Friday, July 10, 2020

Happenstance Fun!

Happenstance!  I love when people come into your life by happenstance!  Especially when those people bring with them an understanding of my dillydally nonfunsense!
A year ago this month, Kimberly Einmo came to our remote corner of the planet!  Our guild had invited her to teach two classes! 

It can be difficult to entice Quilt Rock Stars to come and teach at such a small venue ... but Kimberly and her husband Kent are adventurous!  Their enthusiasm for our community was infectious!  They immediately felt like longtime friends!

We had so much fun ... and learned new quilting tips and techniques!  I love this photo of Kimberly with two of my favorite QBees, Barb and Terry!
I am making my Lone Starburst units into a Quilt of Valor for a local veteran!  During that busy day I finished enough units to complete one star!  There is no deadline ... and I have many WIPs ... too many to count!
Longtime followers know how much I love "Her Majesty", my Janome 6600!  Kimberly is a Nat'l Spokesperson for them!  Not only do I follow Kimberly as a friend and quilter, but also for all the Janome information she shares!  
As happenstance would have it ... on June 4th, Kimberly hosted a sew-along on the Janome Facebook page, Janome Sewing Classroom!  To thank many of the Janome dealers that she works with, she has been making Pineapple wall quilts for their stores!  Sew ... by happenstance I decided to put other projects aside and join the fun!  I pulled some fabrics from my stash ... ready just in time for Kimberly's live broadcast!   
True to Kimberly's word ... this quilt did go together quickly!
It was fun to use multiple fabrics and then determine the layout!
Within hours ... over a two day period ... the top was finished.
I added a narrow border around my version ... here it is pin basted and ready for machine quilting.
Straight quilt lines following the geometric lines found in the piecing!  I chose the Janome 6600 specifically for the built in walking foot feature ... no happenstance was involved when I chose "Her Majesty"!
The magic of happenstance was involved in the quilting of this Perfect Pineapple as well ... when I finished there was about one yard of thread left on the spool!  Holy Buckets of Happenstance Luck!
Bound!  Completely finished!  I love the results and am so happy I allowed happenstance to lead the way! Thank you Kimberly ... for sharing your time and talent with quilters worldwide ... adding a bit of cheer during this pandemic!  

Do what you love!  Embrace happenstance!  Do dillydally!
Mrs. DillyDally

P.S.  Pulled out my Lone Starburst ... hoping a bit of happenstance helps me finish it this month!

Friday, June 26, 2020

Silver and Gold!

Dillydallying on a whim!  When you allow yourself to respond impulsively to a creative opportunity!  Sew much fun happens!
I love being open to things that happen to come my way!  I was scrolling through my Instagram feed and a lap sized quilt caught my eye!  I don't remember who posted a version of this quilt ... but I followed the #festivefirquilt and fell in love with this design and it's possibilities!  Within 10 minutes I had gone to Jamie's site, Sew Brainy Designs,  purchased, and down loaded the pattern!  Access to PDF patterns makes it possible to get started immediately!  With my newly printed pattern in hand, I went to my Holiday fabric stash!  The pattern includes instructions for 3 sizes and I wanted to make the 18 inch pillow/wall quilt size.

While thumbing through my fabrics ... this tune entered my mind ... Silver and Gold!  


I only had a small collection of silver and gold fabrics, but it was enough!  Pulled three options for the background and settled on the navy with gold metallic dots.

I cut each step as I went, so it wasn't long before Her Majesty and I were chain piecing the silver and gold ornaments that were to create our tree!
The instructions were very well written and easy to follow!
Before long ... all twenty ornament units were pieced!  Super simple and fast!
Next came piecing the star ... those were tiny flying geese units!  Grateful I only needed to make four!
A star that shines!  
As always ... the most difficult task was deciding the layout!  
Once the layout was determined, I just cut rectangles for each row and pieced them together.  
It went together sew quickly!
Next ... I layered and pin basted it!  I have zero talent when it comes to machine quilting ... so I keep it very simple!

Always fun to play a bit of "bobbin chicken" ... life is never dull with Her Majesty!

I chose to sew horizontal lines every half inch ... Her Majesty's built in walking foot is the reason I bought my Janome 6600!  I love that feature!

Binding on!  Project on a whim finished! 
 
And yes ... of course I watched the movie while making this little wall quilt!  Here in DillyDallydom ... Holiday music and movies are enjoyed year round!

Suddenly my dillydally whim turned into a windstorm!  Because sometimes quilts are just like potato chips ... it is impossible to eat/make only one ... I returned to my stash and pulled fabric for the lap sized version of the Festive Fir Quilt!  I plan to cut it out and wait to piece it during our guild's Christmas in July event!

Do what you love!  Follow a whim!  Do dillydally!
Mrs. DillyDally


Monday, June 22, 2020

An Iceland Inspired Sweater Journey!

When I am excited and inspired by something ... I love to share it!  Whatever it may be ... everything is more fun when it is a shared experience!  After visiting Iceland in 2019, I was so inspired by the sweaters that represent their culture!  

The best way to share my enthusiasm was to teach a Icelandic Inspired Sweater class!  Before our lives were turned upside down, I had the opportunity to do just that! 
 
Ten local knitters signed on to take this Icelandic knitting journey!  We met at our local yarn store, The Net Loft, in January to choose designs and yarn colors! In February ... our journey began! 

Malani's Journey

Malani knit a sweater for her daughter who is in first grade.
Her daughter helped choose both the design and the colors.
And here her daughter is proudly wearing the sweater her mother knit specifically for her!  Just adorable!

Angela's Journey

Angela chose "hot pink" for the body of her sweater!
I love a knitter who is fearless with color!
The results ... a gorgeous sweater ... for gorgeous Angela!
Angela also wanted a red sweater ... you guessed it!  She knit two sweaters during our class!  Amazing!

Sue's Journey

Sue knit a child sized sweater as well!  This will be worn by her grandchildren!
She used neutral colors with a pop of gold and turquoise!
The results are stunning!  Many of us want one in our adult size!
This sweet granddaughter has a younger sister and brother who will also wear this sweater once she out grows it!
Absolutely adorable!  A special sweater made with love to keep her warm!

Melissa's Journey

Melissa chose a variegated teal color as the primary color for her sweater.
She worked diligently waiting for the color work to begin!
And look at the result ... a stunning yoke design!
And even more beautiful when worn in the wild!
She wore her sweater, just as the Icelanders do ... outdoors!
Immediately after our class ended, Melissa knit one for her husband! There is nothing sweeter than a couple wearing hand knits! 

Amber's Journey

Amber knit a sweater for her son!
I love the bold use of gold contrasting with the blue on a natural background!
The yoke design used with her chosen colors really brought out the graphic design of the chart!
On a whim, she tried it on during our last class!  It fit her as well!  We all wonder ... who in her family has claim to this beautiful sweater?  Love it!

Fe's Journey

Fe chose to use worsted weight yarn for her father's sweater.
We all loved the rich colors she used!
The perfect backdrop for an Icelandic inspired sweater ... snow!
I can easily imagine how handsome her father looks in his sweater ... and I look forward to running into him here in town while he is wearing it!

Lisa's Journey

Lisa's sweater could easily be mistaken as a sweater directly from Iceland! 
Most Icelandic sheep are white, resulting in that many of the sweaters seen in Iceland are white.  The green Lisa chose as the accent color really makes the chart design shine!
Absolutely beautiful results ...
... and even more beautiful in the outdoors! 
 
Brooke's Journey

Brooke grew up in a fishing family, so it was no surprise that she chose this design using a wave motif.
The touch of lavender ... really dresses up the yoke design!
A gorgeous finish!  Love how the yoke frames her beautiful face!

Lauren's Journey
Lauren chose the same design as Brooke ... and I love how each tweaked it and made the design their own!
Her first sweater and even with travels throughout the process, she finished it on time!
Look at that smile!  She has every reason to be pleased with the beautiful results of her knitting!
And here she is ... wearing it in the wild ... exactly where an inspired Icelandic sweater should be!

Gabby's Journey

Gabby's oldest son is a huge Star Wars fan!  That alone makes this child one of my favorites! So she carefully chose a design and colors that would convince him that it was a Star Wars inspired sweater!
I think she nailed it!  Members of the Rebel Alliance needed this sweater while on the planet Hoth!
As a young mother of two, we all know that what you do for one, must be done for the other!  Immediately after finishing the Star Wars sweater, she made this adorable duck sweater for her youngest!  Just so you know ... these two boys are just as sweet as their sweaters!  Gabby has begun her third Icelandic inspired sweater ... this one is for her!

A special thanks to The Net Loft for providing the space and resources for our journey!  We used this book that provided a wide variety of traditional Icelandic designs.  It was great that The Net Loft staff was willing to special order the yarn colors each participant chose!  That kind of customer service really enables the knitters to create one of a kind sweaters!

I am so appreciative of each of the ten women who bravely followed me on this Icelandic inspired journey!  Some were very experienced sweater knitters and others had never knit a sweater!  It wasn't just the knitting ... they politely tolerated my nonstop chatter about all things Iceland!  The last class was held on March 14th ... it was that evening that Mr and I began our quarantine staycation!  Today marks the 99th day of social isolation ... ugh!  I really appreciated that these women shared pics of their sweaters being worn and used as intended!  But ... knitting is a tactile experience ... we touch and handle the yarn to create something that will be touched while worn.  Once this staycation has ended ... I think we need a reunion ... an opportunity to see and touch one another's knitting!

Do what you love!  Do dillydally!
Mrs. DillyDally