Patterns to Try | U-Pick Pumpkin

In the middle of days of quilting the Minimal Shapes quilt, I needed a breather. So when I saw Kate of Katie Mae Quilts @katiemaequilts post a round-up of pumpkin patterns, I decided I suddenly needed to make her U-Pick Pumpkin pattern. 

It's actually a pretty clever pattern, providing both a classic "plain pumpkin" and a variety of playful jack-o'-lantern faces. I had originally been drawn to a jack-o'-lantern, but in my excitement, I laid out squares for a plain pumpkin, and decided to just go with that.

The pattern makes a good-sized pumpkin - 18.5" unfinished. After using mostly scraps to make the pumpkin, I added a narrow border all around, creating a pillow cover that would fit a pillow I already had. Ideally, I would have added a wider border and gotten a puffier pillow form, but time was of the essence, and why not use what I already had?

I quilted the pumpkin front, made a simple envelope backing (love that big dot!), and finished it off with binding to match the background. Perfect for a quick Halloween-y finish!

A Finish or Two

A little sewing here, a little sewing there, and you've got finishes to share, right? I'm happy to say I completed a Christmas stocking for my little grandgirl! Inspired by one found in Heather/@geminiredcraft's Instagram feed, with a palette gleaned from (half of) a fabric bundle curated by Kristina/@fabricbubb, from there I made it up as I went. Quilting with one layer of batting and some uneven straight-line gave the stocking some good structure and texture. I used the stocking shape template from Camille Roskelley's Merry, which I had used to make a hexagon stocking for baby's big sister a few years ago. That way, they are very similar in size and shape. Don't you love that fussy-cut feature fabric - Cotton + Steel's Noel Snow Babies by Sarah Watts? Baby's mama and I sure do!

I also finished the Tall Tall Trees pillow! It's a pattern by Amy/@amysinibaldi of Nana Company. I made mine using scraps for the trees, twill ribbon for the tree trunks, and the snow-like Cotton + Steel Sprinkle in gray for the background. I finished it at 12" x 20", just a little larger than the pattern directions. Not shown, the back is the same gray fabric, with a lapped zipper, then it seemed perfect to finish it off with more of that red stripe.

Believe it or not, there are just a few more gifts I hope to make before Christmas, so I better get to it!