Halloween Finish, Christmas Quilt Along, Ugly Quilt, Cross Stitching, Hazel's Summer Embroidered Wildflowers

After the horrid humidity that hung around so much of this  summer, I think I will say Autumn is now my favourite season. The air is clear and the garden has not completely died off, so a few flower bearing plants to still eye.  With the recent rains, all sorts of interesting mushrooms have sprung up. And of course, seeing up close all the changes to the trees, leaves and blooming shrubs is enjoyable as well. 

My groom is starting to take shape. I hope to finish him this week. I heard from  Gitta's that the Autumn Quakers threads had to be backordered. I would love to get a start made on that piece before any thoughts of Christmas cross stitching get on the radar.  But c'est la vie.

The sewist behind Love Laugh Quilt and host of the linky party Monday Making, Beth, is hosting a Christmas Red and Green Sampler Quilt Along on her YouTube channel, My Sewing Room. She has generously offered free PDF files plus videos posted for three blocks now. I like the way she works with traditional style patterns and gives them a modern look with fabrics, etc. 

A Finish of a Small!

I showed a little piece that had some orange and black strips sewn together back in this post. It wasn't hard to guess a Halloween project was in the making.  I didn't have a pattern as such but drawing a pumpkin isn't exactly hard to do. I just cut the wide mouth and the eyes without a template. 

And found a piece of Black Cat on orange fabric for the backing and brought forward for the edging. I stitched simple in the ditch quilting lines through the strips. 

This machine sewn place mat is probably one of the few things I've ever made completely by machine. I had to practice to get the applique bit the right amount but other than that, it was pretty easy.  Perhaps this will make it all hang together better when going through the washing machine. 

I heard that almost 8 year old grandson, Robbie, liked it!

 Please tell me this has happened to you...an ugly quilt story!

 At the farmhouse back in 2015 I had the fun of embroidering  large flowery patterns from a quilt along called Hazel's Summer Wildflowers. 

                             

Shelly Pagliai shared excerpts from her mother's diary of her life as a young girl and woman in the '50's in Missouri and offered the free patterns as a way of remembering her mom. The diary entries made for the most interesting reading (including the recipes for the food Hazel helped her Mom make) and I loved the patterns. I finished embroidering all six of the patterns and they sat for a couple of years. Then I sewed them together with blocks stitched in this rather brightly coloured bee and flower fabrics. I remember being excited to find fabric with bees and flowers and thought it would be perfect.  But I hated the results.

                                                

I spent Saturday night unstitching them all.  

Including parts of the stitched blocks too.

What made me suddenly think of this project was some Laura Ashley fabric I came across online. It  had a very small flowery print in various colours and it reminded me of these blocks.  I am thinking the tiny motifs will suit these better. I ordered it and can't wait to see if maybe they will work. It would be nice to have these embroidered blocks finally sewn into something I am pleased with. 

 Hazel's blog is still there and the patterns for an appliqued version as well...The Life of Hazel Ilene, as well as the patterns for a number of other quilt alongs. I'm interested in the Vintage Christmas Ornaments one, for instance. 

Thinking of life at the farmhouse reminded me of the sumac lined driveway that turned brilliant red this time of year. I'll leave you with my dogs that I loved so much and think about all the time, Rex and Murphy, on that driveway one October back at the farm. Poor Hubby cannot say their names. 😢

I hope your week is off to a good start. Happy Stitching All!

Joining Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, Quilting is More Fun Than Housework, Love Laugh Quilt, Texas Quilt Gal, My Quilt Infatuation, The Inquiring Quilter and Kathy's Quilts.