Just a small ekkk as I typed Week 40 as the title of the post! Ekkk! Look at this view into my sewing room! This is what I see as I stand at the door. My flickr dolls quilt ready to wash and label. Lisa's lovely mini of triangles. A stuffed doll Grace has been asking me to sew the arm back on for months! That blue and green quilt top I made in August for no real reason, waiting to be sandwiched and quilted. I thought I might use it to practise stippling on? Or just diagonal lines? Anyway, something for another day.With the end of the year approaching I want to finish two projects before starting 2009. Being a bit ambious maybe, but you have to start somewhere. I had a mantra in high school, the sooner you start something, the sooner you finished it. And I want to finish this quilt and the Squid Eye Quilt!
All I had to do was sew an inch strip around the top and it was finished and then spent the day sandwiching it and hand basting it. I want to hand quilt this one. I have never attempted hand quilting before, I'm after a long term hand work project to take along to the girls swimming and gym classes, something to work on when we go to Rottnest and I can't take my machine, something to do at night in front of the telly when I don't want to do any machine sewing. So I have decided to tackle this one as it will most likely be a wall hanging, its big, 50 inches square. Wonder how long it will take me? I picked some pretty metallic DMC threads to contrast.I have hand basted it with just a strand of DMC thread, that took 2 nights! I figured I couldn't use pins as I'll need the pins before I am finished I am sure. Daz was watching with interest as I was doing it at the dining room table, although he had his "she's crazy but I'll support her in her little hobby" face on and when I said I'm hand quilting this, he raised his eyebrows and I made him promise to remind me what a good idea I thought this was in a few months/years when I am cursing myself for even attempting this!
9 comments:
My partner was very happy when I started hand quilting. Because ... it slowed me down a bit.
I was spending less on having my quilts quilted by others, spending less (sort of) on fabrics for the next quilt, and the next, and the next. And the massive pile of quilts building up in our house is growing more slowly now so we won't have to build on an extra room just yet.
Helen I LOVE the squid eye quilt, it's fantastic
The metallic threads will look great but will drive you NUTS to work with. They fray, break easier, and are just generally not user-friendly. GOod luck! I'd recommend a 50wt real quilting thread (though not quite so dramatic).
I so love the squid eye quilt. Am in total awe that you are going to hand quilt it!
your view is so colorful!
every time i see that squid eye i love it more and more. hand quilting will make it so special.
Good luck Helen. It is a gorgeous quilt and very worthy of being hand quilted. I can't wait to see the progress and the end result.
I think thats a fabulous idea to start it as a hand quilting project so that you can take it around with you to the training sessions and still be productive and continue doing what you love. Good Luck with it.
That is fantastic. It is going to look so amazing when you are done!
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