Want to slow down.... do it by hand

Since Friday I have spend some really slowed down hours, listening to books on CD at a lot lower volume and watching  a few movies on TV that I skipped at the first run movie theater and  yes....doing it by hand.

Quilting was so much more relaxing, calming, and on some days more fun when I did it all by hand as I did in the beginning.  Then over time as I made friends with a sewing machine I gradually  began doing almost ever thing by machine, everything with the exception of sewing down facings, or bindings and sleeves and on occasion labels.

Funny, as much as I loved doing everything by hand in the old days I really disliked doing the hand stitching on the facing, sleeves,bindings and labels even back then.  And that as you know hasn't change with time.  In fact I think my dislike for this part of the process has gotten worse.  On reflection that might be because I have gotten so used to speeding through the piecing or machine applique and machine quilting that abruptly slowing down to do hand work makes it seem as if I am moving through molasses.

Two blogs ago I told you about me sitting, watching some ladies hand quilt and piece and I was mentally back to my beginnings and my fingers began to itch. I wanted to thread a needle and hold some fabric and make seams or do applique even through I was sitting there hand stitching a facing in place.

So here I am less than a week from that Thursday morning hooked again on making the tiny stitches; almost invisible stitches, I can make as I applique. When I pinned the first block I finished up next to my last all machine created piece I was struck by the similarity.

Primarily they are of the same color family. The theme for both; flowers.  One really more abstract than the other, but both graphic and simplistic. When I looked at what is my first quilt it seems I have not moved as much as an inch away from my first choice of a color palette. 
"Whats old is new again" "Making a full circle" Echoes of the past"  these and several other sayings popped into my head. 

I knew I was hooked on quilting when I made the pink,white yellow and green quilt from a 1930's pieced tulip pattern shown below.  I still love this quilt.  I still remember making it.  I remember how long it took me to complete.  I still remember how happy I was when it was done too.

I am now  working on a second block and I am enjoying doing so, however, I am not promising you all or myself for that matter  that that block or the one I am currently working on  will ever be in the company of enough of like block to become a quilt, child bed size or otherwise.