Ballerinas and Butterflies, Gifts and Squirrels

Greetings!  It has been one of the most beautiful falls in many a year, as if trying to make up for all the angst we've endured in the past many months.  Today dawned bright and clear, and Gibbs and I went outside before the sun rose over the mountain to photograph this latest quilt, finished last night. Our weather was forecast to turn very windy today, and as soon as the sun rose, it became quite gusty.  We're expecting to see the remnants of the latest hurricane by tomorrow evening or Monday.  

 This is Ballerinas and Butterflies, a little quilt for a beautiful nearly two-month old granddaughter of one of our church members. One of my October squirrels which seem to be nesting in the sewing room, fabrics were chosen on Tuesday at our quilt ministry meeting, taken home and washed and pressed. On Wednesday the squares were cut, arranged and rearranged on the design wall, substitute fabric (the luscious purple batik) found in the stash and cut to replace one initial fabric that just didn't cut it when mixed with the pinks and dark brown.  Top pieced on Thursday, quilted and bound on Friday!  Fastest finish ever for this very slow quilter!

Here is the back.  The rather muted light at 7 a.m. rendered the colors a bit darker than they really are. Not to mention the dark squares of the front casting their own shadow.

A closer look at the very simple loop and leaf FMQ.  This was the very last bit of the older ballerina fabric from my stash that has backed several baby quilts in the past.  Wish there was more, it has grown on me over the years.

We wandered a bit more before coming back inside and the quilt had its beauty bath and a quick session in the dryer.  All ready now for a label and gifting.

We know for certain that summer is long past when the last home-grown fresh tomato is used up, and that happened last evening with the final four roma tomatoes becoming our last tomato-basil pie of the season.  Tomato pie and salmon patties makes for a festive Friday feast!

I've been the very fortunate recipient of some quilty love in the past couple weeks.  My good blogging friend Barbara of Cat Patches decided recently to gift some of her completed quilts to friends and readers.  This beauty is now hanging in my sewing room. 

Barbara knows me well, this is her antique sewing machines quilt which took a blue ribbon and best of category at the 2014 Oregon State Fair!  I still can't believe that she could actually part with it, and I'm honored to have it gracing my quilting space now.  Here's a closer photo. 

Julie of Quilts and Costumes participated in the recent Orphan Adoption event and I was the lucky winner of this partially completed quilt top.  She had already completed four of the Jacob's Ladder blocks and pieced many more components.  I've finished stitching the four-square components and will be piecing blocks as my next leader-and-ender project in the next couple months.  Depending on the size when all blocks are completed, I'll be looking for some suitable border fabric, and this will become a donation quilt for our quilt ministry. Thanks so much Julie!  

Til next time, I'll leave you with the latest photos of the squash thief.  Enjoy your weekend!