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Tuesday, October 30, 2018

October/Fall
Styling with Stitches
SAL update
What's Stitching
Freebie

Cool weather finally found its way to Florida today.   What a pleasure to have temps in the low 70's, sunny and hardly any humidity! I'm hoping Fall is here to stay.   We have been spending a lot of time at the beach this month thanks to some really good friends that offered their beach house to us.   It is so comfortable with the ocean breezes but when we came back home for doctor appointments the heat hit us hard.   Mary just got home too to beautiful fall weather in New York which she was not able to enjoy in the unusually very hot October that Florida had this year.  I know she is happy to be back home with family, friends and her loved pets.

It is time for our pinafore/word play door beller projects.  We also have SAL updates and a freebie to share with you.   Hope you enjoy!

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Styling with Stitches

RJ's word play/door beller

Mary chose October for her pinafore this year so I stitched the October word play door beller. If you are a new follower we both pick a month each year to do our pinafore and then the other one does the word play for that month.

changed  a few things on the stitch as it seemed there were way too many pumpkins.   I took away a couple of them and replaced one with a basket of apples.  Instead of the white triangles WTNT always uses for a filler, I stitched leaves changing colors.

To finish it, I used a cute black and orange dotted fabric on the bottom with orange rick rack in between.  I made up a pumpkin applique with wool felt that I attached with a running stitch.  Then, I added some rusted jingle bells to the bottom and a black silk bow with a pumpkin charm to the long black hanger at the top. It was a fun stitch to finish and just in time for the Fall weather.

My finished door beller is on an old shutter.

Closeup of the wool applique added with a running stitch.

Closeup of the charm added under the black silk bow.

Here you can see the added basket of apples and leaves of different colors.

October word play
by With thy Needle and Thread
35 ct. Abecedarian linen
called for threads
rusted bells from Amazon
charm from Bohemian Findings

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Mary's pinafore

I chose Gardener Goode Witch by With Thy Needle and Thread for my pinafore.   I loved stitching this as Autumn is my favorite season and I love the colors of Fall.   I found this fun dotted linen in a quilt shop in Vermont while on vacation and I thought it would be a whimsical accent to the finish.

I sewed an envelope pillow cover in burlap and added 1 1/2 inch pleated trim to the band of fabric that covers the pillow.  The pinafore is attached with Velcro in the back for easy removal.  The buttons used to embellish the stitch were from Stampin Up.

The pinafore and pillow envelope cover can be folded and put away for easy storage and the pillow reused for my next pinafore.  My goal is to have a pinafore for each holiday and season.

Closeup of this fun stitch and the buttons I added.

The pinafore worked perfectly with my Fall decor.

Gardener Goode Witch
by With thy Needle and Thread
linen
called for threads
buttons from Stampin Up
                                                               
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SAL update

We did it!  We both finished our second SAL while on vacation. This stitch was truly a pleasure to stitch for both of us. We loved the design and the colors.  Now to come up with two good finishes.  We will show you them when they are all sewn up.

RJ's SAL

I need a filler between the red birds.   Perhaps the date would work?

Mary's SAL

I just noticed I left off the letter D on the bottom !!!

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What's Stitching
Past Pinafores and Word Plays

We thought our newcomers might like to see our past pinafores and word plays so you get a better idea of how we are gradually going to have one for each month and holiday.  All of the pinafores can be taken off and packed away until the next year.   And the pillow can be used for all the pinafores.  So all you need to buy is one pillow and then add a new pinafore every month.  It is a great way to use large stitches that you don't want to frame.   We now have four done for you to see.  Here are the earlier three:

August 2017




December 2017




March 2018





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Freebie

If you would like to stitch this beautiful Fall pattern from our friend Ezster of Sub Rosa just go here  It's perfect for Thanksgiving.



 
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Hope you are enjoying the change in weather and getting in lots of stitching. Mary and I have been gone most of the month and we are catching up with all of your blogs.   If we have not been to your blog yet we will be there in the next few days to leave our comments.  We missed our challenges this month so our next one will be a double challenge post.   Hope to see you then.

                                   The girls from Stitching Friends 

                             
                                           We love you Jenny!

34 comments:

  1. Wow a beautiful autumn motive, and with the small clamps and the applied pumpkin it looks perfect. And also the pillow I find very successful, great design and great finish.
    Great progress on the SAL - you have chosen a beautiful pattern.
    Thanks for the nice freebie.
    Hugs to you, Martina

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  2. Lovely little pillow with the pumpkins. It looks great.
    The pinafore from Mary is so wonderful.
    Your SAL looks wonderful.
    Thank you for the freebie.
    Hugs, Manuela

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  3. mi piace tantissimo come rifinisci i cuscini, sono bellissimi

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  4. I love the idea of changing the stitching each season/holiday. We have had a very hot summer here in Arizona and I am looking forward to the cooler temps.

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  5. Great finishes!
    That October wordplay is so nice & colorful.
    Love that WTNAT Quaker.
    Congrats to both of you on your finish.
    Marilyn

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  6. oh this came at the perfect time for me as I need to tackle some pinafores and needed an idea. I think I will use the button idea you shared. Easy Peasy!! Love your WTNT word play....I have been trying to get those patterns without much luck. I just love them but the changes you made are perfect. And Witches...I love a cute witch that is not too scary! Your SAL is beautiful. I am quickly becoming a Quaker fan. So relaxing to stitch and never boring.

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  7. I love your great projects, you have a knack for extraordinary designs and realize them perfectly.
    RJ, your October is my favorite in this post, the colors have become great, the orange pumpkin is the eye-catcher.
    And your SAL is almost ready, bravo!
    Thank you for the wonderful post, many greetings, Jutta

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  8. Your SALs turned out gorgeous. What a sweet freebie. I am so glad you two are back!

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  9. I love the pinafores. I am so glad you put the older pictures on the post too as a reminder of what you have done. I really need to copy this idea of a seasonal pinafore.
    The monthly wordplays are just adorable. I have a few in my stash...just need more hours for stitching. I love your finishes and will need to pin the changes to October as I like the changes.
    The SAL turned out so pretty.
    You girls just inspire me so.

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  10. Both of your autumn stitches turned out super. As you both already know, I love the pinafore idea. Congratulations to both of you on your SAL finishes! I look forward to seeing them in finished form. Thank you for sharing the complimentary design link with us!

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  11. Since coming out of my nearly 20-year hiatus from cross stitching, I have been delighted to see so many unique and clever finishes to the work (not just framing everything to hang on the wall!). Your finishes are such a delight, inspiring me to do similarly. I am also loving the idea of the seasonal dough bowl where we can tuck in small cross stitched items along with pine cones, small pumpkins, Easter Eggs, and so forth. WHAT A FUN IDEA! Love your blog!

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  12. Hello dear friends,

    Lovely finishes and wow! such a good idea to change the pinafores for a new fitting display, love that! I think I must wait some years to be able to do that, you know LOL My amount of finishes isn't overwhelming ;)
    Loved to see this. Wish you both all the best and how sweet you thought of Jenny and showed it in such a charming way.

    Love, Carolien

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  13. Oh my such lovely stitching by you both , and love both finishes .I always look forward to your posts . You both inspire me so much.

    Can't wait for your next post , enjoy your stitching friends.

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  14. Beautiful Autumn stitching. Love the gorgeous pinafores and the finished SALs, what lovely colours

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  15. Hi, RJ and Mary! Oh, your blog posts never disappoint. I must tell you, I wish I could sew a pinafore like yours. I could try, but I think I would be scared through the whole thing, and it definitely would not look as good as yours. I love the Gardener Goode Witch pattern - so sweet! I like how you can change the pinafores out with the seasons.

    The word play is lovely, too! The added basket of apples is sweet. The perfect touch. Love the finish - the orange ric rac really pops!

    Great freebie! I am having so much fun stitching Halloween-themed things that I'm not sure how I will transition into Thanksgiving and Christmas. I still have some Halloween things I've kitted and not even started yet!

    Have a great week!

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  16. C'est toujours un grand plaisir de venir vous lire RJ et Mary ! Vos coussins sont splendides, j'aimerais beaucoup savoir faire ça... Un jour j'y arriverai peut-être...
    Les coussinets à susprendre sont magnifiques également.
    Merci à vous de continuer à nous émerveiller...
    Bizzz
    Christel
    http://toilesetfils.blogspot.com

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  17. So much lovely eye candy, ladies. Too hard to choose a favourite. I do love the idea of the pinafores for the cushion - so clever!

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  18. Well, I saw Mary's pinafore on Instagram this morning and fell in love with it--such a beautiful finish and a great way to use up larger pieces without the cost of framing as you mentioned. I will have to keep that idea in mind. And I love your October Word Play, RJ (are you on Instagram?)--your changes work so well and the finishing is just perfect.

    Love your SAL finishes (well, almost--don't you love it how your pieces always show the missing parts when you've photographed them :) I'm sure you've already finished the "D" by now, Mary.

    Hope you both are settling in for the beginning of a nice new month and some Christmas stitching! Can't believe we are almost in November, can you?

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  19. Hello dear friends....

    I have to tell you both just how much I enjoyed your post. Your stitching is just really lovely and you have such wonderful ways to finish! RJ your word play is sooo ADORABLE and I am in love with your little wool pumpkin! And Mary your pinafore is just so pretty! I love this idea.

    Your SAL finishes are just beautiful as well! I know I have said this before but honestly I cannot believe how much stitching you both accomplish! It is truly amazing. I am going to have to speed up my needles when I do start stitching again...lol!

    Thank you for the freebie pattern as well! But most importantly thank you both for your friendship and love! That little butterfly made me cry...I love you guys right back!!! Hugs to you both!

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  20. My computer is giving me problems so I was not able to see many of the photos. I'm sure they were lovely as I have seen the work that both of you do!

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  21. I loved seeing your collection on pinafores and bellers! What wonderful finishes!

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  22. All of your stitching is fabulous, but I especially the word plays. x

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  23. RJ, your October looks fantastic! The changes you made look great and I love the finish.
    Yes, I think the date would look nice in between the birds - another beautiful piece.

    Mary, I do love your October pinafore, it even goes with your sofa! I think that might be something that would work with a monthly set I have.
    Quick, stitch the D so you can start another wonderful finish!

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  24. Love your latest finishes, as usual. You too never fail to inspire and impress!!! Always exciting to see a new post from you ladies!

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  25. Lovely Autumn stitching, RJ and Mary!
    Your stitch-a-long is so very pretty! The year sounds great between the birds.

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  26. So many lovely things to see in this post.
    The pinafores are delightful.

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  27. Great SAL finish ladies! Love how the fabrics make each one look different. Love the word play along with the changes you made for October and the pinafore is darling!!

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  28. You both have beautiful finishes. The pinafore and word play for October are stitched and finished wonderfully. Loved seeing the past ones again too.

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  29. RJ, I love your idea of leaves changing colors - I might borrow it (if you don't mind) when I get around to stitching it. And your finishing is just beautiful! Mary, you did such a lovely job on your pinafore! Thank you for sharing your past pinafore and word play finishes - they are very inspiring. : ) Very pretty SAL finishes - another design I want to stitch someday.

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  30. Thank you for a wonderful post - I have learned some new craft items today. I thought a pinafore was just the sort of apron worn to keep dresses clean! Sorry to come across a little daft, but what is a door beller? x

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  31. What can I say? Your stitches are exquisite and so inspiring....thank you!

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  32. I like the idea of interchangeable pillow covers hah! That is a nice way to use up some larger pieces. We don't have a lot of pillows around the house though; don't like moving things to sit down hah! The pompoms on Decembers are so cute!

    It's amazing how things pop out in a picture when you think you're finished. Once I forgot an angel's halo and didn't realize it until the YAY I'M FINISHED photo ahaha. Oops. :D

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  33. RJ and Mary: I hope I can get this comment to post.
    As always beautiful stitching, the pumpkin and polka dot fabric are perfect .
    I love the rusted bells the black ribbon and charm with your design RJ.
    Mary: Your finish is perfect I love the ruffle on the edge, what a great idea to be able to change pillow top designs.
    All your designs are lovely.
    Thank-you for the freebie.

    Catherine

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  34. The Parisian pillow is just stunning!

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