For my spooky steampunk lap quilt, I first bought some retail fabric since I had absolutely none in my stash. I also asked a quilting co-worker if she had any remnants from a Halloween quilt kit (and she did, some purple background Mr. Chillingsworth). I also found a quilt-along with some free patterns at flyingparrotquilts.com, link to her Epic Halloween quilt. One of the patterns I snagged was the variable potion bottles, my first attempt at paper piecing. Potion bottle attempt number 1 is the one between the skeletons, with corrected the lotion bottle top in the final. Attempts 2 through 4 are in order, my technique improved by potion bottle number 4 in the lower right corner.
While the freezer paper seemed a good idea in theory, my little scraps kept slipping around off of the plastic side of the paper so I ended up just pinning the main piece and working around that. My lotion bottle tops turned out a little wonky but I decided to leave them like that.
Also worth a mention, I bought an 80/20 quilters batting at one of the discount retailers and it is just HEAVEN to work with. It was described as "preferred by hand quilters for its easy needling and smooth drape," and they aren't kidding. I didn't have to fight with it putting together the quilt sandwich. I had to use very few safety pins and no basting spray. I just smoothed out the layers with my hands and it stayed put! What a relief.
From paper piecing to pebbling, the style of free motion quilting I chose for the colored squares courtesy of mystery quilter's donation here. While I love the look of the pebbling, it was exhausting work. I would do a square at a time and take numerous breaks.
Also worth a mention, I bought an 80/20 quilters batting at one of the discount retailers and it is just HEAVEN to work with. It was described as "preferred by hand quilters for its easy needling and smooth drape," and they aren't kidding. I didn't have to fight with it putting together the quilt sandwich. I had to use very few safety pins and no basting spray. I just smoothed out the layers with my hands and it stayed put! What a relief.
From paper piecing to pebbling, the style of free motion quilting I chose for the colored squares courtesy of mystery quilter's donation here. While I love the look of the pebbling, it was exhausting work. I would do a square at a time and take numerous breaks.
Here is the schedule of those participating in the hop:
October 20th
October 21st
October 24th
October 25th
October 26th
October 27th
October 28th
Linking up with the following blogs: quiltingismorefunthanhousework
sewfreshquilts
Needle and Thread Thursday (can't get the logo to post)
crazymomquilts
Finish it Up Friday (can't find the hop logo)
Fall and Halloween being my favorite time of year, I have plenty of decorations, some of which have been highlighted on my blog in years past and worth a revisit now.
These guys I believe are former McDonald's Happy Meal toys - I love them, they are forever keepers.
These resin figurines I snagged at a retailer at a deep discount after the holiday. They reside on my windowsill for the month of October.
While the kids were growing up, we would always make a Halloween dummy to sit out front on the porch.
Re-posting this image from Fabric Therapy's post on the eye-candy-from-2016-aqs-chattanooga quilt show by Nancy LaPorte from Prattville, AL. Love the theme she chose. This is the type of detail work that I aspire to.
Pattern of the Day is an undated Butterick.Re-posting this image from Fabric Therapy's post on the eye-candy-from-2016-aqs-chattanooga quilt show by Nancy LaPorte from Prattville, AL. Love the theme she chose. This is the type of detail work that I aspire to.
And a giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
What are your go-to decorations for Halloween?
I don't do Hallowe'en but that quilt is absolutely amazing. Loving that pattern, too.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear of your husbands health issues, sending you both much love from the chilly UK. xxx