We have had little snow this winter which has felt drab and dreary when you are accustomed to a landscape of white. Just enough squeaked through mid December so that the ground was white for Christmas, but just. Well, that ended this week with a couple of good snowfalls, including the storm that came through Friday night. It's just so nice and bright and white now!
If it's not bitterly cold out I enjoy shoveling. Even if it is very cold, it doesn't take much to get warmed up once you are into it, so yesterday morning was a real treat. With a foot of snow on the ground, and more coming down, it took a bit of time to get things cleared up, but it was happy work.
Then it was time to tackle a task that I've been avoiding. There's been some secret squirrel stitching going on these past few months that I still can't fully share with you, but suffice it to say that a hanging sleeve was required. I have made one or two over the years but not enough to do so without checking out
some instructions first. You can attach a sleeve either during the binding process or after it is bound. This sleeve will be temporary so I followed the directions for a finished quilt.
I'm not a slip stitcher, preferring a ladder stitch for my hand stitching. I kept my stitches small, doubled my thread for additional strength and worked to catch a bit of the batting as I went.
This quilt is large - 95" wide - so I decided to split the sleeve at the centre in case there is a need to hang it from three points for extra support. The green pin marks the centre of the quilt so there's a two-inch opening. Today there will be more slow stitching to finish it up....M
This quilt is large - 95" wide - so I decided to split the sleeve at the centre in case there is a need to hang it from three points for extra support. The green pin marks the centre of the quilt so there's a two-inch opening. Today there will be more slow stitching to finish it up....M
Also in Ontario and enjoying the snow that has fallen over the weekend. I have put temporary sleeves on quilts partly by machine. I pin the sleeve on the back and stitch by machine in the ditch of the binding. It securely holds and takes most of the weight of the quilt. Then I hand stitch the lower edge of the sleeve. Using the machine with a basting length or smaller. Basting is easier to take out later! Just my 2 cents.
ReplyDeleteThose hanging sleeves just make a finished quilt need one more thing to be done on it. I hope your secret hangs beautifully wherever it is headed.
ReplyDeleteVery cold here too! I’m in SW Ontario. I was out for a walk yesterday afternoon and this morning though! Hoping to do some sewing this afternoon. I have some sleeves to put on a couple of recent finishes too. Thanks for the reminder. Can’t wait to see your finished quilt.
ReplyDeleteMmmmm, wonder what that secret squirrel quilt is like?
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