Pumpkin Patch exchange part 2

I got a little carried away for my half of the pumpkin patch exchange and made... a pumpkin! I checked first that it would be OK to make something that wasn't cross stitched and got permission, and Cathy has said that she likes it, so here it is.


It's a pattern by Crabapple Hill that I've had for a while but not got round to doing as it looked a bit adventurous. But this was the perfect excuse so I set off. One embroidered panel...


One with felt marigolds...


One with felt rosehips...


Two with crazy patchwork and a little more embroidery...


And one with a little patchwork panel that you can see in the first photo.

I was really pleased with some of the patchwork - it's the neatest I've been yet. I did run out of time so the crazy patchwork pieces aren't as embroidered as the model, but I still think they look OK. The only real frustration was that I really hadn't considered how big it was going to come out and I ran out of stuffing! I had two whole bags and it was still too soft for my liking. It's supposed to have cord round the edge of each panel that pulls to give a pumpkin shape, but because the stuffing wasn't firm the cord looked awful. So I left it off and just added a button at the top. It could have been a bit better.

Apart from the three seasonal exchanges I'm committed to, this will be my last exchange for a while. After a lot of consideration I've asked Becky to take me off the membership for the SBEBB and Make a Wish boards. I just don't have the time right now and it's so hard not to sign up for exchanges when you see something nice. Best to remove temptation! Hopefully I'll have more time to work on all my WIPs and personal gifts now.