It's a Quilt

It's  been a very busy week.   I  still found some time to add a few stitches into my on going projects.  I finished binding My Trailing Vines quilt and the motifs on the outside pink strips were not making me smile.  Last night, I made the decision to go ahead and trapunto them so that they would be more defined.  I use a method that uses a darning needle and yarn.  It's not difficult, and I find it really isn't too time consuming.  The photos below show the results I was able to achieve.

The before photo

The after photo

I finished one strip Friday night and the other Saturday morning!  I am pleased with the results, and now I can say My Trailing Vines is completely finished.  

I wanted to take it outside to get some better photos and may do that later this week.  We were just too busy Saturday.  

February's stitches have been completed for The Linen and Threads SAL. I am loving this project more and more!

March patterns have been released for Cheddarback and the Linen and Threads SAL.  But I think this week I will continue on Santa #3 .  I am really enjoying getting back into crossstitch.   Below is my progress!

Binding, Bingeing and Finishes!

Well another Sunday has rolled around.  I spent quite a few hours in the sewing room this week.  I finished my Cheddarback quilt blocks for February,  they can be seen here.  I also cut and sewed the binding to My Trailing Vines quilt.  Yes, that is the official name, since I was inspired by Susan Mc Cords Trailing Vines but I did it my way as the song goes.  I combined the idea of an English Strippy Quilt and Trailing Vines by widening the sashing and quilting cables in those strips.  My original intention was to do a knife edge finish that is often done on Strip Quilts, however, as usual I was a bit over zealous in my hand quilting and quilted all the way to the edge of the quilt.  I remembered too late, to leave about an inch or two unquilted to turn under.  Well, there was no way I was going to undo those hand quilted stitches, so I came up with a solution.  I decided to match the binding to the  strips on the quilt so that it would have the illusion of a knife edge.

It really wasn't hard to do, I just had to mark a quarter inch seam each time there was a fabric change and then had to sew on the other fabric and stitch!  However, I felt like it was going to take forever!  I had to walk away after doing a few questioning why I torment myself this way.  But I came back to it later, always remembering you get out what you put into a project.  Yes, it's a small detail, but it's those small details that make it or break it for me.  So what do you think was it worth it?  My answer is always yes, it makes it, and I guess that is all that matters.  So today, I will binge on the new Season of Outlander and stitch my binding down, now it doesn't get better than that!

I finished Santa # 2 this week, but haven't started on #3.  I want to thank all of you that gave me the obvious solution of outlining the ribbon on the wreath.  Well, it was obvious to all of you, not to me!   So I am grateful for your comments.

I also completed the January stitches on the Threads and Linens 2020 Crosstitch Mystery.  On to February stitches  where I have just about completed the flower in a vase.

 I hope you find joy in some hand work and add  a bit of detail that makes that next project special for you too. I will be linking up with Kathy's Quilt's to see what others are hand stitching and the joy it brings them!

Slow Stitching Progress!

Well, after a trip to town, I was able to finish up Santa # 1.  He really makes me smile and I am so glad to have started this journey!  Santa # 1 was released in 1984.

Santa #2 got started this week!  He was released in 1989.  I have finished the border and started stitching on Santa!  He's a bit more complicated and there are more stitches so he may take a bit longer.

Hand quilting is still happening on my trailing vines.  I am adding some extra stitches in the final strip.  After I stitched what I had originally marked there were some places that were just to large to be left unquilted so more straight lines were added and I am adding those stitches!  I still need to go out and look for binding fabric and make a label,  just haven't had the time.

 Tom has been tearing out our old  fence and rebuilding a new fence and he seems to alway need my help.  We work well together, however after a few days I begin to miss my relaxing sewing.  I have been crossstitching in our front room and we recently purchased an Improved Meyer Lemon tree.  It is living there till there till the chance of a frost it over.   It just started to bloom and gives out a very light scent that is just heavenly!  The blooms are small, but so pretty and I have always wanted to grow one! No wonder I just want to stitch!

Slow Stitching Sunday

Today is Sunday and I love linking up to Slow Stitching Sunday over at Kathy's Quilts and see what others are hand stitching.  It's so much fun to see everyones projects and their progress week to week.  In a world where things seem to be so fast paced, it's nice to take the time for oneself.  Hand work has alway been a passion of mine and it's such a relaxing thing to do!  Today, I will be working on Santa # 1's face.  Not too many stitches left, however I discovered I don't have the thread for his cheeks so he won't be finished today.

But, there is always another project that needs some stitches.  I am nearing the end of hand quilting my trailing vines.  The last strip is all that is left and I started it a few days ago.  I am really excited to have some finishes, it's been a while. With hand work they don't seem to happen very often, but when they do they are well worth the wait, in my opinion.  I realized this week however, that I don't have any fabric to finish the binding on this quilt, so I will start my search this week.  I wish I had thought ahead on this one, and done a knife edge finish instead of a binding, but it's too late to go in that direction.   So, the search will begin.

Happy New Year!

Well, I have made it!  For a lot of decades, it seemed like 2020 was so far off in the future.  It's the year I become a full fledged senior citizen.  I would see that year so often when planning our retirement.  Wow and now it has officially arrived.

I have seen a lot of bloggers listing their finishes for 2019 and posting their lists of what they want to do in 2020.  I have no idea when my projects will be completed.  I like just plodding along and doing what I feel like doing.  I do have to admit that I am alittle excited about finishing my trailing vines. The quilting stitches are really creating such a wonderful texture.  But, I must be patient, those slow stitches take time.  I try to enjoy some slow stitches daily, but sometimes I'm too tired or I am busy with other things.  I marked the diagonal lines on strip number 8 of 11 strips in the quilt, so I am making good progress.  I need to make a label and get some fabric for the binding, but I'll wait till the quilting is done to face all that.

Isn't the texture lovely?  I have a rock wall in my home that I use to showcase my quilts.  It's a great way for me to add some color to my home as the seasons change.  I can't wait to see my trialing vines on the wall.  Right now, I have my ocean waves draped there and it will stay up until after Valentine's Day.  I think my trailing vines would be perfect for spring!

I will admit, as much as I love making quilts, I will spend more time in 2020 knitting and crossstitching and making small projects. I have purchased 12 of The Prairie Schooler Santas that I want to crossstitch.  I bought my first pattern back in the early 1980's I think it is about time I started stitching them up!

 I will continue to work on the Sentimental Stitches Cheddarback quilt. There are three more months of downloads after January.   Once completed, it will be added to the waiting to be quilted tops. I also have started making blocks for Kathleen Tracey's mystery quilt.  It's a small 30 inch quilt and my first go at a mystery.  I have alot of small scraps that I hope will work for this one.  These tops will get done one by one as fall and winter arrive each year.  My daughter in law said to me the other day it must be nice to be retired and enjoying each day the way you do.  I think, she is absolutely right, just plodding along enjoying life.

Sew Many Stitches!

It's often hard to show progress on a hand quilted quilt.  The process is not fast, and in the case of my trailing vines quilt there aren't different blocks to showcase. The quilting design doesn't change much,
so each strip is pretty much a repeat of the it's previous strip. But I must say, I love quilting quilts like this.   Each quilting session allows me to just the enjoy the many stitches this quilt is calling for.

I am linking up with Kathy's quilt. She is asking her fellow slow stitchers to share a favorite Christmas decoration that we have stitched.  I made this Thimbleberries wreath pattern years ago.  I love pulling it out each year, it reminds me how I first started my quilting journey.  Like most I just plunged in not knowing alot and this piece reminds me how far I have come in my journey.

Decision made!

Well, I decided on Monday morning to do the 45 degree diagonal lines thru my leaf vines all in one direction.  In my gut I just felt that since this a traditional pattern that the consistant slant would be more appropriate.  The vines are not symmetrical, so having the consistant angle makes sense to me.
I made a little progress this week on my leaf strip, but we are heading out of town for the Thanksgiving and packing and preparing has interferred with my quilting time.  So here is a peak at what I have accomplished.  I will be taking a blog break till after Christmas. Happy stitching until then!

Susan Mc Cord

I received so many wonderful comments last week on my trailing vines quilt.  I felt I needed to do a tribute to the original maker of the quilt Susan Mc Cord, afterall it was her vision!

She was an Indiana farm wife who had 7 children and created breath taking quilts out of bits of fabric.  I was watching tv and stitching Saturday morning and to my amazement CBS was doing a show on innovators.  People like Henty Ford and Thomas Edison and yes a quilter Susan Mc Cord.  They did mention in the piece that these quilts were made for warmth.  I really don't think this was her reason for making them. Afterall, you could patch big squares of fabric together to make a warm blanket.  I really feel she had a need to create something. She apparently had great skills and visions and needed to see them come to life.  Her attention to detail is amazing!

So fun to see how she quilted her Trailing Vines!

Oh the bits of fabric in this one!

She definitely had needle skillls

More leaves!

 Her work is amazing and to think she made these quilts back in the late 1800s before all the modern tools we use today to make quilts.   I love how organic her work is, she truely must have been inspired by nature. She used her now famous pieced leaves a lot and after making this quilt I can understand why. So this morning I laid out my version out to see the progress. I finish quilting to one edge and then started the cable the other direction and I have completed that panel.  This week I plan on completing the leaf panel and moving on to start the  next set of two panels.

Hand Quilting

It's been a busy couple of weeks here.  Fall weather always is welcomed here in North Texas.  It is so nice to open up the house and enjoy the fresh air.  However, when it's in the low 80s or high 70's it can be too warm to get under a wool quilt and quilt very long.  But that is ok, there will be plenty of cooler days as we progress in the winter season.  I started quilting in the center of the quilt and have been following two panels to the edge.  I haven't quite reached the edge yet but I am almost there. Here is the progress on the front of the quilt.

 I was surprised to find that stitching around all those leaves is really more enjoyable than the cable panel.  But, I am very pleased with the results and balance of stitching between the two different panels.

I remembered this morning to flip the quilt over and give you a look at the back.   So much fun to take it out of the hoop and get a glimpse of what the finished quilt may look like.   Still so many stitches to make but each one brings me closer to a finish and I am afraid I will be a bit sad when it's done and it's no longer in the hoop.   But, it seems there is always another quilt top waiting in the sidelines and the list of quilts you want to make is endlesss.

The hand quilting!

The hand quilting has begun!  It always seems like it takes forever to get a quilt to this point.  However, for me, it's about making a quilt that makes me happy and that does take some time.  I have come to enjoy the whole process, but the hand quilting is still the part that brings me a lot of joy. 

leaf panel

Well, it's a good thing, as this quilt needs a lot of stitches to make me feel it is complete.  I debated where to start quilting it as it is a strippy quilt. But decided why not finish the center and work out like I normally do, that way it gets easier to work on in my hoop as I go.  I marked all the pink panels with a cable design but, I hadn't fully decided on the leaf panels.  I will mark them as I go.  First I am stitching around all the applique, no marking needed for that and then I am adding a diagonal 45 degree line every inch across that panel. I think, each panel will lean a different direction, but that could change, time will tell.  But, I do know it's very nice knowing that this quilt is in the hoop.   That means I can sneak in a few minutes here and there and add some hand quilting stitches.  It doesn't get better than that!

Pink panel

Goals accomplished!

It always feels so good when I come accomplish my quilting goals or at least see a good effort made.  Sometimes that is hard to do with the everyday things that life presents us. Now that Tom has retired and he helps empty the dishwasher, he realizes that my request for some pull out drawers on my island might really be a great idea.  So this week he installed these beauties. 

Oh they make life so much easier!  But, I ended up rearranging the kitchen cupboards a bit so it was more time consuming than I first thought.  But, I have found that dedicating a little time each day to my craft really makes things progress quite nicely.  I was able to get my trailing vines quilt basted and now it is in the hoop.  No stitches have been made yet, but I am sure they will start soon.  We have had a very toasty September here in North Texas.  Our temps have hovered right around 95 the whole month.  However, come Monday, the expected high will be 75.  I know that crisp morning air will make me want to sit down and start the hand quilting.

I also was able to start one of October's two twelve inch blocks for Cheddarback Quilt.  It's an appliqued Carolina Lily that I decided to do in blue and green.  I hope to finish the stitching of the appliqued pieces this afternoon while watching the Cowboys and Packers battle it out.   Who knows some stitching might even happen on my trailing vines!

Getting back to normal

Sometimes it doesn't take much to throw me off the track when it comes to my stitching.  It's been a crazy month with having to deal with Tom's burns and getting ready for Thanksgiving and having family members visiting.  I usually just put my stitching aside, rather than get frustrated with not having the time. I also think it is important to take time to visit family when they are in town.  Tom is doing much better. All the bandages have released themselves and he is finally able to take showers. I hope that his visit to the burn clinic on Tuesday is good and we are on track.  It is amazing how fast our skin repairs itself.  The redness will be there for up to a year but all in all we are thankful things were not any worse.

Family members left Friday and I thought I would put in a few stitches, but my swing arm lamp wouldn't turn on.  So this morning Tom looked at it and found the culprit, the switch. Now, a trip to the hardware store should get it working again.  So this afternoon I hope to be able to stitch again. Looking at my current panel, I must say I've done well as three branches are completed.  I really need to decide if I want to stop at 5 panels or make the quilt wider and do another, or consider doing some kind of appliqued border.  I have plenty of time to think about it as I stitch the rest of this panel.

Hanging them on my sewing room closet door has been very inspirational. I have decided to go with green for my alternate panels and I really need to start keeping my eye out for the right fabric.

Tranquility

It was a rough week here at our house!  Tuesday night my husband got a call in from work, it was around midnight and I had gone to bed but was restless so I heard him get up and I got up to say goodbye.  I went back to bed but just couldn't sleep.  Around 230am, I got up to get my phone as Tom said he didn't think he would be very long and I was beginning to worry. My phone goes into do not disturb mode at night I had missed a text from him. As I opened it it said "This is a nurse at Baylor Medical Center you need to come here immediately as your husband was injured at work.  So I called the number they left and they said the injury was serious enough they were going to have to move him to another facility.  Yes, you know the dreaded call. So I got dressed and off I went, he had not been transfered yet so I was able to see him for a few minutes before he was sent off to  the burn hospital in Dallas.  He had 2nd degree burns on both hands and arms, his neck and chest. So when the transport team arrived I followed them into Dallas.  He was sent to  Parkland the very hospital JFK was taken too. Going thru the emergency room was terrifying as you have to go thru  a metal dectector and the waiting room is filled with homeless and drug addicted patients.  I wanted to start balling as I was waiting for a pass to go back to the er, but I know I needed to be strong.  Tom was admitted and the staff was wonderful. He ended up staying two nights and was able to come home Friday. He has a long road to recovery but things are looking up.  Friday night I picked up the new panel I prepped and starting stitching down leaves. Oh how tranquil, oh how wonderful to be doing something normal.

So although my week was helter skelter, I was able to make some good progress by getting panel five prepped and one branch's leaves appliqued.  This morning I am prepping two more branches and then I can stitch down the vine on branch one and have plenty of leaves to applique as we watch the Cowboys game.  I am so thankful that things are calming down and even though his burns are very serious it could have been so much worse. The nurse was telling me pain is good when it comes to burns, as the damage is minimal.  Two nights in the hospital is minor compared to some patients that spend a year or two in the burn unit.  So, this is a reminder to love each day as if there is no tomorrow and to be thankful for the little joys in life.  I am so glad I have my slow stitching to turn to!