Not much sewing (and a link party)

Due to an unfortunate encounter between the sidewalk and my knee, not much sewing this week :(

But I have been planning and adding new project on the list!

The Ongoing Project List:

1. the SK project - no progress
2. SYS2015 future projects - missing few steps to complete the object!
   (this is going to be my project for A Lovely Year of Finishes - May)
3. D wall hanging -  no progress
4. B quilt - no progress
5. Spangled Stars Quilt-along - joined and planned my version
6. Block Swap Adventure - waiting for May project
7. Tapestry Crochet projects - kitty pouch done, block for afghan planned

The EverythingElse List:

1. Embroidery calendar - no progress
2. Animal blocks for charity quilts - paused for a while
3. Project of Doom 2015 @ Fandom in Stitches - paused for a while
4. College Days Blog Hop blocks for tote/grocery bag -  no progress
5. Alice in Wonderland quilt - no progress
6. As You Wish -  no progress
7. Happy Halloween wall hanging -  no progress
8. Crazy optical illusion -  no progress
9. Memory quilt 2 - no progress.

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Susan (quiltfabrication.blogspot.com) shared several color options for the great Quilt Along Spangled stars!! I loved the design since she first posted it, but the initial color scheme was a little bit too white to be a drag-around quilt ;) her different Color Ideas are just so inspiring! I love all of them, but I decided to go for one that may work best with the scrappy look my quilt will have ("flowers in the garden").

Of course I couldn't just pick a color and a size and call it a day :) because that's just not me! I had to customize it even further! I took that design, imported it in Gimp and played around with size and colors.
So this is my current plan

Original design by Susan,

my current draft: modified layout for colors/size

I wanted a more "square" look, so I took the twin option and cut it down a bit. The final size should be around 69''x75''. 

Then I like the idea of the blue background, but I thought that having a completely scrappy layout would be too busy. So I will try to arrange the blues in a gradient order. I am not sure yet if I will use a single color for each row or if I will make it scrappy across the row as well... I have to start sewing the blocks and see them in real life :)

Cannot wait to start!!

Click the button for more information!!

  

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Since I went back to crochet (for SYS2015) I have been in love with the simplicity of the single crochet stitch and I found this wonderful technique (called tapestry crochet) that allows to create fancy designs with two colors and just SC!

Googling around I came across this fun kitty bag (by Carol Ventura): the objects made with this technique have very intricate designs but they are super simple!! It's just all single crochet, worked with 2 strands at the time (one carried inside the stitches, and then you switch between the two colors when needed). There are several video tutorials and instructions on how to do it, so it's not hard to get obsessed with it (like I am right now ;) ).

So this is my first try at this technique:

(Dimension: 7'' x 5'' x 2'')

I modified the final object adding a zipper and boxed corners (I don't know if people do that with crochet objects... but I thought the pouch was too tall and too flat for my tastes... and boxing the corners seemed to be the perfect answer for both issues :) ). I love the final result!!

And now I am obsessed with this technique and I want to make myself a "sampler" afghan. But first I have to figure out what I like and how it looks like :) so I designed a little pattern and decided to stitch it with different methods. Then I will evaluate the results and pick the one I like the most for the afghan.

So this is the design. It is pretty simple but it has several key components (curves, sharp points, narrow strips, full shapes).

My tapestry block design... and my helper helping out ;)

First try: all SC, turning the work after each row

(Dimension: 5'' x 5.5'')

Assessment:

• I like the texture: it's tight and full but not too heavy
• it's simple and works out pretty quick
• since SC is not the same front/back, there are some issues on the edges where color changes
• for the same reasons, sharp points (1 SC) are not so precise. The same issue can be seen for the narrow strips (both vertically and horizontally)

I don't know if this is going to be the winning approach... let's see how the others go :)

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What are YOU going to link?

An InLinkz Link-up