The Pumpkin Patch

 

Hi! Yesterday my best friend and I  went to the garden center's Fall festival aka the Pumpkin Patch. We thought this year we'd never get there but we did! Over the years, even Covid didn't stop us in 2020 and 2021 so we made the special effort. We've gone every year since our children were toddlers, they were smaller than the pumpkins. And my son always wanted the biggest pumpkin in the place.

When the kids outgrew the fun of the pumpkin outing, L and I decided we would go anyway, too cool kids not required. Can't you just see us someday, grey haired and wobbly, with our walkers and canes still on the hunt for that special treat.

Come enjoy a walk through with us on this cool bright October day. 

Beautiful flowers. This year the mums special was tricolor mixed big pots.

This one came home with me,

all beautiful deep Amish quilt colors and autumn beauty.

More pre planted ideas.

Autumn petunias, new to me.

Of course pumpkins are always the star of the show.

Big Max is there to greet everyone. Some years he is bigger than other years, lol.

And the fancies. Half price! 

More ornamentals and gourds.

Outside in the children's area were the bins of jackolantern pumpkins.

I can't tell you how enormous they are this year.  Bigger than a bushel basket! Knee high. Must weight 20 plus pounds?

And only $16.oo, then half price. One year a medium pumpkin was $40.oo, so the harvest must have been great this year.

Big bins of fancies too. Do we like warties?

I love these so much, but too big and heavy for me to carry.

I'd have chosen this one: all fat, flat, and crooked, warts and all.

And these, oooh. Pink!

Back in the shop, we were greeted by this guy.

and a few cute non-Fall things.

In the back of the shop, Christmas was sneaking in, the staff carefully unpacking the beautiful baubles. We promised ourselves we'll be back, Christmas visit is a tradition too.

Then a quick stop at Trader Joe's, also full of harvest bounty and so festive and cheerful.

TJ's pumpkins just glowed, like an old Dutch still life painting.

And the flowers are always a delight.

Back home I told Mo we have to try on and practice costume wearing. He looks underwhelmed, but was cheered up with ice cream.

Have a wonderful weekend.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach...

PS we found a tree with bright colored leaves! Okay just this one but I think it is perfect. There were also golden gingko trees, got a few leaves for my nature journals. [good thing bec the berries are a big fat FAIL.]

And a brief glimpse of the marshes, turning gold slowly as November arrives.

Chased by hornets! Scary.

 

It's another  magnificent bright blue day! In fact it has been a bright blue Fall so far with not a hint of rain in the forecast through November.

The drier air and low angle of the sun create a blinding brilliance, as the rays reflect off the sequin spangled ocean. Despite that, we got out for sewing hours most days.

Today was back to Noah's Ark prep.

I did the set ups of most of the remaining animals and the folded edges on the chickens. One hen goes above the Giraffe on the left. 

I'm a bit worried--the poultry are all female/ hens; the lions are all big maned males. What to do, not redoing them now.

You may recall I'm using a leave in applique textile. The top print edges have to be clipped,  folded and glued, then pressed. I have decided to soak and rinse the blocks before assembling the animals. The glue gets all over [invisible]  and then dries white.

Washing also softens the Pellon-ish inner fabric. The Giraffe needs another bath though, I see.

Here is my folk art wooden Noah's Ark. I had seen the German antique arks at a NYC folk art exhibit and fell in love, despite the many thousands of dollars price tag [I was an adult! Originally Arks were Victorian children's toys, perhaps for sedate Sunday play.] My dad designed it and made it, carving the animals from pictures in an old thrifted natural history book he got at his dump's swap shop. My mom painted  them. Each year I'd be given a few new pairs for Christmas. I think I have about 30 pairs, including Noah and Mrs Noah.

I'm enjoying the Ark project, even though I can see it will drag on through next year. So call me crazy, I finally got Barb Vedder's wonderful Folk Art Animals pattern. 

I have loved it for years.

I think it's a whole cloth construction. That's a challenge.

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The scary part of our sewing days is we keep being chased indoors by---not hornets, I don't think--- but yellowjacket wasps. I read that they proliferate and swarm in October. I'm seeing a number of pet parents saying their dogs have been stung! And my brother told me he is ER level allergic to wasp stings, esp yellowjackets. I'm not diagnosed but I do not want to be rushed off in a frenzy. I made sure there was no food outside--then they came for my glue stick. EeeeeK!

Online I read that Dawn dish soap attracts wasps and then they drown. My mistake was putting the soap in the fountain. [The wasps like the fountain a lot.]. Uh oh. 

I was hoping for pretty arial bubbles even if the wasps weren't interested. But no.

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I finished this simple block for my Sara Sporrer quilt. A nod to me and Baby Mo, my little friend who is always by my side.

I still don't like to embroider but I am getting smarter. I'm now cutting the block very extra large, so the material fits and stays within the hoop. Trimming later.

Another deck project, to patch my most favorite very very long lived J Jill chambray shirt. The gingham patches are new. The colors work better in person.

Not washed yet. Washing will meld all the patches together more.

You can see the tiny heart at the neckline and more patches on the inner back.  As I sewed I found more shredded areas. Maybe its time for it to retire. Have had it maybe 25 years.

I treated myself to some delightful Autumn pansies fabric.

Doesn't look like I will get any Fall pansies this year---anyway it's too hot and dry for them. So this was irresistible. Aren't they well done! More likely for sofa pillows instead of a quilt project. From Two Thimbles Quilt Shop online.

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One or two chilly days and nights...sweater weather! Too bad I don't have any Fall sweaters, just darker tees and usual khaki shorts. "Shorts til December, no heat til January" hahahah.  Mo must have felt cold though.

It seems Mo went into the clothes basket and got himself some nest building items!

Have a good weekend and week ahead.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....

Last week's comet! From Mel, in Kansas.