My Hand Quilting Project

     At my Quilt Guild club meeting, Cindy Blackburg was our guest speaker.  We loved hearing hearing her stories, seeing her beautiful quilts, and shopping afterwards.  I was intrigued by her stamping template method for hand quilting and decided to buy her Log Cabin pattern, stamp and ink pad set. 

     I have to confess that I have been collecting a large amount of (Moda) Barbara Brackmann's Reproduction Civil War fabric since 2002.  Eeeek.  Guilty of an "Obsessive Crafting Disorder".  And truthfully, this Log Cabin project was a great excuse to finally use up my stash. 

     Being new to hand quilting, I was a bit intimidated with using templates and scissors to cut the fabric pieces versus my trusty rotary cutter.  I bought a package of Richard Hemming size 10 needles for piecing blocks, a wooden press for small seams, a spool of thread for HAND QUILTING, and Clover pins.  I was so happy to use my grandmother's embroidery scissors that were given to me a year ago.  My grandmother loved to quilt and when she passed on, she left to me a treasury of handmade cardboard templates, old patterns, and UFOs of her projects.  Call me an ol' sentimental fool... but I treasure items from my family.  Probably why I am making this quilt for one of my grandkids to (hopefully) treasure one day? 

     This is a long-term labor of love (using my most beloved fabric) which made this project enjoyable to stamp, cut, and stitch by hand the blocks.  

     And I do have to admit that I love the idea of packing a block (in a ziploc bag) in my purse -- to hand stitch -- for those times when I have to wait for an appointment or for my child's classes.   Right now, I have a few projects to sit in front of the TV and work on.  I used to have my own craft room -- but hated the idea of being by myself while my family were together in another room.  So, I deliberately chose projects like this to work on if the show we are all watching is not my cup o' tea.    

     I am only halfway into making the needed 48 blocks for this quilt.  Ah, if only I had a cozy fireplace to sit next to as I stitch away!  Maybe a Chai Latte?  More photos as this quilt gets closer to completion!