Leaf Me Alone

What a sad pun in that title, but yeah, that's what I want....time to get this quilt done!  I did manage to meet my goal of loading it on the longarm.  I spent some time last night trying to figure out how to quilt this one.  

It's the first time I've made a tumbler and also the first time I've used a one-block pattern, so I figured I needed to come up with something that would look good but also not bore me to death.  Remember that I'm ADD in a bad way, so I have to think ahead.

I came up with this design but by this morning I knew it wouldn't make the cut.  First, it would be difficult to travel from one block to the next without eventually having to cross over a line, and second, I just don't think "boy" with this design.  So by the time I was up and showered, I'd decided to redraft a quilting design.  

I was jumping ahead of myself, anyway.  I still had to finish putting strips together. And let's not forget the pressing.  That took some time because the seams didn't want to cooperate.  I think it's because I included some baize, a cotton with a nubby texture and loose weave, and balzarine, which is a thin, almost gauzy cotton.  Those fabrics come from my mom's stash, although I really can't imagine what she would have done with them.  They aren't really meant for clothing and the balzarine is almost too thin for quilting.  I decided to use it anyway, since I'd promised to use some of mom's fabrics and because they happen to be just the right colors for this quilt.

In the end, I managed to get the quilt loaded on the machine and actually made a run or two of quilting.  I finally decided to include leaves, swirls and stippling.  I got pretty creative with the leaves, didn't I?  Check out that leaf right in the middle of this photo.  The one with the points.  I think it may be an oak leaf but I'm not sure.  It just happened.  In fact, my favorite leaves were mostly just happy accidents: while trying to make one leaf, I'd get mixed up and go the wrong way only to discover that it works!  Don't you just love when that happens?  What's your creativity up to today?  

And lastly, it's almost the end of the giveaway.  Midnight is the cut off, so if you haven't entered yet, you'd better click here to enter!

Happy weekend and happy quilting,

Mary