Hand Quilting Update

Lest you think I have not been tending to the hand quilting project I took downstairs about a week ago, let me assure you that I have been working steadily on it. I have the calloused fingers to show for it, too.

Last time I wrote about resuming this project, I mentioned that I was close to moving to a new section, as that current section was nearly entirely quilted. I have now done that, and surprisingly, I find that I am tooling right along on this new section. Yesterday, for example, I loaded 10 needles and quilted all of them! Now, this was not done all in one sitting, but when I set a goal of a certain number of needles to quilt, then I find that I stay on task better.

 One block quilted. I don't mark my quilting lines, so some lines are a bit crooked and some are not as "on" the quarter-inch line as I would like, but when it's all finished, no one will notice or care.

 My tools. I went shopping for a new thimble earlier in the week, but couldn't find this kind in the stores I visited. I did buy those rubber needle grippers (the pink and blue things). These help me pull the needle out when I've loaded on too many stitches.

Today I am meeting a high school classmate for lunch in Chillicothe. She and her husband live in Pennsylvania and will be in town for an archaeological seminar at our Hopewell Mound site. It will be wonderful to linger over a bowl of hot potato soup and a steaming cuppa' jo and catch up with her!

Happy Quilting, Friends!