Tag Archives: handmade halloween

Fall Mini Quilt Finish

Remember this little orphan block that I scored at a thrift store a couple of weeks ago?

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I spent a fun afternoon quilting it up. I used a rust colored thread for the main leaf portion and quilted it with a tiny stipple. These little stitches look so darn cute.

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For the white background, I pebbled away for about one-half hour and filled it up. Sometimes it is so satisfying to work on a quick project. When I first started to pebble the white portion, I quickly remembered that I don’t really like to FMQ pebble patterns and thought  I would regret it. But with such a tiny project it didn’t really matter. I was done before I could even get annoyed with the tedium.

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For the border I quilted little leaves and berries but it is nearly impossible to see because the thread matches too well. It was good practice but really, I have to look very closely to see it. Kind of funny.

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The dusty green binding wraps it all up into a sweet little mini. Perfect for fall.

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Now that we are approaching fall, I need to start getting my Etsy shop stocked for the holidays. The Chemex cozies that I make are definitely my best seller around Christmas which means I need to get busy. Yesterday I cut fabric for five covers.

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Selecting the fabrics is fun but also a bit of a challenge. Looking back at what has sold well over the past two years, the favorites are definitely gray, blue, black, and red tones. Also, the two fabrics with the coffee theme text prints (in cream or black) are usually good sellers. These are the last two I could cut from that fabric so I need to purchase more of it.

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I love to make a few with novelty fabric. I have done some with bicycles for coffee drinking cyclists and another one with Marvel comics on it which made someone very happy. Last Christmas I had a custom order for a cozy made with Star Wars fabric. I am debating making a few fun ones like this but choosing a theme is hard, kind of a guess as to what will sell –  if you have any suggestions, please feel free. I truly love your input. For now, these will get me off to a good start.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! Remember, I am hosting Handmade Halloween on October 4th!! Link up any blog posts, new or old, that are related to Halloween – costumes, decorations, quilts, even fun recipes. Let’s make it a fun round up of all things Halloween! I will tell you that I have had some really nice prizes offered in support of this party. Go write a post and come back and link it up. This will throw your name in the draw – maybe for a win!  See you then.

Linking up today with the best of the best. See the top of the page, under Link Ups.

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This is a good weekend to shop Craftsy! They have some great discounts on kits and supplies for their End of Summer Clearance. Take a look. This sale runs through Sunday night, 9/18/16.

(I am a Craftsy affiliate.)

Halloween is Coming!

I know, I know. It is only the beginning of September. But I am starting to get excited for fall. Autumn has always been my favorite time of year. So I am getting in the mood.


My kids are all beyond the age of trick or treating (I am pretty sure you aren’t supposed to trick or treat while in your twenties and thirties unless you have children to do so with. So, I am really hoping my kids are not going door to door this year!) However, when the kids were little it was fun to think up costumes for trick or treating each year. For the boys, I had it easy. My sister has two boys that are just a few years older than mine. We would inherit their Halloween costumes each year and they were great costumes! My sister is quite a seamstress and she made the most awesome costumes for her kids. With Julia, we had to come up with fresh costumes each year. I love looking at the pictures from each Halloween, remembering what she chose to be and how we came up with the costume.


To celebrate Halloween this year, I am hosting a Handmade Halloween Link Party!!! You are all invited. It is my hope that we all share posts of current and past Halloween decorations, quilts and costumes that we have made. If we all link to one place – HERE – just think of all the fun ideas that will be shared. Let’s make this the go-to link up for all sorts of Halloween inspiration. The posts don’t have to be new ones. If you have posts from your past Halloween projects, link those up too! You can bet there are readers who will enjoy them. I have some old posts that I will share as well as a new post about costume ideas. I don’t plan to create full tutorials, rather I will share ideas for some fun Halloween costumes that we have created.

You have plenty of time to gather photos and write your post(s)or decide on your older posts. Then come back to link up on Tuesday, October 4th! I want to have the party at the beginning of October so readers who are inspired by these ideas might have time to create before Halloween. Linking up will put your name in a drawing for some great giveaway prizes. Each time you link that is another entry to win! More on that as we get closer to October.

If you feel inclined, you are welcome to share the Handmade Halloween button and help spread the word.

Let me know if you have any questions. Otherwise, come back and link up any of your Halloween related posts on Tuesday the 4th of October! See you then. 🙂