The days of pumpkins and cider

 The days of pumpkins and cider, falling leaves and shorter days are upon us. At this time quilters relish the time to get in our sewing rooms and sew, sew, sew. Summer is all well and good but a chill in the air brings us indoors and sharpens our creativity. Well, when the temperature is still 70, what are we to make of that? Many Tacoma quilters have been busy, no matter the weather.

I (Beth) showed my kawandi quilt that I made from a workshop with Sue Duvall. This type of quilt was brought to India by way of Africa. Patches of fabric are sewn onto a layer of batting and backing. The patches are sewn all along the edges, moving in to the center. All of the patches are attached with lines of big stitch quilting. The corners are decorated with "fula", meaning flower. A kawandi quilt is not considered complete without these fun little fula!

I made this scrappy spiderweb quilt using lots of blue scraps. I was inspired by Bonnie Hunter's spiderweb quilt. Machine quilted by Kathy Boudreau.

Carol showed us this lovely Dresden Plate quilt. The quilt top was made by the mother of a friend. Blanket stitching around the edges of the 1930s fabrics. Carol tied the quilt for her friend. So many beautiful fabrics!

Carol set up this Nativity scene so we could all enjoy it. Stitched from a panel. 

Donna was the very lucky winner of this Dear Jane quilt made  by members of the Back Roads Quilters. Machine quilted by Anne Hussey. I'm sure Donna will spend many hours pondering over this beautiful quilt. Look for it at Maine Quilts next year!

Andrea showed us this table topper that is a variation on the log cabin technique. Andrea called on her sister Kim to finish the binding, which is very tricky with all those angles! Can't you just imagine a candle or a bowl of candy sitting in the center? Or a mini Christmas tree! So pretty.

Andrea used her serger to piece these homespun fat quarters together. Very up to date technique, Andrea! She got the fabrics as a thank you gift for volunteering at Maine Quilts. Machine quilted by Anne Hussey. A Christmas gift for a child or grandchild, perhaps?

I sat beside Jean at our recent quilt retreat and watched her sew this Christmas table runner. Jean used some really fresh takes on Christmas fabrics for this eye catching runner!

Jean made another table runner, this time using "Cha Cha Cha" pattern from Atkinson Designs. Jean will take it with her to spice up a rental property this winter. Good idea!

Sharon showed us what she made at the quilt retreat. She is using the potholder method to bind and sew these four patches together. Coming along nicely, Sharon!

Isn't this pretty? Ann made "The Lady" from Villa Rosa Designs. She told us it takes a jelly roll and one yard of fabric. Simple and effective. Ann machine quilts her own quilts. Doesn't the quilting really add another beautiful dimension to this quilt? 

Leanne is a new member to Tacoma and she tells us she has not been quilting very long but she has been sewing all her life. She may be a beginner but is coming up with some great quilts! This one is a free pattern from the Accuquilt website. Love those chickadees!

Leanne with a quilt she made using EQ8. I've had EQ8 for years and I might just need lessons from Leanne! This one uses paper piecing. Expecting more from this Tacoma quilter!

Another quilt using paper piecing from Leanne and another beauty! A Judy Niemeyer pattern. 

Meliss made this bright quilt from flowering snowball templates. It is a crib quilt and sure to make any baby giggle. So cute!

Meliss showed us what was surely the biggest quilt of the day! A feathered star king size quilt for her nephew. A Lynn Jordan pattern. Lucky nephew!

Here is a peek at the blocks members made for our BOM. The theme was Country Fair and 1930s fabrics were suggested. The lucky winner was our 1930s queen Sherry! It will be interesting to see what Sherry does with her winnings!

Until next time, keep on stitchin'!