My Hands

Kathy asked that we share a picture of our slow stitching hands today, so here I am quilting the border of my pink scrap quilt.  My hands, thankfully, to not get tired when quilting because I do not rock the needle.  My right hand stays still and pushes the needle.  The left hand (underneath) has a thimble on it and it pushes up.  I started quilting this way long ago because I could never get used to a sore finger underneath.

I remember when I first learned to hand quilt I thought "This is supposed to be relaxing???  You've got to be kidding!"  I thought it was so unnatural and the quilt was always in my way.  Of course it didn't help that I chose the fluffiest batting I could find!  But I persevered and now I agree that hand quilting is one of the most relaxing things a person can do.

This is what happens to the thimble on my left hand.  I have to replace them about once a year when I poke a hole in them.   I'm glad its the thimble and not my finger that looks like Swiss cheese.   I need the metal thimbles with the flat top (no ridge) and they are getting more difficult to find each year.  I've become a thimble hoarder. 

A Little Slow Stitching

I'm still working on quilting my pink scrappy quilt.  One more pass across and the center will be complete.  I'm going to do a more elaborate design in the wide border.  Its amazing how much you can get done by just allocating an hour a day to hand quilting. 

 



I've also been busy piecing.  I finished Bonnie's Grand Illusion top on Friday.  I worked hard to keep up with each clue, and the quilt came together quickly in the end.  I wasn't sure I liked it at first because it seemed so busy and it is definitely out of my comfort zone.  Actually, its growing on me.  I think it will be a cheerful addition to the guest room come springtime.   

I belong to the Jo Morton Yahoo group and the gals have come up with a great WIP plan for the year.  We were to list 12 projects that we want to either finish or move further along.  At the beginning of each month, a number is chosen and we are to work on the project on our list that corresponds that number.  There are very few rules:  You can finish, make progress or switch to another project.  This month I finished a Thimbleberries top that was about 1/3 complete.  I finished cutting and sewing the blocks and then sewed them to the 1/3 I already had.  This was an OLD project (2001).  Apparently I'm a much more accurate piecer now, because my new blocks were bigger than my old ones.  I just sort of eased them in.  I think hope if I quilt it with a slightly thicker batting, I can disguise the problem.