Owl and Hare Hollow - Parts 1 and 2

 This morning I finished up Part 2 of the Owl and Hare Hollow quilt.  I am enjoying this project as it involves everything I love to do - Embroidery, Applique and English Paper Piecing.   I got a late start, but that's ok - just enjoying the process.  Here are the blocks have completed so far. 

The little round flower block placed in the corner where four blocks meet was just a random orphan block that I had on my design wall.  I like it there, kind of like a corner stone.  If I decide to add this to my project, I will need to make it smaller.  The blocks are currently 9 1/2" unfinished but are oversized according to the pattern.  They will eventually be trimmed to 8 1/2" unfinished and 8" finished, and then the flower will be too big.   Unless.............I decide to leave them at 9 1/2".

Dear Jane Quilting

I have finally started hand quilting my DJ Quilt.  This is my second one to finish, the first I machine quilted a very simple cross hatch pattern with a little bit of design on the triangles.  With this one I am hand quilting and using a different pattern for each block.  I noticed in close up pictures of Jane Stickle's quilt, that is the way it is quilted.  I read somewhere that 3 or 4 friends helped her do the quilting and I have told my friends I would let them quilt some on mine - but got no takers.  I had a long arm quilter baste it together for me - so much easier (and better basting) than me trying to do it myself.

I am not using sashing in connecting the blocks, but rather sewing a border on each block and then trimming it to 5 1/2" square, which seems to me to be the way Jane Stickle did hers.  She was one smart lady if you ask me, because if the blocks do not come out exactly right - you add the border then square them up - I do love this process.

I am enjoying the quilting but its going to take me longer to quilt it than it did to make the top - but hey, I am in no hurry.  Below are pictures of some of the blocks I have quilted.

And here's a picture of what is next in my hoop.   I started with the center block, and am working in circles around that one.  Thought I would get the ones in the center first as they can be the hardest since you have so much bulk to work with...with each round it gets a little closer to the quilt edge and easier to manage.  This quilt is a little harder to quilt in that the blocks being so small and having so many pieces, there is a lot of seams to quilt through.  Wish I had thought to use a light weight batting - the quilt is also heavy.

 

Beating the heat with a little stitching

Worked on the Delaford a little today.  attached the next borders, and marked the applique placement.  I have been working the last week or so getting all the applique pieces prepped.

Checking the placement of corner flower.  A real trick to get those mitered corners just right. Definitely not something I am very good at.  The border will be trimmed to 6 1/2" once the applique is completed.

One cornet completed.  I have all the other corners prepped - just need to get the applique down.

And of course, I have started another new project - The Owl and Hare Hollow from the Homespun magazine.  My good friend Martee is making this and I was inspired by her pretty blocks to give it a try.

These are the Wheel blocks from Part 1 - so far all I have completed.  There are 4 parts issued at this point, I have some catching up to do.