Autumn Making

 We are enjoying our autumn days here this week...especially now the storm has passed (for now anyway).........a few more pumpkins have been added to my pumpkin patch.........

 ...........red and white gingham has always been a favourite fabric of mine so i used some of it to make some pumpkins............

 ..............i tried making some teeny tiny pumpkins ....they look quite cute.....

 ............autumn coloured quilts are keeping us cosy on these chilly nights..........

 ..............and autumn flowers from the garden are still brightening our days..........

 ..........i've been spending lots of time with our grandchildren as it is their half term holiday.......plenty of activities to keep us busy especially crafting related ones..............

 ..............the nasturtiums here are my autumn orange accent ;).............

 .................the susie watson spotty jug is perfect for the garden posy this week............

 ................my blog is a bit late this week as i was at my eldest daughter's house.....cake baking and decorating was going on ........and then we just had to try a piece...........

 .................here are some more teeny tiny pumpkins this time in more traditional autumn shades.....

 ..............last week we went on a trip to manchester and i took some pictures in whitworth park....we went into the art gallery and below is a collage of the café in the trees there....such a wonderful atmosphere.....(click on the picture to enlarge it)..........

 ..............this week is another busy one for me and it is full of fun things to do with my dearies.....soon i will have to get on with my work again but it is nice to have a little break and some precious family time now and then......

................thank you so much for dropping in here to see me dear readers and for the sweet comments you leave me......it is always a pleasure to hear from you.......i hope you are having happy autumn days and lots of crafty inspirations too................back soon xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Lone Star: a quilt in progress

 Here is another of my works in progress having some more work done on it this autumn.....this is the red and white lone star quilt i began some time ago.....

 ...............i love red and white quilts so much and have always wanted to make a lone star one.....

 .............this is what i hope it will look like when finished..........i was super inspired by the book below.......lone star quilt patterns are one of the most recognisable designs and they have several different  names.....an early name used here in england was the mathematical quilt and they are also known as the star of bethlehem.........

 ............to make it as accurate as possible i am sewing this quilt by english paper piecing it which works best for me........apparently these quilt tops are often found in antique shops unfinished because they 'went wrong' and became puckered and wouldn't lie flat when spread out :(......

 .............i love looking at the graphic effect as the pattern emerges.......

 ..............at the moment the quilt in progress is on the sofa arm, and every night i add a few more diamonds......last night i sewed some while watching *victoria*......

 ..............here are some new pumpkins for my autumn decorating..........

 ..............in keeping with the red and white theme here today............

 ...............and below is my project in the latest issue of crafts beautiful magazine...full of christmas makes and inspiration the november issue is out now...........you can read more here.....

 ...............in my studio i have added some autumn decorations to my little cupboard.........

 ............the weather has been beautiful here, sunny and warm with gorgeous autumn colours everywhere and blue skies....but today it has become very blustery and there is a storm brewing....

 ..............time to get tucked up with my sewing, light the fire and the candles and keep cosy.....

.................thank you so much for visiting me here in my bit of blog land dear readers and a big thank you to those of you who take the time to comment...i do love to hear from you......wishing you a happy week ahead filled with peaceful times and plenty of crafty inspirations....and take care in the stormy weather everyone......back soon xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Pumpkin Patch

 The autumn season is inspiring a lot of my makes this year..........here is a pink pumpkin autumn coaster made with the lovely lecien flower sugar charm pack i showed here last time...........

 .............as well as this little applique pumpkin project i have made another squashy fabric pumpkin to add to the harvest.............

 ...............the garden is full of tiny toadstools and mushrooms as well as autumn flowers and berries to inspire and to enjoy in this pretty vintage jam jar in the house.............

 ............the berries are so plentiful here that people are predicting a hard winter.......

 ...............i've always loved autumn walks and finding acorns and conkers....and i still do...it is fun to crunch through the autumn leaves with my grandchildren now as they find the same treasures too....

 ..............the garden is also full of spider's webs....i found one thin line of spider web stretched across a narrow path from one plant to another, and with a golden leaf caught on it like a little washing line....how does that happen?.......the wonders of nature.............

 ...............sewing lots of small projects with nature's colours....above is a newly opened charm pack of bonnie and camille basics..........and below is the pumpkin pillow i made for my book *modern vintage gifts*..........

 ..............each day i explore the garden to see what treasures there are............

 ..............just like the school nature table i loved as a child, i like to spread out the finds and examine the different flowers and berries, seeds and fruits..........

 ...........my finishing of works in progress is continuing and i am pleased to say that the million ends on the v stitch crochet blanket have now all been sewn in and i am on to the border :).......

 .............the border is a simple one repeating the stripe colour order but in double crochet.......

 ..........and at the top some little tulips appeared all by themselves :) ......

..............thank you for dropping by dear readers and for your kind comments.........it is lovely to see old friends and new here and i do appreciate hearing from you ..........wishing you a wonderful week ahead with happy days and cosy nights and lots of crafty inspirations..................back soon xxxxxxxx

October

 Happy October everyone............how fast this year is flying by..........here are some cosy autumn makes that i've been working on as the new month is beginning..........

 .................each week i sew another pumpkin or two to add to the growing collection......this one was made from pam kitty morning fabrics...one of my favourite rosy prints on white..........

 ...........i am also working my way through finishing a big pile of unfinished projects......last week i showed my crochet v stitch blanket and i am pleased to say i have sewn in half of those million ends now so should be getting on to the border soon.......here is a red and white patchwork table runner which has been a long time awaiting completion......

 ............it was made with three english paper pieced blocks and some white sashing.......

 ........i hand quilted it and added red and white spotted binding............

 ...........it looks nice on top of the newly painted cupboard and i am so happy to have finished it and to be able to use it now...........again the fabrics are pam kitty morning from lakehouse fabrics......

 ..............shown here with the auricula mug and red and white striped candles both from susie watson........

 .............favourite flowers from the october garden this week.......a new japanese anemone plant is flowering profusely.....such pretty pink flowers too.......and i love the red creeper which grows over a wall at the side of the house......

 .............flowers and berries.........and below is a new charm pack of lecien flower sugar to inspire some new little projects.........

 .............i love charm packs because you can see the selection of fabrics easily and then order yardage of your favourites.......charm packs are good for making quick quilt tops or little projects when you need lots of small pieces of fabric............

 ..............playing with the reds and the pinks this week........hope to show you what i'm making soon :)................

 ..............the weather here today is blustery and chilly.........the nights are drawing in and we are enjoying our evenings with the fire and candlelight keeping us cosy........more works in progress being tackled this week too and coming soon.............

...............thank you so much for visiting me here lovely readers and for the kind comments you take the time to leave me....i love to hear from you...........wishing you happy autumn (or spring) days and a week filled with crafty inspirations..................back soon xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx