done hand quilting, and my loot from the USA

Hi!

To tell you the truth, I am exhausted! We walked for miles yesterday in the social protest in Tel Aviv, for social justice and fair distribution of the country's wealth. 280,000 people attended the protest in Tel Aviv alone, 320,000 in the whole country, for a social struggle that had arisen only 3 weeks prior. That's 5% of Israel's population out on the street together, in one night! I am proud of my fellow citizens!

Despite all the excitement, I managed to finish hand-quilting the pillowcase.
I think it's really pretty! Here's a sneak peek.

I hand-appliqued each little square, and quilted around each large patchwork square

closeup in the sun - look how nice and puffy!

I plan to add piping around the border of the pillowcase, using bias strips wrapped around a cord. Read my previous post to learn more about piping.

My parents got back from their trip to the USA (Alaska mostly) and brought back these goodies that I ordered:

These two second hand out-of-print books relating to couture sewing techniques, recommended by Marina v. K. (read her article, Best Books for Couture Enthusiasts, for more info):

the Spadea Sewing Book:
A Collection of sewing tips by World Famous Designers

Linen and Cotton:
Classic Sewing Techniques for Great Results
by Susan Khalje

Three packs of Horsehair Braid for keeping skirt hems nice and flow-y:

Horsehair Braid

Supplies for structured dress bodices, as recommended by Gertie in her "Sew Retro Bombshell Dress" course:

Spiral steel boning, boning casing, and spiral steel boning tips

And these sewing patterns:

McCall's 6350

McCall's Crafts 6188

Vintage Vogue 8728

Vogue Designer Pattern: Tracy Reese 1203