Another Finish

I finished this top last year, but it was at the machine quilter's for a while; and I finally finished hand sewing the binding yesterday morning. This is a pattern called Crows in the Pumpkin Patch by The Quilted Cardinal. Koleen, the owner, has a series of patterns with crazy pieced borders and crazy piecing in some element in the quilt. They are a fabulous way to use up lots of scraps.

Orange is my least favorite color in the color wheel, and I only had a very few of these rusty oranges, orangey yellows, and warm browns used in the quilt. So my good friends Koleen and Sherry helped me out with a couple bags of scraps, the pumpkin fabric in the bottom half of the pumpkins, and I bought some fat eighths to supplement.

I fused the crows in each block and blanket stitched them by machine. I've enjoyed my Elnas and Janome sewing machines over the years, but none of them made a blanket stitch that I really liked. My Bernina makes a beautiful blanket stitch, and I want to put it on everything. I'd like to make an appliqued quilt, all done with this blanket stitch.

Koleen also machine quilts for me, and I love the quilting on this quilt. She introduced me to variegated threads, and I have become quite enamored of them. They add another dimension to the surface design that really appeals to me.

I've done several of Koleen's crazy pieced patterns, most of which are a seasonal theme, so I'll add them when those holidays roll around.

Credit where credit is due:

Crows in the Pumpkin Patch quilt design by Koleen Painchaud, The Quilted Cardinal