Delft, done

I was going to take it on holiday to work on.

But… it’s hot and I didn’t want to sit under it while I stitched any longer than absolutely necessary. And I made good progress on the hand quilting once I got more thread. And the binding went on very easily, and I stitched it down while I listed to a podcast. So, here we are.

Higgins insisted on photobombing. He thought perhaps the Husband had a stray sausage or two in his pocket…  Perfect soft evening light, true colours, no glare and an almost invisible black dog.

And a label, of course. I made it a year ago, and left the area for dates empty because it was just one of those ‘whenever’ quilts.

So that leaves the interesting question of what I’ll be working on while I’m away. You’ll have to wait and see. I am SO looking forward to this holiday. Even rain cannot dampen my enthusiasm, because it is so sorely needed where we’re going. Still a few things to do, but we’re essentially ready.

We launch at sparrowfart, me hearties.

Delft Quilting #5: aaaaargh

You know that moment?

You know the one I mean: when you discover that you have been laboriously quilting for the last 15 minutes (or even longer) with an empty bottom bobbin.

Yeah, that sort of moment.

Three and a half rows still to go

Guten abend, Freunde. Ich heiße Gütermann 2955, unt Ich war nicht genug.

Three and a half rows left, and this triple verdammt Gütermann quilting thread ran out. Very nice thread, just Not Enough.

On the upside, I have a little more free time today than I thought, and I also have a birthday voucher from Spotlight that gives me $10 off my next purchase of $20 or more. So, no guesses where I’ll be going after tomorrow morning’s pedicure (thank you, generous bro). The Husband is resigned, but not surprised.

Meanwhile, I will make the label.

And it will still be finished by the time we go away, except for stitching down the binding by hand.

Delft Quilting #4: 10 rows to go

Lots of stitching in the past few days.

I want to get this quilt complete before we go away in the first week of February. It’s doable, I just have to keep plugging away. I’ve found that three rows a day is about my limit before my back gives out, well before the fingers, strangely.

So anyway, I have 10 row still to go, which works out to about 4 days, if you include time to make the binding, and another day to attach it. Unlike many others, I actually love the binding part. I have the transfer for the back label already done, so that’s handy.

The binding fabric is a low-value batik, a splotchy pink background similar in colour to several of the pinks on the front, and blending with others. Overlaid on the splotches are what I call ‘toothbrush splatters’ in bright and medium pink and some yellow. None of this will really read once it’s applied as a narrow binding, but the overall impression will blend.

I usually make straight-grain binding, as it’s my impression that it’s more durable than bias, and it’s much more economical on fabric…

So, on with the next 3 rows, and the next, and the next.

Delft quilting # 3: halfway

Well, that crept up on me rather fast!

I had no idea I was that far along until I unrolled the next section, and there was the centre marker pin.

I do this with all my hand-quilting projects. I have a quilting safety pin tied with a scrap of red yarn. If I’m pin-basting, it goes in first, and everything gets smoothed out from there. It also, obviously, tells me when I’m halfway through the work. I’ve used this method for the last 10 years at least, and that’s still the original scrap of yarn!

Anyway, that’s a solid 50% completed. The finger calluses are well-developed and there are a few sore spots, so I might give it a day or so before I start again.

I think I’d better start considering some binding fabric…

Delft quilting progress #2

So, it’s been a week since the last Delft post.

I have 12 rows quilted already.

A bit of quilting math: The quilt is 75 inches high. Three rows of the scallops measure 5 inches. 75 inches divided by 5 inches is 15. 15 x 3 = 45, so this means there’s a total of 45 rows needed. I’ve done 12 of these, so I have 33 left to do.

Now, I don’t actually need to know any of this, but I enjoy breaking the task down into manageable chunks. It’s fun knowing I’ve already achieved over a quarter of the quilting job 😊.

I’ll probably post about this again when I reach the halfway point.

Delft 9: and we’re off.

So, I went with pink.

And let me say at the outset, if you’re worried I’m going to show every line in excruciating and tedious detail, then fear not. I’m going to be quite minimal about the progress posts.

So, here we are. Three rows done. I have six marked up before we reach the hexie section. That’ll be a whole other story, since the quilting will be harder and slower. I’ll have to stitch through multiple layers instead of only 3. So yeah, this isn’t a quick job, or one that’ll be finished in a couple of weeks or perhaps even a couple of months. But it will be beautiful when it’s done. Some time.

In case anyone’s wondering, the tiny blue cube contains thread conditioner, a less sticky alternative to beeswax for making the thread slide more easily and tangle less.

So far, the fingertips are surviving nicely.

First makes of the year, and finally – progress!

Time to make some inroads on all those PIWs (projects in waiting).

First, two quick and easy makes.

Yet another variant on my favourite top. Yes, it IS most definitely very bright, but you know me. And those are very me colours. It’s also very light and cool and the fabric is pleasantly smooth. It was also the last of the bolt, and at 1.7m (1.8 yards) it was definitely not big enough for the usual pattern layout.  Several extra seams later, I made it work without too much visible awkwardness.

And then, in a heavier cotton, a light jacket for when the weather starts to get cooler. Again, fiddling about required, as the pattern called for cutting double fronts to face the front edge and side/shoulder seams. I wasn’t about to waste that amount of fabric; overlocking is just fine for an unlined jacket and I cut my own front facing much more economically. I love the fun fabric and it will look good with jeans and t-shirt or my saffron wide-leg pants. Oh, and I added pockets, of course.

And finally… finally, I have sandwiched the Delft quilt, which you last saw here, nearly a year ago.

Ideally, I’d have liked to spray baste it, but that would have needed more than the two hands I was blessed with, so pin basting it was. Outside, on my only large-enough table, in 32°C/ 90°F. Oh, I know how to have a good time…

Now, your thoughts, please. The quilting thread colour options are white, navy or pink. The first two will disappear into the background almost completely. The pink will show a little more, but that would be intentional. Which do you think? Currently I’m leaning towards the pink, if only to pick up the light pink used throughout the quilt, and the backing, which is also light pink, but I’m prepared to be convinced otherwise. Or maybe another colour altogether?

I’m obviously going to be hand-quilting (because hexies, all hand-pieced, etc), so this will be a long, leisurely process, if rather hard on my right hand. Now, I just have to decide if I’m going to do my traditional clamshell repeat, or come up with something different. As always, it’ll be one shape repeated, edge to edge, since for me the quilting is to hold the layers together and add texture; the real story is the fabric and the colour. I deeply admire those who craft sensational quilted designs on their work, but it’s not for me.

And now, I’m off to soak my fingertips in rubbing alcohol to start that callus process. You may laugh, but it helps.

Anemone: row 24 quilted

I decided it was time.

I’d been neglecting Anemone in favour of feverishly stitching away at Delft. I’ve reached the point with Delft that it can just sit for a bit until I’m ready to piece large sections together, never my favourite part. Anemone has been quietly waiting on my cutting table (and yes, taking up all the space and preventing me starting yet another new project). Time to start hand quilting again.

So that’s what I did. And now I’m up to row 24 and three more are marked up ready to go. It’s actually quite soothing. I can listen to podcasts or YouTube videos while I stitch along the rows of scallop shapes. Three rows at a time is about enough before the fingers get too sore and I have to take a bit of a break before starting again.

It’s still hexies, but at least I’m not sewing them together any more…

Anemone: 7 rows done

It may be time for a day off.

Not because I’m bored, or not enjoying this, but because I need to let my fingers heal. The calluses haven’t re-formed yet, and the needle sticks have become small but painful wounds due to the repeated damage in the same place. I’ve anointed them with spray bandage to keep them closed, since the stick-on kind is a pain in the backside on the tips of fingers. It may be enough to let me carry on working, but somehow I think it may be time to give my body a chance to heal itself without interference.

This is what most people would call big-stitch quilting. I do want to finish it this side of Christmas, which is why I’m not going for smaller stitches. Life is just too short, and I do very much like the soft texture I get with this clamshell shape and size of quilting. I also like the pink thread; it was a toss up whether I’d use white, grey or pink, but I’m happy with the decision to with colour – of course!

I’ve calculated this quilt is going to need at least 50 rows of clamshell stitching. I’m 7 rows down, so making decent progress. I haven’t quite got to the quilt-like-a-machine stage where I load x needles with x length of thread at the start of each row, but by row 20 I’ll probably be there… Making exactly the right size of knot at the start of each thread so that it’s still small enough to bury but too large to pull out, and the trick of forming and pulling down the knot to bury at the end of each thread is a skill you don’t forget after your first queen-sized hand quilted project!

Now let’s see if I can resist Anemone’s siren call….

 

Anemone: let the quilting begin…

So, it’s time to begin the final stage.

This quilt has been sitting on my work table for the past 2 years, waiting for me to get my act together. And today, finally, I did.

I made a clamshell template to fit the width of the individual hexies, decided on pink quilting thread, found my thimble and needle and squissors, and away we went. I’ve pulled out both my pale pink ceramic quilt-marking pencil, and my 0.1mm lead mechanical pencil. The former’s for marking on dark fabrics, and the latter for light fabrics, and both wash out or rub off with an eraser quite easily.

I have the first three rows done. I decided the bottom row was going close to the edge, particularly as this is a faced (rather than bound) quilt. That has the function of holding the edge securely.

After that first row, my fingers have, thankfully, quickly remembered what they’re supposed to be doing.

I’m looking forward to the appropriate calluses forming I must say, as my fine quilting needle has a distressing tendency to ram itself backwards into a random fingertip when it hits thick fabric, despite the fact that I’m using a thimble!

Three rows down, many, many more to go…