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Sept 16….Hand Quilt along

Yesterday is history🍄 Tomorrow is a mystery 🍂Today is a gift.🍄

Time again for update!🙂

Here is where I was three weeks ago….

As you can see I didn’t make record breaking progress this time! I didn’t even get to the end here on the left side.

I’m working there where the thread spools are.

I did however get a chance to work on this cathedral window quilt a little . Here is where I was…

And where I am now..

Looks like I need to add some more muslin blocks on as I have plenty of old fabric blocks to add.

Until next update,happy sewing!😀

This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another. If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.

Kath y, Lori, Margaret, Kerry, Emma, Tracy, Connie, Susan, Nanette, Sassy , Edith, Sharon, and Karrin

Sept. 11… Elements of different kinds…

Or Miscellaneous.🙂 That’s what this post will be.

Yesterday, my youngest daughter turned 21, that’s hard to believe!

Here she is,enjoying some chill out time. Some friends have a pool, which they gladly share with her.

Hubby and three of the boys took scuba diving lessons,and are now certified divers. They are now taking search and recovery lessons,their goal is to be of service to the fire department, but there’s lots of classes to be taken yet. But they have the first step completed. I’m proud of them.

I received a letter in the mail this week from one of the ladies I put a top together for. Miss Pauline was so excited! She had enter her quilt ,which she had finished by hand quilting it, at the local fair. The quilt took Grand Champion …that was a pleasant surprise for me as well. Miss Pauline holding the quilt.

And here a photo of the top that I put together. It is only showing half of the quilt though,the other side is a repeat of what you see.

and of course, I love it when I get notes like this from a grandson 😍

We have twin deer fawns that play in the yard and pasture,the one was very curious to see who was on the other side of the tree.

I still make a little time for drawing ,I’m hoping this winter life slows down and I have more time to practice. Here’s a few…

An old church just down the road… one of the few last standing slave shack… a few cherries…. and an old house being grown over by weeds and brush.

Have a great week! Deb

Aug.26 Hand Quilt along

“ I only quilt on days that end in ” Y”

Big welcome to Karrin , as she joins the group!

I’ve not been in the blogging spirit lately, days are so filled with summer work, getting work done ahead of time for when we want to go camping this fall…like splitting a pile of wood to season for winter, chalking the camper, fixing the fencing around the horse pasture and I have a compost barrel started as I’m going to make another raised bed as the one I have now,did so good thing year.

Now to get back on track with the quilting! I got half way !!💃💃 Here’s where I was last time.

I had just finished the left hand side of the quilt to the half way mark. Now I finished the right side of the row which finished the half way mark, I rolled it and am started back ,working the right side moving toward the left side.

I’m working where the thread and scissor’s are. At few details.. nothing new.

Here’s the list of others that are doing the hand quilt along

Kath y, Lori, Margaret, Kerry, Emma, Tracy, Deb, Connie, Susan, Nanette, Sassy , Edith, Sharon, and Karrin

August 6…Hand quilt along

My Quilt”

author unknown

As I faced my Maker at the last judgment, I knelt before the Lord along with all the other souls.

Before each of us laid our lives, like the squares of a quilt, in many piles.

An Angel sat before each of us sewing our quilt squares together into a tapestry that is our life.

But as my Angel took each piece of cloth off the pile, I noticed how ragged and empty each of my squares was.

They were filled with giant holes. Each square was labeled with a part of my life that had been difficult, the challenges and temptations I was faced with in everyday life.

I saw hardships that I endured, which were the largest holes of all.

I glanced around me. Nobody else had such squares. Other than a tiny hole here and there, the other tapestries were filled with rich color and the bright hues of worldly fortune.

I gazed upon my own life and was disheartened. My Angel was sewing the ragged pieces of cloth together, threadbare and empty, like binding air.

Finally, the time came when each life was to be displayed, held up to the light, the scrutiny of truth.

The others rose, each in turn, holding up their tapestries. So filled their lives has been.

My Angel looked upon me, and nodded for me to rise. My gaze dropped to the ground in shame.

I hadn’t had all the earthly fortunes… I had love in my life, and laughter. But there had also been trials of illness, and death, and false accusations that took from me my world, as I knew it.

I had to start over many times, I often struggled with the temptation to quit, only to somehow muster the strength to pick up and begin again. I spent many nights on my knees in prayer, asking for help and guidance in my life. I had often been held up to ridicule, which I endured painfully, each time offering it up to the Father in hopes that I would not melt within my skin beneath the judgmental gaze of those who unfairly judged me. Now I had to face the truth.

My life was what it was, and I had to accept it for what it was.

I rose and slowly lifted the combined squares of my life to the light. Gasps filled the air. I gazed around at the others who stared at me with wide eyes.

Then I looked upon the tapestry before me. Light flooded the many holes, creating an image, the face of Christ.

Then our Lord stood before me, with warmth and love in His eyes. He said, “Every time you gave over your life to me, it became my life, my hardships, and my struggles. Each point of light in your life is when you stepped aside and let me shine through, until there was more of me than there was of you.”

May all our quilts be threadbare and worn, allowing Christ to shine

“Success is measured not by how much you have but by how much you have given away.”

It is update time!👏😀

Here is where I was last time

Almost to the end there on the left side. Now on part of the quilting is to the half way point but not all is. I was hoping to have it all reach the half way point… just didn’t make it.

The left side is to the half way point,the right of the yellow line isn’t.

Hubby and I are out of town over the weekend ,as we are attending the wedding of my son best friend. It is being held in Pennsylvania, and we have many miles to cover. I will touch base with all the lovely work being done when we arrive home.

Continue reading “August 6…Hand quilt along”

July 29….. vintage top and a grateful heart

I was able to finished putting the old scrap fabrics into a top. I like the way the simple pattern gives an added feel of vintage to the fabrics.

It is raining very hard out side so picture taking was done on my small sewing room floor,so the quilting frame casts a shadow on the top. Better pictures later.🙂

I have been sewing on some scrappy blocks ,not sure how I will arrange them for a quilt top for the church sewing ladies. The scrappy blocks I sewed unto some real thin fabric ,it will make for a sturdier top when knotted.

Also got a few more rings done for my double wedding ring quilt . I’m over half way done on piecing-this top together. It is full of many different vintage scraps from the late twenties to the early forties. The top when finished will have 8 rows across and nine down so it will fit our queen size bed nicely when finished.

And now for the grateful heart…….

That white van that is in the ditch is the van my son drives for work,as he does the service work for our door business. A fella ran a red light and hit the back end of the van rolling it to its side then sliding on its side down the road.

So with grateful heart I thank God for his guardian angels over my son last Tuesday, for other than a very stiff neck and sore shoulder ,he is just fine.

The dark spot was the point of impact.

Have a great week!

July 17… vintage scraps

After a hot ,muggy time of mowing grass,working in the garden, picking tomatoes and okra ,I was chased inside by an upcoming thunderstorm. Once inside the house I didn’t feel like looking at dirty dishes, or anything that had to do with kitchen for that matter!

After a refreshing shower, I wondered to my fabric stash just to browse through it all ,for just because,and yes I know that’s weird😀, I was really intending to go quilt on the Fire Island Hosta quilt until I came across a box of old scraps! Ah… I had to see how these oldies were smelling….. smelling?..yes,smelling!

I had purchased these scraps off eBay,the seller was very honest saying these scraps were old ,dirty with a smell. I almost decided not to buy them for if old scraps are too dirty, smelly ,they are better off being thrown out, for any hard washing just puts them back to a tangled mass of threads good for nothing. The old vintage bug got me though and I bought them!🤷🏼‍♀️

On the day of their arrival, I opened the box to a stack of stinking ,dirty of fabric. I promptly took it to the laundry room! I sure didn’t want hubby to see that I got suckered into this deal,that was all my fault!😳 That box sat there for at least a week ,maybe more (hidden out of sight ,of course ) for I had other demanding things to do as it was springtime.

I finally dug it out of hiding when hubby had a long day at work,now one needs to understand that hubby didn’t have a problem with me buying old fabric ,he really likes the old quilts ,scraps that I bring home. The problem was ..I was to embarrass to a admit my bad judgment on buying a box of scraps! Okay ,stop laughing it wasn’t funny… then!😁

I got the dawn dish soap and baking soda out ,fill tubs of hot water, sorted whites from colored … and began to soak,scrub change water,soak,scrub and change water by hand until I began to have hope that I wasn’t so stupid after all. Laying it out on the grass and hanging on the wash line the bigger pieces, the sun even helped me out some more.

When the pieces dried, I layered them on an old clean sheet,with little pieces of batting that had a drop of lavender oil on them,put them in a box to iron at a later date.

I was so delighted when I opened that box up to the wonderful smell of fresh air and lavender,I know then that I was a winner for buying those scraps. I will let you decide if I’m right.

There is an interesting array of pieces that I’m pretty sure date to the 1860’s to 1920’s. There’s also madder dyed fabric pieces. Some of the scraps were used ,as there were cut up sleeves,shirts ,bodice piece ,old quilt block ,pocket , and a tying belt maybe that was once used for an apron.

I like to think a young girl was learning how to sew on the belt here.

Look at these old pieces… that are older than you and I.

Here’s a madder dyed piece that’s in good shape!

I did make up some blocks from these scraps.

Here is how I’m thinking of putting the quilt together,it will take a little laying out for the brown strips aren’t all the same but I think it will look nice all scrappy.

Does hubby know now about the oldies? Yep, he saw the blocks laid out ,thought they were beautiful, so he got the whole story.😁

July 15 ….Hand Quilt Along

” a bed without a quilt is like a sky without the stars”

As many of you know I love to listen to audio books when I’m quilting ,I’m not sure which I look forward to the most , quilting or the book! However ,I learned one thing ….never listen to a sad story when quilting if your a teary person like me.. it makes it very hard to see what your quilting. So what was I listening too…

A story about a beautiful,courageous woman and the people who saved children lives during WW11.

Now the update…. here’s where I was last update…

I finished the part working left from the green scissors to the batting,rolled the quilt and worked across to the right end where the needle is closest to the scissors.