Beginning & Squirrel

This is my new beginning!

In 2020 I made the 3030 Quilt BOW with Gae Bomers of Sentimental Stitches.  I began piecing it when it started in June and finished the blocks December 29, 2020.  It was put together in January 2021 and has been waiting since. I wanted to hand quilt it.  Untrimmed it is 80 X 80 inches.  

I now have my hand quilting frame from Miller's Quilting.  This is the second piece that I have placed on it and my first quilt to be done on the frame (I did a table runner to see how it worked).  I have only hand quilted twice before and not on a frame.  They were not even done in a hoop, that I can remember. That is how long ago it was that I hand quilted.  One was my first quilt when I took a class in the 1980s.  The other was a baby quilt that I made for our youngest.  She is now 31.

My first row of stitches!  Begun June 24, 2022.  

This is what I saw this morning when I walked into my cave at 0600.  The sun was coming in.  It lights up my rows very nicely, but I am going to have to cover it with a sheet to keep the sun off when I am not working on it.  Don't want it to fade it this early in its life.

When I am sitting here, I listen to audio stories.  Youngest has introduced me to a Podcast: Phoebe Reads a Mystery.  Phoebe reads books from long ago.  Right now, I am listening to Moby Dick: The Whale.  It was written by Herman Melville in 1851 at his farm, Arrowhead, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.  He lived there from 1850 to 1863.  His home is now a museum.  

Our kids all read the book in 6th grade and went to Arrowhead as a school trip.  I was born and grew up in Pittsfield.  Still live in the Berkshires and am ashamed to say that I never read this book.  (If I did, I don't remember it.)  I am enjoying having it read to me.

Hand quilting and listening to a book.  Thread meditation at its finest.

  

Now here is my squirrel.  My count work friend let me know about this.  This is a kit from Shepard's Bush, and you count stitch the pattern with #5 Perl Cotton on a project bag made of nylon.  I began this on Friday at 0400 (I couldn't sleep) and finished it Saturday afternoon.  A very quick stitch.  7 stitches to the inch.

The kit also comes with material for a pincushion and scissor fob.  They are done on 32 count linen with one thread.  My work on the pincushion last evening.  

The scissor fob will be made, and I will use it.  When stitching the bag, I dropped two pair of scissors and didn't want to stop, get up and look for them.  It is a good thing that I had several pairs close.  This fob will be helpful.

Enjoy your day.  Ours is starting out sunny and warm, 57.  It is to go up to the high 70s today.  I know many of you have had super warm, hot weather but that has not been us.  This week is the first that it has been above the 50-60s since May.  My tomatoes are starting to grow.  Like everything around here, they were in a holding pattern and waiting.  My day will begin with work in the garden.

Linking to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.