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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Coney Island Pillow

Hello, Friends!

If you're like me, you don't have a lot of free time

for sewing, especially in the summertime.

Pillows are a great project,

because they're both practical and pretty...

a smart way to use precious time!

I made this particular pillow with a mini charm pack

of Coney Island, by Fig Tree Quilts for Moda.

The colors and prints capture summer's

carefree moments perfectly.

When it came time to choose the backing,

this apple green solid caught my eye.

I followed my own free tutorial

for making a covered zipper pillow backing.

This little pillow measures about 14" x 14".

It's not too big...just nice for cushioning a wicker chair.

I love the way this pudgy pillow fills out the form.

It's pleasingly plump!!!

Don't you love mini charms?

I love searching for matching prints

in various colorways, when I use a charm pack

or a mini charm pack.

If you have a favorite way to spend your

summer sewing hours,

feel free to comment!

Linking to:

Freemotion By The River

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Hands and Pot Holders

Hello, friends!

How's your summer?

Mine has been rather too eventful for my taste.

We've had some scary health issues in my family,

and yesterday I joined in the drama by breaking my left hand.

{Sad face}

Still, I'm counting my blessings:

1. There was no blood involved.

2. It isn't my dominant hand.

3. We had just returned from a fun vacation...

which is how I tripped over the suitcase and broke my hand,

while carrying a large basket of...

4. CLEAN laundry.

{Happy face}

l 

Now let's get back to some sewing news...

prior to the Laundry Accident I'd been busy making pot holders!

I really love the Pretty Little Potholder tutorial,

expertly written by Amy at nana Company blog.

I pulled some lime green and cheery red prints from my stash
and whipped up this set in no time.

Cherries make such a sweet kitchen theme, don't they?
I had a piece of fabric called Oh-Cherry-Oh from 
Me and My Sister for Moda.
Delicious!!!

The red and white binding fabric was from the same line.
I used it for the adorable ruffle, too.

The green plaid is from Sugar Hill by Tanya Whelan.
I often use a Frixion pen to mark my quilting lines,
but this diagonal plaid made it really easy to create a grid design.

Tags are fun to create,
especially if you have some fun Japanese ribbon for detail.

Here's the other tag.

The finished pot holders make a great gift
that is functional and fresh.

I love the way every set made from this tutorial looks so different.

Here's another pair I made for a new bride

with a country kitchen.

The fabrics are from Dandelion Girl, by Fig Tree Quilts.
I'm still enjoying the fat quarter bundle I bought to make this quilt.

I made the pair of pot holders similar, but different.
One features gingham, and the other has a pretty tonal leaf print.

The colors are soft and understated,
so I left out the tag detail.

The squishy quilting will make baking even more fun.

That ruffle detail adds romance and style.

Soon I'll be sharing more pot holders and other projects...
I can blog with one hand tied behind my back!

Be careful out there, everyone!

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Bird Song Quilt

In my Farewell to Zakka post,

I featured the set of nesting boxes I'd made

to coordinate with a quilt.

I thought it might be fun to share more about the quilt,

even though I made it a couple of years ago.

From the first time I saw the pattern design in progress

on the Fig Tree Quilts blog,

I knew that "Bird Song" was in my future.

Pattern from Fig Tree Quilts

I love the theme of "home" as much as the beautiful applique images, 
and the pops of black against the soft palette really work for me.

{The WORDS are my favorite detail!}

Dandelion Girl by Fig Tree Quilts for Moda

was released in the spring of 2008.

Image from Fat Quarter Shop

For a long time, I've been a member of the Birthday Club at Colonial Crafts.

During my birthday month, I get 20% off any regular-priced

purchases!

That year, I treated myself to the fat quarter bundle of Dandelion Girl.

{Happy Birthday to me!}

I needed a bit of yardage for the borders and binding, 

and I jazzed up the palette with a green polka dot that was a tad bit brighter.

There are also a few wee bits of felted wool for a few of the details...

like the flower buds and centers...

and the birdie beaks and eyes.

Those WORDS...they are still my favorite part!

I used an alphabet panel, and I didn't have enough of some letters

to duplicate the pattern, but I made my own substitutions.

{As I recall, it was quite an effort to get the spacing and positioning right, but I loved the end result!}

I stayed true to the pattern as much as possible and learned to do

the starch method of applique for this project.

For the most part, it was very enjoyable.

I really loved making those eggs!

{I did not have as much fun on the pointy parts of all those flowers, though!}

When it came time for the quilting,

I stitched on top of the appliques, which kinda took away from the impressiveness of all that hand applique, but...I think it's pretty.

I did a lot of stippling in the spaces between appliques,

but wherever there was a large enough area,

I added lots of freeform feathers!

{I used invisible thread on the top, and cream thread in the bobbin.}

For my feathers, I drew the design on Golden Threads quilting paper in pencil.

This kept me from being a nervous wreck...about THAT, anyway...

especially on the long borders.

After quilting, I just tore away the paper.

;)

{Ahem...I may have spent quite a long while picking out the bazillion tiny pieces 

with a set of tweezers...but I don't like marking my quilt tops, 

having had a bad experience or two in the past.}

For the backing, I just used a creamy solid cotton...

I think it was a Bella Solid, but I don't remember exactly.

I wish now that I had used yardage of one of the prints, or had even pieced part of the back with some of the leftover fabric.

{On the plus side, I can see the quilting really well on the back.}

So why did I use the solid back?

At the time, I had planned to use this quilt as a wall hanging,

and never as a quilt.

I'm not sure if I mentioned this, but I live in a little house with my husband and two teenage sons.  My husband is not really crazy about having quilts on the walls.  It kinda drives him nuts when I even drape them over the railings in our entryway, but I do that all the time to decorate for the seasons.

{At least our dog Ginger likes this quilt as much as I do.}

I used to put this quilt out only in the springtime.  

For some reason, this year it makes me feel like getting ready for fall

in these last few warm days of September.

I think I'll curl up with a cup of tea, my Bird Song quilt and a good book.

{Tea...more to follow about tea in upcoming posts!}

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