2/21/19

To Bind on the Road

The quilting is finished! It was hard to power through such dense quilting in just a few days, but I was determined to do my binding on the road. The binding strips are cut. I just need to sew them together, square up the quilt, and sew it on. Hand work can wait for this weekend. Here's the finished quilt. And don't you know it was a magnet for cats when I spread it on the floor for its picture.


It was a little too big for me to get a very good picture without risking life and limb.


And, of course, there were no catless pictures.


The back fabric is busy and the quilting barely shows there.


It wasn't long before Sadie joined us.

Smitty, did you know I was the model for the scary Halloween cat?


Only you could do that, Sadie. Gray spotted cats are no good for Halloween. We're pawsitively too dignified in our pin-striped furs for scary stuff. 


Mom was trying to talk me into riding a broomstick with her, but I put my paw down. No broomsticks! And no flying!


Smitty, did you see the flying mice on this quilt?


Do you think there are more underneath? Maybe we could catch us one. Or maybe you could leap off a flying broomstick and catch one!


Nothing doing, Sadie. I'll leave the flying to you. You're the Halloween cat.


Besides, I'm purrsiding over a meeting of the Bureau of Cat-tastrophes this weekend. I have to purrserve my health.


So here are the details of the last three blocks. For "Spooky Lou's," I added a spider web and a spider, and then attempted to have a cat batting at the spider.


My imagination was running thin for these last blocks. Here's how it looks finished.


Then for "Hagatha's Dirty Laundry," I quilted another ghost flying from the window.


There were spiders and spider webs added to most blocks. And here's how Hagatha's looks finished.


Finally, the last block was the "Toil & Trouble Employment Agency." There wasn't a lot of space for quilting on this one, but I added a Halloween cat.


Also, more shingles for the roof and some siding on the walls. When it was finished, it looked like this.


All that remained then was to quilt the outer border. Long ago, I found this section of a pantograph on the internet, and so I drew some lines on a practice piece and then practiced quilting it within the confines of the border.


It was easier than I thought, and so I committed it to the quilt and then quilted my way around.


If I hadn't been trying to get it finished to take along, I would have spread the quilting over more days. It was a slog to get through the last of it, and so I'm happy to have it finished. I started Hocuspocusville in July of 2015. Nearly four years on, it's approaching the finish line.

When I left you yesterday, I had bread rising in the kitchen. As I mentioned, I used 7-1/2 cups of flour in this dough, and that made it so much easier to work with. For one thing, I could give it some shape.


When it was ready for baking, it hadn't risen any taller, but it did expand in volume and spread out.


Also, I could score it halfway decently, and when it baked up, it looked like this.


We had it with some ravioli  and a salad last night, and it tasted so good. This might just be the bread dough of my dreams.


If you want to give this bread recipe a try, you can find it right here. I strongly suggest reading the "tips" at the end of the recipe. I'd like to try this with some whole wheat flour, and I'd also like to try baking it in my Dutch oven to see how it turns out then. I'm still experimenting, but I'm happy with what I've made so far. With just four ingredients (water, flour, salt, yeast), it's a pretty simple dough. I have enough dough for two more loaves, and so I'll probably make one up today to take along this weekend. Oh yes, and did I mention it makes great toast?

Here's this morning's inchy. So cute.


I'll be taking this along this weekend too.

My first priority today will be to get the binding sewn on my quilt, and then I'll need to start packing the RV. It'll be easy packing since we're only gone a day or two. Smitty has a conflict on his calendar, and so the kitties are staying home this trip. I'll be back to blog again in the morning, but then I'll take the rest of the weekend off.

14 comments:

Dorothy said...

Your quilting is amazing ! But then, so is your hand stitching, bread baking, writing, etc etc. Your blog makes my day. Have a fun weekend

Julierose said...

What a lovely finish on your quilting..I hope you have a wonderful trip...
hugs, Julierose

Shirley said...

That is the most beautiful quilt!!! I love that your quilting added to the embroidered blocks. Your embroidery work was much too pretty to quilt over. All of the elements you quilted are just wonderful. This is probably my favorite of all your many beautiful quilts. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Carol- Beads and Birds said...

Cool quilt and the quilting is gorgeous. Those silly cats know a great quilt when they lay on one!
xx, Carol

Kate said...

Congrats on finishing off all that amazing quilting!

Beth said...

So many things! Today's inchy is the prettiest yet,to my eye. Such fun to see each day's reveal. And as much as I love the stitchery on your completed quilt, seeing it from above has also reminded me how much I like quilts in the style of the center panel, simple blocks on point. I call them "pioneer quilts" and every now and then get the hankering to plunder my stash and make a few. Seeing your quilt has awakened that feeling.
Always fun to see Smitty and Sadie overseeing the goings-on. Our crew does the same, although we added a puppy to the mix a month ago so I suspect they spend a fair bit of time sharing tips for staying a step ahead of the little nipper.

piecefulwendy said...

Your quilting on Hocus Pocus really finishes the quilt well. The bread looks fantastic! So fun to keep up with your inchy sewing. Hope the cats don't party too much while you are away. Enjoy your weekend!

SJSM said...

While the people are away the cats will play. Do they get into mischief when they are on their own? Loving the finished quilt. It will be hard for you to decide which quilts to put into the fair. Sounds to me as if you need more opportunities to show your quilts. Another B-Day here. Interesting that as I get older the less the years matter. It’s nice that family and friends give recognition and I’m happy that all I need is what I have. No need for big celebration or the gift of things. Having a sincere happy birthday and time spent with those I love is a gift in itself.

Enjoy your weekend.

Claire said...

Love the embroidery and the quilting!

mangozz said...

Your quilt is wonderful! I absolutely love it ~ the colors, the embroidery, the quilting! You manage to find the most adorable patterns!

quiltzyx said...

Sadie & Smitty do model so well on the quilts! They definitely add that something special. :)

Once again, making my mouth water with just the thought of fresh baked bread!

QuiltGranma said...

Love the interpretation of the kitties talking! Hope you find someplace away from the snow for your weekend travel. We here in NE Central Oregon are in Mount Snowed-In!

Rebecca in AK said...

You did a fabulous job quilting this quilt! Amazing! I plan tor try that bread recipe, looks good. Your kitties are too funny!

Brown Family said...

THanks Smitty and Sadie for showing Mom's quilt. It is fantastic!