Slow Stitching Sunday

I'm taking a short break from working on the baby quilt.  I'm still trying to figure out how I want to put it together.  But mostly waiting now for baby to arrive so I can embroider her name on it (want to make sure the name doesn't change and the spelling is correct)---any day now!

So I got out my Hocuspocusville quilt and started quilting spider webs in the black squares.

I'm linking up with Slow Stitching Sunday at Kathy's Quilts.  She ask us to post a picture of our hand stitching, not an easy feat to do by yourself.  I noticed that everyone that posted a photo of their hand quilts toward themselves with the thimble on their middle finger.  I've never been able to quilt like that.  I've always quilted away from myself with the thimble on my thumb. 

I have vegetable soup going in the crockpot, so I am ready for a bowl of soup and a relaxing evening watching Downton Abbey.

Time flies............

It's been a while since my last post. (I started this blog on a Friday the 13th and now I'm back at it on a Friday the 13th) 

I am now back home in Idaho, my winter visit with my mom and brother was nice, but it is good to be home.  I did get to spend Mother's day weekend with her and all of my siblings were there.  First time we have all been home at the same time since 1958.

I'm not one for showing pictures of myself, but I'm the one in bright pink.

Quilting time has been hit and miss, but I finished a scrap quilt for one of my granddaughters.

 

 

I have 3 quilts sandwiched together that are ready for quilting, my maple leaf quilt, my Hocuspocusville and another scrap quilt.

I did get a little more accomplished on my deer in the pines quilt, 3 rows complete, 2 more to go.

 

It was nice to get back to my little quilting group here, I sure missed them, and with our weekly meet ups,  I'm getting back into a quilting routine.

 

Hocuspocusville Quilt top fininished!!!

I got the whole top sewn together had it laid out on the bed and then..............

 

I saw this!

Well I didn't want to tear it apart to replace that one triangle so I added a few more bats!

The bat nicely patched the flaw in the fabric.

So now I just have to sandwich it all together and start quilting.  I had been looking at a Barnett Laptop hoop with a sit-on base and I may buy one when I go home in the spring, but for now I just picked up a 14-inch Morgan hoop at Hobby Lobby.

Center of Hocuspocusville quilt done

 

 

The center of the quilt is finished

 

 

 

I have finally finished the last two embroidered blocks of my Hocuspocusville quilt!  I now need to press them and trim them all down to size.

 

 

 

These are the nine-patch  blocks that go in the center of the quilt. I have my solid blocks and borders cut and ready to sew together.

 

 

 

I chose the Rest in Pieces fabric at Connecting Threads for my nine-patch block, these are a few of the prints.

 

This is the fabric I chose for the back of the quilt

 

 

 

Can't wait to get this all put together so I can start quilting!  I do need to buy a new quilting hoop though.  Any recommendation on what kind of hoop to buy?

 

 

 

 

 

Slow Stitching Sunday.......

I have had a lot of fun this week blog hopping on Celebrate Hand Quilting.  So many beautiful quilts, wonderful ideas and useful tips.  Sundays have always been my slow down, quiet days and when I came across Kathy's Quilts Slow Stitching Sunday's I wanted to participate.  I like having a lot of projects going so that I can work on each a little here and little there.  Today, it's cloudy, cool and rain in the forecast so I decided to work on my HocusPocusville quilt blocks.

So wonder on over to Kathy's Quilts and check out the Slow Sunday Stitching!

A few things I've been working on..............

 

 

 

 

I finished 3 Dear Jane Blocks.  I'm finding that curves are a real challenge!

 

 

 

 

I have my Purple Cat Quilt basted together-- ready to start hand quilting

 

 

The weather was nice for a few days, so I couldn't wait to spend some time outdoors.  I took out the old garden bed that was here and I'm hoping to turn this ugly brown spot in the yard into a garden area with boxed garden beds--trying the square foot gardening method.

 

Then the lack of sunshine, rain and cooler weather brought me back inside.

 

I  finished two more HocusPocusville Quilt Blocks--6 more to go.  Looking at these makes me wonder how I am going to quilt them?

 

 

It has taken me awhile to track down the Polka Dot Girls embroidery pattern, but I was finally able to order one.  It came in the mail the other day.  Can't wait to work on this one, but I should probably finish my HocusPocusville blocks first!

 

 

 

 

 

Hocuspocusville Quilt

I now have 4 of the embroidered blocks done--
This one is Toil & Trouble

Broom Service....

Morgana's Apothecary...

and Pumpkin Patch

.......8 more to go!

  I spent this cool, cloudy afternoon tracing 4 more blocks, so now I can start stitching again.  There is so much detail in these that it takes me awhile to get through one, but I just love them! 

I hope I get better at taking photos!