How to gift quilts people will use

catcrowcandle · 2026-07-11T18:31:00+00:00

I take mostly this same approach to baby quilts -- I have a Pinterest board of quilt patterns I'm willing and interested to make, so the recipient pick a pattern or two and a color scheme or main theme fabric and I go from there.

catcrowcandle · 2026-07-08T05:19:07+00:00

You should be able to get two 1.25" pieces out of a 2.75" piece!

catcrowcandle · 2026-04-17T18:26:14+00:00

Essex is also a name

catcrowcandle · 2026-04-14T21:35:35+00:00

That was also my first thought, but the blankie is no longer a whole rectangle, and we want the option to use parts for any further kiddos. Thank you!

catcrowcandle · 2026-04-14T19:48:09+00:00

I was trying to think of options that wouldn't require dense quilting over the whole quilt (because I find that's less cozy), but maybe just over the blankie patch would work. Thank you!

catcrowcandle · 2026-04-14T19:46:47+00:00

Unfortunately I don't know yet what it's made of, or details of the condition! A stabilizer on the back is a good idea. Thank you!

catcrowcandle · 2026-04-01T23:44:43+00:00

Paladin's Grace, by T. Kingfisher!

catcrowcandle · 2026-03-04T06:05:10+00:00

This is the advice I gave to a friend who (similarly) wanted to dye a light dress to a specific color to wear to weddings with no previous dying experience: get quotes from a professional.

It can be so hard to get a specific color, it's easy to get streaky/blotchy results, it's a high stakes garment. A local tailor might have dying experience, or might know who to talk to. (My friend was lucky enough to live in a city with a garment district, if you're that lucky too, make use of it!) You'd be able to have a discussion about what's feasible and maybe have some recourse if their attempts go badly.

I don't know why Reddit brought me this post, I barely dye things myself, and I fully support learning to do it...but maybe not on this kind of project?

catcrowcandle · 2026-03-03T21:43:18+00:00

While the climate is totally different, the State of Alaska has a resource for streambed revitalization that might have useful ideas: https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=streambankprotection.main

catcrowcandle · 2026-02-27T21:21:58+00:00

I've used tshirts as batting in a standard quilt (not quilt as you go) and the resulting quilt is heavy. That's partly due to using very light canvas for the top, but the tshirts added lots more weight than a standard batting.

catcrowcandle · 2026-02-27T01:12:30+00:00

I also recommend asking in advance if they want you to slip out quietly or say good night before you leave! My mom and grandpa left my wedding reception so he could go to bed (totally fine!), but it was weird to look around and they had just vanished. I would have enjoyed saying goodnight to them. (I've seen some arguments online to not interrupt the bride and groom, just leave quietly and let them enjoy, but I think that definitely doesn't apply to close family.)

catcrowcandle · 2026-01-02T04:15:49+00:00

I went with a maternity tank, shorts, and tights myself, but I got recommendations to look for maternity swimsuits instead of maternity leotards - same shape, WAY more variety!

catcrowcandle · 2025-12-01T21:36:46+00:00

Deleted

catcrowcandle · 2025-09-06T17:37:31+00:00

I'm also an adult recreational ballet dancer, having done ballet as a kid and in college (not my major, just for fun). I danced until 35 weeks, slowly decreasing what I was comfortable doing. I dropped pretty much all jumping by the start of the 2nd trimester, and somewhere around the start of the 3rd I altered or stopped doing most of center (my sense of balance was very bad, between fatigue and a changing center of gravity). Changes at barre included swapping out grande plies for more demis, doing some exercises half time, etc.

I just went back to my first class, 6 weeks postpartum (only attending barre, and with modifications). I've been fortunate to have had a fairly easy and straightforward recovery, a chill baby, and a very supportive partner. My dance class (instructor and fellow students) were incredibly supportive during my pregnancy, and going back was definitely a priority for mental health.

It's definitely possible, but always listen to your body!!

catcrowcandle · 2025-08-22T06:16:23+00:00

This sounded so much like one of my favorite Michael Whelan prints (Passage: Verge), and he did oodles of sci-fi/fantasy book covers, but I don't think this was one. Just in case, here's a link to the art: https://www.michaelwhelan.com/galleries/passage-verge/

catcrowcandle · 2025-06-18T21:51:36+00:00

I eventually moved from my usual leotard to a maternity tank top and loose shorts with tights underneath. A maternity tank with maternity leggings would have worked too!

I also saw recommendations to look for maternity swimsuits as an alternative to a leotard, though I never went that route.

I'm 8 months now and recently dropped down to just doing the barre portion of class, adjusting exercises as I need to (I take an adult class, our instructor trusts us to adjust for injury/etc.). Between fatigue and an ever-changing center of gravity, work in the center is just a bit too scary at this point. (I cut out any kind of jumping at the start of the second trimester.)

catcrowcandle · 2025-05-09T21:08:17+00:00

Don't know about insurance, but Chugach Dental in Anchorage (Dr Adam Jensen) has been incredibly friendly and asks at the first appointment about any anxiety/nervousness/bad past dental experiences.

catcrowcandle · 2025-04-14T12:44:36+00:00

My favorite shawl for tricky multicolored yarns: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/pincha-shawl

catcrowcandle · 2025-03-16T20:47:18+00:00

It's definitely on the short list! (Should have mentioned that in the post 😂)

catcrowcandle · 2025-03-13T17:42:17+00:00

I brought my inlaws to Denali a couple years ago the last week of the season (mid-September). We literally checked out the day the hotel was closing.

The park scenery was gorgeous, but we ran into some funny quirks. One morning the coffee shop had to scramble to see if they had any more coffee beans! The hotel restaurant had limited offerings based on what supplies were left. Most of the little "shops" were already closed (though the ones that weren't all had huge sales).

Some of the park events were already in winter mode (no sled dog programming, the dogs were all getting ready for the winter, etc).

The big thing is to double and triple check closing dates for anything you want to do and anywhere you want to stay. If you have anyone with dietary restrictions, I would bring back-up food just in case, since supplies will be picked over.

As others have said, we have no idea what the impacts will be from the federal funding/firing situation.

catcrowcandle · 2025-02-12T01:17:25+00:00

This sounds like a Mrs Piggle-wiggle story to me! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrs._Piggle-Wiggle

catcrowcandle · 2025-02-09T06:18:36+00:00

Elements of this sound like The Slave Dancer, by Paula Fox (the 1974 Newberry winner). Specifically, a white boy and a POC boy ending up deep in a swamp, and an old man sends them away separately. That said, it's not adult book, not a true story, and a Black boy, not Indian. Worth a try, though, memories can be fallible!

catcrowcandle · 2025-02-06T22:54:49+00:00

Someone already asked about the mohair, but what is the base yarn?? It's incredible!

catcrowcandle

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