Harvest Melody Quilt

Mom’s Harvest Melody Quilt

| Cindy Anderson

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Harvest Melody is another one of the unfinished quilts I inherited from my Mom. When I received the quilt the majority of the pattern pieces had already been cut out and some of the components had been stitched together.

Harvest Melody Quilt Pattern Pieces
Harvest Melody Quilt Pattern Pieces

Picking-up where my Mom had left off I finished assembling the remaining pieces to create the quilt top. The pattern was designed to include more than one border. Rather than attaching all of them I decided to only add one. I used left over fabrics to piece it together.

To quilt Harvest Melody I echoed around the leaves. A pattern of continuous square swirls was stitched in the border. For a binding I used a purple fabric. On the back is a fabric with multiple colored squares. Lucky for me I had this fabric in my stash which is always a bonus. Take a look!

Harvest-Melody-Quilt-Top
Harvest Melody Quilt Top
Harvest-Melody-Quilt-Top-Closeup
Harvest Melody Quilt Top Closeup

 

Harvest-Melody-Quilt-Backing
Harvest Melody Quilt Backing

Before starting the process of completing this quilt I wasn’t particularly fond of it. The colors in the quilt as well as the pattern are not something I would be drawn to. I am, after all, an improv quilter at heart. However, I must say that my opinion of the quilt morphed dramatically after it was quilted. The designs created by the stitching added a layer of drama that greatly enhanced the quilt’s design. While still not one of my favorites, I am happy with it’s outcome and am honored to have it for my own.

Thank you for visiting today! Talk with you soon!

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AQ # 30: Harvest Medley # 1 and AQ # 31: Harvest Medley # 2

| Cindy Anderson

Unfinished Projects

I had the awesome opportunity to participate in a late winter retreat in March at the Woodland Ridge Retreat Center. The event was organized by my friend Barb M. The retreat gave me the chance to work on some of my unfinished projects. All of the items I took with me were quilts I had inherited from my mother. Some had already been started while others had never been touched.

I dedicated the entire trip to finishing as many as possible. Setting a goal of completing five quilt tops was a bit ambitious but by the time I left I had three of them ready for quilting. After returning home I continued my march to achieve my goal. The two remaining tops were completed in April.

Leftovers

Leftover from one of the tops was a stack of unused fabrics. Rather than adding them to my probably-never-stash I decided to convert them into something useable. My initial intention was to stitch them together to create a quilt back for this quilt.

img_2001The more progress I made the more I thought the fabric I was creating was much too interesting to hide on the back of a quilt.

Two Quilts

From the stack of fabrics I was able to make two different pieces. The first one I named AQ # 30: Harvest Medley # 1. This mini art quilt measures 29″ x 17″. The second one, measuring 69″ x 24″, is called AQ # 31: Harvest Medley # 2. Both quilts have been sandwiched with a layer of Warm & Natural batting as well as a backing of fabric retrieved from my stash. A simple straight-line geometric stitch pattern was used to quilt them. Surrounding the unfinished edges is a binding made from leftover scraps. Without saying anything more, let me present my last two art quilts.

AQ # 30_ Harvest Medley # 1
AQ # 30: Harvest Medley # 1
AQ # 31_ Harvest Medley # 2
AQ # 31: Harvest Medley # 2

I think both the art quilts turned out really nice. I am particularly fond of the warm fall colors. Both will make wonderful additions to my family room.

One More

The sharing of these two quilts brings to a close my long list of art quilt revelations. I have thoroughly enjoyed bringing to light my diverse collection of art. Even though these are the last art quilts I have finished my series of 16 completions is not quite over. I still have one more to share so don’t abandon me yet.

I know you must be wondering what the other fourteen quilts looked like so I’ve provided links to each of them below. 🙂

Thank You

Thank you for being a faithful follower. I know you will not be disappointed with the next quilt. Stay in touch.

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Day Five: Last Day!

| Cindy Anderson

The fifth and last day of my quilting retreat finally arrived. By this time I was exhausted. Most of the spring in my step had pretty much disappeared and my mind felt a bit foggy and sluggish. But with only half a day left I had much I wanted to accomplish, so there was no time to waste.

When I turned off my sewing machine the day before I had stitched together twenty-four of the forty-eight flower blocks needed for the Harvest Melody Quilt. With my confidence high that I could finish the remaining blocks before it was time to leave I wasted no time getting started.

One by one I pulled together the units that made up each flower, then stitched and pressed their seams. With a whopping ten minutes to spare I finished the very last one. I was also able to cut and stack the spacer rectangles that would be inserted between each of the flowers.

While I was not able to get the Harvest Melody Quilt top assembled nor any progress made on the French Cottage Garden Quilt I was still very pleased with my accomplishments. I had finished way more that I had thought possible so how could I be disappointed. Here’s a photo of the stacked flower blocks.

I hope to get the Harvest Melody Quilt top completed very soon. Some how I will have to sandwich it in between the five quilts I have waiting to be longarm quilted, my husband’s upcoming surgery and a week-long visit with my grandchildren. On top of that, when I arrived home yesterday, I was sad to discover that I had the early signs of another cold. The germs that were setting in would present yet another challenge. Oh well! One thing at a time.

As I pulled into our driveway, at the end of my journey, I was warmly greeted by my husband. He was standing outside watching my progress on his Find Friends app. After sharing a warm embrace my husband and daughter quickly unpacked the car. Before I knew it my belongings were distributed to their intended locations. I was also pleasantly surprised to find that my husband had vacuumed all of the floors and did a bit of tidying up. How awesome! Thanks sweetie!

Well that’s a wrap! I will update you on the progress I make while adding the finishing touches to each of my Mom’s quilts. Who knows…I may even revisit the French Cottage Garden Quilt.

I had a wonderful time at my quilting retreat. Woodland Ridge Retreat center is a fabulous facility. If you ever have the chance to attend a class or want to schedule your own retreat I would highly recommend it! You won’t be disappointed!

If you would like to read all of the posts associated with my retreat, here are the links

Getting Ready

My Bags Are  Packed

Phew

Day Two

Day Three

Day Four

Many thanks for stopping by! I appreciate your interest!

Cindy Anderson