Slow but steady progress

I spent some time with the birches quilt on Sunday afternoon.  It was a breezy day, I’d been for a long walk, and I was content to sit with a cup of tea and make tiny stitches and turns until every last tree and branch was in place.  My sewing machine and I, we had something of an argument on the way, but I prevailed.  The downside is that it clearly needs a tuneup, but I feel sort of weird letting my sewing machine out of my sight.  I never really thought about it, and I don’t sew every day, but …

I am sewing regularly on this quit now because I fear I am losing the impetus I originally felt to complete this, to create this picture that was in my head.  As time goes by, I lose the original inspiration and feeling of urgency that something has to somehow become real instead of a figment of my imagination.  It all has to do with time and place, and this is definitely a winter thing for me, and it is fast becoming spring here.  I wore shorts today. It’s hard to work on bare winter birch limbs in shorts.

So now the machine sewing is done, and I have gathered my threads for embroidery, and sandwiched felt between the top and bottom pieces of fabric. I am ready to forge into the next phase of the process.  This part is not mentioned in my original drawing, this is the portion of it that comes as I sew, however it wants.  It’s the most fun part.

I’m getting close to finishing so many big projects, but of course finishing will take enough tme of its own …