Slow stitching on a Sunday

It's a lovely morning here, and, as always I've started my day with a bit of hand-stitching.

I'm almost finished with this "Covid squirrel"...my Hills 'n' Hollers quilt...

...only one more piece to applique, then it will be done. I'll sit down and do that after writing today's post. 

I did have an unexpected bit of applique to do on this quilt this week. I added these bits...

No one will ever know (except you) that they are not actually a design element, but a cover-up for the dreaded "unfortunate scissors incident", lol! Life happens....but in quilting it just presents another good use for some creative applique, am I right??

Here is the quilt up on the design wall...so close to being done...

I feel like this one will need "big-stitch quilting", which I think will be difficult for me...after all, I've spent the last forty years trying to do small, even, traditional stitches! Another thing, how does one even know how much perle cotton to buy to quilt a piece? Oh well, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. I'm actually just remembering that I have done big-stitch quilting on a piece a couple of years ago, so I'm sure I'll be fine.

In this past week, wouldn't you know it, I've come across yet again another sewalong. 

This one is offered by Lucy Engels out of Scotland and is called the Naive Melody quilt. It is a quilt that evolved out of herk own Covid lock-down experience.

The sewalong starts on September 1st and consists of doing a block per day for 100 days, and is an Instagram sewalong. You can look up the hashtag #naivemelodysewalong....and Lucy at @_lucyengels.

Here is a link to the sign-up page, and you can have a peek at the quilt...https://mailchi.mp/ddd2442d077b/naive-melody-sal

When you sign up for the sewalong you get an email with a discount code for buying the pattern, which is very reasonably priced. The blocks are 6 1/2" unfinished.

It's a quilt that can be easily made from your stash, can be done with hand applique or machine applique, and the simple shapes are repeated in many blocks.

Of course, I've had to test the first 2 blocks...

I hope some of you will join me in this sewalong! 

Edited to add: I've just found out that instead of 100 blocks in 100 days, the sewalong will be 4 blocks per week....so even more manageable!

I'll end with showing off my latest attempt at sourdough bread. Just for fun I threw in a handful of dates and walnuts. It was definitely a success!

Have a lovely Sunday. I am linking up with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching.

Oh, and another thing....I've tried to change the commenting on my posts so that I need to approve them first....I'm not sure if it's working properly. I've done this as I've been getting so many spam comments lately. I'll have to see how to add on the captcha(sp?) about "not being a robot". 

Old dog, new tricks....

Well, I wish I was someone who used the Covid time as an opportunity to work on their UFO's....but I've been caught up in a couple of sewalongs along the way.

I've said it before....I'm a sucker for a sewalong!

The latest one is hosted by @thenextstitch on Instagram. She started a sewalong a few weeks ago called @shutdownstitchalong....I think because her area in Melbourne, Australia had entered a shutdown again because of an uptick in Covid cases. (I just have to say....up until a couple of weeks ago, I'd never ever heard the word "uptick" before. Now I hear it all the time and here I am actually using it!)

During this stitchalong we are encouraged to slow stitch for at least 15 minutes a day. Hey, I start everyday with slow stitching, so I'm in!!

Somehow during the beginning of the sewalong I saw the quilt Hills 'n' Hollers being shown and remembered that I have this pattern and what a good opportunity to try it. 

Should have worked on a UFO, right?...oh well. 

I thought it would be a great opportunity to use my Jen Kingwell Stash....just needed a background fabric. So, I made my way to my local quilt shop, Quilt Junction. Well, didn't I find out that Lana has started carrying a couple of Cotton & Steel fabrics....and I have a lovely stash of C&S fabrics sitting in a box at home. So I switched thing up to use these fabrics.

You can see that I basted down all the pieces first to make sure the "hills" were spaced out nicely across the fabric. 

I baste in my applique once in a while....normally to attach all the "vines" in a piece of applique. It takes extra time, but I find it worth it in the end.

When I posted a picture on Instagram showing my progress in the sewalong, a friend commented that it looks like surfboards....I like that and I think this quilt will now be known as Beach Blanket Bingo!....anyone old enough to catch that reference???

Once the surfboards were in my head, my brain somehow leapt over to a pattern I bought recently and thought that if I incorporated part of that pattern it would kind of look like sun rays. The pattern is "Hunt" by Carolyn Friedlander...

So I read through the pattern and was surprised to find out that she uses a whole other method of applique in this design. 

It scared me and thrilled me at the same time, lol!!!

I've been a quilter for over 40 years now and I've got a lot of my methods down pat....but I always enjoy learning a new tip or trick that I may be able to add to my toolbox. 

Here are all the pieces pinned to the background...

The next step was to baste each piece down....with the stitches precisely 1/4" from the edge of the applique piece. Not difficult when you've been a quilter for a while as the 1/4" measure comes quite naturally, right?

Then I was to needleturn applique the pieces. But wait a minute....for years now I've been finger-pressing my seam allowances....how was this going to work????....that was the scary part. I was prepared for the fact that this would not be my best work, but it would be a learning experience.

So I started this morning...on a straight section as the curves were going to be the messy part...

Well, here's the brilliant part of this method....those basting stitches really make a nice "edge" that my needle used to follow as I was needle-turning. So pleasing in an inexplicable way.

Then came the curvy bit, and it worked out just fine. I'm quite happy with my work this morning, and I can see using the "Hunt" pattern for a full-sized quilt.

I will digress for a moment.

A long time ago I read this book and I came to call it my applique Bible...

Almost everything in this book revolutionized my method of applique.

 When I have trouble with curves (and circles were my nemesis for a long time), I always remember this bit of the book...to just make that next stitch a good stitch, concentrate on just that stitch...and this passage of the book served me well again doing the curves this morning. 

My design wall is full at the moment, but I had to see how Beach Blanket Bingo was really looking...

I like it....a lot!!! I can even hear Annette Funicello singing in the background as she dreams about Frankie Avalon.

This quilt has been quite the journey that has morphed in many different ways since I began the #shutdownstitchalong!!

On the design wall is my Halo quilt....a long-time UFO that will finally be a real quilt because of another sewalong on Instagram.

I put the blocks up haphazardly to live with for a while and shuffle them around when I see something that needs shuffling...

Already I know that this is a quilt that will call for hand-quilting.

Halo will be my One Monthly Goal for August. I am linking up with Elm Street Quilts for One Monthly Goal.

I am also linking up with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching

Scrappy days...

I'm taking a couple of days to work on some scrappy quilts....my favourite.

I know there are so many UFO's in the sewing room (as someone was kind enough to remind me), but I couldn't resist the 15-day mystery sewalong hosted by Edyta Sitar.

Here is my quilt, made of 30's fabrics from my stash...

There's a couple of bits I would change if I did it over, but I'm pretty happy with it. I was not going to do a border, but Edyta showed us a few options and I really like the pieced option. I think it would set this quilt off nicely. On the other hand, it would be nice just to call this one done! lol


For a long time I've wanted to do Jen Kingwell's Halo quilt and it's actually started. Now there is an Instagram sewalong for Halo, where you try to finish and post 2 blocks per week. I've joined in as it seems like a good way to get back to this quilt. Here are the four blocks that I had already pieced...

This would be a good one to piece by hand....but I already have enough slow stitching projects on the go.


Next bit of scrappiness??....my ongoing leaders-and-enders project, log cabin blocks made of 1" logs...

I know there is not a lot on contrast, but I also know that I am going to absolutely love this quilt. I can already picture it on my bed!!

Does anyone else find that once you start down the rabbit hole of fussy-cutting you tend to try to incorporate it all the time?

For instance, the peace sign...

....and my hedgehogs...I wish I'd purchased more of that one!...

 ...some bunnies...

 ...I love the kiwi fabric...

..and some words...

I keep a stack of partially made log cabins next to the sewing machine and they turn into finished blocks surprisingly quickly.


Last bit of scrappy for today is the mystery quilt that Bonnie Hunter is running currently, called Unity. As always with Bonnie's quilt patterns, there is always a lot of piecing involved!

Even a bit of "ghastly" fuss-cutting going on...

I feel a little guilty to get this personal sewing time, as we as quilters have been called on to make items for "the cause", but I'm going to sweep that guilt away....we've all been doing what we can.

I did get some scrub caps made for ICU nurses...there was a call out for some in a city near here....

I know my daughter's girlfriend seemed to appreciate getting a few. She works across the border in health care and says it's pretty bad there :(

This weekend we all expected to be sewing gowns for our local LTC facility, which has been hit especially hard but the kits for the gowns did not arrive before the weekend. So I am taking this bit of personal sewing time for myself, knowing that it'll be a busy week ahead.

I am linking up with Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?.

I am also linking up with Cynthia over at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework.

One Monthly Goal - April

I've been working on the mystery quilt that has been generously brought to us by Edyta Sitar. 

She offered this to help us get through our isolation at this time. There has been one block per day over 15 days...but each day you have to make a few multiples of that particular day's block. After 15 days we have 100 6" blocks.

Today is day 14....one more day to go!

Here is my quilt so far...

I may put a bit of a border on when it's done...not sure yet. I don't know if I have enough of any of my 30's prints to make a border. I guess I could do a white border.

I will put these blocks together using a Doug Lenko's 3-pin method. You can view his method on YouTube, HERE. 

I've actually tried something similar in the past, but he has a couple of tips that I'll incorporate into what I have done before.


We're in for some beautiful Spring weather in my area. My hope for all of you....please try to get some fresh air. We are all feeling edgy and worried, and that's to be expected. I believe that some fresh air is so good for our mental health at this time, even if it means just sitting out on your front porch and listening to the birds sing. 

I've been worried that my local park will shut down....I go there frequently for a run. Last Fall they paved a 1.1km walking trail around the baseball diamonds for people to use safely away from traffic. There's hardly anyone there when I go for a run....and the track is at least 8ft wide, so it's easy to be socially distant. I'm always glad to see this track utilized by local seniors, walking to promote their health. 

Sometimes I wish I could just step out my door for a walk or a run, but it's not safe as I live on a provincial highway.

I think of all that has transpired over the last month and realise that only a month ago I'd never heard these phrases before...

Social Distancing
Self Isolation
Flattening the Curve

...and now we hear them on a daily basis....as well as the word "unprecedented". I think that that will be a word that I will not miss when all this is in the past.


Now for my One Monthly Goal for April. My goal is to complete the quilt top on my Edyta Sitar mystery (shown above). I'd even like to have it quilted if I can find an appropriate backing in my stash....but the goal will be to at least have the top done and not have this be a UFO!

I am linking up with Elm Street Quilts for One Monthly Goal.

One Monthly Goal - Finish

Well, it's the end of the month already and I almost forgot to post my One Monthly Goal Finish for March!

My goal was to get the main body of Farm Girl Vintage together....finally!!!....and I'm happy to say that I accomplished it!

I'm really happy with it. I think I will make a goal to have it done in time for the Fair this year. It still needs a pieced border, etc...but the end is in sight.

I've had some extra sewing time. The longarm is not very busy at the moment so I'm taking advantage of the lull.

Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts has been offering a mystery quilt....a new block every day for 15 days. Some days we make as few as 4 of the daily block....the other day we had to make 16.  There will be 100 blocks total, which will make a nice lap-sized quilt.

I decided to do mine in 30's prints as I have a lot of them, and I do still love them. 

Here is mine after Day 11...

There are some bits I'm not too sure about, but it's staying as it is.

I will name this quilt in some way to remember that it was made during this pandemic :(


And...wouldn't you know it...Bonnie Hunter has started a new mystery quilt to keep us busy during isolation. At first I thought, "no way"...I want to concentrate on my UFOs.  But I'm doing it....I haven't participated in her mystery quilts in quite a few years as they usually take place between American Thanksgiving and Christmas....a longarmer's absolute busiest time!

Well, I'm not so busy at the moment, so I'm jumping in on this one!

It's called the Unity Quilt-along and you can find Part One on her blog today, which you can see HERE.





You can have a look at her Intro post HERE to see Bonnie's suggestions about fabrics.

One of my goals during social distancing is to make some sense of the sewing room and get it tidied and organised.  I've been saying it for a few days now, and after I finish this post I will actually start. I think one of the things I will do is start a box for donation to the free table at the guilds...I'd like to part with 5 UFOs that I will never get back to doing. I'm sure I can come up with 5. 

I am linking up with Elm Street Quilts for the One Monthly Goal linky party.