Best of Stitched in Color {September}

On My Mind

Experimenting:: with ideas for a Christmas tree quilt. It’s always fun to sew something for the holidays, and I think it might be time I indulge again.

I have in mind a forest of different trees, some sewn with very simple improv and some sewn with basic machine paper piecing. Nothing time-consuming, just whimsical and fun-to-sew.

This tree block, which I created for the Penny Sampler pattern club would definitely be included in my quilt design. Wouldn’t that be fun?

Reading:: My book club is reading the first book in a historical fiction series called Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley. I got the impression that it would be an easy read, so I opted to read it in Dutch. When I got the book in from the library I found that it is over 600 pages! Wow. Ok, so I have about 200 pages to go and book club is tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Celebrating:: A fantastic Pas de Deux finish by @MelliCulley. It’s been delightful to see the finished quilt tops from those who opted for the quicker Pas de Deux and received the final assembly instructions at the beginning of September. Melli’s rendition is one I’ve had my eye on all the way through. Her quilt has a combination of high-contrast patchwork groups and softer, more subtle groups. In my eye it flows together gorgeously. Cheers to Melli!

If you missed joining Pas de Deux as a block of the month, the complete pattern set is now available for your enjoyment. It’s a really fun sew!

Anticipating:: Kicking off the Wild Oranges sew-along next month! I’m looking forward to sewing a new Wild Oranges quilt, this time using my stash. I am curious to see what happens if I follow the pattern to the T. Do you think that I can do that? Let’s see!

I thought that the return to routine would make September a chill month. Nope. There’s been a LOT going on here behind the scenes with everyone except Liam. Liam, he’s been easy (wink). I won’t go into details, but suffice it to say that I need to be especially kind to myself and breathe. Maybe do more yoga?

I did have a fantastic 40th birthday celebration at the apple/fruit farm. It was an afternoon to remember!

As part of my self-care, I intend to sew something just for fun in October, unrelated to my own patterns. There’s a stack of fabrics that I dove into last fall for that abandoned autobiographical quilt. I think it’s time to bring them to life.

Here’s to the autumn season. Wishing everyone cozy sweaters, crackling fires and a good hug.

xoxo,

Rachel

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