Hello, Autumn

Hello, Friends!

It's been quite a while since I've posted.

Something happens every year,

that refreshes me and recharges my creativity...

it's called Autumn.

Here in Pennsylvania,

fall shows up for a day or two here and there,

before the leaves change

and summer goes away for a long long time.

It's perfect weather for a caramel latte

and some homemade pumpkin bread.

The colors of fall lift my spirits,

and they show up in flowers as well as on the trees.

My husband and I recently bought a Cricut Maker.

I hope to share lots of projects in the future.

I made my sign to usher in my favorite season.

I started with a round unfinished board from Lowe's,

which I sanded along the top edge.

I stained the board in a traditional finish.

Next I used painter's tape to create 

an antique white band with chalk paint.

Now I was ready to make my stencil using the Cricut Maker,

some removable vinyl.

I had fun picking out the fonts and a sweet saying. 

{I prepared the surface with some Mod Podge, to prevent bleeding of the letters.}

I hot-glued a pretty fall floral pick that I bought

from Michaels. I love the interesting colors of the pumpkins.

I popped in some little berries and a few loops of burlap ribbon.

There are loads of videos and how-to posts out there,

that anyone can use to spark their creativity.

It's been really fun to figure out how to make various

projects, and we're just getting started.

I hope you'll meet me back here later for more projects!

What are you working on?

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Spooky Delight Table Topper

Hello, Friends!

Halloween is coming up soon.

I'm all set, now that I've finished making my

Spooky Delight table topper!

In my last post, I shared the matching pillow.

{See the pillow back there on the couch?}

I got a lot of mileage out of just that one Spooky Delight charm pack!

There are even a few squares left...

I decided not to use the purple and green ones.

For the pillow,

 I had used some of the low volume squares

from the charm pack for the "background," 

supplemented with "Porcelain" Bella Solid fabric.

I went a different direction for the table topper,

choosing "Steel" gray Bella Solid

for the background.

For the backing, I used the same gray solid.

I added a strip of extra HST's for interest.

True Confession:

There is a little PUCKER on the back. 

There was a big FROWN on my face when I saw it.

I just left it there.

{The PUCKER - not the frown. I'm over it.}

I just adore the vintage vibe from this fabric line,

by Bunny Hill for Moda.

I wanted a bright skinny orange border 

for the table topper.

I turned to another wonderful fabric line...

Good Neighbors by Crazy Mom Quilts

for Connecting Threads.

I know now why it's named Good Neighbors...

these fabrics mix very well with other lines.

I used some of the gray stripe from Good Neighbors for the binding.

I think it's just right...on both sides.

I'm all set for trick-or-treaters now.

We'll keep the lights low to make the house more spooky.

Come back soon to see some more decorations

for fall and Thanksgiving at my house!

Here's a sneak peek...

Happy Halloween!

Linking up with:

Quilt Story

Midweek Makers #43

WIP Wednesday #258 @ TN&TN

Silly Mama Quilts

Fabric Frenzy Friday at Fort Worth Fabric Studio

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Spooky Delights Halloween Pillow

Hello, Friends!

October is here, and while I was decorating my home,

I decided to whip up a new Halloween pillow.

I used my charm pack of Spooky Delights

by Bunny Hill for Moda.

There are so many sweet prints...

I think I love this Raven Damask the most.

Can you see the tiny black birds?

The text print was another deal-breaker for me.

Mix in a few black cats, pumpkins and mischievous mice,

and you've got a fun focal print.

Of course, there are lots of pretty polka dots

to coordinate...making this line a hit with me.

I've been practing my half-square triangle (HST)

technique, so in nearly no time,

I had whipped up the 16 HST's I needed for the pillow top.

I love that HST's can be arranged in countless ways,

to create stunning designs.

This is the layout I chose, with a diamond pattern

of low volumes around a dark center.

My finished top was about 16 1/2" square...

my pillow form was 16" on the top, but it's rather deep.

I decided to use a Bella Solid

shade called Melon (9900 295)

to add a narrow coordinating border.

Often I use a covered zipper backing, but this time
I took a practical shortcut in the zipper installation.

I placed the zipper in the bottom seam of the pillow.

It doesn't show, and it will be so easy to swap out

the pillow cover for other seasons.

I chose the text print in Vanilla for the pillow backing.

The quilting on this pillow was nice and easy...

I used a grid of straight diagonal lines.

For areas that weren't "in the ditch",

I marked my lines with a Frixion pen.

You would never know, even on the white triangles...
a hot iron removed the lines after stitching.

I'm so pleased with my Halloween pillow...

and there are enough charm squares left for another

Halloween project or two!

Are you getting ready for Halloween, too?

Linking up with Quilt Story Fabric Tuesday
and
Freemotion By the River Linky Tuesday
and
Fabric Frenzy Friday
and 
Finish It Up Friday - Oct. 7, 2016.

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Happy Halloween!

Halloween is here!

I've made some new mug rugs to celebrate.

Both patterns are from The Patchsmith.

The first one is the Primitive Pumpkin Mug Rug.

This pattern is available individually,

or in the Halloween and Thanksgiving Mug Rugs E-book.

I had the most fun creating the pumpkin

from a variety of orange fabrics in my stash.

The Patchsmith method was so innovative and easy...

as are all of her designs!

I couldn't resist making a Jack-O-Lantern mug rug, too!

For this mug rug,

I used the Pumpkin Patch Mug Rug pattern.

Once the basic mug rug was stitched,

I jazzed it up using The Patchsmith's

FREE bonus pattern

for Pumpkin Face Appliques.

I like those missing teeth...

someone's been eating too much candy.

I finished both of these off using my own 

Machine Binding Tutorial.

These mug rugs look almost as nice on the back, 

if I say so myself!

I hope you'll have a chance to make your own mug rugs,

then enjoy a nice cup of hot cider 

and a sweet treat this Halloween!

Don't worry, though, if you're too late for Halloween...

pumpkins are welcome all the way through November!

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End of October - Across The Pond Sew Along Rag Wreath

This month's

Across The Pond Sew Along

featured a fun project...

rag wreaths!

My sister Susie  over at Susie's Sunroom

created a sweet wreath from a range of plum fabrics.

She added some button details.

Sigh...adorable!

Amanda The Patchsmith...

our British "sister"...styled her own

autumn wreath with flannel plaid,

accented with golds, oranges and reds.

When I saw those two projects, I made sure

I took the time to make a rag wreath of my own!

I pulled out a stack of homespun wovens

that have been in my stash for...

ahem...a very long time.

I followed the tutorial by Hiphome for my project,

and I cut my strips about 1 1/2" x 5" or so.

I wouldn't have wanted those strips any shorter,

because they would have been difficult to tie.

My mom and I had a wonderful afternoon

of crafting together, and she created her own

wreath to take home.

My finished wreath looks so full and pretty, hung on my front door.

OK...let's be real.

I had to take photos on the front door,

but my wreath will NOT be living there.

The first rainy night or snowy storm

would probably ruin my fluffy wreath.

It's an inside wreath!

I only took the outside photos

so you could see how lovely it is.

It doesn't show up well in my indoor pictures,

but that's where it will really be kept.

{I couldn't get any nice photos of Mom's wreath, but is gorgeous,

hanging in her hallway, against a taupe wall.}

From now through Thanksgiving,

I'll enjoy looking at this lovely textured

autumn palette...I wish you could touch this wreath!

I hope you'll try making one of your own.

If you do, please add it to the 

Flickr page for the Across The Pond Sew Along!

Come back tomorrow for

another October finish...as we finish October!

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