Steve

Ho Kathy, it's the nephew in dragon outfit going down a kiddy tunnel at the park. Artsy yeah, but the tennis shoes make it. I'll try to dig up the bigger picture for you of the 2-year-old dragon AKA Quentin Elliot.

Steve

Oh btw my brain doesn't the need stuff, life is interesting enough as is (see quilting and Quentin). :wink:

Steve

Dragon Quentin for you...

bj

What a cutie! He looks like a lot of fun to be with. And.....I also like your quilt. I love the simple lines. I think your dad would love to cover up and do crosswords with it. What part of OK is he in. We lived in OKC for a couple of years when our son was little. My husband's family came from the Haskel area. They moved to Haskel from Arkansas in a covered wagon in 1918, then on to Texas in the 30's. His grandmother had lots of interesting stories about dust bowl days and the depression.

rein

Steve - your quilt is awesome! Your avitar - now makes total sense and the "gremlin" is darling! I like your "how to surprise Dad idea". Good Luck!

Steve

Well, I’ve finished the center green and one of the cross-hatch red bars, and I thought the cross-hatch to be easier than the cable (or leaves) that were in the middle, yeah right. What I found to be the stickler is not so much the quilting as the marking. All the red bars will be crosshatched the same and trying to line them to match up is a bugger. I’m only marking each bar as I get to it so that the soapstone marks won’t fade as I manhandle it in the frame (hand held). I want them to be as close as possible and thought they’d mark the same, but slight variations from the stitching is getting me only so (sew) close.

I guess crosshatch was easier on block pieces because the blocks will guide the stitching. It’s coming along but this has been another hard fought lesson in perseverance. In the end I simply let the 45-degree triangle assist down a centerline and spot-checked them like a T-square over the one that was complete. Looks pretty good but the moment of truth will come when I finish it.

Lots of learning going on, well at least that's the story I'm sticking with! Live and learn, and learn, and learn, etc...

joannl

Steve, we must have all been wondering about your avatar because I kept thinking it looked like something from ghost busters or something.
So what part of OK are you from? I grew up in OKC but moved away back in the mid 70s. My family still lives there, all around the state in fact.
I really like your quilt.
Jo

Steve

Was born in Claremore. Yeah folks, for those who liked the musical it was the “big” city with the train station outside of Skidmore (I never knew if that town ever really existed). Only spent a few years there total between the moving around as a kid but the folks settled there, thus I call it home. Yes indeed, home is where the heart is.

Anyway thanks, the quilting is coming on fine. I think I'm developing a new callus on my thimble finger, which is just dandy, since I was doing this piece to develop my quilting stitch. I can see now why the Amish quilts are so prized, since it's a heck of a lot of stitching.

I know for some of you this exercise in quilting might be like beating a dead horse since machines are so popular, for me though I’ve a lifetime of non sewing to catch up on so it works. Silly yes, but that ‘is’ my middle name.

joannl

Steve,
I really like hand quilting, both the doing & the finished piece. I am never completely satisfied with the things I machine quilt but then I don't have a long arm quilter. Maybe the long arm would change my mind, hard to say.
Jo

Celeste

Steve,

While machine quilting may be faster and for some the only way to get a quilt completed, hand quilting is by far the prettiest!