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Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Wednesday as it Unfolds!


I suppose I could call this Tuesday Evening helpers -

I was attempting to move the hand quilting hoop from one section to the next, and well - someone just HAD to get into the act.

And I love it, I do.  It's precious beyond words - you can't help but smile and laugh, but just like with a toddler, things seem to take twice as long as they should, and you just can't seem to get your message across to them without them thinking they are in trouble - which she wasn't!.

I have had several requests to "Show the Whole Thing!" But there really isn't room to lay things out very well here at the cabin.  The center has been complete for a while - I am now working that flower chain border in between the two green bands.

When I have completed that - all that will be left is the 4 corner fill in areas, and the final flower border.


View from the back -

You can see where the hoop was, before moving it to complete an area further down.

The sparse "quilting" you see with what looks like "wiggle" lines is precisely that.  I baste my hand quilting projects by long arm - using a very large stitch and a serpentine design.  The basting comes out as I move the hoop from area to area.

I've tried many different kinds of quilt frames, and find I love the simplicity of a well basted quilt, and a round hoop that allows me to rotate the area so I am always quilting in a direction that is comfortable for me.

My favorite thimbles are TJ Lane.  My needles?  Roxanne, betweens size 9, 10 or 11 depending on the thickness of the batting, how many seams there are to quilt through, etc.  I am quilting this one with 9's.

I am quilting with Gutermann hand quilting thread in ecru.


Close up.

I am not marking any quilting lines on this quilt, I am just going by eye ball.  It's very simple, and I don't have to take time out to mark.


I love the texture of the hand stitches - so different than machine stitching.

I want to keep the picot edge of the whole hexagons - so there will be no binding.  I'm going to "knife edge" the edge of the quilt by trimming the batting even with the edge of the quilt top, the backing 1/4'' larger, and turn the backing in to be blind stitched to the hexagons at the outside edge. Then I will also quilt close to that edge to finish everything off.  

I finished an early hexagon quilt that way, and loved how it turned out with no binding.

It's a good thing that I love feet up time working on this project - because when this one (Jason's) is done, there is Jeff's yet to hand quilt also.


Today's early morning progress!

Today, even with the USPS closed for Veterans Day (Thank a vet!) I have a full day ahead, but have already managed an hour at the sewing machine before breakfast this morning.

I feel energized to start this day!  At this rate I may be ready to start sewing this quilt together in a week or so.

I love that orange shirt plaid with the pumpkins on it.  That was one of my line-dancing shirts one year!  I loved that shirt!

And of course mixing the recycled shirt prints with my favorite neutrals is a win/win.


I woke to a very foggy morning!

We had quite a bit of rain last night, and this morning the mountain is still socked in with fog.  The temperature isn't bad - it's fairly warmish actually at 63f degrees, and the fog feels a bit like Brigadoon! 

(That is a shout out to my high school musical theater days - oh how I loved it!)


Brigadoon Breakfast on the porch!

As it was not freezing, just foggy - we celebrated Veterans Day with pancakes, eggs and bacon cooled on the Blackstone grill on the porch.  We did eat inside, but there is nothing like the taste of an outdoor-cooked breakfast.

Dear veterans - today our flag flies for you!  Thank you so much for your service!

If you look beneath the porch at the right of the photo - you'll see a window with lights on - That is the sliding glass door to my basement studio here at the cabin.

Wednesday has always been seen in my mind's eye as a big top-of-the-hill diagram, with me teetering on the edge, ready to roll over and go screaming (Sometimes keester over tea kettle) through the rest of the week - and starting the uphill climb again on Monday.

I am already looking forward to another #mediafreesunday coming up - no plans on what to do with it yet, but I keep reminding myself that if Chic Fil A can be closed on Sunday to give their employees a day off with their families, so can I. Have you thought about it yourself? It's not like we'll return on Monday to find that the social world has disappeared. It will all be there still, on Monday.

There is still time to get in on Barbara Brackman's New Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns, 3rd edition gift-away! Enter to win ON THAT POST.



My newly released Nearly Lemoyne PDF pattern is also on sale at 25% off in the digital pattern section of the Quiltville Store. No coupon needed. Sale ends Saturday morning 11/14/2020


Quiltville Quote of the Day -

To all who have served - Happy Veterans Day!

We owe you for so much more than we could ever begin to thank you for.

Have a great Wednesday, folks!


 

26 comments:

  1. Love your cabin just love it

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  2. For the past few months I have been taking Sunday off from as much as possible. (Trying to observe an old Sabbath day tradition just because I know it is good for me, not because I feel I HAVE to if that makes sense.) I don't sew on Sunday since the Cover-19 pandemic just to help me keep track of what day it is. :) When I go back to stitching on Monday I a little happier to do so. I want to encourage anyone who might be feeling like I am. I told my youngest son, who is 36, that I feared I am experiencing dementia because I am more forgetful and feeling "spacey". I felt so much better when he said he was experiencing something similar. He walked over to the lab de-artment and when he got there he forgot why he went there. After he was there a minute or two he remembered and went on. Since he is so much younger than I am this didn't scare him. He chalked it up to being too isolated because of the pandemic. So.....for your readers who are in my age group (well over 60) don't get scared. We'll be okay!!! Sew on! Keeping those seams straight and making intersections match will keep our brains working. Thank you, Bonnie, for all you do!
    Susan

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  3. Happy Hump day! Nice to see the outside of the cabin. Zoey is funny, gotta be on the middle of everything you do. Lucky pup to have you! Changed my FB Profile photo to an over the porch photo with my Frolic! So thankful for Mystery Season. Mine lasted longer than usual this year.

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  4. While my dad didn’t attend church much, but he believed Sunday should be a day of rest, with his family close. I wholeheartedly support you taking Sunday off!
    Thank you for all you share with us you brighten by morning with your insights and photos it’s been great watching Zoey through your photos. Relax and enjoy your Sundays!

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  5. Love your cabin! Your breakfast sounded so good!
    Sharon, Dyersburg Tennessee
    sewsharon@yahoo.com

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  6. Hobby Lobby is closed on Sunday too so you’re in good company 😁

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  7. Bonnie, I am so intrigued by your sugar loaf blocks. I hope a pattern is forthcoming.

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  8. Bonnie, you are so right. We all need to take a day off from things and re energize ourselves and our souls. Zoey is just adorable and I have a little guy here that does the same thing. He always thinks that quilt is a new bed for him....ha! I am in my sewing room working on a Trip around the world, waiting for ETA to pass. Take care of yourself

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  9. I'm just learning/teaching myself how to hand quilt. I will admit that I feel rather discouraged because my results are less than stellar. I'd love to be able to see the hand quilting you're doing on the hexie quilt. Perhaps, you might be able to speak more about the 'simple' quilting that you're doing. I'd really appreciate any little thing.

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    Replies
    1. LJ...keep going and you will get better with time and be happier with your results. My favorite antique quilts are always those with “less than stellar” piecing and quilting!

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    2. Thank you, I needed that.

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  10. Interesting idea about Sundays. Since I am so much happier without FB at all, I will definitely give the idea of no IG on Sunday a try. Thanks for that.

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  11. Happy St. Martin's Day. I remember St. Martin's Market and lantern parades and singing and St. Martin depicted on the old 50 Swiss Franc bill, sharing his warm coat with a beggar.
    Sharing is always good. Thank you for sharing so much of your life and skills with us.

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  12. Rainy here also in coastal NC! we're expecting 4-6" of rain and temps are in the 70's! A good sewing day! Working on my FMQ Academy sampler from HollyAnne Knight. Never thought I could handle those motifs but am pleasantly surprised at how they are coming out...most of them! A few are tough!
    Taking Sunday off is a wonderful idea! Enjoy! We'll be here on Monday :-)

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  13. I blame my recent forgetfulness on "Covid Brain". I coined the phrase myself because of our new lifestyle and the isolationism.

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  14. I also do not open my small patchwork store on Sunday.I need a day to do housework garden etc, and I find if I have lost my recharge day my customer service probably isn't what it should be. We all need time to rest our heads from the constant clamor around us.

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  15. I picked Thursday as “my” day. I do whatever I want and treat myself on Thursday. Can’t tell you why I picked that day but it works for me.

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  16. Bonnie, First I really enjoy reading your blog posts daily, I normally read them later in the evening during my wind-down time. I have a question about the Sugarloaf blocks you have been teasing us with, is that a pattern ready for us to purchase or is it one of your upcoming ones? I'm really loving the blocks and would love to try making it for myself. Thank you again for your blog and skills you so freely share with us.

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    1. Future pattern release. I don't have a completed quilt yet. I've never made this one before. So please stay tuned. Thank you for your patience!

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  17. Oh, how I loved the TV musical movie, Brigadoon! It was just magical and one of my favorite movies of all time. I can hear the beautiful theme song in my mind as I'm writing this. Thank you Bonnie, for bringing back this wonderful memory!

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  18. I love how inviting your cabin looks, with those beautiful lights you’ve hung on the deck. You really have the most beautiful home. You hand quilted quilt is coming on a treat the texture is really beautiful and I’m sure your son will treasure it. Thank you for sharing the progress with us

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  19. I just love the Nearly Lemoyne pattern...the colors...everything about it. But, what does Nearly Lemoyne mean? Maybe you've told us and I've missed it. I've looked up Lemoyne in the dictionary and can't find a definition that matches this beautiful quilt.

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  20. We did Brigadoon at my high school my freshman year. So fun and I still love the music and watch the movie whenever it is on TV. I agree with the Sunday downtime and don't do FB or spend much time on the computer that day. I was watching on-line church Sunday mornings but we have been able to be inside for a couple of weeks now. Definitely a day to recharge and renew. Keep up the great work. Gathering my fabrics for the new Grassy Creek Mystery today.

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