Halloween Will Soon Be here and I think I'm going crazy!

I really shouldn't be blogging because my custom Halloween costume needs to be in the mail by 4 p.m. to make its destination on time. I do this every year. Someone asks me if I can make a costume and I reply...oh sure...and then the craziness begins. I've only promised three costumes this year and they're relatively simple. Cat woman, Indiana Jones and a sexy but authentic looking Bavarian beer girl. I get hung up on the little details (because I love little details) and then the busy-ness begins. This summer I cleaned out my sewing stash and now I am wanting that piece of stretch black velvet and that nifty brown cord that was donated to a local charity (and is probably bundled up for sale in a nice plastic pack at my local Value Village). To make matters worse, this morning I ran out of green thread and there's literally nowhere in town to buy green thread. Yes, black and white are in stock and maybe red, but green? Help! Well, soon this will all be over and I will have survived, I'm sure. But the lesson I've learned is, "If in doubt, DON't throw it out" and always have extra thread on hand. Happy sewing everyone. I'll post pictures of my final creations next week, hopefully, when I've recovered.

The Colors of Fall

I love the rich vibrant colors of fall ~~ the flaming red maples, white barked birch and deep yellow poplar become a glorious backdrop as the trees and bushes begin their slow sleep in preparation for winter. It's a beautiful time to take a walk. The air is crisp and I wear a favorite sweater. It's time to think about knitting! More sweaters, hats and mitts in time for winter, which, I know is just around the corner.

Collecting Fabric

I've been collecting fabric for years. I like to buy fabric whenever I travel. A piece here and a piece there, I've purchased fabrics that always remind me of different places I've visited. Wool from Germany, a tartan plaid from Scotland, a piece of silk from India. This piece was purchased in the south of France, and the design and colors remind me of the beautiful vineyards, gardens and the rich color of the earth all wrapped up into one. Some of the fabric I use, some I store and some I've even sold. I'm not alone in collecting fabric. Yesterday I read about one of my favorite authors, Lucy Maude Montgomery, who collected swatches of fabrics. She cut pieces from her own favorite clothes to include in a scrapbook and spent years making a crazy quilt from all the pieces she had collected. Over the past few years prices for old fabrics have doubled, so my collection, in a financial sense, hasn't been that bad an investment. And the best thing is that there are miles and miles of fabrics waiting to be discovered.