This and That Sewing

I've basted the embroidery Mystery quilt and its ready for machine quilting...I'm still working out in my mind what I'll do. I had a little fun with the back: a bar quilt! Its hard to see in the photo but the black fabric is really a reproduction black/gray print.I also finished hand piecing the little circles that I started in Boston...still thinking about what to do with them.
I did this little embroidery using chain stitch-I haven't ever done much with chain stitch and it was fun. I think I'll frame it. (I don't know why it came out quite this bright-its a batik but its really not this garish!)
I've been quilting at the frame but now I have a dilemma. I use Mettler 40 wt. thread for all my hand quilting. While I was in the US I grabbed two spools of Mettler white for this quilt but now I see I grabbed the wrong thread-the 50 wt. silk finish regular sewing thread. So either I switch threads in the middle or I order on-line the 40 wt. Yes, I will have to put the hand quilting on hold. Oh my! It really annoys me though because I actually was sitting and hand quilting again finally! That quilt will take two years at the rate I'm going.

That's my this and that sewing. I really need to start a new project. The Jane Quilt triangles are preying on my mind so I think I had better make a start on those-I can baste up the applique triangles and then I'll feel like I'm making progress! :)

Hand piecing project

I knew I would need something to sew while with the kids, so taking a leaf from Karen at Quilts, etc. I packed a zip lock bag with a hand sewing project. Now I haven't hand pieced in years but I do still know how to do it!

I had all of these rotary cut quarter circles left over from the Drunkard's Path quilt (they were the cut-outs from the not-quarter-circle pieces) in yellow and white. I just drew a line a 1/4" from the edge for my sewing line on the straight sides of the yellow quarter circles...

and sewed away using a simple running stitch. Voila!
(Ooops, voila again...anyone know why I can't delete this twice uploaded picture?)
I'm thinking I could sew whole circles and then applique them to a background...
or do something like this or just use them in the border of a not-yet-designed quilt. Lots of possibilities.
And, of course, I just have to add some baby pictures...here Mika looking very minxish
and Ella in a quiet moment (lots of her pictures came out blurry because she's always on the go!)