I'm so glad I live in a world with Octobers... on a Slow Sunday...

 Hello all !   Oh it is definitely FALL here in SW Ohio and I am LOVING it!!  Cooler temperatures and the leaves are turning all my favorite colors... gold, orange, scarlet... what a gorgeous palette!   And on the practical side, the weather has hit that sweet spot where I don't need to turn on the AC... just opening the windows... and I haven't had to turn on the furnace.... I got an email from my utility company the other day noting that I'm using less energy.... and while they were congratulating me, I do think they were hoping I'm ramp up my usage soon... which will come... the last two months bills were outrageous... I could use a little break...

I'm really enjoying decorating with Fall and Halloween ... I'll put a couple of pics of the Fall stuff I put out... and then last week I made some substitutions and got out Halloween... and then at the beginning of November I'll move into Thanksgiving... and before you know it,  (ummm... 77 days) it will be Christmas... the weeks seem to fly by... 

So here's how my displays looked at the end of September... lots and lots and lots of pumpkins... and a nice collection of cross stitch...

Here's the tier tray by the pumpkin quilt... I stitched that  Autumn piece from Prairie Schooler years ago... No. 50 Prairie Seasons ...  I've also done Winter and Spring... I do love Prairie Schooler's style... one of the first designers I fell in love with and stitching their stuff all these years later is soothing and comforting... I've got some PS Santas  already queued up for Christmas. The little pumpkin headed guy is from Pineberry Lane's Cats & Jack's pattern which you can find here.  PDF download... instant gratification!!

The tall display is anchored by that wonderful chart Feast of Friendship by Blackbird Designs...  that GIANT bowl of fruit... that BIG BLUE house... classic BBD!!  I turned it into a true sampler by squeezing an alphabet into the cartouche at the bottom. 

Next shelf had Lizzie Kate's Autumn Alphabet #149... I've stitched all of these seasonal alphabets from LK... they were fun and you feel a sense of accomplishment with each little block...  the two pieces to the right are both BBD.... they were club pieces from Dyeing to Stitch when I did them, but they've since been released... at one time they were both called Bittersweet September, but they fixed that and now the one on the left is Bittersweet Lane (LOVE that border...looks like a bracelet to me) and the one on the right is Bittersweet September... I stitched the C & and N in a different color as those are my sons' initials.

Finishing up this display is my newest finish,  Fall Most of All by Calico  Confectionery  which you can find here...  check out her Etsy, she has some wonderful seasonal designs... there's a little BBD pillow, Waiting for Harvest and Autumn Keeper by Barbara Ana Designs. 

Here's the small display unit... a Lizzie Kate Autumn keeps company with a cute squirrel... the tree is Autumn Harvest from Barbara Ana Designs.. and I love that little white pumpkin quilt done in Sandy Gervais fabrics... she does the best fall fabrics... IMHO!! 

Below is the Flower Pot Sampler by From the Heart Needleart... one of the first pieces I stitched on linen I dyed myself ... I remember stitching this one when I broke my left wrist... I had to use a q- snap and a floor stand but I managed to figure out how to stitch while I was in a cast... it saved me from going crazy (although that is my opinion and it not held by all who know me...LOL)... funny what memories are attached to our stitching...  I still love that Longaberger pumpkin basket... and on the bottom shelf is my version of The Stitcherhood's Quaker Pumpkin... Thanks for indulging me in my trips down memory lane as I try to recall the names of the pieces I've stitched. Every season when I get my stuff out I think I have plenty of stitching... but then as I arrange things I always see a spot for a little more... which keeps me stitching... I'll never run out of stuff I want to do!!

So that was September and I started October with my Gourdy Guys wreath and my Lizzie Kate Boo Club piece.

I get out this wreath pronto on October 1 because it is the most labor intensive wreath I've ever made. There were 6 -7 individual steps to painting every face, so I need to admire it as much as I can!!

 LK Boo Club is a great stitch, if I say so myself... the painted linen came out even better than I envisioned it.   Hyacinth, Tangerine, Lemon Yellow and Apple Green Rit dyes make the best Halloween palette!   

Got out my spider quilt...

I arranged that pumpkin on the Haberdashery mini quilt so it looks like he scoping it out. 

Elliott was here on Tuesday and I thought he might try to pluck the eyeballs off of the spider as he did to the chicken quilt I had up in August... luckily for the spider Elliott was more interested in taking the batteries out of the pumpkin (it lights up and cackles) and exchanging the batteries for batteries in other light up pumpkins... I had a question on IG about how I get the quilts to lie so flat on the wall... I use a Hang it- Dang it quilt rod... you can find them here... they come in different lengths and they are adjustable for different widths of quilts... then I tape down the edges with this...

Scotch Brand Double Sided Poster Tape... I've been using this for years and it has never damaged the quilt or the paint on the wall ... sometimes I can even reuse the tape month to month... A tip for using this tape is DON'T use the cutter .. instead rip it off... you get a jagged edge which gives up a little nub or two of the tape to hold onto to get the backing off. ... less frustrating... and that's my Martha Stewart decorating spiel...LOL!

The tier tray had a the cross stitch switched out for a LK Halloween piece Pumpkin Pocket... it was a kit but all I used was the chart and the little black button... I like the painted linen a lot!  Those candy corn salt & pepper shakers are a hoot... and the Trick or Treat is a snippet from PS Trick or Treat  No. 88... I loved this chart soooo much that I stitched the whole piece and then I stitched snippets from it too.

 Which is what these little guys are... all snippets from PS No. 88...

I'm still working on the tall and the small display shelf units... got a couple of new Halloween pieces to add to them.

I did work in my garden last week and pulled out  7 of those TALL yard waste bags full of fading zinnias... I'm kinda hoping for a good frost to kill off what's left of my annuals so I can clean out the beds. I want to add to my outdoor lighting and that can't be done till I clear the space. The dahlias are still blooming away even though the winds are playing havoc with them and breaking off branches.  Here's one I brought in the other day, which truly lives up to its dinnerplate moniker... it is about 9" across and the color is fabulous!!  God sure makes some beautiful stuff!!   I've not made any dahlia tuber orders ... yet... I probably don't need any more tubers... except I'd like more of the variety called Brown Sugar ... it s gorgeous deep peach/orange color... and I think  I need some of the smaller pompom varieties... they are such adorable little ball shaped cuties!  I have plenty of time to order ... usually I do it in January while dreaming of Spring...a good thing to do when its zero outside!

So that's where the decorating stands... I'm still stitching a bit of Halloween and Thanksgiving... and as I said I've got some Christmas queued up... I took two Christmas quilt tops to Delinda the other week and I have one more on my design wall and another cut out...Can't stop making Christmas quilts even though I have over 25 already... they make me happy!!   And with the world in the state it is in, I need every little bit of happy stuff I can get!!!

I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts today ... and if I get my butt in gear I may have a design wall to show tomorrow... no promises, but all the blocks are made, just need to get them arranged and then sewn together. Next week is busy busy busy... I have something going on every single day... which won't leave much time for stitching or sewing... but I'll try ... 

Hope you are having a lovely October...  as Anne of Green Gables said "I'm so glad I live in a world with Octobers" ... 

happy stitching!

carol fun

P.S. -- I hope that all the pics I posted are in the correct spots... Blogger gets fussier and fussier which each week. It takes forever to get anything to post ... by my count is I spent almost 3 hours on this between writing it and trying to get the photos to show up... which is the main reason I'm posting less and less... sorry... yes I can ramble on more here but IG is soooo much easier... So to remind you if you wonder what I'm up to, go check me out on IG       carolfun53