A Productive Week

I've had a chance to work on several projects this week and made a lot of progress. I hooked two more sections on this rug I've been working on.

And one day I got the urge to stitch up a little quilt with 4-1/2" squares. Didn't like the first sashing I cut for it....

....so I cut some lighter fabric to use and I think it works much better.

I have appliqued a few circles for the medallion quilt I've been working on - these will be incorporated into one of the borders. I work on them while watching TV at night. The light in our family room isn't the greatest and so the curves aren't smooth and perfect, but I can live with it.

Wednesday night I met with my little quilt group and there was some great show & tell. I have amazingly talented friends! Kathy is enamored with Halloween. A few months ago she found a doll house and has slowly been turning it in to a haunted house filled with custom made furniture and other goodies. She shared these two pieces with us and my mind was boggled! The cupboard stands about 8" high and the shelves are filled with little knick knacks that she made and gathered. The upholstered chair looks cushy enough to sit in! These are both made with mat board & foam core board.

Jackie is an avid knitter (as well as a quilter). She has knitted innumerable sweaters through the years, and I know she's knitted a couple hundred pair of socks. She said this teddy bear is the hardest thing she's tackled to-date. It looks old, and weathered, and well-loved, doesn't it? But it is fresh off the needles. Amazing!

And Janet shared these two dolls she made that have a distinct Steam Punk vibe going on. Her workmanship is incredible and these were fun to examine up close.

She also had just finished this quilt made of beautiful batik fabrics. I'm afraid I missed hearing the information about who this is for and if it is for a special occasion or not.

Next weekend I will be taking a three day rug hooking workshop with Diane Stoffel when our Guild brings her in. I have decided on my pattern and needed to dye some wool for the background.

I used some of my natural wool and just did a spot dye using some black walnut liquid that I had in my supplies. I'd never dyed in my oven before, but it worked pretty well. The end result is much more subtle than this pictures shows at the beginning of the process.