Autumn Bounty ~ The Quilts Emerge and Glow with Cheddar-y Joy

Hello, hello, what glorious weather we are having here, far from the devastating hurricanes down South. Too soon to crow about it, six more weeks of hurricane season--and then the election looming! I have buried my head in the cupboards, happily unpacking an admittedly large collection of Autumn quilts.

First my bed finally gets some color. The antique quilt is a Cape Cod find, spotted by my mom. She knew I'd love it and it remains one of my favorite quilts all these years.

Oddly after owning it so long the other day the tan sashing caught my eye. Was it always tan or is the tan the result of fugitive dye? I think not red or blue as those are cornerstone colors---maybe green? Or purple? How different it might have looked 125 years ago!

I'll display the folded Wild Geese quilt by end of the month.

Next Starry Eyed Jack is out and grinning madly.

Followed by all the many little bright quilts, most made by me,

some from Humble Quilts swaps and other makers.

This is another much loved quilt, from Lori's Cascadia sewalong. I call mine Peace and Plenty.

The large cheddar/ bright quilts are stored in the sage green Shaker blanket chest, under the Swan and Flags.

 I do love them all so much. Mostly they are tops finished by me, though the unusual Cheddar Wedding Ring is a cherished vintage item and there's a lovely flannel lap quilt from a dear friend.

The Crow and Crocks is from a pattern by Primitive Pieces by Lynda. I made a runner instead of her quilt. I love it though I find it hard to display successfully. It was so fun to make, I enjoyed the wool applique so much.

Sooo--the quilts are out and airing--how many is too many? I think I'll use them all!

I also did the Swedish bride's bench with bowl and a crock of bittersweet. 

I was so thrilled to find this tiny quilt folded into a larger quilt in the blanket chest. It has been AWOL for ages, years! It's maybe my fave tiny quilt, after P & P of course. A TQC kit that I bought in multiples one year; the kits were gifted to friends. [I wonder if they made them?].

A few pumpkins and gourds. 

And a dumpster found glass cylinder [once a vase] that I am using as a safety chimney for my fall candles.

Still to come: quilt dispersal, Halloween finds, the mercury glass pumpkins. As with Christmas, I like to decorate all month, celebrating each year's journey and its seasons as they come, not months in advance. [seeing a heck of a lot of Christmas on IG, yuck.]

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Mo is die hard deck sunning! Most days still include ice cream though I am weaning him off that expectation.

The poor zinnies have suffered from a few very humid days and have succumbed to powdery mildew. I have cut back some but the bees and butterflies still are coming daily. Yesterday a beautiful large monarch butterfly spent hours with us as I gardened and sewed. 

The marigolds fill in.

And the cosmos finally have bloomed.

Oddly beautiful. In a spindly fern-like kind of way?

This one must be the Seashells variety.

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I missed my Blog anniversary! 15 years on September 25. Here is that first post from 2009! Anniversary here   Some things never change, lol. And sadly some things do.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach...

Starry-Eyed Jack is Back Part 2, ref Julie ~ and Garden Peeking

Hi! Starry-Eyed Jack has come out of the closet, hee hee hee. He was one of my most fun projects, made with Julierose [Blog link HERE  ].Her version is softer and more flowery, harvest not Halloween. pattern by Jan Patek.

This is my Fall project this year, not started yet. I hope it's as much fun. A Cheri Payne pattern, this version from the FB group. The maker [Vickie Stidham] kindly gave me permission to use hers as inspiration; I have the pattern downloaded from the group. . I may make only 4 Jacks? Cheri Payne OOP pattern "Trick or Treat"

Shirts/ plaids are thrifted. If anyone has a wool pennies source for me to use for eyes etc, 

or good wool scrap bag source  [not etsy!] please tell me.

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Mo and I have been enjoying the nice Fall days, just came in after sewing hour, including ice cream for Mo, his fave. I finished his Christmas present neck warmer cowl that is wide enough to also pull over his ears. 

He is somewhat appalled by the too large but adorable! fake fur pom in BunBun colorway. I got him a new red halter also, may even get him a new leash, who knows. Three month-ish till Christmas.

We've been garden peeking looking for weeds, vines, leaves, berries for journal entries.

I love the grey weathered wood fences, could not belive the local HOA wanted to make them illegal and require white plastic instead. eeew. [decision postponed]

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Recent journal---two thoughts this week 1-sometimes it is best to stop while you're ahead. 2- my just watercolor drawings are better than my pen/ ink/ wash drawings. Note the mushroom is better than the clamshell, leaf better than the bee.

And sometimes the scribble drawings, just playing--this one on a paper towel--are better than the deliberate sketches in the books.

Sweet inspiration page by UK artist illustrator Claire Fletcher. I include it here for my October post as their autumn is much earlier than mine. I adore her work.

October candles assortment. The darkness already comes so early, doesn't it.

An interesting quote from a truly awful [farfetched and crazy, cruelty] novel I am almost finished reading: And Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewett, 2018. [I'm reading backlogged books on my Kindles, sometimes books go lost.] The quote:

May, sigh. June. Yes, only only 9 more months til summer.

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Isn't this a gorgeous sky blue housedress print. Like today's sky.

Have a good weekend!

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....