Organizing, Knitting and Quilting

   I split my time over the last month working on two big projects.  One was the Grandmother's
Flower Garden Quilt and the other was an organization project.

    I organized all my craft supplies and projects that have been stored into big, medium and small storage boxes over the years.  I have over 48 storage boxes and they hold fabric, yarn, buttons, zippers, pins, pin cushions, rotary cutters, snaps, Velcro, excelsior, batting, fiberfil, batting, embroidery floss, embroidery hoops, tape, paper, greeting cards, thread, stabilizer, beads, jewelry findings, paints, glue, and glue guns, etc.  Some have specific projects in them that are ready to be started (or finished) and some boxes just hold several items that go together like yarn, pom pom makers, and a nostepinne.  I organized all the like items together, labeled the boxes and indexed the box on the computer.  I put most of those boxes in my office closet and I have a legend that tells me the location of each box and what is in it.  It's nice to know where everything is.

     Here's are a couple of pictures of the inside of my closet.

    I spent about 3 weeks last month working on the Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt.  After I finished putting the third row on the quilt top, I figured up how many hexagons I need of each color for rows 4, 5, 6 and 7.  I traced them and cut all of those out.  I paper punched more hexagon papers for basting, then I basted and sewed together all the flowers for the fourth row of the quilt top.  I just have to add the green path to each flower before I sew it to what is already together.

    Here's a picture of the flowers for the fourth row.

    On Saturday and Sunday last weekend I spent time knitting dishcloths.  They are a thank you gift for my DD for helping me with some yard work last Saturday morning.

    Here's a picture of the knitted dishcloths.  I love the yellow yarn.  I have to get more of that color for me.

Getting Back to Hand Sewing on the Grandmother's Flower Garden Quilt Top

   I pulled out my Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt top on last Friday.  I had to add three flowers to the third row to finish it and I finally finished those tonight.

     I started this quilt top way back at the end of May, 2017 and I can't believe that I am still working on this.  I have never had a project linger this long.  I really, really, really need to get this one done, so I am committing two hours each day during the week and more on Saturday and Sunday to sew on this top until it is finished.  I have four more rows of flowers and path to add.

    I notice in the second row that the half flower on the right hand side is wrong.  It should have an orange outer ring and a pink inner ring.  I will be taking that half flower off and fixing that. 

    I fell out of love with this project before, but looking at this picture reminds me how much I like this and I am excited to work on this again. 

    Here's a picture of the three rows finished.

Another Lacey Scarf Started

   I had to take my car in for service today.  I always wait for my car when it's just an oil change and tire rotation so I needed a easy knitting project.  I decided to start a new scarf ("One Row Lace Scarf") so I could knit while I waited for my car.  To make this project I'm using white Red Heart yarn that I found in my stash and a pair of size 11 - 29" bamboo circular needles (I think they were made by Boye) which were perfect for this yarn and this pattern.  I'm loving how this scarf is knitting up.

Finished Lace Scarf and Starting A Hat

   Finishing this scarf makes me want to make a bunch of these in lots of colors.  Love the simplicity of the pattern and the finished scarf.

    This is not a flattering picture but I was trying to get the full length in the picture.  I think I stopped knitting at just over 6 feet in length.   I did not use the full skein of the second skein that I started, so I have leftover yarn, but I still love the scarf.  This scarf fits doubled around the neck perfectly.

   And this is close up of the stitches and how pretty they are.

I started another knitting project with a yarn I have had for at least two years when I bought six skeins of it because I loved it so much.  I made a couple of items with it in 2016.  I made a knitted neck warmer and a crocheted scarf with it and now I need a hat to complete the set.  This is Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable yarn in the Cappuccino colorway.  It's so soft and pretty.  To use up this yarn I decided to make my go to hat pattern "The Boyfriend Hat" by Stephanie Nicole.  The pattern link is here.  I'm going to use up the last four skeins of this yarn on this hat so I'm knitting this with double strands and I will knit this hat until it's gone so this will be a stocking cap style hat.

Grandmother's Flower Garden Quilt Update

   The first row is almost done.  I have five full flowers in my first row.  I still have to make a half flower to put at the end of the row so when I add the second row the edges are pretty even.  I will be appliquing this finished quilt top to straight edge borders and I think half flowers on the end of rows will make the quilt look more even.

Scrappy String Blocks For One Quilt Top Are Done

   I made the 49 scrappy string blocks I need for a quilt top.  I laid them out to see all the pretty colors.  Some of the blocks are placed in the wrong direction but that's easily fixed.  I just have to remove the paper towel foundation from each block and I can sew these up into rows.

   I'll finish this quilt top up and then I'll make more string blocks for another top.

I've Basted The Last Of The Hexagons Needed For The Quilt Top

     I finally finished basting the last of the hexagons to finish my scrappy Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt top.  These represent what I need to sew up the last two rows, there are 10 scrappy flowers, 2 scrappy half flowers, 134 beige hexies for the third round of each flower, and 92 green hexies to finish the connecting path around each flower.  I'll start sewing these together tomorrow.

   I'm almost to the end of my first spool of thread (Essential Quilting Thread from Connecting Threads, 1200 yards).  I can't believe how much of this top was done with one spool of thread since I basted each hexagon and sewed them together with double thread in the top.

Second Row Of The Grandmother's Flower Garden Attached

   I finally got the second row added to the first row.  I also worked on 7 half flowers to add at the alternate ends of every row so the sides of the quilt are equal and there aren't big empty spaces at the end of each row.  I have 5 more rows to make.

   

 

First Row Of The Grandmother's Flower Garden Quilt Top

   I have the first row of the Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt top put together.  This has taken me over a month to make, but I love how it looks.  Each block is about 7 1/2" wide without the green round and 12" wide with the green round.  The row is 47" long.  I have 6 more rows to make.