Needlework Tuesday - How to crochet a cupcake

It feels so good to have all the quilting complete, excess fabric trimmed and washed and ready for binding.  A recap for those who haven't been following the slow trip of this quilt.  It is a pattern called "Flying Stars Sampler" from the book Knockout Blocks and Sampler Quilts by Judy Martin.  This is my all time favourite quilt book, and am slowly working my way through all the baby quilt patterns.

Welcome to Needlework Tuesday, a regular weekly post here at Books and Quilts.  Knowing that I write this post each and every week without fail, keeps me stitching through the week so that I'll have something to share with my readers on Tuesday.  Usually it's a bit earlier in the morning, but life happens.  This past week I was getting ready for the holiday weekend, which meant clearing off the dining room table, which is where I keep my sewing machine.  For the next few days, I'll get to pretend that I don't have any unfinished projects.  Oh what a lovely feeling.  Though I will admit, while I was putting 'stuff' away, I did find quite a few that would benefit from an hour or two of sewing to finish them off.  Am I the only person that keeps around almost finished projects?  Instead of continually moving them around and out of the way of my current stitching, I should exhibit a bit more discipline and just get them finished.

  How do you keep yourself on track to finish a project?  Any tips would be most appreciated.  I thrive on the encouragement I get from my readers and fellow needleworkers.

This year I have challenged myself to stitch a tea cosy each month.  For years, I have said I wanted to make them, but never seemed to get started.  Last evening I started number four.  This cupcake tea cosy pattern is  free from Patons.  The piece shown at left is the' cupcake paper'.  A great stitch using double crochet front post and double crochet back post stitches.  it makes a somewhat firm and quite thick fabric. 

Single crochets make the 'cake' cap.  It is rather flat, but in the pattern photo, it shows the cap slightly gathered, so perhaps that will give enough ease for it to fit on the high lid of my tea pot.  Not really a problem, as I do intend to share these tea cosies with my family at the end of the year.  I don't really need more that a dozen of them myself.

I'm still on the look out for more tea cosy patterns, send me links to any notable patterns you come across.

Mr. Linky is waiting below for a link to your current needlework post.  I'll be sure to visit with you and leave a comment.