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Crochet Rag Rug - or How to use up quilting scraps!

Crochet rag rug made from quilting scraps, mostly 2 1/2 inch wide pieces, but I was not fussy about it, some were closer to 1 1/2 inches.  It's wonderfully soft.  I would recommend using whatever colors you would like to stand out the most first, so that they make up the center of the rug.  I think the colors are more concentrated in the center, so this will help you achieve a "theme color".  Of course, random is always lovely as well.  This rug is very soft and thick (takes about 2 days to dry after washing).

This is an excellent way to use up quilting scraps.  It really made a dent in my stash.  Total time spent was around 8 hours (or 4 movies).  I would like to make another rug and sew together a few of my smaller scraps to use them as well.

Rooftop Gardening in Brooklyn

So, I have officially ventured into the world or rooftop gardening and it's thrilling.  It all started with a conversation with my neighbors who revealed that there was no longer a padlock on the door to our roof.  I'd been busy planting around the trees in front of my apartment, had approximately three 3'x3' plots to my name.  They were all nearly filled with flowers.  So, last week I begin rooftop gardening.

 

Some of the things I learned from my online research were: 

1. Use lightweight plastic pots - or be creative with plastic waste baskets or storage
2. Good drainage is essential
3. Plan on watering daily
4. Use mulch as a top layer to keep soil damp.

  

Knitted Floor Cushion

This pattern is from Last Minute Knits by Joelle Holverson.  I used Lion Brand Wool Ease in Navy (which made it much less expensive).

Scrappy Log Cabin Baby Quilt

Close up of free motion quilting.

Baby boy quilt, a present for my cousin's first baby.

String Doll Quilt, Many Blues

A teeny little doll quilt for my friend's little girl, who has been known to pick up a bathmat and use it as a blankie for her doll. The squares are about 4" each.

Antique Quilt Collection

There are a number of antique quilts at the building I work in. They are used as decoration for a few of the conference rooms. I don't have information about the history of any of them, but wanted to share.

Baby Stars Quilt

This is a baby quilt made from 1/2 square triangles (used something called thangles and they were amazing, a super fast & easy way to make them http://www.thangles.com/). I used Microsoft Word to create the monogram and then embroidered it using a satin stitch.

Blooming Nine Patch Quilt (actually four patch)

I took yet another class at the City Quilter in NYC on making a Blooming Nine Patch quilt. Our teacher has made a number of them and came to realize that there is no visible difference between a nine or a four patch. So, of course I took the easier option. This was a gift, so I used warmer color choices than usual. I used this company for longarm services (http://www.thequiltstudio.net/index.htm). They were great, inexpensive (one flat rate for all designs), helpful in picking out a border color over the phone, and kindly walked a novice (moi) through the process.

Shibori Hand Dyed Fabric Pillow

I took a fabric dyeing class at City Quilter here in NYC. The class was fabulous and included some arashi dyeing. This was done using the Shibori technique and then sewn into this pillow.

Work in Progress String Quilt & Temporary Design Wall

A work in progress string quilt. I'm also using a temporary design wall which is nothing more than a 99 cent store table cloth taped to the wall with duck tape. It's working beautifully! It took two rows of duck tape, including the sides, to make it stay.

Quilts from the Smithsonian Museum

"Art is a birth, and you can't go to a teacher and find out how to be born... you have to struggle... until that image, the one that comes out of your need to create, emerges."
Malcah Zeldis 1978

This quote was written on the wall at the Smithsonian Museum in the Folk art section, appropriate because folk art is consider work by artists with no formal training. Here are a couple quilts I enjoyed from the Folk Art section. They have a fairly large collection of quilts at the Smithsonian, but aren't always able to have them all on display. So, their website is a good alternative for viewing them.

Untitled
1986 Cora Meek

Coke Covers the World
1992 Otesia Harper

Technicolor Dream Blanket

This blanket is made entirely of scraps using a knit stitch throughout. I'm holding two strands together when switching to a new yarn in order to avoid weaving in all the ends.

Amish Quilt from American Folk Art Museum

These photos are from the American Museum of Folk Art in New York City, a delightful, pint-sized museum next door to the Museum of Modern Art. This Amish quilt was made in Lancaster, PA using a traditional pattern. There are some great quilts displayed on their website that were not on display at the museum. http://www.folkartmuseum.org/

The picture below is a photo I snapped of a JCrew window display. Prior to being aware of Amish quilts in the style above (although, probably subliminally aware of them), I thought that this would make a great modern quilt design.

American Folk Art Museum Quilts

These are a few quilts I saw at the American Folk Art Museum in New York, a charming and very tiny museum next door to the MOMA. The plaque next to the first quilt said that the makers name was so prominent in the quilt, because there were few ways for women to get recognition at the time. Also, labels were necessary for practical reasons as textiles were expensive. http://www.folkartmuseum.org/

Chartreuse Cowl

This cowl was made without a pattern. I just cast on 16" size 10.5 circular needs until full and used knit stitch throughout. It became looser/larger and I was able to wrap it around twice, which I prefer. The yarn is LB Collection Silk Mohair in Sunbeam, available here: http://cache.lionbrand.com/

Manly Cable Scarf

Cabled scarf made from free pattern from Lion Brand (avail for free on their website) using their Alpine Wool.

Purple Migration Quilt

This quilt started off with a few fat quarters and a desire to play with color. I just kept collecting shades of purples, blues & pinks to merge with one another. It's machine quilted with two different shades of variating thread.

Baby Kimono Sweaters

I love making these little sweaters. I'm currently working on my fourth. The pattern is from Greetings from Knitcafe. I used a Lion Brand Yarn (LB Collection Cotton Bamboo), which made it a particularily enjoyable knit. More details at Ravelry. http://www.ravelry.com/projects/afaulhaber/judys-grandmothers-baby-sweater-2

Berlin Scarf

Scarf made using the Berlin scarf, pattern avail at http://www.purlbee.com/. Made with Alchemy Migration yarn in Hummingbird colorway.

Antique Quilt

Photo of an antique quilt owned by my cousin, who's also an avid quilter.

Knitted Hat

Little hat, knitted as a gift from the book Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Holverson (of Purl). Available at http://www.purlsoho.com/.

Citrus Coin Quilt

This is a little baby quilt, a commission as part of a crib set. It was fun to make and came together very easily & quickly. I machine quilted around each row of coins, which was also simple and fun.

NYC - View from the Subway