Tuesday Threads with Karen Day

Happy Halloween, Ai Sewing fans!!

I have the October edition of Tuesday Threads with Karen Day to share with you today.

Two of the fabrics in the Shop Hop collection designed by Ai owner/illustrator Bonnie Krebs, are a subtly patterned bright orange, and a wonderful limey green... and given that my posting day was the 31st, I decided to make a little Halloween decor:

I've created a little pumpkin placemat/hotmat/potholder.  I'm choosing for it to be part of my Halloween decor, and if I had a bowl of candy to put out, it would be the perfect thing to set it on.  I started out by sketching out my design to make a pattern:

I drew my pumpkin shape, and added a 1/4" border as a seam allowance, and drew on my stitching lines.  I cut out two of these in the orange fabric, then cut apart the stem and cut one of it from the green fabric.  I used Therm O Web's HeatnBond Lite fusible adhesive and ironed it onto the top orange piece.  I cut a piece of Therm O Web's High Loft Fusible Fleece about the same size as the pumpkin, and fused it onto one of them.  I stitched the pumpkin pieces together with a 1/4" seam, clipped the edges and turned it inside out.  After slip stitching the bottom edge shut, I ironed the pumpkin so that the edges were flat and nicely rounded.

 I cut apart my pattern along the stitching lines, and pinned it onto my pumpkin to use as a stitching guide using orange thread to indicate the grooves on the pumpkin.

   I switched to green thread and zigzagged around the stem - this finished off the raw bottom edges nicely.  And there you have it!  Do you remember the mug rug that I made last month?  Just imagine how cute a small version of my pumpkin would be as a mug rug!!  Lots of possibilities...

 Have a happy & safe Halloween - and happy sewing :o)