On the Needles...

Happy Sunday! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. I'm so happy to have a few minutes to write on this space. Life has been crazy busy around here and sometimes it feels like there are not enough hours in the day to do everything I want to do. But slowly things are getting back to a normal pace. While I've been mostly absent from the sewing room and blogging most days I'm able to sneak in a few minutes of knitting during my morning commute. Even though I'm still working on my Nae Shawl; I decided to start another shawl. I found the yarn on clearance at my local crafts store and I couldn't pass it up. It is super soft. I wasn't too sure about the color at first but the texture and soft feel immediately caught my attention. However, the more I work on it, the more I like the color. It is so different from the colors that I usually pick, but I think it is good to try something different once in a while. 

Wishing you a beautiful week and lots of crafting time.

XO

Martha 

Sew The Library: Needle Case

Welcome to another edition of Sew the Library! For this month's project I decided to make a project from an old time favorite: The Zakka Style book. I just love every single project in that book and hopefully one day I could say that I had made them all. This is the Patchwork Pencil Case designed by Shannon Dreval, but instead of using it as a pencil case I decided to use is as a needle case. The size is perfect for holding a set of double pointed needles or a pair of circular needles. And since I do most of my knitting on the go is always good to carry an extra set. 

How about you? Did you finish or are currently working on a project from a book or a magazine? Please link your finished projects or WIP's* below and don't forget to visit others. 

*I understand that sometimes it takes time to finish a large project. So I decided to add the option of including works in progress.

Thank you for stopping by!

XO

Martha

Wonky Log Cabin Quilt

I'm so excited to finally share with you my finished Log Cabin Quilt. I just love the way it turned out. Although, I can't really take full credit for it... I made this quilt for my husband because for the first time he requested I made him a quilt of his own (you can read more about it here). He was very involved in the design process and always checking on the progress of this quilt. It was actually really cute to see him with his very serious face trying to make a decision every time I presented him with fabric or quilting options to choose from.

The main fabric is Robert Kauffman Brussels Washer Yarn Dye in black. Brussels is very similar to their Essex Yarn Dye linen; basically the only difference is that Brussels is a linen/rayon blend while Essex is a linen/cotton blend. It doesn't give the impression but this fabric is very soft and has a wonderful drape. The color variation of the fibers reflect the light so beautifully and in a way it has a very masculine feel to it. For the backing I used a very soft   flannel with a subtle crosshatch print. I also quilted it with a crosshatch design using a dark gray thread. I love how the quilting sort of disappears on the black fabric and shows up more at the centers of the log cabins. 

It was such a fun project and a really enjoyed having a collaborator. 

On another note: Cassandra is the winner of the fabric giveaway.  Thank you for participating and all of your wonderful comments. I really appreciate every single one of them.

Wishing you a wonderful week!

XO

Martha

Giveaway!

Hello friends! Welcome to the new home of Weekend Doings. To celebrate this new phase I'm having a little giveaway to say thank you for your support. And if I don't say it enough, thank you. Your comments mean the world to me and it is what keeps me going on this little project that is this blog. 

So on to the giveaway: I'm giving away two fat quarters of Robert Kaufman Pop Posies 100% organic cotton and a packet of Schmetz quilting needles. To enter just leave a comment. I'll be happy to ship internationally so everyone is welcome to participate. The giveaway will stay open until Friday May 14 and on Saturday I'll announce a winner.

Thank you so much for stopping by,

XO

Martha

New Yarn and Knitting Dreams

Hello friends, I hope you had a lovely weekend. Today just flew by: I spent a big part of the day quilting the Wonky Log Cabin quilt I've working on. I can't wait to finish it. It is turning out so lovely (you can see some of the progress here and here). And while I was busy quilting I kept dreaming about what to do with my new yarn. It just arrived last Friday and I can't get over how pretty it is. I usually don't buy yarn without a project in mind, but I just couldn't resist. The pink bubble gum color is the perfect pop of color against the gray. I'm thinking a shawl or a cowl would look lovely with this yarn. Time to head on to Rarely and do some research :)

Wishing you a beautiful week. 

*Linking up to Wool On Sundays @ Rainbow Hare Quilts*

XO

Martha 

Sew The Library: Pencil Holder

Hello and welcome to another edition of Sew The Library I am so happy you stopped by! For this month I decided to make a project from one of the first books I ever bought and one of my most beloved ones: 1 ,2, 3 Sew. It is a wonderful book filled with inspiring projects. This pencil holder has been on my to do list for a while. I want to use it to hold marking pens and notion by my sewing machine. I made a few adjustments from the original pattern:I made it a little shorter that what the  pattern calls for and instead of using the loop as a closure I'm going to use it to hang it on a hook when I need it out of the way. Also, pattern calls for canvas for the outer and lining fabrics, but I used linen quilted with batting for the outer piece and cotton fabric for the lining. I just couldn't resit linen is my absolute favorite fabric. 

I'm really excited to seeing your projects and learning about the books in your library. Please link up your projects and visit others. 

I hope you have a happy week!

XO

Martha

Back to Knitting

Hello friends! I hope you had a lovely weekend. My weekend was super fun. I worked on the Wonky Log Cabin quilt I'm making for my husband and I'm very close to finishing up the quilt top. Also, after a long break from knitting last week I went back to my knitting routine. Every morning I knit a couple of rows during my morning commute. I had stopped because I was suffering from tendonitis and it became painful to knit and was definitely not enjoyable anymore. But lately my condition improved and I was able to pick up the needles again. I'm so incredibly happy to be able to knit again. I started this shawl last year and I can't wait to finish it. It is about two thirds done, so it will take me a while to finish it, but I'm so glad I'm able to work on it again. 

I hope you have happy week!

*Linking up to Wool Sundays @ Rainbow Hare Quilts*

XO 

Martha

Harvest Vine Table Runner and Sew The Library News

Happy Sunday! I hope you had a lovely Easter celebration. Things are starting to slow down a bit and I was able to sneak a bit of sewing here and there and I finished this table runner. The pattern is Harvest Vine from the book Pretty in Patch Work Holidays. This was supposed to be my Sew the Library project for last month, which was hosted by Jodi at Tales of Cloth. Unfortunately I was late to party... Speaking of Sew the Library, the link up is moving permanently to Weekend Doings. Heidi and Jodi have other commitments and couldn't continue hosting the link up. So starting this month the link up will here. I hope you could join me and share the projects that you made from a book or a magazine. The link up starts the 20th and closes at the end of the month. I also made a button if you would like to grab it. You can find the code here.

Have a wonderful week!

XO

Martha