Quilting - the real reaso for this blog

Modern side of pumpkin seed quilt.

I've had a recess but it's time to start posting again. The photo above shows the season that's upon us. Our autumn is on and off, glorious days and lot of gray, rainy, windy ones.

I have a number of quilts to post about and am deep into my usual autumn activities at the Academy for Lifelong Learning (A.L.L.) This blog is meant to be mainly about quilts and I've been making quite a few. I'm a member of the Uncommon Threads Group within Cape Cod's large quilt guild (300+ members). The other five members are genuine artists; I am an enthusiastic quilter of both traditional and art quilts but I am not actually an artist, i.e., a designer, a person who things in colors and shapes., I am a person who thinks in ideas and who is sometimes inspired by wonderful quilts I see in the many magazines and books to which I'm addicted.

I have just finished a two-sided quilt inspired by a traditional "pumpkin seed" pattern. The Bayberry guild's theme for their annual show two years ago was "scrap quilts". I LOVE scrap quilts and immediately wanted to make this quilt. In order to use twice as many scraps as in the illustration, I made it two-sided with traditional variety of colors on one side and background of small polka dots. The other side is "modern" colors and white background.  To use even more scraps and make the quilt usable on a single bed, I added borders with more scraps. I've just finished it -- quilting both sides together.  It's heavy.  I may use it on my single bed in the depths of winter but not otherwise.

At this point I have been making quilts for about 40 years. I will never run out of challenges. I am trying get rid of many bed-size quilts and mostly make smaller ones. I've just taken three to a group that is sending all kinds of things to Puerto Rico. Groups can sometimes afford the postage and occasionally get a discount from one of the carriers.

Right now I have another twin size quilt to finish (in time for Christmas) and ideas for two more that will be made little by little. We have a monthly challenge at the Uncommon Threads group. I have an idea for my next one.  I am never without a project to work on ... and, by the way, quilting is actually a hobby not at all a full time pursuit,  More in the near future. I am going to try to post regularly now, I hope, into the winter and beyond.

Below "traditional" side of Pumpkin Seed quilt

Traditional quilt side of quilt with a great variety of colors and patterns whereas the "modern" version used a single color for each "pumpkin seed".  I started this mid-spring an now it's mid-autumn.  Of course everything is sewn on machine.