Portly pumpkins

I stopped at the farm stand down the road the other day and saw this wagon-load of biggies. I just love pumpkins and the whole New England Fall scene. I remember, back in my childhood days in southern California, the only place to find a Halloween pumpkin was in the grocery store produce department. That was back before pumpkin patches were invented. Now I'm sure they have real pumpkin patches out there--you know, where a truck drops off a load in the Walmart parking lot.

A few years ago a local guy here in Connecticut grew jumbo pumpkins to enter in a competition for the biggest one in New England. One time he and another fellow each hollowed out a huge pumpkin, climbed inside, and used oars to paddle across the town lake. It was front-page news. As you might expect, lots of his pumpkins didn't quite make the weight for the big competition, so he invited local art students to carve them into spooky and intricate designs. On Halloween night he lit them and lined them up along his winding driveway. It was quite a spectacle. A policeman had to direct traffic.

Meanwhile, I've been working diligently on my dolls for the big craft show. Here's the latest one.

And, as per my usual, I've decided to squeeze in one more witch before the weekend.

At the moment she is bodyless and hiding in the curio thingie because she's embarrassed about her hair. Frankly, I'm a little embarrassed about my hair too--but there are no more vacancies in the curio thingie. I guess it's time to call my hairdresser.

Pumpkin patch

Overheard at Michael's today:

Clerk #1 to clerk #2: "My son got a 90 on his first college Anthropology test."

Clerk #2: "Wow! That's great!"

Clerk #1: "That's the study of the brain you know."

I'm thinking mom didn't go to that college.

So, I've noticed more pumpkins popping up on porches around the condos. I have mine nicely in place beside the front door, with a rusty-colored chrysanthemum sitting nearby. And, of course, my colorful Fall wreath. I've followed standard decorating procedures. Maybe I need to get one of those scarecrows on a stake to round out my decor. Then I can check all of the Fall necessities off my list.

I've been making little fabric pumpkins in the Treehouse. These are intended to go with the pilgrim dolls, since they are a whole lotta brown and could use a little color. To make them, I traced around a salad plate on orange fabric, cut it out, and ran a gathering stitch around the edge of the circle. Then I gathered it up slightly and stuffed it. Next, I tightened up the gathering leaving just enough space to slip a cinnamon stick in. You could also use a twig from the yard. Then I tied some green raffia around the stem. You could also use a small torn strip of green fabric. I might make a collection of these to put in a basket for the table, or to line up along the mantel. Some nice pumpkin-spiced potpourri could also be included in the stuffing.

And speaking of things Fall-like, Big City Girl sent us a handmade Fall card.

She's very artistic and very thoughtful .....not to mention, very smart. She majored in Anthropology you know.

Just like the Hollywood Walk of Fame, almost

It seems our town has taken notice of my sewing hobby and honored me with several well-placed manhole covers. They may be all over town for all I know. I am indeed honored.

So, I've been working on dolls in an effort to get a gang of them finished in time for delivery to the old hotel on October 2. Last year I named all of my dolls, but I'm not in a naming mood this year. I wonder if people will be expecting names? Is it possible I've set a precedent? Maybe I'll outsource that job.

Yesteday I cut out and stuffed a muslin cat--another oldie from the archives of the Macaroni Pattern Works.

It's kind of a cleansing-of-the-palate project after a steady diet of the regular characters. I'll paint him black for Halloween and give him a funny face, and attach a little hanger to the back so he can be either displayed on a shelf or hung on a wall.

And as long as I'm cleansing my palate, maybe I'll pour myself a glass of champagne.....now that I'm a local celebrity, almost.

Disheveled debut

Morning lady is finished and ready to plop herself in front of the TV for all of her favorite shows. I still need to fill up her coffee cup, so I'd better hustle and get the percolator out. She's not having one of my special K-cups, that's for sure. And I'm definitely not making a special trip out for donuts either.

I'll probably make another morning lady, but not this craft season. Well, unless someone begs and pleads and grovels. I hate to disappoint. This one will be making her debut at the Columbus weekend fair and I'm anxious to see how long she'll sit. I hope not long enough for her coffee to get cold. I'd hate to have her get so cranky she'd storm out of the old hotel before any money changes hands.

So the other day I was out fabric shopping. That's better than taking one of those senior citizen buses to the casino, right? Did I mention, I got my pneumonia shot yesterday? It's the law once you get your Medicare card. Anyway....once in a while some special fabric presents itself and forces me to dig around in my pattern stash for an oldie. Remember the gecko I made as a gift for a college-bound freshman who couldn't take her pet gecko to the dorm?
Is this the perfect gecko fabric or what? The gecko pattern--an original Macaroni design--is an easy one. I'll just trace around the perimeter, stitch and stuff. I can do the stuffing while I watch Jeopardy....where the amazing Roger guy is blowing everyone away. Is there a category he doesn't know everything about? And how the heck does he get all the daily doubles? I wonder how he'd do with Knitting Terms or Favorite Embroidery Stitches?

I also got some of this pretty green fabric, but I haven't decided what to use it for.

Oh, wait. Nevermind. That's a picture of trees I took out of a moving car. If you look closely you can see the colors starting to change. I guess I shoulda asked Mr. Gadget to pull over.

Recalculating...

I'm really not fond of Carol, our GPS. Although I guess it's possible my dislike is misdirected. Maybe it's the relationship Mr. Gadget has with Carol I don't like. She can be ditzy and dim-witted, but he always gives her a second chance.

Two weekends ago, we went to Brooklyn to help Big City Girl with a few things in her new apartment.

"There must be a way to avoid this mess," said Mr. G, as we encountered a snarl of cars backed up by a bridge-washing crew. A little farther down the road was the Bridge of Endless Construction--the one we unsuccessfully outsmarted on our last trip home from the airport.

Recalculating.....recalculating....

"New York is just one big insult," said Mr. Gadget, who spent much of his youth in Brooklyn and doesn't seem to appreciate the usually charming aspects of New York City like I do.

Last week, we went to visit Tech Guy. He's just an easy 45 minutes south, but before we left the driveway Mr. G started punching Carol's buttons.

"You don't remember how to get there?" I asked, admittedly somewhat flabbergasted.

"Nope," he replied. "Do you?"

"I remember precisely how to get there," I told him. "I can give you directions and you can put Carol in the trunk where she belongs. Besides, I'm prettier than she is and I'll never use the "R" word."

Rolling along

Just stopping by quickly....how did I get so busy, I wonder....before I have to run out the door. Morning lady has her rollers and I'm happy with the look. Not too happy with how pale she looks though. I now have a recipe for dyeing muslin that should result in a more peachy-looking complexion. Not sure I want to start over though. Maybe I'll tinker a little....
I finished this frog with a tropical look, and I have a clay-faced witch and a cat in the works. And I'm even contemplating doing a few touch-ups on one of my older witches for eBay. I haven't been there in a while. Witches just hate to be cooped up once the leaves start turning.

Maybe that's my problem too....

Preview

I'm excited to see Fall creeping into the neighborhood--but not nearly as excited as my neighbors who've suffered through record heat this summer.....all while I was basking in the ocean breezes of southern California while occasionally wearing a sweatshirt.

I finished the pilgrim pair.
These are replacements for pilgrims that were burgled following the funeral of the nice lady who owned them. I'm not sure of the exact circumstances surrounding the thievery--only that when the lady's daughter went to retrieve them from her home they'd gone missing. This sounds like a good candidate for an episode of Unsolved Mysteries.

I've had a hard time getting around to the blog lately...what with the pilgrims and a new knitting group and my annual appointment for bloodwork. I'd been looking for a local knitting group to join and finally found one close by at the senior center. I have to be honest, I was a little tentative about walking through the front door of the senior center and associating myself with a bunch of old people. I kept seeing my grandmother in her flower-print dress and her tiny little grandma shoes driving all of her friends to the senior center in her big green Plymouth. What a pleasant surprise to discover there were very few old people there...heh...heh....

Then there was the bloodwork. It frequently requires a committee to get blood out of me. Right off I tell the nurse I have bad veins and ask if she couldn't please take it out of my hand. I know, that must sound awful. But believe me, it's better than having 3 or 4 painful stabs in the arm. I think it's better just to head them off at the pass.

And now I plan to finish the disheveled morning lady. Mr. Gadget helped me out with the hair rollers. He cut short lengths of dowel (actually foam brush handles) and drilled a small hole through each so they can be applied to the head like beads. Then I'll get the clay out and make her a cup of coffee. Oh, she just told me (from her perch on the bookcase behind me) she only drinks cappuccino. Maybe I'll just get her a Starbucks card.

So now I guess I'll go wait for Earl. Wait. Earl. Isn't that something you put in your car?