MUG-RUGS... small, quick project... fun, too.

Just for fun, cut six squares of fabric about 5 inches [4.5 works, too].  Charm squares are perfect -- no cutting! Cut one 5" square of cotton batting, for 'filling'.  Fold 4 of the fabric sqs in half and press. I like to use at least two contrasting fabrics.

"Weave" them together to make a 5inch [or 4.5] square that fits on top of one of the other 2 unfolded squares.

Layer: INSIDE fabric facedown on table; 5" Sq of thin cotton batting; then OUTSIDE fabric, RightSide UP.  Now carefully lay your 'woven' bits on top. A couple of pins to hold your stack might be helpful.

SEW: all around edges with 1/4" seam... doesn't need to be perfect. To make turning easier, I place a thread spool at the corners and draw a nice curve which will give you nice rounded corners instead of points that have to be pushed out. 

Of course, if you want a totally square look, just stitch corner to corner.  OPTION: After stacking, you can always lay another shape on top... such as Heart, Circle, or Shape of your choice drawn on FP and stitch around that.

After sewing is complete, TRIM any bits, especially the corners. Then I like to ZIGZAG the edges for neatness as I toss mine into the laundry and wash with the towels - so I like mine a bit durable! lol. 

Reach fingers into center and TURN right side out... smoothe the edges and rounded corners; PRESS, if you like, and voila! you have a MugRug ready to use.

Makes a nice little gifty to tuck inside a card.  Can also be used to "identify" wine glasses or drinks at a party, 'cause you could give everyone a different color/fabric. The stem slips into the center and stays on the glass, AND, it will still protect your furniture because of the cotton wadding inside.

This is my first attempt at writing a "process post"-- I took the Pledge recently.. please see the button on my sidebar. [see also: Rossie's, Pat's, and; Rosa's blogs for more info].  Hope you have fun with this. If you find a mistake, please let me know so I can fix it. Thank you so much.

Have fun...and I hope you have a great day!

Hugs,

Cyn; -)

PS: You could also embroider the recipent's name in one of the corners... etc.. You are only limited by your imagination. Very versitile project. Fun to do with kids & seniors. I am sorry I can't give credit for the original pattern as this idea has been floating around for decades and no one I know remembers! My apologies to the original creator.
ERRATA: Thank you, Tich, for finding a little error: When LAYERING, put first fabric RS down, then batting sq, then outside fabric RIGHT SIDE UP. The text inside the post has been fixed.  Thanks again for your help, Tich... aren't friends wonderful?! You betcha.

Eat Less, Move More. . . That's my plan

The truth is I need to lose 50 pounds! Sheesh... but, hey, doc says so.  Hard to argue with reality! lol.

My plan is to: Eat Less and move more. Also to increase Veggies and Fruits, eat more Whole Grains, limit sugar and reduce caffeine. Sounds reasonable. . .ya?!  We'll see. So far over the past 12 days I've lost 4 lbs, but I expect the rate to slow down to 1 or 2 lbs per week, which is a reasonable goal. Golly. . . Pacing, Moderation, Reasonable... haven't been my fave words, but I'm trying! lol. 

Right now I walk around the house for 5 minutes, 3 times each day. I'm doing stretching and a few "chair exercises"... arm movements, etc..  I can walk outside when I am accompanied, as I still have some dizzy problems from the stroke in March and recent surgeries. In preparation for that, I'm looking for a BIG hat to shade my face from the sun while outside.

Please wish me luck and success.  The other part of my plan is to post here and update the 'ticker' in the header of my blog. . . I'm hoping this will keep me "accountable."  If you happen to be on a similar journey, please feel free to post a comment here or email me and we can support each other. 

My real inspiration came from my dear friend, Elaine, who is amazing and dedicated to improving her health and well being! Another friend, Rosa, is also on this road. I got the 'ticker' above by clicking on Rosa's. So, if you want one for your blog, just click on mine. ; -)

Thanks for listening. . . talk to you soon with some quilty stuff!
Hugs,
Cyn; -)
PS: My "weight tracker" has been changed and moved to the side bar.

Friendship is Golden!

Hello. . .

Thank you everyone for the beautiful emails and well wishes you've sent me. I'm still healing, but things are going along well.

This beeee-oooo-ti-ful Orchid was sent to me by five lovely friends. Isn't it wonderful?!  I just LOVE orchids!

The picture below is a closeup of the fabulous Lapis Blue Ceramic Pot that this gorgeous Orchid was delivered in.  It has been at my house for several weeks and it is still in BLOOM! Wonderful. I will treasure this plant for all the years that it decides to live with me!  Orchids thrive on neglect, so that's good news, and my kind of plant! lol. Thank you again dear dear friends... you know who you are. ; -)

Here's a closeup of one of the flowers... orchids facinate me with their shapes and color shading.

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This post is just a quickie... but I'd like to mention that I'm taking pics of some easy small projects I'm working on and will share them with you soon. Also have designed a new project I'm calling "MicroMitts".  I'll post the pattern here just as soon as I work out a few more kinks! lol 

As it's been a month, almost to the day that I've posted, I just want to say "Hi!" and "thank you" to everyone. . .I sure have missed Blog-Land.

Many Hugs,

Cyn; -)

HELLO WORLD. . . A Quickie-Post ;-)

This is just a real quickie-post so you don't think I've fallen off the edge of the planet! lol.

I had surgery, but am on the mend.

I will have some nifty pics to u/load, hopefully next week.

Meanwhile... go sew something and hug someone you love!

"Talk" to ya soon. . .

Hugs,

Cyn;-)

DECISIONS, Decisions. . . HELP... Which background ??

A few more stars are sewn  up and I need to choose a background. Can't seem to decide, so thought I'd put a picture on my blog and see what others think. 

Which is better, the GREEN, or the BLACK ? 

 

The black [it might even be very dark blue!]seems to help the colors in the stars 'pop', but it can't run through the printer using INKLINGO [to print the shapes] because the back of the fabric is too dark... I'd have to use FP templates, or EPPing.  The green might not be the best choice, but it WILL go through the printer and simplify the final cutting & piecing!

Sheesh... I can't decide. What do YOU think?

Thanks for stopping by and having a look. I appreciate your comments and opinions.
Hugs,
Cyn; -)

QUILTER'S RUN - First Weekend. . .

The Southern California Quilter's Run began this weekend. My DD Laura drove me to the Temecula, Riverside, & Fallbrook areas to visit their shops last Thursday. [pic on right shows the block from The Temecula Quilt Company - pics below show various ways to use it].

The one above is 'cheater' fabric and the version on the left is pieced.  Below, the block is shown made into a 'pocket' and applied to a large tote. . . isn't that neat? I love it! Cheryl, the TQC owner is a wonderful and creative designer.

Today I hope to cover several of the local shops. This year every QS is providing a FREE quilt block pattern to all the runners, along with a 'charm'.  Here's one idea on how to use the collected charms -- a necklace:

Most of the shops I've already visited are also offering a small packet [for sale] with all the necessary fabrics to make their shop's block. Here are a few pictures of what I've seen so far. . .

This Shoe block is from the Quilter's Cottage in Fallbrook and the second pic [below] is how their staff has put it into a quilt using several of these blocks... cute!

  The next pic is of the Quilter's Coop block made into a pocket and placed on a purse. I love the little "flip flop"... fun!

Well, that's about it for now. Hope you enjoyed the "little quilt show" of blocks and project ideas.

Have a wonderful Sunday. . . I'm off to go visit the local shops and see what they are doing.

Hugs,

Cyn;-)

FIRST Tomatoe of the Summer. . .

Hurrah! We have harvested the first tomato of the summer from our potted tomato plant.  This poor little 'mato won't win any beauty contests, but it was very tasty! lol

The Southern California Quilt Shop Run has started and will be going on all weekend, so after my morning class I will be off again to go check out what the local quilt shops are offering.

More later. . . have a wonderful day.
Hugs,
Cyn; -)

Quilt, Knit, Garden... oh my!

Hi! Today I'd like to share some photos to "catch up" on project pics and bring my blog current:

First a wonderful little quilt made by my friend Steffini. She does impeccable work... some of those "pieces" are less than 1/8" -- wow! Thank you again, Steffini.

Remember the Shawl I was working on some months ago? Well it knitted up really fast on size 10 needles in Unspun Icelandic Wool that I buy from here. Since then the poor thing has been languishing while I figure out how I'm going to block it. It measures 74 inches across, unblocked! Blocking will definitely help the lace designs pop out and be more visable. Now if I can figure out a space big enough to pin it out. lol

Two of the three orchid plants in the house are in bloom... I just love orchids; they are my kind of plant as they thrive on neglect!

DD and I are trying our hand at growing a tomato plant in a pot in the front yard. This location gets lots of sun and is away from her dog who sometimes likes to "decorate" the yard plants. Yuck! lol.

It is fairly loaded with green fruit now and has a RED one kinda buried in the center of the plant. If you look closely, you can barely see the red peeking through the greenery. Let's hope the rest of them redden up... yummo!

We planted a lemon tree last year and it has really taken off. Even tho' it remains somewhat scrawney, it sets quite a bit of fruit. We're hoping to get enough lemons at one time to make a Lemon Meringe Pie... my fave!

That's it for tonight... hope everyone had a wonderful day. Thank you for stopping by and hope you will visit again soon.
Hugs,
Cyn; -)

WOWZER ... Blog Has A New Face...

When I signed in today a little message popped up. Looked like it might have some new design opportunities for my blog... and it did! After just a few clicks, I now have a totally NEW LOOK! Now that was fun and totally frustration free! lol

I had tried this before a few times but got 'lost' in the HTML or whatever language it was using. LOL. This makeover just took a few mouse clicks! I love it when something is changed to be easy and simple!

Today I'm printing up more Inklingo diamond shapes for some buddettes I'm trading with. I'll post another picture of these cute little diamond stars after I make more progress.

Hope you like the "face lift" my blog received today. I really like the blue sky and soft white clouds that are in the new border--reminds me of driving down the road which is something I really like to do.

Thank you for stopping by & have a nice day everyone...

Hugs,

Cyn; -)

Hello World... I've been away sooooo long

Some friends and I are hand piecing little stars made from six one-inch diamonds. We are using Inklingo to minimize the prep work -- NO templates... prints right on the fabric! ;-) ! We have been printing and mailing strips of diamonds to each other to increase the fabric variety in our projects.

So far I have 14 little stars sewn up:

This is the pile

of mostly 'brown'

fabrics that I printed

and mailed first:


And below is a pic of the back of a sewn star... I just love the way the s.a. swirls and flattens out so nicely. See the 'printed' lines & cross-hairs on the back of each piece? That's Inklingo. It's not necessary to print this dark, but with these ol' eyes, I'm making it as easy as possible & it shows up better in a photo! lol

OK... I've been real bad and haven't kept up with my blog. Health issues got in the way, but I'm starting to get back on track.

That's it for now. . . thank you for visiting . . . have a great day.

Life is good!

Hugs to all,

Cyn; -)

A quote from inside my fortune cookie of last week:

"Education will never be as expensive as ignorance." Makes sense to me. ;-)

Happy Mail . . . a surprise from STEFFINI!

This absolutely amazing hankie was handmade by SteffiniD and sent to me for my recent birthday. It is embroidered with a cake, candles [the 'flames' are bullion knots!], and balloons -- this little gal loves balloons! lol. A birthday wish is stitched in the corner, along with the date. Note the tatted edging! WOWZER, I never saw anything like this before... it's perfect! The back of the hankie looks almost identical to the front--Steffini's work is that precise! Thank you, Steffini!

Steffini also sent this lovely how-to book about needle-tatting, a few tatting needles, and some thread! I've been playing with this book... it's great! I've completed a couple of tiny practice items, and will post pics soon. This is gonna take a lot of practice... I can tell! lol

In addition to all her other talents, Steffini can also cook, bake, can, etc..... So, she whipped up a big batch of Cran-Apple Butter and sent me some! YUMMO!!! Amazingly enough, I had just baked a loaf of sourdough bread early Friday morning and had creme cheese on hand, too... guess what this lucky little gal had for her breakfast??? Wow, jar is pretty too!

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Steffini's gifts [except the apple butter!] were all tucked inside pockets sewn on a lovely wall hanging she made. Now that's what I call a clever presentation! Picture to follow...I want it hanging on the wall before I take the picture. It's gorgeous!

Thank you for everything, Steffini. I am blown away by your generosity and will always treasure your gifts, but most of all, I treasure your loving friendship!

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Today -- Sunday -- was a lovely day here in my little corner of the world. The sun was shinning, it was neither too hot nor to cool, a faint breeze was blowing off the ocean, the birds were singing. It was lovely indeed. Days like these are special. I truly hope your day was as wonderful!

More soon,

Hugs,

Cyn;-)

YIPPEE-SKIPPEE: Network up and running. . .

Hello World!

Let's see, it's been since August that I've posted! WOWZER! I have experienced more than a few putter problems at my end of the keyboard and I was ill for a few months which really slowed me down...lol...so, it has taken this long to get things going again. Persistance, that's the key! LOL

I will be u/l pics real soon and bringing the blog up to date... but meanwhile, just wanted to say, "Hey!" to everyone and to send special thanks to all of those who left comments and emailed me privately with their well-wishes. Thank you so much!

More to follow, soon!

Hugs,

Cyn;-)

Knit, InterNet-woes, & Missy hanging out. . .

Hello Friends. . . The center of the shawl is complete and now I'm "binding off" by knitting-off the 576 stitches into a lace edging:

This Icelandic Unspun yarn is so very warm that I knit while keeping the whole thing in a plastic bag on my lap! lol. It helps a little bit and it does keep my kitty off of it. . . Missy loves to 'knead' her paws in this soft stuff.
Look closely to see the bamboo needle sticking out of the shawl near the upper right corner [in the pic below]; that's the center! OMGoodness, but this is going to be one large shawl! LOL. I was planning on blocking it on my queen size bed, but as you can see, that plan will have to be revised!

Here's Missy hanging out in her fave chair by the front window. She sure knows how to stretch out and REEEE-LAAAAX! lol. She's a lot of fun to watch.
Internet update: Still no U-Verse Line! *big dissapointing sigh!* . . . Not sure how long it will take. Originally it was only supposed to be a couple of weeks! Oh my. Not being able to get OnLine everyday with my friends has given me a horrible case of "Internet-Putter-Withdrawal"! LOL

I remember something my dear Mother used to tell me. . . that if one looks hard enough, there is good in everything. So, while not being on the putter has been awful, it has provided me with a ton of knitting time. LOL. The knitted shawl is almost done. Only about 200 more stitches to 'knit off' to complete the lace edging.

Well, that's it for now. Thank you for stopping by & leave a comment if you like. . . I enjoy reading them.

Hugs,
Cyn;-)

Quickie: Where am I? Updates & So forth. . .

Hello Everyone!
"HI!". . . No, I didn't abandon Bloggerland, I've just had computer problems out the wazz-zoo! [might be a technical term...lol]. Still don't have it all sorted out yet, but there is now light at the end of the computer-tunnel! lol.
So, here's what I've been up to:
Knitting update:
First, thank to you everyone who has written me about the shawl I'm knitting. I didn't know there would be such interest, but now that I do, I'll post my progress.
Mistake! Watching a movie on TV while knitting a new-to-me lace pattern was probably not very smart. hehehe. I made too many mistakes to easily correct, so just yanked the circular needle out of all 288 stitches, pulled the knitting back about 10 rows or so and put them back on needle to resume knitting. Oh yeah, that was a lot of fun. lol. Not! All's well that ends well, though, and I'm clicking right along. Have almost finished the main lace pattern in the central third of the shawl -- a more recent picture to follow soon.
Friends, Vacations & Play Time:
Last Wednesday I met a friend and her family at Disneyland. They are visiting from Alberta, Canada. We've known each other through emails, photos, & a couple of phone calls for several years, but never met until now. Over time we have become good buddettes. It was so much fun to finally met! We spent the afternoon strolling through the Park, taking a few rides, and visiting the Blue Bayou Restaurant in the New Orleans Quarter for an early but sumptuous dinner. Their little boy got a real delight watching the boats from the Pirate's of the Caribbean ride floating through the water that runs through the restaurant. What fun! I love that place. They brought me a box of special Canadian cookies -- YUMMO! Wow, do I love these cookies, or biscuits as they are called on the box. I am sad to say the cookies didn't last long as DD and I ravaged the box! lol. It was hard to save ONE for the picture, but I plan on snacking it off this afternoon... wouldn't want it to get lonely just sitting in the box all by itself. You believe that. . . ya?! lol

A couple of weeks ago we began exploring some dyeing possibilities at my Tuesday afternoon quilt class. First we did scribbles with markers and the following week we did 'direct dyeing' using Procion Dyes. The pic above and below are two of my efforts. The assignment was to make something in USA patriotic colors to be later incorporated into a wall-hanging appropriate for July.

I still have a bit more piecing of bits and blocks, plus borders to add, but these are the two pieces of dyed fabric that I'm starting with. I'll post a pic of this quilt later when it is complete. I'm still fine-tuning my design and will probably add a silhouette as well.

Well, that's it for now. I sincerely hope that your summer [or winter for our Southern Hemi friends] is wonderful and that you've found some time to stitch or knit. . . thank you for stopping by,

Hugs,

Cyn;-)

PROJECTS: New & Ongoing... Knitted Shawl & Road Less Traveled quilt

This is the latest block for the Road Less Traveled quilt I've been working on. I'm still deciding on the final corner squares. . . I may just leave what I have and not change them [u/left corner]. . . not every block can be a star. . . ya?!

This is the beginning of a new shawl. It will be circular in shape -- I've always made them square before. Even though the shawl is knitted, it begins with a crochet hook. This is often called "Emily Ocker's" beginning: make a loop & put desired number of single crochets into the center of loop -- I'm using 9 stitches. Transfer to double point needles & begin to knit. It may feel a bit fidly in the beginning, but after a row or two everything will settle down. Later, the little 'tail' can be given a tug and the beginning circle will close -- no one will be the wiser as to how you began! Isn't that neat?!

This shawl will be made from unspun Icelandic wool that I get from here . Unspun Icelandic comes in several nice natural shades and a couple of 'dyed' ones, like this rose color. It comes on a "wheel" rather than a hank or skein. It is a delightful yarn to knit with. I'm using only one strand so the shawl will be very light, but this yarn will also make it quite warm!

Pic to the right is the beginning, which is now on four double point needles. I've decided to use size 10.5 US size. This will make the stitches large enough to be 'lacy'.

And to the left, it is moving to a 16" circular needle. I don't bother to 'transfer' the stitches, but simply begin knitting with the new needle. Soon it will be on a 24" circular which should see me clear through to completion. I'll post updates as the knitting progresses.

Oh, in case anyone's interested, I'm using the geometry of Pythagorus: the relationship of a circle's circumference to its radius will double in progressively doubling rows. What this means to us knitters is. . . begin with nine stitches and knit one row; next row double the stitches by YO, K1, repeat all around [18 stchs]; now knit 3 rows plain; double the stitches again [36 stchs] and knit SIX rounds plain; repeat same doubling & also double the number of plain rows of knitting in between the stitch increases... now knit 12 rows [72 stchs]... etcetera. I was reminded of this theory of Pi from high school days, by Elizabeth Zimmerman when her "Knitting Workshop" program aired on PBS back in the 1980's. BTW, if you never purchase any other knitting book, get her "Knitting Workshop" book as it will take you from a beginner to a master knitter in 12 lessons. In my view, EZ has been the most influential person in the knitting world. Her daughter Meg now carries on EZ's business, publishing & teaching.

This pi shawl is a good carry around project as the shawl creates its own 'knitting bag' once it's on the 24" circular needle... I just tuck it into my purse along with one wheel of yarn and I'm all set to knit anywhere, anytime. . . like today where I will be spending at least one hour waiting to have new tires put on my car.

Have you noticed the cost of new tires lately? OMGosh, the amount of yarn and fabric I could buy for what these tires are gonna cost just staggers the mind! lol.

All for now. . . thank you for stopping by,
Hugs,

Cyn;-)

Note: As always, just click on any picture to enlarge it. Also, the little blue 'pin' is used to mark the very first stitch. It's a good idea to place a marker at the beginning of the round and slip it on each successive round. . . use a coiless pin or yarn in another color, that way you always know where you are. *g*.

Purse: Knitted w/Cables & Bamboo Handles....

As so often happens, one of my DDs saw a picture of something and wanted one for herself. I saw a version of this purse on the Vogue Knitting website and showed it to DD#2 [first mistake]. She said, "ooooo, I'd LOVE one, but I really want it to be BLACK" . I said OK... [2nd mistake]. Then she cooed that she'd prefer not to have knitted handles; could I attach something else?! Oh, sure [3rd mistake]. I took her with me to the store to pick out her handles {major mistake!}.
So. . . now we are going to knit up a purse just like the pattern, only "different," with oval bamboo handles connected to top of a rectangular shape, and it will be black! Black is always harder for me to knit with... I don't see the stitches as clearly... oh well, black it is! lol.
Oh, and 'we' need it lined with pockets inside... I said I'd try [another mistake]. The yarn was purchased Mar2008; I knitted the 'body' over the weekend at the DJ Retreat in Shipshe in April2008, and finished adding the lining, crochet, & bamboo handles the evening of July 1st, 2009.... as things go, I guess that's not too bad! lol... at least it is no longer a UFO. DD loves it... I'm glad. ;-)
So, here it is... the completed purse. The pic is pretty bad and the scissors are just stuck in to show there are pockets inside. It looks grey in this pic, but trust me, it's b-l-a-c-k! The lining is grey, though.

That's all for now... thank you for stopping by,
Hugs,
Cyn;-)
PS: If the top edge looks a little different it's because I added two rows of single crochet [to firm up the edge] before I crocheted a 'gusset tube' [I don't know what else to call it] to secure the handles. Until I got the hang of what I was trying to 'invent,' I felt all thumbs holding the purse, handles, yarn and crochet hook. lol. Well, all's well that ends well... I guess...eh?!

Dyeing With Markers. . .

A week ago last Tuesday the lecture in quilt class was "What Now?" An interesting title. The instructor demonstrated using permanent markers -- such as 'Sharpies' -- on clean dry muslin, let dry [or not, artist's choice] and then apply Isopropyl [70% or higher] alcohol using a mister, sponge brush, or pouring.



After some alcohol. . . this will change the surface based on the application method. I used a combination of brushing and pouring. Let dry & 'cure' for several days; heat set with dry hot iron; rinse, dry, and iron again.



This flower reacted quite a bit differently than I expected, but then that's part of the fun of this technique.




The outside edge of the fushia color was applied using another 'permanent' marker I found at Michael's craft store. . . don't remember the brand name. This color really ran!


I think I may do some heavy free-motion thread painting over the top of this flower, cut it out and apply to one of the canvas tote bags I use when grocery shopping. I figure I can use this 'dye-goof' to increase my free-motion experience. I have nothing to lose but some thread. . . eh?! *g*

Later, I'll post some pictures of what these 'experiements' look like after putting them through a bath of Synthrapol -- it took almost ALL the red markers out and caused the blues n greens to migrate over the whole surface. Now that was unexpected! I learned NOT to put marker-dyed fabric in synthrapol-- just rinse & heat set. Well, live and learn! LOL

Last Tuesday we shared the results of our 'direct' dyeing experiments using soda ash & Procion dyes. These turned out somewhat better... pictures to follow...

That's all for now... thank you for stopping by,
Hugs,
Cyn;-)