Kimberbell November Table Topper

 I love decorating for the seasons!  

One of my favorite home made items is the Kimberbell November Table Topper or as I named it my “Witches Hat Halloween” table topper.

I free motion quilted a spider web in the center square and added an appliqués spider.

These table toppers are so fun and easy to sew up.  Plus you can add your own embellishments.

And, of course, I crocheted several coasters in Halloween colors!

It’s so fun decorating for Halloween in my Hearth Room.

Happy Halloween Panel

 While going through my fabric closet I found this Happy Halloween fabric panel I purchased while on my Caribbean Patrick Lose quilting cruise a couple of years ago.

I forgot I had it.

I added two Halloween theme borders and a lovely striped binding.

I free motion quilted all over the panel.

I’m sew pleased with how it turned out.

It’s hanging in my downstairs media room now.

Now to continue decorating for Halloween.

COVID 19, My Liberty Trike and Me

 What a crazy year!

Never have I gone this long without going to a restaurant, store or even getting my hair done.

I decided to “let it go” and go gray/white after 20 plus years of coloring my hair.

No one sees me except for immediate family.  So it’s a perfect time for a BIG change.

This is the longest my hair has been in over 20 years too.

Luckily so far I have been well and my family has been too.

But we are being very careful and following all the protocols.

Today was cool and sunny and a perfect day to ride my Liberty Trike around the neighborhood.

I’m not crazy about walking but I love riding my trike.

It makes me feel like a kid again.

I ordered the Trike in hot pink!

No one can miss me riding down the street.

Hope you all are well and enjoying your day!

Colorful Quilt “Trinkets”

 

I quilted this colorful quilt about two years ago.

I can’t remember the name of the pattern.

I’ll have to look it up when I’m in my hobby room.

Update:  The name of the pattern is “Trinkets”.

I cut strips of all the different fabrics to make a variegated binding.

It was a kit I bought at a quilt shop.

I like the white background and fabrics.

I’m using it as a tablecloth on my dining room table.

I don’t have the wall space to hang quilts.

This one just fits the table.

  The table was my parents bought in 1961 and is solid maple.

It’s scratched from many moves from Ohio to Florida, then to Illinois and Pennsylvania and finally back to Ohio.

Many family dinners were around this table over the years.

So many memories.

Camper Wall Hanging

Before our warm Fall days leave us I wanted to show you this cute little project.

It was a kit I purchased.

I love the fabrics I chose.

As many of my long term readers know,  my hubby and I were campers when we first married and then advanced to RVing.

We owned many different RVs over the years:

Pop up Camper truck, Sunline trailer, Chinook (a Class B van), Hitchhiker Discover America 5th wheel travel trailer and lastly a Pleasure Way (Class B van).

We traveled to Alaska in 2010 in our 5th wheel which is like having an apartment to live in.

We were on the road 105 days for that trip.

I liked all of our RVs but my favorite was the Pleasure Way van.

At just 21 feet it could park just about anywhere and it’s small size helped when looking at campgrounds sites.  It was so easy to keep clean and we learned to take just the essentials.

My hubby designed our new garage to hold the van with huge 10 foot garage doors and an extra long bay so we wouldn’t have to store it off site.

We never had a chance to take the van on a trip after we moved into our new home.

I reluctantly had to sell it.

Oh, how, my hubby loved to travel all over our great country.

And I loved being with him.  

 

Mr Spider

Back in 2016 my neighbor and good friend, Deb, asked if I could sew a new yard spider for her.

She gave me the old spider to use as a pattern and I proceeded to order black nylon fabric.

The project sat until my college room mate came to visit and made the mistake of asking what project we would be working on.

I said “a spider”!

My friend, Karen, taught me to sew all those years ago in college.  She made the pattern pieces from the old spider and I sewed it all together.  We had fun putting it together.  It took us three days to finish.

Deb and her hubby were thrilled with it.  But I did tell her no more spiders.

Every Halloween Deb and her hubby put huge yard spiders out.

Mr. Spider is just one of many.  And he isn’t the largest one either!

Mr. Spider gets moved all around the neighborhood.  

You never know whose yard he will end up in.

I just saw this morning that my town is having Trick n’ Treat this year.

Guess I better buy some candy.  

Halloween Table Runner

 I had fun sewing up this Halloween theme table runner.

It’s 74 degrees out today with rain this morning.

But you can feel fall in the air.

I free motioned quilted the blocks with a spider net.

When I showed it to my quilting cousin she pointed out I didn’t connect the web correctly.

And she was right.

Currently I’m working on a Halloween hand embroidery.  

I hope to finish it by Halloween.

I’m not sure what is happening with Trick n’ Treat this COVID 19 year in our community.

I had a specialist appointment last week and the doctor told me not to go to any restaurants/bars or grocery stores and to wear a mask outside at all times.  

I haven’t been to a restaurant or any store since early March.

Just three doctor visits and dropping my taxes off is the sum of my adventures outside.

Luckily I have help with my groceries but not everyone does.

Stay safe!

Kimberbell Watermelon Table Topper & Screened In Porch

 

This project sat unfinished for about two years.  I finally decided it is time to finish it.

I sandwiched it with top, batting and back fabrics, squared it up and started sewing on the binding.

Only to realize I forgot to quilt it. 

LOL!

What really makes this topper POP is the theme appropriate fabrics.

Whole watermelons, red and white checks with cute little ants and red backed fabric with the black watermelon seeds add so much personality to the topper.

All the fabrics came from my quilting cousin’s fabric closet.

    

I used my Janome 15000 embroidery/sewing machine to quilt it.  A little straight line quilting and free motion quilting.

I have about seven different table toppers done so far.  

My next one I’m working on is a November (pumpkin) table topper.

We’re still having summer weather here in Ohio.

Even today it is currently 81 degrees out.

A couple more weeks and I will have to think about breaking down my screened in porch.

I purchased a storage box to use to store the porch furniture cushions over the winter rather than storing them in my spare bedrooms.

I move all the porch furniture together in a corner and cover it all with huge painter’s cloths for protection from dirt and pollen over winter.  

I also roll up the outdoor rug and cover it too.  

So far that system has worked out well.  

As much as I like Fall, I dislike all the leaves in my gutters.

You can see the huge tall trees and they produce “millions“ of leaves in the fall and early winter.

We are lucky to have woods behind us although someday soon there are plans to build 28 homes there.

I hope they leave some trees as a barrier.

Some parts are considered “wet lands” and they have building restrictions.

So, I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

So, are you ready for Fall?

Our Lucky& Jewels

Last December we welcomed our rescue pup, Lucky, to our home.

My niece has been living with me along with her senior rescue dog, Jewels.

Jewels is the sweetest dog ever.

She cries and wags her tail in greeting every-time you walk into the room even if you have only been gone five minutes.

She’s getting a little older and grayer now, just like me.

Lucky is part Border Collie, Labrador and a little sprinkle of Dalmatian. 

 He has the softest fur ever.

He and his sister were found in the woods both sick with parvovirus. 

Lucky made it, but unfortunately his sister didn’t.

He was scared of everything.  

We are still working with him and he has come a long way.

Lucky has been a good company for Jewels.

Jewels is more active playing with Lucky everyday.

Jewels is the boss lady and makes it known to Lucky.

I really think dogs are God’s Creatures.

We are so fortunate to have Jewels and Lucky in our lives.

My Mickey Mouse Mug Rug

 Another mug rug crocheted coaster in true Disney fashion.

A Mickey Mouse Mug Rug!

It was a free pattern but I didn’t record where I found it.

Sorry!

My Christmas Gift Wrap Quilt

What do you think of my Christmas Gift Wrap quilt?

I saw it hanging in a quilt shop and bought the kit.

Cutting all the strips.

All the little bow pieces.

Bows sewn together.

Blanket stitched bows.

Everything else is pieced.

I mailed it to a quilter friend who used her long arm to quilt it with a gift box design.

And then I sandwiched it and finished the binding.

I’m so pleased with it.

 

Crochet Triangle Blanket

 This work in progress stalled this year.  It’s a free pattern from Repeat Crafter Me.

I love the colors she used so I used similar ones.

I’ve been sewing and quilting more this year but I would like to pick this WIP up and continue with it.

The blanket should finish around 35 inches by 35 inches which is a nice lap size throw.

I used Caron Simply Soft yarns in these colors.

Wish me luck!  

Summer Wall Hanging

As Summer comes to an end I thought I would share this machine embroidery wall hanging I embroidered way back in 2013 when I first brought my Janome 12000.

It sat in my sewing room unfinished until this summer when I decided to make it into a wall hanging.

I used two 1930s fabrics I had for the borders and a striped binding.

The cute clothesline is a built in design on both the Janome 12000 and 15000 embroidery / sewing machines.

I added the title and text.

I can’t believe that that tomorrow is September 1, 2020.

Fall will be here soon. 

Saturday Morning Coffee on My Screened In Porch

 It’s Saturday morning and I’m having my morning coffee out on my screened in porch.

When we moved from Pennsylvania back to Ohio, I told my Hubby I had to have a porch like we had in Pennsylvania.  

A couple of years ago I invested in good outdoor furniture for the porch.

It is unbelievable how much outdoor furniture can cost if you want it to last.

My dear friend and designer Susan helped me select the furniture and the outdoor rug.

I actually bought more than I needed for the porch so I moved two tables and two chairs inside for my Great Room.

The piece I love the most is the chaise lounge.  

The cushions are very thick and deep and it makes all the pieces very comfortable.  

I had landscaping done around the deck and porch a few years ago along with landscaping lights.

My niece lives with me along with her two rescue dogs, Jewels and Lucky.  

Today is overcast with the sun shining through once in awhile.  

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.