What's In The Hoop?

I've been big stitch hand quilting this one for over a month now. I've been stitching on it in the evenings after dinner and before bed while watching TV with hubby. I'm a little over half finished. 

I made the top back in June 2024 to use up red, white and blue scraps. 

The pattern is Shiloh from the book The Best of Fons and Porter Scrap Quilts and was inspired by a civil war era quilt in the Smithsonian. 

And sew on...

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

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Blizzard warning in effect starting this evening through Monday afternoon - up to 50 mph winds, 3-5 inches of snow and freezing temps.  And I just started seeing tulips and daffodils popping up out of the ground. Hopefully they will survive Mother Nature's moods. 

 

It's A Finish! Waffle Cone Roses

 

It's a finish!

Waffle Cone Roses

51 x 63

I can't believe I finished the top back in December 2021. I guess it has been that many years that I have worked with rose themed fabrics in December because I love roses and the quote by J.M. Barrie, "God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December."

Waffle Cone was a free quilt pattern when I made this. Now I see that the link I previously gave for the pattern is broken. 

I big stitch hand quilted it with a variety of different brown perle cottons. I used some stencils I had on hand and a pounce pad with chalk for marking. Some of my stencils I have for hand quilting don't work well with big stitching so I didn't add butterflies; however, I did work in some dragonflies as you can sort of see here.

I liked this pattern for some big prints as well as some smaller scraps. 

I love how I can feel all the fabrics soften as more and more big stitches are added.

And I love to be covered in roses. 

Back and binding.

And sew on...

Reflecting today on all I am thankful for. The list is long. Hope yours is too. 

What's In The Hoop?

 

I finally, now that it is cooler, have something in the hoop again for hand quilting. I am big stitching on Waffle Cone Roses, a top I finished back in December 2021. It is another quilt for my collection of quilts featuring rose fabrics. 

In the big print rose sections I am using a stencil and pounce pad to mark. I am not sure yet if that will be enough quilting for those sections. I will decide if I need to add more after I finish quilting more sections. 

There are several large triangular sections. I'm not sure yet how I will quilt those areas.

In the sections with strips I quilted along the seams. 

And sew on...

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

***

And speaking of roses...I can't believe I still have some roses in bloom in November!

I also have a few other flowers still in bloom too.

Helenium (Sneezeweed)

Cosmos

Calendula

Sedum

But most things are going to seed. Some seeds I collect. Some seeds the birds collect. Some seeds blow in the wind. I think I love the earthy tones of Autumn in the gardens as much as I love the bright colors of Summer and the cooler colors of Spring.

Chive seed heads

Milkweed

Hydrangea

***

One of my brothers lives near Nashville. They must do a lot of filming there. Since he retired a few years ago he has been an extra in a few movies and lately a TV show 9-1-1 Nashville.  I have no way to view the show. He was evidently in the last episode.

My brother is the diner seated by the window looking this way!

***

I finished a book! The Lion's Den by Eoin Dempsey. It is book one of a series of six books. Unable to find much work during the Depression a widower with four children moves his family to Berlin to manage his ailing uncle's factory at a time just before Hitler's rise to power. It was a little repetitive in spots and sometimes slow moving. It also ended abruptly so I guess I will have to read the next book in the series. 

***

I received a package of beautiful fabrics from Julie. Oh happy day! I spy some gorgeous quilt backs!

Table Topper Finish

Table Topper

28 x 28

It's a finish! 

I didn't make the top. I received it in a box with a couple of other unfinished projects in March 2024. I needed something to do in the evenings (otherwise I fall asleep the minute I sit down) so decided to big stitch hand quilt it and then bind it. 

This is the backing so I guess it is reversible. It will go into the box of items I keep on hand for gifting. It will go nicely with those embroidered dish towels with chickens I made back in April. 

And sew on...

Finished Or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

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I complain a lot about all the critters that wreak havoc in my gardens but they do sometimes leave something for me to eat.  

The last week or so I've been eating snow peas...

...strawberries...

...and lots of salad greens. 

 

What's In The Hoop?

What's (finally) in the hoop?

Cherry Baskets

I'm big stitch hand quilting with red perle cotton. 

I need to decide on a motif to quilt in that half circle area  inside the basket handle. I'll decide after all the rest of the quilting is finished and just think about it until then. I need to dig out my quilting stencils and see if there's anything in those I can use. 

And sew on...

***

CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

Nov 21 - Received another seed order. A lot of the seeds are for my new goth/moonlight garden but with a few veggies thrown in. And I received a free packet of mixed lettuces. 

Nov. 22 - Received a surprise box of scraps from Jeanie B! Oh, joy! They are sorted and quilts designated!

Nov. 23 - Received a box of scraps and other goodies from Donna! Wooohoo! Again they are all sorted and quilts designated!

Nov. 24 - Recovering from shingles and feeling a lot better! My eye was swollen shut, I had a horrible headache, and swollen lymph nodes as well as buring pain and rash on half my face from ear on up over scalp. I never take naps but was so tired I would wake up for an hour and mosey around and then go take another nap. Today my eye is open, headache is gone and lymph nodes are not as swollen; however, I am pretty crusty looking now from my ear through scalp. This too shall pass but right now I'm not really a sight to behold! 

Nov. 25 - Seed Saver's Exchange! They are located in Iowa where I live. I received today their 25th Anniversary 2025 Seed Catalog.  I've been ordering from them for years starting in the old days when nothing was ordered on the internet. I used to be a member long ago and was able to get seeds cheaper than non members and seed varieties not available to non members in exchange for membership fee and some of my saved seeds sent to seed bank. 

NOTE! 

This is a Google blog. I noticed a few weeks ago that Google was making some revisions to the way comments on blogs work. I used to get notice of your comment and it would come to my email along with your email address if you had it marked public on your google profile. Then I could reply via email. Now I get notification via email; however, I don't get your email addy anymore. If you have replied in the past I have now put you in my contacts so I can still reply via email. If you are an anonymous commenter then I will start replying to you on the blog.   I think Google wants all comments and replies to stay on their servers. (What happens on Google stays on Google?)

I have a Google Pixel 8 phone. At around the same time as this comment thing was happening my phone told me I needed to change to a new messaging ap. 

I am not a Facebook member; however, I used to be able to go visit most public Facebook pages. I had a winter sowing one I liked to visit from time to time.  Well, about the same time those Google things were happening public Facebook pages stopped being available to me the non-member. 

So, I think these are all moves toward Artificial Intelligence. Big Tech (Brother) is watching me! Or trying to watch me!  Not sure I like that. 

 

What's In The Hoop?

What's in the hoop?

Hexagons full of roses. Triangles full of roses. Sometimes it looks like there are stars full of roses. 

The back and the tool box.

And sew on...

Slow Sunday Stitching (with folks around the world) at Kathy's Quilts

 

Flashes of Brilliance - A Finish

Flashes of Brilliance

(Sugarloaf Stars)

75.5 x 78

It's a finish!

It's hand quilted!

I did it! I never thought I could make a quilt like this! 

The pattern, inspired by a vintage quilt, is by Pam Buda and was published in American Patchwork and Quilting October 2015. 

I started making blocks back in February 2019

I finished the top back in January 2021.

I started hand quilting in December 2022.

I did the hand quilting with blanc perle #12 and quilted it similar to the vintage quilt. 

I made the leftover strip set pieces into a flimsy - Sugarloaf With Mustard - in August 2021 and it still needs to be quilted. 

Now what shall I get ready for the hoop? I have several choices. Hmmmm...

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

 

What's In The Hoop?

What's in the hoop?

Flashes of Brilliance

(aka Sugarloaf)

I'm hand quilting with perle cotton #12.

 

And I'm quilting it like the one in the magazine. 

And sew on...

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

 

What's In The Hoop?

What's in the hoop?

Ocean Waves

This is one of my oldest UFOs. I started it back in July 2014 in order to use some 2.5 inch scraps of '30s reproduction fabrics.  

 I see from my blog posts I must have worked on the blocks a little in 2015, 2016 and 2017 and then finally in October 2018 I had a top 88 x 88. 

And now it is 2022 and time for quilting I guess! 

I wasn't sure how to hand quilt it so I looked at pictures of some vintage Ocean Waves quilts for ideas. I wanted something simple.   I'm using perle blanc #12. 

I'm quilting simple lines and not marking any of them. I'm just enjoying the quilting. 

Slow Stitching Sunday at Kathy's Quilts

Oh Scrap! at Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

 

Four Patch Basket Finish

It's a finish!

40 x 56

Hand quilted

Inspired by a 19th century crib quilt I saw at Q is for Quilter. 

Usually when I make my version of an antique quilt I hand quilt it.  For this one I used ecru perle #12.  I just love how you can feel the fabric get softer and softer as I quilt. 

I used mostly pink and brown civil war reproduction prints and used up most of my pinks. Not all of the fabrics were reproduction but ones that I thought would look okay together with the reproductions.. 

My basket is different from the one in the antique quilt. I like the original basket but it has a bias handle and I'm not too keen on making bias to match each little basket. 

There's one light pink fabric I should probably not have used because it doesn't blend in and and stands out like a sore thumb but it has baskets on it so I used it. My quilt; my weird rules!  

The binding is a brown and red print. 

And the backing is a pinkish brown. 

I think with all this work it will now go into the hope chest for my first great grandchild. I guess maybe I should label it with those instructions. 

And sew it goes...

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts