History Day - 2023 Edition

If it's the first Saturday in October then it must be History Day. Yes, once again I set up my quilting frame to demonstrate the lost art of hand quilting. I took a brand new quilt this year. On many previous occasions, I have taken the same quilt year after year. 

In 2020, the Frankfort Girls had a fun little project in which we made blocks assigned on a monthly basis by each member of the group. By the 7th month, we had 7 blocks - I believe they were 9" blocks - and  we could proceed with whatever we liked to finish. (That's my best summation of the project; it could have been more involved.)

 

In studying this pic from 2020, I think I must have made two of each block, and since one more block was needed to complete the top, I have three Ohio Star blocks and two of all the rest. The setting block was Stepping Stones, one of my faves. I just love how it creates chains through the quilt.

I decided that this would be the quilt for History Day 2023, so I prepared a backing a couple of weeks ago, then sandwiched the layers and loaded the Q-Snap. It is such a lightweight frame, and is so very easy to transport. I had my station set up in no time.

Since marking a quilt is not my favorite thing to do, and since I am notoriously slow about finishing these hand quilting projects, I decided to make things really simple, easy and straightforward. I would stitch diagonally in the stepping stones, outline each block, and outline each design in the pieced blocks (not the setting blocks). 

In the one day of quilting, I did quite a bit -7 needles' worth! - and by the time I'd finished that last needle, my fingers were growing tender and History Day festivities were winding down. Worked out perfectly.

Now that I'm back home, I set the frame up in front of the television with the hope that I would continue quilting. I haven't yet, but it's only been two days. I will do more this week. Promise.

Hope you all are having a great Monday!

Happy Quilting, Friends!