And so it begins...

I was born in New England with a New England Dad and a California Mom. I grew up with the best of both coasts but have always considered myself a New Englander at heart. Whenever I have lived away from this corner of the U.S. I get most home sick during the fall season. I love the crisp air, cool evenings and the colors. In my opinion, Mother Nature saves her best work for the fall season. I guess it's no surprise that my fabric stash is predominately fall colors, my clothing too. For those who have never witnessed the fall foliage in person or who have only made brief visits to view its beauty, here's a tip: it's not a static thing to be viewed!


Here's a photo of how it starts, just a hint of muddy purple on the occasional leaf. To the newcomer it might be viewed as a diseased or dying leaf. With a little time though, it will be a thing of spectacular beauty. The process takes a couple of months to complete with many stages along the way.



Designing a quilt works much the same way, it's a process that must start small and build to a beautiful ending. Picking colors for a quilt can be helped by looking at the fall leaves as well. Of course there's the show stopping bright reds and yellows but they would not be so show stopping if there were no browns, muddy purples and dark oranges to set them off. Next time you see the fall foliage (either in person or a photo) take a much closer look at each individual color. Most of them are not that exciting by themselves and there are lots of boring "support" colors. So remember when choosing colors and fabrics for a quilt, a little "show stopper" with lots of boring "support" colors and you'll do fine, just like Mother Nature!



I'll keep you updated on the progress of the color changes here in the heart of New Hampshire. And did you notice the spider on the leaves? I didn't while taking the photo in my yard, only found him while editing the photo. Sorry if you're spider squeamish!!



Terri Sontra
Purple Moose Designs

http://www.purplemoosedesigns.com/