Ahh, October. As sad as I am to say goodbye to my favorite month, September, I'm still happy to soak up all of Fall that I can. (Yes, I'm one of those people). I love Fall sewing and scenery. This week I have been putting pumpkins on the porch, pulling out the fall quilts (including my favorite Fall Maple Leaf quilt pictured below) and eating all of the favorite fall foods. (Homemade roasted tomato soup, pumpkin pancakes with maple butter, etc.) I stopped at Trader Joe's yesterday to stock up on some of those favorites and even I cracked up a little as I could smell of the strong Pumpkin Spice scent wafting from the store before I was even 25 feet away.
We have been enjoying an extra gorgeous week of changing color and I'm here for all of it! Here's a view of the breathtaking beauty of my nearby mountains this weekend. The aspens are turning gold and showing off.
There's also some gorgeous fall colors showing up inside my house right now too. Here's a little behind the scenes look at what's on my sewing table and design wall right now - working with the color palette I shared a couple of weeks ago. This has been so much fun to work on - the colors are so inspiring. Next week I'm going to have a new quilt tutorial to share. Stay tuned!
I'm working on a lot of fun projects right now and feeling a lot of motivation and creative inspiration. I know that's not always the case, so I'm trying to milk it as much as I can. I finally dropped off my 50 finished bears to Dolls of Hope yesterday. I'm even tackling cleaning out my basement! It feels good to be on a roll - I know that energy and creativity ebb and flow, so I'll take what I can, while I can.
One project I'm really excited about right now is learning how to use my Baby Lock Destiny II embroidery machine. Baby Lock loaned this machine to me for a campaign a few years ago - and I know I have only scratched the surface of what this machine can do. Learning more about machine embroidery has been on my list of goals for a few years now. This weekend I pulled out the embroidery system for the first time in ages and practiced on a few projects. I've got some really fun things to share later this week.
I know that a huge part of this burst of creative energy comes from the fact that my kids are back in school and we have somewhat of a normal routine at the moment. Even our youngest is going to in-person school part time as much as he can and we are SO grateful. It takes a lot of out him, but we know that he needs the human interaction after over an year and a half of a lot of isolation at home. Another result - for the first time in over a year and a half - I've got some alone time during the weekdays. I knew I missed it, but man, even I'm surprised at how much it makes a difference to my creativity and brain capacity.
I've learned over the past two years not to take anything for granted. So each day that I get some quiet time, I am thankful and make the most of it. That also helps me not feel as resentful or frustrated on days when that doesn't happen. Maybe I'm learning some balance in life? Boy, it's sure taken a lot to teach me.
In spite of my creative surge of productivity, there's also a big part of me that wants to soak up my favorite season. At the end of September I got to have a mountain getaway to one of my favorite spots (Sundance, UT) to celebrate our 24th Anniversary.
We rode the ski lift to the top of the nearby mountains (which was handy since I was too tired for a long hike) and I found my very own Ridge waiting for me! Looks like I need to go back more often. Just since that week the colors have changed even more!
I'm trying to set down the projects and get outside as much as I can while the weather and scenery is this sublime. I'm sure there will be plenty of gray, wet days in the near future for sitting at my sewing machine. Even cleaning out the basement can wait. Right? 😉
Hoping life is treating you well wherever you are right now.
The Joyful Quilter
Thanks for sharing that gorgeous scenery from your getaway. Happy anniversary, Amy!
Gwyn
Happy anniversary! Your photos are gorgeous. Glad you had a beautiful weather to celebrate. We are empty nesters for now with both of ours in college at the same time! The house is way too quiet. My son is a drummer and both he and his sister play the electric guitar. Yes, these introverted parents think the house is way too quiet without their music and chatter. We compensated by getting a kitten for our cat. 🙂 I am loving what's going on at your design wall. Enjoy your productive time!
Becky Turner
It says a lot about our lives when it takes a pandemic to figure out balance.
Amy
Sad, but true.
Sandra B
First of all, Happy 24th Anniversary, Amy! We just celebrated our 49th on September 30…
Thanks for sharing your amazing pictures!!
Fall is my favorite time of year as well…I really enjoy getting outside to enjoy the crispness of the air here in Virginia….I even pulled out a quilt to snuggle under while doing some reading last evening. I know we will still have some warm days before we get totally into fall weather, but this time of hanging seasons is something I celebrate every year!
Elaine Holmes
Thanks for sharing.
Mary Van Kleeck
I have the Baby Lock Destiny II also. I love the machine but don’t know how to embroider just like you. Thanks for the motivation.
Amy
You're welcome!