Summer is not the time to be knitting a wool sweater, even if by the time it’s done, the weather has cooled down. Now is the time for small projects
I probably could have knit a pair with one ball of yarn, but I didn’t want to risk it, so the toe, heel and ribbing are in a solid.
Like socks
Although these fit me very well they are going to be gifted.
Yes, there are people in my life who are knit-worthy.
Meanwhile Sherman Oaks Stitch and bitch is having a KAL – otherwise known as a Knit-a-long.
Everyone brought leftover sock yarn, we swapped, we shared, we made piles of yarn.
My pile is on the bottom right, I even started knitting at the meeting.
What are we making? Wonderful colorful fingerless mitts, using the pattern Zazie from Knitty.
My trip to DC means two long stretches of 5 hours where all I have to do is listen to an audible book and knit.
Finished and blocked.
There is no right hand or left hand, they can be worn on either hand. I love them, problem is, I had a specific friend in mind for these and she doesn’t go for bright psychedelic colors.
I should break out of my routine and do what Maria did, make them in shades of black, grey and white.
The height of the Capitol determines how high buildings can be. I think my tours in downtown Los Angeles have changed my viewpoint. I like having tall modern buildings in a city, gives it some gravitas.
There is nothing like the Lincoln memorial at night, if I have to choose a favorite, it is this one, the majesty is palpable. Apparently a lot of people agree.
Booyah! to the Marines. The Iwo Jima memorial is so impressive.
With every new battle, they add a new inscription. I confess, I like this much better than the general WWII memorial. That one felt so overwrought and over done. 
Here the sculpture is a true piece of art that really tells the story.
From there, to the greatest memorial to those who fought for our freedom. Arlington Cemetary.
The grave of the unknown soldier, or soldiers, since they have added more remains. I’m thinking that today with all our DNA technology, there may be people who’re bodies are lost forever, but if found, they are identified.
The changing of the guards, so solemn, so impressive, so many people standing and watching and honoring our American soldiers.
Mt. Vernon is covered in scaffolding, up on the weather vane, a crow sits atop the dove with the olive branch.
The National Cathedral is worth a visit. For it’s flying buttresses…
gargoyles…
arches….
and stained glass.
Remember back in the spring I made this dress? I really loved the fabric (cotton linen blend) but I hated the dress.
So it became a shirt, but not one I loved
A cute summer dress with pockets.
Looks good from the back as well.
Looks even better with roses that match the print. I’m not sure about the seam where the bodice and skirt meet.
I guess it gives it a little more flare. And yes, those roses are real, not photoshop.
The interior collar stand is the solid blue, as is the under collar. I’m getting better at inserting the collar, still having a few issues, but the more practice the better. At least my sleeve caps look very professional these days and it’s easy for me to do.
I love the print! I also like it combined with the solid. I do have a blue skirt I could have worn with the other shirt, but this looks cuter, neater and it has pockets! As for the shirt, it’s in the donation pile. at least out of 3.5′ of fabric that I bought, I have something I really like.
I love this kind of clocks, from back in the day when owning a wristwatch, or a pocket watch was only the purview of a few. It was important to have clocks out in public, especially in busy downtowns.
This looks like an updated sign for a business that is no longer there. I’m guessing it was a pub.
A humble pizza shop made a pizza pie
This is modern creativity, the old-fashioned sign, but made as only a modern one can.
This was my first stop! Only later did I take the picture.
The lamp posts outside the store were yarn-bombed.
Even though it was one of the hottest humid days in the DC area, look at all this wonderful yarn! I had to buy something.
I have a sweater pattern in mind, so I needed sport weight yarn. They were having a sale!!! I bought a color I normally wouldn’t have been drawn to, but it is a beautiful eggplant brown. Sweet Georgia yarns are amazing, I love knitting with them. I probably would have bought something in the blue-green family because that is what I always do. So yay for a sale! Made me buy a new to me color.
Sometimes the sign is really secondary to the color of the building. I’m very pleased that Alexandria allows this kind of colors.
I also enjoy these large murals on the back side of buildings. These look like poppies, of course to my mind they look like California poppies because they are orange.
I saw flags all over this neighborhood, but not in others. I wonder why? Many homes have these small flags by the front door. 
It looks like an older faded flag, with a newer one popped right in next to it. 
At one house I peeked over the fence to the Back yard, to see this large flag with a very healthy tomato plant. At least two are ready for a salad or sandwich.
Then there is the flag proudly hanging over the street.
In a few cases, it was bunting…
Ora single strip from the flag. 
Of course there were flags high and proud on top of buildings.
I am thankful it was a pieced block. I have been doing the applique and embroidery, but I’m just happy that the midway point was something I love.
Speaking of applique, a pin cushion. This time, I used monofilament and a very small zigzag stitch on the machine. I even made the pin heads using a heart pattern on my sewing machine.
More piecing, I love these colors! Need to use this kind of combination more.
Embroidery/applique, I changed this block out, I called it: oops the spools fell over. The original had the spools in a row with more embroidery – too fussy for me, so I simplified.
This one really tickled many people’s fancy. I have never gotten this many likes on the Facebook page, usually, I’m at around 50-90. 
There was a block with a squirrel, blech, so I went to my Sizzix dies and simply made this fox. Nothing original about him, but I’ve used him often and prefer him to the squirrel.
The past week or two have been a lot of appliques, this was supposed to be neater, but all those fiddley pieces, I just threw it together as is. Not a favorite, but will probably find it’s way into the final quilt.
Now you can laugh at me. This was a simple foundation pieced block. It just looked so plain! (says the person who complains about the over designed blocks). It also looked like an old-fashioned crazy quilt. So I didn’t use interesting fabrics, like lace, or velvet, but I did add the embroidery. See, even I can embellish!
I think the instructions called for machine or fancy hand applique, I decided to try my hand at needle turn, something I clearly need more experience doing. A Hawaiian Style quilt is in my future plans.
Big new! I ordered and received a portable design wall from Massdrop. It is portable, but it’s not something I will be taking down daily. It is also, large, 72″ x 72″, no room for it in my very messy studio, so it is upstairs in the spare bedroom, I figure this will give me more exercise going up and down the stairs.
It also gives me a chance to see what fabrics I want to repeat and what color schemes work well.
The purple embroidered block will probably have to go. This was my own creation, probably instead of a bunny. It is simply too dark and reads as a solid from just a few feet away. I never said I was a great designer, I can make mistakes too.
I went to a local park instead.
So maybe I don’t have all this ivy, but it doesn’t look much different from my yard.
The dress itself is cute. McCalls M6959, it fits well, it light and summery.
I really like the bias binding all around the dress, so much easier than hems and facing. I just happened to find a commercial one from Wrights that matches perfectly. 
Just to prove I’m not at home, let’s get some pictures on the playground equipment. Woah! Tripod, camera, clicker and spinning!
I think I’m holding on for dear life!
That strategically placed snap works! keeps the front bodice from gaping open, even when one is losing control on a spinner.
Phew! I need a rest. Btw, the cotton is some unknown that I bought for $6 in downtown LA. I really need to make another visit.
Another thing I did was lower the tripod some, so the angles are a little different. A few more years of practice and watch out CBS, I’ll be on the lot instead of outside.
Elin wrote a book on Geocaching, so she knows how it’s done. So we met up with another cacher and went hunting.
This was part of a pair of boxes, finding them wasn’t hard, finding the clues to open and then synchronize the little electronic displays inside – that took some talent.
And here we are! The prize!
This was a short one. Not enough exercise for a lovely Saturday. So on we went on a hike.
I captured one moment of quiet on the trail, there were hikers, bikers, and walkers. In SoCal, people are out and about all the time. 
With things to see, and time to spend talking with a friend.
There is a place called the museum of the San Fernando Valley, I finally went there. Meh, I can see how the Valley is beginning to come into its own and I wish them success, but nothing about this organization made me want to get involved.
There are things that are worth stopping for, like this wonderful sign. I think I’m just souring on the concept of many museums. Sure there is great art that is worthy of being shared. But these days, everyone has a museum, and by calling it that – they feel they have elevated what’s inside when in many cases they have simply diminished what a museum is all about. 
Maybe this sign says more about the Valley than anything else. Of course, I’d like to see all these groups joining together for one service in one common language, English. But maybe they do for social events and people are comfortable with religion in their own language.
Did I mention that I really like paper piecing? This is a well-designed paper pieced pattern. Many people have made this in bright colors, it is a butterfly after all. Take a look 
People tell me I have a very good color sense. It’s true, part of it is innate, part is the fact that I’ve worked with fabrics for so long and part of it is because I studied and then worked as a textile designer. You learn things the more you do them.
A lot of thought was put into these fabrics, even if there are only a few slivers of some of them.
Look how neat and clean the back is. I love paper piecing. I love tight patterns that really match. Free form improve quilting is just not for me.
Yes, I did plan out the color placement, but more in a general way, the end result always surprises me a little.
I quilted in the ditch around the wing sections and just filled in with swirls on the background. I added a narrow gray frame as well, the large edges of the background were often on the bias and would easily get stretched. I measured carefully and reined them in with the narrow border.
The one bright clean fabric is this yellow, although it stands out from the rest, I don’t feel like it becomes the only focal point, sure it draws the eye right to the center, but I feel the other fabrics balance it out quite well.
Because the background fabric is so busy, the quilting sort of blends in, unless you get the right angle of light. Btw, a great way to practice FMQ, do it on a busy fabric.
When I bound the quilt, I added a narrow sleeve on the back. I would like this to be hung on a wall, not placed on a table.
Speaking of that, this is a hostess gift for dear friends who will be hosting us for a few days. I am using my Spoonflower printed label. I made it that large so I could embroider if I want, in this case, I didn’t. Years ago, as in 30 years ago I made this couple a bed quilt, they don’t use it on the bed anymore, but I know they still cherish it. So I have no doubt this will be loved as well.
Oh, along with the quilt I’m gifting them a wonderful Butterfly soap, courtesy of my friend Lisa from
Same 18th century embroidered outfit. Style and fashion aren’t new. What tends to survive in the textile world are very high end garments such as these. Probably not worn often either.
A smoking jacket
Made out of silk cigar bands. These smoking jackets were popular in the 19th century.
Nomad caftan looks it’s from the Steppes of Asia.
Another smoking jacket, well the model is smoking, not sure that was it’s original purpose.
Wonderful embroidery.
Much more modern vest, with all kinds of foxes.
These days ties are really where business can show their individuality. These are from the 50s.
And under it all one can be naughty.