It's Pumpkin Harvest time!
Just look at all of those pumpkins out there in the field!
This 51" x 69" lap quilt started as a spin off of my Pumpkat Patch table runner,
since I've always loved the combo of pumpkins and leaves. In case you didn't already know, I do like cats too, and have played around with more pumpkin/cat settings, though they still need work - hah!
Anyway, I love how these pumpkins just pop off the black background! Of course, with all that orange and green, they'd pop off a grey or a cream background too!
That's one of the solid color pumpkins, while here's a pumpkin that's scrappy:
Combining the two styles in the quilt really adds to the interest, keeping the eye moving around that pumpkin field, wanting you to pick out your favorite!
As for the quilting on this: swirls in the scrappy pumpkins (thanks Vicki of Vicki's Crafts and Quilting for that idea!), curved lines on the solids, and veins in the leaves and stems.
The background is a fairly large stipple, mainly because I wanted this quilt to be soft and snuggly, and anything fancy would be hard to see on the black. The quilting is easier to see on the really pretty backing fabric.
If you look closely, you'll see how I quilted up to the HST's in the border, stitched-in-the-ditch around them, then came out again, keeping the flow of the stipple.
Are you ready for a Pumpkin Harvest in your house?
Happy Quilting everyone!
My day has arrived for the My Happy Place Rowalong, hosted by Marian of Seams to be Sew! And here is my current happy place - In the Swimming Pool!
The Back Story
Yes, hard to imagine that anything involving exercise could be a happy place, but after 25 years of swimming with the Stanford Masters program, I'm happy that I'm still there.
You see, 30 years ago, I was treated for Hodgkin's lymphoma, and upon approaching the five year mark, I decided I needed to commit to a life of exercise. Having grown up on a lake, swimming was a natural fit, especially since it could be done year round in CA.
Fast forward to two years ago. After so many years of swimming, I started having neck/shoulder issues, and sought physical therapy. Turns out, I wasn't using the right muscles to swim, causing pain and numbness.
Now I'm on a mission to change my stroke, and build up the proper muscles in my back. It hasn't been easy, but I'm getting there, and I find that I really enjoy swimming again. Of course, with a Master's workout, I can also let the diet go a bit - I just work harder to burn off any extra calorie intake!
So, yes, in the swimming pool is my happy place.
Fabrics/Construction
This row is really simple to construct, thanks to the wonderful water/wave fabric from Northcott. The company was kind enough to contribute fabric for the rowalong, and this Northcott Artisan Spirit Shimmer, Blue Lagoon (20425M-45) is perfect! Below is their picture,
and this is what it really looks like.
Using Kona Cotton Solids to add a few lane lines and an applique swimmer, and this row is complete!
The In the Swimming Pool row pattern is available in my Etsy shop, and now includes 3 additional silhouettes, butterfly, backstroke, and breast stroke, for a whole pool of swimmer rows.
Previous Years Rows
And just for fun, here's the row from last year:
Let It Snow,
which is now a Let it Snow wall hanging pattern,
and the year prior:
Silicon Valley Road Home row, which, is currently unavailable.
Happy collecting and enjoy the hop!
Come join me today, while I participate in the Welcome to My House Blog Hop, hosted by Carol at Just Let Me Quilt -
and Welcome to My Birdhouse wall hanging pattern!
The idea for this new modern wall hanging came to me after receiving one of those 'home for sale' postcards in the mail. It was for a newly remodeled Eichler home in the neighborhood, and even though the price was flabbergasting, it was an attractive, modern style home.
Around here, one either loves Eichler's or hates them - they're not your typical style or constructed house. But, they have a modern, open vibe even if built 60 years ago, and those that are remodeled can be quite stunning.
Thus the modern house idea, which was simplified and evolved into these modern birdhouses,
that are creatively stacked on the pole.
Keeping with the simple, modern lines, the quilting adds to the modern feel without overpowering the quilt.
And if you look closely, each door is a different style,
to add to the interest.
I bet these birds are really happy to live here!
To make your own Welcome to My Birdhouse wall hanging, the pattern is available at Etsy. With detailed instructions, the birdhouses are suitable for the confident beginner quilter or above.
Again, Welcome to My Birdhouse, and thank you for visiting!
Welcome to my stop on the Quilters Meet and Greet, hosted by Benita of Benita Skinner's Creative Space and Victoriana Quilt Designs. For those of you new to my little corner of the quilt world, pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee, and prepare to spend some time. There's lots to see -
tutorials
including quilting videos,
and patterns. So glad you're here!
First, a little about me. I've been quilting for over 15 years, acquiring an extensive stash, numerous tools, and an Innova longarm that helps to beautifully finish my quilts!
When I'm not quilting, I'm off swimming or jogging, plus taking care of a husband, three kitties, and thirty orchids. There's also two sons, but they're out of the house now.
So what inspired me to start quilting? Let's go back 20 years - The Quilt Show was on PBS, and Ruth B. McDowell was creating incredible quilts. The whole quilting world had exploded, with lots of new fabrics, books, and tools. Certainly time to jump in!
And jump in I did! As a mostly self-taught quilter, I was encouraged to start blogging to share what I had learned and show what I made - QuiltFabrication was born.
I've been asked to share my favorite quilt, which is super tough, cause I have many. So, I'm giving you my current top three:
1. Patriotic Wave
I'm a big fan of red/white/blue quilts, and the stripes, curve, and stars of this runner make it one of my favorites! It's also a favorite of lots of quilters, as the Patriotic Wave pattern is my #1 seller.
2. Seafarer
This is for sure one of my favorite quilts, and was made for my son before he went off to the Peace Corps. Seafarer is incredibly popular with a pattern that includes baby, lap, and twin sizes, available at Etsy.
3. Strawberry Splendor
I just love the elegance of the strawberries and blossoms - it's hard to resist my favorite spring wall hanging, also available as the Strawberry Splendor pattern.
So there you have it, a brief intro to me, Susan, the quilter behind QuiltFabrication.
Happy Quilting!
My Favorite Patterns
It's time for a new Book of the Month! The September selection goes to a brand new quilt book, Oh, Scrap! (affiliate link) by Lissa Alexander.
After making Regatta
and Saxon this summer,
I reached a point where I really don't want to make a super scrappy quilt for awhile. By that I mean a quilt composed of little, itty bits and pieces leftover from other projects, sewn together to make a larger chunk of fabric.
But here's the problem: I have a lot, and I mean a lot, of old fabric that is perfectly useful but just not inspiring. Sure, I could sort through it and give some away, but I did that massive clean out in the spring.
I'd rather try to use it up, much like I did for Leaf Piles. Though there was older fabric in that quilt, it came out beautifully.
When it comes right down to it, I think I'm happier making controlled scrappy quilts, like Leaf Piles and like the one that's on the cover of the book.
These are really more my scrap style. Of course, my style also consists of using many different fabrics of one color or value too - I do like that variety!
Happy Quilting!
