Happy Jacks

Halloween wraps fear in innocence,
As though it were a slightly sour sweet.
Let terror, then, be turned into a treat...
–Nicholas Gordon, Poems for Free

I made some Jack-O-Lanterns for my Boo to You! quilt. The appliqué faces still need their blanket stitch, but I was in the mood for a little sew and tell today. It's only been oh, four± years since I started working on this quilt. I get excited about it mid-summer every year and pull it out and work on it, but don't get it finished in time for Halloween. And at the snail's pace I've been working lately, I figured that if I want this quilt done in time for Halloween this year, I'd better get it together.

After I bought the Boo to You! kit, I saw a patchy Jack-O-Lantern wall-hanging and fell in love. I decided to find a way to add some Happy Jacks to this quilt. They don't exactly match the rest of the quilt. They are scrappy and boxy and bright, while the rest of the quilt blocks are strictly appliqué, with rounder, softer lines and sort of muted, earthy tones.

I made the shapes in the appliqué faces as round as I could and I'm hoping that once I get the quilt top assembled and add the scrappy borders it will all come together. Because these Happy Jacks are just too cute not to use!

Read more about this quilt:
About this quilt, with blocks in progress here
Small Witch in progress
Quilt Top Mostly Together