Crafting with Acorns : :

Autumn walks are our favorite and this Fall at the nearby park we regularly visit, we noticed a significant number of acorns on the ground compared to previous years. One giant oak in particular has produced a massive number of acorns. Inspired to craft, we decided to fill a bag to bring home with us and today I thought I'd share our projects!



Most of the nuts had separated from the cupules, so the first thing we did was separate the parts. A bowl for those still completely intact, a bowl for nuts, one for the caps, one for the double caps - our favorites - and a garbage bowl for the cracked and holey. We washed and preserved them with a bake in the oven at 200 degrees for a of couple hours, just to remove any grubby stuff.



I must say I LOVE to craft, and I've missed the number of non-sewing projects the kids and I used to tackle together in years past. As they've grown older, their own imaginations and inspirations have lead them to do so much crafting on their own. While it's so fun to see what they come up with and makes me so proud to be their mama, there's nothing better than getting messy together!

Often times, for me, crafting = garland. But first, glitter! Once our acorns were preserved, Haila and I added gold to each cap. I controlled the glue, she handled the sparkle!





Pairing each nut with a suitable size cap become quite the matching game!

For the ornaments we used the cluster caps we found where two or sometimes three caps were still connected. Adding just a simple loop knot with twine so we can hang them!



For the garland we used twenty to thirty acorns per strand, running twine between each cap and nut before I connected them with hot glue.



So simple and I LOVE how these turned out!







I tried my best to capture how pretty the gold glitter is in the light, but still fell short. It's seriously magical!





This project was so much fun, even if it means cleaning up glitter from in between the floor boards yet again. Totally worth it, I promise!

♡ Maureen

An Autumn Sun Quilt : :

It's no secret that I love this area of ours. Having spent most of my life here, I may be a little biased, but I do think it's a really wonderful place to live, to raise families, and for taking pictures of finished quilts, ahem! So, naturally, when we headed to Kane, Pennsylvania for a soccer game yesterday I jumped at the chance to bring my newest quilt finish to nearby Kinzua Bridge for picture taking! If you're not a local, the Kinzua Bridge is located in McKean County, was once known as the longest and tallest railroad structure in the world, was partially destroyed by a tornado in 2003, and in 2011 was reinvented as a new pedestrian walkway where visitors can stroll 600 feet out on the remaining support towers, peer miles out into the Kinzua Gorge, as well as look down into the partial glass platform at the end of the walkway! If you are a local, you know the story, that there's always something new for you to discover there, and that it happens to be one of the best spots around to enjoy the beautiful mountain foliage this time of year!





This quilt was inspired by the colorful September landscape of goldenrod and sunflower fields. The medley of yellow, orange, and brown in my scrappy hourglass pattern reminded me of a sunbeam immediately upon layout, and so I quickly dubbed this one my Autumn Sun Quilt!



It came together fast using the super quick hourglass block making method I use to create my favorite pillows that I share in issue 8 of Love Patchwork & Quilting magazine, and is made up of mostly Bonnie Christine collections and what Art Gallery Fabrics blenders I could find in my stash keeping this cheery, sunny palette!  



I couldn't get a backing shot that does this print a justice, so I decided to share my favorite dreamy photo of it sailing in the wind!



It's a gorgeous amount of my most favorite Sweet As Honey print, Fly By Night!



I chose to have this one long arm quilted by Sew Shabby Quilting Melissa with some large, fun loops! She always does such an amazing job!!





For the binding I chose to finish with another Sweet As Honey print, Bed of Daisies in Nutmeg!








I'm hoping for continued Fall exploring with the family & with a few more quilt finishes before this favorite, fleeting season of mine comes to an end!

Happy quilting!  ♥ Maureen

An Autumn Sun Quilt Top : :

One week ago I began work on this new quilt top with the colorful September landscape of goldenrod and sunflower fields as my inspiration!

I love this medley of yellow, orange, and brown in all their variations, and since this pattern is reminiscent of a sunbeam, I've decided to call this one my Autumn Sun Quilt!

It came together fast, using mostly Bonnie Christine collections and the quick hourglass block making method I use to create my favorite pillows that I share in issue 8 of Love Patchwork & Quilting magazine! After using this method with smaller cuts to create my scrappy hourglass quilt in Alison Glass Field Day fabrics with happy results, I've been waiting for the chance to try it again using larger pieces!

On Friday my Sweet As Honey backing and binding prints arrived from Art Gallery Fabrics -- Bed of Daisies in Nutmeg wound neatly on an empty spool of Aurifil!

And for this quilt back, a gorgeous amount of my favorite print -- Fly By Night!



I've boxed up this one, along with my Emmy Grace quilt top to be sent off to Sew Shabby Quilting today for some long arm loops and daisies!



I hope to have them back in time to finish and photograph at the same spots that inspired them!

Wishing happy September days to you!

♥ Maureen

Color Palette Perfection : :

Isn't this the most beautiful Fall color palette? I think so!



Yesterday, while I worked on my Wonky Pinwheel Bee Blocks, I thought a lot about the things I plan to make for our new home. I've been creating quite the list! I'm so excited to finally be able to really decorate in a way that represents our taste and style. Since we've always rented and have moved sooo much, regardless of how much I may have loved the house we were living in, I knew it was just a temporary situation. Because of that I have never had this chance to plan and dream about making a house, our home.

While I pieced away, I also spent some time thinking about Natalie. She clearly has great taste and a wonderful sense of color! These colors together are so warm and inviting.



I thought of the last assigned bee blocks that Natalie chose for us. Those Improv Chevrons, probably my favorite blocks ever! And remembered I had made just one extra one, adding in a little navy and brown.



I have several, maybe a dozen or so, random quilt blocks hanging in my studio closet. I went and found that one that I had completely forgotten about, and right away thought about this pin, of an Eco-friendly Living Room via bhg.com. I love everything about it! This color palette is definitely one of my favorites, and one that both my husband and I love. I plan to use this image as inspiration for decorating our new family room.

via bhg.com

Today, I'm thinking that this Improv Chevron block might have to become a first new pillow, for our new home. What do you think?
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An Autumn Garden Flower Crown : :

Yesterday was my birthday-crown-making-day. I finished up my last two orders and decided to make a few new ready-to-ship flower crowns for my etsy shop, in Autumn colors with Fall birthdays and Halloween costumes in mind. Boy these days are flying by! I shared a tutorial for making these felt flower crowns here, only this time I changed out the buttons for hand-stitched details.

Once I finished, myself and one new Autumn Garden Flower Crown waited for my girl to get home for picture taking...



And, then we had ourselves a little photo shoot!















It was perfect and so much fun just following her around, snapping pictures as we walked about the yard! It took me right back to our Little Red photo shoot, almost one year ago. September is always such a wonderful reminder of how everything is always changing.

Wishing Happy Early Autumn days to you!! ♥,  Maureen 

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Tuesday Inspiration : :

Happy November 1st!!!

*  Thanksgiving Print  *  Autumn Owl  *  Feather Wreath  *  Plum Clafouti  *
*  Blankets  *  Leaf Garland  *  Paper Bag Flowers  *  Pears  *  Felt Leaf Garland  *

   *  Table Setting  *  Cinnamon  *  Fall Wreath  *  Fall Patchwork   *

*  or Pinterest  *

To be honest, this past weekend I had already skipped right past Thanksgiving to begin this years ever-growing Christmas "must make" list. Today, I decided to slow down! This Tuesday Inspiration is all about Autumn, Thanksgiving, and the warm colors of this Season. I hope to start a new tutorial idea for a Thanksgiving sewing project sometime today. And, I'll have a few Christmas things ready to share the rest of the week!

I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!

Let's Celebrate Color! {My Fall Inspiration} : :

 
Have you seen? Rachel of Stitched In Color has organized a fabulous three month long celebration, starting September entitled CELEBRATE COLOR, partnered alongside emma lamb, luvinthemommyhood, and Mollie of wild olive!

Celebrate Color is for fiber artists of all kinds -- embroidery, crochet, knitting, quilting, home decor, clothing and any kind of wearable fiber creations.

Fall sewing has already begun for me, as you may have noticed. The colors I've been pullling are deeper, warmer shades of the brights I usually work with. I find this time of year more inspiring than any other! In additon to all the lovely changes that occur outdoors during this beautiful season, there are many other things that define Fall to me -- sewing with warm colors, casting on with wool, baking, stone fruits and pumpkins, flannel pajama pants, layers of cozy clothing, quilts, and blankets, painted furniture, rustic woods, harvest decor, indoor crafting, and lots of pillows (naturally). Here's a little mosaic of images and inspiration of the plans I have for sewing and knitting this Fall.

1. Thread Heart, 2. Granny cover, 3. star mini quilt, 4. Vintage A-line dress, 5. Fall Colors Quilted Stripes Pillow, 6. tufted, 7. Stacked, 8. new table, 9. sur la table, 10. sweater birdie, 11. Fabric and Felt Fox Pillow WIP, 12. owl pillow, 13. My new Folksy Flannel

I'm linking this up with the start of Celebrate Color...and now it's your turn! Get creative, get crafting, start thinking cozy fall and join in the celebration!