Sunday, April 06, 2014

Slow Stitching Productivity

Working on a hand stitched project is a little like raising
teenagers. You put in a ton of effort, pouring your life and energy into the task, but don't see much progress on a daily basis. You are constantly being critical of yourself because it rarely seems to be going well.  You are frequently problem-solving issues that you don't feel you have the experience or knowledge to deal with, and you pray a lot about how it's all going to turn out. Nothing goes the way you thought it would, and it's a way more challenging task than you signed up for in your hopeful and naive state at the beginning. And at some point you wonder why you ever thought this would be a good idea!
And then one day (hopefully) you realize you've turned a corner, and feel some relief to know that maybe you've actually done a good job and everything is going to be okay.   It gradually starts to be less challenging, and there are some delightful and fun moments from time to time. And you maybe even start to feel proud of your accomplishment and eventually wonder if perhaps you've created a masterpiece!?!
Well, today is that day for me - for the quilt, not the teenagers!

This week I finished hand quilting my Journey of a Quilter (pattern by Leanne Beasley)! The finished size is 50" square.
I loved quilting the border cable and am now looking for other quilts that I could cable!
This quilt has been 7 years in the making and the quilt binding will be made today! 
These are the green scraps that will make up the binding. I thought I was going to make a pink and red scrappy binding, but it just drew too much attention to itself, and the green was much more complimentary for this busy quilt.
I plan to enjoy some wonderful slow stitching this afternoon as I start to bind the quilt, and revisit the memories that have been stitched into this Journey quilt. 
No matter where you are in your slow stitching (or
parenting) journey, I hope you can enjoy some quiet moments for yourself today. Eventually all those bits of effort add up to something special! Link up your blog post below and share your efforts.




26 comments:

Created by Kathi said...

that green scrappy binding will look perfect I agree :) Love seeing this whole quilt... I just stared at all your work for the longest time! Thanks for sharing a full view... So excited to see this work of art bound and ready to enjoy! Kathi P. S. Thanks for hosting a linky today :) I look forward to Slow Stitching sundays a LOT!

Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow said...

It is beautiful and a work of love and dedication! :) The cable border looks wonderful!

The Cozy Quilter said...

All I can say is WOW!

Deb@asimplelifequilts said...

It looks amazing and a scrappy binding will be the perfect finishing touch! What a treasure.

Frog Quilter said...

AWESOME! Yummy! Do you want my address so I can QA it? Lol.

Jill said...

Journey is a lovely quilt. Congrats on finishing it. So true about hand stitching. Progress seems slow, but one day all the handwork leads to a wonderful completed item. Cable pattern is perfect. I agree with green scraps for binding. It will have cohesiveness but interest. Well done!

Anonymous said...

It is beautiful! Congrats on finishing this long term project. What a feeling of accomplishment you must have!

Deanna W said...

It is a work of love...just like raising our teenagers.Woohoo!!!

Carla A Few Of My Favorite Things said...

Yes all those stitches do add up! Such a treasure! Thanks for the reminder that perseverance will pay off. I am looking forward to the day I can say the same thing about my Baltimore Garden.

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

I hadn't realized you had been working on that quilt for so, I love it.

Cindy Nielsen said...

Your Journy quilt is so lovely. I really need to start a hand quilting project.

Vroomans' Quilts said...

The greens are a nice blend for the binding. It was wonderful to see this as a 'whole quilt' as we've only seen bits of it. What a journey!

Denise :) said...

Kathy, the cable border is lovely -- it was perfect for this quilt! I have a cable stencil I've never used, but seeing it on yours, here, I am thinking I'm going to have to find a quilt in which to use it! :)

Chantal said...

I do agree, a scrappy green binding would look perfect on this one. It is such a wonderful quilt. It was truly worth the time. Happy slow stitching.

Kathy ... aka Nana said...

Love the cable ... must find a cable stencil and then make a quilt with a border for the cable! It's so nice to see the whole quilt ... it's just as lovely as I thought it would be! You must feel so proud of persevering ... what a treasure!

Béa said...

Wonderful !!!congrats.

Joan said...


What a gorgeous quilt, Kathy!!

sophie said...

I love the teenager analogy–it's so true. I won't be linking because I'm working on something that cannot be revealed yet, but I'll stitching away with you today and beginning a new appliqué project.

Juliann in WA said...

This is beautiful! I have been slow stitching on a little doll quilt. Love this idea

Lynn Wilson said...

Love your analogy.

Janet O. said...

You certainly have a way of writing a fun post infused with wisdom. I love your analogy! : )
Congrats on finishing this stage of your "journey"!

margaret said...

what an amazing quilt it might have taken 7 years but wow it was worth it

Barb said...

pretty quilt and the cable looks great on the border

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

Congrats on the finish. I've had a quilt on the frame (hand quilting) for a few years now. After 120 hours of quilting, and it is only 1/4th done, I got burned out. Good for you that you got yours finished. Maybe I'll start back on mine one of these days.

Renee said...

What a gorgeous quilt! Beautiful.

Kate said...

The quilting is lovely and so is the quilt.