Oct 22, 2012

Fall Favorites

The past two weeks and the next few weeks are the only autumn days we get all year (and that weather is really only in the morning and evening), so I'm soaking it up.  I carved my first pumpkin (I know!), and it's quite pitiful.  Carved isn't the right word--more like drilled holes into it. All over. Sadly it's already moldy and I'm liking the idea of painting pumpkins more and more.
Lots of people are getting tired of Pinterest, and sometimes I have to agree.  It's as if people cannot even fathom creativity without copying something from Pinterest!  Inspiration can come from all over--like these sweet burlap pennants I spotted in Atlanta.  They will be darling in a little girl's room!




Other than the nice weather and fun projects, my most favorite thing about fall is my birthday!!!  I have secretly been loving this Ex Voto Vintage necklace.  I really want a thick silver toggle chain with a vintage silver locket or charm!!  Philip, are you reading this?  Of course not.
(borrowed from Simply Seleta)
On another random note, I joined a book club!  It's my first one, so I still don't really understand why I was one of two who actually read the book.  By the way, it was one of the worst books I have ever read. The major themes were AIDS, poverty, drugs, and Buddhism.  Really. Maybe that's why no one else read it... Our new book is Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.  There were 235 holds on it at the library, so I broke down and bought it.  The next meeting is at my house in two weeks, so I better start reading!

Lovely Onesies

I just love little applique onesies, but I don't have an embroidery machine.  Or a baby.  But I do have a friend with one, so I always use her to try out my baby projects.  Following Ellison Lane Quilt's applique tutorial and Daffodil Disign's template (who also has an adorable giraffe!), I made these two darling onesies.  The onesies were $5 each from Old Navy, but I saw the cute ones with puff sleeves at Wal-Mart for $3.  The fabric used is leftover from other baby projects.  No embroidery machine necessary--the tutorial calls for a zigzag stitch around the designs, but my friend really wanted a straight stitch.  It was SO easy to trace the pattern, iron the Heat-n-Bond for two seconds, cut the pieces, iron them on, and stitch.  And, they're SO cute! I can't wait to see how they look on the baby!

Oct 2, 2012

It's Fall, Y'all!

In honor of the best fall month other than my birthday month, I give you the candy corn door hanger!  My friend Jenny and I were so excited to start this project.  Sadly it took much longer than planned, so we had to finish it the following afternoon.  Here are the steps to make it!


1. Cut 9" of orange and yellow burlap, 18" long.  Cut 7" white burlap, 18" long.  Stitch horizontally with a 1/2" seam allowance.  Press seams toward the orange.

2. Guesstimate and cut a piece of brown burlap for the back piece.  Mine is about 24" tall and 18" wide.  Lay it flat over the sewn from piece, and arrange it so that the white part takes up around the top third.

3. Pin pieces together, cut the front to fit the back piece. 

4. Using cardboard or poster board under the top layer, use a Sharpie to write out the letters.  I chose "Trick or Treat!" so I started with the or and tried to center Trick by drawing from the center.  That made the Tr a little difficult.  Fill in the letters with black acrylic paint.  Fabric paint works fine, too.  Add some polka dots!  (This is where Day 1 stopped because the paint was way too sticky to keep going.)

5. Once dry, it's time to put the pieces together.  Leaving a 6" opening at the center bottom, begin stitching at the bottom of the candy corn, all the way around.   

6. Stuff the door hanger with leftover plastic grocery bags.  I used clear bags so the white didn't show through the front.  Sew up the bottom opening, and trim the threads.
(Jenny didn't trust her free-handing skills, so she used curly stencils.  And Massey had to make an appearance.)

7.  Pull the bottom of a wire hanger the opposite way from the hook making a diamond shape.  Cut the hanger about 3" from the hook on both sides.  Bend the wire so the two open ends point straight up when the hanger lies flat on a table.  Push the open ends through the top of the candy corn about 4" from the top.  Use pliers to grip the end of the wire and bend it into a spiral on both sides.

8.  Add a big bow, and hang it up!!