Marking Time

Seasons and holidays are ways we mark the passing of time.  I can't seem to work ahead on seasonal projects, but I always want to sew or quilt fall quilts in fall, Christmas quilts in December, spring quilts in the springtime.

This week I'm finishing a wall hanging for the dining room that will be up for Thanksgiving (only a few weeks away!)  Trying to decide on a border quilting design has been tough.  I think this one will be it.  I've decided NOT to make the design turn the corner, but just to run off the edges.  It's breaking the "rules" but that's okay.  Hey, it's my quilt, right?

I got the pumpkin pattern from this book, Start with Strips by Susan Ache.  It's a terrific book, just full of great ideas.

Her pumpkins have squares in the corners, but I left those out.  I added the leaves on the pumpkin, but thinking about it later I kind of wish I'd left them off too.  Pumpkin leaves are actually big and floppy.  It's still cute, and a good pattern.

My wall hanging would probably be done if I could stop working on other things.  But as I was finishing the piecing, I started sewing little scraps together as leaders and enders, and they turned into this. . .

The centers are 6 in. (finished) crumb/slab squares.  I was going to make star blocks, but saw this block in Barbara Brackman's Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns and liked it better.  It's called King's Crown, and is #2039.  The pieces are the same as a simple star block, but switched around, and the color placement is different.

Only two of these blocks are sewn, but I got ten more cut out yesterday morning while listening to Wait Wait Don't Tell Me on the radio.  I can't always hear the jokes when I'm sewing, but ironing fabric and cutting pieces are quiet enough so I can laugh along.

I hope you all had a Happy Halloween.  We did!  This is my grandson in his Yoda costume, ready to go to the library for the Halloween activities.

Here's what he liked the best--raking leaves!  He's very good at it, too. 

We need to get him out in the yard with us.  Just as soon as it stops raining.

I'm wishing blue skies for us all this week.
Cheers for reading,
Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:
Cynthia at Oh Scrap
Angela at soscrappy
Amanda Jean at crazy mom quilts
Myra at Busy Hands Quilts