Halloween Pillow

I made this pillow back on October 17th - a little sewing here and there throughout the day and it was done.  It's a shameless copy of the orange and black pillow on Cluck Cluck Sew - it was too cute not to!  Her pillow is more about the colors, while mine is a bit more busy and includes my tiny stash of Halloween fabrics.  But people . . . I loves it!

And, I discovered the golden hour.  I want to bathe in these pictures.  Is that weird?

I couldn't pick just one, or two, or three. 

It only took 91 pictures to get five good ones . . .

The back is Riley Blake Witch Hazel.  I wish I had a bolt of it.

It's going to be sad to pack away the pillow cover in a few days.  Maybe I'll have to make a Thanksgiving pillow next?

Stats:
-18" pillow cover
- Zipper closure
- Made up of half square triangles

 Linking up to Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts

Gypsy Wife QAL - October Blocks

We're almost done!!!  Just a few more blocks (and a bunch of strips) to go in the Gypsy Wife Quilt-Along.  The October blocks were a bit challenging from a fabric selection standpoint.  I'm trying to use different combos but make sure the colors are spread out evenly.

Here are the "big" blocks.
Nurses Cross - not perfect in the center but I still like it.

Old Maid's Puzzle (I made the half square triangle blocks and then realized those are for next month so had to go back and do these).

And the filler blocks.

Next month are the last few blocks, and then it's assembly time.  It's always nice to have this QAL as a break from other projects each month.  It's the first QAL I've actually done along with everyone (not finding it after the fact), and I've enjoyed it so much that I'm already trying to figure out quilt-alongs for next year. 

Linking up with the QAL at iamacraftykat!

Staple Dress

Here's my most recent effort at sewing something for myself: the April Rhodes Staple Dress.

I bought it as part of Perfect Pattern Parcel this summer, but it sat basted since the beginning of August.  I'm not sure why, as it was quick to sew up.

I did some finagling with the sizing, cutting a size L on top with a size XS neckline, grading out to size XL in the hips (I am currently a RTW size medium on top and size 14 on the bottom).  My fabric seemed like it would work fine, but as I sewed it up I realized it has a bit too much body.  I want to try again with a slinkier fabric, maybe taking in the top part more and eliminating the pockets.  I think if I lost a few pounds (as I need to do) the full/flow-y cut would suit my pear-shaped figure better.

Here's a detail of the shirring, which went pretty well for my first time.  

 

And the pockets.

Even though it didn't turn out quite the way it looked in my head, I wore the dress in public today and didn't get any strange looks.  :)  That's a win in my book.