October Journal Quilt

I'm making these small (8 x 10") journal quilts for the challenge on the Contemporary Quilt Group. They set the size and also the requirement to have a small (1/2" square) piece of a specific colour on our pieces. For the last 4 months of this year that colour is orange. Perhaps that is what inspired the autumnal look of this quilt.

 I set myself the challenge to use tartans and tweeds on my pieces, coming mainly from the Lochcarron Woollen Mill in Selkirk as well as from Fabric Affair.

I used unconventional raw edge appliqué with hand stitching to make the pieces adhere and almost melt into each other. All the journal quilts I make this year have a folksy look about them which was harder to achieve than I imagined. There is a lot of hand stitching as well as beading with size 11 seed beads and embellishing with vintage buttons. The binding is done using ShweShwe fabric from the African Fabric Shop.