tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-290249472026-07-07T18:50:53.290-05:00My crafting adventures with fiber.SusanBLuvsCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11799662324337358683noreply@blogger.comBlogger368125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29024947.post-37477200008432476032024-10-21T18:47:00.000-05:002024-10-21T18:47:55.550-05:00

Handmade for Charity, my list of charities that accept handmade items, has moved to the blog. Tips on Making Items for Charity has also moved to the blog. Both lists have been updated. Dead links are gone and things are grouped into categories to make them easier to use. This was completed 2 weeks ago. Today, I updated the contact page on the blog. I replaced the "mailto" link with a

SusanBLuvsCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11799662324337358683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29024947.post-66836140089854907692024-09-27T16:54:00.001-05:002024-09-27T17:03:17.453-05:00

The work I plan to do before shutting down my Handcrafting with Love website at handcraftingwithlove.net is progressing in spurts, but slowly overall. Currently, all of my patterns have been copied to this blog. Today I removed the pattern instructions on handcraftingwithlove.net and added a link to the new location on the blog on all of the pattern pages. The Ravelry pattern pages

SusanBLuvsCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11799662324337358683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29024947.post-64270139637976938192024-08-06T18:45:00.001-05:002024-09-27T17:03:40.325-05:00

Long before I had a blog, I had a website. Early versions used free webpage space from my internet provider. Somewhere along the way, I named my website Handcrafting with Love. In June, 2006, I created this blog with the expectation that there would be more frequent updates than I was making on the website and that was true for a few years. In early 2010, I acquired the

SusanBLuvsCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11799662324337358683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29024947.post-46452292920994920532024-02-06T18:46:00.001-06:002024-05-23T18:09:54.252-05:00

Last fall I spent 2 weeks in Albuquerque with my friends Wanda & Roger. Some crafting happened while I was there, but no pictures were taken. A third friend, Phyllis, didn't get to see the quilt tops and requested pictures after I got home and took photographs. So this post is for Phyllis. First, I finished stitching together the quilt top from the September kit from our 3rd Sunday

SusanBLuvsCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11799662324337358683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29024947.post-43488426866930673152013-03-07T20:31:00.000-06:002013-03-07T20:31:34.004-06:00

In the world of sock knitting, there are many sock patterns, but few patterns for knee-high socks. If you like to knit knee socks, Knitting Knee-Highs: Sock Styles from Classic to Contemporary by Barb Brown probably has at least one pattern that will interest you. At first glance, I wasn't very interested in the book. The first half of the book has patterns for socks with stranded color work.

SusanBLuvsCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11799662324337358683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29024947.post-55102498243858879452013-03-04T14:54:00.000-06:002013-03-04T14:54:15.107-06:00

I kept hearing about a secondhand store that sells fabric and yarn. A couple of women in our Knits & Needles group at the library had been there. After our Knits & Needles meeting about a month ago, I headed across town to buy groceries at Aldis. I decided to go a few blocks out of my way to check out this secondhand fabric and yarn store. Just a quick look to see what it was all

SusanBLuvsCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11799662324337358683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29024947.post-91213324522729737692013-03-04T13:47:00.000-06:002013-03-04T13:47:24.886-06:00

This week I'm quilting a couple of tops so they'll be finished and ready to turn in at our next Project Linus group meeting. But I couldn't resist arranging some strips I'd cut for another bargello quilt. So on my design wall are the strips for Life's Ups and Downs #2. Look what's hiding over on the right edge of my design wall: Cobblestone blocks. There's 11 blocks now; still a long

SusanBLuvsCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11799662324337358683noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29024947.post-84463040279438118432013-02-18T19:24:00.000-06:002013-02-18T19:24:24.689-06:00

That lonely little Cobblestone block from last Monday is still on my design wall, but it's not so lonely now. It has 4 friends. Our Project Linus meeting yesterday was my only piecing time last week, since I spent the week finishing quilts to turn in. I remembered to take my leader / ender project to the meeting and finished 4 more Cobblestone blocks. Head on over to Design Wall Monday at

SusanBLuvsCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11799662324337358683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29024947.post-22391056921995603052013-02-17T23:09:00.000-06:002013-02-17T23:09:44.808-06:00

Our Fast & Fun quilt top for February 2013 was Up & Down. Our Third Sunday group met today at JoAnns Fabrics in Independence, MO to work on Project Linus blankets. Up & Down is a 40" by 48" quilt featuring 2 coordinating fabrics plus an accent fabric. Jodie had plenty of kits ready complete with instructions for us. We had a small but dedicated group today. Jodie was the first to

SusanBLuvsCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11799662324337358683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29024947.post-65429856675660867172013-02-16T21:16:00.000-06:002013-02-16T21:16:54.659-06:00

I finished quilting both Diagonal Puzzle and Life's Ups and Downs, so they are ready to turn in at our Project Linus meeting tomorrow. Diagonal Puzzle Quilt On Diagonal Puzzle, I ditch quilted the edge to edge seams between the horizontal rows of blocks. Then I quilted zig-zag lines from top to bottom, first going through the center of the black squares on one row, then zagging at a right

SusanBLuvsCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11799662324337358683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29024947.post-27342351457867226782013-02-11T17:07:00.000-06:002013-02-17T23:12:07.901-06:00

One lonely Cobblestone block has been on my design wall for nearly 2 weeks. This is from a leader / ender project I started after finishing the Diagonal Puzzle top. I have several more blocks in progress. And yes, my design wall really is that dirty. That flannel sheet used to be white. After stitching together the Life's Ups and Downs top, I moved into finish-em-up mode. First up, a Scooby

SusanBLuvsCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11799662324337358683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29024947.post-22356105420679161602013-01-31T21:09:00.001-06:002026-02-18T19:01:28.651-06:00

I stitched my bargello strips into a quilt top. You may recall that I used the Life's Ups and Downs pattern in Quilt It with Love: The Project Linus Story as my guide for this quilt. I made one major detour from the instructions. The Life's Ups and Downs instructions say to sew a strip of border fabric to both the top and bottom of your strip set. You crosscut the strip set, arrange the

SusanBLuvsCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11799662324337358683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29024947.post-46904565374017944762013-01-28T09:31:00.001-06:002013-02-17T23:12:07.903-06:00

I'm working on a bargello quilt. Arranging the strips so no seams lined up was a challenge. The focus fabric is a really cute lizard print. My sister got me Quilt It with Love: The Project Linus Story for Christmas. The book has a bargello quilt pattern called Life's Ups and Downs that caught my eye. Some time back, I was given a fabric packet of coordinating 8" to 10" wide strips for a

SusanBLuvsCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11799662324337358683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29024947.post-13434456745350773802013-01-27T20:26:00.001-06:002026-02-18T18:53:23.298-06:00

I'm a bit late (what's new?) reporting that the Diagonal Puzzle blocks I showed on Monday are stitched together into a quilt top. Here's a closer look at the wonderful fabrics Jodie put in this kit. Although, it wasn't a lot of stitching, I didn't stitch the last seam until Wednesday. Why? One clue is in these strips for a bargello quilt hanging to the right of the Diagonal Puzzle top.

SusanBLuvsCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11799662324337358683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29024947.post-84211136760173339442013-01-21T15:46:00.000-06:002013-01-21T17:25:12.474-06:00

On my design wall today are my quilt blocks from yesterday's meeting of our 3rd Sunday Project Linus blanket group. Our Fast & Fun quilt top for January 2013 was Diagonal Puzzle and it proved to be a bit of a challenge. One group member misunderstood the instructions and is creating a totally different design. My seam ripper was my best friend as I kept stitching squares onto the wrong

SusanBLuvsCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11799662324337358683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29024947.post-35436514687008623442012-12-24T20:32:00.000-06:002012-12-24T20:32:42.478-06:00

'Tis the season for secret projects. I've been making some of those. Here's a teaser from one. I love the way the linen stitch looks in this variegated yarn. Unfortunately, I had trouble keeping a consistent stitch gauge in this worsted weight cotton yarn. I think I frogged more knitting than I deemed good and usable! For the inquisitive, the yarn is Sugar 'n Cream, color number 19017,

SusanBLuvsCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11799662324337358683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29024947.post-79889997469472261722012-12-24T17:57:00.001-06:002024-10-02T17:54:58.122-05:00

Just added to the Handcrafting with Love website, Libby's Patriotic Four Patch is an easy quilt design made with 4 coordinating fabrics. Instructions are given for traditional piecing from cut squares and for strip piecing, so choose whichever method you prefer. Libby's Patriotic Four Patch was written as a Christmas gift for my BFF's mom. I designed this as something she can make for

SusanBLuvsCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11799662324337358683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29024947.post-41244943407607957642012-06-04T09:42:00.000-05:002012-06-04T09:42:37.071-05:00

There hasn't been a lot of sewing going on here in the last week. It took me until Saturday to figure out just how I wanted to do the 1st and 3rd borders on the wolves. Then I realized that the scraps of purple and the 2 blue prints were too small. At that point, I quickly invented Plan B and cut some fabric. It won't take long to stitch on the 3rd and final border. Conveniently, there are

SusanBLuvsCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11799662324337358683noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29024947.post-37302962738199389932012-06-03T20:07:00.000-05:002012-06-03T20:07:13.242-05:00

A real gem! A sock knitting book that covers the basics in detail for beginners, yet also has sock patterns that are not just the basic sock in a different weight yarn or made with self-patterning yarn. Getting Started Knitting Socks by Anne Budd even has a knee sock pattern, something you seldom see, and I love knee socks in the winter. The book begins with discussion of suitable yarn types

SusanBLuvsCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11799662324337358683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29024947.post-89642620603347729582012-05-28T12:15:00.000-05:002012-05-28T18:58:52.434-05:00

I finished the strips of flying geese and stitched some 5" friendship stars for the corners. The squares in the stars finish at 1 2/3" which caused some interesting measuring and cutting. Now the challenge is to decide how to turn some of this fabric into a border between the center panel and the geese,and a border around the outside of the geese and stars to finish the quilt top. There

SusanBLuvsCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11799662324337358683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29024947.post-66512682406833599862012-05-27T21:22:00.000-05:002012-05-27T21:22:55.183-05:00

Our Fast & Fun quilt top for May 2012 was Modern Chain. Our Third Sunday group met at JoAnns Fabrics in Independence, MO last Sunday, May 20, to work on Project Linus blankets. Modern Chain is a 36" by 50" quilt featuring 2 solid or near solid fabrics and a fun variety of 6½" squares. As always, Jodie had fabric kits and instructions for us. Louise is back from spending the winter

SusanBLuvsCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11799662324337358683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29024947.post-16807022586875410152012-05-22T22:32:00.000-05:002012-05-22T22:32:28.350-05:00

Partly inspired by the fun color patterning of the yarn, partly revived by a 4 month break from sock knitting, I'm working on my Simple Skyp socks almost daily. I finished the feet and heels in 3 weeks! Just look at the fun stripes produced by the Opal Hundertwasser yarn (color 750 (3206) "Blinde Venus"). I'm going to love wearing these socks. Here's a top view of the instep so you can see

SusanBLuvsCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11799662324337358683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29024947.post-57485760165260036852012-05-21T15:46:00.000-05:002012-05-21T15:46:04.376-05:00

The howling wolves have been joined by some flying geese. This UFO is back on the active project list. Saturday morning, I spread the wolves on my cutting table to measure the length and width. I grabbed a pencil and some paper, did a few calculations and decided to make flying geese that finish at 2½" by 5". Most of my geese are laying on the cutting table waiting for the corners to

SusanBLuvsCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11799662324337358683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29024947.post-83901940541241473902012-05-20T21:56:00.000-05:002012-05-20T21:56:02.449-05:00

Our Third Sunday group met today, but let me play catch up and tell you about our Sunday, April 15, 2012 meeting. Our small group of Project Linus blanketeers meets at JoAnns Fabrics in Independence, MO on the 3rd Sunday of every month to make blankets. Jodie is our dedicated leader and she creates quilt kits for us. There are also quilts ready to tie and quilt tops with backing fabric and

SusanBLuvsCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11799662324337358683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29024947.post-46613972039406353162012-05-14T18:31:00.000-05:002012-05-14T18:31:03.610-05:00

My design wall has a big empty space today. I stitched together the blocks I had on my design wall last Monday and added borders to create this Fat Quarters Big Blocks quilt top. Here's a view of one corner that shows all 7 fabrics in the quilt top. I really like how these fabrics work together. The top looks so great, I hated to take it down to layer it with a back and batting. But I did

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