Hand Quilting

I have picked up an old hand quilting project to work on.

I am outlining the portrait.  I know my stitches are not tiny, but I had a lady tell me that is okay as long as they are consistent.

I added some texture to the tail.  As I work on it I am sure I'll be adding more texture to different areas of the quilt.

I bought this thimble last year at my LQS and so far I really like it!  I usually have long nails and I like there is room for my nails.

This will be my project for a while.  I found some small beads I might add to some of the flowers also.

Have a great day ya'll!

Missy

Hand quilting

I have been slowly working on my hand quilting, I'm sure a lot more will get done this summer when we go out of town.

 I have slowly been working on the leaves, but I think I am going to take a break from them and work on a cat next.

I enjoy hand quilting and need to get back to doing it!

Missy

Hand Stitching Project!

I've had this panel for a while and thought I would make hexies to go around it, see that post here, but have put those hexies on hold. (I started it in April of 2012!)  I messed up and need to wait until I am settled in my new place and relatively stress free before figuring it out.  Meanwhile while I decided to make this a wall hanging.  I want to hand quilt around it to make it stand out.  The only thing is that I have never done anything like this before.  Is there a special way to make it look nice?  Should I quilt on the fur also, or just around the cat?  I was thinking of maybe just quilting around the ears, body, eye, etc.  and then quilting around the flowers and everything else also.  I am open to any suggestions or tutorials you might want to share on something like this.  I'm so clueless, my husband had to explain to me how to put the hoop on!  LOL

I paid $1.50 for the panel at a thrift store, the backing was like a $1, and the hoop was 50 cents at a yard sale!  Oh and the batting?  It was left over batting that I sewed together to make it wide enough!

I am writing a tutorial on how to spray baste a quilt, I'll try to get it posted tomorrow!

Remember the prayer quilt we made for Kenzie?  She has cerebral palsy and participates in the Arkansas Angel pageant every year.  This year the pageant is having a fund raiser to help pay for expenses.  Jamberry nails is those neat nail sticker thingies you put on your nails and last about 2-3 weeks.  You can order here, http://juliekimbrell.jamberrynails.net/party/?uid=3738412b-7f6b-4499-b853-b978355d8b91 , but make sure you click on their link and order through that link.

Please share your wisdom with me!
Missy

Hand Quilting

 This is the newest quilt they are working on at the Senior Citizens Center in Gainesville, MO.  This lady hand embroidered all these deer on the quilt.

Everybody is now working on hand quilting it. They have all been hand quilting for years and have perfect tiny stitches.   I did not go this week and will not be going back for a few weeks until they are finished with this quilt though.  I'll be honest, she hurt my feelings.  I asked her if my stitches were okay or if I should take them out and redo them.  If she did not like them, all she had to say was to go ahead and redo them, after all I did ask her.  Instead she said she did not know I would have to ask the lady in charge.  Then she sat down and started stitching again and proceeded to lecture me on how she practiced her hand stitching for months at home before she tried working on someone else's quilt because she did not want stitches that were not very good on somebody else's quilt and that was not the place to practice, etc, etc.  She made me feel an inch tall.  Now please don't leave a lot of hateful comments about her in the comment section because I can understand that after all the time and money that she invested in this quilt she would want the stitches to look good, but she could have been nicer about it.  The whole reason I was excited about finding a local quilting bee was 1. because I wanted the fellowship, there is no one around here for me to quilt or sew with and I really miss my sewing group in TX and 2. I wanted to learn from experienced women how to hand quilt.  I have already learned a lot even though I've only been a few times (the holidays and weather got in the way).  I have practiced a lot, but I was doing it wrong until one of the ladies took the time to show me the correct way.  I don't have a problem with someone telling me nicely that I need to redo my stitches, that's how I learn.
I have told ya'll this as a reminder to be gracious to people who are learning and not to discourage them, although if you are reading my blog I'm sure you're not the kind of person to expect perfectionism because I try to keep it real and show you the bad along with the good.  LOL
I really wish I could find people to quilt with.  I'm hoping once I move to Ava I'll be able to find a group to quilt with, they actually have two quilt shops there!

I should add, that I will go back to the center after her quilt is finished to do more quilting because not every body feels that way.
Missy

Psalm 64:3  "Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:"

Girl with a parasol hand stitched quilt

 One of the ladies from the senior citizen center brought in a finished quilt on Wednesday.  She embroidered these girls with parasols on it.  The entire thing was hand stitched and quilted.

 She has not washed out the blue quilting lines yet.  This is the back of the quilt.  Isn't it great?

Embroidery is not something I can do very well.
What a talented group of ladies!

Do you like to hand quilt?

Missy

Unique Double wedding Ring Quilt

I went to the quilting bee at the local senior citizens center in Gainesville.  They meet every Wednesday at 9am and hand quilt people's quilts for them.  All of the money they get is donated back tot he center.  I am going to learn so much about the correct way to hand quilt!  This is the quilt they were working on.

 The entire thing is hand embroidered!  Isn't it gorgeous?

I went today to quilt and they had finished it up last week, so there was not any quilting to do!

They will be loading up a new quilt next week, so that will be fun!

Happy quilting!

Missy