This is the top right section of the border for my Blue Collection quilt. Both of these top sections are complete, and I am working on the first of two side border sections now. The sides are long vines like this that will come out of vases in the bottom of the quilt. (I'll show you what I mean in a later post!)
All of this quilt is hand appliqued, with the exception of these side border leaves and a few very intricate motifs in the vase blocks, which I've chosen to do as raw-edge fusible applique. They have so many curves and valleys, it would take FOREVER to hand stitch all these leaves, and I decided I'd rather finish this quilt in my lifetime than worry about whether it is ALL hand stitched LOL!!! I've indicated one of them by the arrow on the right.....
I'll finish them with a straight-stitch along the edges. The flower buds indicated by the arrow on the left are little monsters to hand stitch all by themselves! The fabric I chose for the medium blue in the center is too flimsy and it's almost impossible to make neat V's. And the points on the stems are very narrow and steep, so it's hard to stuff the seam fabric underneath such a small space. On some of the last pieces I prepped, I drew the points in a little bit wider V to make them slightly easier to stitch.
It's a great day to be inside stitching here in Nashville! I'm under the weather a little, battling a sinus infection with the usual accompanying aches, sore throat and cough, so the order for the day is to take it easy. We're having one of our coldest days so far - currently 32 degrees and woke to a light snow on the ground. Here's the view from my front window .... Brrrrrrrrr!
The only bright spot is my little Christmas cactus....
Love that beautiful fuchsia color!!! I bought it a few weeks before Christmas this year because I loved all my friends cacti which were blooming. For some reason, it finally decided to wait to bloom this week - I'll take all the bloom and color I can find at this time of year, right?
Hugs & Blessings!
Teresa
=^..^=
Hope you feel better soon. We're expecting highs in the teens, and lows in the single digits this week (today, too). Brrr!
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited to see you working on this project again. It's going to be beautiful when it's finished!!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a great day to stay inside. Glad you pulled out the hand stitching. Sounds like a great way to be productive during the playoffs.
ReplyDeleteYour border is beautiful. The background really sets off the blues. Hope you get to feeling better real soon.
ReplyDeleteThe cold front that came thru last night really cooled things off here. It got down to 32 last night. Colder nights in the forcast, yuck! What gorgeous fabrics and design. I guess since my daughter lives in Seattle we will be rooting for the Seahawks. Can't imagine playing up in Minneapolis today.
ReplyDeleteHope your sinus infection gets better soon. The colder weather should help freeze out any germs that are hanging around. Your hand stitching project looks very daunting but beautiful. I love the colors you are using and the background will let the vines sing out. Stay warm.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful stitching! We are warm in NJ today - almost 60! Enjoy the time inside slow stitching.. and feel better!
ReplyDeleteGlad to see this project come back out to play - so pretty!!. Feel better soon.
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous blue! Feel better my friend.
ReplyDeleteFeel better real soon! At least we and you are warmer than the Midwest!
ReplyDeleteYour applique is gorgeous! I'm with you on getting something done vs. spending a lifetime fussing over every detail. I can't wait to see this all put together.
ReplyDeleteYour blue border applique is gorgeous! I hope you feel better quickly. Winter illnesses are never fun, but I guess that can be said for any time of the year. :)
ReplyDeleteYou are a wise woman, my friend, to go for the method that guarantees a finish. It will be a stunning quilt!
ReplyDeleteSorry you are under the weather--and dreary days just magnify it. But you wouldn't want to visit me right now. If we get to 32 degrees this week we will count ourselves lucky. : )
Oh, I bought a Christmas cactus this year, too. Haven't had one for at least 10 years. Mine is a similar color, but just stopped blooming. I do have a couple of blooming orchids and about 3 of my African violets are blooming. I LOVE blooms at this time of year.
Beautiful applique ! Hope you feel better soon, that lovely cactus will cheer you up .
ReplyDeleteIsn't your Christmas Cactus lovely?! Your Blue Collection applique is coming along! I totally am with you on the finish vs. all hand applique. I wish I was better at the machine stitching part of raw edge applique. I hope you're feeling better SOON! :)
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful applique! I feel lost if I don't have some hand work to stitch. I wish I had something in bloom now. I hope you are feeling better soon!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous applique! Your work truly is wonderful.
ReplyDeleteHope, by now, you're feeling better! I am awestruck! That Applique project is absolutely gorgeous! XO
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