The Dutch Hooker...

I have to be honest and admit I hesitated with the title of my post, but it's the name of my latest block so I'm going to go with it.  Funny but true story, when I made Carrie Nelson's 'X-Rated' quilt last year, I started receiving a lot of spam mail after using the name of it in my blog posts.  So much so that I had to turn word verification on.  It's this month's Schnibbles quilt for AYOS, so I wonder how many others are going to experience the same issue.

But back to 'The Dutch Hooker'.  It's one of the ships in Sue Garman's Ladies of the Sea quilt and my most recent finish.  Each block will actually have the name and year of the ship inked underneath them, but I'm going to wait until I've finished them all before adding that.

The Dutch Hooker, 1350

As I've mentioned before, I'm using the back-basting method to applique each of these.  This ship makes 14 I've completed; I only have 2 left (plus all of the borders and compasses of course.)

The blocks I've finished so far

I've already prepped the last two blocks.  I'm just waiting on some matching thread to come in before I start.  I use YLI 100 wt. silk thread for all my hand applique because I love how invisible your stitches become.  I wish my local quilt shops carried it, but when I can find it, they usually only have a couple of spools.  I've found it's great for machine quilting as well.

I'm working on so many different projects right now, but it's nice to see some progress.  Little by little, they'll all eventually get finished.  That's the plan anyway!

Sam has been feeling pretty good lately and has been rather playful.  She even claimed one of the dog's toys for the night.  Despite having a gazillion others and a new bone, the dog was NOT a happy camper.

“I’m a mess. I’m nothing and have nothing; make something of me! You can do it; you’ve got what it takes God.” 

Psalm 40:17 (MSG)