Fran's Oct. 12 x 12 Scattering Abroad

Surprise! I finally completed another 12 x 12. For October I wanted to do a sweep of colored autumn leaves cut from a scrumptious fat quarter I found at the local LQS a few months ago. While examining the fabric I found a swag of leaves that I could cut out as a unit and use like Brodery Perse. I wanted to show the brilliant colors of the leaves and sky in autumn along with the smoky, misty atmospheric effects so I chose to use sheer fabrics over the background.





To continue my hexagon theme I decided to copy the pattern in a vintage pieced top I have where the hexagons are created with triangles. [Aren't those old fabrics great! I have a love affair with kitchen ware, quilts and fabrics from the Depression Era.] I printed some of my autumn landscape photos onto prepared silk organza sheets from which I cut the four bottom triangles. To complete the hexagon without covering the blue sky looking background fabric I cut one of the top triangles from organza and one from blue tulle. After fusing the organza and tulle triangles to the background with misty fuse I zigzagged around them with invisible thread.


The backing was attached to the top pillowcase style over cotton batting. The leaves on each end of the swag were backed with the same fabric as the backing since they extended beyond the edge of the 12 x 12 square and the swag was fused on with Seam a Steam 2 and then zigzagged with metallic gold thread.









The label with a quotation by Edwin Way Teale was printed onto a fusible photo transfer sheet and fused onto the back with two more of the cut out leaves from the same piece of fabric as the swag. (Just click on the photo to be able to read the label.)

Cutting out all of the little teeth around those leaves and then zig zagging around them was tedious work that left my neck and shoulders in knots. I did buy a new pair of small scissors that are a lot sharper than the old pair. These spring operated scissors are so much easier to use with my arthritic hands.

I'm now ready to assemble the June piece that has been staring at me from the back of the sewing table for several months and I have started doing a paper mock up of my idea for the November piece. I have virtual concepts for the July and August pieces but still have no idea what to do for September. Where has this year gone?!!

The 12 x 12 Challenge pieces can be viewed on the Quilt Studio blog.