Sleightholm Folk Art

Good morning, my friends and welcome to a little autumnal Tasha Tuesday post! I hope you are doing well, and I’m happy to have you here.

Here we are in the first week of October, and fall is in the air. I know in New England, and especially in Tasha’s beloved Vermont, the trees are turning, the woolens are coming out and it’s beautiful autumnal weather. Where I am in Oklahoma, we are just getting our first tastes of the season, with cooling temperatures (although me and the house flies are still waiting on that first freeze!) and autumn flowers in bloom.

When autumn arrives, I feel the need to be more home and hearth centered, the knitting comes out– as well as the good books and hearty soups and the treats of autumn. I’ve been getting lots of great messages from you all who are working on projects in Frost on the Pumpkin, and I love seeing your stitching and hearing that you’re enjoying the recipes! This is the perfect time for that pumpkin banana bread and apples with pork chops!

Of course these days of crafting and baking (or at least daydreaming about it, the days seem so full and a bit hectic with two kids home doing virtual school, but we’re trying to find our groove) I can’t help but think of our dear Tasha Tudor. I’m sure you feel much the same!

I know for Tasha, she did her best to savor her shorter Vermont summers and was always outside, away from her easel and knitting when it was time to be in the garden. But as soon as the temperatures dipped and the flowers faded, she was back in her snug little cottage, cooking and creating. I feel much the same, as I can get uninspired about cooking in the summer. Everything I love seems to be dishes for a more cozy season!

Recently my family and I have been enjoying Tasha Tudor’s Macaroni and Cheese recipe from her cookbook. I have to smile as Tasha has such a reputation as a rustic, everything from scratch type of lady (which she was, in many respects) but she wasn’t afraid to throw in a little velveeta 😉 she may have also kept cheeze-its in her pantry. A lady has to have her treats!

I share this with you because I know it gives me a little bit of a relief, in these hectic days, to know that even Tasha had her modern indulgences. But she also had so many delicious recipes and traditions and skills that were very old and very wonderful. It’s all a balancing act. We do what we can do. And that includes Tasha.

Autumn is my favorite season, and I’m sure it is for many of you as well. I have a feeling Tasha also loved it, because so many of her favorite activities happen in the fall. She loved making cider in her antique apple press, dipping candles and dyeing with natural materials such as goldenrod. All of these are timeless autumn pursuits, and such fun. I can remember dipping candles at summer camp in elementary school, and this ‘old timey stuff’ loving girl was so thrilled by it! I made a pair of very lumpy, pink wax candles that my mom kept and displayed for many years. Bless her heart 😉

Another part of the coziness of autumn is that the sun goes down earlier and earlier. It wont be long now before it is dark at dinner time. And although I do miss that it means there is less of a chance for an evening walk after the cooking is done, I do enjoy how it makes you want to settle in with some stitching in your PJs, and you’ve got a long evening of creating ahead of you.

If you feel the same and would like a little stitching project to work on, I have a treat for you! I have two cross stitching patterns in my etsy shop now inspired by Tasha Tudor and one of her favorite writings from Fra Giovanni, “Take Joy.” You can find the patterns for “Take Joy” and “Take Peace” in my shop now.

In honor of Tasha Tuesday this week, I am marking both of these instant download patterns on sale— you can get yours now in my etsy shop for $1.99! It downloads instantly to your etsy profile and you can be stitching in minutes! Go HERE to get your patterns:

And now, as we settle into this lovely autumn season, I hope you are doing well. What are you working on? How is Tasha Tudor inspiring you lately? I meet so many interesting and talented people who are inspired by her. I hope that together we can keep her spirit alive, enjoy the gifts that she gave us, and create our own beautiful works.

I also hope that you enjoy these little patterns, and would love to see them when you finish!

Til then–

Take Joy!~
H