Pillowcases

 I am finished for this year.  I think I ended up making 35 pillowcases for donation I'm ready to move on to other things.

The pattern is from All People Quilt pillowcase challenge.  I've made the same one for many years now.

20+ Free Pillowcase Patterns

Okay here we go:

 A lot of different ideas for pillowcases for children.  You have to sort of cover the bases.

Fabric came from different stores in Ontario and Alberta.  I'll post the links.  They all ship and if there are problems with quantities they get in touch with you.

This is my local store where I shop a lot:  

The Quilt Store

Then there is 

Kawartha Quilting and Sewing

where I have not only bought fabric but also batting.

 

Finally

Northern Sky Fabrics

My first time ordering, it won't be the last.  And if you want the store to save money, you can e-transfer the funds.

This fabric was given to me to make a few pillowcases up.  Paula works in my local quilt shop and when I walked in one day she handed me a stack of fabric.  The whales are the cutest so we added blue water from the Caribbean.  The flowers just needed a cuff.  Some of that is left-over so I'm thinking maybe some scrunchies.  There is more, but I've run out of oomph!!

We dropped this off on September 17th to Ronald McDonald house.  That's it for this year.  

Other charities need our help which we have been stocking up for.

I'm going to add this before publishing.

We drove over and dropped off the pillowcases to Ronald McDonald House in Hamilton.  I have asked twice for thank you letters to be sent out and it never happened.  Karl and I have never been thanked so I made the decision to not donate anymore.  Roughly the total cost of this donation is about $600.00.  People don’t seem to realize that sewing has turned into an expensive hobby and for us to spend the time and the money to donate is costly.  Two words that mean so much and get said so little and this time an organization will feel it.

You may now leave comments on the blog.  Just remember "to be kind".

A baby gift done!

 I have knitted this blanket before and it has always turned out well. This is a really easy pattern and doesn’t take long to knit up.  A corner to corner pattern.  Cast on 4 stitches, work up to 95 stitches and then cast down to 4 stitches.

https://www.yarnspirations.com/en-ca/products/bernat-corner-to-corner-garter-knit-blanket?variant=45485448266043

I opted to use two balls of yarn from Patons Canadiana, winter white and oatmeal with a 6.5mm needle. 

 I changed the yarn because I can’t knit with bulky yarn and 8mm needles.  I have arthritis in my fingers and the larger needles cause a few problems.

No idea how long this took but I did cast on up to 125 stitches so my blanket is a bit bigger.  The baby is due the end of January so the bigger, the better.  My philosophy anyway.  It ended up to be 26" x 29"

A while back I bought the best thing for knitting I have ever bought.

A yarn bag.  It holds two balls of yarn and there are pockets around the edges to hold your needles.  It is made by a small business here in Ontario called "bytheyard"

As I write this I just ordered more yarn from Mary Maxim.....a Canadian company based in Paris, Ontario.....more yarn to make hats for this wee ones older brothers.

Apparently, one loves blue, the other red.  I found them and they are "perfect" according to Dad. 

                                                  

In the meantime, I think I'll design a child's scarf in apricot!!  Why not!!

Just in case you are wondering I use bamboo needles made in Japan.  I find they are easy on the hands and honestly, I hate the click, click, click of metal needles.  It interferes with my television watching.  LOL

 

This has nothing to do with the column

I have left ALL social media.

No Gander, no Instagram, no Facebook

I just got tired of everything.

The politics, the negativity, the harassing of people they don't know,

the glorification of overpaid athletes and actors/actresses.

I'm back to the old ways.

I'm living for me, the chief and the family and not doing what

the rest of the world tells us to do.