Christmas pillow rip off

Christmas pillow rip off, originally uploaded by stitch-by-stitch.

Totally 100% inspired by Crazy Mom Quilts. Maybe in time for next year's christmas :)

3rd Offset Wraplan

3rd Offset Wraplan, originally uploaded by stitch-by-stitch.

This is my 3rd Offset Wraplan. But this one is a keeper for our baby 'R'. I've yet to knit the button plackets but I'm loving the colour combo and the feel of the yarn.

I had left this one as a WIP probably over a year ago. I hadn't even created a Project on Ravelry for it. When I dug this out of my WIP pile, there was only the one sleeve and button placket to finish it. I even already have little buttons ready to go for it.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Bickies and granola

Bickies and granola, originally uploaded by stitch-by-stitch.

I have been after a good granola recipe for a while. I've been buying prepackaged yoghurt with granola in it and loving it so I thought I'd make my own. I'm going to use SouleMama's recipe. Wish me luck!

Then I also saw One Flew Over's Many Biscuits recipe and thought I'd give that a go too. I'll bring them over to my brother's place on Christmas Day :)

Thanks ladies for the great recipes.

Controversial Latvian Garden Baby Blanket

Controversial Latvian Garden Baby Blanket, originally uploaded by stitch-by-stitch.

Yay, after 8 months, I've finally finished this blanket. Baby R is due at the end of January. Not that he'll need a warm woollen blanket then of course being summer. It's not a very square blanket because it was my first time knitting continental, in the round and fair isle, not to mention steeking! So one end is tighter than the other. I don't think R will mind :)

Pattern: Baby Blanket Latvian Garden
Yarn: Wollmeise 100% WD Stella Polaris, 100% WD Am Kalten Polar and Twin Schwarz
Backing/binding: Kona Pacific
Tutorial for backing/binding: Here but I doubled the overhang on each side to 2"

Textured Shawl

Textured Shawl, originally uploaded by stitch-by-stitch.

I've slowly been getting back to my knitting WIPs and have so far completed 3 of them. This is my latest one. Textured Shawl Recipe. It's a gorgeous shawl that I'm making using Malabrigo Yarn Silky Merino in Cape Cod colourway. I'm onto my 2nd ball of 4 that I'm hoping to use all of. It's so light and lovely. I can't wait to see this one finished.

Christmas stockings

Christmas stockings, originally uploaded by stitch-by-stitch.

Being Dutch, I've never had my own Christmas stocking. Then I met my hubby and he had one from when he was a kid. Then we had our son and he had one made for him while in the NICU just after he was born. It's a bit sad to see a mantel with just the 2 stockings. So I decided to take it upon myself to make us all matching ones using Fabricworm's tutorial. There is a 4th one there for our son who is due to be born mid January. He already has presents under the tree.

Contra bibs

I made a deal with my friend, Lisa, to swap her photography services for things that my husband and I could supply her. So we are giving her a cordless phone set and these 4 bibs. She has 3 boys under the age of 4...crazy girl. I hope she likes these :)

Fabric: Riley Blake Circle Dots and Monaluna Chain Dots
Backing: Cloud9 Organic flannel

Matching pillowcase

Here is the matching pillowcase to match the Babushka quilt I made for a work colleague. I hope you like it, Gina!

Gina's response (verbatim): "OH MY GODDDD!!!!!!!!!!! I absolutely love it!!!!!!! That's the best thing I've ever seen!"

Prebaby photoshoot

On the weekend we had a pre-baby photoshoot. We chose to do it on the beach. We also got married on the beach 5 years ago. Lisa (Lisa Leek Photography) did the photos then too. Unfortunately, both times the wind seemed to follow us. Anyway, we battled through and here is a sneak preview.

Babushka quilt

Babushka quilt, originally uploaded by stitch-by-stitch.

I've finally finished binding and pictures of this quilt. I made it for a work colleague for her 'glory box'. I had to quilt this one twice due to the puckering. I can't wait to take a class so I can stop that once and for all.

Fabrics used:
- Kokka Trefle Matroyshka
- Jellyroll - Moda Bliss

Backing: Kokka Trefle Matroyshka
Binding: Moda Bliss Tulips Lime
Batting: 100% cotton
Finished size: 40" x 50"

Random Reflections quilt

Random Reflections quilt, originally uploaded by stitch-by-stitch.

I've finally finished binding and taking pictures of this quilt. It is a huge one (for me). Quilted by Karen from Quilts on Bastings.

Fabrics used:
- Jellyroll - Momo by Freebird
- Jellyroll - Basics in Snow

Backing: Freebird Ovals in Grape
Binding: Freebird Eggs in Grape
Batting: 100% cotton
Finished size: 59" x 65"

My new Spoonflower fabric!

Evening Stockings for a Young Lady

I'm using this as my portable project and am loving it. It's an easy pattern to memorise and is going very quickly. I've been meaning to make these socks for such a long time. I fell in love when I saw these ones. It took a long time to find similar coloured yarn but eventually found it on Etsy. Even better than I was able to match the gauge exactly with it!

Beep-Beep quilt

Beep-Beep, originally uploaded by stitch-by-stitch.

I thought I'd show you how this quilt looks on baby R's cot. I love the colours. And talk about a perfect fit. Thanks again, Kate!

Tickled Pink quilt

Tickled Pink quilt, originally uploaded by stitch-by-stitch.

I have fallen in love with this quilt. It has a lot of firsts in it. I used Oh Fransson's crazy 9 patch tutorial. But I only used 8 fabrics so each square has one double up. But I ended up with the right amount of blocks. I also tried free motion quilting for the first time which pretty good success. It goes so quickly!

Fabrics used:
- Denyse Schmidt Four Square Fiesta
- Denyse Schmidt Thistle Leaf Fiesta
- Robert Kaufman Pure Organics PFD
- Densye Schmidt Dimaond Dandys Fiesta
- Sanae Oz Dots Pink
- Denyse Schmidt Wallpaper Fiesta
- Kokka Trefle Sewing Notions Pink
- Joel Dewberry Napsack Berry
- Robert Kaufman Kona Solid Stone
- Joel Dewberry Dogwood Bloom Berry
- Keiki Wee Stripe Pink
- Amy Butler Memento Burgundy

Backing/sashing: cotton linen blend
Binding: Kona Deep Rose
Batting: 100% cotton
Finished size: 34" x 40"

FOR SALE IN MY ETSY STORE

Rainbow Bright quilt

Rainbow Bright quilt, originally uploaded by stitch-by-stitch.

I've finally finished binding this gorgeous quilt. It's such a shame that the basting/quilting went so horribly wrong. I love the fabrics and the bright colours. Something different for a baby than the all too usual pastels available.

Fabrics used:
- Patty Young Dandelions Fuchsia
- Monaluna Organic Woodland Chain Strawberry
- Jenn Ski Bees Orange
- Dinky Dots Lime
- Monaluna Organic Pebble Lines Citron
- Laurie Wisbrun Itty Bitty Chairs Grass
- Riley Blake Cheery Circles Green
- Monaluna Organic Woodland Chain Teal
- Riley Blake Cheery Circles blue
- Robert Kaufman Quilter's Linen Purple
- Patricia Bravo Chick Paper Dark

Backing: Riley Blake Cheery Circles blue

Binding: Kona Lime

Batting: 100% cotton

Finished size: 37" x 47"

DISCOUNTED IN MY ETSY STORE

New stash

I received this little stash addition in the mail the other day and forgot to show it. The colours in real life are much more on the greener side. Not so bright royal blue. This was a bit disappointing but still great for a boy.

Michael Miller Ring Dot Turquoise
Michael Miller Ta Dot Teal
Robert Kaufman Kona Solid Dafodil
Echino Nico Helicopters Blue (85% Cotton/15% Linen)
Robert Kaufman Kona Solid Marine
Echino Nico Glasses Gold (85% Cotton/15% Linen)
Robert Kaufman Kona Solid Teal
Monaluna Çirca 50 Pebble Stripes Citron (100% Organic)
Echino Nico Bicyles Turquoise (85% Cotton/15% Linen)
SEI Playful Geos Teal

And this one, though mine was slightly different.

Amy Butler Full Moon Polka Slate (pictured but out of stock, substituting Castle Flourishes Royal Blue)
Anna Maria Horner Mixed Signals Seafoam
Robert Kaufman Kona Solid Sky
Heather Ross Rapunzel Light Blue (75% Cotton/25% Linen)
Heather Ross Roses Natural (75% Cotton/25% Linen) (pictured but out of stock, substituting Heather Ross Sleeping Beauty Natural)
Robert Kaufman Kona Solid Ash
Heather Ross Moon and Stars Natural/Gold (75% Cotton/25% Linen)
Cosmo Cricket Crosshatch Yellow
Heather Ross Moon and Stars Tangerine (75% Cotton/25% Linen)
Amy Butler Full Moon Polka Tangerine (pictured but out of stock, substituting Lizzy House Flags Orange)
Denyse Schmidt Pie Basket Fiesta
Michael Miller Ta Dot Tangerine

Steeking

Steeking, originally uploaded by stitch-by-stitch.

This is making me shake in my boots! And now I have to block it hoping that the stitches don't come loose along the steek. Aargh!

Controversial blanket update

I've finished the knitting! With 7 weeks to spare before the baby is due. Yay me. I'm just waiting on the backing material before I attempt steeking for the first time. Steeking goes against the grain of every knitter. Putting scissors to all that hard work. But, yes, I have to sew 2 tight lines and make a cut in between those lines to make a flat piece of knitting...a blanket. Then I need to sew a backing on to it. Not exactly sure how I'm going to go about this.

Maybe I will sew, cut, steam block, cut a backing the same size and use binding the same as in quilting. I'm not sure how that will work as a blanket so I might have to make some ties too. We shall see.

Wollmeise heaven

I had to go digging into my yarn stash to find Wollmeise Raupe Nimmersatt for a swap so I thought I'd pull all my Wollmeise out and take a family shot.

They've all been very lonely in their plastic tub while I've been on my knitting hiatus. Poor things. But they're out and I'm going to leave them out for a bit to get inspired. Yumbo!

Hot days ahead

So summer is finally starting to show itself...right before it hides away for a while again. We've had our air conditioner installed which is very handy since I'm nearly 32 weeks pregnant. But we still need to solve the 'still air' problem in the bedrooms at night. I can't stand the feeling of the oscillating fans on me and they're quite dangerous for little fingers/hands. So we thought we'd get a few of these:



Have any of you tried this one before? If so, what's your feedback?

Babushka Bliss

Babushka Bliss, originally uploaded by stitch-by-stitch.

A work friend requested babushka and shabby chic. I think I've captured that essence. She loves the progress pics so I must be on the right track. Now just to figure out how to quilt it. I'm thinking free motion meandering.

Also, how do you think I should construct the pillow case??

Clapotis - I'm knitting again!

So I've finally picked up the sticks and started knitting again. As I mentioned, this project has been on my to do list for some time. So I finally wound up my Wollmeise 100% in WD Gazpacho and cast on. Low and behold it only took just over 2 weeks to complete this project knitting in front of the tv at night. The colours are so hard to capture but needless to say, I love it.

Pattern: Clapotis

Needles: 3.75mm

Finished dimension: approx 170cm long x 30cm wide

Yarn: approx 500 metres of Wollmeise 100% Merino Superwash in WD Gazpacho

Time to complete: 17 days

Argh - Rainbow pain in the butt

This quilt has turned out to be the bane of my existence. That will teach me to use inferior quality sashing. This thing puckered up so many times that I don't think I can list it on Etsy. I'm thinking I'm going to have to hang on to it to gift instead. Boooo! What do you do with your quilts that pucker or have other 'imperfections'?

Rainbow bright

Progress on Rainbow Bright. I've finally started quilting after the backing fabric and batting arrived this week. A bit of straight line quilting to keep things simple and soft.

Zoology and Guitars quilt

I finished. I'm loving the colours. I was a bit wary of using the blackish fabric but all the other colours help lighten things up. It's been washed and dried and nice and crinkly. I hand quilted this one in straight lines to keep things simple. It's very cute :)

Mathilda's Market

This morning I got some 'me' time and went alone to Mathilda's Market. I thought I'd go looking for xmas presents and also for our little one on the way. Wow, what gorgeous handmade things they had there. So much talent in one room. As usual, though, I didn't really walk away with much. I always get go a bit starry eyed and don't know where to begin. But I did, however, see these gorgeous little reusable nappies. I've never used them before but thought that since the newie will be arriving in late January, he could just lounge around in these at home.

Made by a lovely lady from Designer Bums. Very sweet in Oh Boy! Vehicles by David Walker.

Of course, there had to be a fabric stall there. So I walked away with these:

Rabbits and Racecars - Heather Ross for Kokka

Gorgeous canvas weight elephants (not sure who made it)

Far Far Away Princess and The Pea Blush - Heather Ross for Kokka

The Practical Guide to Patchwork

Look what arrived for me at work today!

1st free motion quilting

This is the first time I've ever free motion quilted. It's not perfect, but I'm pretty happy with it. Especially with the tension factor. The first time I tried this I had beards all over the place. I'm glad I've overcome the 'fear' and just gave it a go. I hope the quilting police won't inspect this too closely. There are some sharp points and cross overs.

This quilt will be listed in my Etsy store soon.

Dr Seuss and Cat in the Hat

So, this is what's playing on my mind lately. I bought these 2 bundles from Whipstitch and I've been daydreaming about which gorgeous quilt I'm going to make with them. I really love Oh Fransson's Wonky Canasta pattern and I think this quirky fabric would be perfect with it. I've just gotta go home and check out my Kona chart to find some matching/contrasting solids for the "sashing".

Clapotis

I've missed having something portable to work on when I don't want to be slave to the machine. I've been meaning to make the Clapotis for probably years now and have had this yarn chosen for about 6 months. I'm making very fast progress on it. Just in time for our Aussie summer to hit! See it on Ravelry.

Crazy 8 patch

Crazy 8 patch, originally uploaded by stitch-by-stitch.

Yep, you read right. Crazy 8 patch. I meant it to be 9 but couldn't count :) Turns out for the better though as I only needed 16 blocks to make the appropriate sized quilt. Now, what colour should I use for sashing? Pink? Stone? Purple? Cotton/linen blend?

Each block measures 8" as is. So when they are sewed together in rows, 4 blocks will total 30". Not really wide enough for a baby blanket. Should I sash in between rows and then around the outer edges? Or should I sash around each block?

Wonky Fransson

Here is a sneak peak of the fabrics I'm using to make a wonky pattern from Oh Fransson.

Denyse Schmidt Four Square Fiesta
Denyse Schmidt Thistle Leaf Fiesta
Robert Kaufman Pure Organics PFD
Densye Schmidt Dimaond Dandys Fiesta
Sanae Oz Dots Pink
Denyse Schmidt Wallpaper Fiesta
Kokka Trefle Sewing Notions Pink
Joel Dewberry Napsack Berry
Robert Kaufman Kona Solid Stone
Joel Dewberry Dogwood Bloom Berry
Keiki Wee Stripe Pink
Amy Butler Memento Burgundy

New Etsy items

I've just uploaded a bunch of new stuff in my Etsy store. There will be more though, so keep checking back!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/evelynkl7

Rainbow bright

I just whipped up this cute baby quilt top in a couple of hours. It will be in my Etsy shop once I've finished basting, quilting and binding.

Finished measurements: 40" x 50"

Baby clothes

As you may know, my first born son was born 12weeks premature. Well, he's now 3yrs old and I'm pregnant now with my 2nd son so I had to dig out all the old baby stuff. All of this on the line fit into 1 x 50lt tub. To give you an idea, this suit is a size 00000 (premature). Next to it is a size 0-3mth track pants. It was nearly 2 months before he even fit into a size 00000!

I am 27 weeks pregnant at the moment. Last time I was admitted into hospital with broken waters at 27.5 weeks. Kai was born 4 days later. Let's hope I get through this, and the next 14 weeks without incident.

I'd forgotten how small a newborn babies clothes are. One 50lt tub down. Two more to go to wash and put away.

I am in LOVE with this Amy Butler rug. If only they sold them here in Australia...and they didn't cost US$1,700. Drooool!

Market book bags

A friend asked me to make her a bag to cart around her uni books and laptop. This is what I came up with. I made another 2 of them to put in my Etsy store. Head on over if you'd like one or order one in another colour :)

New name, new image

So, as of today, Sunday 24 October, I have closed down my old blog website, Handmade by Evelyn Jackson. I've decided to give my look an overhaul in honour of trying to set myself up with my Etsy small business. I'll be making lots of different things for babies, kids and adults.

As you know, I've opened the shop with 5 Birdie Slings made with Amy Butler's Love collection as well as some Michael Miller fabric. I'm about to add another 2 market bags also made with Amy Butler home deco fabric. Love these colours and the size is just great.

Check out my new Etsy store HERE. You might find something you like for a Christmas gift :)

Robots quilt finished!

I really love how this quilt has turned out. My son has been watching me finish off the hand quilting every evening and he loves it too. It's his birthday in 3 weeks so it's a gift from me to him. Love you, Kai xo

My first cutsom order

This is my first custom order for 2 project bags. One for larger knitting projects and one for smaller projects. I hope your mum likes them, Melinda :)

Etsy shop reopening

I've finally finished my 5 Birdie Slings and I've listed them in my Etsy shop. Head on over to check it out. I'll be listing new things as I get around to making them. I plan on making some baby accessories and clothing as well as zippy pouches and fabric baskets.

New stash