More Fall/Halloween Decor

I have to add this photo of my last decorating job. I had almost forgotten this wonderful wreath as I purchased it from a fellow garage sale friend this summer. That's the funny thing about having those sales with a friend. You start buying each other stuff.

I just couldn't resist this wreath when I saw it at our garage sale. My friend Jackie was tired of it and put it in for only $2.00. What really drew me to it was this black crows. They look so real. Jackie just did a really nice job making it and a was the lucky one to get it. I'll have this forever. I have been adding to my Halloween decorations for years and never tire of any of them.

Another Friday nite sew in is coming up this week, so I'll have something new to show here soon. And I'm crocheting some more Halloween amigurumi guys to go with my little punkin.

Halloween-One of my most favorite hollidays

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays and I love putting a little of it in my house. For a number of years I collected Boyd's Bears (and cats, too) and I accumulated lots of holiday bears and cats. I finally gave up collecting as I just had too many of these little stuffed guys and no where to go with them. Every year they get to come out of their storage boxes and spend September, October, and November sitting around my house. I made the quilt in the early 90's. It's cheater fabric, and I quilted it on my sewing machine. Also I made the 2 large punkins and the fall leaves wall hanging in the upper photo back in the 80's. This year I crocheted the tiny little jack-o-lantern amigurumi which is down in the very front. Hope I'll be able to make a few more little amigurumi characters this year.

August Sit N' Sew

I finished the project from the August Sit n' Sew. As I sewed on this project I started wondering if I wanted it to be some type of quilt or wall hanging. I had used most of the fabric strips that I had cut but had some of the rust and green strips left over. If I wanted to make something larger I was going to have to cut more of most everything. I looked at it for a while and then decided it would make a nice fall tablecloth. Really, it would look nice in my kitchen. I wouldn't be doing that except I've been using other nice tablecloths (mostly from my mom and gram- they are old enough to be vintage now) I've wanted to use all these wonderful linens, but never did. Always was worried that something would happen with a spill or something. Got a brite idea one day and went to Joann Fabrics and bought some nice clear vinyl and put it on the table over the cloth. Now I can use any of my special linens and even a quilt tablecloth without fear of them being ruined. All I had to do was add borders which I already had with the leftovers and my tablecloth was ready.

3rd Second Saturday Block

Photo of my most recent second Saturday block. 3 down, 3 to go.

A Finished Project

Ha! a finished project! Not a big one but its done. I can look at this little guy while I'm rippling, grannying, quilting, on all my big unfinished projects. To clarify, its the punkin only, not the sweater on the little kitty. The punkin instructions came with some other more difficult Halloween patterns that I purchase last Fall. I also had purchase Gourmet Crochets little book with Santa And Mrs Santa etc. Of course I had to start with something harder. I tried Santa and Mrs which was stupid. I did make the little bodies arms and legs but I struggled and didn't like how they looked so gave up and went back to work on Christmas ornaments, my quilting, etc.I hadn't done much crochet at all except granny squares. Now thanks to the granny and ripple alongs I am really branching out and trying to learn all I can. What made me decide to try amigurumi again was a new crochet along where amigurumi is the chosen topic right now. I got out my box with the amigurumi and looked at those little body parts and left them alone. But I found my Halloween pattern with all the harder characters but knew that little punkin pattern was in there too. Hooray! I tried it and was able to round crochet. Nothing like a little confidence building. I'm gonna get out Santa and Mrs. and frog those poor little bodies, arms, and legs apart and redo them. Also maybe I can do a witch or something from the other patterns. Now I'm getting brave.

Just a note. If your wondering about the kitties. They're from Boyd's Bears. Of which I was a collector. I have so many that I made myself stop buying them except for the Fall, Halloween and Christmas ones. I cant resist. Fall through Christmas Is my favorite time of year and I love decorating with my little stuffed guys. Now that its September I can get all of them out. Then the day after Thanksgiving they go away and All the Christmas guys come out. I wish they could all stay out all year with my regular bears but there are just too many.

Friendship Basket Quilt

Here are photos of a quilt that is very special to me. The basket blocks were made for me by many of my quilting friends in 1981. Our quilt guild decided to start a monthly friendship block drawing and I won on the fourth month. All that was required for us was to make a block every month for whoever's name was chosen-they picked the pattern-and for each block we made we got a ticket into the drawing. The winner could supply fabric or request certain colors or styles. For mine I asked all my friends to pick whatever fabric they wanted as I wanted it to be scrappy. And ask then for an extra strip of fabric which I used in the border. I really love this quilt for a number of reasons. The fabrics themselves are over 25 years old which is a nice piece of history. How the fabrics have evolved since then. I live in a town with a large state university and many large companies so people come and go all the time. So many of those friends I made moved away and sadly a number of them have passed away over the years. I know who made each block and I've been meaning to make a label but just keep putting it off. I better get going and do it. Things change with time but not this. I'll always have the memories of the fun times I had with everyone when I was just starting out at quilting. The friendship block drawing has continued and I have won 3 more times over the years. But this quilt just means the most to me.

The Kittens -- Still growning

The babies are still growing and getting feistier every day. What's amazing is they still don't even weight 2 pounds. My daughter has been caring for them so well. She treats her animals as if they were human beings so they are getting the best care. The good news is she will probably keep them. As the days go by she and her husband fall more in love with them. She wasn't sure about keeping them because she does have a dog, Teva. We think Teva is feeling a mothering instinct but those babies are just so small. She does let Teva near and she licks and nuzzles them. But she does get a little excited, too. And she's so big compared to them. They just have to grow some. That will take time but ther's plenty of that.

My Friend Cotton

Just some pics of Cotton doing what he does best. Always getting in the middle of things to be close to me. Whenever I'm at my machine sewing, he's got to be right there. Or taking a rest on or anything else he can find, my container of strips for a crocheted rag rug I'm making. I love having him close, though. He's my only pet right now and is always there to take care of, and if I need it, comfort me.

I've got new books --- and CHEAP!

Just got a nice box full of books today. They came from Edward R. Hamilton, a giant overstock bookseller. The pricing varies but these books all only cost $4.95 each. Most retail for over $20.00, so it was a deal. Books are another one of my passions. I love reading and just love books in general. I guess I'm what would be called a Bibliophile. And I know this word because I actually have book about book fanatics and collectors. There are bookshelves all over my house. Between books, fabric and quilting supplies, and my crochet and knit supplies, I've got stuff everywhere.

Thimbleberries quilts 2006

Here are photos of my first Thimbleberries Quilt. I joined the club at my local quilt shop, Miss Millies,in 2006 and this was the club quilt. It was block of the month for the year. So each month we purchased a block kit with pattern and fabric.This particular quilt had center squares with a stamped design in black for each month of the year. They could be used as is , colored with crayola and heat set, hand embroidered (as I did) or any other idea we could think of . It was really a great project for a novice sewing machine piecer. I've mentioned before that I started out as a hand piecer(I seemed to have more time years ago) but I'm finding that I really can't produce at all, not even one quilt per year. To hand piece a large quilt like this would take forever. When I say hand piece, I mean completely. All the blocks, borders, setting strips, no machine work at all. Having done some other quilts by hand I've not been able to do many other things I'd like. Now because of machine piecing I can have a variety of projects going that can be finished on a quicker timetable. That leaves more time for my crochet and all my other sewing and craft projects. I don't miss the feeling of having something in my hands. Plenty crochet just for starters. If I ever get to retire, I'll be able to do some hand piecing again and do everything else, too.

This has already been quilted and just needs binding and it's done. I actually have three more quilts that I made during 2006. I'll post photos of them separately and tell their stories also.