Autumn Sewing

The official beginning of fall came and went amidst mid-summer temperatures. True, some shifts were already in the air, like the subtle yellowing of light or the gradual lengthening of shadows. But the weather still called for shorts and tank tops, and the large majority of trees remained stubbornly green.

To me, fall begins on the day in which I find myself looking for my slippers--a furry, chunky pair in light pink, which I would never have picked for myself (light pink being amongst my least-favorite colors), but which I inherited from my younger daughter a year ago, after we realized that--YAIKES!!--her feet had outgrown mine. Color notwithstanding, my slippers are pure softness and warmness and feet-happiness, the best possible companions for cold winter days. I found myself desperately looking for them (and for a jacket!) earlier this week, when early-morning temperatures suddenly plummeted. Fall, it seems, has finally arrived in California.

It is true that whimsical temperatures keep the trees confused. While the mornings and evenings are getting noticeably cold, mid-day temperatures fluctuate drastically. The forecast for today, for example, is 85 degrees, with tomorrow being even warmer. Only a handfull of leaves on my backyard Maple tree show early signs of turning. All the other trees are still clinging to their summer attire.

But I already went into full-blown autumn-mode, complete with pumpkin-pie cravings, gourd decorating, and--how not?--fall-color sewing! Earlier this week I happily dug into my fabric piles, picking autumn-feeling pieces and drowning myself in a jumble of deep maroons, wine-reds, mustard yellows and browns, all in rich, delicious textures. I spent a couple of fun days matching different pieces together, and playing around with various combinations. I finally settled on the following six, my upcoming fall collection:

I proceeded to cut the fabrics for all six fall purses, linings and pockets included. My hope is to complete all six by the end of next week, in time for my October 22 crafts fair. Yesterday, after looking at my planner and realizing how little time I have left, I decided to skip exercise and spent the entire day sewing instead. The result: my first two autumn bags, still awaiting their straps (which I plan to attach after all six are sewn):