Threading a Needle

I learned to make a quilt block called "Flying Geese". I had to do quite some practicing to get the points to all come out, to get the sewing machine to do what it needed to do to achieve perfection. But perfection I did achieve and the resident quilters were amazed and very complimentary at my first piece. It was just a bag with some embroidery. It never did go on display at the store as the pattern maker who is from Australia, decided to pull her patterns from her distributor and sell them privately in Australia and so they were no longer available to us.

I can copy a Chanel suit without breaking a sweat. Quilting? Oh my god!!!! Such a universe.

Shortly after completing the piece I went through our complete book offering at the store and found nothing - nothing that gave me any great detail on the "Geese" technique. Someone did mention, however, that I research an 'old' book by Jinny Beyer - they could not remember the title. That evening I searched Amazon and found the above book. I started to browse and found a page dedicated to "how to cut the thread and threading the needle".

That was it. I dished out the $5.00 for the book. You see, I was talking to the "Always In Stitches" group that meets on Friday evenings in the classroom about making a quilt and doing the quilting by hand when one of them said "Why don't you piece it by hand too?"

In my search through our books, I found the pattern book called "Tried and True Renewed". On the cover was a quilt I fell in love with. I know it is built on browns. I thought I might like it in greens, but I really DO love the browns too, or am I being visual? Am I liking the browns because that is what is pictured? I don't know.

So, this is the quilt I am going to make this year. Totally by hand. Totally portable. I have been practicing stitching by hand, trying out various thimbles. Thimbles are not easy to get used to because I have never in all of these years, despite all of the handwork I have done, a thimble has never been a part of my history. Getting comfortable with one is such a difficult task. There are so many different types out there. And sizes. And, the more vocal I am about the ordeal, the more women are offering me their tucked away thimbles to try. I am going to have to buy a box just to hold these.

And needles! I have used embroidery and milliner's needles all of my life. Long thin needles. Now I am trying to adjust to needles that are barely and inch long. I keep saying that my hands are too big for these needles - but that is only an excuse. It is just an adjustment.

I have to get my body and my mind to change its stubborn ways. It is never too late to learn something new. It is becoming my mantra. "Something new. Learn something new".............

I have time to practice. Scraps of fabrics. It will be awhile before I can get the fabrics I need for the quilt. Tax Return. So, every day I work a little more. It will be a great quilt when it is finished. I am excited. I will show you how it is going as I work with it. maybe one day I will even work a class around this. Imagine - me teaching a quilting class.

Is there no limit........................................