FROM PUMPKINS TO FALLING LEAVES

I have spent this last week just working on my own projects.  Making some good headway with fall seasonal items.  This is my favorite time of year and I love the new fall seasonal fabrics available now.  I am pretty sure the Fat Quarter Shop loves me.   

I finally started work on my November holiday table runner.  The Falling Leaves fat quarter bundle I ordered is just beautiful and came with a panel that I cut and used on each side of the center pieced block.

I got the pattern for the center block, must admit it was a bit complicated with all the HST's and I did not make life easy for myself as I wanted the leaf points to float to avoid cutting them off when sewing the sides pieces on and binding the runner.  I know a quilter does have to have some math skills, but no one said geometry was needed as well.  

Sure appreciate this Quilter's Select quilting ruler, which helps tons quilting this piece without having to use marking pens.

Binding all prepped and ready to add.

I finished the last of my pumpkin runners, it is off as a gift for one of our daughters.

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PUMPKINS AND AUTUMN LEAVES

I was really busy this past week.  I joined several members of my charity group and we sorted and bagged up 325 quilts for six different local agencies in our area and deliver them.  My grandson brought me a pair of firemen's uniform pants to hem.  Good thing I love him as alternations and mending is definitely not a favorite thing I  care to do.  These were complicated in that they have a buckle and velcro strap that is used to chinch the leg around their boots so the end of the pant legs don't catch on fire.  These were too long, they wear them sorter than normal length and had to be hemmed up 4 inches, which required the buckle and strap to be removed and moved up.  Sewing through multiple layers of heavy fabric, taking off the buckle and strap and getting it back on in the right position was a bit scary.         

I finally finished my first Delft Blue block #1.  Compared to the pattern I have drastically limited the leaves and flowers.   Not sure where I plan to go with this project.  I have sort of fallen out of love with it.  Have to see where I do with it.

I did a bit of cutting table clean up this week. I happened onto this rotating storage container on Amazon.  It has replaced multiple containers that I used to stash little rulers, marking pens, glue and other small tools.  I can finally stop searching all over the table for small items, all in one place now.

I am back to working on week two's blocks of Autumn Nights.  I have one more to go and then can put the small quilt together.  These little guys are buggers.  Not fun at all!

  

I have gone a bit pumpkin crazy this past week.  These little guys are fun and will be making a few more of them for our guild's quilt show boutique coming up in January.  I might keep this bottom one for myself.  Working on one with black fabrics that I really like too.

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AUTUMN NIGHTS & DELFT BLUE

I have continued to work on my own projects this week.  It is normal for me to always have multiple project going, I tend to get bored so switch back and forth between them.

I finished Week 1 of my Autumn Nights Mystery Quilt Along this week.  These are fun and the Fat Quarter Shop offers the patterns free along with Youtube tutorials.

The points on these stars are fussy and small finishing at 1".  If one pins on the star fabric piece they often shift while sewing them on the drawn line.  I discovered that if you use a glue stick it holds so much better and you are going to trim off that underside anyway so it doesn't cause any sticky issues.

My second project I just  have just started, again is a free pattern and instructions at suzyssitcom.com.  The pattern is a monthly offering and there are several different appliqué patterns offered.

This is  block number 1, where I am so far.  I do not plan to add the cup and tea bag and probably not as many of the flowers either.  I have a good deal of experience doing appliqué projects.  My method is machine appliqué with a small buttonhole stitch with matching colors of thread.  Suzy's patterns are wonderful, but they are not beginner friendly to my way of thinking either.  Instructions and layouts are sometimes scant and a bit confusing at times.  But if you do enjoy appliqué by what ever method you prefer it is definitely worth taking advantage of them.

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ANTUMN NIGHTS MYSTERY QUILT ALONG

At last with just having finished off 2 more charity quilt tops I am finely getting on to some fun projects of my own.

Last week I stumbled on to this Fat Quarter Shop Autumn Nights Mystery Quilt Along.  The patterns come out once a week.  I was able to print off the first three, and purchase fabric for them and started it this past week.

I got the three pumpkin blocks done in no time at all and they were fun.  They measure 7.5" by 8.5".  I only ran into one problem.

You need to cut the fabric strips after joined with a 7.5" square ruler on the diagonal.  I don't have one, I have an 8.5, 9.5, 10.5,12.5 and a 16.5.  I tried using the 8.5" planning to cut down to 7.5", but that didn't work.  I am not going to run all over town looking for one.  So plan B was to make myself one.  A quick trip to the recycle can in our back yard, pull out a wine box that we had just tossed in there after restocking our wine refrigerator and I made myself one, thank you Trader Joe's.

This is the last baby quilt top I made for my charity group when they requested baby/children's quilts.

This quilt is also going to the charity group, however it originally was not planned for that purpose.  I have been working on these blocks as a wedding gift for a family member and was ment to be king size, 100 ten inch blocks.  I had 30 done when the couple decided to end their engagement.  So decided I wasn't going to have them sitting around for who knew how long.  No one in the family close to thinking or old enough to get married.  I had exactly the number of blocks needed for a 50" by 60" quilt top and was able to cut a binding and off to the charity group it goes.

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DE-STASH FAILURE

 I have spent the last 5 months or so working on charity quilts with my guild's Warm Wrappings program.  At least a good part of my motif has been an attempt to de-stash some of my old fabrics that have hung around in the bins and closet for years.  Frankly it has not been all that successful but well worth the try.  

I think this is number 17.  Most of these are left over William Morris fabrics.  My plan was to keep this one, but once I got down to the last row to finish have decided I am not that excited about it.  I am sort of done and have plans to do something else for a while in the sewing room.

De-stashing has really not worked very well.  This is the reason why.  I went on a bit of a shopping spree.

And a second shopping trip as well.  The Fat Quarter Shop is addictive, and my oldest daughter helped with a Mother's Day gift card from Connecting Threads that I have been saving, and another I just got from her for my birthday.  Now just have to dig up a pattern or two and get busy.     

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END OF THE CHARITY DRIVE & BUTTONS SAVED THE DAY

 This past week is the last week of getting quilt tops finished up for my charity group to complete their final end of the year donations drive.  In October we will send off to 5 various agencies in our area  a total of approximately 350 finished quilts.  Then I am off to working on some fun projects for myself.  I just ordered two fall fabric Fat Quarter Bundles so cannot wait to dig into them. 

This is my last three.  I love the simple child's quilt with the elephants on it, and I think this blue, red, and yellow quilt could make a fun older child's quilt too.  Nice to be finished with this latest project.

Last week's blog had me lamenting about my pumpkin wall hanging quilt's leaf error.  It took me a couple of days and lots of wonderful advice from comments to decided that it was still worth hanging it in our entry hall.  I decided if I could find a caterpillar button or some other garden bug button sewing it onto that leaf would be a fun idea.  Unfortunately I was not able to find any of those, but in my button box, a carry over of hundreds of buttons my husband's mother gave me, I found these two little bumble bee buttons.  Yesterday I finished the binding and hung the quilt up in the entry hall.  We love it!

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QUILTING'S UPS AND DOWNS

The quilter returned two of my recent finished projects.  I still have my Rosemary and Thyme quilt top to get off to her over the next week or two.  Putting quilt backs together is my least favorite chore so we shall see how that goes.  

Yes my pumpkin wall hanging is done and if you have not immeditately noticed it in this picture, you have a much better eye than me.

Yes that lower left leaf.  Dispite putting all the blocks together, joining all the rows, I missed this.  I did not discover it until it was returned by the quilter.  She never noticed it either, as she would have immediately called me to get it back and fix the issue.  Will I hang it in the entry hall this coming fall as planned.  Yes, maybe and see how many of my family and quilting friends notice it. 

The quilting on it is beautiful, I think that is the most irritating thing about the whole situation.  Am I toying with making it over again, but frankly I am more likely to just hang it in my sewing room on the wall above where I sew to remind myself, perfect isn't always going to be obtainable.

The second quilt top returned after quilting has come back at least in my mind perfect.  I did have custom quilting done on it and it is just really nice.  This will go into my guild's quilt show in January.

While I am pretty disappointed with the pumpkin quilt outcome the New York Beauty quilt has just come out so nicely.  Best to just laugh at myself and move on to the next quilting project.

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LOTS OF FINISHED

I have spent this past week just working on finishing up quilts for the year end give away of Warm Wrappings my guild's charity group giveaway in October.  

I did decide to keep this batik quilt I made last month.  It was part of my plan to de-stash some of my batik fabric hoarding, which although I made 2 other quilt tops that went to my charity group was completely unsuccessful as the bin is just a full as it always was.  However, my husband liked this one and I decided to have it quilted and keep it.  Well we are not keeping it after all.  It is being given away today to our oldest granddaughter for her 33rd birthday instead. 

My quilter did a lovely job on the quilting and I think my choice of a backing was perfect for it.  
 

These are the last two of my baby/child quilt tops completed.

And these are two of my adult quilt tops finished.  I do have another two more to work on and finish.  Off to the charity group with these  once those are finished off time to start on a fall appliqué project I have had sitting in a drawer since May of 2024.

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ROSEMARY & THYME AND PLACEMATS

 This week I finally decided to shift from working on my guild's baby quilt charity requests and do a couple of personal projects and finishes.  

I finished my Rosemary and Thyme quilt top.  Those last 3 missing blocks were a real chore for me for some reason, but I finally pulled myself together and got them done.  Now just to do a back up and off to the quilter.

This delightful little one is our Yorkshire Terrier Zoey, and she likes her breakfast and snacks on a placemat.  Her old ones have been wash thousands of times and were looking pretty worn out, so I happened to find this fabric given to me in a bundle of scraps.  Just enough to make two new placemats for her.  

While digging out all my fabrics in order to finish the last 3 blocks of the Rosemary and Thyme quilt top along with some other this and that fabric scraps I ran across this scrappy placemat pattern.  We use placemats on a regular basis for our meals so placements for the various seasons are regular table settings for us.  This pattern however takes scrap quilting to a new height.  I always make four so this little project consisted of (224) 2" blocks, (8) 2" by 2.5" blocks, (4) 1" by 2" blocks, and (8) magic corners from 1.5" cuts.  I have taken scrap quilting to a new dimension.  I made the four pumpkin sections first and at that point of was just hooked.  Cannot wait until late September or early October to start using them. 

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BABY QUILTS REQUESTS

My quilt guild's charity group put in an urgent request for baby/children's quilts. Annually in October we donate approximately 350 finished quilts to 5 different local agencies.  Quilts for men/boys and young children it seems are always hard to come by.  

I finished up this one from left over fabrics from a quilt I had made years ago for  one of my grandson's when he graduated from fire academy.  He is now a fire fighter working for CalFire.  I think some little boy would love it.  It measures 45" by 45".

This one I think could be either girl or boy.  The little dots in the blue fabric are green, orange, and pink.  Not a lot of pink, so maybe. 

This one definitely a girl quilt.  I still have another two cut out and partially sewn together.

I still have a bit of a stash of children's quilt fabrics, there is not much of a demand any longer in our family of a need for them any longer.  When eventually there is there is always the ability to go on a fabric shopping spree.  

A month or so ago I finished all the blocks on my Rosemary and Thyme quilt by CottonStreetCommons, or so I thought.  I laid it out this past week on the design board and discovered, I had a problem.  Three blocks missing, I miss counted.  Now to dig out all the fabrics that were stashed away here and there and see about coming up with three more blocks. I have my work cut out for me this week on this now.

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