And the dark of night comes early today!

Yes, today is the day we got that hour back, you know......the one we gave up in the Spring when Daylight Savings Time kicked in. I never really bought into DST and I would be happy if it would just disappear and we would not have to worry about setting clocks forward or backward. But........that is not going to happen. What is happening? Well, I am here blogging. I keep saying I am going to blog more regularly but this past year has been the busiest and one of the best for family times and volunteer projects and there was just never enough time for blogging. I miss doing my regular blog posts, though. I began blogging in May of 2008 following the passing of my dad. It helped me through that time of grief and beyond. It doesn't seem possible that he has been gone for seven years. It seems like only yesterday that he was still here. I think of him so often when I am doing projects or we are enjoying some family activity that I know he would enjoy. When I go home to visit my mother, I take things for "show and tell" and we share treats and pictures and good times. A few weeks ago, I was remembering some special times in the fall of the year. It's my favorite season. Yes, I dearly love the Christmas season but autumn warms my heart. I love the colors, the sound of the leaves as they rustle down the street, the smell of bonfires, and even the early darkness as we head into the winter season. It was with those thoughts that I sketched a little design for a pincushion and needlecase set. You may remember that I shared a pincushion back in January - just go Here and you can see that first pincushion.
Here is the little autumn themed pincushion set I designed and titled "Autumn Nights"............

Patterns for the designs are posted in my Pincushions and Pretties group on Facebook. You'll find the group here......

PincushionsAndPretties

and also in my Wooly Buddies group, also on Facebook now.........

WoolyBuddies

This was a quick and easy little set to make. That said,......it took me a week to do it just because I was busy with some volunteer projects that had to be done. You could easily make this in an afternoon or evening of stitching.
Stitching the applique pieces….Position pumpkin shape on one 5” square of woolfelt, tacked lightly with glue stick. Stitch the pumpkin piece, then add stem, leaf and vine. I chose to stitch outer edge of pumpkin and stem in blanket stitch. Leaf and vine were done in a stem/outline stitch. I mark these lines with a silver gel pen, then stitch. 

For the needlecase, fold a 5 x 8” piece of wool or woolfelt in half, then position moon on front of needlecase piece. Tack in place, then stitch. I used blanket stitch but a simple overcast stitch would be fine, too. I added stitch lines for the eye and mouth. 

I used Heat’n Bond Lite and ironed it to the reverse side of cotton fabric, peeled the paper away and pressed the cotton fabric to the inside of the needlecase.  Next, position a 2-1/2” x 4-1/2” rectangle in center of folded case and stitch along left edge. Stitch around edge of needlecase with blanket stitch. I added a felt star but in future, I would add a cute star button!

I "auditioned" several colors of Perle cotton that I thought I might use to stitch around the pincushion and the needlecase. In the end, though, I chose black and I liked that the best.

To complete the pincushion, place the finished square on top of remaining square and stitch around outer edge. I leave a 3” opening across the bottom. I make small bags from scraps of knit fabric and fill them with the crushed walnut shells. Cut a 5 x 8” piece of knit, fold it over and stitch on both sides. Turn inside out and fill with crushed walnut shells (about one cup, don’t overfill!), then machine or hand-stitch to close the opening. Stuff this into the finished pincushion “shell”. Get it just right, then finish stitching along the edge of your pincushion and you are finished! 

Hope you have enjoyed this project and "mini" tutorial. Next up is a Thanksgiving themed pincushion. I bet it might have a turkey theme.........just maybe!
Have a great Monday and an awesome week!
Sandi



P.S. Here is the pattern page that you will find in my stitching groups.............