Working Through It

Once upon a time there was a woman called Anna Margaretta Brereton, and she had ten children.
One by one, five of her children died. After the loss of her fifth child, she withdrew to her chamber and began to sew. She cut, she basted, she pieced, she appliquéd, she embroidered.
She hand-sewed not only a full, sweeping bedspread for a four-poster bed, but all the drapes and hangings to go with it.

Bedsead, Boston area, 1760-1780, mahogany, maple, white pine, reproduction hangings - Concord Museum - Concord, MA - DSC05712
This is not Mrs Brereton’s work, but you can see the quantity involved.
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The Last Gargoyle

As we draw to the end of the year, so we draw to the end of the Gargoyle Chip Reports.

Gargoyle, St Mary, Castlegate, York (3345244442)
Don’t look down!
Since July I have sides-to-middled, patched and darned one pair of queen-size sheets; appliquéd a large spray of roses to a circle of cloth (with thousands of tiny stitches); decided on and marked a quilting design; made a quilt sandwich, tacked/basted it, and begun the quilting.

Is this where I wanted to be by the end of the year? No, but it’s a considerable distance further along than I think I would have been otherwise.

And after all, while the reports may cease, the work can still go on. I’m hoping for some cool and quiet evenings to work on the quilting – all this progress has made me feel rather more kindly toward the project than I have hitherto.

What have you accomplished since July? Take a moment to think it through, write it down, and celebrate!

Gargoyle Chip Report XVII

For the first time in my life, I have been quilting!

Unfortunately due to the fatness of the batting (or possibly my total inexperience) I can’t use the ‘proper’ method of rocking the needle back and forth to pick up tiny stitches. So instead I have been using the stabbing method – stab down and stab up.

Paisley Abbey gargoyle 13
Stabby Gargoyle

So here I sit, merrily stabbing away at my gargoyle, being pleased to see that progress is visible, if not startling.

How about you?