Eek-stravaganza!!

Welcome to my 2nd annual Halloween party! Anybody who's followed me here in stitchy blog land knows I love Halloween 🎃👻

Grab some finger foods and let's celebrate!

Last year I had several Halloween FFOs, 8 of them. This year not so many. This was a weird year for stitching. I didn't have many spooky smalls to FFO!

Let's looks at them...

Here's Vintage Witch by The Little Stitcher on Etsy. She's an Italian designer...

She's on 32ct linen I believe, a mystery piece. I bought the frame from Hobby Lobby. I was going to paint the frame black but once I got her in there, I thought it looked nice. The design pops!

Next up is this pin pillow that I cannot remember who designed it!...

Or the name of it! It's on linen and I probably finished it a year or two ago. I tweaked the man's clothing to be a black dressing coat with tails and gray trousers. The pattern had him wearing what looked like a robe! That would not do! I added a black bat pin and a black button in the top left corner. They have reunited in the afterlife, aww❤️

Last but not least is Halloween...

From a JCS Halloween preview issue, she's a long one! Another finish that sat and sat and waited to be FFO'd. If you look closely, you'll see the orangey ric rac that I sewed in between in border and the top of the cotton fabric. That was horrifyingly stressful! I had forgotten how to sew ric rac onto a piece of fabric. I don't think there's any one way to do that though!😂 The backing fabric is the same as the front. 

There you have it! Just 3 FFOs but I'm happy just the same. If you'd like to know the details of which designer and which JCS issue those last 2 came from, let me know in comments 

I also had a spooky finish and that is Halloween Delivery by Plum Street Samplers...

Oops, looks like I forgot the small crow on on the back tire! I don't know how many times I posted a picture of this and forgetting that I needed to stitch the crow! Anyway! I used called for colors and a 36ct linen that I can't remember! The brain fog is alive and well! This is the 2nd stitching of this design, it's a favorite. I'll either frame it or turn it into a medium sized pillow.

I also have 2 WIPs that I worked on. It's Fall Frolic by the Scarlett House...

On 36ct Vintage Cedar Plank by Lakeside linen and called for floss except one, the white was supposed to be CCW Baby Chick. I didn't have it so I used DMC 3865. I almost made it because the end of the key is 3 or 4 stitches from the zigzag border. So much going on here. See the 4 stitch thingamajiggers strewn about, like that to the left of the moon? There were more! I'm leaving a few of those off. I marathon stitched this piece hoping to have another FFO for today but it'll be ready for next year🤞🏼🤞🏼

Onto a WIP that I picked up here and there....

Witch Hill by Ship's Manor. Last time I had the house and a few rows of the hill, may have had tops of a few gravestones. I'm now down to the pumpkin garden with all the oranges. 

That's it with stitching.

Onward with the party!

I have 2 poisonous plants growing in my yard. First one is Sacred Datura...

Isn't that pretty?! Blooms at night and then dies when the sun comes up. Perfect Halloween plant. Don't get too close though, the entire plant is poisonous. If you touch it anywhere, its toxins can be absorbed in to the skin. They are hallucinogenic and in larger doses, like eating it, can cause delirium, convulsions, and death. It's native to AZ and the Southwest. I read they will grow in the same spot, they really do, every year! I guess you can call them a perennial😳

The last BAD plant is the Silverleaf Nightshade...

A nasty weed, they grow in my yard every single summer. My yard man hates them because the stem is nearly as thick as a pencil. His weed wacker cord breaks everytime. Look at how pretty those flowers are! Ingesting the flowers or the seed pods (see bottom of plant for the pods, they are green) will cause gastrointestinal irritations and nervous system effects like trembling, labored breathing, and paralysis in both humans and livestock. It's also native to AZ and comes from the potato family!

How about some laughs? This one is my favorite!

🤣🤣🤣😂😂😆😆

And the party is over. Thanks for joining me! Please take some candy home with you. I have tonight off from work so I'm buying Chinese takeout later and watching an old Vincent Price horror movie and Hocus Pocus, both on DVD. We don't get trick or treaters on my street so it'll be peaceful and spooky!

Hope you get more treats than tricks!🎃

See you in November! Eek!