Last Slow Sunday Stitching for 2013

Welcome to Slow Sunday Stitching - a celebration of all kinds of hand stitching! 2013 was a great year for slow stitching - 52 weeks have passed in which we could enjoy our own hand stitching, and be inspired by the projects of quilty friends. Thank you to each of you that linked up your blog posts on Sundays and shared your stitching with us. Last year, we had a total of 641 blog posts that were linked up to Slow Sunday Stitching! That's a lot of s l o w stitches!
At last week's link up, there was a draw for an applique pattern, and the winner was comment #12 which is Deb in Florida. Congratulations to Deb and thanks for being such a regular contributor to the Slow Sunday Stitching party!

Over the past year I have shared my progress on various projects including binding quilts, hand quilting two projects (Journey of a Quilter and The Accidental Quilt), making a scrap rug, stitching some tiny hexagons, hand piecing some blocks, improving my applique stitch,  and I did a bit of hand embroidery. And I enjoyed every single stitch - the perfect, consistent stitches, and the crazy, messy ones too! 

This week I am so proud to tell you that put the final stitches in my "Up, Up and Away" quilt! This quilt was impulsively started at quilt retreat in February, hence it became named The Accidental Quilt. Amazingly, it was pieced and hand quilted, and finished in the same calendar year!
My quilt model Max was totally uncooperative... this puppy needs some training since he has a Grandma who is a quilter!

I was able to get a nice photo of my finished quilt hanging outside before the sun went down. Can I say again that I just love everything about this quilt!?!
The pattern is from the book called Sunday Morning Quilts by Cheryl Arkison and Amanda Jean Nyberg.  

And then I had an amazing synchronistic experience. Just as I was finishing the stitches in this quilt, a gift arrived in the mail for me - 
 "A Month of Sundays". It is hot off the press, and I can't believe that I won a copy in a draw on Cheryl's blog called Dining Room Empire. I love this blog (go read her wonderful post about the reality of Christmas, which reminds me to say "Thank You" to my Mom for years of fun and memorable Christmases past!)

And just look at the card Cheryl put inside the book! She even autographed the book for me! 

What a wonderful Christmas gift - thank you Cheryl!  And what a great book this is, full of patterns and tips, and amazing photography. 
So now that this quilt is finished ("out with the old") I am I wondering which of the projects in the new book I will be tempted to start next ("in with the new")?!?
For today, I'm back to hand quilting my Journey of a Quilter. I am really close to finishing that one too, so will start to think about which hand quilting project is going to be next in my hoop. 
And I have a new hand embroidery project to start in the new year that I can't wait to show you!

2014 holds 52 more weeks of hand stitching link ups at Kathy's Quilts. Grab my button (code is on the right sidebar) to put on your blog, and make a commitment to yourself to enjoy some relaxing hand stitching with us on Sundays throughout next year.  What are you proud of accomplishing with your hand work last year?  Link up your blog post below and share your current project or ideas for what you plan to work on next year. 

Slow Sunday Stitching

From Seven Cherubs

There was very little slow activity of any kind at my house this week, especially stitching. Everything everywhere seems to be in overdrive the week before Christmas. People are stressed, they drive crazier, sleep less, drink more, party more, and shop more. I don't like it! 
I need to quilt more and breathe more!



I put the binding on "Up, Up, and Away" (aka the Accidental Quilt) last week and then remembered that I had wanted to quilt some stitches at the end of each row. So I have been doing a bit of that this week to de-stress.



And today I intend to do a lot of it!

I am loving the new thimble I bought. 
Who could resist a product called a "Fingerhut mit"?!
It has lots of ridges and dimples to catch the needle. You might think the quality of my stitching would improve with my new fingerhut mit, but not so far! That's okay.

 I am loving how it looks no matter the size or inconsistency of stitches. I think I have converted myself to using coloured threads for quilting. No more white or neutrals for me. I want to see all those stitches I took!
What are you hand stitching today?
Share your project with us in the links below and your name will go in the draw for this applique pattern. I bought it a long time ago and I know I will never make it, so I am passing it on to a fellow slow stitcher.
I want to wish all my Slow Stitching friends a very Merry Christmas! 

Slow Sunday Stitching - Thank you!

I just love Sundays! 
Not only because it is now my practice to make time to rest and do some relaxing hand stitching, but also because of the Slow Sunday Stitching link up party. Thank you to each blogger who links up with the Slow Sunday Stitching party, and to each person who takes the time to comment and encourage our slow stitching friends. As the links appear throughout the day, it is almost like a little Christmas to see the wonderful projects being stitched and to be inspired by the words and stitches of other creative souls. Last week was a great lineup of projects to enjoy! We had some binding, applique, cross stitch, embroidery, crochet, hand quilting, crazy quilting, english paper piecing, and some block piecing by hand... what more could a hand stitcher ask for?!?! 
I would also like to say thank you to Connie over at Freemotion by the River for making the link up button for me, and thank you to Angela over at SoScrappy for the instructions on how to get the magical code to link it up. If you are not a blogger, you would be amazed at how many steps it takes to host a weekly linky blog post, and it really does "take a village"! Thank you to everyone! 

This is sounding like an Academy Award speech (cue the music!) and I didn't even win an award! I  just want to acknowledge those who have been so generous with their help along the way.
Okay...back to Slow Sunday Stitching. I will be working on my Accidental Quilt, aka "Up, Up and Away".  I machine stitched the binding to the front of the quilt, and today I will be hand stitching it down on the back of the quilt. 

I found the perfect fabric for the binding - Marmalade by Bonnie and Camille. 

A little pack of Marmalade squares that was gifted to me at February's quilt camp started this project in the first place, so I was happy to find some yardage for the binding. I will be finishing the stitching on this binding today!
What are you hand stitching? Share your project in the links below... can't wait to see what you're working on today!

Slow Stitching Sunday

I am making some good progress on my "Accidental Quilt". 

I have finished quilting all the lines in the triangle blocks and am working my way around the outside of the quilt. Soon it will be binding time and I have picked out the perfect fabric! I am trying not to rush and enjoy the process... I remind myself that the anticipation is the best part! I might actually finish the hand quilting today depending on how much stitching time I get! So exciting!

I basted a scrap piece of fabric around the outside of the quilt to give me more fabric to put in the hoop (a great suggestion from Slow Sunday Stitching comments) and it is really helping me to get better stitches. I took a photo of my threads so I can remember what I used on this quilt. I like this thread and bought it on sale at Joann's in the US. Do you have the same bad habit as I do of sticking pins into the top of the spool? 
Hope you are able to enjoy some relaxing hand stitching today... treat yourself!
We would love to see what you are hand stitching this week. You can share your project below linking to your blogpost or Flickr page.

Slow Stitching Sunday - Pumpkin Seeds

Happy Slow Stitching Sunday! 
The first order of business is to announce the winner of the 100 blocks magazine draw. The winner is...
commenter #22 which is Maureen, who is listed as "no reply" blogger, so I can't contact you Maureen. Send me an email and I can get your magazine sent out to you.
Now onto my slow stitching project for today...
One of my projects for the Scrappy Rainbow Challenge that I started in August is pumpkin seed blocks.  These blocks started as a way to practice my hand applique stitching and I am encouraged that I can see improvement with each finished block. 

These are the blocks I have finished. My goal is to make this a true charm quilt with each seed and each background fabric used only once in the quilt.

These are my two favorite pumpkin seed making tools.

1) I am using the "Leaves Galore" ruler to trace the seed shapes, and it works perfectly. 

2) And I am using the Bohin mechanical chalk pencil to draw the sewing lines. The chalk has never broken on my pencil, it makes a clear line that is erasable, and the point is always sharp.  This week I had to change the chalk and couldn't remember how to do it. I was thinking it is "mechanical" so there must be something to push or twist, some kind of mechanism to figure out. But nope! As with many  things in life, it's really easy if you know the trick. 

And this pencil is totally "old school"... no magic required. 

This is how to put in the refill...

*pull the white eraser off the top of the pencil 

*stick the refill down into the pencil

*push the white eraser back into the top of the pencil.

*repeatedly push the top of the eraser to get the chalk to come down into the writing position.

Easy peasy. 

What a great product!

Today I hope to finish some brown pumpkin seeds to add to this collection. Did you notice the Thanksgiving block with the fussy cut turkey (top right block)?!?

This week I felt like starting a few green blocks to get into the Christmas spirit. Just look at that pointy point! I think I might be ready to move on to some more challenging shapes!
But this is still a really fun scrappy project, so I will continue making more blocks until I get tired of them. 

What are you stitching by hand this week? Are you making any gifts to give at Christmas? Share your project with us by linking up your blog post below.

Slow Sunday Stitching - For your health

I think you can consider participating in  Slow Sunday Stitching as important as a prescription from your Doctor. If you are not stitching along with us, it could be hazardous to your health! 

From BeliefNet

Don't believe me? 

Read this amazing post "The Lost Practice of Resting One Day Each Week" by Joshua Becker (and note the completely ad-free blog... love it!)



In this current fast-paced world where everyone is connected 24/7, where stores are open 24 hours a day - 7 days a week, where many of us work shift work, and where very few people make it a priority to have a "day of rest", we have forgotten the importance of rest.


Thinking about resting will not help you feel rested!

Thinking about doing some hand stitching will not give you the benefits of actually doing it. 

Reading about the wonderful slow stitching projects of others will give you a wee bit of benefit in terms of inspiration, but it will not help as much as actually doing your own slow stitching on your very own project, for your own health benefits!                              

You actually have to DO it!!

I am practicing what I am preaching believe me! I am resting and slow stitching today. There are only a few more rows to quilt on this project, and I am feeling so happy about it and enjoying each relaxing stitch! 


Breathing...  stitching... relaxing.... ahhhhh...

Today, I challenge you to get out a project you can enjoy and put some stitches in it. Just start with a few stitches, and you will begin to relax, and you'll remember how much your life NEEDS the benefits of hand stitching. 

And your rested, healthier body will thank you. 
Link up your blog post below and share how you are stitching and resting and experiencing the benefits!

Slow Stitching Sunday - Handwriting

I was inspired recently by a really interesting post by Jane over at Jane's thread and Treasures. She shows her unique ideas for echo quilting in empty spaces, and she said that your quilting is like your handwriting and is completely unique to you.  

That made me think about the unique handwriting of my family members on my recipe cards. Each of these recipes is written by a family member that I can easily identify by their handwriting.
Handwriting is making your mark on paper - unique and special and precious. 

Stitching is exactly the same! You are making your mark on fabric - using the threads, thimbles and needles you prefer, the hoop that fits for you (or no hoop!),  and making the stitch length you are comfortable with. Each of us make stitches in our own creative way. 

I wrote about my imperfect quilting stitches here and how I like to "eyeball" without marking the quilting lines, especially on my Journey quilt.  I am filling in the larger blocks with a little bit of quilting and briefly considered the echo quilting idea, but went for something more loose and free. 




I am just quilting wavy lines across the blocks, between the words and around the embroidery stitching.

What are you stitching today? There is no "right" or "wrong" way to stitch. Just do it however you intuitively feel is comfortable for you. And link up your blog post below and share your project with us.

Slow Stitching Sunday - Hand Quilting

Do you know that if you Google "hand quilting", there are over 76 million results?? That's a lot of quilting going on! There is also lot of machine stitching on the web (and I enjoy that too) but to be able to savour the delight of hand stitching is... well, there is just something about hand quilting that speaks to me differently than machine quilting. One of my favorite blogs to visit is the Celebrate Hand Quilting blog. I encourage you to pop by and enjoy the hand quilting tips and projects shared.

These are quilts that I took with me on a boat ride last weekend? Can you see that they are hand quilted? They are just the most beautiful, softest, warmest quilts to snuggle up in. Love 'em!


This is what is in my hoop today. I am hand quilting my Accidental Quilt. 
I haven't worked on it for a while and it is close to being finished. Maybe I am procrastinating the finish since I have enjoyed this project so much?!?

I am quilting the last rows on one end, and just have a few more to finish on the other end. And then I will quilt all around the outside of the quilt in the white triangles.


What are you hand stitching today?

You are all so awesome to take the time to share your projects and post your challenges and delights. I soooo look forward to Sundays when I can see what you are working on.  It is such a highlight of my week to make a pot of tea, fire up the computer and see your stitching. Last week there were 13 wonderful postings to enjoy and I hope there will be more today!

Slow Stitching Sunday

I am enjoying some hand quilting on my Journey quilt today, and I will be enjoying the last days of fall weather. Nothing is as soothing (for me) as quilting by the water. It is truly heaven!




This is the block I have just finished on the top right corner of the quilt. I am "working" on the last two blocks.

The leaves have mostly fallen down now, so it's time to start raking. But that's a job for another day... not today. 


It's Slow Stitching Sunday! 


Today it's all about relaxing, being in the moment, moving slowly and taking my time.
What are you stitching by hand today? Link your blog update below and share your project with us.

Slow Sunday Imperfect Stitching

I am going to a quilt show today. I know that I will see many beautiful and perfectly constructed quilts. I will feel a sense of awe and by inspired by the great beauty, and yet, I know I will likely come away from the show feeling a bit defeated about my own quilts. 
Ever since I saw some of the Gee's Bend quilts (my blog post is here) I desire to see quilts differently. I learned that when I look at a quilt, I want to be inspired, but mostly I want to experience an emotional connection, and to have a visceral reaction that is not related to perfect construction. I want to seek out the interesting, the unusual, and the memorable. 
For many years when attending a quilt show I would take 3 photos of my most favorite things - it might be a bit of quilting design, or a combination of colours, and sometimes a whole quilt... but something that made my heart sing.

Unpopped knot at the base of the heart!
It's staying there!

Perfection does not make my heart sing. 
It makes me feel stressed. 
I enjoyed reading Joshua Becker's thought provoking article on "Life is Not Perfect. Fortunately". He said "we can find contentment and joy even in the midst of defect".




Which is one of the reasons why I decided that as I quilt my "Journey of a Quilter" to not use any marking tools. 
I wanted my journey to be congruent with what I believe - that the imperfections are what make each person, each life, and each quilt unique and special in their own way. 


As a result, none of my quilting lines are an exact 1/4" away from the seam, nor are they perfectly straight. I am having a wonderful quilty time on my journey, imperfect stitches/steps and all!



When I get home from the quilt show, I'll be enjoying some imperfect slow stitching on my Journey quilt. 
How about you? What are you hand stitching today?
Link up your blog post below and share your imperfect project with us!

Slow Sunday Stitching

From Curiosities By Dickens

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian blog readers! I hope you will have some time to enjoy at least a few moments of hand stitching today.

We will be enjoying the spectacular weather of this weekend and staying outside as much as possible. 
How could you resist the pretty colours of a great Canadian Autumn?!? This is where we are hiking today.




And as soon as we are back, I will be hand quilting more of my Journey of a Quilter. I only have two more blocks to quilt and plan to enjoy every last minute of this quilty journey. This is what I am going to starting quilting since it seems appropriate for Thanksgiving!
Link up your blog post below and share what you are hand stitching today.

Slow Stitching Sunday

Welcome to Slow Stitching Sunday at Kathy's blog!
Pull up a chair, get out one of your projects, and stitch along with us.
I have been busy with binding lately. I finished a binding for a baby quilt that my sister made for her friend. I really like using the Ultra Thimble especially when I have been hand stitching so much that I have worn a hole in the top of my finger (ouch!)

I also helped a friend (no names to protect the innocent!) bind her king sized quilt. Rumour has it that I may have "forced" her to get the quilt done, and that may be partially true. Maybe it would be more accurate to say that I "strongly encouraged" her to finish the binding, and then I just started stitching it myself until she gave in, grabbed a needle and joined in the fun! 
I just love binding quilts and don't understand why other quilters procrastinate this job? 
I stitched on the sides of her quilt while she tacked down the corners the way she likes them done.  And before you knew it, we had a wonderful visit and she has a lovely finished quilt! 

Today I will be working on improving my applique stitches by sewing a few more pumpkin seed blocks. They are very relaxing to sew and I am still enjoying working on them.
And I found a really cute pattern to make a lovely Christmas project using this block - click here to see it.

What are you hand stitching today?
Link up your blog post below and share your project with us.