I’m making good progress hand quilting my seaside quilt. It’s living in our lounge at the moment with all the necessaries on a stool next to where I sit. I don’t usually watch much television (the only programme all year I make an effort to watch is the Great British Sewing Bee!) but my OH and I are trying to spend a bit more of our daily lives together rather than me squirrelled away in my sewing room and him watching (usually war films) on the computer in his office, which also seems to be the warmest room in the house! I can’t just sit and watch so I make sure I have some kind of sewing project in the lounge to keep my hands occupied!
The seaside quilt is from a book of the same name by Kathryn Whittingham of Patchwork Katy, it’s a lovely cheerful quilt. I’m quilting a clam shape across all the little squares and block borders and then just quilting inside the seamline of the picture blocks. I find it a simple shape to quilt as I can just work across the row from right to left. It’s actually meant to be waves across the quilt, but it could be either and still fit in with the seaside theme.
This is where I was three weeks ago…
I’m using a Gutermann variegated thread in light blues and greens for everything so far, I’ll probably change colours for the outer borders but I haven’t decided quite what I’m doing there yet.
The only parts of the quilt which won’t fit in with my clams are the two pairs of stars as they are based on a four by four square patch, using 2″ squares where as the rest of the quilt is in 2.5″ squares. I might either stitch in the ditch round the stars or just inside.
You can see the quilting much more clearly on the back. I’m having to stab stitch a lot of it rather than making a few stitches at once, I’m going to use a different wadding in future for hand quilting.
I’ve now quilted about a third of the quilt, ignoring the main borders! All of of left lower quarter is quilted and I’m working my way up the right hand side. You can see from the hoop marks where I’m working now…
Any suggestions for the quilting of the borders gratefully received, though they ideally have to be workable in one direction! Hopefully next time I share my progress I’ll be well into the top half.
Hand Quilt Along Links
This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another. If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below. Kathy, Margaret, Deb, Nanette, Sharon, Karrin, Daisy and Theresa
I’ll also be linking up with Kathy’s Quilts for Slow Stitching Sunday
thecraftycreek 
How about wavy, watery parallel lines for the borders, like ripples onto the beach? You could work those freehand and continuously in one direction all the way around
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Ooh, I like that idea, thanks Kate 🙂
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Making progress and looking good. Haven’t heard of the tv show Great British Sewing Bee – I need to look for that. I stab stitch all of my quilts.
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This is looking wonderful and you are making good progress. I just quilt with how it is comfortable – whether stab stitch or several at a time.
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Making great progress and looking good! Hugs
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Borders are always a trial for me too! You are making such great progress on this, I’ll keep my eyes open for some border ideas for you!
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I like the wavy lines idea that Kate Chiconi suggested. Those clam shells look great. 👍
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You are making great progress on your seaside quilt. My husband liked to watch war movies and shoot em ups, and the handwork kept me happy. Happy stitching!
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This is a wonderful quilt and I enjoyed seeing it develop when you were piecing and assembling it. Hand quilting is a big job, and it is certainly looking wonderful.
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This quilt reminds me of my dad. He would have loved this so much. He liked doing rug hooking and woodworking. I have done my 2nd post on the HQAL. I hope you don’t mind my putting a link here. I started a draft of the post and then when I published it it did not list it as Feb 27. This HQAL is the best thing for keeping me focused on my project.
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The HQAL is great for keeping us focussed, even if it’s just for the week before the post!
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it is looking wonderful! I like the idea of wavy lines for the borders representing sea waves!
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