It's pumpkin time!

Finally, a little bit of piecing was done last weekend!  Seems like it's been Forever since I did any sewing. I'm really trying to get Dad's stamp collection sorted out before I get into fall quilting and it's completely taken over the dining room.

That being said, we were at the lake last weekend pulling in the pontoon, lift and dock, and buttoning up the place for the winter.  DH went to bed early after all that work, and I had the chance to spend an hour at the sewing machine upstairs and made these little cuties:

They will be in the October row in a months-of-the-year row-by-row quilt that I occasionally pull out and work on.  I've run out of the black fabric I was using for background.  Do you think I could have planned ahead and make sure I had enough???  Been to four fabric stores, with no luck finding a match.  But I'm not too worried.  I'm making it up as I go. Looks like they could use a few applique pumpkin leaves.

French Cottage Find

There hasn't been much going on in the sewing room for the past month, and I'm in serious withdrawal!  I've had just too many other things going on.  But that doesn't stop me from snapping up a quilting bargain when I see one and I just couldn't wait to share it with you.

On the way to the grocery store yesterday I stopped in at the thrift store next door.  There on the shelf for only $14 was a complete quilt kit for "French Cottage," a block-of-the-month from Jo-Ann.  All twelve blocks and the setting kit, all together and unopened!  At full price it probably ran about $195.  Whoop!!!

French Cottage block-of-the-month

Never having used purchased pre-packaged kits like this, I was surprised to find that all the pieces are already cut!   I thought there would be fat 1/8ths of the different fabrics and you cut your own pieces, so I picked it up thinking I'd just add the fabric to my stash.  I really don't need yet another quilt project - I have so many on the list to do this winter - but it should really fly together if I don't have to cut out the pieces.  Seems like it's half done already!

Have you ever made a block of the month like this from a kit?  Did your quilt look like the original, or did you make changes to make it your own?