Happy Thursday friends! The season is moving forward with news of snow flurries north of us. Here we are comfortably still in autumn with all the little things in nature changing, some faster than others as my photo captured here.
I'm soldiering away quilting Plaid Tilda. It is going smoothly so far with the handling of the size of it and I haven't hit any lumps or tucks. It's interesting how fabric can behave well sometimes and other times not. I keep checking the back to be sure there are no snags and it's good to see it is already taking on that nice crinkly, cozy feel hand quilting gives a piece.
LeeAnna's (Not Afraid of Color) prompt this week was what is our favourite snack food? I don't eat when I'm nervous but I do feel I need to be treated sometimes. Potato chips are so good but I feel less guilty about eating popcorn. Recently I found Orville's popping corn using avocado oil and sea salt. I add a splash of balsamic vinegar to mine- strange I know but, as a vinegar lover, it works for me. I add balsmic vinegar to a lot of things actually.
Thursday's Three Free
I'm sharing a true Squirrel-ly moment. I had found this free pattern below to share with you. From Kim at her lovely Retro Mama site. What a great way to use up small narrow scraps, I thought.Really easy to create and so cute. I could see the uses for it...pin cushions-yes, mug rugs definitely, maybe a place mat as I want to make some of those. But I wondered about a quilt. I googled herringbone quilts and found loads of examples and lots of tutorials to make a quilt using that block. Fave Quilts has a whole bank of them! But one caught my eye.It reminded me of a block I'd taken note of years ago- 2015, in a quilting calendar I'd gotten for Christmas. It is a pattern called Tiny Textured Trees by Carolyn Friedlander, a favourite designer of mine. Her quilt looked like a miniature work of art. Maybe it's because I'm loving the trees on the property these days as the colours change almost hourly it seems that this one stood out. There are many variations of this stylistic tree block. For instance, there is Anne at Springleaf Studio and her gorgeous Arboretum quilt that I know some of you stitched and had me in awe. Wonderful Wanda at Exuberant Color for one.
And for my embroidery/cross stitch friends, Laura at her The YellowBirdhouse site offers a bunch of free Halloween patterns to stitch, 18 to be exact.
Of course I had to chase down the one that caught my eye and found this. Kristy in this Quiet Play post from 2012 shared a free foundation paper piecing pattern for this block. I've downloaded it and will give it a whirl this weekend.
Still in a scrap busting mood...The busy and famous Pat Sloan I Love to Make Quilts had a free PDF for this scrap busting quilt that she made in 2013. She calls it Traffic Jam. I notice quite a few folks sewed it in all sorts of colour ways.
Since I already have a mess in the sewing room, I may as well try this. If I am to cut down on scraps, mine would have to be scrappier than this one. Generous Pat offers one of the most extensive free pattern cache on the net.HereAnd for my embroidery/cross stitch friends, Laura at her The YellowBirdhouse site offers a bunch of free Halloween patterns to stitch, 18 to be exact.
Researching these links was a fun journey around the net for me. Thanks for all the positive feedback about this Thursday feature of mine.
Hope your weekend will be grand!
