I think I will put it away for the rest of the year. After all, it no longer looks like fall outside! Here is the view from my sewing machine table...
I love to watch the birds when there is snow on the ground. They crowd the feeders and clean up the dropped seed and suet!
I'm posting this on Design Wall Monday (for some of us it is Design Floor Monday) at
I have joined SewCalGal's Christmas Quilt Show!
I went on to work on some maple leaf blocks. I do have more to make, then this one will be put away for a while, for winter will be here soon. My car said it was 36 degrees on my way home! 
(Sorry about the crooked pic; I don't know why blogger turns the photos and I don't know how to fix it.)
And After:
I used two simple embroidery stitches to give this block it's fanciful image!
I have never embroidered before; I skipped that badge in girls club. Good thing I have the internet. I am quite sure that you can learn anything if you search the internet! I found two simple embroidery stitches....the stem stitch and the french knot. I followed the pictures and voila! I did it!
I laid out the Christmas Sampler! The green sashing is just perfect!
Here are enough squares to make 30 blocks. It does not take much time, especially if a Star Trek Voyager dvd is playing!
I decided the background fabric (on the right) was too white, so I am using the wrong side of the fabric (on the left) as the right side! It is a softer look with the fabrics I am using for the leaves.
I have four blocks assembled! I am looking forwards to making blocks with more colorful fall prints...greens, oranges, reds, etc.
These will finish at 7 inch blocks. I need to figure out what size I want this quilt to be, and then I will know how many blocks I need. 
I have been looking for a creamy color to use in my fall leaves quilt. I searched at two local quilt stores, at Pacific Fabrics and Crafts, and at two Jo-Anns, and I could not find just what I wanted. But at this big Jo-Anns Etc. I found just the right fabric! It is hard to see in the picture, but it has leaves all over it, tone on tone. I will make up a couple of blocks, and maybe then the pictures will show up the fabric.
My greatest find is this print called Oil Slick Red. I fell in love with this fabric when it first hit the shelves at Jo-Anns. But I did not buy any because I had no plans for it. Well, I was thinking about my Christmas Sampler Quilt, wondering if I could use it for sashing or a border or something. I found it - - - in the half off red dot area!!! It was $1.50 a yard. GASP. I bought all 2.861 yards of it. (I just looked at my receipt...they charged me $2.50 a yard. Grr.) I am sure it will be used in something, for I love love love this fabric!
I am discouraged no longer. In fact, I think I will go do some cutting and sewing... :)
So I thought maybe I should make two quilts, one with lighter fabrics, one with the darker fabrics. So I made another block with the lighter fabrics.
It turns out that I really don't have enough fabric left to make more blocks. So I decided I could put the darker blocks in the corners and the lighter blocks on the inside. Great! How about auditioning some sashing colors.
I have a very fun red and green stripe...
I bought some green just to see how it looked....
Or how about no sashing?
I have always liked sampler quilts with sashing, for each block is unique and needs to stand on its own. I may just put this one away for a while. It won't be done for Christmas anyways.
The older machine has a zigzag stitch, so I decided to work on the Christmas quilt applique blocks. This is the first time I have done machine applique. I had to go very slow; it took patience to stitch around all the curves and tight angles. But I don't think I did half bad!
I thought I wouldn't like the precision work, but it was actually relaxing to do. Still, I am glad there are only six applique blocks in this quilt!
