Pink Pumpkin Quilt travels to Quilt Retreat

Hello quilting friends! This past weekend, I attended my annual fall quilting retreat with friends. Ours is a low-key gathering of gals who have been meeting twice a year for over 15 years. If you’ve been a long-time follower of my blog, you know how much I look forward to the fellowship, non-stop sewing and eating.

Last year during our autumn retreat, I began working on my Pink Pumpkin Quilt. I finished that quilt top in February and have since had it quilted and bound.  Here is the finished Pink Pumpkin Quilt!

The Pink Pumpkin Quilt is a free pattern designed by Jina Barney for Poppie Cotton. I saw their sample quilt on Instagram and loved the idea of making a pink and orange pumpkin quilt for my sewing room. The oranges are from my stash, mostly Fig Tree and Thimble Blossoms. I found several of the pink prints at one of my local quilt shops, Sweetwater Cotton Shoppe.  The pinks are from various collections by Poppie Cotton and Riley Blake Designs.

Naturally, my Pink Pumpkin Quilt needed a cozy granny square pillow at its side.  My yarn of choice was Scheepjes Stonewashed (sport weight) in the colors Morganite, Rose Quartz, Moon Stone, Axinite and Tourmaline. My crochet hook of choice was a Clover Amour hook, size G 4.0mm.

Many thanks to Katy of Woods Edge Quilting!  She always takes such good care of my quilts. We selected a pantograph called Gingersnap. While not an autumn panto, it captures the spirit of the season with its circular shapes budding from a swirling vine.

The fabrics I used in my Pink Pumpkin Quilt were gathered over time from different shops. I really enjoy the process of gathering a few fat quarters here and there until I have a grouping that I like. That said, there is a sweet, new Halloween collection called Hey Pumpkin by My Mind’s Eye (Riley Blake Designs) that just came out.  I ordered some half yards last night, and I can’t wait for them to arrive!

The backing fabric that you see in my pictures is from a collection called Hannah’s Flowers by Lewis & Irene Fabrics. It is a prior year fabric, so it might be difficult to find.  It is so pretty!

Last weekend, I brought my completed Pink Pumpkin Quilt to retreat for a show and share; I also wanted to photograph her with her twin!  My friend Ibby made her own Pink Pumpkin Quilt, and my mom snapped our picture by the lake. Incidentally, just after taking this photo, I was stung by a bee! Drat!

I am blessed with a friend who shares my love of all things pink and cute. She gifted me with a darling ghost mug and tea towel, and I adore them both. Every time I look at that smiling ghost, I will think of my friend who makes me laugh, who shares her joys and celebrates mine, and who always understands me and loves me, even when I’m not at my best.  What a treasure!

Quilting friends, I hope you find joy in your days, in your friendships, and at your sewing machine. Blessings to you all!

~Taunja

Here are a few photos of beautiful Lake Koronis and our gathering spot, Koronis Ministries Campground, in central Minnesota.