Hard to believe the summer is coming to an end and fall is just around the corner. Yesterday I was out for my daily walk and noticed a chill in the air and the leaves are changing. It seems a little early, but time is ticking on:)

I have more than a few projects on the go, which keeps me motivated. It also keeps me from getting bored.

When each one of my kids turn 30, I make them a quilt to commemorate the event. My son turned 30 this year so this is his quilt. It is very autumn-y and I love it! I was tempted to keep it for myself:) The pattern is called Autumn Splendor by Piecing the Past.

I just finished my second Lily Rosenberry block. As I mentioned before, each block will have different red and green fabrics, which is a bit of a challenge. I want the blocks to be similar, but not exact, if that makes sense. Making all of those circles is a breeze with Applipops (available on my website) It is the only way to go!

There is very little actual “prep” work when it comes to using Applipops. So quick and easy. So, as you can see, I am using 2 different size circles, one for the red berries, and another one for the yellow centres of the red leaves.

I whipped these up in no time flat!

The reason my blocks (below) are different sizes is because I always cut my backgrounds larger than needed to allow for shrinkage from stitching, and also shrinkage from washing my finished blocks in hot water. Sometimes the fabric does shrink up a good 2 inches. Yikes! Better to be safe than sorry. Of course, I will trim all the blocks down to correct size. To find out why (and how) I wash my finished blocks, you can read about it here.

I just love the motion these blocks have when put together. I’m sure I will be even more impressed when all 16 blocks are completed lol. Also, I am still on the hunt for the perfect fabric for the vase.

I am having so much fun working on my grandson’s and granddaughter’s “I Spy” quilts. The Smitten pattern by Lucy Carson Kingwell is the perfect pattern for this type of quilt. I made each of my older granddaughters their quilts using the same pattern. I especially love how each of the girls names have 5 letters each, so they fit perfectly in the one particular block.

So, when I started Spencer’s quilt, I was a little disturbed to find he had way too many letters in his name to fit in the block. What to do, what to do? I designed a whole new block.

I thought it needed a little something extra so I added a big blue circle in the middle, using Applipops. Again, very quick and easy!

That was better, but I thought it still needed a little something extra.

Fussy cutting (even tiny stars like this) is a breeze with Applipops!

Perfect!

Thank goodness my youngest grandchild’s name has 5 letters. Phew!

I adore fussy cutting, especially these guys! I have hand pieced each quilt, and I am in the process of hand quilting Spencer’s.

I felt like I won the lottery when I found this very boy-ish background for his quilt:)

Last, but not least, I am thrilled when students send pictures of their finished projects:) Nicole came to one of my retreats and here is her Chickadee block. Not only did Nicole do an awesome job on the hand applique, she also did a beautiful job machine quilting it herself. The pattern for the Chickadee block is available on my website as a paper pattern or a digital pattern. Either way, I have included the freezer paper templates for you:)

Til next time…

Kerry