Slow Sunday Stitching

Welcome to the weekly hand stitching linky party! 

BYOB and BYOP!

Due to covid restrictions for over a year and a half, we are quite out of practice for regular party protocol so I am to reminding you to "Bring Your Own Beverage" and "Bring Your Own Project" to this party! 

I have been hand quilting more Life is Beautiful blocks. On these blocks I use a good quality quilting thread quilt to quilt a horizontal and vertical line, then a circle around the 4 patch bullseye, and one echo circle. Then I put in big stitches all around the block with cheap thread. Stabilizing the edges makes the process much easier when it's time to put the blocks together in quilt-as-you-go style.

I managed to take an "action shot" this week while quilting. It's very s.l.o.w. stitching, so the photo is not blurred at all so you can see the "action"! LOL 

I do like these Thera Gloves for reducing hand pain, but would love to know if anyone has other product suggestions.

And in other exciting stitching news, my daughter has picked up her embroidery project. She has moved out again to go to grad school in another city, and she sent me an "action shot" from her high rise apartment. You can see granddog Max looking out the window. I miss them both, but am delighted to see them happy in their new home. And to see my daughter hand stitching makes me so happy in a way that I can't even explain! 

What are you hand stitching today?  Please link up your blog post below and share your projects with us. We'd liked to encourage you on your slow journey.

[**Sorry I had to put the comment moderation feature on my blog today since a bot took an interest in my blog and has been submitting dozens of creepy comments. When the bot moves on, I'll take the comment delay off again.]

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Slow Sunday Stitching

Hello and welcome to the weekly hand stitching party! We invite you to enjoy a refreshing drink and take out your project and put a few stitches in.

This is exactly what I love to do on a hot summer day... sit in the shade with a strawberry drink,  and do some hand quilting, while visiting with a friend. It is even more special this year as we have been socially isolated for so long due to covid restrictions, and now at long last, we are able to have outdoor visits with friends. 

4 more quilted blocks!

I have been hand  quilting some 8" Life Is Beautiful blocks lately as it's the perfect summer take along project. These are the most recently finished blocks on the design wall.

39 Life is Beautiful blocks waiting!

Here is the stack of 39 blocks in storage. Yes, they patiently wait in an unused refrigerator. If I add this pile to the above 4 quilted blocks, that is a total of 43 blocks, which means I am 20 blocks away from starting to assemble the quilt!

What are you hand stitching today? We hope you will link up your blog post below and share your project with us!

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Slow Sunday Stitching

Welcome to the weekly hand stitching party! Last week I had time to visit all the links and enjoyed seeing your projects that you are working on including hand binding, hand piecing, hexies, crochet, embroidery, beading, applique, hand quilting and knitting.  Thank you for sharing your beautiful work with us!

Last week I had the pleasure of slow stitching by the water, which is my most favourite peaceful place to stitch. I quilted 2 blocks from my Life is Beautiful project. The first block I finished is one of the alternate bullseye blocks. 

The second is one of the embroidered blocks. This cat block says "life is what you make it to be".  Well that day, while stitching by the river with friends, it was easy to make life seem fabulous! I could be with friends and enjoy some outdoor stitching... what more could a person ask for?!?

Today I will be hand quilting another block for this project. What are you hand stitching today? We would love to see what you are working on, so we hope you will link up your blog post below and share your project with us.

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Slow Sunday Stitching

Welcome to the weekly hand stitching party! Our goal is to encourage you to pick up your project, put a few stitches in, take some deep breaths, and enjoy the happy feelings that may result!


I hand quilted some stitches in my Life is Beautiful project. I especially liked stitching this block as the message seemed timely considering all the events of this past week. These are quilt-as-you-go blocks, and once they are quilted, the quilt will be ready to assemble. But I'm not in a rush... I've been slowly working on the blocks for over 5 years.

We would love to see what you are hand stitching today, so link up your blog below and share your slow progress with us.

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Slow Sunday Stitching

Happy Slow Sunday Stitching!
We have been meeting here weekly for almost 8 years to encourage each other in our hand stitching endeavours. We hope you will join us by linking up your blog post or by leaving supportive comments on the links below. We all need a little extra loving these days!

In Canada we are celebrating Mother's Day today, so Happy Mother's Day to all our moms... the moms that we miss and wish we could be with today, and the moms who have passed on. Sending you gratitude and love for all you have done to give us a good life and to make the world a better place!

This week I have been hand quilting more Life is Beautiful blocks. I quilt a vertical and horizontal line through the block and then I trace around a dinner plate using my Bohin pencil (which I love) and quilt on that circular line.

Here is the next finished block. I usually hand baste large stitches around the outside of the block to secure the edges to make it easier to add the sashing when it comes time for putting them together (quilt-as-you-go style). Not sure how many blocks to go after 5 years of working on this project. I'm not in a rush... it's hand embroidered and hand quilted, so it takes a while!

I'd like to share another kind of hand work with you today... rock painting.  A thankful woman started a "gratitude garden" at our local hospital and it has grown to be a beautiful display of appreciation and beauty. This is the garden just outside the emergency entrance on the front lawn.

Sometimes after work I go by and admire all the wonderful creativity and the kindness of people who take the time not only to paint the rocks, but also to bring them to the hospital. You can see that some are made by children, some name specific staff, some are amazing works of art.



Also some signs have also been added to the display. So much gratitude and appreciation made visible.





I hope this display of amazing creativity encourages you today! There are so many good people in the world who are loving and kind and generous, and when they decide to make themselves known, the world is changed! 




What wonderful thing are your hands making today to add to the beauty in the world? 
Thank you for all the positive energy you provide to our hand stitching community and to the world... it is so needed and appreciated!
Link your blog post below and share your project with us.

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Slow Sunday Stitching

Welcome to the weekly hand stitching link up! We celebrate all types of hand work and enjoy seeing what is being created by hands around the world. 
Today is Groundhog Day here and we are hoping the rodent predicts an early spring for us (although the winter really hasn't been terrible this year). It's also Super Bowl Sunday, which is a perfect opportunity for hand stitching while you watch/listen to the game and/or the half show.

Today I am working on an old hand stitching project. I got out my Life Is Beautiful bag and put the blocks up on the design wall to figure out where I'm at with this project. The block that I thought I finished hand quilting this week (bottom row 3rd from the right) needs an echo circle quilted and I will start with that today.

I have 2 more embroidery blocks to applique, and 10 more embroidery blocks to quilt.  This project is coming along well (as it should be after 5 years!) and I'm excited to work on it more today. 
What are you hand stitching today? Are you stitching through the Super Bowl? Link up your blog post below and share your project with us.

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Slow Sunday Stitching Goals

Welcome to the weekly hand stitching party! Pull up a chair, make a cup of tea or coffee, and enjoy a few moments visiting hand stitchers around the world. It's so fun to see the creative ideas that other folks are working on.

Since it's the first link up of the year, I'm thinking about the top 3 hand stitching projects that I'd like to focus on in 2019.


1) "I Stitch" BOM by Gail Pan -  Many happy hours were spent last year stitching these sweet little blocks. I have a few more designs to embroider and am still thinking about how I want to put these blocks together.




2) Life is Beautiful - This has been one of my favourite projects for the past 4 years. I have greatly enjoyed each step along the way... the hand embroidery, appliquéing all the circles, and hand quilting the blocks. I would like to finish the quilting this year and get started on the process of joining the blocks together in the quilt-as-you-go style. 

3) I intend to continue the hand quilting on my oldest UFO. I still enjoy the process and do make slow and steady progress throughout the winter.

We thank you for all the ways in which you contribute to Slow Sunday Stitching... 
by joining the linky party with your blog posts, by visiting the stitchers who've linked up, and by encouraging them with your comments. We all know that when you've been working on a hand made project for years, it does help to increase the motivation to continue when someone cheers you on! 
Let's see what your hands are stitching at the beginning of  2019!


   

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Slow Sunday Stitching

Welcome to the weekly hand stitching party! We invite you to settle in for some relaxation, visit our inspiring stitchers at the links below, and take some time to put a few stitches in one of your favourite projects.



I seem to be alternating between 2 hand stitching projects - the Gail Pan's "I Stitch Club" embroidery BOM, and hand quilting blocks for my Life Is Beautiful quilt. It seems I get bored with one project and switch to the other from time to time. This week I have put stitches in both, so I'll share the "quilt-as-you-go" block I am quilting. This is an alternate block with appliqued circles. I am quilting a straight line horizontally and vertically, then quilting around the centre circle, then quilting on the drawn chalk line (which is traced around a saucer from my kitchen cupboard that happened to be the right size!)


What are you hand stitching today? Please link up your blog post below and share your project with us!

   

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Slow Sunday Stitching

Welcome to the weekly hand stitching party! Pull up a comfy chair, make yourself a cup of your favourite tea, and join us while we add a few stitches to our multiyear projects!

I put the blocks for my Life Is Beautiful project on the design wall this week to assess where I was with this and how far I had to go.

Here are the project stats: 

*31 embroidered patterns (there should be 32 but 1 appears to be MIA!)

*29 embroidered blocks have been appliqued to a background 4 patch block 

*19 of the embroidered blocks have been quilted

*13 of the alternate blocks (no embroidery) have been pieced and quilted

*14 alternate blocks have the 4 patches sewn and the circle appliqued, and are ready for quilting

So much work has been completed and yet, after 4 years of work, there is still so much to do!
Oh well, what can you do?!?
Just keep swimming stitching (video here). 

I maintain my enthusiasm for long term projects like this by taking occasional breaks from it. I pick up other hand stitching projects, usually embroidery or other small projects. The key to working on these long term projects is to never let it get completely "out of sight" so it doesn't drift toward "out of mind"! 
Today I will put in a few more stitches and focus on this thought: 
Everything is accomplished one slow stitch/step at a time.

Tomorrow I will be posting another little hand stitched project - a hexie block for my Save the Bees project. Hope you can drop by my blog to see it and enter your name in the giveaway draw!

What are you slow stitching today? Are you feeling a tad bit discouraged about your progress? Just keep on stitching... and link up your blog post to share your project with us.


   

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Slow Sunday Stitching

Hello stitcher! Welcome to the weekly hand stitching party where we hope you will get lots of inspiration and encouragement to help you on your stitching journey!

Progress is continuing on my Life Is Beautiful project. I am working my way through the stack of prepared blocks that I pin basted earlier in the summer. Here is the most recently finished block. I start in the centre and quilt the horizontal and vertical seams out to the edge of the block. Then I quilt around the appliqued circle, and lastly quilt around a traced circle. Also I decided to baste around the edge of each block which will make it easier when it's time to join the blocks together in the quilt-as-you-go style.

This block will now join the pile of the other quilted blocks in the freezer. That's quite a stack of finished blocks! 

Yes, I do store quilt blocks in the refrigerator (another photo here). It's the perfect quilting storage unit with lots of shelves and air movement to keep the fabric fresh, with no light to damage fabrics over time/years.
What do you use your refrigerator for?!?! LOL 
I just got an idea to have another photo challenge, so watch for that next week.

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

   

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Slow Sunday Stitching

Welcome to the weekly hand stitching celebration! If you enjoy creating hand made projects with needles and threads, you have come to the right place!


Last week I visited a cottage with some friends and enjoyed one of those perfect summer days. It was not too hot or humid, with a clear blue sky and a soft breeze... perfect slow stitching weather! This is the chair I was sitting in, enjoying the beautiful summer day, chatting with friends, and hand quilting another Life is Beautiful block. Isn't it fun how the red in the quilt block matched the chair and the flowers!?! It was such a great weekend... except for the terrible case of poison ivy I came down with the next day. I have no explanation for how that happened!

tabletopper made of 100 yoyos

In the middle of the kitchen table at the cottage, was a beautiful scrappy yoyo tabletopper.
I tried to conjure up ideas of who this hand stitcher might have been, who was it that cut these circles from lovely fabrics and made them into this sweet project. The fabrics  seem to be from the 1930's and 1940's, but are they reproductions or originals? I wondered which scraps were her favourites?  And I wondered why did she add the organized 2 colour solid yoyos around the outside edge when the inside was random scrappy? So much to ponder! 

Of course I had to turn it over and look at the back to see how it was made. Look at the size of the joining stitches! And the thread that was used was very thick with lots of big knots. 
There were a couple of places where the threads joining the yoyos had let go. I wondered whether I should go ahead and repair it, since I had the thread, the tools and the interest? 
But it wasn't mine to alter, so in the end I decided to leave it as it was, and hope it will still last for years to come. 

I went back to my own stitching project, enjoying my random thoughts about the maker and the project. Later I said to my friends "Isn't that tabletopper on kitchen table so lovely"?  They responded with variations of "What tabletopper?" and "I didn't notice anything on the table." 
These people are not my stitching tribe!
YOU are my tribe! 

What are you hand stitching today? Please share your creative projects with us and add your blog post or instagram photo link below. 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up
   

Slow Sunday Stitching

It's finally Sunday - a day of rest, reflection, renewal, and slow stitching! Why not join us as we get out our hand stitching projects and put in a few relaxing stitches?


I'm working on my Life Is Beautiful project today. I put all the finished blocks on the design wall to see where this project is at. 
30 blocks are quilted, which is almost the half way point. I have quilted more embroidered blocks than the alternate blocks, so today I'm going to pin baste a stack of alternate blocks to work on.

I have the blocks appliqued, the batting and backing squares cut, and am ready to get a few more blocks completed. Well, the completion won't happen today, but lots of stitching will be happening and they will all get finished eventually.

What are you hand stitching today? We love to see what you're creating so link up your blog post and share your project with us.

**Sorry the link up didn't work right this morning! I was camping and set an autopost that apparently didn't like my instructions. Click page refresh and hopefully the updated link will appear...

   

    An InLinkz Link-up
   

Slow Sunday Stitching

Welcome to the weekly celebration of hand stitching! It's the one time a week where we make sure to set aside some special moments for playing with needles and thread. We hope you will join us!

I have pulled out my Life is Beautiful project again. I've been working on it for more than 3 years now. At this stage the focus is quilting these alternate blocks. They are the perfect summer take along project. I have a stack of blocks pin basted and am looking forward to sitting outside today and putting in some stitches. 

What is your take along hand stitching project for the summer? Link up your blog post below and share your progress with us.




   

    An InLinkz Link-up
   

Slow Sunday Stitching

Last night we turned our clocks back one hour because it is the end of Daylight Saving Time. Which only means that we all get one extra hour of time. Well, we don't really, but we delude ourselves into thinking this is a real thing. The sun is not actually taking one hour longer to rotate around the earth today. 
But don't we all talk about wanting more time to get things done? 
What did you do with the "extra hour" you were given this weekend? I would like to say that I used the extra hour for hand stitching, but truthfully I just slept longer! 

Today I will be working on more alternate blocks for my Life Is Beautiful quilt. Here are the 6 that I've quilted so far. 

When starting to quilt my latest block, I noticed that the sandwich felt quite thick in the middle. I unpinned the block and separated the layers, and realized that I had forgotten to cut away the fabric circle behind the applique. Why didn't I notice that when I was pin basting the block??!

So I cut away the excess fabric behind the appliqued circle, re-basted the sandwich, and started again.
I can't really blame it on sleep deprivation since I had a whole extra hour of sleep!


What are you hand stitching today? 
We don't want to know what your sewing machine is working on. Here at Slow Sunday Stitching we are "old school" and want to know about "your people power" projects which involve only your needles, threads, scissors, and your very own hands. 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up