Hello, Autumn, Darling Quilt

Hello, Friends!

Are you enjoying autumn as much as I am?

It makes me want to curl up with a new quilt,

for keeping cozy on these cool evenings.

I was stricken with All-Hallows-Eve fever

from the moment I discovered this beautiful fabric

from Fig Tree Quilts.

I first saw it used with the "Merry Christmas, Darling" quilt pattern

from Cotton Way, and it shot to the top of my must-make list.

I found this pattern to be extremely enjoyable to sew.

At first, I planned to stick with the color arrangement

shown on the pattern cover.

Pretty soon, though...a random design took over,

since I had orange, gray and black blocks

instead of the two-color palette.

I found it to be just as appealing, if not more so.

I think I love the all-black star best.

{It reminds me of a Halloween kitten.}

Before quilting, I pinned the quilt sandwich together with pins.

This part is not my favorite step in the process.

{Does anyone out there like making a quilt sandwich???}

The machine quilting process was much more fun!

I used a set of long wavy lines,

in the style of my sister of Susie's Sunroom.

The backing is a charming pumpkin colored floral print. 

For the binding, I selected the orange peel print.

It complements both sides. 

I don't ever mind stitching on the binding by hand,

because the big finish is worth it!

It's just scrumptious, when it's all rolled up, don't you agree?

If you enjoy sewing, I have a great resource for you to explore.

The website is called "Do You Sew?" and is fun for

anyone who sews, no matter your experience level.

Sign up here to receive their newsletter!

Now I'm all set for the month of October.

How about you?

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Spooky Delight Table Topper

Hello, Friends!

Halloween is coming up soon.

I'm all set, now that I've finished making my

Spooky Delight table topper!

In my last post, I shared the matching pillow.

{See the pillow back there on the couch?}

I got a lot of mileage out of just that one Spooky Delight charm pack!

There are even a few squares left...

I decided not to use the purple and green ones.

For the pillow,

 I had used some of the low volume squares

from the charm pack for the "background," 

supplemented with "Porcelain" Bella Solid fabric.

I went a different direction for the table topper,

choosing "Steel" gray Bella Solid

for the background.

For the backing, I used the same gray solid.

I added a strip of extra HST's for interest.

True Confession:

There is a little PUCKER on the back. 

There was a big FROWN on my face when I saw it.

I just left it there.

{The PUCKER - not the frown. I'm over it.}

I just adore the vintage vibe from this fabric line,

by Bunny Hill for Moda.

I wanted a bright skinny orange border 

for the table topper.

I turned to another wonderful fabric line...

Good Neighbors by Crazy Mom Quilts

for Connecting Threads.

I know now why it's named Good Neighbors...

these fabrics mix very well with other lines.

I used some of the gray stripe from Good Neighbors for the binding.

I think it's just right...on both sides.

I'm all set for trick-or-treaters now.

We'll keep the lights low to make the house more spooky.

Come back soon to see some more decorations

for fall and Thanksgiving at my house!

Here's a sneak peek...

Happy Halloween!

Linking up with:

Quilt Story

Midweek Makers #43

WIP Wednesday #258 @ TN&TN

Silly Mama Quilts

Fabric Frenzy Friday at Fort Worth Fabric Studio

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Spooky Delights Halloween Pillow

Hello, Friends!

October is here, and while I was decorating my home,

I decided to whip up a new Halloween pillow.

I used my charm pack of Spooky Delights

by Bunny Hill for Moda.

There are so many sweet prints...

I think I love this Raven Damask the most.

Can you see the tiny black birds?

The text print was another deal-breaker for me.

Mix in a few black cats, pumpkins and mischievous mice,

and you've got a fun focal print.

Of course, there are lots of pretty polka dots

to coordinate...making this line a hit with me.

I've been practing my half-square triangle (HST)

technique, so in nearly no time,

I had whipped up the 16 HST's I needed for the pillow top.

I love that HST's can be arranged in countless ways,

to create stunning designs.

This is the layout I chose, with a diamond pattern

of low volumes around a dark center.

My finished top was about 16 1/2" square...

my pillow form was 16" on the top, but it's rather deep.

I decided to use a Bella Solid

shade called Melon (9900 295)

to add a narrow coordinating border.

Often I use a covered zipper backing, but this time
I took a practical shortcut in the zipper installation.

I placed the zipper in the bottom seam of the pillow.

It doesn't show, and it will be so easy to swap out

the pillow cover for other seasons.

I chose the text print in Vanilla for the pillow backing.

The quilting on this pillow was nice and easy...

I used a grid of straight diagonal lines.

For areas that weren't "in the ditch",

I marked my lines with a Frixion pen.

You would never know, even on the white triangles...
a hot iron removed the lines after stitching.

I'm so pleased with my Halloween pillow...

and there are enough charm squares left for another

Halloween project or two!

Are you getting ready for Halloween, too?

Linking up with Quilt Story Fabric Tuesday
and
Freemotion By the River Linky Tuesday
and
Fabric Frenzy Friday
and 
Finish It Up Friday - Oct. 7, 2016.

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Farm Girl Vintage Blocks - Peas, Carrots and Lots More

Now, where we?...

Life interrupted our conversation about my

Farm Girl Vintage blocks.

The last time I blogged, I was talking about the

Out to Pasture and Patchwork Pumpkin blocks.

Pumpkin season seemed so far away...

and now it's almost autumn!

I'm so tempted to skip ahead and show you

my blocks that match up with the sew along...

but let's stay in alphabetical order,

so I won't miss any.

{This book is so much fun that I'm making every single block in it.}

So, the next block in the book was the Peas and Carrots block.

Yay!

After making that pumpkin,

I decided that my finished quilt is going to need some more orange.

{Do you have orange-o-phobia? You really should get over it. 

Some pretty orange fabrics are very therapeutic...trust me.}

I thoroughly enjoyed stitching this block.

I've been skill-building as I work my way through the book.

Oh.My. How I looked forward to making the next block...

Pie Cherries!

This block was probably the deal-breaker block.

I couldn't wait to buy the book after seeing these cherries.

To be honest, I feel a wee bit of disappointment

in my version of the block.

Check it out - my stems are not as uniform as they should be.

But never mind...my pie bird loves these cherries just as they are.

I adore cherry red color anywhere in the kitchen.

It's so retro.

Next in the book is a simple little Pinwheels block.

It's a classic favorite, fun to make, and oh, so cute!

I followed my own tips, and I chose prints of similar value.

I think my favorite one is...that orange one.

{What is the opposite of orange-o-phobia? I have that.}

Have you ever made a Postage Stamp block?

I really want to make an old-fashioned quilt made

entirely of postage stamp blocks, using all of my favorite fabrics.

You don't even need a pattern to create these blocks from 1 1/2" squares.

Just use an accurate scant 1/4" seam, and the squares line up perfectly.

Ahem...almost all the time.

Just because we're best fabric friends,

and I know you love fabrics almost as much as I do,

I'll show you some more close-ups of my postage stamp block.

Just one more photo, to say goodbye for now.

Come back soon to see more of my Farm Girl Vintage blocks!

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