I'm starting this post with something warm and comforting -
A view of my hand quilting project - nearly at the finish.
I've just got the final neutral setting corner to fill in, and finish quilting the rosette border and I can call the quilting part DONE.
I started in on the hand quilting in May - will I be finished by New Year's maybe? That's what I'm hoping for.
There is still a lot left after that as I intend to do another Knife Edge finish on this one, just like the last hexie quilt finish.
Zooming in a bit -
The places these hexie pieces have been during the construction phase! And then...all they've seen as I worked on the hand quilting since May, picking it up nearly every evening to put in some stitches during evening relax time.
And with this Winter Storm Elliott bearing down on us - it looks like there will be more hand quilting in store through the holidays as my desire to go OUT in this kind of cold is also at sub-zero!
On today's to-do list is to head over to the inn (after the currently freezing drizzle has stopped) and leave some faucets dripping in the inn garage, the inn downstairs bathroom, and in the QPO.
Lola needs her food topped off just in case we can't get over there for a couple of days. She has a feeder and waterer that will last days when topped off fresh. So will do that.
I brought this beast home to work on from here.
I'm not driving in freezing drizzle so I grabbed everything up on my way home yesterday and am ready to continue on the cross-seaming from h ome.
That extra ironing board works wonders in helping to support the extra quilt top weight.
It's a bit of a wrestle - but the center is so close to being done!
The jury is still out when it comes to borders: Pieced or plain or none. We shall see.
Did I mention freezing drizzle?
This is what it looks like outside of my sewing room.
"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...."
And this is what it looks like on the inside of my sewing room! I think Zoey has the right idea, and maybe an afternoon nap will be just the ticket as well as we ease into a very cold, windy holiday weekend ahead.
And then there was THIS giggle...LOL!
LOLOL!!!
If you are in the path of this storm (Bomb Cyclone on your bingo card?) please stay safe! Be prepared - and don't be out in it if you can help it at all.
Crock pot, quilting project, something to binge. Dogs snoozing by the fire. A yummy candle burning.
Maybe some goodies to bake?
I'm staying in, and I hope you are too.
Of course - Part FIVE of Chilhowie goes live tomorrow morning.
Quiltville Quote of the Day -
I'm replacing my fear of the unknown with "What if?!"
Less busy just to be busy. More living in the moment.
2023 will be a year of change and growth and I'm excited to see what will unfold.
Have a terrific Thursday, everyone!
It's currently -15F in Nebraska, and windchills has it down to -40F...Brrr! When home, I'm busy knitting on a Fair Isle beret for my eldest son's stocking, but I have to go to church for much of today to practice organ for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services. Thankfully, church is a one block walk, so I won't be far from home when I'm done. Enjoy your day with binging and stitching and the crock pot giving off aromas to blend with your candle fragrance; I'll be doing just that when I'm home later today! Last night was a few episodes of Season 3 of Emily in Paris; sweet show!
ReplyDeleteI love a long term hand quilting project. The hexies are coming out gorgeous. The storm hit here this morning, just dangerously cold. Zoey has the right idea. She cracks me up.
ReplyDeleteWell just have to cut dog ears then I'm fini with clue 4.
ReplyDeleteWe're just getting rain from this major storm. We're in Western Massachusetts... I prayed for a white Christmas ⛄ but it's not happening.
Made my upteen batch of cookies yesterday. And cinnamon rolls.
5oday I'm taking it easy....so I say.
Merry Christmas Bonnie and all of the Quiltville family. We are expecting our son and family in a couple of hours from St. Louis. They got on the road before it got bad. Daughter and family coming tomorrow. Stay safe all and enjoy your Christmas 🎄🎄
ReplyDeleteFinished up clue 4 yesterday in preparation for tomorrow, just made Turkey Wild Rice soup from a carcass, and tidying sewing room for next year....still in jammies and plan to be in them all day!
ReplyDeleteRight there with you on this cold blast thing. Maybe live an hour away. (20 minutes by bird, 2 hours by road). But those quilts are just so gorgeous! That lime green and blue one make me hungry for blueberry muffins though. Gotta go bake.
ReplyDeleteGood morning! Loved your peaceful and cozy post.thid is first year I have decided just cause I've always made xyz, doesnt mean you have to continue. For my new year my motto is don't do it without joy in the doing.I hope your husband is feeling better.thank you for everything Merry Christmas! Xoxo
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing your hexie quilt decades ago when you brought it to share at classes in NY. I wonder what year that was? Stay warm and have the most wonderful Christmas will all those fabulous memories. Thank you again and again for the annual mystery!
ReplyDeleteHo Bonnie, It's not that cold here in Florida, yet...though the temps are expected to go way down over the next few days. I'm cozying up with a warm cup of tea as I write this. Gotta give a big THANK YOU for recommending the Caramel Apple Herb Tea! The only kind of teas I like are herbal ones with a strong sweet taste, and the caramel apple takes the prize as my favorite! I do add a whole lot of sweetener, but that really brings out the flavor so much! Thanks again for the tasty treat!
ReplyDeleteOh that Zoey! She certainly knows how to deal with the cold weather!
ReplyDeleteI left MI at 6:00 and I'm heading to FL. The sewing machine and two bags of pieces are with me. I might not get much sewing done but plan b and c are ready!
ReplyDeleteBlizzard conditions here in eastern Iowa, -3 degree with -25 wind chill. Staying put and making spaghetti soup and more Christmas goodies. Wishing you a very merry Christmas and let's start the new year with spring weather. I can only wish Santa would bring me what I want.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely get a lost feeling of "now what?" after a big project. I find I need to neaten as much as possible (usually cutting the collected scraps into Scrap User System sizes), then I pull out the Box o' Triangles and start pairing up all the littlest ones with as much contrast as possible for a series of 1.5"-2" HSTs. By the time I'm tired of those two things, I'll have figured out which WIP is weighing heaviest on my psyche and needs to be moved along.
ReplyDeleteCold front just blowing in now. Water will be trickling from our (Texas) faucets tonight.
Carolyn
I wish we had your forecast because here's our forecast :
ReplyDeleteThu
Cloudy
-8°-12°
Fri
Cloudy
-6°-13°
Sat
Partly cloudy
-6°-18°
Sun
Snow showers
3°-9°
Mon
Partly cloudy
9°0°
Tue
Cloudy
21°18°
Wed
Snow showers
27°25°
Thu
Mostly cloudy
32°24°
I literally laughed out loud when I saw Zoey. That would so totally be our dog! We are still in the 60's, but right now the front is barelling its' way down to South Central Texas. We're expecting a dry one, just wind and cold. I finished a quilt on the long arm machine yesterday, so I am needing to turn my sewing room back into a sewing room instead of Christmas central before I can bind it. We have an automatic feeder that we use for our animals, and it comes in handy. Maybe you could look into something like that? We have a camera in the room where it is, and we can see when the bowl is empty, or we set a timer and it goes off at the same time every day. Stay warm and I am so excited to see you finishing that beautiful hexi quilt!
ReplyDeleteBecause I recently had rotator cuff surgery, my Christmas decorating came to a screeching halt. I tried doing just a little and found out that it just couldn't happen this year. Hand quilting is stopped. I'm dealing with it and hope to be more functional after January sometime. I love the photo of Zoey. Your quilt looks great. It's a job sometime, isn't it, to get something finished. I am nearing that poing with the Fish School blocks. I am trying to add a triangle border whenever I get a few minutes to sew.
ReplyDelete1 F, wind chill minus 20 F (Stillwater, OK)!!! Didn't put a foot outside except to retrieve my mail!
ReplyDeleteBurrr, I am living in a deep freeze! So cold walking into Costco on this crazy night. Had to get bowls and spoons for our Family gathering next Monday. Christmas will be quiet at my house. Merry Christmas, Bonnie!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chuckles this morning -- Zoey cracked me up (chestnuts roasting indeed!) and then I got to the 'oven's truth' on cookie baking - LOL. Stay warm and Merry Christmas. We are sitting at "0" this morning just south of Nashville!
ReplyDeleteYour quote today makes for a good sloggan for the upcoming year. "Just be in 2023"
ReplyDelete