Happy Valentine's Day 2016

Hello my friends! I hope that all of you had a wonderful Valentine's Day. I sure did.

My Valentine took me to a romantic dinner tonight...but before that, I spent some time in my studio and had a grand time.

I decided today was the day to start my fabric Loopy's Monthly Mixer for February:

I've had the Cloud Nine Good Night Moon FQ collection since February 2014. I bought the yellow, teal and gray fabrics to put it all together. The prompt was to make something that's spent the shortest amount of time on my "must make/use this someday" list. I had seen a cute quilt tutorial the day or two before the assignment came out that I thought would be great for the fat quarters; so, I was thrilled that I'd be using them sooner rather than later!

Most of the fabrics in this collection are directional.  

It's only a big deal for me because I'm a little fussy that way.

I got everything all cut out.

I even did a little piecing after we got home from dinner.

I think I'll go round out the perfect VD by watching Downton Abbey now.

MK out.

FO Friday - 2/12/2016

Remember I told you guys about the Loopy Monthly Mixers? In January, the prompt was P is for Pluto. The assignment was to make something whose color, yarn, fabric or pattern name begins with a P.

I made the Peipponen Shawl, using Wollmeise Pure in a purple-ish color called Magnolie Dark. It's a P trifecta!

Y'all know I had to sew something too. What says P better than pillowcases? And there poinsettias on most of them!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and a great Valentine's Day.

MK out.

FO Friday - 2/5/2016

Hello Poppets! I have two things to show y'all today.

I finished the Copilot Cowl: 

Pattern.
Yarn - Alisha Goes Around Marmalade (of Ponies) in a pink-red-purple colorway.
Modifications - I bound off after two pattern repeats because I was running out of yarn. It's pretty long though - easily wound around the neck twice.
I like it.

The Peipponen Shawl is done (yet, still blocking):

Pattern.
Yarn - Wollmeise Pure in the color way Magnolie Dark.
Modifications - none.
Of note - This project was my offering for Loopy/ January Mixer. 
Love it!,

MK out.

Sooooo...

I forgot to do a WIP Wednesday post yesterday; so, I'll do one today. The Oscar nominations were announced today and it's a WIP kind of situation, because I have eleven films yet to see. In case you wanted to know, the nominations for the top five are:

BEST PICTURE 

Bridge of Spies

Brooklyn

Mad Max: Fury Road

Room

Spotlight

The Big Short

The Martian

The Revenant

BEST ACTOR

Bryan Cranston - Trumbo

Eddie Redmayne - The Danish Girl

Leonardo DiCaprio - The Revenant

Matt Damon - The Martian

Michael Fassbender - Steve Jobs

BEST SUP ACTOR

Christian Bale - The Big Short

Mark Ruffalo - Spotlight

Mark Rylance - Bridge of Spies

Sylvester Stallone - Creed

Tom Hardy - The Revenant

BEST ACTRESS

Brie Larson - Room

Cate Blanchett - Carol

Charlotte Rampling - 45 Years

Jennifer Lawrence - Joy

Saoirse Ronan - Brooklyn

BEST SUP ACTRESS

Alicia Vikander - The Danish Girl

Jennifer Jason Leigh - The Hateful Eight

Kate Winslet - Steve Jobs

Rachel McAdams - Spotlight

Rooney Mara - Carol 

Since we are in the WIP kind of mood, I'll share a little gander at my two projects on the front burner.

My project for the January's Loopy Monthly Mixer is coming along. I've gotten to the lace rows:

This month, we had to pick a pattern, yarn base, yarn color or fabric line that begins with a P. I picked the pattern Peipponen in Wollmeise's Pure base and it's a purple-ish color...it's a trifecta!

I'm also making the Copilot Cowl out of a skein of Alicia Goes Around's Marmalade (of Ponies) in a fun pink, purple and red colorway.

Both are coming right along.

MK out.

WIP Wednesday - 1/27/2016

Did you have "centers" when you were in Kindergarten? The room is divided into areas like "kitchen," "construction," "dress up" - just to name a few. I did not when I was in Kindergarten 100 years ago, but The Kid did. Today, my approach to my day looked like a center-fied WIP Wednesday.

I had a quilting center:

There was an organizing the paperwork center:

And there's always a knitting center:

MK out.

Movie Monday - 1/25/2016

I am working through the movies I need to watch before the Academy Awards...

The Revenant is loosely based on a real person. Back in the 1820s, there lived a fur trapped named Hugh Glass. While on an expedition, he was mauled by a bear and left for dead by members of his team. However, he didn't die. His sheer determination to live was fueled by a little dose of revenge. Leonardo Di Caprio plays Glass. Tom Hardy plays John Fitgerald - a greedy, duplicitous member of the team - and he plays him well. There were some scenes that were hard to watch (bear mauling), but it was good.

Jennifer Lawrence stars in Joy, a film loosely based on the life of inventor and entrepreneur Joy Mangano of Miracle Mop fame. There are a lot of people in this movie - Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper, Isabella Rossellini, Diane Ladd, Virginia Madsen, and Edgar Ramirez, just to name a few. It was cute.

MK out.

WIP Wednesday - 1/20/2016

Last night, I had the time to sit down at the sewing machine and work on catching up with the Farmers Wife SAL. I am very far behind, although I have cut out the pieces to some of the blocks. I decided I wanted to make the Sara block. I had the fabrics picked out; so, I grabbed them and started cutting. I didn't realize that I had grabbed some cheap, white fabric that I had used for a craft project. I'm not entirely sure how it got mixed up with my quilting stash.

Anyway, I made the block, and noticed that the white pieces were looking strange.

Apparently, I was shrinking the white fabric with the iron. Horrors!

Tonight, I cut out the pieces for the block again, this time using some nice quality quilters' cotton. 

I think I'll wait before I put it totally together. I still need to cool off about that one.

MK out.