Yay! Finished Brown Quilt

This is my first large scale quilt.  Ever!  I finished it.  Not just finished the top, mind you, the whole thing is quilted and even washed.  I'm over the moon as you can tell, and I learned heaps of things throughout this project.

Here it is!

Firstly, the biggest thing I learned is about basting the quilt-sandwich... If you're going to do one method, make sure you see it through in its entirety.  I kind of pick and chose, and ended up with some major snafus in the center of my quilt.  Here's my mistake... I was doing the Ann Peterson method from "quilting a large quilt on a small machine" from Craftsy where she sews around the outside of the border first and then stitches in the ditches afterward.  BUT she uses adhesive spray for added support when basting.  I chose pins... and not very many of them.  By the time I had realized my mistake, I was in too deep to seam rip.  I couldn't bear to do it.  So, I forged on ahead and only ripped the absolutely necessary areas.

So, lesson learned... Next time, I will quilt medallion-style so I can evenly space out my pins and not have any crazy shifting of my fabric.

I used pre-cuts for the front and donated backing fabric.  A very kind lady sent me the backing fabric when I purchased thread from her.  I couldn't believe how perfectly it went with the brown. Thank you, kind lady!!

I used the backing fabric as the final binding and found zig-zagging to be a very nice way of getting a really flat look to the binding.  I really like it after washing, too!  Despite the ridiculous amount of shifting and scrunching at the center, I consider it a success.  I have a blanket, and we needed one... it's still quite cold in these parts.

What are you all working on?

Argyle Set: Lustig Hat & Gloves

The first published pattern of the year is the "Lustig Set" (lustig = funny in German).

I'm really proud of this set, especially the gloves which were started in Amsterdam and completed in Munich.  Both knitting groups were really supportive during the design process, and I'd like to give them a hearty "thanks" for all their love.

photo: Clotheshorse Magazine

You can find the pattern here on Ravelry or within Clotheshorse Magazines Winter 2012/13 Issue.

And, here are my amateur-hour home photos... ;)

I wore it slouchy, more like a beret.

The gloves are interchangeable left & right.

What are you all working on these days?