With Fall Fortnight beginning in just two days, let’s have a chat today. Autumn is slowly arriving, with some varieties of trees already turning, but most have not begun yet. Late October is generally our peak for fall color, so it is a bit early yet. Plus the weather needs to get a lot cooler for the trees to be turning.

Stepping out on the veranda one morning, I found a spider had been very busy. This web was beautifully done, lovely in its symmetry. It is really difficult to photograph a web as the camera just refuses to ...

Well, it was off to the gym bright and early this morning to meet with Brooke. Can you believe it's been almost three months since I last worked out with her? Why? I was on vacation, then traveling, and now she's much busier than before! ACK -- I have to go on Thursday at 5 AM, not Friday, because someone else has that slot. 

And it was another productive day. The odd job is done and waiting to be picked up later today. I spent the afternoon doing some sewing, and everything turned out well. I'm also trying ...

Happily, the stencil brush and paint crayon did NOT even make the lost and found list. While walking the girls, I had my thinking cap on. Where the heck could that little bag be? Then I thought that if I searched the blog, I might have mentioned the darn thing. When I got home, I searched the blog for "stencil brush." I had to go through several posts about stencil brushes for applique, which I use all the time. But then there it was - a picture! The post was relatively recent - May 8, 2024. I wasn't even working on ...

No dreams, and if there were, I don't remember them. 

Yep - at this rate, I might get one or two things off that table by Christmas! I only finished the third of those three small projects - that's it! And I didn't do much else either, but that's OK because I stopped to chat with a neighbor about dogs on my walk, had a snooze, and read a bit, plus DH and I went to his golf club for Thanksgiving lunch. No need to mess up the kitchen! It was great, and I didn't feel like ...

You know me…

I love creating variations of the Ribbon Candy pattern. The design Sprout resembles sprouting seeds or maybe a small flame trying to grow. Or perhaps it resembles a swamp monster if you are in the Halloween mood.

This whimsical freemotion design can be used in a wider border but it can be stitched out in rows to too as an edge to edge. It looks great in quilts with themes like plants, horticulture, nature, flame, fire, growth.

Pattern Tutorial

This design has a series of decorative elements: a curl, a set of s-curves and a set of ...

Starting with the 10th Hexi spiral block this year, this time in light pale blues

I kind of like it! Surprised myself with that! I finished hand sewing the hexies while watching the premier of this season's Amazing Race (and sewed two in the middle wrong, having to rip out and resew

last time DH said he liked them turned a different way (I was too dazzled ...

Halloween is getting closer, and I have a few small quilty projects planned to get done before then. I have shared a few freemotion designs in the past that suit the scary season, and I will share them again below.

This weeks’ design is called Hair, maybe not specifically named after Cousin Itt from the Addams family, but if the shoe fits…! The random and free-flowing design Hair looks just like ghosts flying and tumbling through the air, don’t you think? Maybe it makes you think of flowing water or kelp too. The edge to edge design Hair is ...

Learn how to sew a fall pumpkin mug rug that’s quick, scrappy, and perfect for using up those little fabric bits hanging around in your stash. You know the ones—too small for a quilt, too cute to toss, and just waiting for a cozy project. This pumpkin mug rug comes together in no time, making it a great beginner project or a fun seasonal sew-along if you’ve only got an afternoon to spare.

Think of it as a mini quilt that’s big enough to hold your favorite mug (pumpkin spice latte, anyone?) and a cookie or ...

Yes -- I need to figure out how to change the stride on this new fitness tracker. I haven't found that yet, BUT I found the sleep app. Someone at the retreat mentioned that they use the sleep app to monitor their sleep, and I dismissed it. How can this app know so much about your sleep from a little band around your wrist? You think I would know better by now. 

So I did that last night. And I had looked at my previous night's sleep. OMG -- it's pretty bang on. And the snoring? There's even ...

When I left last week, my desk was pretty clear. Now, it looks like a disaster. It's not even old paper - it's new stuff that landed on my desk that I must deal with. There are even two piles on the floor. ACK!!! OK - some of it is older stuff I found as I'm clearing the class folder I took to the retreat. We had Monday sewing yesterday, so there was no time to deal with it, but this morning, I plan to attack this paper and get it off the desk. 

Some of it is stuff ...

Welcome back for the second and final installment of this Quilt Paper Project series! If you missed Part 1, where we made two gourd-geous Pumpkin Trivets and the center block of this table runner, be sure to check out that blog post first and head back here when you’re done!

1. Gather Your Supplies

This week, we really get to have fun with the scrappy feel you get with Lori Holt’s Quilt Papers. Have fun and get creative with your 5″ Crazy Blocks!

For this project, you will need:

• One pack of Lori Holt 5″ Crazy Quilt Paper ...

By now, you guys probably know that Jenny and Ron and their family LOVE Halloween—the themed costumes, themed food, Halloween quilts and wall hangings, and the fun of getting together. This year, although Jenny and Ron are in Africa, the family kept the tradition alive and got together for another fun-filled evening.

This year’s theme was “Movies,” and let’s just say the Doans understood the assignment….from costumes all the way to themed food.

And we just love that although they don’t celebrate Halloween in Africa, Jenny and Ron couldn’t help but continue the costume ...

A chill is in the air and there are howls on the wind, calling in all the Halloween freebies for a spooktacular roundup. Thirteen free Halloween projects and three free Halloween Quilt and Stitch Alongs await you. Keep reading… if you dare! The urge to make something is all but guaranteed to strike.

Home Decor

Creep your home looking spooky and cute this Halloween with one of these free projects! Which one will bewitch you this spooky season?

Spooky Bat Bunting

The Spooky Bat Bunting works up in two flaps of a bat’s wing and is frightening fun for ...

The cooler weather here in Texas has us in the mood to do some hand stitching in front of the TV, bundled up under a cozy quilt, and marathoning our favorite spooky season movies. Today’s Spooky Bat Bunting tutorial is a super quick and easy one! It’s even simple enough to recruit your little ones to join in on the fun!

1. Gather Your Supplies

If you have some Halloween fabric in your stash already, you might just have everything you need for today’s project! Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1/2 Yard of a light ...

Last year I shared a Spider Web design based on marked circles which was a lot of fun to quilt in a larger block. But did you know you can add a spider web in a border too?

Take a look at this new Halloween Web border design!

I quilted this FMQ design in a 3.5 inch high border. You can choose any size border you like, just make sure you can still see where you are supposed to line up in the centre of the spider web. On my domestic machine the maximum border height is about 4 ...