Amazing! Even though it isn't officially fall, it is time for school to start and that means fall to me.
To my surprise, I have accomplished some things since last spring. I FINALLY quilted the Paducah Nine-Patch top assembled quite a few years ago. It is quilted with simple straight line walking foot quilting, which is all it needed. It is happy to be finished!
I also quilted a Miss Rosie top that I made several years back. I think the pattern was called Pretty Maids. It is made in wonderfully murky eggplant, tan, gold, green fabrics, but I changed it to have a plainer, dark eggplant border so there would be spaces for some fancy quilting. The center is straight line walking foot. I called it "It Was a Dark and Murky Night." There were some blocks left over so they were assembled into a small table runner. The table runner will be donated to the Quilt Boutique at our local quilt show.
I made and quilted an appliqued quilt called Bird Haven. It has 9 appliqued blocks and is about 48" square. It was named in honor of Bird Haven Greenhouse and Conservatory in Joliet, IL. They will celebrate 80 years of continuous operation in 2010. I grew up in Joliet and have fond memories of visits to the greenhouse...but I was NOT there on opening day in 1930!
I made a lap size four-patch quilt to be donated through community projects of our local guild.
I joined a small group. Each of us plan to make a journal type quilt a month. This is meant to be a growth experience. I am planning to work on unmarked free motion quilting of objects like leaves, flowers, feathers, etc. I am using Dover Books for inspiration. The series will be called Without a Trace I, II, etc. I quilted a floral shape for the first one. It turned out well but I was not adventurous enough in my choice of thread.
But the main thing is that I have started my "big" project for the year. It is a red and green appliqued quilt based on my study of some antique quilts - pictures - I've not been able to see very many actual quilts. It will have nine 18" blocks in the center and a leafy border.
And...I had some excitement in June. A quilt that I entered in the NQA show placed second in the Bed Quilts, Mixed Techniques category.
