Slow Sewing

I enjoy handwork and always have something going that I can easily pick up and work on.

The other day I started quilting my newest little quilt--see post Nothing New Under the Sun for the story of this one:

The method is "Big Stitch", using a thick thread, Perle #8. I find it very fast to quilt and that is what I wanted on this quilt. While I can do fine hand quilting with small stitches, not every quilt deserves that much time and attention.

I am still thinking about the border design--either a simple cable that requires marking with a stencil OR a simple cross hatch that can be marked with painter's tape. Stay tuned.

The other long-term hand piecing project is this hexagon star. This layout shows the stars touching--it looks a bit crowded:

An alternate layout allows some breathing room between the blocks and means I can cover more territory with fewer blocks. A large plain hexagon from a variety of small background prints like shirtings would fill the blank spaces:

Which do you prefer?

How do I get these done? I cut some out and leave them beside my comfy chair. At night, while listening to TV, I start sewing them. I can do several a night if I choose. And I can easily put them in a zip loc bag with a needle, a few pins, thread, scissors and my thimble, to take on the road:

 They are cut from 2" wide strips, using a 60 degree angle cut--I use a pencil to quickly mark the sewing line on the back of  the light diamonds, that doesn't take long. Easy to prep, easy to sew.

Back to my garments now--the lining arrived and has been washed so it's time to get those jackets finished.

Let's quilt.

Barbara