2 more days until I draw a winner from the random number generator for the giveaway. 2 more days to get your entry in. You can win either the 6 FQs or the fabric kit and pattern for the Boo Kitty Handbag. Your choice. It is also 2 more days until the start of the Halloween season. (At least it is the start for us Halloween aficionados. You know who you are...you crazy people who decorate to the max, have more Halloween stuff than Christmas, dress up to hand out candy to the kids ( which is the highlight of my holiday) and give Halloween gifts to my friends. I usually have a Halloween party every year for my quilty girls. It is a small affair 6 or so. We don't dress in costume but we wear hats! I make "witches brew" and bottle it in appropriate bottles complete with spooky labels, we have frightful treats and eats, have ghoulish presents and generally have a wonderful time just having fun.
I did get my latest Halloween quilt done finally and it is itching to make it on my bed. Temperatures are still in the triple digits so actually using the quilt won't be necessary, but having it on my bed will make me smile. My husband is very tolerant of this quirky obsession of mine. He's very tolerant of the webs that cover things, crows that inhabit our house and the animated dolls and musical decorations that find their way out of the storage bin. He now enjoys Halloween like he never use to. Some years back he thought the whole thing was silly and for children. Now I have to fight him to hand out candy on Halloween.
Now for you Mom's that make your little darlings costumes, have you tried a ruffler foot? What a fun foot. If you love the look of ruffles on your little ones clothes- you can create that in a SNAP! Spruce up an off the rack outfit with a little bit of ruffle. How about putting a ruffle on the edge of your quilt instead of binding it? The simplest and most inexpensive way to liven up a room is to replace the throw pillows. Add a ruffle to a lamp shade in your bedroom for that romantic look. Make gifts for the holidays by embellishing tea towels with ruffles. Add a couple of napkins and you have a great hostess gift. You can also make pleats with the ruffler. It takes no time to learn how to use it and seriously you can make ruffles for the hem of a pair of jeans in less than 2 minutes! I am working on a tutorial on using the ruffler. So stay tuned. If you don't have one, check out your local machine dealer and get one for your machine. Well I am off to start the day and get as much done as I can. Remember 48 hours left for the giveaway!

Hugs to all
Robin

Piles of Leaves

It’s the last day of summer.  I have always thought that the air smells different and the sky changes color. The whole world gets a bit more golden. There is a faint smell of musty leaves that are starting dying. I have many great memories of fall as a child. It is my favorite time of year. The leaves on the trees turn so many shades of gold and red. Raking leaves was one of my favorite shores. Of course after they were raked into a pile we had to jump in the pile, laughing and giggling only to hear my Mother yelling for us to stop “horsing around” and get those leaves raked. It was an annual tradition that repeated itself without fail. Sometimes you could catch Mom smiling as she yelled at us, trying to act annoyed. We all knew she was acting but we played our part. After leaves

were raked into those piles..and believe me with an acre of land there were plenty of piles, Mom and Grandma would come down and burn them. The smell of burning leaves still takes me back to those golden days of my childhood autumn. Of course it is also the greatest holiday…. Halloween! Black cats, bats, full moons, witches on brooms and candy corn! There is still time to get in on the Halloween purse kit giveaway (or 6 fat quarters, whichever one you choose). Write a comment and be sure to tell your friends. That is all you have to do.

I just spent a week in the mountains, and fall is showing her beauty. There are crisp and chilly mornings followed by warm days. We fished and caught some, kept a few and threw most back to grow for another year. Chipmunks were very busy, collecting food for the winter. Some even ventured into my lap for a peanut. One fat little chipmunk had a peanut in each cheek and was still trying to get that third one shoved in his mouth also. They know winter is not far behind. Time to get your sewing room organized for some great sewing this season. Happy Fall everyone, let the quilting begin.

Robin

P.S.  Giveaway ends Thursday Sept 30th. A sneek peek at a new quilt coming very soon.

Halloween is coming!

Where in the world did August go? Just a few minutes ago it was August 5th! Onward! I love September! It's the unofficial start of Fall. While the temperatures are still in the 90's here it sure doesn't feel like fall. But everywhere I see Halloween stuff. Now I have to admit it is my favorite holiday. Always has been. I think Halloween should last for 2 months at least. If my DH would not put up a fuss, I would start decorating for Halloween now. Crazy you say? Nope, and come on admit it there are a lot of you out there that feel the same way. What is there not to like about Halloween? So... since I am doing a give away...and I told you that if you comment on my blog you would be entered to win fat quarters from my stash, I thought why not make it Halloween fabric? Then I got the idea...why not make the fat quarters so that you could actually have a project to make it out of? How about a Halloween purse? I have fabric left over from my Boo Kitty Handbag. The named changed to BK Handbag after Halloween was over that year but the pattern is the same, just the fabrics were different. So how many of your Halloween fanatics would love a kit of fabric and the pattern? So.. the giveaway will end the end of September. That's enough time for you shy sewers to comment isn't it? Some already have...and you are STILL in the running. I am posting pictures of the Boo Kitty Handbag.. so you can see what you can make. The handles and trims aren't included but I am sure you can find them in your area. Tell me how you decorate, how you celebrate and what makes Halloween so special. Now is the time to work on those Fall and Halloween projects. My house looks like a shrine to that spirited holiday. All things Halloween are revered and carefully displayed for their individual spookiness, cuteness, and eeriness, (not so sure those are even real words but hey they are now). And all of  you Quilters, if you have never made a Sun Bonnet Sue Witch, what Are you waiting for? I made this cutie several years ago from a pattern in a magazine. I have quite a collection of witches and she fit right in. So come on, leave me a comment!

Back to work on new patterns. Happy sewing and may your bobbins always be full.

Robin