Star Patch is nearing the finish line

My oldest WIP is still chugging along, getting closer and closer to being done.  I've finished all the quilting (by hand, no less) except for the last two rows in the outer borders.  Since I think the lines of quilting will be easier to keep straight if I have a clear edge to work with, I've started applying the binding, then I'll go back and finish the quilting.

I've had this bright stripe set aside for a long time since it contains all the colors in this bright scrappy quilt.

When I started sewing the strips together, I had a moment's pause.  Should I drive myself crazy go to the trouble of matching the stripes?

I tested by folding the strip down to see how much that jog was going to show. 

The answer?  Not much.  And certainly not enough for me to fuss about at this point.
Carrying on, I stitched it in place,

and started the hand stitching.

There's a line of quilting 1/4" from the edge of that green border - the plan is to echo that with a line 1/4" from the binding, then run one more line right down the middle.  The end is in sight!

I've been working on this quilt, off and on, for about 15 years at this point.  It's going to feel really good to finish it!



Linking with Quilting is more fun than Housework for Oh Scrap!   Let's all celebrate the scrappy!

And the award for Procrastination goes to...

Me.  Definitely me.  I actually got a bit of sewing done, and remembered to take pictures, but lost steam before getting a post put together.

Hey, look!  Honest to goodness RSC blocks -

A couple of Jacks, and a couple of Centennials to add to my growing collections.

And I'm still drifting along on my Storm at Sea (aka Sea of Tranquility), with the end in sight.  I think I actually made too many of the largest squared block (and there's no down side to that), and I just lack a few of the diamonds.  I think I have enough of the smallest squared block, too, though I'm going to count carefully again to make sure.

Layout is next, and picking out what to use for setting triangles, since I'm 99% sure that I'm setting this on point.  (If I don't set it on point, I'll have to redo the layout and block count from scratch and there's no stinkin' way I'm falling for that...)

There were also some HSTs for Demented, but I didn't bother to take a photo, since one stack of HSTs looks remarkably like another.  You can use your imaginations, I'm sure.

Remember this quilt?  I've been slowly but surely hand-quilting it for all this time, with occasional help from my little buddy.

Turns out he really likes sleeping in that hoop.  I set it aside the other day when I finished the center portion of the quilt because it was too big for working on the borders.

 Look who's enjoying the imaginary cat nest.

Linking with SoScrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday, and with Quilting is more fun than Housework for Oh Scrap!  Both are terrific places to spend the weekend!

I turn my back for FIVE minutes...

He always manages to pop the hoop as he settles into his magical cat-nest.

A little sleight of hand(work)

I recently realized that I haven't mentioned this quilt in quite a while.  I've been happily (and slowly) (very slowly) handquilting it for absolutely forever.

Little by little,

inch by inch,

I'm getting it done.  Well, the center part is almost done - then onward to the borders!
My quilting isn't what it used to be, between old eyes and creeping arthritis, but it means a lot to me to finish this by hand.  It's going to my youngest daughter when I finally get that last stitch in.

I really enjoy doing handwork, but I've been thinking a lot lately about coming up with a handwork project that's more portable than a gigantic quilt.  I go visit my kids often enough that it would be nice to have a suitable traveling project.
La Passacaglia is in the running, since I got Millefiori Quilts for Christmas and have been drooling all over the pages ever since.  But I've also been thinking along the lines of a simpler hexie quilt as a way to warm up to the precision of La Pass.  (See?  I can occasionally be sensible.  Sort of.)

Then I saw these blocks inspired by this quilt and fell head over heels in love.
So I took one of the diamonds for a test drive.

I'm using the flat back whipstitch to sew the hexies together, which has the advantage of the stitching being almost invisible  on the front.  It also seems to be easier to fit the hexies together by working with them flat, though that might just be me.

For the first diamond, I tried glue basting.  I'm going to use thread basting for the second one, then decide which technique I like better.

Oh, did I mention the size?

Yeah.  Wee little hexies.

Well, you know what I always say -
Go Small or Go Home.


I'm linking with Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more Fun than Housework, and at Slow Sunday Stitching (for the first time!) at  Kathy's Quilts.  Come see all the beautiful work!