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Saturday, August 23, 2025

A Stroll Down Autumn Quilt Trail

                                              Golden yellows, rusty browns

Autumn quilts all around! 

Happy happy Saturday, Sweet Peas.  Welcome! 
How are you doing on this fine sunny day? 


Would you like to join me as I hop down memory lane looking at old Autumn themed quilts ? I would be as pleased as punch if you would. 


Soon "Fall themed" quilts will be fluttering into every nook and cranny .  
One of the first pieces I usually bring out is my Rail Fence quilt. Well, it is actually not a quilt, because I have not quilted it yet , but that is not going to stop me from using it. It is light weight enough for me to hang  on the quilt shelf just above the buffet. 

The Autumn Rail Fence was pieced about 10 years ago maybe longer. It is made up of lots and lots of 3 " finished rail fence blocks.  Do you recognize any of those fabrics in your stash? 


Way  back in 2021 , I pulled out some  strings and began piecing away in my willy nilly style which often leads to a lot of wonkiness. 
A wonky gal has got to have a wonky quilt doesn't she? 😄😁😜



To wrangle in the scrappiness , I added borders and then appliqued a big ole' pumpkin and a cooky crow. Soon I had  a quilt I called  Autumn Quilt 1817.  It is made up of some of Mr. Pinker's old shirts as well. Lots of sweet memories in this one. 



Soon after creating my Crow Creek Saltbox  in  2020 which by the way was my 1st saltbox, I decided to embroider some motifs to go along with it. 
Crow Creek Mini Quilt  soon followed. I shared those little designs in 2020 as well. 



Meet my Great Grandparents. ❤🤗There is Great Grandma Annie whom I never met, but have heard many fond stories about, and my dear Great Grandpa C.E. whom I called "Rancher" because yes, he was a farmer . If you haven't already figured it out, we like to give nicknames to family members. Hee! Hee. Do you do that? 


Anywhoo.... Years ago, my Nanny gave me one of her mom's quilts. It was bright bold and beautiful! And just my colors!

I can only imagine the many hours it took for Great Grandma Annie to make this beautiful string quilt. Perhaps she was sitting in her rocker by the fireplace in "The Big House" as it was called hand piecing away.  The house was called The Big House not because it was big , but the family was "big" - lots of youngin's running amuck. 

The quilt is made of feedbacks and was lovingly handquilted.  


Well Sweeties, I will continue my stroll down Autumn Quilt Trail in a future post where I will share more "fall quilts from the vault". 

Thank you for joining me and I hope you will drop by tomorrow for some slow stitching time! Have a beautiful day! 

 As always,

Happy Stitching and Quilting, y'all

Melisa

"Autumn the season that teaches us that change can be beautiful."- Unknown 

Hugs and Stitches!!! 🤗🧵

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy. I miss and love you so much.   ❤👼

🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

 Other Posts That Might Strike Your Fancy!

🌞Parade of Homes- Early 2025 parade of home freebies.
🌞 Root A Toot Toot Patriotic Parade Early 2024 patriotic freebies. 
🌞A Buzzy Bee Parade An early 2025 bee freebie parade.
🌞A Sunny Sunflower Parade for 2025 A parade of sunflower freebies up to July 24, 2025
🌞 A Parade of Stamps 2025  A parade of stamp cross stitch design freebies up to August 14, 2025

🌞Time to Dye-  2024 post on how I tea/ Coffee Dye my fabric. 
🌞Pin Pillow Tutorial - 2023 post on how I finish my pin pillows with chenille trim. 

 I am joining these lovely ladies' link parties. I hope you check them out; they always have so many wonderful projects going on and provide the opportunity for other needleworkers to meet. 

TGIFF at Melva Loves Scraps for Thank Goodness Its Finished Friday- Friday

Nina at Creations, Quilts, Art , Whatever by Nina for Off the Wall Friday

Alycia's of Alycia's Quilts for Finished of Not Friday

Michelle  at From Bolt to Beauty for Beauty Pageant - Friday


Graphics from Pinterest. 

50 comments:

  1. Beautiful quilts, Melisa!
    I love those beautiful autumn colors.
    Hugs

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    1. Aaah thank you so much, Isabel. I have slowly been pulling them out. I look forward to displaying them very soon. Have a wonderful evening Hugs.

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  2. Happy, happy Saturday to you, Miz Melisa! I hope you visit my IG feed to see a picture of 10 Melisa Christmas designs. I have two vacancies on the piece of fabric so I searched for two more. Hot diggity dog! I'm a happy girl. It's the little things that make me happy. LOL All is quiet at the old homestead - just sitting and stitching. Seriously embracing my love of handwork. It truly makes my heart sing.
    I'm crazy about your "wonky" quilt and the other Fall projects. I've decided that your productive mind never stops - I love that about you. You provide so much inspiration. Have a blissful Saturday! Big, Bigger, Biggest Hugs, DarleneJ

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    1. May I visit your IG? 😁

      -Alex

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    2. Alex, of course you may visit my IG (Instagram) feed. In fact I'd love it if you would. It's Darlenejohannis

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    3. Oh I just hopped over to IG immediately. Oh my so much barnyard cuteness! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for stitching the barnyard series.It warms my heart to hear that you are enjoying them and I sure hope they bring back fond memories of spending time at your grandma's ranch. There is something about handwork that soothes the soul isn't there. Aah thank you so much for about my wonky quilts. Hee! Hee! They are not perfect but they sure were a whole lot of fun to work on. Happy Happy stitching , sweet friend. Hugs. BTW I love your circle quilt in progress ( Be still my heart! ) .

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  3. Happy Saturday my sweet friend! I enjoyed strolling down autumn memory lane with you 😍🍁🍂 So many beautiful pieces! And I love the photo of your great grandparents ❤️ I always love learning about my ancestors, so interesting! And how cool that you had othet quilters in your family! I don't know/think I did 🤔 However....my descendants will have a quilty/stitchy ancestor - me 🤣
    I hope temps will cool down for you soon so it will feel more like autumn!
    Time for me to hop out of bed and get ready....our daughter is turning 6 today and I promised her a fun day 🥰
    Hugs from Maine,
    Alex 🤗

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    1. Aaaw I hope your sweet daughter had a delightful birthday! What a big day! I am sure there was cake and lots of fun to be had by all. I miss when my girls were that little . Thank you so much on my autumn quilts. Hey, a family quilter has got to start somewhere- I am glad you are starting the tradition. Hopefully , your sweet daughter will be the 2nd generation. Wouldn't that be the sweetest. I used to take my daughters to the quilt guild meetings when they were little . I was hoping they might pick up needle and thread. I am still waiting though. Hee! Hee! Have a wonderful week, sweet Alex. Hugs and Blessings.

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  4. What a lovely array of Autumnal quilts, Melisa;)) I really love that little 1817 piece and the Rail Fence is gorgeous --very inspiring! Thanks so much for sharing them;)))
    Hugs for a super weekend Julirose

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    1. Aaah thank you so much, Julierose. I have to admit that I enjoy the wonky whimsical creations the most- where there is no rules. LOL. I do need to make a new one soon. Have a blessed day and Happy Quilting-. Hugs.

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  5. What a beautiful autumn stroll, Melisa! Happy Saturday!

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    1. Aaah thank you so much, dear Robin. I am slowly starting to pull out more quilts. Soon they will be hanging all about. I hope your weekend was a lovely one. Hugs and Blessings.

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  6. good morning lovely Melisa!!!
    ah! Autumn is there anything more beautiful in color. all the rusts, golden browns, deep greens, absolutely exquisite in their own right. i love the Autumn and Spring seasons. that is, to me, when there is the most color. you have brought out the first thing that reminds me of Autumn - Mr. Crow. even though the crow is around continuously they seem to be most vivid in Autumn. do you think that is because of all my childhood memories of scarecrows? now scat you nasty crow!!! poor crow - it's not their fault they are so big and noisy.

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    1. LOL there is something about crows that screams Autumn to me as well. Yep, I think it is the scarecrows. They are noisy little fellas aren't they? Chattering all about. I wish I knew what the racket was all about. I am sure they have good tales to tell. Oh well, I can enjoy the rowdy rascals in quilts and stitches. They do make me smile. Thank you for the sweet Saturday visit and for bringing a smile to my day. I do hope your weekend was a beautiful one. Hugs

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  7. What beautiful fall colors in your quilts, and I love the shirt one with Mr Pinker's shirts. How wonderful to have that pretty string quilt. Wherever did anyone get the time "back then" to work on quilts by hand? It's humbling.

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    1. Oh yes, Linda. I am amazed at my great grandma's handwork. I do wonder too especially with all of the children running about. I can only imagine how busy the household was. Thank you for the sweet visit. I wish you a lovely start to your week. Hugs.

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  8. I love your rail fence autumn quilt. The colors are perfect! Thank you for the stroll down memory lane - so nice to look back and see what you've accomplished and ideas for the future! Blessings!

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    1. Oh thank you so much, dear Donna. I do need to quilt that one sometime soon. I have always had an affection for the rail fence block -so simple but adorable nonetheless. Have a blessed day. Hugs.

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  9. good morning lovely Melisa!!!
    ah! Autumn is there anything more beautiful in color. all the rusts, golden browns, deep greens, absolutely exquisite in their own right. i love the Autumn and Spring seasons. that is, to me, when there is the most color. you have brought out the first thing that reminds me of Autumn - Mr. Crow. even though the crow is around continuously they seem to be most alive in Autumn. do you think that is because of all my childhood memories of scarecrows? now scat you nasty crow!!! poor crow - it's not their fault they are so big and noisy.
    well i hit the publish key much, much too quickly. i'm sorry Melisa. i couldn't figure out how to delete the previous message sooooooo i guess you get it twice. i am sooooo sorry.
    now i have gotten myself all flustered. not a good way to start a saturday morning. geez!!! time to pick yourself up and dust yourself off. there are a lot of bigger and better things to tackle today. no need to fret about a publish key - correct?
    what have you got planned for this beautiful saturday? i am going to take Lola for her walkie and then i'll come home and feed her, have coffee, eat my jalapeno/cheddar cheese bagel with cream cheese, of course, then it's into the sewing room to cut my pieces for my flag quilt that i spoke about yesterday. i didn't get it cut yesterday because i was tooooo tired after getting out in the heat and going to the market. it is hard enough shopping for one, but for two. yikers!!! then on top of that it's delivering the groceries to my mom's and putting them away and then doing likewise for myself. i felt like a wet noodle when i got home.
    i guess it's time to get a move on. i am praying for your cooler weather. i need to get out before it gets toooo hot. i looked at the weather on my Ipad and it said that at 7:00 a.m. it is going to be 71 degrees. at 8:00 a.m. it will be 75. it is 5:35 a.m. right now so i think it is a fantastic time to get my rear up off the chair and make my way to the leash and surprise Lola with her morning walkie.
    blessings and love are coming your way Melisa. have a wonderful, blessed day. stay cool and be sure to move your arms and legs in that beautiful clear blue water.
    Debra Broyles

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    1. Aaaw I just love hearing from you twice, sweet Miz Debra. Mmm jalapeno cheddar cheese bagels sounds yummy! I have not had a bagel in years but with jalapenos and cheddar and cream cheese- well that would be amazing! You had a busy , busy day. Being out and about on a hot day can be very draining especially when there is grocery shopping to be done. I hope you were able to rest afterwards. I ended up going shopping and did not do any of my quilt projects as well then I started cleaning in the afternoon. Whew! I am hoping to work on my quilts this week. Fingers crossed. I hope you are able to do the same. Now you stay cool when getting out and do give Lola a pat on the head for me. Big hugs from the holler.

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  10. So beautiful! I can’t wait to see more!!❤️

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    1. Aaaw thank you so much. I am slowly pulling them out. I think I want to start a new small quilt soon. LOL. There is something about fall that makes me want to quilt. I wish you a wonderful evening. Hugs.

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  11. Beautiful fall quilts, Melisa! Your great grandmother reminds me of mine, who taught me how to sew and let me quilt on the bottom of the quilt when I was a little girl! She is where I get my love of quilting and crafting. Granny was the best. Have a beautiful Saturday. Hugs.

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    1. Aaaw that is such a sweet memory of your Granny. Do you still have some of her quilts? It would be such a treasure especially to have some that you worked on too. It warms my heart to hear that she passed on the love of needlework to you. Did your Mom sew or quilt as well? I am always fascinated to learn how others got into quilting. Have a blessed day. Hugs

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  12. The Rail Fence quilt is so warm and cozy feeling. Very Autumn colors. The string background to the Autumn Crow mini was inspiring. Perfect way to add to the design. I absolutely love Gr'ma Annie's String Star quilt. I have one that I made several years ago and it has always been a favorite. I gave it to my sister. Talking about Great grandparents, my Gr'gr'pa was called C.W., which had me wondering if that maybe was sort of a thing they did in Appalachia in those days. Our homeplace is in WV but so many traditions are similar in different areas of the south. Thank you for sharing some of your bounty of Fall creations. Looking forward to more.

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    1. Oh how fascinating, Ginny. We have a lot of family members and neighbors who just go by their initials even today. Hmmm I never thought about it but you do have me wondering if it is an Appalachia thing or not. It warms my heart that my great grandma's quilt brought back found memories of your great grandparents. Did you get to visit them at their home place? WV is such a pretty state though it has been years since I have visited it. Thank you for the sweet visit, Ginny. I hope your weekend was a delightful one. Hugs.

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  13. Your fall quilts and projects are so pretty! I love the rail fence flimsy - such cozy color in that one. That's wonderful that you have your great grandmother's beautiful quilt, too. Those stars look complicated to make, but maybe when hand-pieced they go together more easily. Thanks for sharing, Melisa!

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    1. Oh thank you so much, Diann. I do need to quilt the rail fence in the near future. I am not sure why I have not tackled it yet. I have always been fascinated by the string stars . I agree they do look complicated. I feel blessed to have this quilt to treasure. Have a great evening Hugs.

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  14. So much quilty goodness and memories in this posting. It was the perfect way to start my morning ~ enjoy today and have a wonderful weekend. (nwpaintedlady)

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    1. Aaw shucks. Thank you so much, dear Sharon. You are always so kind and brighten my day. I always get excited when it is time to pull out the fall quilts. Have a wonderful evening. Hugs.

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  15. Thank you so much for all the freebies. I enjoy your blog and the littles and houses. Maybe next year I will do a house a year, was going to this year but life got in the way. Love your decorating and of course your quilts. Thank you so much again.

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    1. Aaaw you are so very welcome, Marty and thank you for the sweet visits and warm words. You made my day even more special. I do hope you enjoy stitching the little houses when you get to them. I am so honored that they are on your stitching list. Have a lovely evening, dear. Hugs and Blessings

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  16. Autumn Rail Fence quilt top is wonderful!

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    1. Aaw thank you so much, dear. It was a joy to piece. I do need to put it in the hoop soon. Maybe that could be one for next year to hand quilt. Have a blessed day. Hugs.

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  17. You have a beautiful collection for the fall Melisa! I'm still resisting to cross to the "fall side" hehe. I'm stretching my summer as much as possible.
    Hugs

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    1. LOL there is nothing wrong with that, Diana. Enjoy every minute of summer that you can. I love summer too, but I sure have a hankering for fall decorating. This week it is supposed to get a little cooler and then I bet the temps will be right back up. LOL. Thank you for the sweet visit. Hugs and Blessings.

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  18. Thanks for showing us the quilts. I love the colors in your rail fence. Your great-grans quilt is beautiful. I too have a quilt from my Gran. Instead of batting, she used my dad’s WWII woolen marine corps blanket. Believe me when it went to -20 degrees the winter I lived in Michigan that quilt kept me toasty. My Gran would pull out quilts and tell me stories of the fabrics in them. It brings back memories of my family.

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    1. Wow what a wonderful treasure and historic treasure to have! Yes, I say it did keep you quite toasty. I bet it is heavy too- just perfect for those cold winter nights. Such sweet memories of your Gran. Do you have other quilts of hers too? Quilts made with love and from fabrics with stories behind them are the best aren't they? Thank you for the sweet visit and for brightening my day. It just warms my heart to hear of your special quilt. I have a few items of my great uncles from WWII and I treasure them. Hugs and Blessings.

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  19. How wonderful to have your great grandmother's quilt, such a treasure. I'm the only quilter in the family, and only had one grandmother, who I don't remember at all.

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    1. Oh how interesting, Jenny. I would love to hear how you got into quilting. My Nanny was a doll maker but did not quilt. I never met my great grandma; I wish I had. Thank you for the sweet visit. Have a blessed day. Hugs.

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  20. Beautiful quilts, beautiful photos! Everything looks lovely! I also love your blog header image. Warm greetings from a retired lady living in Montreal, Canada.

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    1. Aaah thank you from the bottom of my heart, Linda. You are always so kind. I am looking forward to bringing out the fall quilts and decorating for the season soon. I hope your weekend was a lovely one. Hugs and Blessings.

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  21. Love that you have your great-grandma's string quilt, Melisa! My great-grandma did crochet and crocheted the scene of the Last Supper. I often wonder who ended up with that. My mom said she made 2 and I remember seeing one hanging in her dining room.

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    1. Wow, Nancy that would be an amazing piece. I sure wish you had at least one of them. Hopefully, they were gifted to someone in the family who will cherish them. I can only imagine how much time and work into it. Such a sweet memory. Thank you for sharing and for the sweet visit. Hugs and Blessings.

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  22. Bonjour Mélissa , c'est un véritable trèsor d'avoir une courtepointe de ton arriére grand mére . Chez toi le patchwork c'est dans tes génes ? Pour notre plus grand plaisir , merci d'avoir partagé avec nous. Bonne journée

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    1. Good morning, Aline . I hope your weekend was a lovely one. Oh yes, I do feel very blessed to have one of my great grandma's quilts. My sister has another one which is even more beautiful . They are treasures . Thank you for the sweet visit. Hugs and Blessings

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  23. The fall quilts are beautiful. The colors in the rail quilt are amazing. The pumpkin and crow are so fun on the smaller quilt. Your grandmother’s quilt is lovely and very special. Thanks for sharing. Alicia

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    1. Oh thank you so much, Alicia. The rail fence was a lot of fun to piece. I am not sure why I have not finished it yet, but perhaps sometime in the future. I feel very fortunate to have my great grandma's quilt. It was a labor of love I am sure. Have a blessed day, dear. Hugs.

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  24. Lots of pretty fall colors in those quilts. I'm not ready for it to be fall, though I am looking forward to the cooler temps.

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    1. Aaaw thank you so much, Kate. LOL I understand . I do love summertime and all the fun that goes with it. I guess I am just ready to change out my decor. Hee! Hee! Cooler temps will be nice though. Have a wonderful day. Hugs.

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