Stars and Pinwheels QAL–Block 7

This is block 7 in Susan’s stars and pinwheels quilt-along, called Expanding Star.

https://desertskyquilts.wordpress.com/2015/11/20/stars-and-pinwheels-qal-expanding-star/

I’m using these blocks-of-the-month to make a different project each month rather than saving them for a quilt.  This month, I reduced the block size to 8 inches (unfinished) and made three of them to incorporate in a table mat for a special table in my living room.  I fussy-cut three designs from a Christmas panel and added some festive fabric to make the red diamonds.

I bought the vintage sewing table in an antique store several years ago and it gets constant use as a table for sewing, eating, watching TV, working with photographs, writing notes and cards, and is the regular Sunday dinner table for my reclusive 16-year-old grandson.  I keep a mat on it at all times

This is an easy block which has a good secondary design.

 

Fall Embroidery and Quilting Projects

I’ve made a few pieces that incorporate my TV-time embroidery panels.  I made another set of cushions for my vintage folding chair.  The nice thing about a folding chair is that it can also go outside very easily.  I just happened to have a blue granite ware coffee pot and skillet to accompany the cushions.

One of the designs I used for embroidery on a table mat is an adaptation of a decorative painting pattern by Helan Barrick.  I used to love to paint her Amish boys and girls.  I adapted this one for fall.

I used another vintage embroidery pattern to stitch a scarecrow with a crow on his shoulder.  I outlined the pattern in black embroidery floss and then used crayons to color the design.  After using the crayons, I placed a piece of white paper on top of the panel and pressed with a hot iron to set the colors.

I made a quilt for my table mini-quilt rack with a 1930s-40s era pattern of a scarecrow and chubby birds.  I especially like the way the trees are worked in this piece.

Now, it’s time to think about some small projects for the Halloween season.

Click on photos to enlarge.

Indian Summer Paper-Pieced Block

My blogger friend at knitNkwilt posted about an interesting paper-pieced block called Indian Summer.  There’s a free downloadable pattern on Craftsy.com.  I like paper piecing for small projects and the 12-inch block plus a 2-inch border makes a piece that is perfect for my mini-rack….

….for two separate spots in my kitchen…..

…and for what we used to call a “stand cover” or table mat….

I was able to reduce my bags of black, white and red scraps a bit and have two pieces that will get a lot of use.