Soft Ball for Babies

My washing machine is hard at work felting a blue wool ball for a special baby.  The ball is knitted, then felted, stuffed and sewn shut.  I'll hand felt the seam stitching into the body of the ball.   The knitting pattern is so simple.  I used a double strand of 100% wool yarn with no plies that resembles a hand-spun, and size 8 needles.
The ball is shaped with short rows, which makes it a very fast project. 

Cast on 28 stitches.
Row 1:  Knit 20
Row 2:  Knit 12
Row 3:  Knit 14
Row 4:  Knit 16
Row 5:  Knit 18
Row 6:  Knit 20
Row 7:  Knit 22
Row 8:  Knit 24
Row 9:  Knit 26
Row 10:  Knit 28
Repeat this pattern 10 times, for 100 rows.  Bind off knitwise, loosely.  Felt by machine, or hand felt.  Sew 1/2 of the side seam, stuff firmly, sew almost closed and check to make sure the ball is stuffed to the firmness you desire.  Close seam.  Using very hot tap water and a drop of soap, handfelt the seam stitches into the body of the ball.

I'll post some pictures when the ball is complete!

Lined Applique

I've been so busy making class samples! Last week I made a table runner that features a combination of pieced and appliqued blocks. The pattern as given uses bright spring colors and plain appliqued leaves, but I like to get a big head start on my holiday sewing.  So, I adapted the pattern for a few newly-released Christmas fabrics.

Here's a detail of the applique blocks.  It's a smidge dark, but you can see the center vein of the leaf, which attaches it to the blank square and serves as quilting, too.  See the berries?  Nickel-sized yo-yos!

The appliqued holly leaves were easy to do. Here's how!

Layer your applique fabric right sides together, and trace around your template with a marking pencil. I drew my motif onto an index card and cut it out for a template. Don't make any adjustment for seam allowances. Sew directly on the marked line.
Cut a 1/4" wide strip of scrap paper-backed fusible web, and apply that to the center of one side of the applique. Remove the paper. Cut out the motif a scant 1/8" outside the sewn line. Carefully cut a slit down the center of fusible web. Turn the motif through this slit. Use a knitting needle to push out the seam allowances, and carefully press the edges with the tip of the iron, avoiding the fusible. When the applique is well-turned and pressed, press the slit closed, adhering it to the other side of the motif. I used a pin to tease out the very tips of the points to make them crisp.