Turkey Tracks: Fall Quilty 2017 Update

Turkey Tracks:  September 6, 2017

Fall Quilty 2017 Update

It’s official.

Summer is over.

I confess I love the rotation of the seasons and am looking forward to fall.  Up here in Maine, the trees are beyond gorgeous when they turn, which they are just beginning to do now.

I always think I’ll get some final porch use in September–sitting in the sun and soaking up the last of the late summer sunshine, but the feel of fall is here.  The angle of the sun has changed and the back porch does not get sunshine like it used to.  Time to move some chairs to the upper front deck for that sunshine.  And time to let go of the flower container pots and to start cleaning up flower beds and to winterize.

This hanging pot has been so pretty all summer.  It hangs on the upper front porch, and I can see it from where I sit at the dining alcove table.  This picture is the one I will see in my mind in the dead of winter this year.

The humming birds are still here but will leave any minute now.  They, too, have loved this feeding location and move from the feeder to the actual flowers.  I have two feeders and LOTS of humming birds.  The other feeder is on the back porch, which means these little fast-flying birds are often just skimming any heads whose bodies are sitting on the porch.

Here is the second to last rosette of the Katja Marek millifiore quilt.  I have almost finished the LAST ROSETTE, which will attach to the right side of the one below.  They make up the lower right hand side of the quilt.  I started this project last fall, and it has been a joy.  Up to the point, that is, until I have to figure out how to quilt it.

I slowed down the other day to make this feed bag for a friend:

This time I got the whole thing right side up!

I have almost finished piecing Bonnie Hunter’s mystery quilt “En Provence.”  I’ve had the units completed since last Christmas/New Year’s.  And the pieced blocks and sashes have been on my design wall almost all summer.  One more row of the big blocks and then on to the outer borders.

I find myself really drawn to the outer neutral borders with their hint of the pointy stars.  I find myself wondering what a quilt would look like with these stars (the red ones above) made scrappy and floated on neutrals.

OK, so I know I’m in a “neutral” fabric moment.  I worried about whether or not the stronger neutrals I used would be too much, but they are what are making the neutral areas of this quilt sing.  I really like how they are working in the quilt and will not be afraid to go to a mixing in of stronger neutrals next time.

This quilt, as all Bonnie Hunter quilts do, has a great “skeleton.”  The designs she makes are inventive and wonderful.  But I find that lately I am really drawn to less-busy quilts.  I think that is one reason why I have had such a hard time finishing this quilt.  It will be wonderful when it is done, but it has been a bear to sew.  Very labor intensive.  Very busy.  This year I am going to print out her clues and see the finished quilt before I charge in to making it.  Part of my issue is that I have several projects of my own I am so excited to start this fall.  They are trumping my doing another Bonnie mystery quilt I think.  And it is always ok to give yourself a break for a year.

We were challenged in our new Mt. Battie Modern Quilt Guild to experiment with making a minimalist little quilt–the second “how to” chapter from the MIGHTY LUCKY QUILTING CLUB 2016 WORKBOOK, “Minimalist Improvisation,” by Season Evans.  The plan of action in this chapter was very clear and very helpful.  Here’s what I devised:

I quilted with the walking foot–which was an experiment for me.  And I used a circle cutting tool that works like a protractor–cutting the fabric circle 1/4-inch wider than the freezer paper circle.  I ironed the paper onto the circle and turned in the edges with an iron.  I should have tried to cut the circle free hand of course–as everything else was cut free hand, per instructions.  I wanted to get a handle on sewing curves, so that added to some “play” time with this project.  So, I cut and sewed curves, experimented with the circle cutter, and quilted with the walking foot.  A good exercise, I think.

I spent a fair amount of time working on Vicki Fletcher’s traveling quilt, but those pictures will have to wait until after our next meeting.