Returning to finish the vintage comforter.....Plus My Favorite New Book and Sewing Blogs!

I am in love with this new book! There are big bold and beautiful illustrations for over 50 hand stitches of which I am greatly fascinated!  I can easily see them even without my glasses!

This week I have started back upon a project from last winter and I hope to get this one finished soon.  It is the vintage crazy quilt top pieced by Grandma Powell's mother and grandmother.  There were a few repairs to be made in the top.  Then, since it is dark as well as of heavier fabrics I choose to tuft or tie it after inserting a layer of warm batting and an underlining of soft flannel

Next I started folding the two layers under and lining them up to close with an almost invisible overcast stitch.  After which I plan to finish with a knotted blanket stitch.  Almost in an afterthought I decided to embroider the names of the three it took to conceive and finish what will be a family heirloom.   So yesterday I found my washable pen and a place for this to be done and started to embroider the names.  I had to remove some of the tufting to get to  both sides of the top.

Next time I will do this first before starting the assembly of the layers!

In the process of all of this I discovered a wonderful artisan in the UK.  She is Sarah Whittle and she composed "The Needlecraft Stitch Directory." An absolutely beautifully written and illustrated  book on hand stitching of many types. This is always fascinated me and I have other books on this subject. This is my new favorite!  Plus I was able to order it on Amazon for half of what it would have cost to purchase and ship from her blog site in the UK.

Here is her link if you would like to preview the beauty of her stitching.   sarahwhittle.blogspot.com/2011/02/raised-chain-stitch.html
I am planning to use her illustrated knotted blanket stitch to finish the edges instead of a binding to correspond with the yarn used in the tufting.  (Don't I get all wound up about these old things?)

There is also another blog I LOVE called Cambric-Cotton, Pins and Needles   posted by a wonderful woman in Australia.  Here is a link to her blog too:                                                                    cambric-cotton.blogspot.com

It is beautifully done and I enjoy it a lot so today I share these things with all of you.