Sunday Sundry 12-20-15

I started doing some big stitch quilting on a UFO from about a year ago, an improv quilt using corduroy and some clothing scraps.  You can read about its creation HERE.

Hand quilting isn't something I do much (at all), so it's a different experience for me.  I'm not using any kind of hoop, so it's a bit awkward.  I think a hoop would crush the corduroy and leave weird marks on it. I don't know, maybe I should try it and see.

I also flicked off my thimble pretty quickly because it was just getting in the way.  Although this corduroy is fairly soft and not too stiff, I need to maintain a good grip on the needle to work it through.

I'm hoping it'll grow on me as I get a bit more comfortable with it.

I've also pretty much resigned myself to not burying the knots on the back.  It doesn't seem worth worrying about, since it's sort of one big experimental piece anyway.  I am burying the tails, but the knot itself doesn't seem to want to pop through the fabric without a struggle, and I don't want to tear the backing, which is a vintage fabric.  

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on knots and hoops and thimbles when big stitch quilting.

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The caramel corn has been made and delivered to my coworkers as of last week Thursday.  I forgot to take a picture, but the process and recipe was the same as in years past.  I may make another batch this coming week to share with others, but that stuff's dangerous to have around my house, addictive as it is.

I did make a small batch of gluten-free chocolate covered pretzels yesterday.  I hadn't made them before, or if I did, it was so long ago I don't remember.  They made quite the Jackson Pollack-esque mess on the parchment, but they were fine once the chocolate hardened.

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While puttering in the sewing room yesterday—actually, procrastinating on starting the hand quilting mentioned above—I looked through a box of hand-crocheted vintage lace that my mother had saved.  Decided to take photos to share.  

They were all made by one of my dad's uncle's wives (I need to ask him which wife, as I think Hank was married twice).  These pieces probably date to between the 1920s and 1940s.  

Aren't they amazing?

This piece is one of my favorites.  It's the top to a nightgown, I believe, or maybe a slip.  

These would have been chair covers, the larger piece on the left would have gone on the chair back (behind the head) and the smaller ones on the armrests.  

Love the pineapple design.

There were a few cut-work and embroidered pieces in the box as well.  

I had to keep reminding myself that all that satin stitching, etc. was done by hand, not machine.  It's just perfect.