Patterns

You could spend hours wandering the stores to find that last gift for the person you haven’t been able to buy for, or, you can sit down and get this project done. Appropriately called “Down to the Wire Christmas Runner,”  I just finished it for my aunt. These colors will carry her past Christmas into the Wisconsin winter, but it will finish nicely in more traditional Christmas colors. To make it really fast, bind using “Suzy’s Magic Binding” technique. The piecing is very easy, no points to worry about. The big center is great for quilting, but don’t get carried away- Christmas is right around the corner. Happy Quilting!

I’ve always loved the fall colors, but I haven’t invested time making fall quilts. Why? Well, it seems like Halloween motifs and fabrics dominate the season, and I’ve been unwilling to invest so much time in a seasonal piece that it only applicable for a week or two a year.

I’ve been on a quest to find fall motifs that will last from Halloween until it’s time for Christmas, and they really are plentiful.

Pumpkins, of course, without the jack-o-lantern faces, will last the season.  As will their cousins, the squash. The cornucopia and anything in it- corn, fruit, leaves, mums, are durable. So are scarecrows, crows and turkeys.

I wouldn’t feel ghoulish with any of these motifs hanging around but, while many of them are very suitable for applique, that is a skill I lack the time and patience to develop.

However, I think pumpkins and leaves are simple enough shapes to work into machine-pieced quilts. So, our pattern this week features a pumpkin. And, because we’re having a cold spell here in Wisconsin, the project  is a pumpkin rag quilt.

You can find the pattern by clicking on the picture, or by looking under “Patterns” in the Resources Department of the app.

Next Thursday, we’ll talk about choosing fall colors and will feature a quilt of fall leaves- then it’s on to Christmas.

Happy Quilting.

This is an easy variation of the “Ten Minute Table Runner” by LaRae Bushnell Clark. It takes more than ten minutes, but, I’ll bet you can get it done and give it tonight.

Whether you’re a procrastinator or just too darn busy, these last few trees are great projects…much quicker than a trip to the mall.