Halloween is Coming

We love Halloween in our house. Although it is not the same now that my daughter is grown up and is away at college. The only thing I have done this year in terms of decorating it to hang our Halloween quilt. I made this quilt during the summer of 1997 when my daughter was 8 years old. I did get the pattern out of a book, but I did not like some of the costumes that the children had on so I make some of my own like the princess and the bunny. I also designed the dog that the girl in the pumpkin costume has on a leash. I think the original pattern had a shaggy dog button or pin for the dog. If I had to do the quilt again I would not create the pumpkins with buttons which is what the original pattern called for. I would use fabric to make them instead. Sometimes you get a lot of reflection of light off of them and you can't tell what they are from a distance.

I did not do enough quilting and I keep thinking that someday I will add some quilting to the quilt, but each year passes and that does not happen. The quilt does not hang flat and the extra quilting would take care of this problem. I know so much more about machine quilting now than I did back in 1997. My daughter had a girlfriend that loved the quilt so much that I make her a smaller, but similar quilt with just a couple of trick or treaters. She loved the princess so I had to include that one on her quilt. I wonder if she still hangs the quilt on her wall. Sometimes I wonder what happens to quilts that I give away for gifts.

The fabrics for the ground are Cherrywood fabrics as well as the blues and grays in the border. This quilt was my introduction to these fabrics. At a quilt show after I made this quilt I bought some more Cherrywood fabrics to make a vest which I never made. I still have the fabrics and should use them up in a quilt someday. I guess it is just a matter of figuring out what to do with them. I will never make the vest because I have decided that I don't really like vests all that much especially since I have put on weight and I don't really like quilted clothing either. I think that quilted clothing would be a definite item that would qualify for the TV show "What Not to Wear!" I am guilty enough of wearing over sized sweats and skirts that are too long. Stacy and Clinton would have a field day with my wardrobe as it is without adding quilted jackets to the list.

1997 was a very different world than the one we have today. I took the quilt with me on an airplane when we went to visit relatives in Alaska. I took my large sewing scissors on the plane so I could work on appliqueing the swirls in the sky. That is the only part of the quilt that is hand appliqued. But can you imagine trying to take a large pair of scissors on a plane these days?!!!!

Well I am going to hang a few more Halloween decorations before my husband gets home today. He has been in Holland all week and I am anxious for him to get back home. I also really miss having my daughter at home and I miss making her a costume. I still love Halloween, but it is not as much fun as it used to be.
Chris