Who's up for some Jolly July?

 This morning, I printed out a free stitching calendar from Fat Quarter Shop and set about planning my Jolly July stitching projects.  I have decided to free up three evenings per week by not knitting for the month of July, and adding three more cross stitch projects...primarily 3 stitch alongs.

Last year I did the Bat's and Boo's Quilt & Stitch Along, so naturally I want to do it again with the 

Boo Crew Quilt & Stitch Along.  This is a FREE mystery pattern.  Got my fabric and floss bag all ready as this starts Tuesday July 5, for 4 weeks.

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I did not take part in last years All The Trimmings Quilt & Stitch Along, but this years sneak peek at the Christmastime Quilt & Stitch Along is calling my name.  Maybe not the Quilt ...but definitely the Stitch Along.  This is also a FREE mystery pattern.  Got all my fabric and floss ready, we are just waiting on a start date from FQS once the fabric for the Quilt Along is in.  

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Then finally there is Letters to Santa which is a paid for mystery pattern which comes weekly in the form of a PDF file, starting July 1.  Got my fabric and floss, and pretty little needle minder all ready.  Such a fun project to start on Canada Day!!!

 

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So here is how my Jolly July evenings will work out.

Monday:  Baby Permin Sampler

Tuesday:  Boo Crew

Wednesday:  Song of Christmas

Thursday:  Catch Up and/or Whatever Takes my Fancy

Friday:  Letters to Santa

Saturday:  Christmastime

Sunday: Jungle Baby Sampler

For more information on how my Jolly July is shaping up, don't forget to check out my Tobyknits FlossTube on YouTube, especially today's as it includes all my fabric and a floss toss for the new projects.

Until next time, craft on!!

Tobyknits Episode 111

Hello crafty friends,

Each Monday I add a Knitting podcast to my YouTube channel…this week is no different. Check it out

Tobyknits Episode 111 -  Is this the end?

https://youtu.be/Xl5x-EFdd2k

And then find out what’s happening in July to switch things around a bit!!  

Until next time ….craft on. 

Applique babe

Hands up if you have ever done an applique quilt? Or appliqued a panel? Or made a picture applique wall hanging? If you raised your hand, your one step ahead of me. I am very....very...new to applique and my first venture into this colourful art is a block of the month project I am doing with Taylors Quilting and Sewing shop in Brockville, Ontario. The Duck, Duck, Goose pattern by Maags and Me. This pattern involves a duck applique block joined to other fabric blocks. Its super sweet. Here is my first block.

First Applique Ever

The finished Block

Now while this is super fun to work on, although the mini blocks are a bit of a pain to cut out...I started looking into more styles of applique, particularly scenes or pictures.  I came across a video on Laundry Basket Quilts YouTube channel all about raw edge applique, and I knew I had hit pay dirt!  Click this LINK to see what I am talking about.

So I immediately purchased the book Seasonal Silhouettes off Amazon ....ordered Splash Batik fabric from the Fat Quarter Shop,  and got started.

First I gathered the supplies I needed.  The Book....Pencil, Pen, Paper Scissors, Fabric Scissors, Heat and Bond, Splash Batik fat eighth bundle, Iron and Ironing Pad/board.  

I decided to do the July wall hanging first, and googled a Canadian Flag as the book only has the US flag.  For those not aware, July 1 is Canada Day.  Next I placed the heat and bond over the page and traced the silhouettes using a pencil.

Once all the parts were traced and heat and bond trimmed down, I selected the colours of fabric I wanted. Placed the heat and bond on the WRONG side of the fabric and pressed.  Just 1-2 minutes. 

Next, I made a cuppa tea and sat down to watch a bit of telly while I cut out the silhouettes.  I love cutting stuff out, don't you?  Reminds me of when I was a kid and played with cut out dolls.

I had previously cut my background panel....so laid it onto the ironing board with the paper layout chart beneath.  It was a bit hard to see as I don't have a light box, but an overhead light helped.  I then started laying the pieces out...making sure which ordered to add them, under and over pieces etc.  Gently pressing with the iron when I was ready.

And here is the finished piece....not bad for my first attempt.  Next I have to add borders, and then baste together with the batting and backing piece.  At this point I will be ready to do the raw applique, which is a straight stitch all around each piece about a 1/4" inside.  Once that's complete....I will show you.  

Better yet, check out my latest Tobyknits Quilty Fun video on Youtube for a close up look.

Let me know what you think of this super cool applique style.  Comment below, I would love to hear from you.

Until next time, craft on.

Cross Stitching Beginnings

Although I was born in Liverpool, England, my Dads job moved us around quite a bit.  He worked for Owen Owen, a large department store as a window dresser, then went onto be a Display Manager.  Every promotion, we moved up and down the UK.

First to Southampton when I was 10.  Up to the City of Bath, then back up to Merseyside and on and on.  It was while I lived in Bath, that I discovered Cross Stitch. There was the cutest little shopping arcade called The Corridor, which was just that.....a little corridor of shops.  There was a knitting shop there, which included cross stitch kits.  Cross Stitch intrigued me, so I bought my first kit.  A Lanarte Alphabet, Letter A. 

My First Ever Cross Stitch

I have no idea where this cute little cross stitch picture went....somewhere in a box in the garage perhaps?  I am still missing a whole box of cross stitch pictures since we moved 5 years ago ....but for those who want to know what I am currently stitching......check out this weeks Flosstube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTXoZqmwRIw

After you have watched it, tell me which of my projects was your favourite.  I am curious to know.  Until next time, craft on!!

Who Knits in the Summer?

 I am having a little struggle with myself right now.....knitting in the summer.  Where I live - Ontario, Canada....it gets very very hot and humid during the summer months.  I also seem to lose my knitting mojo when the weather gets bright and cheery, probably because there are other more fun things to do, like camping.  Yes, I have taken my knitting with me camping....but it often lays idle on the bed as we are out walking, or lounging under the awning, my attention lost to the activities of the camp ground. 

I am currently working on three projects:

Triangulum Blanket by Ellie Jones

Owl Cowl by Kay Jones

Flax Sweater by TinCan Knits

So here are the questions. 

1. Should I put them ALL away till say September and not think about them?
2. Should I choose one only to work on and hibernate the other two?
3. Should I just knit them when travelling in the car somewhere? (p.s. I don't drive!!)
4. Should I just suck it up and keep on knitting?

How do you manage summer knitting??  

For more information on my knitting projects, check out my Monday episodes of Tobyknits on my YouTube channel.  Until next time, craft on.

And I am back!

 It's been ages since I wrote a blog post.  It's not that I did not have the time for it, but the fact the web interface I was using (a paid website) was too complicated for this old brain.  So I stopped.  I missed it.

So back to what I know...blogger may not have all the fancy gadgets and pretty layouts, but I understand how it works and it's free!

For those of you who are new here, or just randomly found this blog....my name is Anne and I love crafting.  My three favourites are featured on my YouTube channel each week:

Monday is all about the knitting, a craft my Nan taught me as a kid.

Wednesday is a flosstube ...so its cross stitch, my oldest love.

Friday is Quilty Fun, my newest addiction.

Click the link here, TOBYKNITS to take you to the latest episode.

Anyway, this is going to be a place to chat with you all....probably mostly about my quilting, but you never know what you will find from one week to the next.  It's also kind of like a crafty journal for me to look back on too.  

I also make and sell a few things, which will be in the Shop tab, once its operational.  Until next time, craft on.

Knitting with Toby