It is beginning to feel like Fall, my favorite season. I used to think that Fall was my favorite season because my birthday happens in this season but now that I have hit all those milestone birthdays like 13 (being a teenager), 16 (old enough to drive), 18 (old enough to drive) and 21 (being considered a real adult) and they are all a pretty foggy memory. Now I just like fall for the colors, the crispness in the air, the cooler nights that make we want to cover up with a blanket, the special recipes that I always make and the sweaters that I wear. Fall is always my favorite season.
I like to bring out some special decorations like a fall garland to put on my fireplace mantle, a table topper that represents the season and some pillows. This year when I pulled out of storage my old Fall pillows, I decided I could do better than what I had. So off to my sewing machine I went I started with a simple pumpkin image file…
and a leaf image file…
Sent these image files to my Babylock Solaris sewing/embroidery machine and this was the result…
I started with the leaves and using the Maple leaf image file and the magic of my machine I was able to create free-standing applique leaves. Using different fabrics for each leaf had me thinking of what the ground looks like in fall when all the trees start losing their leaves, the maple leaves with their golds and reds and the oaks with their browns. I considered making enough leaves in enough different colors to cover the floor of my sewing studio but that was just a crazy idea and then I would have had to rake them all up before the snow or next sewing project started. So I limited myself to creating two embroidery hoopfuls (I am guessing that is not a real word but an embroidery hoop filled with leaf designs is a hoopful in my world).
With leaves all sewn and scattered. I took the pumpkin image file and created an applique embroidery design. This machine has so much magic built into it that sometimes all I have to do is dream things up. One of the struggles that I have is not always seeing thing correctly in 3D. To explain this better when you look at the pumpkin is the stem on top or should it be behind.
My first attempt was to put the stem on top or in front of the pumpkin but I didn’t like the way that looked, so two more attempts and I got it just how I wanted it to look.
Adding the free-standing applique leaves to my pillow front gave it some dimension.
And because I like a little piping/cording on my pillow edge I found an upholstery fabric in my stash and some cotton clothesline also in my stash and using the Babylock Pearl & Piping Foot I made my own cording. And I like the way it turned out and of course the cost of $0.00 since everything was waiting for me in a tote of extras that has been with me for years.
Hope you are looking forward to fall as much as I am and your fall decorations make you smile.