Mini Pumpkin Quilt Pattern

Remember the little door knob quilt I made for Valentine’s Day?  Well today I woke up inspired to make one for Halloween.  I love how it turned out and it takes no time at all.

Here's what you'll need:

Orange fabric:  
2 – 2 ¼” x 2 ¼” squares
16 – 1 ½” x 1 ½” squares
1 – 7" x 7" square for backing

Blue fabric:
2 – 2 ¼” x 2 ¼” squares
4 – 1 ½” x 1 ½” squares

1 – 2 ¼” x 25” strip  for binding (I actually used a small length of binding left over from another project – yes, I’m a scrap hoarder)

Brown fabric:

1 – 1 ½” x 1 ½” square

You'll also need a 7" x 7" square of batting, a scrap of green wool, green perle cotton or embroidery floss, basting adhesive, and 12” twine.


And here's the pattern:

To make the orange/blue half square triangles, place an orange 2 1/4" square on a blue 2 1/4" square with right sides together and edges lined up.  Draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the wrong side of the orange square.  Stitch a scant 1/4" on either side of diagonal line.  Press seams.  Cut on diagonal line and press open towards the blue.  Trim half square triangle to 1 1/2" x 1 1/2".  Makes 2 half square triangles.  Repeat for remaining set of 2 1/4" squares.

Referring to the photo, lay out the 4 half square triangle units, 16 orange 1 1/2" squares, 4 blue 1 1/2" squares and 1 brown 1 1/2" square to form the pumpkin.  Join together half square triangles and squares to form rows.  Join together rows.  Press.  The pumpkin top should measure 5 1/2" x 5 1/2".

Cut a leaf shape from the green wool and pin it to the pumpkin top.  Appliqué the leaf to the pumpkin using green perle cotton and a whip stitch.  Stitch veins on the leaf using a big running stitch.  Stitch the vine using a back stitch.

To make the quilt sandwich, spray basting adhesive to the wrong side of the pumpkin top and with your hands press it to the 7” x 7” square of batting, right side up.  Spray basting adhesive to the wrong side of the orange 7” x 7” backing square and adhere it to the other side of the 7” x 7” batting square.

By the way, this was my first time using spray basting adhesive and I think I’m in love!  But I digress.

If you’d like to quilt the pumpkin by machine or by hand, now would be the time.  Trim the sandwich to 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" and use your favorite method to bind the quilt. 

For the hanging loop I found a length of twine, tied a knot at either end and stitched the knots to the upper back of the quilt.  And voila!  C’est fini!

If you’d like your pumpkin quilt to look a little more Halloweeny, try embellishing it with an appliquéd or embroidered jack-o-lantern face instead of the green leaf.  Either way, happy quilting and Happy Halloween!

October Walk

It never fails.  I grab Casey and leave the house one way -- tense, frowning down at the ground, mind racing with worries about kids and schedules and to do lists.  45 minutes and 3 miles later I return a different person -- calm, face relaxed, looking up at my surroundings and, above all, grateful.

And because I'm still pleasantly warm and enjoying the slightly intoxicating after effects of a bit of exercise, I'd like to share my favorite things about an October walk.

-  Crisp, fragrant air.

-  Casey kicking up her heels, ears flopping as she chases busy squirrels.

-  The sound of dry leaves crunching underfoot.

-  The brilliant color of reds, rusts, and golds against a backdrop of gray-brown earth and tree trunks.

-  No bugs!  If you've ever walked in a New England forest in the summer, you'll appreciate this one.

-  Casey smiling up at me, wearing a silly orange vest that makes her look like a canine superhero.

-  The bright, airy quality of the forest without its leaves.

-  The feel of a cool breeze on my face.

-  The smell of wood smoke on the air.

-  Knowing that our home will be warm and cozy when I return.



"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."  -- L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Why I Love Fall

We have been enjoying unbelievable weather in New Hampshire.  Day after day of warm sun and sparkling blue skies.  The foliage is at its peak and the air smells sweet and spicy.  Every morning when I drive my son to school I'm amazed and inspired by autumn's spectacular show.  So this morning I grabbed my camera on the way out the door, hoping to capture some of the sights I'm blessed to see each day.  Here are a few...

Fall.  Need I say more?

Stop Sewing Machine Cruelty

This morning, as I was driving my son to school in the rain, I was shocked to see this on the side of the road:

By the time I was able to get back with my camera, the rain had stopped, but the scene was no less sad.

(cue the melancholy music, I'm thinking Sarah McLachlan's "Angel" -- ♪ In the arms of the angel ♫...)

This innocent sewing machine probably put in years of faithful service, stitching countless curtains, pillows, Halloween costumes and quilts -- never complaining, always chugging along.  Maybe its tension wasn't what it used to be.  Maybe it had slowed down a bit or made the occasional funny noise.  Maybe it didn't have the fancy features of a newer, younger machine.

But did it deserve this end?  Abandoned on the side of the road.  Left out in the cold and rain without regard for its delicate metal parts -- a crude, hastily made cardboard sign its only monument.

Isn't it finally time to stop sewing machine cruelty?

Best Christmas Quilts 2013 - Fabric Giveaway

It's a humid 85° with thunderstorms in my neck of the woods today, but it's never too early to start thinking about Christmas.  Need some inspiration?  Check out Quilters Newsletter's latest special issue, Best Christmas Quilts 2013, on sale now at book stores, news stands, quilt shops and online.

And why, you may ask, am I so keen to promote Best Christmas Quilts 2013??

I've got four reasons:




Reason #1:  Found on page 20 of the issue, is the pattern for my gift-wrapped ornaments.  These very simple, but very sweet ornaments are a snap to make using scraps of your favorite Christmas fabrics.

Here's a closeup of my favorite.

Perfect for the Christmas tree or scattered on your Christmas table!!

Reason #2:  Check out page 40 for my Winter Flowers table runner.  This is a simple quilt that gets it visual impact not from complicated piecing, but from the contrast of the red and two shades of green against the white.

Don't have the time to make a whole table runner?  One flower block would make a beautiful pillow!

Reason #3:  Turn to page 44 and you'll see my O Christmas Tree advent calendar.

I made this little quilt with flannel and embroidered felted wool ornaments.  It was so much fun to make and the possibilities are endless.  Start December 1st with an empty tree and snap on an ornament each day.  By the time Christmas rolls around, your tree will be all decked out for Christmas complete with two gifts...

...and a star on top! 

Reason #4:  Finally, the moment you've been waiting for! And thanks for patiently reading on to get here!  Quilters Newsletter is celebrating the release of Best Christmas Quilts 2013 by showcasing projects on their blog and GIVING AWAY FABRIC every day this week!  So check out QN's blog, leave a comment for a chance to win, and maybe you could have a little Christmas in August... just don't look out the window!

Goodbye Tooth Fairy

Yesterday my youngest child lost his last baby tooth.  And last night as I lay in bed, waiting for the house to fall asleep around me, I thought about the Tooth Fairy.  For more than 10 years, the Tooth Fairy has been visiting our dark, quiet, sleeping house, leaving behind her neatly folded bills and little packages of quarters.  And while she hasn't always been perfect, I'm so going to miss her.

There was the time the Tooth Fairy got caught in a storm in the Midwest and wasn't able to reach my daughter's pillow before she woke for school.  Luckily we forgot my daughter's backpack at home that day.  When we returned home to retrieve it, we discovered that the Tooth Fairy had been there in the interim and had left a lovely note explaining the circumstances of her delay.

Another time, the Tooth Fairy made it to our house and left her gift of money, but neglected to take my son's tooth.  We decided that the Tooth Fairy had a helper that night who wasn't used to finding a tiny tooth beneath a pillow.  My son didn't mind because he got an extra dollar when the Tooth Fairy came back for the tooth the next night.

And finally, there was the morning when my son and I were devastated to discover that the Tooth Fairy had completely forgotten to visit our house.  After the initial shock, we reasoned that although she was magic, and despite her best intentions, the Tooth Fairy occasionally made mistakes.  We decided to forgive her (much easier for my son) and try again.  Sure enough, she came the next night and left twice her usual gift, much to my son's delight.

Late last night, I crept into my son's bedroom to check on him and I sat on the floor in the dark listening to him breathe.  I thought I would be overwhelmed with sadness that this chapter of our lives was coming to a close, but mostly I felt grateful.  Grateful for my three beautiful and amazing children.  Grateful for the opportunity to experience motherhood with all its joys, and yes, its sorrows.  And grateful that although childhood may be fleeting, the memories can last a lifetime.

Summertime - Free Pattern

Summertime and the living is easy.  Warm days, sunny skies, picnics, and ice-cold watermelon.  And not an ant in sight... at least not on my "Summertime" table runner, that is.  "Summertime" is a Web Extra for Quilters Newsletter's August/September 2013 issue.  Click here for the free pattern.

I used patchwork in cream and two shades of red to create the gingham picnic cloth center of my quilt. The watermelon border is comprised of a cream print and a red print with little black flowers that mimic watermelon seeds.  To achieve the watermelon slice effect, I first sewed a narrow cream piping to the scalloped edge and then used a green print for the binding and voilà... a watermelon rind.  Here's a close-up of the edge:

This was my first time using a scalloped edge and even with the cream piping, it wasn't too tricky.  But you could always use the cream piping/green binding on a squared off outer edge and still end up with a watermelon-y vibe.

I quilted this table runner by hand using a big stitch and perle cotton.  I love how the big stitch looks - kind of casual and homespun - but let's be honest, I use it because it's fast!

So there you have it.  My ode to summer.  And remember...

Happy quilting!