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Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Hello, Tuesday!

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Today I’m sharing the UNDERSIDE of the hand quilting progress on Jason’s hexie quilt!

I am loving the texture of the hand quilting on this one.  The hexies are small, only 3/4’’ per side so the quilting is fairly dense. And I think the tea dyed color solid was the best choice to show the texture.

I’m not outlining each individual hexagon, but echoing each path, and any center hexie that stands by itself I am quilting with  3 crossing lines in a starburst.

Progress on this monster has been fairly slow, just an hour or so in the evening while I am home, but any progress is PROGRESS.

This quilt has been in progress since 1999 so what is the rush?

Click the photos to view a larger image.

I am loving the silk batting by Hobbs, and have settled in with size 10 betweens by Roxanne for my needle of choice.  The 11s were just too short, The 10s bend a bit, but I can load just the right number of stitches on them per hexie side because of the length of the needle.

It pays to experiment!

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Darker photo, to show front texture!

Last night’s viewing pleasure since the menfolk were at Quilt Villa:  Lark Rise to Candleford on Amazon Prime.

Things to love about British Dramas – Where else can you see Dawn French (Vicar of Dibley) Liz Smith (Also Vicar of Dibley) Brendon Coyle (Bates from Downton Abbey) and Ruby Bental (Verity from Poldark) and Linda Basset (Call the Midwife) together?  Lark Rise played from 2008 to 2011 and I am parceling out the episodes to myself one or two at a time.  If you haven’t watched it, DO!

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Every once in a while the feed dogs need de-linting!

I’m still treadling away.  And enjoying every rock of the foot pedal.  I’ve cleaned and oiled every spare inch of this machine that had sat neglected in the cabinet while I was pushing toward deadlines with electric machines.  This project I am working on doesn’t require that kind of pace, and this is perfection.

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Yesterday’s batch, trimmed and ready for paper removal.

Oh, just wait to you see how and where these land!

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And yes, I’m treadling in my Uggs!

A basement with a concrete floor is something COLD.  I need to treadle with shoes on anyway, so my feet are luxuriating in my boots.  I love these.  Ankles must be kept warm as well as feet, and though they look dorky, I just love them.

In my book, January and February are months simply to be endured.  March is filled with hope for spring-to-come, and April holds the promise. 

Just get me through!  I only left the house to get some ingredients needed for this:

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Things that get me through!

I made a big crock pot full of Chicken Taco Soup with the recipe found under the recipes tab at the top of the blog. I’m good for a few days.

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Have you made a Narragansett Blues quilt?

This was yesterday’s #quiltvilleoftheday post.  I love four-patches and will stick them in everywhere I can!  This is a great Leader & Ender project.  Pattern from my book MORE Adventures with Leaders & Enders. On sale in the Quiltville Store!

On today’s to-do list: Deskwork. Studio organizing. More treadling at leisure.  My time home alone ends tomorrow so I better make good use of it today!

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Quiltville Quote of the Day!

We all get by with a little help from our friends - what would happen if we all voiced our gratitude more often? Thank you for being a part of my life!

1970's vintage strippy quilt found in Wilkesboro, North Carolina.

Have a Terrific Tuesday, everyone!



17 comments:

  1. I am making Narragansett Blues as a leaders and enders. Its a quilt for my brother in laws cottage. I use only scraps and very old blue fabrics. My interest for vintage sewing machines are growing fast and I have lately bought some. I realize it is very much I do not know about using and repairing the machines , but I am learning by doing.I also learn alot by following you.Wish you could make some short videos about wireing long bobbins and treading the machines if you have some spare time :) You certainly push my interests! Bente

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  2. Such glorious texture with your hand quilting!
    Thank YOU for being part of my life :)

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  3. Thank you, Bonnie, for the inspiration of today's post. I was waffling on batting for my hexie quilt and I think I will go with silk. I've heard that it is a dream to hand quilt through. I waited for my folded corners ruler to start on clue #3 ORL - fantastic tut! Between the essentials ruler and the folded corners ruler, I will never look at another quilt pattern the same. Thank you so much!

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  4. I am always grateful when Spring comes. Yes April is the Promise! Love that you Treadle in your uggg boots. Sew fun to have the time at her home to play and watch what you like. Thanks for all you are to us Quiltville fans. What an inspiration your quotes are each day. I have learned so much from following along on the Mysteries

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  5. Your hexie quilt is just beyond beautiful. I've enjoyed seeing the progress on that and the current one over the years.

    It would be so neat to look at one of your quilts with neutral strings in person, to just look through all of the fun and unexpected fabrics you include.

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  6. My sewing room is in our daylight basement and has concrete floor, though it has commercial grade carpet squares over it. My ankles get cold a lot, more than my feet! I wear wool clogs and socks all the time (except a few days in Alaska's short summer). We have our basement torn apart due to new windows, and the painting of the frames. I am searching for a rearrangement that will allow me to use my treadle rather than having it just another flat surface. Meanwhile I cannot sew downstairs at all! Luckily Saturday was our guild's open sew and I got to sew and visit with friends.

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  7. Roxanne's 10's are my point of choice as well. They stack the right # stitches and I like the flexibility of the needle! I am living through your nimble quilting fingers as I am just too far behind on everything to get to my quilting....soon, though, soon!

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  8. Larkrise to Candleford is one of my all time favorite sweet shows. Have you watched - The Paradise and Mr. Selfridge? They are along the same line. Enjoy!

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  9. Ni Bonnie!
    Jason's quilt is absolutely Stunning, Stiking, gorgeous! I am sure he will not mind waiting for this masterpiece. I have a pair of boots like yours, but I do not sew in them. I wear light slippers. My sewing room is downstairs, also. BUT, I have in floor heat. It is still chilly down there, and like to open the door for a while before I go down, or move a sewing machine upstairs.

    Your quote of the day is very fitting, also!

    Donna
    Kasilof, AK
    Where the sun is shining after the morning ice advisory. This afternoon I need to go to town and get more stove pellets, as contractors will be here tomorrow.

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  10. I am currently working on the 9-patches for the borders of Narrangset Blues-have a bit over 200 made!! Everything else is ready to go together, but I want to get at least another 100 of those 9-patches done before starting that! LOTS of little squares in that rascal (why do I still have a box of 2" squares left?)

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  11. You know what I love about you, Bonnie?
    You are just so nice.
    Thank you for being you.
    Cheers and Happy Stitching!

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  12. Thank you for sharing your life with me/us! I love your boots and can relate to the cold floor (my basement), maybe you can put in a false floor that would give you a bit of a buffer? My sewing room/office is on the 2nd floor, and while it is insulated, there's no heat duct! (on the other side of a stairwell from the furnace). I do have a heater that works well, so I'm good. Now if I could tear myself away from the gorgeous posts in Quiltville's Open Studio maybe I'd get more quilting done!

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  13. I just finished the series. I loved it, I will miss the silliness of the characters. It left you hanging about the future of some of them and gave you a sense of where others will lead. I always feel sad when I really enjoy a series and it comes to an end.

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  14. My employer The Record--a weekly newspaper had just posted on their Facebook page one of my golden sunrise photos that I had taken back in November. My kindergarten teacher saw it and thanked me for being one of her students back in 1954. She stated at the end that she was so thankful to have us as her first class and that we started her on her lifetime journey in education. Then I read your post about the greatest gift you can give someone is to thank them for being a part of our lives. This is so true. I am so thankful for all the many people who have been a part of my life, including you, Bonnie. You're such a wonderful inspiration to us all. Thank you.

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  15. Bonnie, I discovered when we were in Sydney, Australia, for two months, a few years ago, that UGGs were supposed to ONLY! Be slippers. (The official word in the UGGs store near our apartment. People elsewear changed the use, because they are warm and comfy like bedroom slippers) So you have the right idea... toasty toes! Hope you are also wearing knitted wool socks.... my daughter has knitted many pairs and they added colour, smiles and warmth to my feet...
    I’m also working on my “forevermore” hexi quilt... during the second and third period of hockey games and flying around the world. My “forevermore hexi” is made from circles folded five times... The quilt will be toasty and warm, but not sure when it it will be done... I started in 2016..

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  16. I wondered if you would consider making blank design sheets or even coloring pages to go along with your designs. That way, we could experiment with different color paths before we buy all that fabric that didn't quite work for the quilt we're planning.

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  17. Wow, your hand quilting is just stupendous. I wish I could be more successful at it. I don't load stitches on a needle very well. I hope that one of these days it will just click for me because I find any kind of hand work so therapeutic. There is nothing better to soothe the soul than sitting and stitching by hand. Thanks so much for that inspiration.

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