Two hand quilting projects going on when my thumb and several fingers are bothered with arthritis means work will be slow going! I must remember in the future to only do one at a time! More quilts upcoming will need to be done by machine so I will need to practice more and get used to it. I still plan to always have a quilt on the quilting frame though – it will just mean that instead of finishing one in 3 months it might be 6 months! Where there is a will there is a way.
Tumalo Trails – I worked on Tuesday night and realized that trying to do more than an hour at a time without flexing the hand or taking a break should no longer be done! This much got done.
I had not taken a look at Bird Brain until last night while watching the evening news since we got home on Sunday. I have 17 1/2 birds to quilt still and a few of the white areas at the top. The quilt overall. The top is where I am working- the left side I am working on the top bird –
I think on this photo you can see which birds still need to be quilted. I will try to work about 30 minutes an evening on it while the evening news is on – which Mike insists on watching and I barely tolerate and usually tune most of it out – but it is a time where I relax before cleaning up the kitchen for the night so I will continue to pick up the quilt and work on it at that time and think happy thoughts and tune out the horrors of the world and politics.
I have this Brimfield Awakening wreath pinned in place and will glue baste it and remove the pins and then stitch it in place before I get back to the applique of Morning Glory or any other EPP project.
I didn’t touch the sewing machine or do much of anything else yesterday and I miss not sitting out on the porch but at 95 degrees by early afternoon you just can’t – even the mornings are too hot – by 10 it is already close to 90 lately.
I turned to machine stitching for the same reasons you have stated. The learning curve was a tad frustrating at times but perseverance is the ‘key’. Love your little birdies! The oppressive heat is setting in today with its major ‘punch’ being tomorrow and all breaking by Saturday eve with the possibility of severe weather. Indoors is definitely the place to be and stitching, the preferred activity. I’m with ya on the “news thing”. Tom insists on viewing it, also, though I really wonder why with the internet’s constant accessibility and the question (in my mind) is nothing changes…except the gross lack of civility sinking to a lower level! sigh………….
yes others have told me that is why they they turned to more machine work – I know I will need to or I will never get done with quilts.
In our motorhome we took the tv out of it shortly after we got it as we decided that with netflix and the computers/phone we would have things to watch when we wanted to – and best of all that meant leaving the news at home for the whole trip – we can read the news on the phones when we want to. I didn’t miss the news one bit for the whole 4 weeks – I’m sure there must be somethings that happened that I have not heard mentioned yet but I didn’t miss it!! But what does Mike do the minute we get home is have to listen to the news while we eat our evening meal and for a half an hour or so after it. I would rather listen to music if he doesn’t feel like talking (he is not much of a talker) and you hit it right in your last sentence – never have I seen the lack of civility as it is –
I’m finding my hands get cranky too when I’ve done too much. Sure is frustrating to have to pace yourself when enjoying working on a project. We’re having hot, muggy weather here too. Not much going outside. We did have dinner on the deck last night, but that’ll be it for the week. If it’s not the heat, it’s the mosquitoes! Your quilts are looking great! Love the birds!
I guess for a lot of us as we get into our mid-60’s or so we are bothered more and more with arthritis and we have to turn more to machine if we want to get things done – I have just always only loved hand work so it has been hard for me to do – if I want to continue to make the pieces by hand – the EPP and the applique then I must do more of the quilts by machine. Although I was born in MN and raised in WI and I do remember mosquitoes being bad they were worse this time while camping then I ever remember them to be – at least there were no chiggers and no-see-ums that we have here in Arkansas
Sorry to hear about your arthritis limiting your hand quilting…and I imagine you are also. I definitely agree with you about the horrible things going on that is the current news… so I work more on my quilts.. two made entirely with little pieces of scraps.. one is twin size.. for InterFaith Ministries locally….the other , a lap quilt, even scrappier, is for my daughter. Thank God for the diversion of quilts.
I can still quilt so I will still keep doing it but I will slow down a little – I will just have to force myself
I’m sorry your arthritis is bothering your sewing time! Sounds like you know what you can handle and how to balance different kinds of sewing. The Brimfield Awakening blocks are so pretty and colorful – fun to see them out again!
yes usually I just have to flex fingers a lot and slow down and take a lot of breaks and I can still get a lot done – last night I worked two 45 minutes segments and took a 20 minute break in between them
I see your quilts waited for you to finish hand quilting upon your return; no quilting fairy decided to visit and do the work for you when you were gone. But what’s the joy in that anyway even if you spend only a few minutes each day at it. Bird brain is just lovely!!! and now the new Brimfield Awakening. I don’t watch much TV preferring to spend the hour or two each night watching either an HGTV show or a medical drama. But usually I fall asleep in front of the TV so that doesn’t really count.
I started to watch Grey’s Anatomy from the very beginning last month shortly before we left on our trip and watched some of it while gone too – that is what I am watching right now while I sew – I have seen them before but been such a long time that although I am on season 5 I have forgotten a lot of it.
So glad I stopped in today… I agree with so much of your chat today girl!
I am so sorry your thumb is giving you issues… I do not like the news but tolerate it because my honey likes to “keep up” with all in the world. But there is rarely anything happy or uplifting on there they chat about so I disappear into quilting a lot to and get highlights via my honey! lol I am glad you are coming up with a strategy to get both quilts slowly done over the next few weeks… they are both looking GREAT!!! Wish I could be there to help you out as my arthritis is mainly in my knees, feet and hips! Not my hands… yet!
We are having unusually hot weather too so that fun swing isn’t getting much action and it has rained every day too for the last several leaving the ground saturated too much for even a walk or a ride in the golf cart! Once I hit that 50% mark on my quilt I seem to have decided I needed a break for some reason … but off to work on it more now after realizing I am not the only one who thinks like you / I do ! lol Have a blessed day friend and hope to catch up more soon <3 Kathi
I always find the news depressing and hubby and I do not always have the same views so we do not discuss it much – I rather quickly the read the news on line.
yes a little quilting a day and we get done – hot, hot here – they say up to 98 today – I’m off to exercise at the fitness center in the A/C!! yard work waits until it is almost dark outside although I went out and pulled weeds in the garden and it was 87 when I got back in the house!! too hot already then at 10
I just came in from sitting out on the back porch. It’s in the shade all day, so early morning is good to sit out and enjoy the yard. Its suppose to get to 102 today, so no more outside. I missed seeing Bird Brain, so nice to see it again. I’m sorry your pain came back, its good to pace yourself so you can continue your projects. I didn’t know Arkansas had no-see-ums, the first time I heard of them was when we were in Florida and my son mentioned they had them, so funny. Enjoy your day stitching when you can.
I think we have all the bugs here in Arkansas but the north woods of MN & WI beat us on the mosquito population.
I got my garden weeded this morning and it was 87 by time I got back in the house! I enjoyed sitting outside last night from 9:30 to 10 when it was about 87 outside but at least the sun wasn’t shining.
Your bird quilt just makes me smile. Sorry to hear your hands are bothering you. I can’t EPP it bothers my hands terribly but I am able to hand piece and have started some blocks to stitch in front of the tv I am with you on the news………………..they just like to stir the pot! Ha Ha
sometimes EPP bothers me too – I find that instead of buying the papers that if I make the pieces thinner out of freezer paper my hands find it easier. Right now the Sue Daily Round We Go I have found harder to do than the papers from paper pieces – Sues are thicker I think but good in that you can glue baste and the pieces pop out easier – but the paper pieces papers are a little thinner and easier to work with – I have been thinking of going back to regular hand piecing and tracing around the papers on the fabric instead.