Sunday 14 October 2018

Season of Mellow Fruitfulness

The days are getting shorter and the lights start going on a bit earlier.  I don't really like closing the curtains too early but it has been a bit stormy this week and the wind has been howling around this old house at times.  I have been working on the Chevron quilt this week.  You may remember I pieced it together while I was on holiday in Canada.  The continuing theme throughout the quilt seems to have been spots.  The Lotta Dots charm pack by Connecting Threads was combined with a bubbly white on white fabric and pulled together with my favourite fabric for the moment Moda Grunge in Patriot blue.  This was an easy pattern to put together but with a bit of concentration needed with the half square triangles with lots of trimming and squaring going on. I hope you agree the chevron pattern from Missouri Star is quite striking and has produced a good size lap quilt. I think Jenny calls it Spice Rack as she uses rustic spicy colours In her version.  I brought the completed top back home to sandwich and quilt.  It has literally been hanging on the frame ready for decisions to be made.  It took me a wee while to decide on the quilting.  



I thought I would like to quilt pebbles or circles to complete the ongoing theme.  I really need to see the quilt flat to decide and I have the luxury of either hanging a quilt on the front of a wardrobe or laying it out on the floor where I leave it for a few days, looking at it from time to time from all angles and imagining the quilting pattern superimposed on the top.  This is the stage I least like, I’m so indecisive and having spent ages piecing I don’t really want to ruin it just because I don’t take time to think it through.  Usually the quilt will speak to me, if it doesn’t it goes on a shelf after a few days, to remain there for some time usually. (I have 3 tops on the limbo shelf at the moment or maybe it’s  4)  However this quilt didn’t hang about for long and was loaded on to my frame.  







I used a plain navy backing fabric and warm and natural batting, the thread I used this time was Glide Sky.  The quilt was all free motion quilted, no pantograph, no stitch regulator, no marking just my not so perfect concentration, which produced the finished article.  I decided to take it slowly - as in only a portion at a time. I stopped frequently and didn’t get myself overly stressed. (hence the extra creases on the above photo because it was rolled on the frame for a bit)

 
I only worked on it one or two passes at a time then changed tactics and moved on to a different project.  This seemed to work for me.  Sometimes you pick up a bad habit and lose concentration - other times you get into the zone and everything flows smoothly.  Here is the result.  I still have the binding to put on and then it will be complete.

My Chevron Quilt aka as Spice Rack on Missouri Star

I got quite a surprise when I removed the quilt from the frame and flipped it over - it almost looks like a secondary whole cloth quilt.  I think it looks quite striking.

Does it look like a whole cloth quilt?

I will be secret sewing again this week and I might try just get one of those limbo quilts off the shelf and have another look for inspiration. Oh and I do have my Block of the Month quilt to finish for class, I think it needs to be completed for early November! Better get a move on.


Autumn has definitely arrived here and we have been buffeted by a few storms already and some of the leaves have fallen without actually changing colours.  Autumn brings lots of fruits, windfall apples, brambles, rowans, hips and haws.  I was lucky enough to be given some apples from a neighbour and combined with some rowans this is what I have been making this morning.

A bountiful harvest of apples


and the resulting pots of Apple and Rowan Jelly


  Maybe I’ll make some autumnal leafy blocks this week? Until next time happy stitching. 

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