Slow Sunday Stitching and some slow Freebie Stitching.

Several months ago I cut out pieces for a needle case designed by Sue Spargo in Better Home and Gardens American Patchwork and Quilting April 2016 edition.  As often happens it got put aside while I decided what to use for a background.  Well on Sunday morning I finally made a choice to use a recycled wool I found in a skirt at a Value Village Thrift shops several years ago.  Here are all the pieces stitched down and ready to be embellished.

Just after midnight I finished stitching everything and now have to put it together.  I've a couple of ideas to change the inside a bit rather than just put some pages for needles inside.

 Pekingese stitch using orange back stitch and magenta for loops.  Yellow drizzle stitches around a velvet centre.

 Bullion knots around the velvet and wool applique and pistil stitch on the rickrack.

Palestrina knot stitches around the outline of the body and also for the legs.

More drizzle stitches on the tail.

 Here are some of the freebies I stitched during the week. This first one I found awhile ago on All People Quilt it was designed by Reets Rags to Riches.  I used the moon and star but drew my own cat.  It is meant to be made into a triangle basket/pennant but I decided to use this Halloween star print.

 This is a cute piece from Cheri Paynes Quilts by Cheri Friends page on Facebook. She offers some of her older patterns if you like her page.

 A detail of the pumpkin basket crow is carrying.

 This crow with pumpkin and acorn were part of Stacy West's Halloween Bash Blog Hop. If you go to each day you will find links for fun projects. This one was found here.

 Debbie from Wooden Spools designed Frankie as a Halloween Pouch, Here he is on the orange stars. You can find the link on Stacy's page here along with some great Halloween treat recipes each day.

 This next designs was shared by my friend Paulette from Sweet P Quilting and Designs. She has been making a lot of seasonal pillows. Mine still needs some eyes, I say he is blinking from the flash when I took his picture.

 From Calico Moon we got a cute Sugar Skull mini quilt done in purples and oranges.  I decided to opt for the more traditional colours and use this fun spooky crow and chandelier print I have instead.

 Cathy Cardiff of The Cottage at Cardiff Farms designed a cute pumpkin and spider treat bag.

 Rather than stitch his spider's legs I used a mini rick rack for them.

 Stacy also shared designs by Plum Cute Designs, a lovely stitchery project and from Ali Strebel a stuffed black cat which I've not made either.  To finished up the blog hop Stacy made an owl pin that once again I found a cute Halloween print to put him on.

 I was playing with the projects on Saturday night and am thinking I might make them into either a Halloween mini quilt or I may make some into pillows.  Still thinking on it.  What would you do with theses?  If I make a quilt I would add some of my own ideas for the blank pieces of fabrics.

Enjoy your week of stitching.

Hallowe'en Handouts! Happy Hallowe'en! Trick or Treat!

What was your call out when you showed up at the door for Hallowe'en when you were a child?  I think I did all of those at various time.  I thought I'd share a couple of Hallowe'en inspired pieces I've made over the year.  Some are blocks part of a quilt and others are their own special piece.  Several years ago Karen Berry a formal member of our guild did a Quilter's Year.  She gave us some patterns for each month and you got to put them together how you wished and add some fillers.  This was her October on but I changed out the cat.  I also added some star sequins and used a small bead to help anchor them on the quilt.  That is the flash of light in the top right when my flash went off.

 As a filler for the same quilt I did a crescent moon and single star rather than the tradition Hallowe'en full harvest moon.  His eye is beaded and a star for the iris.

 This scarecrow was also one of Karen's designs.  I liked that black cat in the pumpkins so much I got two pieces of it on one driving holiday to California.

 This is a detail of a larger favourite Hallowe'en quilt I made several years ago and one of my first machine quilted pieces.  The tops of the fence are three dimensional as is the cat's tail.  I used green oval beads for his eyes. The spider in the corner is a pin I got at a craft fair and the spider web was my own idea.

 Three smiling Amigos sitting on the picket fence.  One of my few pieces that I use fusible products for the eyes, noses and mouths.

 Here is the crescent moon and star with a bat and a witch.

 And the whole quilt which comes out each Hallowe'en.

 Another favourite Autumn quilt once again using some fusible.

One last quilt to share was designed by my friend Ethel, she did a workshop for the guild we belong to and everyone used their own fabrics.  The strip along the bottom is a Patrick Lose fabric that I received a free fat quarter of when a local shop opened up.  I also added some leaf and candy buttons for Hallowe'en.

This wreath is a collection of dollar store buys along with a larger skeleton and Pier 1 witch ornament.  The black wreath was made from a long swag of that spooky black and purple stuff.

 Poor witchy didn't make it thru my peephole, that looks like it hurt!

 I found this elegant witch several years ago and I leave her up all year in front of a mirror my grandparents used to own.

 Does she not look a bit hypnotic gazing at you to wish you a safe and Happy Hallowe'en?

Getting Ready..

Fall/Autumn is one of my favourite seasons to make quilts. I found this pattern many years ago when I was first starting. It is a fused piece for the appliqué with a mix of piecing.






Another fused piece, these are hand button hole stitched.





The turkey was from a magazine and the base from another source.





Several years ago this was a free wool appliqué pattern a blog hop. Sorry I don't recall the designer.





My original design from a class with Jane Sassaman, I called it October Weekend with Jane.




This pattern is called Holiday Baskets by Cheri Saffiote I call mine Where's Jack?


This witch's delight was designed by my friend Ethel Snow for a guild workshop. I had fun using different fabrics for the final borders. All the pumpkin stems are 3-D, I had fun adding some leaf and candy buttons.


I saw this pattern driving down to San Diego, unfortunately the shop didn't have a copy of it, but found it before I got back home. I made a few changes, I flipped the crescent moon and changed the bottom of the ghost.



Combination of piecing with fused details.





This guy's tail is 3-D, green beads for eyes. Prairie points for the tops of the picket fence; every picket is a different fabric.





Hi buddy on the other side.





Couldn't resist adding the buttons.





Had some fun adding the spider web. The spider has a pin backing on it.





Backing is an Alexander Henry fabric I think.





I renamed the pattern Three Amigos.





Added a bit of spider web fabric





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Halloween....trick or TREAT,

Our lobby is ready for some trick or treaters tonight.


Several of my neighbours have decorated their doors.


Spooky ghosts and spiders abound.


Some, skeletons and witches guard my home.


Treat? I'm flying off this morning....to Houston International Quilt Festival!


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