What I did over the holidays...

I'm still working.....so I value my holidays, as I am able to make progress on some of my projects.

I most enjoy hand appliqué and hand quilting, so my projects usually reflect this...

I have been slowly working away at the appliqué of my Silversword Hawaiian quilt top, for a short time most evenings.  I'm about one half the way through the border, but of course there is the very large centre to complete as well. Not so easy to grapple with as the outer borders!

For this top, I am outlining with a white Sewline pencil, and needle turning to this line. I am using Aurifil 50 in a dark green, which is proving very nice to use.

Part of the border...I redrafted it so that there was more reverse appliqué....

...so that the design looked more like this illustration. The pattern is from the 1980's, and the illustration is pretty poor....not much like the actual pattern in the arched leaves...makes me realise how far computer generated images have come along.....

You might be able to see more of the pattern and the centre, here....

I was also able to start quilting my previous Hawaiian top, Lei Momi or Lei of Pearls. Red and white is a favourite colourway for me, so cheerful.

It was quite a job to baste it....I had to wash and piece the backing, iron the top and then pin baste the whole. Of course, although "quicker" to do it this way, rather than thread basting, I have to be more careful when putting it into the frame, not to pull any if the safety pins. I often have to remove some pins so that the caps do not pull them. I am using wool wadding, which is a standard now unless I am making a utility quilt.

I also spent two days machine piecing this Sanderson Star....shown above, not pressed yet. It would have been easier in some respects to hand piece, but as the stamped top was machine pieced, I felt that I had to follow this example. I did not follow a commercial or published pattern, but traced each star piece from the quilt top onto freezer paper and used these as individual patterns. Even so, I may have to tweek some of the setting pieces. It certainly is not a simple pattern, it has 15 inset corners....and very odd shaped setting pieces. For example, the corners are not squares, they are rhombuses.....It certainly gives me a lot of respect for those old time Allendale quilters and their abilities!

I'll have to add the red and white borders, something I HOPE will be easier than piecing the centre, and then transfer my tracings of the stamped quilting designs to the top. The quilt is about 98" square.