A Pumpkin Extravaganza

Every autumn when the chill sets in, I get a craving for pumpkin. Not those “pumpkin spice” imposters that line grocery shelves, mind you, but the real deal! My friend Linda shared a mouthwatering array of fresh-baked pumpkin goodies, including cream cheese frosted pumpkin bars, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies (not pictured;) and pumpkin whoopee pies. We even displayed them on a Pumpkin Seed doll quilt!

Here’s an autumn-inspired doll quilt with a pumpkin theme. The pattern is Pumpkin Seed, a slight variation of the popular Orange Peel design. In this case, the appliquéd segments are a bit narrower than the more robust Orange Peel.

18” x 21”

My friend and former QBU colleague, Mary Radke, made the quilt top for me, using Cherrywood hand dyed cotton fabrics. Mary machine appliquéd each pumpkin seed segment to a background square. I hand quilted, outlining each segment and continuing the pumpkin seed design into the border. The design turned the corners nicely at the top of the quilt, but since the bottom corners were unresolved, I filled the space with the date of completion.

Have a great Thanksgiving. I’m very thankful for you!

To Everything There Is A Season

Hello everyone. I love the changing colors of fall. Our Autumn Purple Ash trees put on quite a show. Their outer leaves turned a rich russet color while the inner ones remained gold. When the sun shown through the foliage, the trees seemed to glow from within. 

It's hard to capture in photos, but the effect was truly extraordinary! 

At the same time, we're transitioning my parents from their home of forty years into supervised care. Dad’s dementia and Mom’s tenuous health make it unsafe for them to be on their own anymore. To everything there is a season. 

Here's an autumn inspired quilt I made using reproduction fabrics.

These anvil blocks make a handsome quilt when set on point “strippy” style. I like how the dark browns set off the other colors. 

Each 8-inch block is machine quilted with a feathered wreath. 

Anvil Strippy Quilt