The academic in me had to research the scientific name for today. Did you know that an equinox is when the “plane of the equator passes across the center of the sun?”  (So sayeth Wikipedia) Now, before your eyes glaze over, let’s move on.

Today on the first day of fall, here is another piece of interesting information. A federal  judge ruled yesterday that the ‘Happy Birthday” song is no longer under copyright, so we can sing freely. I’m sure this eases your mind immensely.

I have a few Halloween pieces to show you today. These silhouette patterns come from Rebecca Lindquist.  Here is a little trick I discovered. I always add a backing to my pieces before attaching them a hornbook or whatever. In this case, I used some old raggedy book covers that have three coats of black paint and two sprays of fixative.  I used to machine-sew the backing 90% around the perimeter of the PN piece and then invert the piece and hand-sew the remainder. It occurred to me that nobody will ever see the back when it is attached to something else so now I machine-sew the entire perimeter and then snip a small slit in the center of the backing and invert the piece.

My challenge then was how to attach a hanger on the book cover.  I decided upon a button and waxed jewelry string. The piece sits close to the wall and the waxed string has enough stiffness to allow you to hook it onto a nail.

Here is a sneak peek at my Turkey Trot. This is my own drawing.  I see from my unforgiving camera that I have some white spots to fill before I call him complete.

Thanks for visiting. Wishing you a fall lasting far into December. We like sweatshirts, but we’re not quite ready for parkas and mittens!

Well, fall is coming. Every time a season changes I declare the new season to be my favorite. I must say however, that autumn is my true favorite. I have memories of the kids returning to school, brisk Saturdays on the soccer field, and noisy beautiful smelling fallen leaves.

It is that time of year when you start out the day in a sweatshirt and soon realize just how hot you are.  I am just beginning to add a bit of autumn color to the house, so I thought I’d share a few pictures.  The pumpkin wall hanging I did many years ago and hangs below a shelf I made (My one-time attempt at woodworking).  Wytch One, the needlepunch from Rebecca Lindquist’s pattern, sits on a spice box with some fabric pumpkins and my pie crow.  Both are in my kitchen.

We had two huge antique fairs in the area Saturday. One was in Saline, MI and the other in Utica, MI. Since they were in  opposite directions and 60 miles apart, I had to pick one. Utica won the toss. It was a nice show, but all I brought home with me was a cow bell and a whisk broom. More raw material for my punching projects.

Thinking of apple cider and orchard donuts…….

The weather was beautiful in northern Michigan over the past week. While enjoying the evening coolness our neighbor  supplied us with a Swedish fire. I had never heard of this before. He took a log about 18 inches high and 10 inches in diameter and with a chain saw cut four slices creating 8 wedges. The cuts went down about 15 inches leaving the bottom intact. You use about 1/4 cup of gas to pour down the center and (carefully) light it. It provided an amazing fire that burned for three hours.

I haven’t done a post for awhile. This one has nothing to do with needle punch. It is more along the meandering trail. We just returned from a trip to Mohawk, in Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula, where we spent time at our family home. Below is a picture I snapped while we were there. I’ll be curious to see who recognizes what it is.