4.19.2008

smitten with this

Yes, I am smitten with this. This being hand-quilting, of course. After my practice flower on simple muslin at my first ever hand-quilting class last weekend, I am now doing a larger feather design with a lattice background on pale green fabric. This will hopefully become a wall-hanging in our bedroom.

I found this book and oohed and aaaahed over every single page. You want to see exquisite Whitework Quilting??----my, oh, my----be prepared to gasp at every page turn. Her designs and quilts are simply amazing. She opts for long-arm quilting instead of the hand-quilting, but I am just smitten with the loveliness of this book.


My favorite part of this is running my fingertips over the stitches. They feel so complete. So put-together. As if this is exactly what this fabric and thread was waiting for.

Just one tiny, little problem. And actually it's a big problem when dealing with hand-quilting. For the life of me I can not find a thimble that is comfortable or fits properly. I am searching and will not give up the hunt because somewhere out there is the perfect thimble.....

8 comments:

Sally said...

Dawn, your projects are simply divine! I love hand-quilting but am too impatient to sit and do it. I love what it looks like when it's done but it doesn't get done fast enough for me. I have two thimbles that I adore. One is a Roxanne thimble - make sure you try on several cause they vary in size. The other is made by TJ Lane. Both of them have open tops (probably made for ladies with longer nails) and the dimples are on both the top and part of the sides. They are a bit spendy but well worth the price. Hope this helps. Again. lovely work on your projects. I'm jealous!

Dandelion Quilts said...

You are so talented. It is lookin good. Have you tried one of those rubbery kinds of bobbins??? My quilt shop has 3 tubes with different sizes and lots of fun colors. I think it stays on better too. I have been really busy sewing this week on the new machine. I will post some of my projects later this weekend. :)

Dandelion Quilts said...

okay so I meant thimble not bobbin....my head is a bit tired since I stayed up last night to 12:30 sewing.

Knot Garden said...

Your quilting is beautiful! You have really got the knack. Your stitches are so close and even.
I don't do much hand quilting so don't know much about the different thimbles, but when I do I like those softer leather thimbles that have an opening to accommodate your nail. This means air can get to your skin and I find you can "feel" the needle better through the leather than through a metal thimble. It's probably just a matter of trying a few until you find one that suits you.

Darlene said...

Not having a good fitting thimble is exactly why I don't hand quilt. I have a project ready to go but a good thimble is a very serious issue. :-( Good luck finding one. BTW, your work is beautiful.

jacquie said...

Now this is amazing. While I love all the machine quilting out there...there's just nothing like beautiful hand quilting like this. You do fab work! I have that thimble problem too. btw I haven't forgotten about your tag. I'll get to it, promise!

Cara said...

Hi Dawn!! Beautiful stitching! I actually had the same problem finding a thimble. Finally I found one and have been quilting with it for 6 years! It is a Roxanne thimble and I highly recomend them too! I do agree you have to try them on and sometimes it takes a lot of tries to find the perfect fit. If you go to some local quilt shows they usually have vendors that can help you find one. Happy Stitching!

Sodacoaster said...

A good substitute for a thimble might be the white medical bandage tape - the kind you can get by the band aids in the drug store. I put it all over my fingers on my left hand while i'm crocheting with the tiny needles and it works great. Then i can just take it off and throw it away. Way cheaper than those sticky dot thimbles.