We’ve been taking advantage of the fall weather and taking a few weekend day trips. We started with a quick trip into New Hampshire and then just over the state line into Vermont. Along the way we saw Alpacas, pumpkins, and the beginnings of some fall colors.
Some from a distance…and…
…some up close.
According to the recent news reports, the New England pumpkin crop has suffered this year. So I was expecting to see a smaller number of pumpkins at the local farm stands, but when we stopped at an apple orchard, I wasn’t quite prepared for this! We were greeted with some pretty slim pumpkin pickings…
But then down the road, we saw this…
I snatched up a few for my front porch, but we will still need to get a “big one” for carving the traditional jack-o-lantern closer to Halloween. Have you seen some of the pumpkin carving patterns over at Martha Stewart? Have you tried any? I don’t know that my talent runs in that direction, but they are impressive.
As the leaves begin to fall, my sewing machine has been humming, too. I fell in love with Happy Zombie's Poochie Bags! They are very cute – and fun to make to boot! This one I made for a friend as a “thank you” for all her advice and encouragement. She is an unbelievable knitter, so I filled it with some great yarn I had thrifted. (She’s a great thrifter too, so she was doubly appreciative!)
I really, really like these bags. They are a great size, but in case you might want a smaller tote, Monica has also written up an additional pattern for a mini version. The Itty Bitty Poochies are very sweet, too. I am already planning several of these for teacher gifts at Christmas.
I only used two fabrics for mine (instead of three), but I really think you could get super creative with this pattern. I think it is an ideal pattern if you only have a little bit of a favorite fabric, as you could easily line the inside of the bag and pockets (and even make the straps) with a solid. I also was thinking that for the lining and the pockets, you could experiment with some repurposed shirts or pants – or even a blanket or coat. Lots of possibilities indeed!
Sewing and road trips – does it get any better than that? Just last weekend we were off on another adventure a little closer to home.
More on that next time…
Elizabeth
