The folks at the central Modern Quilt Guild have asked all of us new guild member to post what modern quilting means to us. I was just getting ready to post when I read this post, from one of the founders of the first modern quilt guild in Los Angeles.

I simply could not have said it better myself.

I’ve been slowly plugging away at my multiple craft projects.

I’ve made progress on my Wrapped in Hope quilt:

Progress on my 3-ply handspun sock yarn (I’m finishing the third bobbin of singles now):

And progress on my happy accident socks:

In other news, almost all of the February 2010 sock club is out the door. it should start arriving late this week. The colorway name is Pele’s Fire. I love it!

Liam’s first handspun:

Not bad for a seven-year-old boy, huh? Now, what to make with it? I’m thinking a nice, snuggly neckwarmer. I wonder if he’d like to learn how to knit next?

all finished!

I know I’ve been slacking on the blog this week, mostly because I haven’t had time to take photos of the things I’ve been working on.

I did manage to get a photo of my finished modern siggy swap blocks though. They went into the mail yesterday. Now all I have to do is sit on my hands and wait for the package to arrive with all 100 blocks from different quilters in it. I can’t wait!

In business news, I’ve been dyeing and photographing yarns for the next big update. Tomorrow I’ll be dyeing sock club. I’ve been going with a mythical theme this round (Siren Song, Dryad’s Dance) so I’m pretty sure I’ll keep with that for this last shipment. I have a particular goddess in mind and I’m really excited to see how it turns out.

I’ll be opening up the next round of sock club soon, so be sure that you’re signed up for the newsletter if you’re not already.

Also, I wanted to let you all know that two new shops are now carrying Fiberphile Yarns. The Tinsmith’s Wife in Comfort, Texas and Purl Diva in Brunswick, Maine. If they happen to be in your area, stop in and say hi and check out the yarns in person!

waiting for labels

I’ve just finished the last of three large wholesale orders that I dyed over the month of January. It feels good to complete such a large body of work on schedule.

With that behind me, I’m looking forward to having time over the next week to dye yarn for a shop update and possibly even get a jump on next month’s sock club shipment.

I’ve made a bit of progress on my siggy swap blocks, but other than that, there’s nothing to report on the quilting front. I do, however, have a new pair of socks on the needles– Garter Rib Socks (Rav link) from Sensational Knitted Socks.

I love this pattern because it’s so easy to memorize, but looks really intricate when finished. I’ve only just started the cuffs but I’m already in love.

working on the cuffs

Can you see that color? Deep purple and navy overdyed with black.

This was a happy accident that I loved so much I couldn’t put it up for sale- who knows if I’ll ever be able to make it again? My husband laughs at me for this, but I know you all understand.

The February Friday Night Sew-In has been scheduled and I’ll definitely be in for it! I’ll either be finishing my modern siggy swap blocks or starting a new black-and-white quilt. More details on that little project soon!

Congratulations to the winners, and thank you to everyone who entered! I’ll be sending out the gift certificates tomorrow :)

waiting to be chosen

The final total for Haiti Relief donations is an incredible $4,520! This is far beyond any of my initial expectations and I’m so thankful for the generosity of all of you.

All of the entrants’ names are sitting in this basket waiting for the boys to get off the bus. They’ll be choosing three winners around 4pm today!

As of today, Fiberphile customers have donated over $4,000 to Haiti Relief! I’m accepting entries until Wednesday, so please keep them coming!

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, see this post.

modern signature blocks

The boys had the day off from school for Martin Luther King Jr. day, so I took a day off from my usual work routine to hang out with them, as well as make a trip to the dentist for our check-ups. For part of the day, I got to work on my Modern Siggy Swap blocks. This swap filled up in a matter of a couple of hours, so I was very lucky to get in. The project is a bit more labor intensive than I anticipated but well worth it.

I first saw a signature quilt in person last summer at our town festival. It was made by the women of our town in the 1800’s. I was enthralled with all of those signatures of women who lived their lives here over a century ago. It also made me sad that my family hadn’t been here then. So many of the names were familiar– Their descendants became my classmates, friends, and neighbors. How amazing would it have been to see my own great-great-grandmother’s signature on that quilt?

So now, I have a wonderful opportunity to have my own signature and home town joined with 99 others into 100 sibling quilts that will be assembled all over the world. It’s an amazing thought to think that maybe even a century from now, someone may find an old quilt in an attic and read my name among the others. I just cannot wait to have my own finished quilt in my hands!

Speaking of quilting, I’d like to take this opportunity to tell you about the latest project from Margaret’s Hope Chest. This is an amazing organization that donates quilts to people who have experienced trauma or illness and are in need of comfort.

This latest project is called Wrapped in Hope. The aim of this project is to create custom-made quilts for children who have an incarcerated parent. I don’t generally share personal details about myself on this blog, but I will say that I have stood in these children’s shoes, and it can be a very lonely place. For this reason, there was no way I was going to pass this project up. I will be paired with a specific child and make a quilt based on information about favorite colors and interests. The last time I checked, they were still in need of volunteers. If you are so moved, I know that Carin would love to hear from you!

As I posted on Thursday, last night I participated in a virtual craft night, the Friday Night Sew-In. Part of the participation is posting what we accomplished so that everyone can share in the fun. So, here’s what I did!

the original design and squares ready for sewing

A little while ago, my son did a pattern unit in his first grade classroom. The teacher had all of the kids do a quilt design on paper. Knowing that Mom was a quilter, of course the first thing he said when he showed me was “Mom, can you make this into a real quilt?”

This was before Christmas, when Mom still had a lot of Christmas knitting and quilting to finish up, so I told him that I would try to do it before his birthday. His birthday is tomorrow, so Friday Night Sew-In was the perfect kick-in-the-butt I needed to get it done before the deadline!

I managed to complete everything but sewing the binding to the back, which I’ll probably do after the boys go to bed tonight.

almost done!

I’m happy to report that my little boy is delighted with his quilt (it was impossible to hide what I was doing until the big day) and, of course, is already asking when I will make a bigger one for his bed.

Yay for kids that actually appreciate handmade gifts!