Currently Stitching: Spooky Season Inspired Quilting

I'm mostly keeping it simple this week and working from kits. I picked both of these up in the last few weeks. They were posted right by the entryway to the shops and caught my eye! I am such a sucker for anything festive/ holiday and these are just too fun! I also picked up this fabric pillow pumpkin pattern that I'll put to use if I have enough time! I have been found guilty of trying to bite off more than I can chew. I just get so excited about all the projects!

The little Ghosties table runner looks like it won't take much time. The instructions are pretty straightforward and it's a reasonable size. The Midnight Moon appears to be the same block(s) over and over again but in different orders. The thing that will probably take the most time is all the triangle trimming!

Starting out with these ghosties, this table runner uses just three colors to put them together. They chose batiks, which are always great for pressing! I am excited to see how they will turn out! 

I've read through the instructions a few times and got the cutting out of the way. It's all laid out and ready to be pieced together. Because it's not my pattern I cannot share the sizes or instructions. But Villa Rosa Designs are usually pretty approachable and quick to get through! This one included.

Much of this project includes snow balling corners and half square triangles. This means that I can chain piece a lot of it! I really like when I can get in the zone on something like this and get a lot of pieces done in one sitting.

I got these HST's run on one side, after marking them with two lines. Then I flipped them over and sewed down the other. Then I got after the trimming and squaring. Once again!

Once I got the triangles and snow balls done I laid out the block. After that, I sewed them into rows, and then the rows into the final blocks. From there I sewed them together with their sashing and borders. I followed the pattern pretty closely. I decided to change the display of the ghosts, so they're all facing the same direction. 

Overall I really like how it turned out! They're so cute! I think I'll do a simple fabric for the backing because it really won't get seen very much. I haven't decided if I want to take it to the longarm or quilt it myself on my machine. I love all the fun designs the can do, but sometimes I want to get the practice in.

This pattern by Andover Fabrics is quite detailed! They set you up for success with lots of labels, pointers, pictures and so much more. Yes it's got a few extra pages, but it's there to ensure it turns out as cute as the sample is. Again, I cannot share the specific measurements or instructions but I would recommend it for sure! 

I started out by separating the fabrics as the pattern suggests. I labeled them all by fabric number and pattern letter. Then I followed the cutting instructions, while keeping them in their groups. 

At this point, I would normally start sewing everything together. But it took so much time to cut everything up I sort of wanted to take a break. Instead, I decided to pack it up for quilt retreat - which will be at the end of the month. 

I was going to start on the fabric pumpkins pattern, but I kind of wanted a no brainer project. So I decided to turn to the leftover scraps from the quilt I made last week! The fabrics from the Halloween Broken Dishes on Point were so much fun! I thought making a bag out of them would be a good way to use the scraps.

I've made this style bag before, and I knew it would come together quick! Look here if you want to see more of them! I cut up some charm squares and arranged them in a layout I liked. I try to envision the two sides of the bag when I'm doing this.

They sewed up really quick, just like I wanted! I got out some scrap batting out of the closet and cut them down to size. I picked out a purple thread for the quilting stitches and went with a simple crosshatch design. 

I always love the look of this pattern and the purple was perfect for this project! 

Next I started trimming down the quilted sides and lining. These orange bats were calling to me! So of course I had to go with orange thread and an orange zipper to keep with the spooky fun! While I was nervous it might be a bit bright, I really wanted it to shine! 

I got the ends sewn on the zipper so it would be ready to be sewn in. I trimmed the outside and lining pieces again, and then it was time to sew it all together!

The zipper and the top stitching came along pretty quickly! Now the lining, batting, front, and zipper are all connected.

Here it is with the sides and bottom sewn up. I also sewed the corners so the bag will stand on its own. If you make a bag like this at home, don't forget to leave the zipper open and a hole at the bottom of the lining so you can turn it right sides out. 

Then I got it turned the right way. I always like to take the time to push out the corners well so they sit together the right way. I also prefer to sew the final lining stitches by hand and then anchor the lining corners inside at the same time. 

Voila! I love how this turned out! Seasonal projects like this are always such a joy for me to work on. I hope this leaves you feeling inspired to get some spooky sewing done before the end of the month!

As you can probably tell I did not get the fabric projects done. I'll put them on the list for next time! Tune in next week to find out how retreat prep and other seasonal projects are coming along!