Recently I met with my friend Mary Joan for a lesson in hand quilting. She may be the last in the line of women from her family who have passed down the arts of quilting, needlepoint, and embroidery. Though the days of the quilting bee may be gone, we met at her kitchen table and had a review. It gave me the confidence to try and do an entire quilt. Below you will see the mini practice piece I put together to help me see that I could do it. If I put my mind to it. Or as Angie used to say if I "buckle down". Mary Joan made sugar cookies for our session, if you haven't had sugar cookies made by an expert home baker lately, you might want to call one and wrangle yourself an invite. I have no shame. You shouldn't either.
As I started, and if I still look at the stitches carefully, there are many critics lurking in the periphery telling me to put the darn thing on the machine because this doesn't look that great and it will be so much faster on the machine. I slam the door on them. Put tape across their mouths.
While I was deep into this "you can do it!" mode, I took apart that needlepoint pillow that I finished last month and re-did it. I felt I could do it better. You will not be able to tell the difference but I can. It's fuller, no funky lumps, and it has smoother seams. I cut open the back, pulled out the stuffing, turned it inside out, re-did the seams on the machine, put in a full pillow insert, and sewed a big patch across where I had cut it open.
I decided while I was at it to practice doing some free motion writing with the sewing machine. Then I put a flower on it too. I simply love a tag that looks like this. When someone pulls this out of a box in the back of a thrift store in 60 years, I hope it's a fellow creative that will give me a high five.
In news from the kitchen - tapioca in jam jars! Oh it's been too long.
I am quite enjoying working at a leisurely pace on my stranded knitting project.
Now let me get back to the quilting. At this exact moment, 21 of 216 triangles have been completed and I am going strong with no signs of giving up.
All of Dad's quilter sisters from Louisiana are standing around cheering. If the tape comes loose from the mouth of any inner critic, they apply another layer and we just keep going. Oh how I wish I had quilted WITH them, but I didn't know when I could have, how much I would have wished I had now. Which of course is the way of life.
I fully understand that feeling. My mother could sew like a dream, but I had no interest. Oh, how I wish I had learned from her. And while we’re at it, she can teach me how to make her Portuguese style stuffed quahogs. I think that quilt with your hand everywhere is awesome. Buy more tape!
Posted by: Chris Oliveira | 02/29/2024 at 09:14 AM
Any advice on what sort of needle to use? Threading those tiny needles is really beyond me now, even with a wire needle-threader. I'd love to give hand-quilting a try!
Posted by: Dianne King | 02/29/2024 at 09:19 AM
Dianne: I actually googled what needle was best for hand quilting and what I found is different people like different ones. The one I have settled on for now is a John James "straw" needle #9. It does have a small eye and I put on my strongest glasses and thread 5 at once when I sit down to have a sewing session! I have mixed results with the threaders, but find they work pretty good with the needles with more oblong eyes.
Posted by: Carol | 02/29/2024 at 02:04 PM
Chris: Yes, Yes, Yes!
Posted by: carol | 02/29/2024 at 02:05 PM
Carol, your stitches look great. Keep going and I hope you will enjoy the peaceful quilting while you watch a movie or listen to an audio book. It is very pleasant to do hand stitching.
The jam jars half-full of tapioca, though. Wouldn’t a quart jar be better? Half full or maybe all the way full?!! 😁
Posted by: Fran | 02/29/2024 at 06:45 PM
Fran: I knew someone would mention the half full jars 😂
I LOVE something sweet after a meal, but I also hate tight jeans.
This is my compromise.
Posted by: Carol | 03/02/2024 at 11:55 AM
Carol, I saw your note about "straw" needles, and I think I've used those before and they were good...the're the ones also called milliner sneedles, right? A bit longer than those tiny short ones you often see? Not that easy to find a source for straw needles, as I recall. Guess I'll have to go on a straw needle quest again! Thanks!
Posted by: Dianne King | 03/03/2024 at 08:37 AM
Dianne - yes! Straw and milliners are the same I think. Good for making French knots too.
Posted by: Carol | 03/03/2024 at 10:25 AM