my cinco by hand

At the tender age of 62 years +11 months, I have decided it is high time to learn a bit about hand quilting.  I have tried in the past, but never stuck with my attempts long enough to actually get the feel for it.  It seems I just did not have the required patience to practice, practice, practice.   After a few minutes of quilting, I would become frustrated because my stitches weren't blue ribbon perfect, and became a quitter. Not a quilter.  What was I thinking? 


 
This is a quilt I finished a few years ago, when I was using other people's patterns.  It is Cinco de Mayo, by Karen Stone and I just loved all those happy colors and fabrics.  I did change the arrangement and made mine into a bed size quilt, as in 110" x 110".  I got it all ready to machine quilt by stitching in the ditch.  YIKES.  I do hate stitching in the ditch by machine.  And that was precisely what I felt this quilt was calling for.  So I dragged it out from under Juki, spread it out on a table in my sunroom  was inspired to take needle in hand.






Yes, yes, I know, you are all saying that I have now officially lost my mind.  But you know, the mood was just right.  It is something I can sit down and relax with (or learn to relax with) and my awkward and uneven stitiches don't show up (too much) among all those  fabrics and tiny paper piecing.  I am actually becoming hooked on this process.  What is the saying about teaching old dogs new tricks?  Dog gone it!  I am not going to be an old dog yet.


Check back in with me around 2016.