GreenStitch Episode 44 - Cutting a rug

Thanks for tuning in to Episode 44. Here's the link to the audio recording.

My first little locker hooking project. I didn't love the process, but I did like it enough that I don't mind using up the rest of the canvas I bought to make a larger rug.

I found this YouTube demo published a few years ago - check it out here.

I was fascinated by these adjustable pattern-drafting tools at the Farmers' Museum in Cooperstown, NY. This volunteer was kind enough to show us the hand-loom process for a good long while.

Sewing machines!

Oh, yeah, and then there was that baseball museum. Look! Brooks Robinson!

Lou Gehrig! Jackie Robinson! Roberto Clemente!

The tail of my friend Beth's new shirt. Bad dog! Bad Tucker! (not really)

It was easy to transfer the shape of the gaping hole onto paper and make a template for the patch.

Here's the newly patched shirttail hem of Beth's shirt.

Doesn't Beth look great in her sleeveless shirt? (and nice setting for a photo, right?!)

Finally, I can't resist sharing this shot from our campsite in Cooperstown. We were very careful to keep the cats inside the RV, of course, but Betty parked herself regularly on the steps looking out into the woods.

GreenStitch Episode 28 - A stitch in time

"A stitch in time saves nine," or so goes the old adage about mending. It's a humble art, but apparently a disappearing one. Let's change that. Listen to the episode here.

Here are a couple of YouTube links to show you some simple repair techniques:

• Mending a hole in a sweater
• Sew a blind-stitch hem
• Patch a hole from a button-down collar

Here's my handy-dandy mending kit. No rocket science here - just an old peanut butter jar with a pincushion glued up top. But it's amazing how having everything all in one place makes a difference between "I'll mend a few things tonight" and "I'll get around to it someday."

The key, for me, is having just enough in there - not too much. I try not to let this become just another junk drawer.

Finally, here's the finished chorale quilt. I don't think the photo shows it that well, but the antique lace embellishments scattered throughout add a lot to the visual depth of the quilt.

I also think this is the first quilt I've ever made without a border. I've been seeing lots of borderless quilts lately, and they seem to have a more contemporary feel, so I thought I'd see how it worked. I liked it.