Love, love, love the season of autumn. 
The colors! 
Bright oranges, rich browns, deep plum reds, and vibrant yellows that practically glow.
Touches of greens that humbly compliment and pull them all together.

Then add the amazing foods and aromas from the kitchen. 
The apples, pumpkin, cranberries, cinnamon and  nutmeg! 
This is definitely my favorite season. 
My neighbor who is an amazing cook, always makes enough to share...
well.... that inspires me to cook and share...
Hence... Pumpkin scones, and Cinnamon Eggnog scones 

So whilst my scones were baking...
 I made these sweet little pumpkins for the mantle.
Easy..
Cut 5" circles from fabric..
gather them up around the edge like a yoyo,
before you cinch the thread at the center fill with a polyfill.
Cut a small leaf shape from felt or a bit of wool
Add a bit of glue at the top
 Glue the leaf and a small twig for a stem

Sew cute... 
Happy home, Happy autumn!

This Seaside Bag is heading to Houston to the Fall Quilt Market to sit in the Clothworks booth #564.  
I wish I were in one of her pockets :-)
It was made with Wild Rose and Impressions by Skipping Stones Studio

I also had a chance to use some vintage buttons that I've been hoarding...

Making these inspire me to make a quilt using the fabrics.
What do you think? 

I am new to blogging then taking 4 months away... 
it feels like a spring swim in a mountain lake!    But I'm in!
               ( They are watching but not amused.... )  

I can just hear Julie Andrews singing in my head.  For those of us who grew up watching "The Sound of Music"  it is perfectly natural.  
Hence my favorite things...  to music.

                                              A new ironing board cover! 
So here's the to do:  Purchase a yard of canvas weight fabric that is 60" wide.  Lay the fabric on the floor.  Turn your ironing board upside down and center it on your fabric.  Leave the old covers on.  

 Pull the long sides over and fold them under a bit to fit nice against the legs and use stick pins in to hold in place temporarily. 


At the straight end of the ironing board, fold the ends like your wrapping a box for Christmas.  With a strong thread and needle and perhaps a thimble tack the ends in place.  

At the narrow end bring one side over as far as possible and pin to the other side to hold.  Start folding the edges like a fan and trim the excess off that would just create too much bulk. 

Fold things so they create a smooth top and side. Remove the pins and tack the places neccessary to hold with needle and thread.   

Voila! fresh new Ironing board cover in my choice of color

Ok, one last thing....
My scissors have legs.
So a fresh new leash (ribbon) on the scissors 
Then attach the leash to the end of the ironing board.
They are always there when you need them. 
A small pair will do as most cutting at the ironing board is threads.

Yes, the quilt behind the ironing board has a story... I'll save that for another day.                         
xo m

Apparently there has been 846 UFO sightings over Nevada in the last ten years.
I am certain there have been more than that....
 there were several in my sewing room just in December....

Close to Christmas,  I sighted this sweet little UFO.
My first thought was ohhh... here it is so close to Christmas...
 and it won't get done this year either. 
 
So as I was pulling out stash to make a Christmas stocking for my little buddy....
The lights in the head went on... 
I was just about to start something I already had done!

 Last year, I think,  it's kinda fuzzy now,
I had started a Fun'r Run'r out of a cute Christmas charm pack
I found a cute Christmas fabric in the stash for a backing, sandwiched and quilted it. 

Then I drew the shape of a stocking on a piece of paper for a pattern
and managed to get four sides for two stockings!

I put them right sides together and did a zig zag all around.  
Cut a 4" strip to add a band across the top and folded it over.

Added some bells down the front, a hanger at the back. Voila! 
Two very cute Christmas stockings.
And one UFO done!

I almost think there should be a moral to this UFO sighting...
Keep your work,
and relook at it with new perspective, new techiques with new results!

You know how you have to pull at things at the back of your kitchen counter? 
Some are heavy and some have those nice rubber feet on them so they won't budge.
Things like your mixer... coffee maker.... or blender?  
I solved this problem for my Kitchenaid Mixer. 

 I traced the bottom of the mixer on paper to make a pattern and added 1/4" all around, then cut it out.  
The pattern measured about 8-1/2" x 13-1/2" wide.
  Then I sandwiched two pieces of fabric, both were 1/4 yd x WOF,
 with batting in the middle and quilted the 3 layers.  

Then I traced the pattern on the quilted piece and got 3 patterns cut out of the length.  
For each pattern I cut one 1-1/4" x WOF of a matching fabric for binding.  
I attatched the binding all around using a 1/4" seam.  
Then turned it over and sewed the back of the binding down.

Now my mixer fits perfectly in around the binding and glides easily from the back of the counter to the front.
It even looks nice when it's waiting for me too.

Just remember to take it off the mat, set it on those rubber feet before you knead your holiday bread!