The time has come!
The finishing of the hand quilting on my 2008 string star is only a couple days away from reaching the finish line.
If you are like me - the next project is already in your head before you finish the one you are concentrating on - so it should come as no surprise that I made myself ready for the next hand quilting project destined to fill my evenings (and my hoop!) for the next many months ahead.
I finished quilting Jason's hexie during the winter time. And that one took years because I was still traveling and teaching at the time, so I couldn't work on it consistently.
Picking up evening hand quilting has really come to the forefront with the onset of Covid.
I do the basting for my hand quilting by long arm. And for this project I have chosen silk batting by Hobbs.
It can be a bit on the pricy side, but when I have put this much into the hand piecing of this quilt, this is what I have chosen. the silk bat needles so easily - and it keeps just the right amount of loft.
I've linked it in the Quilting All the Time category of the Quiltville Amazon Affiliate Store.
Here you can see the large serpentine design I use for basting. Better than straight line basting as it prevents shifting in many directions.
I had an almost-gone cone of brown thread I'm using for the basting. It wasn't enough to quilt a whole quilt, and I can see to remove it easily.
I spy a Lorax!
I love stitching in fun "that really doesn't belong" type fabrics in my quilts. It brings a smile while I am making it, and even more smiles when I forget about them, and rediscover them later. LOL!
Basted!
How many of you see accidental dog faces? LOL!
It didn't take long - and I'll be ready to quilt soon. No pins. No fusible batting. No sticky spray glue. Just thread that holds the layers securely and comes out easily.
Interesting fact: The hexie papers have all been removed except for the last row of hexies all the way around the quilt. Something has to hold those turned-over edges in place. Those papers will be removed when I get the quilting to that point and removed just as the quilting takes place at the outside edge of the quilt.
I'll be starting the quilting in the center because I am not quilting Baptist Fans on this one. It's going to be "by the hexie."
Close up of basting..
Each hexie is 3/4'' per side.
The quilt measures approximately 96'' x 98''
Folded and waiting for "start day!"
I had a visitor!
I just know it's going to be a good day when Martha brings a 2-day-old baby goat over for a meet and greet!
This is cookie, and she weighed less than 3 lbs. She was so tiny her mama rejected her at birth so Martha has her in a kennel in the house and is bottle feeding her until she is big enough to rejoin the herd.
Baby goats! Oh my! She is just the sweetest thing.
Yesterday's bloomin' of the Rhodies!
I took this photo yesterday afternoon as the May Quiltvillians started pulling up the drive. We've got a fun week of quilting and more ahead.
How is mid-May panning out for you?
If you missed our Maymont Gift-Away kick off, head back to the Gift-Away post and check it out! And don't forget to enter to win.
Introductory pricing: I have placed the PDF pattern for Maymont in the digital pattern section of the Quiltville Store and the Quiltville Etsy Store at 25% off through 5/31/22. No coupon needed!
Price reverts back to $12.00 on 6/1/22.
If this is your first time downloading digital patterns from my store to a computer click HERE.
If you intend to download to an iPhone/iPad click HERE.
And to kick things off with a bang, I'll be choosing TWO winners who will each receive a Maymont PDF pattern AND a Skittles color roll from Cotton to Quilts!
Enhance your scrap stash with a pop of color with the Skittles color roll! Hand picked by Irene, each color roll contains 20 different fabrics each measuring approximately 8 1/2 x 21" Fabrics may vary.
When was the last time you caught a sunrise?
Being a morning person, watching the sunrise fills me with gratitude for the new day ahead.
Our leaves have filled in our distant mountain view so I don't see the sun until a b it later, but the birds sure let me know it is happening.
Opportunities are like that, don't let them pass you by!
Have a terrific Thursday, everyone!
So exciting to have the next project ready for quilting!
ReplyDeleteAnd what a treat to snuggle a baby goat :)
love seeing the progression of the Rhodies..... I too have a 3/4 inch hexi..... not quite as big as yours and certainly not as well thought out. Yours will indeed be an heirloom!!!!
ReplyDeleteI see the dog faces! And I love them. I've never seen that batting but I'm sure it will work up beautifully in your hexi quilt. There really is not much cuter than a baby goat! Jan in MA
ReplyDeleteSilk batting? I did not know that was a thing.
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful! I love the softness in the wide areas of low volume neutrals, and that soft blue mini stripe is such a perfect accent. Cute baby goat!
ReplyDeleteBonnie, I'm guessing you basted the hexie quilt on your long-arm? I wonder if anyone has tried this on a domestic sewing machine. I'd love to try it, but perhaps the layers would shift too much.
ReplyDeleteaaah machine basting is so quick! love those skittles bundles, so colorful!
ReplyDeleteThat hexie quilt is stunning! Lorax and all!
ReplyDeleteI saved your saying again, hope you don't mind. This whole post was such a happy, beautiful one, worth seeing over and over.
ReplyDeleteThat baby goat is just so cute! I just had to add that. And all that work on a hand pieced quilt. What a labor of love!
ReplyDeleteI love your hexie quilt and the baby goat!
ReplyDeleteThis is how I start my day and love it! I did not know about the silk batting. I will have to check it out and see how heavy it is and if it would do will in our warm weather.
ReplyDeleteI love to see hand quilting as that is my favorite.
Love the hexie and hand quilting.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever tried basting with water soluble thread? A local long armer who bastes quilts for hand quilting introduced me to it. I have been wanting to try silk batting for ages and plan on using it for the top I pieced with Jane Austen "At Home" fabric. I have hand quilted with Quilters Dream Orient which is a silk blend and it needles beautifully; but, silk is still calling me!
ReplyDeleteLove that serpentine line for basting! Bonnie is that a computer pattern or do you freehand?
ReplyDeleteYour hexie quilt is absolutely beautiful! What a gift from the heart!
ReplyDelete