Can you believe in all the years I've had the web site and been blogging I've never participated in a blog hop until today? Even though the boy's are grown there's something about Halloween that's so much fun and I'm glad the Wicked Blog Hop is part of this year's celebration.

If you've never been here before - Welcome!

We don't get trick or treaters here at the lake but Clutch and I have fun celebrating together. He got a new Halloween quilt this year made from his favorite Cuddle fabric.

I love to use Cuddle for backing on crib and lap quilts. Clutch's quilt is made from the leftovers that were cut away around the outside edges after the quilting was done. It's fun to mix Cuddle with cotton fabric so save all those scraps!

My 12" Pumpkin Patch block is a combination of patchwork, fusible, hand and dimensional applique. Wow - I think I covered it all in this block.

The background is pieced to give a some ground to the patch. The little ghosts and leaves are fused with the edges finished in a buttonhole stitch done by hand. I drew faces on the ghosts with a permanent pigma pen. The pumpkin is hand appliqued and it's sections defined with embroidery done in a running stitch. I wrote "Pumpkin Patch" on the sign using the pigma pen and sewed a back on it like you would a pillow. I then appliqued it to the background with a running stitch using embroidery floss so it has a dimensional look to it. It was lots of fun and admittedly one of my favorite blocks. I'm going to finish it as a wall quilt to be used in another project I'm working on.

Just in case you aren't the lucky winner and want to make one for yourself. Here's some what you'll need -

• Six 5" squares of fabric
• 3" square of brown felt
• 4" x 7" piece of green felt
• Pearl cotton or embroidery floss
• Cloth covered floral wire
• Crushed walnut shells, bird grit or another filler (2 1/2 cups)
• Handful of polyester fiberfill
• TEMPLATES

Make freezer paper templates for each of the shapes on the template page. Stack up your 5" squares and iron the freezer paper template for the pumpkin to the top square.

Cut out around the template.

Decide on the order you want to sew your shapes together.

Begin sewing 1/2" from the edge and stop sewing 1/4" from the other end. Backstitch at both ends.

Continue sewing the sections together until you have what looks a bit like a deflated beach ball.

Turn right side out through the little opening. Put a small amount of fiberfill inside and position it in the center bottom of the pumpkin.

You'll need a bowl, funnel and a measuring cup.

After you've poured about half of the filler inside, turn the raw edges of the opening under 1/2" and baste around the folded edge with your pearl cotton. Leave the ends so you can gather and tie it off later. Continue adding filling until you've used about 2 1/2 cups. Set pumpkin aside.

You can use a pencil and needle nose pliers with a wire cutter to make three tendrils.

Cut a 3" length of cloth covered floral wire and spread a little glue along one edge of brown felt.

Fold over the edge as tightly as you can around the wire and press the edge into the glue. Hold for a few seconds until the glue grips a little.

Continue to roll the felt as tightly as you can around the wire. Pin the raw edge in place until you can whipstitch the edge using matching thread.

Use the freezer paper leaf template to cut two leaves from the green felt. Cut a 4" piece of cloth covered floral wire. Sandwich the wire between the two felt leaf shapes and buttonhole stitch around the outside edge using pearl cotton.

Put small bits of fiberfill around the top of the pumpkin to even out the shape until you're happy with the way it looks.

Insert the stem, leaf and tendrils in opening. Draw up pearl cotton to close the opening. Tie tightly in a knot. You can tie the ends in a bow if you like. I threaded mine on a needle and pulled them through to the inside to hide them.

If you're like me and think you'll probably pick that pincushion up by the stem someday, you can secure it to the pumpkin by sewing some tacking stitches back and forth through it stitching it to the pumpkin fabric.

Use the circle freezer paper template to cut a piece of green felt to glue to the bottom of the pumpkin. You can bend and shape the leaf and stem to look more like a real pumpkin.

Please email me if you have any questions and don't forget to leave a comment to be included in the drawing for one of the pincushions. I'll draw a name on November 1st (that's a Just Takes 2 day) so that should give everyone time to have their comment included.

Do you have any of this fabric? This is a 5" scan of an older piece of fabric I'm hoping someone has in their stash and would be willing to sell. I'll take any size pieces, even scraps. If you have some please contact me.

There's a new Midget Block today too so be sure and get your download. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you had fun!

A very special thanks to Wendy of Why Not Quilt and Madame Samm from Sew We Quilt for putting together this WICKED blog hop! Be sure and visit the other blogs to see the great blocks and finished projects they have to show you!