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My kit for Hallowe'en 1904 arrived this weekend and I LOVE the fabrics! I am so excited to get started on this quilt. I started cutting pieces this afternoon, but got sidetracked ooohing and ahhhing over the gorgeous prints.
In other news, my flowers are thriving. Haven't killed them yet.
And just for fun, some sunny pictures of Summit Lake and the Inukshuks along the Klondike Highway.
Have a great week!
This time of year, the leaves start golding, the air gets brisk, and I get antsy for fall. Fall just might be my favorite time of year. I love everything about it....the warm colors, the crunchy leaves and the full harvest moons. It's time to pull out the hats and scarves, peel apples for pies and pile pumpkins on the porch.
Fall also means the summer tourist season is behind us and it's time to start quilting. Not that I'm keeping track or anything, but that time will be in precisely 53 days. While I love my job and am always sad to see the summer end, I am equally enthusiastic to welcome in fall.
Autumn quilts are some of my favorite quilts. The burnt oranges, sagey greens, warm golds and tans just lend themselves to warm cuddly quilts so well. I've been collecting a variety of fabrics for future fall quilts and my wish list is long and varied. It started with this quilt I found online a long time ago. I have no idea where it came from, so if it's yours, thank you for such a gorgeous source of inspiration and forgive me for not issuing proper credit. But really, just look at this. Isn't it gorgeous? It just steals your breath away right off the bat. I have spent plenty of time staring at it, pouring over the different snippets of fabrics.
Two more of my favorite fall quilts are both from Blackbird Designs. (Does anyone know if they have a website? For the life of me, I can't find one.) The first is one I posted about last week. I've had it on my list for a while, but didn't know anything about the designer to ever locate the pattern. But thanks to many of you fellow blogger friends, I now know it is Midnight Silhouette by Blackbird Designs. I knew if I put it out there, you would come through. Thank you! I have a stack of orange and black homespuns and some coordinates from an older Moda line called Trick or Treat that are just itching to go into this quilt.
Another Blackbird favorite is Hallowe'en 1904. I first saw this on the wall at one of my favorite quilt shops in Utah, American Quilting. They posted some pics on their blog, advertising classes. You can see them HERE. Scroll down a bit through other quilts that are also fun to look at until the near end of the blog post. You can also call them up and order a kit. I just did! I can't wait to get my hands on these yummy fabrics.
I love the use of reproduction fabrics in this one. I think using the creams and tans, instead of stark white in Halloween quilts is so much more inviting.
So now as we head into August, with the cooler temperatures and leaf-strewn streets, I'm be starting my mental list of which of these beautiful fall quilts I'll dig into first.
...In 53 days.
I don't remember where I got this picture, so apologies in advance for not properly identifying the owner. But I saw it online years ago and it's been in my "someday" file waiting patiently for it's spot on the UFO list. Problem is, I don't know the name or designer of the pattern. I'd really like to make it this fall. Can anyone help me?
Thanks!
My friend Allison over at Alaskan Purl was recently awarded the Happy Blogger Award, inviting her to list ten things that make her happy. Her list is extensive and fun and you should check it out. In turn, she nominated ten blogs that make HER happy, and I am one of them. That makes me happy. I'm not quite sure if this means I'm also supposed to list ten things that blow my skirt up or not, but I'm gonna, cause it sounds like fun and let's be honest, who doesn't like to talk about themselves? So, in no particular order, here's ten things that make me smile.
1. Shoes. The quintessential symbol of womankind. I love my shoe collection. Especially the red ones. I have a particular affinity for red shoes, which is very perplexing to Keith, who thinks his own shoe collection is sufficient, consisting of two pairs of running shoes, three pairs of golf shoes, and one pair of dress shoes. He's really missing out.
2. Fabric. The colors. The textures. The incessant need to buy more.
3. Books. I grew up in a house with bookcases full of books. Books make a house a home. And I like to think of my little mini library as a nice warm welcome to anyone who visits.
4. Anne of Green Gables. Two words: Gilbert. Blythe.
5. The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear. I love children's books, and while the majority of my children's collection are Disney books, I make a huge exception for this little gem. The story is cute and the illustrations are phenomenal. If you haven't read this book, you simply must. It's out of print, but ebay is your friend.
6. My wonderful collection of friends. Really now, every woman should have a real, honest-to-goodness best friend to rely on at all times. I am blessed with two. Or three. It doesn't get any better than that.
7. My job. Yep, you read that right. I love my job. I am the Station Master at the White Pass Railroad and I love getting up to go to work every day. I love interacting with tourists. I love working with trains. I love that I can stand there on the loading platform and still smile when the train comes around the corner, time after time. People from all over the world come here to see this, and I get to do it everyday.
8. Disneyland. Simply put, my list would not be complete without the mention of Disneyland. I don't think I've mentioned this on my blog before, but I am a bonified Disney fan. Everything from Mickey Mouse to Matterhorn Mountain.
9. Making lists. Like actually writing them out on a sheet of paper; not typing them up. I like the look of a crisp notepad and block printing. I make lists for everything...what I need to buy at the store, what things I want to organize next, what UFO's I want to finish up, you get the idea. It's a wonder I haven't made lists of the things I need to make lists for...
10. Watching the ships leave. I don't know what it is about these ships, but I love going down to the docks to watch them sail away. Especially in the end of summer, when it's starting to get darker in the evenings and the little strings of twinkle lights are all lit up. The combination of the sparkly lights glittering on the water and the gigantic snow-capped mountains behind it make for an awesome sight, night after night.
And just for fun, after I compiled this list, I asked Keith to randomly list off a few things that he thinks make me happy. His list was lengthy and surprisingly, spot on. Good to know he does pay attention after all: Foot rubs, long hot showers, garlic, strawberries, vegetables, Disneyland, Greece, sleeping in, trains, While You Were Sleeping, baking, throwing parties, scarves and hats, diamonds, tiramisu, the Stowaway restaurant, reading, quilting, See's Candies Key Lime Truffles, Coach handbags, organizing things and hiking.
