Fall on the wall

Now that there's a tinge of color on our burning bushes and crapapple trees, it's time to put up my fall quilt. I made this quilt in February 2013--it seems I always  make seasonal quilts at very off times--using a pattern in Ruth B. McDowell's Piecing Workshop. She is one of my favorite quilt artists. I had designed and made quilts using her techniques before, but decided that it would be a good idea to make one directly from her pattern to practice a variety of techniques (Y seams, curved seams, insets, teeny slices, etc). I challenged myself to use only fabrics, batting and thread from my stash. Here's the result:

It's about 24 1/2 by 30 inches, all scraps, with a polyester batting--I think maybe Quilt Light by Mountain Mist. I used very old cotton thread that I've been hoarding for hand quilting. It's Suisse Quilting by the American Thread Company that I bought when I first started quilting many years ago. Sadly, it's no longer made. The back is leftover yardage from another project--nothing special. 

 But here's the cool part: Last fall my husband and I took a trip to Vermont to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary. One day we met a couple in a parking lot while we were getting ready to hike a bit of the Long Trail. They invited us to hike a side trail that we would never have known about to a beautiful little lake. As we were hiking Sandra introduced herself as a ceramic artist and we talked a bit about her work. That night I found her website on the internet and found out that she lived just a little way from the cabin we were staying at. I contacted her about buying some of her work, and she invited us to see her studio. While we were there, she mentioned that she was closing out her line of buttons, and I ended up buying what she had left. Anyway, some of those buttons were just the right color and texture to embellish my quilt, so now my fall quilt has become a memory quilt of our trip and the gracious couple who invited us to see a hidden gem on a hike. I used seven of the buttons on the quilt, and have lots more to use. Lately, I've been making quilts for babies who can't have buttons on them, but I have some quilts started that will be perfect for some embellishment. 

If you are interested in seeing some of Sandra's beautiful work click here. She also has an Etsy site with whimsical ornaments. 

Today I'm linking up with Needle and Thread Thursday.