freedombecki
Let's go swimmin'!
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- #41
Allie, I spent all afternoon looking up arthritis. About all I can come up with is people raving about krill oil and a bevy of herbals from the natural cures world and NSAIDs from the medical world. One thing I heard consistently and even carried in my shop years ago were these wrist-and-hand-supportive gloves afflicted quilters use to ease some of the rough days. The only other consistent thing I read about was consistent exercise. You probably already do that by walking your dogs. You are on my prayer list with love while you try to get that quilt completed. I hope you space your timing with not too many hours invested all at once without a little hand-limbering exercise or a brisk walk interspersing at hourly intervals. I recommend using a timer and paying close attention to when things don't feel exactly right with your quilting hand. Put a soothing powder in your thimble, and go to leather if itching is caused by any metal or plastic thimble device you may need to use to ameliorate any pain your needle could cause your skin.Oh those are beautiful...
I'm still working on the rocking stitch and getting a little better, but I'm still not good with the thimble, I end up doing it horizontally, without a thimble, so far. I can do about 3-4 stitches at a time, it looks pretty good...my quilting has lots of curves and I'm not good on the curves or with changes of direction.
I honestly don't understand how the rockers can get through all the layers and back up with so little movement, I have to really move my needle.
I have a picture somewhere of a quilt the ladies in my sister's husband's family did by hand many, many years ago..it's gorgeous.
My grandma used to make immense tied quilts..she had a big frame, and she and her in laws and relatives would meet up a couple of times a year to throw them together. She used wool scraps and cotton ticking backing, and cotton batting (the old buff colored type with specs in it). We had about 3 of those quilts growing up; they were heavy and tough. Mom wouldn't wash them and they got fairly gross over time, but the wool and ticking meant they held up well anyway. When I was young but grown I washed mine and it did ruin it the wool shrank, pulled, and came unsewn in places and at that time I had no clue how to make it better. I wish I had them now!
I'll see if I can find my pic...
Also, if it becomes clear you cannot make the goal of completing by the wedding on account of this issue, get a set of affordable towels in colors the bride likes, and save the quilt for a first or even fifth anniversary.
Quilts are, after all, a process, not a destination. The more power to you, though, if you are able to persevere.
I love what you would have your neice to have by her wedding. You're a very special aunt, just for wanting her to have something you made yourself. I'm a machine quilter, it's true, but I have nothing but respect for hand quilters and needleworkers.
It's just that I use a home sewingmachine as a paintbrush and strongarm quilter after making 600 quilts for other people and probably half again as many machine embroidered items for my home and those of my loved ones. Most were quilted on my longarm at work, but my first quilt was hand quilted, and yep, I started out not knowing how big to make my stitches. My grandmother was still alive at the time, and I asked her what size the stitches should be. She put her head to the side and her finger on her jaw, then she said slowly (she was 95 years old at the time) "Well, you should be sure the stitches are small enough so that toenails can't get under them and rip them out."
I really valued her words. She knew everything.
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