Hand Stitching

Hi JO,

I spent most of my summer at my trailer, situated at the top of a hill overlooking the whole trailer park. I call it the Crow's nest.  It's quite solitary. I had my little Singer with me but chose to work mostly by hand. Sitting on the deck.

I used up a whole tank of propane using the furnace. The last month was quite chilly. One morning it was 4 degrees.  I am home now in my little house with the sunlight streaming through the windows.

There was quite a bit of hand stitching happening. I had a linen tablecloth that I found in my mother's stash. It was not finished. I don't know if Mom had done it or perhaps one of her aunts. I decided to add my own work to it. I like to work randomly and rambling. I picked thread as I worked. I think it looks like an aerial view of farmland.

Not sure if it is finished. Maybe. maybe not. just finished for now.

I also worked on a piece of flannel. I embroidered and stitched circles randomly. It could be a wrap, or a table runner or a small blanket. 

Maybe it's finished. .Maybe not. But it's finished for now.

I am not a purist about hand stitching. Really I am not a purist about quilting either. One of the very best things about craft is that the hand of the maker is prominent in every hand made piece.

I like my stitches to be unequal and untidy. I like them to move. I like to see variations in size and direction.

One of the nicest things about hand stitching is that it is mobile. You can take it everywhere. Ballgames. doctors appointments. music in the park. If you are lucky enough to have a driving partner you can stitch in the car. Soon a self driving car will make it possible to take my work on the long drive to my trailer. I hope I live long enough for that.

I don't even remember actually doing the stitching on most of this quilt. It's reverse applique dots on a 4 inch block. The blocks are joined by machine but the circles are hand worked. I was going to quilt it by machine, because that is what I do. but when I loaded it onto the longarm I decided that I would baste by machine and hand quilt it. 

I have to say that this was in a prolonged period of lockdown because of Covid19. Perhaps I  was not thinking clearly. But I did hand quilt the whole thing. And It's lovely. The texture is just beautiful.

It's hanging on my wall right now and I think I touch it every time I pass. It invites touching in a way that is very hard to achieve on a machine quilted piece.

this is my next project for hand work. i am going to cover this pair of jeans with hand stitch. It might be a long cold winter. I will stay indoors and stitch.

Happy stitching. However you like to do it.