Happy Antiquing Day! And More Halloween Decor!

I had a great day.  My sister, Patti, and I went to the antique mall in Springville.  I've been looking for some vintage baby shoes to make some pretty pincushions.  I saw one I loved on one of my favorite blogs,

"The Feathered Nest"  http://the-feathered-nest.blogspot.com/

 Isn't it precious? 

Dawn sells her professional-quality tutorials on Etsy.

I found the exact shoes at D.I. for $1 for the pair.

The Pixie Elf planter will also become a pincushion.

Here are two I saw for sale that were quite pretty.

 The vendor who put these potholders up for sale doesn't charge enough for her treasures.

The dress was only $2.75 and the round yellow one was only $1.

Note:  One of the vendors suggested that a clothesline of little dresses and panties would look cute as a garland.

This shadow box was a fun thing to find.  It was less than $10 and the vintage pins and buttons are worth more than that!  This will go on my sewing room wall.

You've seen my Halloween lantern collection.  Wait 'til you get a load of my vintage Santas and Snowmen!

These 1968 Santas are in almost new condition.  And they were a steal at $2 each at D.I.

 

I didn't need this child's doll suitcase, but I couldn't resist the graphics.

Maybe I'll use it to store lace and trims.

 More Halloween Decor and Giveaway Reminder
I've made a promise to myself to take it easy on the Halloween displays.  Less is more...right?  I've decided to limit myself to a few really great pieces in the living room...that looky-no-touchy room that never gets used.  But the family room is getting the whole enchilada.

The top half of my antique hutch. 

The bottom had a reflection issue with a mirror.

It's a start! More later.

Giveaway Reminder...

The Halloween Rag Runner Giveaway ends Sunday at Midnight.

Leave a comment in the Comment Box on Wednesday's Rag Runner post to enter.

Has anyone gone up the canyon yet to see if the leaves are changing?

Sweet Halloween Bear

Fall Door Changes to Halloween Door!

Not much to share today.  I'm working on a lot of projects I'll let you in on later.

The black crows have changed to black cats.

I love the vintage black cat faces, but I'm a little bummed the cat lights aren't working.

The Cat-Face Lantern. 

It lights up with a battery-powered flicker candle.

Halloween Clown Cat Candy Jar

It's filled with "Vintage" penny candy from Cracker Barrell.

They have all of the candy from my childhood.

Giveaway Reminder...

The Halloween Rag Runner Giveaway ends Sunday at Midnight.

Leave a comment in the Comment Box on yesterday's Rag Runner post to enter.

Joyful Scarecrow

I'd be happy too, if I lived at Disneyland!

I'm sure I'm not the only one who wants an apartment overlooking Main Street.

Halloween Table Runner...and a Giveaway!

Rag Quilt Runner Tutorial

Finished Size 14" x 55"

Yesterday I showed you the rag quilt I made from bandannas.  Today I will give you the instructions on how to make a Halloween table runner like the one in the picture.  If you stay 'til the end of class, I will tell you how you can win the finished runner or a kit to make your own!

Seven coordinating fat quarters or 1/4 " yard cuts.

Warm and Natural quilt batting.  I always buy remnants for projects.

It comes in different widths, but I would buy 2/3 yrd of 44-45" width.

Cut four 8"x 9" blocks from each fabric for a total of 14 double-sided blocks.

Cut fourteen 7"x 8"  blocks of batting.

Sandwich the batting between the fabric blocks.

Pin across the corners, rather than diagonally.

Quilt each block by sewing an "X" diagonally from corner to corner.

Lay out your 14 finished blocks in two rows and arrange them in a way that pleases you.

The blocks will be sewn so the seam is on the top of the quilt.  The back will be smooth.

1/2" Seam Allowance

This is how the front of the runner looks when it is all pieced together.

In this photo I am sewing all around the outside edge of the runner 1/2" from the edge.

With a pair of sharp scissors clip all the seams about 1/2" apart, taking care not to cut the stitches.

The clipping may (will) make your hand tired, so take your time!

When the runner is washed and dried, the seams will fray and fluff.

I gave the runner a good shake, then put it in the washer for a rinse and spin.

Then it was put in the dryer for a tumble with a bath towel.

The Finished Runner!

Now for the goodies.  I have two prizes for the giveaway.  The first lucky winner will receive the Halloween Runner.  The second...even luckier...winner will receive the blocks and batting and instructions to make your own!  In each prize the fabrics are identical.  I love Halloween fabric...especially the vintage styles.

How to Enter

• Drawing is open to Zetta's Aprons followers.  If you are not yet a follower, click on the link on the right of the page (or at the very top) and follow the easy instructions.
• Leave a comment in "Comments" saying you follow Zetta's Aprons.
• Winners will be randomly picked from those leaving comments.
• Two winners will be chosen.  1st for the runner, 2nd for the kit.
• Drawing ends midnight, Sunday September 25.
• Winners will be posted sometime Monday morning.
•  Be sure to check back to see if you've won.

Good luck, friends!  I am having so much fun this Fall!  I hope you all will make the most of living today.

Bedspring Jack-o'-Lantern

A Dog For All Seasons...Jack's Bandannas

Jack's Bandannas

Today I just wanted to take a few minutes to tell you a little about Jack.  This beautiful, kind, patient Golden Retriever was our family's best friend.  He is missed every single day.  His loss is felt like the passing of a cloud over the sun on an otherwise bright, beautiful morning.  But the cloud passes, the sun reappears...and with it so many happy memories.  This story is about Jack's bandannas.

"Jack Frost" wearing a Christmas bandanna.

A lot of dogs wear bandannas tied jauntily around their necks.  Something about them seems to give a dog more personality.  Jack loved his bandannas.  His ears would perk up when he saw a fresh one in my hand.  Plumy tail a'wagging, he sat, and watched me fold and roll the colorful scarf and tie it artfully over the top of his collar.  Then he pranced about as if to say,  "What a handsome dog I am!"  And he was.

In addition to the classic red and blue, Jack owned bandannas for every season and occasion.  With each bandanna came a nick-name to go along with it.

• Christmas...Jack Frost.
• Halloween...Jack o' Lantern, Jack Skellington, or Captain Jack Sparrow (if he was a pirate).
• Valentines...Jack of Hearts.
• Easter...Jack Rabbit.
• Western...Black Jack, Jackalope.
• Hippie...Jumpin' Jack Flash...he's got gas, gas, gas!
• Patriotic...Union Jack.

The list could go on and on...he had so many.  So many, in fact, that a few weeks ago I decided to clean out the drawer in my laundry room where we stored his scarves, toys and winter boots.  There were dozens of those colorful bandannas accumulated in the ten years he lived with our family.  There were even some made for Jack by a little neighbor girl's grandmother who lived in another state!  Tears filled my eyes and I knew then I could not throw them out.  I had a better idea.  George's birthday was approaching.  The loss of Jack has been very hard on him.  So I told him I would make him a rag quilt from the bandannas.



Jack's Bandanna Quilt

It's not fancy, but it's fun.  Rag quilts are the easiest quilts to make if you are learning to sew.  Each block is quilted separately before putting the quilt together, so no quilting frame is needed.  The blocks are the same front and back and the seams are all on the outside.  The seams are clipped and allowed to fray and fluff.  Rag quilts get softer and cosier with each washing.  

In a day or two, I will show you how to make a Halloween table runner using the rag quilt method.

Hope you have a great day.  It's another beautiful morning in Utah.  The mountains are just starting to turn color in the higher elevations. Trix colors...raspberry red, lemon yellow, and orange orange!



Halloween Time at Disneyland...and a Winner!

We Have a Winner!  First off, I want to thank those of you who participated in Zetta's first little giveaway.  I am still learning how to do this blog thingie.  But I promise you, we will be having more of these in the future.  I enjoy sharing the things that I love and I have so many ideas that I can't wait to share with you.  I am so pleased to announce that Sharon Murphy has won the sweet little bluebird  pillowcases.  So, Sharon, if you would please email me at marieutah@aol.com, with your address, I will send them right away!   Welcome to Zetta's Aprons!  Sharon loves vintage pillowcases and aprons.  I hope she will share her interests with us.  This is getting fun!

Halloween at Disneyland

I love Halloween at Disneyland... from the character Jack-o'-Lanterns which greet you at the gate...

...to the beloved characters who greet you on Main Street.

Every nook and cranny...

...and shop window is filled with delights.

While Jack's Haunted Christmas...

...will fill you with fright!

At Disneyland, even a pumpkin patch can be merry...

...while photos of me can be downright SCARY!

Happy Halloween!

And a Happy Birthday (yesterday) to my sweet husband, George!

He's a big kid who loves Disneyland almost as much as I do!

After all...we were born the same year...1955!

Have a wonderful Fall day!

Note:  I used the True Random Number Generator from Random.org to pick the winner of our giveaway.

Giveaway... Sweet Vintage Pillowcases!

Zetta's Aprons is going on a little weekend jaunt to Disneyland for Hubby's birthday.  We'll return on Monday.  While I'm gone, you can enter to win this sweet pair of pretty vintage pillowcases my sister Patti and I found thrifting.  Vintage pillowcases are some of my favorite finds.  We look for them at every antique mall and thrift store.  The prettiest patterns by far feature sweet little bluebirds.  These pillowcases were not locked away in some bride's hope chest, but were used and loved.  They have a cheerful crocheted border of red and white.  I've been tempted to keep them for myself.  I enjoy using vintage pillowcases every day.

How to Enter

• Drawing is open to Zetta's Aprons followers.  If you are not yet a follower, click on the link on the right of the page (or at the very top) and follow the easy instructions.
• Leave a comment in "Comments" saying you follow Zetta's Aprons.
• Winner will be randomly picked from those leaving comments.
• Drawing ends midnight, Sunday September 18.
• Winner will be posted sometime Monday morning.
•  Be sure to check back to see if you've won.

Good Luck, Dear Friends!

Homemade Ketchup...or is it Catsup?

I love ketchup.  I don't care if you call it ketchup or catsup...you can call it whatever you want as long as it's Heinz.  Store brand ketchup and other major brands just don't cut the mustard. =D  They are just too sweet.  Heinz has the perfect salty to spicy ratio that makes it the ideal accompaniment to french fries.  I found a blogspot that tells you everything you would ever want to know about ketchup:   nowthatsnifty.blogspot.com  I am going to share with you a few of the facts I learned.   

Some Random Facts About Ketchup

• 97% of American homes keep ketchup in their kitchens.
• Each person consumes about 3 bottles per year.
• A Tablespoon of ketchup has about 16 calories and no fat.
• 4 Tablespoons have the nutritional value of a ripe medium tomato.
• Like fine wines there can be good and bad ketchup years depending on the quality of the harvest.
• Heinz ketchup was introduced in 1876 as a "blessed relief for Mother..."
• Heinz sells more than 50% of the ketchup sold in the U.S.    
• The "catsup" spelling went out of popularity in 1981 after the Reagan Administration declared "Ketchup" to be a vegatable that could be used in school lunches.
• Public outcry caused a reversal of that ruling, so now ketchup is back as a condiment.
• Disclaimer:  Heinz does not pay me to "love" their ketchup. =D 

 Homemade Tomato Ketchup
By now your gardens are probably producing a good crop of tomatoes.  They were slow to come on this year.  I still have a lot of salsa and chili sauce left from last fall, so I wanted to try something new.  My good friend, Lynette graciously allowed me to publish her tried and true recipe for ketchup.  She says she likes it better than store-bought.  I think it would be fun to try this out.  Grandma Zetta used to make a lot of her own condiments.



Lynette's Ketchup
Ingredients:
3 gallons plus 1 quart tomato juice
4 cups white sugar
3 cups white vinegar (could use part cider)
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/3 cup salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper or 1 teaspoon dried mustard
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. dried cloves
1 and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Carefully boil the juice, stirring frequently, until juice is reduced to about half.  Add 1/2 of the vinegar and all of the sugar and salt.  Cook an additional 30 minutes, stirring frequently, then add the rest of the vinegar.  Just before ladling it into the jars, add spices and mix well.  Until recently Lynette processed it in a boiling water bath.  But she warns that because of the lower acidity of today's tomatoes, it would probably be prudent to pressure process pints at 15 pounds (Highland, Utah altitude) for 15 minutes.

Hope you are having a great tomato harvest this year,