Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Happy Equinox!

I know that for many of you today is the first day of spring, but where I live it is the first day of fall (or maybe I should say autumn--a more elegant word, perhaps). And we've had a glorious day: clear blue skies, temperature in the 60's F in the shade but warmer in the sun, and just a hint of color in the tops of some of the trees. 

To celebrate, here's the beginning of my quilting on the Fall Maple Quilt:


I'm hand quilting the leaves, stitching first along the edges and then putting in some veins. I know that using perle cotton is common in today's quilts, but I'm using threads from my stash that are probably about #30 weight. I really do enjoy quilting with them. I'm still considering quilting the background by machine with tiny stipples to really make the leaves stand out if my machine likes quilting through the batting. I'm using Mountain Mist polyester batting, regular loft. It's a little thicker than I've used on wall hangings, but it's what I had on hand left over from another project. I forgot how easy it is to hand quilt polyester! 

Here's a close up of the leaf:


And from the back:


I'm using some fabric that I ordered for another project awhile back. It's a very light gray, but tends to look like recycled white paper, and I decided that I wouldn't care for it on the front of a quilt--it tends to look dingy. But it's perfect for a back, right?

I'm using several colors of thread, with no real plan for what goes where. (So freeing.) One more picture, just because. The light was perfect for showing off quilting. 



And then, I walked around to check out the late summer flowers. Oh, my.







No quilting to show on the Big Quilt this week, but I got a lot done on the baby quilt I can't show you yet. The back is all pieced. This is a bit of a problem. I now have three quilts at the quilting stage. I ran out of basting pins, so I had to buy some more. So much for multi-quilting. Does this mean I have to start a fourth project?? Oh, no...

I'm linking up this week with Freemotion by the River, Freshly Pieced, Sew Fresh Quilts and My Quilt Infatuation for their linky parties. Buttons are on the right.

I hope the new season brings you lots of good quilty fun. 

13 comments:

Kim A said...

I love the quilting on the leaves, your time spent will be well worth it!

Robyn said...

Good on you for taking the time to hand quilt the leaves, it is going to be worth it! I don't think perle cotton would have been as effective here, leaves are so delicate and I think the finer weight thread compliments that. Well done.

Carole @ Fresh off the Frame said...

The hand quilting on your fall, er...*ahem*...autumn quilt looks lovely, and your little red chair is perfect for showing off your project!

Kate said...

Beautiful quilting on your autumn quilt. Your flowers are gorgeous.

Nancy A. Bekofske said...

The Maple leaf is looking great!

Mari said...

Such pretty, perfect stitches!

Jen said...

I love fall leaves, and what beautiful stitching you've done. Your photos are lovely too.

Silvana said...

Bellissima questa foglia...dove hai preso il modello? Mi piacerebbe molto poterlo fare.Complimenti.....Silvana (Italia)

JanineMarie said...

Thank you, Silvana! I can't find a way to respond to you by email, so I hope you find this here. The pattern is in the book Ruth B. McDowell's Piecing Workshop.

Andree G. Faubert said...

Hi JanineMarie, I really like your maple leaf. I've never thought about both hand quilting and machine quilting a quilt. That could be a lot of fun, without having to hand quilt the whole darn thing (which seems to be never ending!)

Lorna McMahon said...

What a gorgeous leaf and such beautiful quilting! Enjoy those flowers while you still can!

Connie Kresin Campbell said...

Your hand quilting is beautiful and what perfect photos of your flowers!

Kaja said...

Autumn here too, ho hum (not a big fan of what comes next!) Your flowers are still very pretty, which makes me think I should see to my own garden instead of sewing. I like the idea of adding stippling around your leaf, though it is looking good already.