Slow Stitching- Lake Effect, Again

A right, fair mess exists in the Lake Effect tub. I doubt that any one place in my quilting room is in as great a tangle as this project bin.

Yes, I've taken up working on Lake Effect again. Perhaps in the coming days I will make some real and readily apparent progress?!

Way back in May, I laid all these parts out to assess my next step: attaching the appliqued border onto the hexie section. I fiddled and scooted and rearranged the panels to get the best result. I know my efforts have strayed drastically from the original pattern, but it still looks pretty good to me, so I am moving ahead with this.

I am now hand stitching the border to the central section. It is not taking long at all, and I find myself wondering why I don't just stick with this thing and get it finished.Why, indeed?

Most of the hexies still have the cardboard templates in place, but sewing has not been hindered by that. My thinking was that the shape would remain truer with the papers in. After I finish connecting the borders, I will go to the back and remove the papers.

Some problem solving will be required when I get to the corners of each panel. The instructions were very clear about leaving the outer ends of each panel 'unsewn' yet I see that I am going to have to rework all the corners. Theoretically, those vines swoop in an effortless meander around the corners, gracefully sprouting out leaves and berries along the way. The jury is out my creating this same look.

For now, I am content to stitch to within a few inches of each corner, then move on to making whatever applique corrections necessary. I might even have to remove a few elements, and I do have the fabrics for replacement parts if it comes to that.

My 2023 goal for this quilt, Lake Effect, is to have the entire quilt top connected into one piece. It still seems like an attainable goal, so with several audio books queued up, I plan to do a whole lotta' hand stitching in the coming days.

I will link up with Kathy and her Slow Stitching party today. I love seeing the variety of projects these folks are creating.

Happy Quilting, Friends!