charming pumpkin

So I haven't written for a while because I spend too much time reading every one else's blogs.  If you are looking for some good one to follow check out my list on the right hand side.  Warning:  reading blogs is addictive!  I am also working on two large quilts, two three small wall hangings and one table runner with coasters set.  I keep finding more things that I want make!  I wish it was summer already!  So let me post about the one project I made and finished in two days. 

I saw a quilt that had a jack-o-lantern made out of charm squares.  I sorted through my 4" square stash and began cutting green and yellow squares in half and laying out the pumpkin with borders.  I sewed it together and machine appliqued a green stem on top. 

I then decided that it would be a fall quilt so I decided to add a red border.  Mmmm...thinking leaves here.  Then because I had so many orange squares and orange is a fall leaf color too... I halved the squares and sewed a binding.  

I told someone today that I was reteaching myself quilting (see New Directions )and learning new techniques.  So this quilt also became an experiment in machine quilting.  I had recently learned that my old Kenmore has a pressure setting for the presser foot from this great video by Marguerita -Quilting Tutorials CrazyShortcutQuilts's Channel.  Here is a close up of my experiment.

 I quilted ridges in the pumpkin in orange and then echo quilted the borders in matching thread colors.

Well I'm falling asleep at the computer.  I'll share on of my other two 'experiemnts' in a day or two.

Keep dreaming....Colleen aka 'butterflygirl'