Still Slowly Stitching

I wish you beautiful weather and 

a restful Sabbath for your slow stitching.

--Nancy.
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Slow Stitching

Wishing you a pleasant, restful Sabbath.

--Nancy.
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Wool Star Quilt

A year or two ago I found this quilt at a thrift store and something about it "spoke" to me.  It was hard to lay it out and examine it closely but the price was right and so, with little more than a quick once over, I brought it home. 

Every block has a red center.  And every block is blanket stitched with a contrasting color of perle cotton.  There are some fun color combinations.  Some stitching is evenly precise while other stars have slightly irregular stitching.  It makes me wonder if several people made the quilt. 

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The seams in each block have the same number of precisely made French knots between the star sections and the center hexagons, but not every star is the same.  Some of these stars look crooked or cock-eyed but it is because I photographed while the quilt was hanging on the clothesline.  In real life the stars are symmetrical.

All the fabric is wool.  Some backgrounds use loosely-woven fabric and some stars are twill.  This blue background, below, is not as durable as the other background fabrics used.

The quilt is tied, not quilted, but the ties don't seem to show on front, only on the back.  Without quilting it seems less durable, more fragile.

The backing is a wool paisley. Unusual colors, don't you think?

There are two unfortunate things about this quilt.  First is that someone spilled something on it.  It's yellowish and hard, almost liked dried varnish.  There are two small spots on the block below but there are several larger sections on the quilt.

The other unfortunate thing about this quilt is that it smells.  It's an old smell.  Not musty or mildewy but just old and sour.

I don't know what to do for this quilt to preserve it.  I wish I could get the spots out, and the odor, too.  It's crossed my mind to cut it apart but I haven't been able to make myself do it, especially not without a plan for it.

I'm such a sucker for an old quilt!  Are you?  Do you rescue old quilts?  Are you very careful about which ones you bring home?  Have you ever cut a quilt apart?

--Nancy.
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What Was I Thinking?

Do you ever start a quilt, set it aside for a while, and when you come back to it wonder what you were thinking when you started?  I can't set blocks aside for too long or I lose the thread of my idea/ inspiration for them.  That's what happened to this quilt.

I pulled out these 5" blocks, made enough more to lay them out in an 8 x 11 configuration, and then scratched my head.  How did I come up with the idea of red circles on green and green Xs on red?  And so scrappy?  I usually keep track in a notebook but I could find nothing about this quilt.

Then I tried to photograph the blocks.  I've been trying for days without much success.  (Note to self:  Never lay out blocks where there is not enough light for a good photograph.)

too light

You can see what I mean about the photographs being too light and too dark but these two show all of the blocks.

too dark

I don't know where this quilt is going -- maybe into the trash if I don't figure it out -- but I finally remembered what the inspiration was.  Last spring my husband and I were driving past a hardware store with flowers on display on long, high steps.  There was a section alive with the reds of dozens of varieties of roses.  Bright, cheerful roses against their lush green foliage.  A quilt popped into my mind and the photos above show the results.  Hmmm.

I'm at a loss for the next step in this quilt.  More blocks?  The blocks as they are with a border or two?   If borders, what colors?  These blocks have been laying out for a week or two.  If I don't make a decision in the next day or two I'll pick them up and put them away for another time (or, as I said, in the trash).

I'm thinking of starting a weekly link party (maybe Inspiration Sunday) to invite others to share their inspiration.  Would you participate?  I have such a small blog with a tiny following, maybe no one would want to link....  Or maybe quilters don't keep track of their inspiration?

Do you notice the sources of your inspiration for quilts, either before you start, during the process of making a top, or after you've finished a quilt?

I'm linking this post to
Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more fun than Housework
Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt
Scraptastic Tuesday at She Can Quilt
Let's Bee Social #85 at Sew Fresh Quilts
WOW at Esther's Blog

Thank you, ladies.


--Nancy.
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Slow Sunday

I hope you have a peaceful, restful Sunday.

--Nancy.

Quilt Books on Loan

I'm a frequent borrower of books from our local library -- lots of quilt books but also fiction and non-fiction; however, the librarians are often surprised when I check out my books and there aren't any quilting books.

Here are four of the books I've borrowed recently.  I'm showing only covers (so I don't violate copyright) and adding a few notes/comments.

Everything Patchwork:  40 Classic Quilts, Bags and Accessories by Corinne Crasbercu.

     This is a beautiful book.  The photographs cover the first half of the book, the patterns follow.  The subtitle almost says it all.  I know a title can't list all the accessories but they include pincushions, scissors holder, tidies, bunting, bags, tea cozies, aprons, and more.  There is a shoulder bag (p. 48) I'd love to make.
     Being from the U.S., I was slightly put off by measurements in centimeters.  I'm not math-inclined so trying to imagine the size was hard.  Of course a tape measure with both inches and centimeters solved the problem.


Quilt Lovely:  15 Vibrant Projects Using Piecing & Applique by Jen Kingwell

     You'll find modern, vintage, traditional-with-a-modern-twist quilts; applique and patchwork quilts; and both bright and natural colors.  You'll also find pillows and suggestions for using a quilt pattern for a pillow, and vice versa. 
     There's probably a pattern for everyone to love in this book.  Clear directions for each pattern accompany the photographs, which cover several pages.
     This is a book I will have a hard time returning to the library.  Even if I never make one of the patterns exactly, it holds a wealth of inspiration amongst its pages.


The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters:  A Guide to Creating, Quilting & Living Courageously by Sherri Lynn Wood

     My first response to this book was "too modern for me" and "these quilts look too hard to make."  But as I read I realized that the book is not about making beautiful quilts nor about providing patterns for quilts but about encouraging an adventurous spirit in the quilt-maker to try new ways to cut and use fabric, to see things differently, and to experiment.  I love the rhythm and symmetry of traditional quilts but I appreciate the vibrancy and energy of modern quilts.
     If you are a hesitant block-maker and are willing to experiment and take chances, this will be a great book for you.  If you're already adventurous and want to acquire new skills and experiment, this book is for you, also.


Sew Organized for the Busy Girl:  Tips to Make the Most of Your Time & Space:  23 Quilt & Clever Sewing Projects You'll Love by Heidi Staples

     I found this book on a shelf with other new books and brought it home.  It's not a quilting book but I think many quilters will appreciate the no nonsense ways the author helps the reader evaluate her work methods, her environment, and her time.  The first part of the book includes topics like discovering your workspace personality, finding and organizing storage space, creating project bags, keeping sewing files, fitting sewing into your schedule, etc.  The other three-quarters of the book is filled with projects both large and small, all fabric and/or quilt related.
     I recommend this book even if the only reason you read it is because you need help organizing your time, your fabric, or your workspace.  Of course, there are also some fun patterns for projects created with fabric.


There you have four of my recent quilting book finds.  Have you found any great quilt books lately?

--Nancy.
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The Better Photo

Here's the better photo (compared to the bad photo) of the scrappy dark strings quilt I'm working on.  It's hard to get the colors accurately in a  photograph but I think these two photos come close.

The quilting is in progress.  The caramel-colored squares where there aren't pins are already quilted.  I keep thinking I should count the blocks in the quilt and keep track of how many I've quilted so I could tell when I'm a quarter done, or halfway, etc.  But I keep forgetting and just keep quilting.

Here's a close up.  The quilting barely shows but I'm quilting parallel to the sides of the caramel-colored squares.  It ends up being about a 2" grid across the quilt.  Plain but good for this quilt.

I'm linking this post to
-- WOW at Esther's Blog
-- WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced
-- Let's Bee Social #84 at SewFreshQuilts 
-- Oh Scrap! at Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework 
Thank you, ladies, for hosting.

Wishing you a good day!

--Nancy.
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Repairing a Break

I love my 14" wooden quilting hoop.  I know it's not the sturdiest kind to buy but it's a great weight and I'm willing to be careful with it.  Even with care it broke about a year ago.  I fixed it but the non-invasive repair didn't hold and it started to come apart last week.  Glue, cord, and a splint to the rescue.

This time I made a splint from a piece of another broken hoop (bought at a thrift store).  I lined up and clamped both pieces, drilled four tiny holes, glued the splint to the outside of the hoop (since it's the outside ring that's broken), then used some thin, super-strong cord to "stitch" the pieces together.  After it's dry I will wrap the repair with adhesive tape to hold the two pieces together and make it easy to put onto a quilt.

The outer hoop always gets the most stress because it moves when the quilt goes into and comes out of the frame.  But I think -- and hope! -- this repair will hold. 

Do you use a wooden hoop for hand-quilting?  Do you grow attached to your quilting and sewing tools and equipment?  What do you do when something breaks?

May all your tools remain whole and unbroken!

--Nancy.
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Quilts from the County Fair, 2015

These quilts were arranged so that it was difficult to get close -- so no looking closely at the quilting or any other details -- and especially difficult to get a straight-on photograph (at least for most of the quilts).   Apologies for lack of clarity.  And I must have missed the blue ribbon quilt....

Wishing you a good day!
--Nancy.
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Slow Stitching

I hope you have a quiet, blessed Sunday.

--Nancy.
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