How Much Rug Does 2 pounds of Pendleton's Woolly Worms Make?

Woolly Worms from Pendleton Woolen Mills dyed by me.

 

A fellow weaver / reader asked me the following question:

You posted on your blog about buying woolly worms and seeing how much rug you could make for 2 pounds.

What was your result?  Thinking of buying some.

Linda in Tucson AZ

 

Fancifications Part 2: Red Sun-King Trim on a Black Coat

While I was fancifying a pair of jeans and my winter coat yesterday, I decided to dig into my stash and pull out an old roll of beautiful red silk ribbon trim.  I bought this more than 15 years ago when we were visiting family and friends in Toulouse, France, at La Drogerie.  It's called The Pharmacy, but it's not a drug store.  It sells fancy trims like this and other expensive embellishments ... It could be very addictive!   This was a very expensive bit of ribbon (I think it was $30/yard back then), and I've been saving it for something special ...  

The wait is over!

Yesterday at Goodwill, I found a black (Read: Empty palette for anything I want to do to gussy it up), mostly wool jacket that actually fit me for a whopping $8.  It's unusual to find decent wool items in the thrift stores these days, and even rarer to find something that actually fits.

I had enough silk ribbon to outline the zipper opening on both sides, along with the hood.  There was a little left over, so I also did the cuff of the left sleeve.  There wasn't quite enough to do both sleeves, but I may still use the remaining scrap to embellish the right pocket.

I am really happy with the way it turned out.

It makes me sad that summer is here, and I won't be able to wear this until sometime next fall.  

 

I also got this velvet hat, made by a company in Milwaukee.  It's a lot like the "house-is-cold" wool hat I wear most of the winter.  This one can be for warmer weather.  I paid $2 at Goodwill.  I do love a bargain!  It means I can spend more of things like pretty silk ribbon!

Fancifications Part 1: Turquoise Trim on Blue Jeans and ...

 

My friend Janna did a flying stint (Yes, she's a pilot!) in Saudi Arabia last summer, and picked up some gorgeous ribbon trims in the local open air markets.  She said these were cheap, and bought a roll for me.   She's doing the same job again this summer, too, so I will ask her for another roll of this pretty ribbon.

This weekend, I decided to actually use some of it ...

I added it to the cuff of a pair of jeans.

I also used it to decorate the hood of my winter coat.  Now that it's June in WI, I think I can safely put it away for the season!

Life is too short to save little pretties like this, so if you have some special ribbon in your stash, what are you waiting for?  Use it and enjoy it!

Progress on The Cathedral Windows Quilt: 14 Blocks So Far

 

14 Blocks done so far. (15 would have been better ...)

I laid them out on my bed to see how it's coming together so far.

The process was time-consuming, but relatively painless, and mostly done by machine.

 

Now the question is: Do I keep going? 

How many more blocks should I make? 

How big do I want this quilt?

I'm thinking a wall hanging, not bed-size. 

 

Here, I stood on a chair and tried to get a top-down shot.

 

This is the last block I worked on today, before I stitched in the colors.

Actually, that part is my favorite of the whole process.

 

It's a little tedious to do all the prep work on the white origami squares in the background.

But I do love the colors!

These are all 2-1/2 squares cut from my scrap pile.  Most of them have been in other projects.

I acquired a few from other people though ... 

 

Here is the same block, stitched down and with the teaspoon of stuffing added 

to give them a little poof in the final quilt.

 

 

Here are a few other blocks.

 

 

6 more blocks would be 36 more 9-1/2 squares. 

I might as well keep going and make a few extra ...

 

Here is the blank white background with the origami white Avalon muslin 

-- before the colors are added. 

Each packet is satin-stitched to the one next to it.

Most of those satin stitching lines are covered with the colored squares on the front side. 

 

Here's the backside, after the colors have been stitched on.  

Each square is complete and quilted-as-you-go.  

 

Here's the stack of the 14 blocks piled up. 

You can see that the little teaspoon of fluff makes it poof.

In case you forgot the overall project, here's another shot of the overhead view.

Here is the previous post on this project:

Cathedral Windows Quilt - A New Project and a New Tutorial

Cathedral Windows Revisited

 

 

Chenille Potholders

 

Chenille Potholders

I made a series of these in 2007 after someone in my fiber art group did a demo to show us how, but I couldn't find the notes, so I had to seek out a You Tube video to explain how to make them again.  Now if I can just find that chenille channel cutting tool I bought for that purpose ...

Why?  My kid is moving out on his own, and was going to take those old pot holders because he didn't think it was something I had made by hand.  Ha!   I'll make him some NEW ones.

 

Chenille Potholder not yet fluffed.

 

They are wonderful because once they are washed, they are nice and soft, but provide great insulation against hot pots and pans.  And they wear very well.

 

Chenille Potholder, fluffed.

It will get fluffier with subsequent washings.

 

How to Make Chenille Potholders by The Quilt Peddler in Fennimore, WI.

 

 

 

I also made him 2 other potholders made from 2 orphan blocks leftover from a very old 4-patch posey quilt project.  These remind me of Bastille Day.