You Might Like It...Eventually

I love the look of hand quilting.

My baby quilt has a few folds from being in my suitcase!

I have done very little of it myself.  My work is usually machine pieced and machine quilted, free hand. I have tried to like doing the hand quilting myself but it never clicked with me. I never had much success and it wasn't something I found pleasurable. It was definitely NOT relaxing.

Having the baby blanket up close as I quilt,  I enjoy looking
at all the scraps I used to make it.
I really do love scrap quilts,

I know how to do it...in theory, that is. If anyone asks me, I can tell them how to do it, how to hold the needle, that a shorter needle is better to use because you can "rock" it while you make the stitches, that the spaces should be the same size as the stitch length, to use hand-quilting thread that is usually a little thicker than regular thread. I can advise on what pattern would work well with their quilt design. But again, I have not made very many hand-quilted quilts myself.

I have a friend who has a shop near where I stay in Verona. In the afternoon, she sometimes sits outside if there are no customers and does hand work- knit, embroider, quilt or piece.

The other day I went out and asked her for advise on how to quilt by hand. She laughed because she could not possibly teach ME anything. But I sat beside her and we chatted and I just quilted and ...guess what? I actually DO like quilting by hand....after 25 years of trying to like it!

So I have brought my baby quilt here to the south of Italy where I am now holidaying. After four hours at the beach I come up for lunch and then do some hand quilting on the balcony.

It is very enjoyable....finally!