Quilts and Bears

Here are three of my little quilts, this one is called Candy Baskets, and inspired by the book called 'Celebrate with Little Quilts' published by That Patchwork Place.

The smallest of the three quilts is this little fan quilt, about 24" x 36"

I think this pattern is Roman Stripe, easy strip piecing, in Amish colours, the biggest of the three.

The border is not visible in the picture because I fixed it up with drawing pins to take the photo.

Because we have written to our grand-daughter every week since she was small we have lots of photos that we have turned into cards, things that she would recognise and enjoy. Here is Topsy with Alex - both bears were made by Marilyn Haupt.

Bruno with Tilly, both hand knitted by me. Tilly has her own clothes on in this picture. Bruno is still absent-without-leave.

Alex always has been a bit of a poser, almost always in his dressing gown, he was my Christmas present to my husband a few years ago. Two of my larger quilts can be seen behind him.

Knitting

I love knitting, it's so theraputic to see the fabric grow on your needles, but in spite of the growth of knitting as a fashionable hobby I've always thought it a little quaint, and rarely take knitted projects out of the house. It is a bit like hand quilting, which I always do, slow, but satisfying. Why would you knit a garment which you can pick up from a store for a quarter of the price that the yarn would cost you in the first place, with no guarantee that you will like the finished article, after all you can't try it on before you buy.

However, although most knitting patterns are basically the same, once you have mastered the technicalities you can make that pattern all yours, totally unique. The little cut off cardigan I knitted for our grand-daughter was adapted from an adult pattern, not without a few headaches, but it worked very well, I was really pleased with it. Since I knitted it I found a very interesting book, on Amazon of course, which would have helped tremendously with all those calculations. It's called 'The knitter's handy book of sweater patterns' by Ann Budd and explains how to change the sizes and yarn thickness, sizes 26" to 54" chest, of a variety of basic patterns.

But really I have to confess to a love of much more frivolous knitting. Teddy bears, and clothes for them, knitted bags to keep all manner of things in. Having knitted or bought the bears they will not mind how you dress them, they won't wear out their clothes, nor grow out of them. And because the biggest of them is not any bigger than a newborn baby you can use complicated patterns. Although they are allegedly inanimate when I wanted a teddy or two to photgraph I couldn't find my biggest, fierce looking hand-knitted bear. I expect he'll turn up in a cupboard sometime. The little girl bear in the photo was made by Marilyn Haupt, and is one of several of hers that I have. I have clothed each of them in turn, usually with a change of wardrobe, and children just love to dress them in different outfits.

The book with the teddy bear knitting patterns in is by Debbie Bliss, called 'Teddy Bears'

I would like to knit some cup-cakes, or slices of Battenburg, so if anyone has a pattern please let me know. Oh dear, I told you it was quaint!