Monday 24 October 2016

Shades of Autumn

 We have been enjoying some wonderful autumn days over the past week......filled with warm colours, misty mornings and golden afternoons and that special nostalgic autumn atmosphere.....
 ..............i am busy working on some magazine commissions, and hand quilting two quilts......so i decided to make a quick little project as a change..........this little pumpkin house uses the basic house pattern in my book *pretty patchwork gifts*............if you wish you can add any embellishments or appliques to personalise your own little house :).........
 ................these beautiful yellow lilies and white and yellow roses were a lovely gift from my dear younger daughter..........they have lasted ages and i have put them in several different vases and containers....
 ...........the little pumpkin house was sewn from a piece of my cross stitch linen, with some pretty lecien fabric for the roof and the pumpkin and a tiny bit of tilda floral for the door......the ribbon is from clothkits...........i love making these scrappy little houses and it is always fun to make a new one with the latest fabrics in my scrappy pile.....
 ..............i embroidered a few details too......the twirling vines at the top of the pumpkin were fun to stitch..........i added a tiny button to the door......
 ...............this week i got out the autumn blanket again and we are loving its warm cosiness and bright colours....i made this a couple of years ago inspired by the bright autumn shades of an indian summer week in the lake district....the sky was blue every day and there was an abundance of berries, fruit and gorgeously coloured leaves....we had never seen the normally rather subdued lake district looking so colourful :) .....
 .............flowers in the tomato vase..........
 .............all the actual tomatoes have been used up now....cooked and eaten and enjoyed...
 ..................next it will be time for pumpkin soup and pumpkin pie.........and i bought the ingredients for gingerbread and tea loaf  too so lots of baking planned here now the chilly weather has arrived.....
 ..............my kind husband cleaned out the greenhouse at the weekend ready for me to put my plants back in for the winter, and to plant lots of bulbs too...and later on seeds......
 ...............and my next homely job is sorting out my books....this might well take all winter.....these penguin books have been with me since my school days........we have hundreds of books upstairs on our top floor and i want to get them in order and dispose of some of them too.......not so easy when you are bookworm like me.........i begin to sort them and then dip in and start reading ;) ........
 ................off to whip up a fruit tea bread now and to sew one of my quilts while it bakes......
................thank you for dropping by dear readers, and how lovely to have such sweet comments from so many of you......it is good to see lots of old friends (and new!)..............wishing you all a wonderful week ahead with bright sunny days, crafty times and warm, cosy evenings..................back soon xxxxxxxxxxxxx

25 comments:

KC'sCourt! said...

The little house is really cute. Love your crochet blanket

Julie xxxxxxx

Ali said...

I'm in love with your pumpkin house :-). Good luck with the books xxx

Jacky H said...

Hi what a lovely read as usual. I love your pumpkin house that is on my to do list when I've finished my star quilt from your book. I only have the border blocks to sew on. Have a lovely week Helen
Jacky

Ada Plouvier-Kopitopoulou said...

What a cute little pumpkin house! Love the colours of the grannies.

Art and Sand said...

I love all your soft colors of autumn.

Lily said...

Oh Helen , I'm just thinking of making houses (much inspired by you)...thinking too hard...and here you are, with a lovely new one. I hope I can use it for inspiration,.. but I don't like to be a copycat, so I'll keep thinking hard...
Thank you for all the beauty you share here
Wonderful week
PS. I hope you're not getting rid of Austen books!...

Jennifer Hays said...

Your pumpkin house is so sweet. I love the little pumpkin applique. You have a way with cute little touches like that. Your autumn blanket is back! I've always liked it. I really love the colors, especially the pomegranate in it. That's such a nice color, a bit acidic without being too bright, it really does look like autumn leaves. Hope you have a good week, Helen.

Simone said...

Such a sweet little pumpkin house - you could make a house for each season (I bet you already do!) I like the sound of your tea loaf too! x

Mickie said...

Helen,
As always it is fun to stop in and visit with you to see what you might be working on. Love the autumn blanket and the little pumpkin house.
We are having wonderful weather here in Indiana too, and enjoyed a robust family gathering at our middle daughter's home with lots of food, fun and haunted hayrides. Love the fall time of year. The best part was my sister visiting for the whole weekend and not leaving until this afternoon. The only problem was that time moves too fast and we can't fit everything into each day.
Thank you for sharing your weekend with us.
Mickie, USA

Christine B said...

Love your pretty little pumpkin house Helen! Hope you enjoyed your tea bread! Christine x

Gracie Saylor said...

Your pumpkin house is picture perfect, Helen, and a sweet addition to your autumn makes. I especially appreciate how the embroidery and the button add depth, and bring the house to life. I am cheering on your book organization and will try to use your efforts to inspire my own. Imagine if you will two bookworms who owned a new/used bookshop in upstate NY for five years. When they sold the shop many boxes of books came with them to California and twenty years later I still need to sell/gift more books here in Boring, Oregon! xxxxxxx

greenrabbitdesigns said...

I love your new little house Helen (I love all your houses actually)....the little pumpkin is so sweet!
Your bright yellow flowers are so zingy and good to see your autumn blanket again.
Enjoy your baking and stitching,
V x

Marilyn McLeod @ Pink Paper Cottage said...

I can only repeat what everyone else said! Your darling little house is just peachy! so perfect for Fall and it goes with your Fall blanket so well.... I'm liking some different colors now.. after seeing all of the spring and summer colors.. never thought I would say it, but I'm liking seeing oranges, yellows, purples, reds.. and touches of brown. Every time I see one of your little houses, I tell myself "I'm going to get that book" so I can make some. It's on my "wish list" on Amazon! Maybe someone will get it for me for Christmas... hope hope. I love everything you make! Enjoy that tea bread.. it sounds luscious. Marilyn

Salty Pumpkin Studio said...

Lovely work and photos
The dusty rose brick color in the afghan is the same as the lipstick I just bought for autumn color on moi. :)

Teresa Kasner said...

Love the little house with a pumpkin on it! It looks great with your crocheted blanket. It must be nice to have a nice clean greenhouse to stow all your potted plants for winter! We've been at the coast for the week.. so nice and lovely here. But we leave for home tomorrow morning and back to the real world. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

roughterrain crane said...

Your works are very beautiful. The warm colors make me smile.

Evelyne said...

So lovely your pumpkin house!The flowers are so beautiful!
Enjoy your week, maybe with what tiny stitches!

Hugs,
Evelyne

Frances said...

Helen, you've given us lots of ideas in this post. The little pumpkin house benefits so much from the mix of fabrics and stitching that you've used. It's fun to see the seasonal palette begin to enter into our lives, whether via colorful leaves, or farmers market gems like apples, various pumpkins and squash, and many autumn flowers.

Yes, our daylight hours grow shorter but the special quality of that angled sunshine is so beautiful, as is the brilliant blue sky. I've been making soups and curries, and now your post has got me thinking about doing some baking.

xo

cristina said...

What a beautiful house, Helen! I love the detail of the small button on the door! always you give us a lots inspiration! Thank you for this lovely blog, I'm happy whenever I go here! Thank you, Helen! have a nice day!

Cindy said...

Cute little house and afgan! I love fall colors in softer shades than I used to use.
I was just thinking today that it will soon be time to order seeds to start for next spring. Time marches on!

♥ Mary Janes TEAROOM said...

Such a lovely, inspiring autumnal post Helen...Your little house is so pretty (I think one of my favourites now...although I would very happily live in any!) and the colours in your blanket fit the season perfectly x
Hope you're having a happy crafty week,
Susan x

Susan said...

Your little Autumn house is adorable. Thank you for another cheerful blog. I eagerly await them each week. I am the same way with books. :) Have a wonderful cozy week.

Thimbleanna said...

What a cute little house -- and Love Love Love your Autumn Blanket! How fun it is to see little pops of orange with your normally beautiful colors! Happy Happy last week of October!

Winkel's Crazy Ideas said...

Your blog is such a happy sweet place, always puts a smile on my face. Pam in Norway x

Winkel's Crazy Ideas said...

Your blog is such a happy sweet place, always puts a smile on my face. Pam in Norway x