Last Slow Sunday of 2014

It is the last Sunday of 2014. Can you believe it?!?
I have not done any quilting on my sampler quilt this past week, and it's not looking like it will be finished up this week. Christmas came and went like a whirlwind, and took all of my energy with it! Any spare time has been spent resting or reading.

I have done some hand applique this week while traveling and visiting. It is such a portable project. A few more blue blocks were completed for my pumpkin seed project.
I am looking forward to continuing to build this quilt in the new year.
I hope you can enjoy some relaxing stitching time today... the last Sunday of 2014. Link up your blog post below and share the project that you are ending the year working on.

Slow Sunday Stitching

It's Sunday - time for some rest and relaxation. I know it's the last Sunday before Christmas and everyone is working on frantic preparations and bordering on nervous breakdowns at the mall, but I encourage you to take even a few moments to slow down and enjoy some hand stitching. I read a great blog post about how to simplify the holidays, and used some slow stitching time this week to really think about this. Here are some of my thoughts:
1) Christmas goals need to be compatible with the amount of energy and time I have. For many years I pushed myself passed the point of exhaustion - unnecessarily. I wanted to create a perfect Christmas experience for my children. I have learned that a) I can do everything to the best of my ability and still can not make life/Christmas perfect for everyone, and b) everything that needs to get done, always gets done.  
If time runs out and it's not done, it wasn't really necessary! The same time pressure will start to build this year, only I will not be beside myself. I am trying to be more thoughtful, and more reflective about why I am doing the things I do, and asking myself "is this really important to me or my family?" I am not assuming I know the answers, I am asking them directly. 

Mums Relaxation

2) I must practice good self care. I don't want to sacrifice my health anymore and get run down "burning the candle at both ends", and then end up having the flu or a cold, or complete exhaustion over the holidays. So my biggest gift to myself this year is: I give myself enough time to do the jobs I need to do. And I rest when I need to, no matter how long the "to-do list" is.

3) I make time for brief slow stitching sessions. I have my project out where I can see it as a visual prompt to sit down and put in a few stitches, regroup, and then carry on. 
As a result I have finished the inside part of hand quilting on my sampler quilt! All 20 stars, 12 blocks and 31 sashings have been hand quilted.
The sun came out so I ran outside to take a picture of the quilt on the clothesline. It's a little wrinkly :)

I am still stuck on how to quilt the border and none of my ideas are inspiring me yet. So I will wait until an idea sticks. This is how it looks from the back. I love the texture of the red hand stitching on the gold fabric!
What are you hand stitching today? Are you feeling too busy to sit and stitch? I encourage you to take some time to slow down - you'll feel refreshed, and a little more "filled up". If you have time to make a blog post and link it below, we'd love to see what you're working on.

Slow Sunday Stitching

It's Sunday again, which means it's time to s-l-o-w down and do some relaxing stitching.

I will have my hand quilting on my lap and will be putting in a few more stitches. I have finished quilting all the blocks now, and am using my hera marker to make a few more shapes to stitch in some of the puffy places where there are not enough stitches yet ...

like here, in the center of the block. Can you see the line I am quilting on? Once the line is quilted, the marking is invisible.
I still have 1 more sashing to quilt, and 2 more star blocks. I hope to finish that up today and then start on the border. I have a few design ideas in my mind to try and will see how it develops.

From Seven Cherubs

What are you hand stitching today? Are you working on any Christmas gifts? Share your projects with us and link up your blog post below.

Slow Sunday Stitching

Are you getting all worked up about all the things you have to do at this time of year? I usually get stressed every year around this time in December. Then usually around the middle of the month I start to scale back my grandiose plans, and reluctantly become more realistic about what I can actually accomplish in 24 hours.
Except for during Slow Sunday Stitching time. That is my time for stitching, and breathing. Everything else can wait!

My stitching project for December will be to finish my hand quilted sampler quilt. The hand quilting countdown is on - 3, 2, 1....

Stars - 17 of 20 quilted (3 left)

Sashings - 29 of 31 quilted (2 left)

Blocks - 11 of 12 quilted (1 left)



What are you hand stitching today? Are you finishing up some Christmas gifts? Link up your blog post below and show us your hand stitched projects. I am trying a variation with the link up this week so that the newest link added will appear at the top. We'll see if this is easier to view the new links as the day goes on.

December's UFO Project

Slow Sunday Stitchers have been seeing my block sampler quilt a lot over the last two months while I have been hand quilting it. I have decided to make this quilt my last UFO project of 2014. I was able to finish 6 UFO's on my 2014 list (on the right sidebar of my blog), and this week I also finished one challenging quilt top. I would like to add one more finish before the end of December. You can see more UFO goals over at a Lovely Year of Finishes.

Here is the basted quilt thrown over the boat launch at my friend's cottage. It had just been pulled out of the water for the winter, and it looked like an easel to me. A perfect place for photographing a quilt!

The sampler was pin basted at the end of September and I have been quilting it with each week for my Slow Sunday Stitching project. I have enjoyed it so much that sometimes I also pick it up in the evenings, and it is so close to being finished.


Here are the hand quilting stats:

Stars - 14 of 20 quilted

Blocks - 11 of 12 quilted

Sashings - 27 of 31 quilted

See what I mean?!? So close to being finished, although I still have to figure out what to quilt in the border.

Granddog Max is saying "Come on Grandma, time for some Slow Sunday Stitching on this quilt"!
What are you hand stitching today? Link up your blog post and share your project with us - we love to see what you are working on and encourage you along.

Slow Sunday Stitching Joy

What do you need from your stitching time today? 

I had a frustrated sewing week with trying to attach some very challenging seminole borders on a large quilt. So today, I need something fun and easy to stitch. No math to figure out, nothing to match up, no decisions to make - just fun stitching.  So I plan to pick up some pumpkin seed blocks that I had already prepared. These blocks are cut at 4", so when 4 are sewn together they will finish at 7" in the quilt.

Here is the what the block collection looked like last month. In November I have been working on finishing some orange and blue blocks to add in.

I just love this little block with the snail background fabric... very fun! I'll finish this one today and applique a few more happy blue blocks.

May your slow stitching bring you much JOY and soothing medicine today.
And if you would enjoy having company while you stitch, Bonnie Hunter is hosting QuiltCam at 2pm - click here to join in.
Link up your hand stitching blog post below and share your project with us.

Slow Sunday Stitching

The time change here has resulted in sunset occurring around 5 pm, which means the days are shorter and colder - perfect hibernating and quilting weather! I have been hand quilting my block sampler quilt almost daily during the long, dark evenings.  I find that I just don't feel like sitting at the sewing machine, and instead want to snuggle up under a quilt, and slowly drink hot tea and quilt.

This is one of the finished blocks in my sampler quilt. Doesn't the quilting texture look yummy?!? I am totally sold on the 12 wt. Aurifil thread that my friend Deanna gave me to try. I like the way it threads the needle, the way it pulls through the quilt sandwich so smoothly, and the way the stitches look.

The update of the hand quilting completed on this quilt so far is:

Stars - 9 of 20 quilted

Blocks - 8 of 12 quilted

Sashings - 17 of 31 quilted

That is approximately the half way mark of quilting the center of the quilt. It is time to start thinking about how I will quilt the red outside border when I get there.
Thanks to everyone who participated in the linky party last week. There were so many wonderful projects to enjoy!

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:21

Powered by RANDOM.ORG                    
The winner of the snail fabric draw is linky #21 who is Sarah! Email me your address Sarah and I will pop the snails in the snail mail to you!! 
It's Slow Sunday Stitching day so go get out your stitching and spend some time with your needle and thread. Then link up your blog post below and tell us about your project. Happy Stitching!

Slowly Stitching and NOT Multitasking

Where I walked last Sunday

One of my goals for starting Slow Sunday Stitching was to encourage myself, and other like-minded stitchers, to set aside some time each week to rest, and to make space in a very busy life to enjoy hand stitching. It has been a wonderful slow journey and I am amazed by how much I look forward to each Sunday.  
But as much as I enjoy it, it is shocking how easy it is for me to compromise my relaxation time and/or let it disappear. 


I am frequently tempted to do several things at once and do a little "efficient multitasking". I think I'll just run downstairs and put in a quick load of laundry, and then put some food in the crockpot for supper in between stitches. And maybe I'll watch a little TV, while I allow myself to be constantly interrupted by phone calls, emails, and texts. 

From Interactive123

It is easy to slip into the belief that I am being more efficient if I am doing at least 5 things at once! And even if I'm not doing the multitasking, I am thinking about my 'to-do' list and feeling guilty that I am taking time to stitch.
But multitasking is bad for your brain (read an interesting article here or here or here, or do your own google search in between stitching LOL!) 
I encourage all of my Slow Sunday Stitching Friends to really enjoy stitching today - with no distractions, interruptions, or multitasking. None. Turn off all the devices and enjoy the sound of your stitching. Wouldn't it be great to enjoy some peaceful stitching, even if only for a few minutes? Let it be just you and your stitching, your threads and needles, and your creative thoughts.

Block sampler quilt

Today I will be putting more stitches in my block sampler quilt. You can see where I was quilting last Sunday... the hoop is on the top right of the quilt. I'll pick right up where I left off. 
Ahhhh.... pure relaxation!

I hope you will link up your blog post and tell us about the project you are hand stitching.  We will have a random draw for those who link up. One Slow Sunday Stitcher will win a Fat Quarter of this adorable Riley Blake snail fabric.
Enjoy your stitching with no multitasking today!

Slow Sunday Stitching

Today is the perfect day for some hand stitching. The last of the colourful fall leaves are dancing around, Thanksgiving is past (here in Canada anyway), Christmas is not yet on the radar.... it's full out quilting time!


I am enjoying the last bits of pretty fall colour while putting big stitches into my sampler quilt.

Progress is slow but steady and the center quilting is about 1/3 finished now ....

Stars - 6 of 20 quilted  

Sashings - 13 of 31 quilted  

Blocks - 7 of 12 quilted

The block on the right is the one I just finished quilting and the one in the hoop has been started.

What are you working on? Link up your blog post about your own hand stitching project and share what you plan to stitch today.

Slow Sunday Stitching

I have made a bit of slow progress on hand quilting my block sampler quilt. The autumn colours of this quilt make it the perfect project to work on at this time of year.
I took some photos of the back of the quilt this week just for something different to share. The backing is a mottled gold and the red stitches show up well.




Stars - quilted 5 of 20  
These are fun and quick to quilt.








Blocks - quilted 5 of 12
These are more challenging and time consuming, and each one is different depending on the block pattern, so I make myself finish quilting a block before I quilt a star.


Sashings - quilted 7 of 31
Very boring, but easy to complete. After I finish quilting a block, I would like to quilt the sashings around it, so I don't have a lot of sashings to finish at the end.

From Red Brolly

What are you hand stitching today?
Enjoy the relaxation that making each stitch can bring!
And link up your blog post below so we can be inspired by your slow stitching.

Slow Sunday Stitching

Today I will be hand quilting a few more stitches in my sampler quilt. I am enjoying the "big stitching" 1/4" from each seam. I am constantly reminding myself to resist the temptation to make the stitches smaller.
Please forgive the terrible photos taken late last night as I was trying to assess where I am with this project. The bowtie block is finished and I have started the next block, which I will work on today.
I am making such good progress that I have started to think that I might be able to finish the quilt this year.
So I made a list of parts to be quilted which I can periodically update for motivation:
Sashings - quilted 6 of 31
Stars - quilted 4 of 20
Blocks - quilted 4 of 12
What are you hand stitching today? Link up your blog post below and let us be your cheering section!

Slow Sunday Stitching

This is where I'll be sitting!

It's Thanksgiving weekend in Canada, which means a long weekend full of thankfulness and lots of stitching time... (well, that's what it means to me!) This week I machine quilted my scrappy rail fence quilt, and everything went so quickly that I was able to finish the scrappy binding and get it on the quilt.

This is what I'll be doing!

So today I will be reveling in my favorite activity of hand stitching a binding... the perfect Slow Sunday Stitching for Thanksgiving! 

Today and every Sunday, I am so thankful for this little online community of Slow Sunday Stitchers. I learn so much from you and enjoy visiting your blog and seeing what you're stitching.
What are you working on today? Link up your hand stitching blog post below and share your project with us!

Slow Sunday Stitching - Big Stitch

"Big stitching" is continuing on my block sampler quilt. Although I have been hand quilting for years, the "big stitch technique" is a whole new world for me. These are the differences I have noticed so far:

1) Type of Thread
I am using a "new to me" 12 wt. Aurifil thread which was given to me by Deanna. It happened to be the perfect colour for this project. I use the 50 wt. Aurifil everyday for piecing and machine quilting, but have never used a 12. wt thread for hand stitching before. It's like sewing through butter!
A couple of years ago I tried hand stitching with perle cotton, but found it difficult on my hands (read about it here). It might have been the batting or needle I was using on that project that made it harder to pull through, but I am amazed at how easily this 12 wt. Aurifil thread pulls through, and how well the stitches show up. ( Also, I am using Quilter's Dream Cotton batting this time and perhaps that makes a big difference as well?)

2) Thread Colour
In the past I have usually quilted with neutral threads and hoped the stitches would melt into the quilt, or sink into the seams. But I always loved Julie's projects with contrasting threads. Look at her black threads on light fabrics here, and brown threads on neutrals here. 

Julie's Scrappy Quilt

I even have my very own "Julie original" that lives on top of one of my sewing machines. This is one of her amazing scrappy quilts which she hand quilted using pink threads. The pink threads adds such character and texture to the quilt.




With the quilt I am working on now, I am channeling Julie's bright and bold approach and using red quilting thread.

Blue thread in sashing

I thought I would use blue thread on the blue sashing and I quilted one block. 
It was a struggle to quilt (very hard on my eyes) and when it was done, it was invisible! I couldn't see any of those stitches on the quilt, and now I think it was a waste of time! 

Red thread in sashing

Then I tried the red thread, and although it's not a great contrast, I can see the stitches and that makes me happier.
I think I'll pull out those blue stitches and put more red ones in!



3) Stitch Length

For years I have been trying to get my stitches to be smaller. Now I am trying to get my stitches to be bigger... life is funny that way!
Today I am going to focus on breathing and relaxing, and being in the moment, no matter what the size of my stitches are!!

I would love to hear any ideas or experiences you've had with big stitching. And I am looking forward to seeing what you are hand stitching today, and hope you will link up your blog post below.

Slow Sunday Stitching - New Project

This week I pin basted a quilt top to start hand quilting using a big stitch. This is my first attempt at the larger stitches and thicker thread, and I am really enjoying it so far. It goes much faster and I have already finished the first block. I am quilting 1/4" (or so!) from the seam lines. It's the lazy quilter way to avoid marking lines :)

This photo shows the difference between the quilting needle I usually use, and the new embroidery needle I am using for this project. That's a big adjustment!

The hardest part is getting the stitch length to be consistent. See those big red stitches?!? I am okay with that, because I am just learning. I probably should be using a colour that melts into the background, but that's not as much fun!
I hope you can join in with the slow sunday stitching party today and put in a few fun stitches. Link up your blog post below and share what your hand work project is for today.

Relaxing Slow Sunday Stitching

I recently enjoyed a camping trip in Algonquin Park.

Isn't it beautiful?!?  
It sure was strange to have great "summer" weather in September!

I tried something new this year and now I can cross this off my 'bucket list' - kayaking. It was a steep learning curve, which thankfully did not result in me taking a swim! It was absolutely amazing!



Here I am wearing my "Miss Daisy" sun hat, and leisurely paddling through the lily pads, admiring the landscape, and enjoying the wonderful feeling of total relaxation.

It's amazing how easy it is to forget how it really feels to relax. I realized that even when I am slow stitching, I sometimes have myself totally stressed out by the thoughts I chose to focus on.
Not today.




Today I am going to pick up my needle and thread, and remember what I felt like when I was kayaking, and I am going to focus on total relaxation while I applique some orange pumpkin seeds.
This little needle threader eliminates some of the stress of threading needles for old eyes :) 

Can you join me in some relaxing sewing today? 
Link up your blog post below and share your hand stitching projects with us.