Last week the weather was glorious, 70’s – low 80’s, low humidity, just perfect! I took advantage and spent the afternoons out on the deck doing the hand work to finish the latest work of art. Here’s the view!

I decided that it needed a faced edge so I finished that and also the hanging sleeve. I think bindings are faster and easier than facings, but for this one, it was worth it!

After I finished the hand sewing I was not ready to go inside, so I paged through the two latest SAQA Portfolios sequentially, comparing the works of the different artists.  If they had work in both volumes, it was fun to really look and note the similarities and the differences in each one’s work and the many styles of working amongst all of the artists.

I noticed that in Portfolio 19 the page headings throughout the book said Portfolio 18!

I resorted to the forbidden – the unthinkable! – and messed with the bobbin case tension, but it resulted in success and I was finally able to complete the quilting on “Spring Burning”. Things are still not right with the machine though. After blocking the piece I proceeded to the trimming and making of the sleeve, documentation tag and bindings and got those sewed on. My plan was to get all of the machine work done and take the machine in for a tune up on Monday. But it sewed perfectly. Could it be it just doesn’t want to do machine quilting any more!?! Now I don’t know WHAT to do!

I plan to put the work aside for now, all that is left is the hand work. Sewing down the binding, sleeve and documentation tag, and the hand beading. I really don’t want to complete this piece until the new year so it can have a 2010 date for competition purposes.

Now I can turn my attention to Christmas preparations. The tree is finally up, the cards sent and the gifts are wrapped but there is still the cooking and the cleaning before the big day.