Friday Finish!

 

I finally finished a piece I started, made with one of my patterns, Catch of the Day. I made them for punch needle or rug hooking, but most work with stitchery too. I like to have simple things to do at night, while I watch tv and during the day I try to work in my room with the machines and prepping pieces. I really need to start pulling out all the old and unfinished projects, a few that I really want to finish for summer.

We are finally getting some nicer days. Bill had an early appointment this week, so he took the day off and we headed to the beach. The tide was lower, than usual and it was good for Bean to get out again.

At another beach, I walked along the length to the rocks. When the tide is super low, I can walk over the cliff area to another area, on the other side. Lots of rocks in this area, looking down to town. I wear heavy winter hiking boots, so it makes it easier to walk on the rocks.

I have been looking for glass and beach treasures, when we go out. Not as much with the strong tides, but here are a few things I have found, from a couple of trips. 

I hope everyone had a nice week and can enjoy some nicer weather. I do see that some of you are in the storm's paths for tornadoes, so my prayers are with you all.

Friday finishes!

 This week I made three new pieces. Two dogs and an octopus. I think the octopus is cute and if I enlarge it a bit, perfect as a pillow. The puppies are fun, since I can use fun fabrics with them. 

We haven't been able to get out, first I was sick and then the blizzard. We did lose power, but our solar kept up charged, until it came back on. It took days for the plows to do our roads, but we did get done sooner than most, since we are near a school. Now it is warming up, just enough to melt some of it. 

This is Bill trying to keep the main path cleared, while it was still snowing. By the end, it was up to his hips. It took days to clear out areas. I would love to go out on my CC skis, but the snow is too deep and with drifts, you sink up to your waist in some areas. Tomorrow we will go out for a ride and stick to the main roads. I hope everyone is doing well and not buried in snow.

Friday Finish!

 

As usual, someone got me sick, and we have horrible weather, so it's a stay at home weekend. This week I was able to make two more stuffed animals for the kids. And as usual, I cannot post my blog with photos, until I clear my cash and restart Safari.

It was a pattern I found online, they come in a set with a photo of the dog and the dog shape. I added a few of my own touches and a ribbon. I am not sure if ribbons are allowed, but I just tied it on, so it can be taken off. These are really fun to do and they work up quickly. 

Last week we were able to get out, when the weather was above freezing. Still a bit cold, but the bay side was less windy, so it was nice to get out on the beach for a bit.

The tide was coming back in and I spotted a group of gulls, trying to catch some food, on the rocks. 

I hope this finds everyone well and staying safe at home. It seems the whole country is getting hit with bad weather. Hopefully this will be the last of it and Spring will arrive soon.

Friday finishes!

 

This week I finally finished the hearts I made. I tried a different way to sew the first one and messed it up, so just three for now. I use wool for the backs and sew them in reverse, then I cut a slit on the back and turn them right sides back. Then I stitch up the slit and cover it with a wool heart, that I blanket stitch. I kept it simple and made them into bowl fillers.

I also made two new pieces, a kitty doll and a kitty pillow. This time I changed up the pillow to give it a little more character. The little kitty looks bigger since it is in the forefront of the camera.

Today we went for a ride so I could get some more felt. After we drove around. the beach areas. With the snow and ice, we couldn't get into any parking areas and it seemed all the birds are further in the coves, since the inner areas are frozen.

We stopped at the boat launch and I went to the cove side, but it was covered in snow and ice.

I did catch a seagull as it was flying off with a clam.

After we stopped at the breach way and watched, as they piled more rocks along the sides. It is great for protecting the inner areas and the boating passageway, but sad to see the area we used to park out, disappear, along with the dunes. I do hope they clean it up and restore it, when they are done.

At home, I have been visited by a few hawks. This Red-shouldered Hawk was in my big tree, watching the birds at the feeder. Not as many critters out in the yard with the snow, so they start going after the birds.

A fun thing I found last week was an online app, called chatGPT. It is free to use but you can only do a few photos without paying. I hate taking pictures of myself, but this way is fun. since my hair was pulled back, it changed it to pure white. Bill and I are so fair, so it tends to wash out our hair in photos.

I hope you all had a nice week. We had plans with the kids, but as usual, they are sick. So, hopefully we can get out this weekend and enjoy a few nicer days. You know it has been cold, when 40 degrees seems warm.

Friday finishes!

This is the second time I have come in to post my blog and it wouldn't let me. I find the solution is to clear my cache and restart, then it works again. 

This week I worked on some more ideas for a pillow and a doll. I like trying different ones, to see what ones I like, before I make more. 

The first one is a kitty pillow. I need to reshape it better to make it a bit larger and better placement for the face. It looks wonky because of the angle. Today I redrew the face so I can use that for the next ones.

Another fun one, was a silly monster doll. I wanted to try the extra kid's fabric and it is fun, but a bit busy, so hard to see the details.

With the cold weather, we are home more than out, but we were able to get a decent day during the week, to spend time at the island. It was a beautiful day and I did a little glass collecting and bird watching. The birds were eating what they could find in the seaweed.

Today we got more snow, so another day in. Now it is freezing and windy, so not a good time to be outside. I hope everyone had a nice week and our weather gets warmer.

Friday Finish!

 

This week I tried a comfort pillow. It is something the kids can hug and use as a pillow, so perfect for kids who might have to go to a shelter in an emergency. It is fairly easy to put together and can be done in different types of fabrics. I hand stitched the details, by using a tighter blanket stitch, so it is durable and will hold up to snuggles. I do need to tweak the pattern, his ears are too pointy, so I will round them off.

It has been too cold to get out for walks, so we go for rides along the ocean towns to enjoy the views. The cove at the point was frozen over.

At home I have had a lot of birds visiting the feeders and for that reason, more visits from the hawk. This guy was a big one, he is way up on a tall tree, half way across the yard.

And lots of snow, for once it didn't rain and the snow has stayed. The bad thing is, the cold has made the snow hard and dense, so it's too much for Bean to play in.

Today we got out for another ride and were able to see the remains of a shipwreck on the beach. This is the area that has the breakaway, that is being repaired. The storms have uncovered this ship and it is estimated to be about 40 feet wide and 100 foot long, but no other data on what ship.

The rest of the ship is in the water, under sand. It's amazing to see and wonder what it was like, before it went down. 

I hope you all had a nice week and not snowed in. We are missing the next big one that is hitting the south, but still under frigid cold conditions. A great time to stay inside and work on projects.

Friday Finish!

 

This week I got another idea, like I need any new ones. But this one is something I can do in my spare time, use up excess fabrics and do something good for others. I found some patterns for little teddy bears and made up a few to try them out. 

I read that police take stuffed toys to give to kids in crisis and also at shelters. They like small items that the kids can carry easily. I will have to check the local stations and find some shelters, to see what they take and what materials I can use. If anyone has experience with this and knows of places in the New England area, I would love your feedback. 

I have collected different ideas, so I will try some to see what works best and easiest to accomplish. Another idea is animal head pillows, something easy to make and something the kids can hold and use as a pillow in the shelters. The original pattern I found for the bears can be found at, Shiny Happy World.

I also finished punching my hearts, now I need to figure out what to do with them. I may make a garland with them.

We got enough snow last week, that I finally got to try out my new cross country skis. Bean loves running around with me, but also wants me to play ball, which is hard to do on skis.

We always get more activity at the feeder, not much to eat in the winter. This White-breasted Nuthatch decided to hang out with me on the porch.

I guess it felt safe with me there, so it took a little nap.

I also got peanuts, the Blue Jays love them and they are gone in minutes. 

Today we did some shopping before the mobs took over. We are expected to get snow starting Sunday afternoon, so we are all set when it hits. 

I hope everyone is staying safe this weekend, I know a lot of you will be hit with various storms as it comes through.