Things are looking very autumnal in the Virginia Highlands!
This was my view coming up Grassy Creek yesterday late afternoon. Wisps of clouds, pale blue sky and sunshine. Leaves gaining the courage to turn from green to gold, orange, rusty reds and browns.
It was that strip of grey asphalt that encouraged me to use grey along with cream as backgrounds for my Appalachian Autumn quilt.
And heading up my driveway - the crunch and rustle of leaves lining each side of the drive. It was a warm autumn day with a high of 76, so my windows were down on the drive home - I wish you could smell this! Heavenly!
This morning while out with Zoey - that one red tree greeting us and saying good morning! I know these leaves won't be on the trees forever, but I wish they could stay that way in full color for longer before falling to the ground, don't you?
One thing I am looking forward to - the side benefit of losing leaves is gaining long range views of mountain ridges in the distance. I get to enjoy those, and actually SEE the sunrise on winter mornings, all the way up to April/May when new spring leaf cover will remove the distant views once again.
There is an upside to every season!
More of this happened yesterday!
I cut out MORE block kits for Easy Breezy. I am sewing through these as quickly as the Nearly Lemoyne blocks I have been working on.
I love our yearly Leader & Ender challenge projects. Working on two things at once and watching them both grow? It's the best part of machine piecing!
Lola, however is not impressed!
She didn't even care that there is a pink scrap on her leg. LOL!
Kits on a lid!
I like to use things at hand - in this case the clear lid to a plastic shoebox to "corral" my Leader & Ender block kits, using the lid as a tray next to my machine. The lid lip really does help things from sliding all over.
Do you use something next to your machine to keep pieces at hand?
Favorite Fabrics!
Using up just about the last bit of my favorite neutral of all time - these little monsters have kept me happy for years, using them here and there - but this block took up the absolute LAST from the only strip available - with just a small amount left that will end up in a Snails Trail block down the line.
I can't help but smile when I see these guys - it's the perfect season to be playing with them, though I will use monsters anywhere at any time just for fun.
I may need to do a search and see if I can come up with another yard. Boo Crew by Moda. And combined with orange floral batik and whales on grey? Why not?
I have gotten to this point and a bit beyond.
I have been working on these on and off for what seems like forever - and there is still much more to do.
Assembly of the center has started.
There are still border decisions to be made - pieced or unpieced. The jury is still out.
Not sure how far I'll get today as Zoey has a vet appt to get her quarterly flea/tick meds and a pawdicure! She won't let me trim her nails so I have decided to support a local business (my vet) and let them do it for a price. That also makes ME less of a "bad guy" in her mind as there are treats when she is all done.
She will be coming "to work" with me this morning as her appointment is right after lunch time in the other direction.
I love her background colors, don't you?
So cute on her kitchen table!
Punkin Patch table runner pattern is available in the digital pattern section of the Quiltville Store for just $5.00 through the month of October! No coupon code needed.
My book String Frenzy contains the full sized Punkin Patch quilt pattern. This is Capi's! She writes: My dialed down version of Bonnie's Punkin Patch is my first Bonnie Hunter quilt. So taken with my friend, Gertrude Mazza Radosta 's, I decided to make one.
My 85 year old mom assembled many of the individual blocks and this was a great way to stay engaged during our weeks and weeks of hug-less interaction. We used the trunk of her car as the pick up and drop off point.
I love it! Dialed down, or all the way with the pieced borders as shown on mine. Do it your way!
I know so many of us are feeling so WEARY of this whole pandemic situation. Things look more and more dire every day. But if we can just take it one day at a time. Do what we know we need to do to keep our families, our homes and our loved ones as safe as possible, we will see this through.
My quilting and my interaction with like-minded quilters is the ONE THING that keeps me sane. So thank you for your comments and sharing of your lives with me here. We need each other.
Cutting the fabrics, sewing, pressing, sewing some more - making SOMETHING a bit brighter, focusing on the GOOD is what keeps me going.
I never imagined this would be life for the foreseeable future - but we can do this. one day at a time. One stitch at a time. One piece at a time. One block at a time, one row at a time, one quilt at a time.
Quiltville Quote of the Day -
Happy Friday folks!
28 comments:
Exactly how I'm doing it... one day at a time, one block at a time!
Love the photo of your purple shoes and the wonderful scrappy blocks!
I saw Sandcastles in your planner/calendar before the book with the pattern was published. I knew that it was the first from the upcoming book that I wanted to make--and I did! It was such fun to put together. I gave it to my Mom for Christmas that year. Thanks!
I never would have considered blues for the background of Appalachian Autumn, it is gorgeous. Thanks for the idea Coni.
Oh! How I love to cut my afternoon in scraps, reading your blog. It brightens my day amidst all the things that are again on hold nowadays. No singing, no fitness, no training or bussing... the second wave of Cov19 is flushing in like a tidal wave, we are about back to the numbers of half a year ago. Just had to say that, you really work on my state-of-mind in a good way. Thank you for sharing =^}} your scrap happiness! Its tea time over here, have a good weekend ahead!
Love from Friesland / Witmarsum Irene
I honk the monsters are from The Boo Crew line of fabric.
The fabric IS from the Boo Crew line by Moda...looks like 2013; I saw some on Etsy but not with the cream background...hope that helps! love the blue background on the Appalachian Autumn blocks!
I believe this is the fabric only in a darker color.https://www.etsy.com/listing/863131011/moda-fabrics-cotton-quilting-weight?ref=shop_home_active_32&pro=1
Your monster print is super cute, but the Grumpy Cat neutral in your little kits is killing me. Gosh, that's fun!!
Yeah, I use repurposed stuff as trays in the quilting room, too. I retired a 'seen better days' metal cake pan and its lid, and my mom saved me another metal lid. Super useful. My favorite, though, is a metal cake pan handed down from my husband's grandma. It has her name on the bottom in marker in her flawless, first-grade-teacher cursive. The pan has had a hard enough life that I finally retired it to the quilting room, too, and now her writing won't fade from washing anymore.
You are so fast, maybe I will be once I retire. Can’t wait until November, it’s my birthday month and a start of my third Bonnie Hunter quilt. 63 two years left for retirement
One day at a time really, really helps. And focusing on things that I am grateful for, past & present makes each day brighter.
Susan
Lola Lola you are a sweetie! Although you don’t care about the pink scrap those eyes do see it! When I zoomed in on your pic I just chuckled at your eyes. I keep showing my hubby your pics in Mom’s quilting area and I’m trying to talk him into a kitty to keep me company. Still working on it. Haha
Absolutely love Appalachian Autumn with the blue background. I've been at a background dilemma with mine because I lack grey in my stash, and the skies are always so blue here in Santa Fe . I think she has inspired me to rethink my background colors. We are definitely taking this one day at a time, no travel except perhaps an occasional short drive around our area that doesn't involve unknown public places (restrooms mainly). I've spent time reorganizing my space and obtaining better workspace items - a new Koala chair, but I still need a better cutting area - thinking a cabinet from Lowes with a good top should fit the bill. Of course I'm making quilts and other quilt items for charity and gift giving. My fella is discovering another side to his artistic nature. We are fortunate to live where we do, being retired reducing some of the stress of this "virus" situation we're all going through. your daily posts are something I look forward, especially the antics of the "furries" and your daily quotes. Both are sometimes just what the doctor ordered for the day. Take Good Care
I love your mountain tree photo ops. The red one looks like a dogwood in shape, perhaps? Here in eastern Iowa, the Derecho storm left behind broken, snapped and splintered trees for miles and miles. Every street has damage to homes and trees. I’m looking forward to a new spring with new growth. I finished my Punkin Patch runner and quilted it on my 301.
I recycle grocery store plastic containers for containing leader ender bits. My favorites are the salad boxes and I have been know to wash styrofoam meat trays and use them. Thanks for all you do Bonnie.
I love the monster fabric. I have it in orange and made masks with it. I told my grands that the monsters are germ-fighters. Working on the pumpkin pattern, ready to rip the paper, my least favorite task.
Thank you Bonnie for this blog. I read it first thing in the morning here in New Zealand. Such a light of positivity in these uncertain times. Oh, and the pets are super cute too !
Our dog, a Whippet mix, hates! hates! to have her nails trimmed, but will bite them when they get long. Time to take her in for a trim, that way we too are not the bad guys!
Thanks, Bonnie, my connection with other quilters is a great help with my sanity, too! And your blog is part of that! One day at a time is important because even though I am retired, so pressure is less for me, and I am grateful, I have more things I want to do than time and energy to do them, so I get stressed. The times we're living in stress me, too, then I hit overload. So I take messages of self care to heart and enjoy your Quiltville Quote of the Day! I'm loving nearly LeMoyne! Blessings!
Beautiful!-everything
oh yes coni's autumn is awesome....love it the best so far!
Happy Friday all! Would love to walk those woods with you Bonnie. Gorgeous photos. Pretty scenery here in Missouri too. I've been inspired by Coni with all that BLUE. Appalachian Autumn is my next project! Til blog time tomorrow....
Bonnie thank you for being here & being you. My husband went to the emergency room today. Had one of his employees take him (I was sewing with friends). He called me at 3 pm. to tell me & to tell me he was ADMITTED to the hospital with something with his heart(turns out to be afib). They won't let me in to the hospital. It's going to be a long night. The wine bottle is now un-corked & the cheez-its are out. Thank God for quilting & friends.
I get to blow a bunch of those fall-ing leaves every day! My hubby scoops them up by the bin full with a shovel. Love seeing the colors. Gonna get some stitches in!
Coni's background choice is absolutely lovely. I prefer to focus on the last of the bright blue skies, because we have so many dreary gray days all winter long up here in northwestern PA.
Pumpkin Patch runner was made and given to my friend since she loves Halloween and decorating. Love that scenery and sharing it with us. I've spent my day cataloguing my quilts finished and unfinished. What a job!! Lola is so funny!!
I love the colours Connie has used on the Autumn Leaves quilt.
Yeah!
I agree - the blues make a perfect background!!!!
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