WIP

I can't believe I haven't posted in three weeks!  After spending the  Fourth of July being miserably sick, it seems like I have spent the next couple of weeks working my tail off getting a couple of custom orders completed and not having time for anything else!  I am so excited to have all my big projects done and to be able to work on some projects that I want to work on!  The cat quilt below is a top my sister made for me, and it is my July UFO project.  It is basted and ready to quilt, so I hope to get that finished up this week - this is going to be a lap quilt to take in the car with me on trips.  I just love the cat print and how it is put together - Sis, you did a nice job on this one!

This quilt is a shop sample in my CityScapes pattern.  I wasn't too sure if I really liked the blocks, but once I got the sashing and cornerstones on, I loved it!  This one is up for quilting after the cat quilt, I think I'm going to try doing an overlapping design with boxes.  Should be interesting....

And here is my June UFO Challenge.  Another Asian panel quilt.  This one had plain cornerstones, so was simpler to quilt.  I remembered to add the sleeve before I sewed the binding, so all I had to do was hand-stitch one side of it (wish I would remember all the time, really makes it easier).

Here is the finished quilt!  Came out very pretty and now is available for sale in my Etsy Shop.

Do you do hand quilting?  I still do some, and I have been pushing to get a quilt done that I've been working on for way too long, now.  (Let's just say that menopause is not helpful....between hot flashes and bi-focals, I have had an interesting time adjusting!)  I really do love stitching by hand, it is very calming.  And the results are so beautiful!

I like hand quilting with regular quilting thread.  I really love working with contrasting thread, but not on this quilt, it needs to be more traditional.  I've done some Big Stitch quilting with Perle Cotton, but I thought it was difficult to pull the thread through.  The look was pretty neat, though, and it was really quick to do.  Overall, I'd have to say I prefer the traditional method.  When this one is done I have a green and white Grandmother's Flower Garden to do.  Then I think I'll do one of my own!

No matter whether you quilt by machine or hand, enjoy what you do!  Check out the Quiltsy Team Blog here for more WIP posts, and see what other quilters think about hand stitching.