Pumpkin Patch Quilt

I spent Monday quilting with my 3 friends. We had fun, taking breaks every now and then to floow the eclipse with a pinhole in a piece of paper (should have watched the NASA channel). We were finally able to see it when Gloria went home and brought her husband's welding mask. By that time it was ending. (The news reported the welder mask isn't safe, but we used my dad's when we were kids and I didn't look but a moment.)

Back to quilting! I saw a banner online with a patchwork pumpkin and the word FALL below it. I thought I would make a few of those for my daughters. The night before I bagged up my scraps of orange fabrics, a large piece of green, one of dark brown and a background of grey with dots for the background.

The first one was so much fun to sew that I continued making more.

I am still working on them today and my pumpkin patch is growing. I will stop when I have no more background fabric left or when my box of orange scraps is depleted. I am not sure of the arrangement yet, maybe a small lap quilt (sorry girls).The largest block on the bottom right is 18" tall and 16" wide.

I have other projects to work on for upcoming events, but I think I needed this project to just relax me. Have you ever put a project aside so you could do some other one? Are you working on a fall themed quilt project?

Have fun creating.

Here are the links to last week's AQS class posts I wrote:

Bobbin Work with Phyllis Cullen HERE
Applique with Susan Cleveland HERE

Sheila Frampton-Cooper HERE

Classes at the Quilt Show

This past week I was fortunate to have attended the American Quilters Society "Quilt Week" in Grand Rapids, MI. Since 2013, AQS has brought this show to DeVos Center which is about 45 miles from my home. The show will be here in 2018, but I don't know if that will be the last year or not.

I have saved funds through the year so I could take classes. I was not disappointed in my choice of instructors! I have taken classes in the past and have added some new skill or technique to my repertoire.

Wow! What a wealth of quilting knowledge to be had. When I take a class I do not go with expectations of learning everything these quilters can do. But if I go away with one new idea, or accomplishment that I can try at home, I am very happy. I am extremely pleased if I take away more than one thing. And I never expect to complete a project in the class, there is just not enough time!

This year I attended these half day classes:

Machine Lace and Bobbin Work with Phyllis Cullen

Bodacious Big Thread Applique with Susan Cleveland

Introduction to Paints, Inks, and Foil with Kathy McNeil

Fearless Feather Fun with Linda Thielfoldt

and

Improv Blocks with Sheila Frampton Cooper

PHYLLIS CULLEN'S CLASS
We used heavy, decorative threads or yarns in the bobbin. These are the threads and crochet yarns I brought.

The sewing machine dealer set the bobbin tensions for us. Phyllis suggested some ways to adjust our bobbin tensions at home--the one I would choose is to get another bobbin just for adjusting and leave my regular bobbin as it is for sewing. We used the bobbin winder spool, but held the threads with our hand and wound slowly!

We worked from the back side of the piece, layering the fabric, right side down on the table, then a layer of batting, and on top of those layers, a piece of embroidery stabilizer (with the drawing reversed on it).

An embroidery hoop held it all taut and we moved it as we sewed. This is what I got done in the class-- part of the body and the wings shown below.

Phyllis did say that the top thread color should match the heavier threads in the bobbin so they blend. It is sometimes impossible to get the top thread to pull tight enough to bury itself in the heavier threads. You can see that on my wings where the white thread shows over the black yarn.

As this week progresses, I will post more about the classes I took during the week. Tell us if you have taken classes while attending a show, such as the AQS and what you took away from it.

Happy Quilting!