Red Quilt

From the book Quick Classic Quilts by Marsha McCloskey. I started buying fabric for this quilt New Year's Day 1997. The top was machine pieced during that summer. Then the top sat for a few years before I even started quilting on it. It's been the quilt that keeps on being pushed back in the list of to-dos. With a little more effort, it should be all quilted by the end of the month.



Del libro de Marsha McCloskey Quick Classic Quilts. Empecé a comprar la tela para el quilt el día de año nuevo de 1997. Hice el top durante el verano de ese año, pero estuvo varios años esperando a que le tocase acolchar. Una vez que lo empecé a acolchar, fue el que se quedó último cada vez que empezaba algo nuevo. Con un poco de esfuerzo, espero tenerlo terminado antes de que acabe el mes.

Spring Is Springing (Slowly)

Stunty had to take a break the other day from his new favorite sport, chasing and trying to catch bubbles. When I am not available to blow bubbles, he keeps busy fending off his brother's attacks.

Spring is taking its sweet time this year, but in spite of the coldish nights, days are warming up slowly but surely. I did a little planting during the weekend, some pansies, a couple dahlias and a few tomatoes and swiss chard.

On the quilting front, the red quilt is nearly finished. I'm quilting a cable border, three sides are done, one to go. To give myself and my fingers a break from it, I've taken an old cross stitch project out: a Scottish style sampler I started back in either 1995 or 96 (I admit, it could as easily be 1992 :) I had to rip out a row, I had been dreading it, but now that it is done and I've started it over, it feels as if I could have it done before the end of the century (maybe, with a little luck).

Stunty descansando el otro dia después de una sesión de juego con pompas de jabón, su nuevo deporte preferido. Cuando no estoy a mano para hacer las pompas, se entretiene intentando ponerse a salvo de los ataques de su hermano.

La primavera nos está llegando despacio. Las noches siguen frias, pero los dias van templando. El fin de semana planté unos pensamientos, dalias y tomates y acelgas.

En lo relativo a labores, sigo acolchando el quilt rojo. Ya tengo tres bordes terminados. Estoy usando un cable para el último borde. Y para dejar descansar los dedos, lo estoy alternando con un proyecto de punto de cruz que empecé, creo en el año 95 o 96 (aunque pensando, puede que fuera en el 92 :). Es un sampler de estilo escocés. Me equivoqué hace años, y por fin deshice la fila que estaba mal hecha y quizá con un poco de paciencia y suerte lo tenga terminado antes del final del siglo!

Quilting

Xina has asked us to show some close-up photos of our quilting. It's as hard to photograph as it is to get nice and even. I've taken a few pictures and so, without further ado, here they are:

Utility quilting, seven stitches per inch on the one I'm presently finishing. It's nothing fancy, just elbow quilting lines. The batting is cotton, no brand, thick and hard to needle.

Quilting de utilidad, siete puntadas por pulgada. Es el que estoy acolchando ahora, sin complicaciones, solamente lineas. La guata es algodón y bastante dificil de acolchar.

View of the back of Dear Jane (TM). I went insane quilting this one. The batting is Quilter's Dream Request weight. It's thin, lightweight and it needles very easily.

Una foto de detrás del Dear Jane (TM). Me volví loca acolchando. La guata es Quilter's Dream Request. Es fina, de algodón y se acolcha muy facilmente.

Dear Jane, detail front triangles and scallops.

Un detalle del borde del DJ.

Quilting Nightmares

And on the other hand, I had to take pictures of a hand quilting nightmare, the mini I did last year. Because of the seams, even after grading them, it was very hard to quilt it consistently and to achieve even stitches.

Y aquí van las de una pesadilla de acolchado a mano. El mini que hice el año pasado. Con tantas costuras, y a pesar de haberlas recortado, me costó muchísimo acolcharlo por igual y que me quedasen las puntadas medio decentes.

A close up of the corner. I did the best I could, but the stitch quality is poor. I loved doing the Baptist Fans on the border, though. The only area I could quilt without cussing outloud!

Una foto de cerca de una esquina. Lo hice lo mejor que pude, pero la calidad de las puntadas es pobre. Me gustó mucho acolchar con el motivo Baptist Fans los bordes. Fué la única zona donde pude acolchar sin decir palabrotas en alto!