Maple Leaves and Apple Crop

The maple leaves on my design wall are multiplying, there are only 14 more to go. When I checked my stash, I have plenty of fabrics that are suitable for this quilt. It will be a colorful one, appropriate for the season.

To speed up the process, I am doing a lot of chain piecing, and the quilt comes together quite fast. I am using the Easy Angle to cut the half square triangles from 4 1/2" strips, which means there are minimal waste.

Apart from piecing I have been very busy taking care of my apple crop. You can see on the picture above the size of the apples we had this year!  Here is a selection of what has been made so far with the apples. Today I made Apple Jelly, in the jar with red lid on the picture. The jar with the grey lid contains Chunky Apple Sauce. The bottles contain Apple Juice and Concentrated Apple Juice, respectively.

I have also made Apple Muffins, and I guess there will be a few Apple Cakes and Pies in the future. The apples are actually very good to eat as they are, they are really sweet. They are my preferred fruit for the season.  But I have to process more apples so I won't loose too many, because they do not keep too long in our basement.

Now I am going to assemble a delicious apple dessert containing chunky apple sauce, bread crumbs fried in butter, and whipped cream. Everything put together in layers. Yummy!

Fall is here

I got very inspired by all the different maple leaf quilts that can be found pictures of around on the web. I decided I needed to make one on my own. I gathered all my seasonal fall fabric, and here is the first block made; 12 1/2" square. I will make a modern version, with lots of negative space.

I also managed to finish my knitted cotton cloth. It has been a long time since I knitted such a "complicated" pattern as this. There will be more of these in the future, though in different designs. It is a perfect project to work on in front of the TV.

2014 Aurifil October block

The October block is called 'Circle of Love' and is designed by Jane Davidson. The block will be 12" x 12" when finished, and will fit well into my colorful quilt together with the other blocks. Only two more blocks before it is over.

I will most likely use the setting design I had on my  2013 Aurifil quilt, with added solid blocks to make it a good-sized charity quilt.

Getting Dizzy!

This is my latest finish: the table runner Dizzy Delight  a free quilt pattern by Debbie Taylor, from the Fat Quarter shop.

This is a very colorful runner that will brighten up any table.  The table runner is 16 1/2" x 44 1/2", and I only used fabrics from my stash and scraps. I free motion quilted it with stipples in the white background and some echo lines in the blue "propellers". The colorful borders got some simple leaf structure all around.

You might see the quilting better on this picture. It is difficult to catch the proper light now when the afternoons get darker and darker. Yesterday night we had the coldest freeze so far this fall, the grass was frozen over and it took several hours of sun before the frost was gone from the roads.

The table runner will be gifted to friends; I guess it will be a surprise when they get it in the mail!

Now I am up to start on a new project, or maybe continue on an old one, time will show!

In the mean time: Happy Quilting!

Work in Progress

I have not been knitting for a while, but then I borrowed a  book at the library with gorgeous patterns of wash cloths/kitchen cloths. I started this one with red cotton yarn, and I love the way the design looks! 

This is a good project to work on in front of the TV. Underneath you get a glimpse of my new ironing board cover, bought at IKEA. Yes, I know, there are so many great tutorials for ironing board covers out there, but I just don't have the time. The old cover desperately needed to be changed out, and I really liked the look of the new one, with scissors, clothes, and sewing machines!

This is a sneak peek of my latest quilting project, basted and ready for quilting. This is a table runner and will be gifted to friends of us when I finish the quilting and binding. It is a colorful one!

Happy quilting!

Two Mug Rugs for Swap ready for traveling

My two mug rugs for the  Neighbours and Friends Live Here Mug Rug Swap, designed by the Stitcing Cow are now completed and ready for a long travel to Australia.

Here they are on the grass of my lawn on October 5. We have had a fantastic fall with temperatures way over normal, the fresh flowers popping up is an evidence of that. Normally we would have had the first freeze by now, but so far in October it feels like spring!

The mug rugs are a mix of appliqué and embroidery, with pieced borders for finishing. I hop my swap partner will enjoy them!

ALYoF: October Goal

After completing the September goal, I was kind of wondering what my goal for October would be. I had two choices: a table runner that I just started cutting pieces for, and the Quilt Along that I joined last fall, Modern Trees by Christa Quilts .

Honestly, it is early October, and I better do the quilting on this piece to get it ready by Christmas! Sorry about the wrinkled state of the quilt in the picture above, it has been stacked away since early this year. The last time I worked on this quilt was in January when I free-motion quilted the trees, posted HERE.

I have postponed doing the quilting out of fear that I won't be doing a good enough job. But, now I have decided to jump in with both feet and practice, practice, practice! There's a lot of negative space to fill in, but I know I will be able to do an OK job.



Quilting this piece will be a challenge for me, but also a good experience in FMQ. I have to get more confident in  free motion quilting, and the only way to do this is by practicing! On the way I will use Christa's helpful hints to get this quilt completed.

Mug Rug for Swap + Giveaway winner!

I have joined a Mug Rug Swap over at Quilting Gallery, and here is my first finish:

The swap is called 'Neighbors &Friends live here', and the mug rugs are designed by the Stitching Cow. I have yet to make another one before sending them off to Australia.

Now for the winner of the giveaway I had in the Rush Hour blog hop: Congratulations BarbCarol, I have sent you an email.