Oh, Fall....

Who doesn't love this season? Seriously! Do you know anyone that doesn't like fall? What's not to like? There are cool days, beautiful leaves, pumpkins, cider (which my kids have discovered and fallen madly in love with), football, chili & cornbread, and pumpkin EVERYTHING. I've decided that everything tastes better with a little pumpkin and cinnamon added. :)

My aunt's birthday is the second of October and I made her that little wreath as a birthday gift. Last summer my mother-in-law (who is quite the crafty lady) cut down grapevine and showed me how to make wreaths out of it. I used one of those wreaths - probably 14" in diameter - and wound some berries (found at Michael's) around it. For the leaves, I sandwiched floral wire between two pieces of fabric and some Heat N Bond and cut a leaf shape out. Easy as (pumpkin) pie. (I couldn't help it).

Have you ever visited the Pioneer Woman's cooking website, Tasty Kitchen? It is GENIUS. I finally scored some pumpkin at the grocery store the other day (they had been out forever) and I was looking for a recipe to use it in when I came across this gem . It is truly one of the best things I've ever baked. In my whole entire life. SO good. It tastes just like my mom's pumpkin roll, but in cookie form, and the little flecks of cinnamon in the icing just make me so happy and cozy. It's the little things, apparently, that do it for me.

My kids (especially Delaney) are very big on seasonal crafts, and now that we're officially homeschoolers, it's a necessary part of our day. So she says. ;) We made some candy corn using the same method as our Valentine hearts, and I strung them along with some candy corn using thick upholstery thread. It took a bit of patience to not break the candy corn, but it wasn't too bad at all. It's a shame no one in this house even likes candy corn. We found pieces for days afterward, in melty little piles, where someone (Finn) had tasted it and spit it out.

I also baked these muffins, which were super tasty, but definitely not as awe-inducing as the pumpkin cookies. They're even better today, at 2 days old.

(My new chalk cloth tablerunner, purchased at the Country Living Fair, from Modern June, who was just as cute and sweet as she could be. You need one too!)

Sashiko!

A couple of weekends ago we went to the Country Living Fair in Columbus, OH. It's a yearly tradition for us, and it usually falls around our anniversary, which is good timing. (If you missed the Columbus show, there will be one in Stone Mountain, GA in October). I'll post pictures of the fair soon, but I wanted to share what I found in some quilt shops along the way first. I've had a really hard time finding a thimble that I like. I asked a quilt shop owner what she suggested, and she said she loved the adhesive leather dots that you just stick on your finger. I was a little skeptical, but I bought them, and and I. LOVE. THEM. Seriously. They are exactly what I wanted and work over and over again! Like magic.

Every time we travel somewhere I put "quilt" or "fabric" into the GPS and see what it comes up with. (I seriously have the most patient husband in the world.) I found a tiny little shop and I was shocked to see that they carried sashiko! I've wanted to try it for the longest time and for $8 I couldn't pass it up. I chose the white background (they also had navy) and some mustard sashiko cotton. Purl Soho has a great sashiko tutorial here and there are quite a few kits on Etsy. Once I actually start this I'll post some pics.

And I can't wait to make a sweet girly quilt with these charm packs I recently swapped for - the are designed using vintage sheets as inspiration. The colors are great, aren't they?!

A Wedding Quilt

A couple of weeks after I started working with Allie (the bride for whom I made the lingerie bags), I received a (secret) email from her fiance, Zane. He mentioned how much she loved handmade things and wanted to get her something special as a wedding day gift. We emailed back and forth, and he sent me links to their wedding registries. I noticed that they were registered for Fiestaware, and in the most beautiful, bright colors. I sent him a couple of different fabric combinations, and I knew right away what he would choose. He chose the Amy Butler Love line and the colors match perfectly with their new dishes.

I figure he must be a pretty good catch to go to such distances for his betrothed. ;) I made a label for the back of the quilt using this printable fabric, (picked up at Michael's) and I have to say that stuff is pretty darn cool. I hand-stitched around the edge to make it a little more secure and I am so happy with how it turned out.

After I had delivered the bridesmaid bags to her, he emailed me back and asked if I could make another bag for her, too, since she loved them so much! Nothing makes me happier than when someone enjoys what I make for them. :) They went to Jamaica on their honeymoon so I thought a swimsuit bag would be fitting.

Congratulations to a super sweet couple and I'm so glad I could play a small, handmade part in your special day!

Unmentionables

A couple of months ago I had the very fun task of helping a bride decide on something to give her bridesmaids. She was so fun to work with and really let me have free reign. I suggested monogrammed cosmetic bags or a lingerie bag, and I made this little bag to give her an idea. I had recently been on a couple of weekend trips and kept losing socks and undies in my suitcase, so I thought I'd make a little bag to store them in.

She loved it and the only change she made was to put the girls' names on them instead. She requested blue, orange, pink and red, and let me do the rest - I love having creative freedom! :)

I fused the teeny tiny undies on and then embroidered around them, free-motion stitched a clothes line, and then hand-embroidered their names.

The new couple is on their honeymoon now, and tomorrow I'll show you what her sweet groom surprised her with......

For baby Claire

We have a new niece on the way, and she's all set to arrive tomorrow. Of course I had to make her something handmade, and I used this adorable Cosmo Cricket Girl Friday line. It's becoming really hard to find now, but it's perfectly girly and the colors are great. I made a disappearing nine-patch baby quilt that measures about 36x36, a couple of burp cloths, and a onesie.

She has already been nicknamed "Claire Bear" so of course I had to make her a little bear shirt. (And the fold is crooked, not the embroidery, I promise!) Baby gifts are so fun to make because they're such instant gratification.

Libraries & Labels

At the end of the summer when the heat became unbearable, we headed inside to the library. The kids still can't get over the fact that we can take so many books home - it's too good to be true. (I secretly still think the same thing!) And DVDs, too! Since we turned off our cable this spring watching DVDs has been a fun thing for them to do, and I love that there aren't any questionable commercials that I have to worry about.

As I lugged home a huge tote full of books, I had a lightbulb moment. Library bags! And they could be personalized, with a pocket for their cards! And have patchwork! And cute handles! I'm easily excited. ;) I've wanted a reason to order some Sweetwater personalized labels for quite some time now, and this was the perfect occasion. I ordered one for each kid and then had fun pulling out coordinating fabrics.

THEN, to add to the excitement, this awesome library tote tutorial from Noodlehead popped up in my Google Reader. I put this all together before vacation, and now that we're back I can't wait to get started.

I'm sure you're familiar with Sweetwater's fabric lines (Pure, Make Life & Authentic), but did you know about their awesome new Label Crew club? It's only $6 and you get 4 fabric labels (one is personalized!) and a cute little pattern every month. Below is the kit for September - I got it in the mail a couple of weeks ago and can't wait to make these little fabric buckets for Halloween!

(And no, this isn't a paid advertisment, I just think their products are that cool!)

Patchwork

I don't think I'll ever get over my love of simple patchwork squares. They're not fancy; on the contrary, they are about as humble as a design can be. In my opinion, this is what really makes them shine. Not much thinking is involved besides deciding between 3 or 4 inch squares, and then you can do the really fun part of choosing which fabrics to combine. I have been using Robert Kaufman Essex cotton/linen blend for a couple of years now and it's a staple in my sewing stash. I haven't found a group of fabrics yet that isn't complimented by the addition of some Essex in Natural.

This little group was ordered by a great friend to give as a baby gift. I had so much fun picking out girly colors and stitching the little onesie. So tiny. These patchwork bags are a staple in my inventory. They measure about 12x14 inches and are great for keeping toys corralled in the car, taking a change of clothes for an outing, diapers, or packing ballet shoes or soccer cleats.

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