It's Not All Just Non Stop Quilting Around Here

I finished crocheting "Pixie Hood" for one of my granddaughters.  I recently found out she has a fascination for hats so I've started making some for her for Christmas.   I made this with a yarn I've never used before - reflective yarn. Those white splotches reflect light and there's kind of a glow in the dark effect. What fun.  And woe is me... I had to try and try again in order to get that front section of the hood right. Those were some new-to-me stitches. 

When I showed the granddaughters this book this is the one I expected Isabelle to pick as a favorite and she did. A "Pixie Hoood" is totally Isabelle. At age 11 she dresses in a rather Bohemian (artsy-fartsy) way.  And I think that's a good thing. She already has her own style and is not preoccupied with brand names. 

This was my goal #21     for    Finish-A-Long Quarter 2

And since I've finished this pixie hood I'm going to start another hat today.

 I work a few rounds of crochet...

... when I take a break from working out in the gardens.  

I guess crochet stitches are hand stitches (no machines involved in this process- just some old fogey hands and a crochet hook and yarn) so I'm linking up today with 

Slow Sunday Stitching (and for me, gardening) at Kathy's Quilts

and Monday I'm linking with: 

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

Brights Out - A Quilt of Lesser Value

Brights Out

60 x 78

Made of pastel string scraps

A donation quilt

I made the blocks last year as a Heartstrings challenge to make string blocks with light centers. I used a light gray calico with pastel colored flowers. It was fabric left over from a long skirt I made all too long ago. (It was cute too - a maxi skirt with buttons down the front). The rest of the fabrics were from the light colored strings scrap bag. 

I still managed to put some novelties (the smile factor) in the quilt - owls, feathers, butterflies.  In this section.  I must have been smiling when I got there because you can see my quilting swirls kind of went wonky at that point. 

I used another gray calico for the borders - fabric left over from an A line dress I made all so long ago.  (I haven't worn a dress in ages). 

I pieced together batting (with zigzag stitches) and I used a Martha Stewart 100% cotton pink floral sheet from the thrift store for the back. (It's amazing what people take to thrift store. There was not a tear or spot on it.)   I quilted it with spirals on my new little Bro. (Hey, I have arthritis and carpal tunnel so give me a break)! 

And why do I have so many bags of pastel strings I need to use up? They are mostly trimmings from sheet backings. 

This was my goal #7       for      Q2 Finish-A-Long

AND 

I'm linking up to: 

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Finish-A-Long Quarter 2 Goals

It's time to declare some goals for the second quarter of Finish-A-Long.  Last quarter I finished up 6 out of my 14 goals but I did get farther along on some goals I'm carrying over to this quarter.  I probably would have finished more if I did more FMQ instead of hand quilting but I do love hand quilting. 

1.  Rolling Stones (birthday blocks) - have enough blocks for a quilt and I didn't make any of them. I'm thinking I'll add a thin cream sashing.  

2. Dresdens - have enough blocks for a quilt.

3. Twinklers - have enough blocks for a quilt.

4. Kaleidoscopes - have enough blocks for a quilt. 

5. STARZ - have enough blocks for a top.

6. Feathers - it's a top. Needs some hand quilting. 

7. Pale strings - pieced batting and backing ready. Needs pin basting and FMQ.

8. Happy Butterflies - batting and backing is pieced. Needs pin basting and FMQ. 

9. Butterflies - Can't decide whether to hand or machine quilt. 

10. Mystery - really, really, really old mystery quilt needs some quilting so it can be donated. 

11. Velveteen Rabbit.   Ready for some hand quilting. 

12. Butterfly Garden - in the hoop. 

13. Vintage Tulips - It's just waiting for some hand quilting. 

14. String Star - have all star points made. 

15. Wild Kingdom Jacob's Ladder - Need more blocks. 

16.  Fractured - leftover fabric pieces from Petunias leftover from Pickle Dish. Need more blocks. 

17. Flying Geese - leftover fabric pieces from Vintage Spin. Not sure of layout. 

18. Patriotic Chunky Churn Dashes - need more blocks for Quilt of Valor. 

19. One of my granddaughters has an obsession with hats so for Christmas I'm going to crochet her a box of hats. My other granddaughter will probably want the same. 

20. Crochet hat

21.  Crochet hat - reflective yarn! This is the one Isabelle picked out of the book as her fav.  And I guessed it would be her fav.

22. And I still haven't made that darned purse! 

I have high hopes. High apple-pie-in-the-sky hopes. 

2016 Finish-A-Long