I switched out my table topper quilt August first.
What will I use in September? And wouldn’t it be fun to have a table-topper for every month? I already have 3 or 4 of these small quilts made in recent months.
The one below, which I made to trial “Plus and Minus” designed by Quilty Love. I chose these colors to reflect the bright, bright autumn leaves and densely blue autumn sky in Maine. (The future quilt I make from this pattern will be scrappy, but all one color family.) I’ve got this one layered now, and later today I’ll pin the layers. I plan to stitch lines on my domestic machine, not the longarm. I want to try an extended zig-zag stitch I’ve seen used, though I am tempted about hand quilting it.
On the right is my first block of “Goldie” by Then Came June. I fell in love with this quilt months and months ago, but am now just starting it with leftover solid pieces in my stash. Here it is up close–the block is 19.5 inches square. It’s a “bear paw” variant, and once you trial it and cut a lot of pieces, it goes pretty fast.
“Tulip Swirl,” Bonnie Hunter’s free pattern for her annual leader/ender block, is growing, little by little. Now I need to make more blocks in enough different colors to make the larger block.
I like to use color placement to move the eye around a quilt, so when I’m setting up a big block, I sort my small blocks by color family. See, below, how the red draws the eye around this block?
This week is going by so fast. I hope you are all having a good one.
Louisa Enright's Blog 
I like the “Plus and Minus” for a fall table topper.
Thanks! That block makes a really nice quilt, in either one color family or a more controlled fabric palette. Quilty love has a recent blog post showing some pictures of various color schemes if you are interested.
Hi Louisa, the flowers in your first picture are competing with the table topper for attention! What kind of flowers are they? I like your progress on Tulip Swirl – very engaging. I’ve started but only have one large block finished.
Hello back, and thanks for reading my blog and commenting. I think the orange flowers you liked are some form of Asiatic Lily. I got them at Trader Jo’s, which carries really nice cut flowers that last a long time. When the inside staples start to shed, I pinch them out as that brown rusty dust does stain. I’m glad you are having fun with Tulip Swirl. There’s no rush as it is a leader/ender, if you are using it that way. I think, too, that it is a very fun block to make.
I have Tiger Lilies at home that are gorgeous, and have experienced that rusty stain. The last time it happened, I sprayed my clothes with Shout, and that took care of it. Your table topper is so pretty too. I plan on trying that pattern soon. Thank you for sharing your quilting, gardening, and cooking.
The topper was my trial block before Rachel LaBour (Stitched in Color) released her pattern for “Spinny.” I guessed at what she did, and so, my one block is much bigger than Rachel’s pattern turned out to be. But, once you see the method, you could easily make bigger or smaller blocks. I went on to make a quilt with Rachel’s pattern, and it is getting its binding sewn on now. I love it!!!
Beautiful work!Sent from my iPhoneOn Aug 13, 2026,
I love the new table topper but I also like the one you replaced. Do you have a pattern for the one you replaced? I’d love to make it for my daughter’s table.
The stars are from Tara Faughnan’s Blocks 3 online class from this past year. She has released this year’s blocks on her website store (the class was 6 months and we got a new project each month). So, you can get her pattern and method for the block now. I think it’s called “Star Brite” and, as usual, Tara includes different methods and combinations. I also used the palette she chose for what I did, but I don’t know if she included the palette in her patterns. This block has “Y” seams, and Tara shows her method for them.
Thank you for your quick replay and for sharing.