Hand quilting

Last Thursday I finally started stitching the quilt for Kaija. It was such fun that I continued of Friday for a couple of hours, and on Saturday maybe four hours, and on Sunday a little more than two hours. The quilt is rather big (about 160 x 210 cm) and heavy (vintage top, cotton wadding and back) . Sunday evening I noticed a rush on my right arm and hand, exactly there where the quilting loop touched it when I put my hand under the quilt for the next stitch, a couple of times apparently. If I try to quilt with my right hand on top of the quilt all the time, I don't catch the bottom layer at all. And that is not called quilting. So, I just put the needle in on top and draw it under the quilt and push up again from below. Stitch by stitch.

I think this looks about the way it should. My technique may be elementary, but I am in fact left-handed, I just use tools with my right hand. My crocheting looks funniest of all, since I just hold the hook in my right hand and push and pull, and the left hand does all the wriggling with the yarn.

Anyway, the rush was easily taken care of with some hand cream. Monday morning was a surprise. My wrists (both) were swollen, and so were the knuckles. The were hurting and aching, and I could hardly bend my wrists. I had obviously overdone it in my enthusiasm. Now I think the break has been long enough, as all swelling is gone and the movements are painless. Today I will enjoy a little bit of quilting, maybe two times half an hour. If all goes well, tomorrow a little more.

I had to change my original plan of quilting across and in the length four hexagons apart, because there are 63 hexagons across and the length is also divisible by three but not four. Now I'm making it three apart. I'm making it for a long time. But now that I finally got it started, I know it will be ready one day. Nobody can tell when, but I'll keep you posted!