November Update

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Here's what I've been working on the last week. Mom mentioned 4 days ago that she wished she had an autumn themed runner for her table for the upcoming holiday. So I've gotten it pieced, but not backed and quilted yet. Here's the design I drew in EQ:


And the actual thing in fabric looks pretty much like my initial design:


Notice on the bottom right corner between the leaf square and the maroon square that I ran out of bobbin thread on the LAST seam - I lacked about an inch or two. Isn't that always the way it goes?

And here's what I learned how to do on our quilt guild's retreat - Happy Villages. We cut stairstep chunks of fabric, lightly glued them down, added doors, windows, and roofs, then covered the whole thing with a layer of tulle and quilted it.


I've still got to bind this one. I'm thinking blue binding to match the sky/ocean around the top and blue sides, then where the edges turn beige for buildings, I'll switch to tan binding and go around the bottom and tan sides.

It was great fun to make, and now I'm thinking of making holiday themed ones... wouldn't it be neat to make one for Easter, say, and buy some fabric with little eggs on it... then hide them all over the village? A Christmas one with candycanes and gingerbread? A Halloween house in shades of black and gray, with spooky things looking out the windows and pumpkins everywhere?

I also made a design wall... and I must say I love using one more than I thought. It's one of those dressmaker's accordian fold boards, with a cheap vinyl/flannel tablecloth carpet-taped to it... then those inexpensive metal expanding curtain rods are clipped to the top and bottom to hold it out straight.