven’t covered them as you’ve worked.

Joining round:

With border color (I used spring green):

First square: Work same as for rnd 2, with four 3dc shells in between each corner. Fasten off.

Second square: Join with border color in any corner. Ch 3. Work 2dc, ch2, 3dc into corner. Ch 1. With wrong sides together, sc into corner space of first square. Ch 1, work 3dc shell into next ch 1 space on block two. Sc into next ch-1 space on block one. Repeat to corner, joining with sc into ch1 spaces on block one. At corner, work 3dc shell, ch 1, sc into corner space on first block, ch1, 3dc into same corner space on block two. Ch 1, then continue working 3dc, ch 1 groups and corner groups around. Join with sl st to beginning ch-3, fasten off and weave in ends. (easier if you do it as you go.)

Block 3: Work as for block 2, but at second corner, work sc into joining sc. (see pic)

Block 4: Work same as for previous blocks, but continue the joining until the third corner. (See pic)

I tend to join the first blocks into a strip as wide as I want the blanket to be, then join as for block three on the first block of each row, then as for block 4 for each block thereafter on that row. See pics.

It's been awhile since I posted anything... I need to get better about that.

But we tried a recipe tonight that was so easy and so tasty... I have to share. :)

It's a chicken, beans, and taters meal, minutes to prep, an hour to bake, and so yummy!

There are a number of different blogs that give the recipe, but they all end up with basically a pound of chicken breasts, green beans, and red potatoes chopped up into inch-sized pieces, skin on or off dependent on your tastes.

We're trying to find new ways to eat the same old things. My food texture sensitivities mean that there are a lot of foods I simply can't eat. I bite into them and my throat closes up. It's not anaphylactic or anything... it's just that the texture makes me gag and I have a very hard time eating those things. Like leafy greens... I can't eat a salad. Not only do I not like the taste of lettuce, but I simply can't eat it unless I'm in starvation mode and it's the only thing available. I found that out in the Marines. ;) Add in my fatty liver and now the gall bladder that I need to get removed, and I have to be very careful with what I eat, or prepared for the pain and intestinal nastiness that follows. :P

So we are limited to chicken, pork, ground pork, turkey, and fish. I can eat potatoes, corn, peas, lima beans, green beans, and carrots only if they're stewed pretty much to mush. And don't taste like carrots. My husband can eat a lot more than I can, but unless we completely split our menus, which we've done before, there's not a huge crossover. Fortunately, he's kitchen friendly and has, in fact, been doing most of the cooking since my back/hip got so bad that I can barely stand for more than five minutes at a time.

That's why we're looking for recipes that we can both enjoy, but we've been in a rut of shake-and-bake style meals, with either noodles/rice/taters and veggies of some sort on the side. We're both bored to tears over it. It doesn't help that, because of the food sensitivity, I have trouble embracing new things.

But I did tonight, and I'm very glad. It's a very simple recipe... took less than five minutes to prep and then an hour to bake, and it was very tasty. I did a few things different from the other recipes, but since it worked out well, I'll add those. :)

Chicken Veggie Ranch Bake

1 pound of chicken breasts
1 can of green beans, drained
1 can of diced potatoes, drained
1 packet of ranch dressing dry mix
half a stick of butter
9"x13" pan
aluminum foil

I used some extra softened butter to 'grease' the pan so things wouldn't stick. Once it was rubbed all over the pan, I sprinkled the bottom of the pan with a bit of the ranch dressing mix. Then I laid the chicken breast pieces down the middle of the pan. I drained both the beans and taters and then dumped them on either side of the chicken. I sliced pats of butter, about 1/4" each, and placed them down each of the ingredients, then sprinkled the rest of the ranch mix over the whole thing.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350* for an hour.

Note: next time I make this, I will double the veggies... either use only two piece of the chicken (we portion ours out into 4oz pieces and freeze, when we go shopping) and one can each of the veggies, or two cans each if we're using four pieces.

Tonight, we went ahead and portioned out four servings, putting two of those into tupperware bowls for lunches tomorrow. The remaining portions were rather small, but we've been eating far too much lately, and need to cut back. However, eating more green beans can't be that bad for us, and it's better to fill the tummy with veggies than snacks. ;)

I'm thinking that we might end up making up several of these to freeze, though making them the day of isn't a huge inconvenience... it really doesn't take much at all to put together. But I'm going to get some 9"x13" disposable pans and make a few of these ahead of time, see how they come out when thawed and cooked later.

OR.... other options are to make them with the original amounts and add some rolls or dessert to make it a full meal for us. ;) I gotta whittle down the portion sizes, but if I do that overnight, it'll be hell to live with either of us for awhile. lol Dieting is not our forte. :P

Here are before and after pics, just because I have that technology. ;)

Joy of Hex-... agons. ;)

I recently discovered the joy of hexies.
I knew about the wonderful knit hexies that can quickly be made from scrap yarn and joined into little puffs to make a blanket. Or pillow, depending on your attention span. ;)

But I've been on a quilting kick for several months now and because my back and hip have been getting worse each week, it seems, I've been forced to figure out more stuff I can do in the recliner or bed, instead of sitting up in the craft room at the sewing table.

Enter HEXIES!

I'm not going to get into the history or anything of these delightful little paper-pieced hexagons that can be joined into all sorts of pretty patterns... or just left random and scrappy.

As with just about anything I do these days, I glutted myself on videos, tutorials, and forum posts, reading and absorbing as much info as I could before I cut my first piece of paper or cloth. I'll try to post a few of the Pins I found the most helpful, but really, if you just do a search for 'hexies' or hexagon quilts, you'll get so many pins to look through, and really, isn't that a lot more fun than my providing specific ones? No? Okay, I'll do what I can. ;)

Anyhow, I LOVE the hexies. I printed out a template onto regular printer paper and spent a bit of time carefully cutting those out. You can buy packages of pre-cut papers, but I was broke and impatient and I'm not sure if any of the stores around here carry them anyway, so I just bit the bullet and did it myself. I wasted an hour trying to cut plastic templates for cutting the cloth, but then realized that several of the blogs were right: The cut of cloth doesn't matter as long as you have 1/4" seam allowance or more. I now use squares, since those are easy to cut, and just trim around the paper as I go. Seriously. it's a LOT easier that way, though I'll admit that it does waste a bit of material. But if you're using scraps anyhow, it's no biggie. And I keep my teeny scraps to use for stuffing stuffed animals, which is another recent love in my sewing life. :)

Here's my first sept-group, using scrap fabric from my grandmother's stash from more than 25 years ago. <3

 

Back of flower group, showing the outer papers still in place. The middle piece was removed, as it's no longer needed for stability. 

 

And here's the first sept-group or 'flower', made with leftover Halloween prints from last year and a few fat quarters that I picked up just for this.

If there's interest in it, I'll do a down and dirty tutorial on how to do hexies, but this post is actually for the ironing pad that I made to use here in the living room while watching tv or whatever.

For this little ironing pad, I got a small clipboard, 6"x9" from Walmart. I already had everything else... including the tiny craft iron, but I'll list everything in case you need to get it all.

I purposely made this ironing pad so that it all comes apart, in case I need to us any of it separately or in case I need to wash the pad at some point. I used the straps to keep the pad on, instead of making a sleeve, because I wanted to use the cutting board on the back, but it's personal preference. I'm not cutting out entire quilts all at once on this cutting mat, so I only needed enough space to cut the hexies, if I wanted to do it that way.

Materials:
6"x9" clipboard
6"x8" cutting mat (or other size that fits)
2 pieces- 10 1/2"x 7" duck cloth or other sturdy material
cotton thread (any time you use something for an ironing pad, you want to use cotton!)
8"x12" Insulbrite or 100% cotton batting. (You'll fold this in half, so if you have scraps that are 8"x6", use two layers of that)
2 pieces-  1 1/2"x 7" cloth to make strips for back, or cotton ribbon or binding scraps.

1) Iron your duck cloth or fabric.

2) Starting on a long side, about halfway down, sew with a generous 1/4" seam, all the way around the edges. Leave about 4" unsewn on the first side, for turning. Clip corners, turn, and iron flat.

3) fold insulbrite in half (or baste two layers together and fold) and insert into pad. Center as best you can and make sure it's all flat and pretty. Sew with a 1" seam allowance, making sure you're catching all the edges of the Insulbrite... or at least enough to secure it in place. This isn't rocket science, like I said, so this is all 'whatever works'. You now have a padded center with 1" margins of material.
Top-stitch all the way around, making sure to catch that opened bit from where you stuffed it.

 

 With top-stitching:

4) Fold the 1 1/2" strips in half, then open and fold each side in toward the center, creating a 1/4" folded strip. Top-stitch down the open edge, stopping before the end to fold under the raw edges at the bottom. Finish sewing. You now have one finished end and one unfinished end.

5) With the unfinished end, lay the strip over one edge of the pad so that it crosses both seams on the pad. Sew strip into place, following sewing line of pad, and backstitch several times for security. Repeat on edge, using top-stitching as your guide. Repeat with other strip. You should now have both finished ends flapping in the breeze, waiting their turn. You can trim the strips that have been sewn on, but remember to leave at least 1/4" so it doesn't come loose.

6) Fold strip over to meet opposite edge of pad and top-stitch in place, back-stitching for security.
NOTE: You CAN use a slightly longer strip and sew strips the same as step 5, securing in two places. I just didn't think of it when I did this one. If I make another, I'll do it that way, probably, just because it will probably be stronger that way.

Check the fit of your pad. It should be snug around the clip board, but not straining at the seams. Adjust as necessary.

That's it! You're done!

Flip the board over and you've got your ironing pad. Flip it back to the 'front' (the clip side) and you can slide a small cutting mat under your straps, secure it with the clip, and you're good to go.

Simple, quick, and easy. :)

Here it is, ready for action, with my most recent hexi project on it. Helpful, since I need to iron that 'flower' group. :)

If you'd like to see a hexi tutorial, please let me know in the comments and I'll put one together.

Also, if there's a step you'd like to see more detailed pics about, let me know and I'll see what I can do.

Thanks and I hope you enjoy! :)

New toy- Loopdeloom Product review and tutorial

I'm a 44 year old woman.
I love fiber toys, gadgets, gizmos... anything that makes neat stuff out of yarn. I love them. Always have. Always will. I don't have a tattoo, but the first one I WILL get has to do with yarn.

So I came across the Loopdeloom. I'm not sure where I saw it, but I saw a video link and went to it, watched, and from that moment on, I wanted it. Needed it. Must. HAVE. YARNY LOOMY GOODNESS!!!!!!

Ahem.

I've done stick weaving, peg loom weaving, inkle weaving, frame and harness weaving. I made a backstrap loom and wove a few belts. I know how to tablet-weave and I adore Weavette looms and such. Each has its own special attraction, depending on what you want to do, but for sheer speed and ease of use?

This loom trumps them all for quick, easy, and fun.

So basically, my review is this: If you love yarn crafting and making scarves, various pouches, blankets in strips, bags, mitts... you get the idea, you will most likely enjoy this loom. You can't use just any yarn for the warp, but the sky's the limit with the weft. :) Chunky, ribbon, sock yarn, eyelash... if you can put it between the pegs, you can have it in your finished product, as far as I can tell. :) 

There's a learning curve, as with any yarn craft. Or any craft, for that matter. Even if you're an experienced weaver, use the practice yarn that comes with the kit. Tension is tricky and I'm still getting the hang of it.

I'm no expert. Far from it. I've woven a few things on the loom now, but I do know I'm going to have fun with it for awhile! :)

One non-expert tip: If you're doing something longer than, say, a tablet pouch, buy more yarn than you think you'll need. This method does eat up the yarn, and since I live in a small town that's half an hour from any decent craft stores, I'll be making sure to buy one or two more balls of the same color than I *think* I need, based on my knowledge of knitting and crocheting. :P

All in all, I give this product five stars and a glass of wine. It's fun, easy, basically mindless, which is key when I'm plotting stories and working out character dialogue before writing. Fiber arts are my zen, my happy place, and this is a wonderful new addition to my addiction. ;) HIGHLY recommend this product!

PS if the makers of Loopdeloom ever see this, you might think about a comb for scrunching down the woven threads while on the pegs. My little hands had trouble doing that, especially once I had more than one loom in play. Just a thought! :)

That's the review... here's the tutorial.
You can also find a few awesome youtube videos on how to use this loom and I urge you to watch them, perhaps several times, before paying with the loom the first time. They are truly helpful! 

Okay, so here's the kit:

The yarn shown here is my yarn, not the stuff that comes with the kit. I found the loom locally at Michael's stores. They're between $34.99 and $40, depending on location, I think. They're also online at various retailers and can be bought directly from the company that makes them.
I used a 40% coupon for mine at Michael's and it was worth every penny! (I would gladly pay full price, and that's saying a LOT, coming from me!)

You can weave from 3-15 pegs on one loom. Add another loom and you've got 30. I now own two of these and plan on getting at least one more when I have a chance. :) Maybe more. I'd love to see how many I can put together and reasonably weave, but for now, I think I'll stick with a max of 5. Besides, I'm not sure I can justify spending that much on these looms, even if they are awesome and I can get them using great coupons. We shall see! ;)

Set-Up
Set-up is easy... you measure however long you want your project to be, double it, and add 12". Cut as many of those from your yarn as you need for the width of the project. This is all in the book that comes with the loom, so I won't tell you every single step, but I took pics, so I'll share those.

* fold the string in half and place it into the peg's 'mouth' until it fits into the groove at the bottom.
 Note that the pegs will alternate front to back, as below. This is very important for creating the fabric, so be careful when placing the pegs in the loom. :)
















* make sure the strings all face away from the loom, so that the knob faces you and the strings lead to the back of the table.

*  You're ready to weave! See? That wasn't so hard, was it? ;)

To weave: 
Pull out a decent length of yarn. Helpful hint: If you have a cat, lock 'em up. They will LOVE this toy as much as you do!

* Pull the string fairly tight and carefully place it so that it lies within the 'valley' created by the slopes on the backs of the pegs.

* Using both hands, pull gently but firmly down on the yarn so that it rests between the pegs. Pull it down as far as you can without being too anal about it.

* Once you've got the first thread in place, flip the knob so that it turns the pegs. The ones with their 'mouths' facing you will now be facing away and the ones that had their backs to you before will now be facing you. You get the idea. It's not rocket surgery. ;)

Once you've flipped the knob, repeat step one... lay the yarn in the valley, pull down using both hands and gentle pressure.

NOTE: BE SURE that the yarn on the ends isn't tight. You don't want it wrapped around the edge pegs tightly at all. It's better to be a little too loose than too tight. Why? Because the edge pegs will start to draw together and your weaving will look more like a trapezoid than an even rectangle. 

*  Pull the second thread as far down as you can without being too rough.

* Repeat these steps for awhile, until you have a few inches of loose weave.

* Every few inches of loose weave, gently ease down toward the bottom so that the threads lie flush and create a dense mat.

* When you've filled the loom as far as you're comfortable with, you'll want to advance the weave. Don't worry, it's not nearly as complicated as it sounds. ;)

I find that it's easiest to end the current weaving on the left side, but whichever side you want to start with, end on that side. You'll see what I mean. 

* CAREFULLY pull the first peg up. This will draw the warp thread up through the weaving, securing it into place. Bring the weaving end (the loose end) to the front and make sure that the first peg goes BEHIND this thread.

* When pulling up the new warp thread, you don't need to pull out a lot. Just pulling the peg all the way out of the weaving will pull up enough warp thread to work your next bit on.

* Make sure that the pegs remain facing in the same direction as when weaving before, and that the warp threads remain behind the work. 

* Continue across to the last peg and finish pulling warp thread up.

*  So now your weaving is off the pegs, on the warp threads, and all you need to do is lay it against the back of the pegs. Tip: the closer you get the first threads of the next section, the better. Your first few pieces might have obvious loops on the sides where the tension wasn't perfect when you advanced the warp. That's okay. You can ease these out when you're done, but to save time, just try to be careful as you go. :)

* You're ready to start weaving again! Flip the knob and let 'er rip! :)

* Shot of the already woven stuff resting against the newly emptied pegs. I like my camera, can you tell?

* Continue in this manner until you either want to change colors or your piece is as long as you want it.

Changing Colors: 
For simple color changes, all you have to do is attach the new color to the old at either side of the weaving and keep going.

* When you're finished weaving, pull the pegs out as before.

Finishing: 
I'll do a quick tutorial on finishes soon. The instruction book says to knot them together and that's fine. You can also loop the warp loops (the ends on the pegs) through each other, chain style. If you're careful about pulling the warp threads taut, you can end up with a very nice, smooth edge. I'll add those pics and instructions here, once I take more pictures. ;)

Using additional looms

You can use two, three, even four of these. They're made to work together, so you carefully snap them into each other and create a larger width for your weaving.
















I'm making a laptop bag for my 17" screen laptop so I used two looms and made the warp threads long enough to go around the laptop at its longest point, then added about two feet for good measure. ;) I'd rather have more than not enough.

This was my cat, trying to 'help' Mommy with this endeavor. He ended up getting squirted a few times. He knows he's not allowed on my computer desk, anyhow, but boy did he love trying to catch the warp strings as I was loading the loom! :P  (His name is Bitty Butt, by the way)

Here's the laptop bag, warped.

First section done. LOVING the colors and the way the yarn is striping. I love self-striping yarn... it's a different project every time, depending on small changes. :)

 

The first several sections woven and advanced. This is the loom from the back. I laid the weaving on top of my laptop, just to be sure it was wide enough for what I'm doing. It is and I was thrilled! :)

The weaving got to be so long and the cat so interested that I had to roll the warp ends up in the finished cloth and then roll the whole thing up to be able to keep weaving on my laptop table.

Off the loom!
By the way, this project took at least 4 balls of the yarn which was a slightly chunky yarn. It's Lion Brand Tweeds in Carribean, if you wanted to know. :)

I was NOT as careful about easing the yarn onto the warp threads as I should have been, so my cloth got all scrunched up in weird areas. This necessitated about an hour of sweating, panting, and basically combing and scrunching, pulling and tugging this piece all over the place. I finally got it to where I want it, and it was worth it, but paying attention to begin with would have been much nicer. Practice with a smaller piece if you intend to do the larger ones, so you know what I'm talking about with this. :p

















The loopy/peg ends.
For this, I took the loop off the leftmost peg and placed it over the next peg. Lifted the loop off that peg, placed it over the next, and so on. I removed the pegs as I went.

What was left is this very loosely chained edging, but I worked that out, as well.

The warp threads, cut ends. Looks intimidating, huh? It's not that bad, I promise.

So yeah... This needs some serious work. I want my stripes to be more even instead of curvy, and I want my fabric to lie flat.

It doesn't look as bad from above as it does from the side, but you can see by the wavy lines that it's nowhere close to being even.

 But it's okay... I fixed it.

Here's that nice, clean edge I was talking about.
The way you get this is to start with the leftmost loop and the leftmost bottom threads. You're going to hold the loop as you carefully tug on the bottom threads together, until the loop rests loosely against the top of the work. Ease the next loop through as you go, if you need to, so it doesn't get caught when you tighten the first threads.  Repeat this process with each thread, in order, being careful not to tug too hard on the cut ends, as that will result in a wavy finish.

At the very end of the finished edge, pull the weaving end through the last loop, tighten that loop, then weave in the end. Practice will make the edge more even, but I think it's a decent second try, if I do say so myself.

Much flatter and nicer, and by the time I straightened everything out, the piece was a little wider and a good bit longer, which was perfect. 

If you compare this shot to the one above, you'll notice that the cut ends are a bit shorter than when I started and that the waviness is much more contained. :)

Moment of truth... does it fit??? (because, you know, I'm a total slacker and didn't measure any of this, just kinda eyeballed it.)  Laptop on, cloth folded over...

And there's enough for a flap! SCORE!!! *the crowd goes wild*

 

.
Once this is sewn up, it should be PERFECT.  Right side of bag.

Left side of bag.

Now I just need a strap and I'm good! I THINK I have enough yarn left to make a short one, which is fine, because I'm short. :)

I'll post pics of the final bag once it's sewn up and I've macramed the warp threads, beaded the trailing warp threads of the strap, and loaded it up. :) Hopefully that will happen sooner, rather than later.

Stay tuned! :)