Saturday, October 1, 2016

Quilty 365 - September's Circles

September 30 marked the 329th day of stitching these little circles, and now we're really on the home stretch! That's such a good feeling, as I'm becoming rather anxious to be done with this phase and to put all these little squares together into some kind of coherent I-Spy quilt for the guest bed.  Not that it doesn't have a quilt (or two) already on the bed!  Never can have too many quilts around the house come winter!  Then again, there's the inevitable "will it all come together into  a coherent, lovely whole with the chosen setting fabric waiting in the stash - oh wait, is there even enough of that setting fabric to finish this gigantic top?"

But before I show you my September circles I have a request.  Does anyone out there have a small square of fabric featuring an Australian Shepherd or Sheltie mix dog that they would be willing to part with?  I'd love to find a piece to use for one of the final circles for this quilt - to celebrate Olie, our 13-1/2 year old Aussie mix.  He's been a fixture in our lives for so many years now, it just seems fitting that he should have his own circle in this quilt!  And, as you can see, he's quite the handsome (and chubby) boy.
I've found a couple possibilities on Spoonflower that might do if I don't find anything else. Haven't used Spoonflower fabrics before and wonder how they hold up to occasional washing and drying, or if they are meant mostly for wall quilts that won't need cleaning often.  Anyone out there have experience with them?

OK, getting back to September:
September's circles in all their haphazardly arranged glory

A lot of red and blue this month - I'm down to raiding the last of my fat quarter bundles and color stash bins for likely candidates, having used pieces of pretty much all the scraps around here a couple months ago.  Though there are still a couple pieces of yardage that I can't bear to cut into just yet, even for just a little 3 1/2 inch square! Why do we hoard cherish certain fabrics so much that we continue to save them for just the right time - that never seems to come - or is that just me?!

The first light frost has come and gone, the canner has been packed away for the season, and I'm looking forward to getting back in the sewing room on a more regular basis again.  A very good thing too since there are two baby quilt tops and several receiving blankets needing quilting/hemming before the first weekend in November - yikes!   Though, we still have 30 to 40 more butternut and acorn squash to carry down to the basement shelves for winter use, and the gardens need to be cleaned up before the snow flies.  And then there are the raspberries - we must have chosen the latest varieties EVER, as they are still blooming and finally ripening now!

Remembering 9-11

Linking up with Audrey at Quilty Folk for our monthly gathering of the circles.

14 comments:

Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow said...

He's quite the handsome lad indeed! :)

Debbie said...

Wish I had fabric to send you.....if all else fails, you can print his photo on fabric to use. The printed treasures and other type fabric work well and have held up for washing. Excited you got so far with the circles. Remember when we began, we never thought it would last a whole year.

Ligia said...

Muchas gracias por tu comentario y visita a mi blog. Tu quilt también quedará estupendo con esas telas tan bonitas. Abrazos desde Tenerife.

Needled Mom said...

I don't have any of the fabric, but you have such a great photo of him. Why don't you print it out onto fabric and use that for the circle?

Wish I had all of the butternut squash to store. I love it!

Barbara said...

I'm envious of all of your circles. I'm going to make one too, but I have to wait. Until then, I know I'm going to be envious when y'all start sewing your quilts together.

Stephie said...

They're looking so good! I'm really disappointed I didn't get to carry on with mine throughout the year...I don't know if it's because I'm not as dedicated as you, or simply that life got in the way! I rally admire your staying power and look airwaves to seeing how you put them all together.

Auntiepatch said...

What a cutie!

Janet O. said...

I applaud your consistency! Wish I could help out, but I have no Dog fabrics, and I have no experience with Spoonflower.

audrey said...

I don't know why we tend to hoard certain fabrics. It's a common habit though! Great to see your circles coming together.:)

Ruth said...

Yes, I can imagine that one would have trouble deciding which fabrics to showcase, but I think you have done well. I can't help you with any doggie fabric either. Have fun putting all the circles together!

Kyle said...

You have been a dedicated circle appliquér. Be brave and use a couple of those hoarded pieces. You can then at least enjoy a small circle of it.

Angie said...

I hope you can find some fabric in honor of Ollie - he certainly deserves his own little circle!

Miaismine said...

Love your circles! I agree - you could print up a picture of Olie. I've been wanting to try that, but I'm not sure how it would hold up after washing? Congratulations on sticking with your project!

Marie said...

Unfortunately, I cannot help you out with your fabric request but I think it's a beautiful way to honour your long-time pet.