When the Air Clears

There’s a certain kind of sigh that only happens at the start of autumn. Not a rushed or panicked exhale, but a deep, slow breath—the kind that says, "We survived summer."

By the time October rolls around, the frenetic chaos of the hotter months finally begins to dissolve. The air feels crisper. The mornings become inviting again. The world softens, and for the first time in months, it feels like I can really breathe again.

Last October, in the middle of that shift, an idea for a quilt began to stir. It didn’t start with a block, or even with a sketch. It started with color—the quiet greens and golds that signal the first signs of autumn.

I pulled fabrics from my resource center (it's not a stash, no matter what anyone says): muted greens, soft golds, the colors of leaves just beginning to turn. The palette came together first. I knew I wanted to capture that early moment of transition—when the world is still mostly green but the color change is beginning to tickle the trees.

The block design followed. A simple structure at first, oriented horizontally. But when I turned it vertically on the design wall, something clicked. The vertical lines felt like a walk through the woods—tree trunks reaching upward, light slipping between them, the subtle movement of the season unfolding slowly above and around you.

The background took a little more effort. None of my blues felt quite right. I needed something that captured the deep, clear blue of an autumn sky—the kind of blue you only get once the last humidity of summer has been swept away. I ordered a new shade, and with that, the full vision came into focus.

Some quilts are a battle, asking to be redrawn, resewn, second-guessed at every turn. October Forest wasn’t. It came together easily, the way some quilts do when the colors and shapes are already speaking the same language.

Every morning, Gracie and I hit the trails through the woods near home. We see the season change in real time—the softening light, the shifting leaves, and the first chill in the mornings. October Forest is built around the quiet beginning of autumn—the early shift, not the bright peak.

October Forest captures the first signs of autumn—the soft greens, the early golds, the deep blue skies. It’s built from the days when the world finally slows down, and the season starts to open.

And if you're lucky enough to experience an October forest with a dog by your side, well—it's even better.

October Forest
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Notes from the Beginning