Freebie and a Contest!

I finished another chicken punch needle, so that I can offer two patterns, but still need to finish it off and make up the patterns.
So, while you have to wait, here is an old drawing I did a few years ago, that you can use to start your christmas crafting.
It can be punched, hooked, stitched, appliqued, or whatever you would like to try.

Now onto the contest. This is for followers only, yes I am plugging myself, since I need at least 100 followers to be considered for a go cutter and giveaway;) I know I have a lot of visitors each month, so now is your chance to follow and be entered into the contest. The winner will receive a free copy of my new pattern set, Fraktur Roosters. The contest will run until Sunday at midnight and the winner will be announced Monday night. Leave a comment to let me know that you want to be entered.

Cats and Hexes

Since sitting is the only activity I seem to be able to do, hand stitching is the best project to keep my hands busy.
I should know better, stretch before and after activity;)

I made this piece a few months ago and decided to bind it for now. I wanted to do quilting on the border, but not sure.
Should I add quilting to the border or leave it alone? The piece was painted with acrylics after I stitched it. I wanted to try a different material, I think the background is a cotton mix. I prefer 100% cotton, it takes the paint better. With this, the paint sat on top of the fabric, so it is stiffer feeling.

The pattern is from a Red Brolly, free design. She has wonderful kitties in this series. Great ideas for gift giving to friends. She has a fun christmas kitty for the newest freebie.



I spent the last two days, sewing hexagons and think I will stop at this point. I just wanted a lap quilt and with the borders, it should be the perfect size. My plan is to use the homespun scraps from the flowers, to do little triangles around the edge. The problem is what to do with the top and bottom, they don't line up the same way as the sides, so I will have to think on how I will go around with the colors. After I add a border color, then I will use black for the edge and binding. Instead of quilting, I am thinking of putting ties in the middle of each flower.

I also decided that I want to do up a few extra chicken designs to go with my last piece. I will probably punch one and offer only a design with the other, but I will work on those this week, so you will get three patterns instead of one.

Sunday's Stroll

I decided I wanted to go for a hike, in Arcadia park area.
The park used to have a picnic area near the falls, that my family would go to when we were young, so it is a special place, full of memories for me. But, I wanted to do a little hike too, so we parked at the other end, so we could walk along the trails to the falls. Of course I didn't realized the distances on my little map, lol. The walk turned into a 7 mile hike down old dirt roads, rocky trails and wooded hills. All this on my broken toe and did I mention, I dropped a cutting board on the same foot, lol.

But, it was worth the sweat and a bit of pain. I got a good workout today and with rain coming this week, I can rest and sit on my butt for a few days;)

The sad thing is, the falls are down in the fall. We should have gone after the floods, I am sure it was cascading over the rocks in full force, then. It was still nice though and a great place to rest after the trek through the woods.



This is looking up at the main falls, I wonder where the fairies are hiding?



Bill wanted to get back on the main trail to head back, but I made him walk along the falls till I found the bridge. We have photos of my sisters and I at this bridge, so just had to get a picture of me on it. I may be walking funny and stiff as a board, but it was so worth it:)

Geese in Flight

Today was a fun day, we went paddling. The weather was beautiful and a bit gusty, but it kept the heat away, while we paddled.
The launch area was empty, so no crowds and no crazy boaters on the lake.
We did the whole lake, going in the coves to avoid the heavy winds, when we could, so it was a nice long paddle.

The hawks were out, circling overhead, then diving down to try and catch a fish. Since it was windy and wavy today, I couldn't get any shots of them, without risking my camera;) And because of that, it was hard to get a level shot.

The leaves are just starting to turn, so the mix of colors in the trees, was breath taking.



On the opposite side near the campgrounds, we came across two geese, on a rock. They didn't want us around, so they swam off and when bill paddled ahead and blocked their exit, they gave us quite a show.

"Take Off"



"The Getaway"



"And then we parted Ways"

New Punch Needle: Rooster Fraktur

I finally got inspired to make something when I saw an antique fraktur.
I loved the folk art lookof the rooster and adapted it into a new design for this piece.
I will also be making a pattern from this piece, so look for that and a few new ones that I promised to get out.
This piece will be for sale on ebay, saturday night. But, I am willing to take offers before then.

I lightened the piece up, but it has a nice antique finish to it, without losing the details of the design.
It is 6" x 5 1/2".

Halloween Pillows!

Sometimes I need a break and I do something simple, just for fun.
That is what I did for the last few days. I made some pillows and did some sewing on my hexagons.
The pillows are patterns from Primitive Blessings and fun to do up in all different sizes.
Pillows are a great way to decorate for the holidays and something quick, simple and inexpensive.
I used moda tea stained fabrics, from the light to the darker shade. I didn't antique them, this time.
I used DMC pearl #12 in the small balls and use a coupon, so the cost is just background fabric and floss.
If you have light colored floral fabrics, those are fun to use as backgrounds too.
The basket is a thrift store find. That is a great place to look for old baskets and boxes to hold your prim goodies.

Nature Walk

Today we went for anther walk, to another salt water pond, which is larger.
I wanted to get a longer fast walk in, for the exercise. We did the point which was nice, but as soon as we headed into the woods and swamp areas, we were attacked by hundreds of mosquitoes, so we got out of there. I didn't think with the recent rain and warm temps, that they would be hatching and looking for a meal. Next time, I will wear bug guard.

So, back to yesterdays wonderful walk. It was cooler, so no bugs, but there were lots of critters enjoying the day.

Coming back from the first point, I spotted theses guys, enjoying the sun.



Then we took the side path which is a long meandering path, through woods, fields and swamp.
Bill almost stepped on this little guy, good thing I was looking down.



Once we go through that path, we go to another point. There were a lot of swans in groups, but these two, preferred to be alone. Normally swans are territorial and stick to their own areas.



Coming back we were treated to a fawn, grazing in the woods.



Then around the bend is another small freshwater pond. Can you guess who is staring at me, from the reeds?



It's DinoTurtle, lol. This guy is huge and was out scouting for a meal. So it was a day full of wildlife and a few snakes and frogs who crossed our path. I think this day would make a wonderful story quilt.

Sails and Sales

Today we went for a walk and it was such a beautiful day.
Since I did not get a chance to finish my new piece, I thought I would have a pattern sale.
From now through Monday, you can get two patterns for 10.00. To take advantage of this offer, you need paypal, this is paypal only. Send the money through paypal and write which two patterns you would like and I will send them to you via email. This is for epatterns, so you can go to my ecrater site, link to the left, to choose your patterns. I will be listing two slightly used items tonight, a hooked and punched piece, so check those out too on ebay.

We went to Trustom Pond today, a bird sanctuary that has paths in areas that won't disturb the wildlife.
We always take the wooded path first, it comes to a point with water on both sides.



It comes to a little raised fort that you can see out onto the pond and the ocean, beyond the dunes.



In the distance, you can see Block Island. This would have been a perfect day to take the ferry.



There were over a hundred birds today, I guess staying in the shelter to avoid the storm going by.



What a perfect day, and a wonderful breeze off the ocean, I wanted to stay here all day. But, we walked the middle path and saw so many wonderful creatures today. Tomorrow I will show you the rest of nature's beauty that we encountered.

Crows!

I thought my pumpkin patch needed some crows, so I made up some little ones to add to the display.
The patterns are from ones I got from Tennessee Ridge Primitives.

I did mine in wools, but the actual ones where painted cloth and really prim. I was too lazy to make that, so I just sewed the shapes together and added eyes, quick and simple;)



Here is a close up of the basket. I got this basket from a prim shop in Mystic Connecticut. They have the nicest prims and antiques, but have gotten a bit pricey for me now. I used a black mohair wool for the longer crows and a dark brown tweedy wool for the others.



Here are the black crows. Not sure if the photos are ok, I cannot see a thing. I have been working on a new punch all day, so my eyes are blurry;)

More Hexagons!

I started out my hexagons by doing a colored flower in the middle, surrounded by black.
Then I realized that it would be black touching black, so I had to change my thinking, which is not easy;)
Yesterday I made up some more colored pieces and tonight I added black, only where needed to fill in the other spaces.
I will add black to the empty spaces on the end, to even it out. Then I will figure out how I want to finish the edge.
I am sure there is an easier way to figure out what blocks go where, but I am piecing them like a puzzle, which works for me, lol.
I did not press the pieces yet, but I will do that, before I sew the rows together. I just hope I can finish it by next month, so I can use it for the fall holidays.

I found a really great site for making hexagons, by Linda Franz. I would love to do this method, quicker, easier and the lines are printed out, so my blocks might not be so whonky;) It does seem a bit high to me, but a great idea if you do a lot of hexagons and hand piecing.
She does have a free hexagon booklet with how to's and layouts, so worth signing up for.

Trick or Treat Stitchery!

I finished a new piece today, one for me.
I needed something smaller for my wall rack and loved this design.
The design is by Primitive Blessings, which is my new favorite place to visit.
I don't like how the stain came out, it is way too dark, so I will spritz it down tomorrow and let some stain lighten and some will drip and give it a more aged appearance. I used dmc pearl cotton for the stitchery and dmc floss for the background stitching.
The blobs are stars that go in a swirl and then I added leaves to fill in the rest. I think I would like to do this one in wool applique with stitching in a larger version, it is a fun piece to do.

Halloween PunchNeedle!

I finally finished my new piece. This was done with a design from Primitive Blessings. She has lots of wonderful patterns for the fall season and fun to do in punch, stitchery or applique. I love patterns that are versatile and can be used in different mediums.
This piece is 6" x 5" and since I can only punch for so long now, it takes me longer to do pieces.

This one I did with valdani black, and then used some of my own over dyed variegated floss for the yellow and orange.
I only used a light spray of walnut on this one, the colors turned out prim, by themselves.
The edge was made with vintage yarns that I over dyed, love how it came out.

This piece and my witch rug will be on ebay, later tonight.
You can find my ebay on the upper left hand column.

Mini Pumpkins!

My DIL decided to grow pumpkins this year.
I don't think she realized that they were mini pumpkins, so now we have tons of them.
The mice seem to like them too, so quite a few ended up in their stomachs;)

Today I thought I would bring out some of my fall and halloween decorations, but I couldn't find my main box with the garlands and other things. So, I just added a few of the pumpkins with what I could find, to start my decorating.

The air conditioner doesn't help, but not taking it out until I am sure it won't get hot again. I usually add my fall garland to the bureau, so will look for the rest tomorrow. I had an old tin barrow and thought it was a perfect idea to hold some pumpkins. The cat is something I found at an end of the season sale, he is such a fun piece.



Then I added some more to the top of my tv unit, to go with my cat collection. I still have some in a basket and placed a few in odd spots, not to mention the ones still growing. I have a lot of halloween doll patterns, from freebies, so maybe I will try and make up some that I can use. I am also working on my hexagon quilt, which I am hoping to finish quickly, so I can hang it over the couch for the fall.

Camping and Weddings

Today we went back to camp for the final day. I think I had too much fun meeting new relatives and paddling, so I might sleep the rest of the week;)

The wedding was on the beach in front of the big rock. My family camped here, we took our kids here and now they are taking their kids, so it is a special place filled with a lot of memories.

This is my Nephew George and my new niece Dawn. My mom's name was Dawn, so now we have a new Dawn Tucker and she is as sweet and special as my mom was. I know my mom was smiling down on them.



Today we paddled some more, I do love to paddle:) We followed the coves since it is windy and it gives us more area to paddle and I wanted to get a good one in, since it was our last for this week. It is so beautiful and peaceful, none of the motor boats can get in this far.



It wasn't that hot today, but we swam anyways. It helps my sore muscles, so I can paddle back around. To the far left is a rock, behind that area is where our camps were. She reserved the whole front area, so no crowds, just family members, which was nice.

I am camping!

LOL, since this is not exactly camping;)
Our nephew is getting married tomorrow and they reserved a section for the people who want to camp.
Since I wasn't sure about taking the dog, we came home tonight to feed him his dinner and I needed to make a batch of cookies.
I have a special diet and need to make my own snacks, so those are a must have for me.

They reserved a cabin for us and another for our son and DIL. They have a tent and were happy that the cabin was nice and clean and could sleep in that, instead. They are just beds inside, but they are all clean pine. I am sleeping in my bed;) We have lots of room outside, which is nice and their area has a good view of the lake, so that is where we are sitting. Tonight we had a fire and chatted, before we went home.



We spent the day walking, took a swim and went for a paddle down the shoreline. It was only half a day and we came home, but packed lots of fun and time together. We also met my nephews, wife to be and tomorrow will be the wedding. It will be on the beach if it is not too crowded and then a catered party afterwards.

This is Bill and the kids in front of the beach area. I say kids even though they are married adults, because they will always be my kids;)

A little of this and that

While awaiting the hurricane that is coming our way, I did some prep work today.
I made up some more hexagons to cut out and finished the new, second one.
I decided to go with homespuns instead of scraps and a purple theme, lol. So I made two purple ones, with gold.



Then I went through my stash and looked for smaller pieces of homespun, and found some nice reds and orange shades.
So.... Now it has some new colors and I am thinking, this would make a good fall/halloween quilt. In case you are wondering, I am doing this the hard way. Tracing the shapes on freezer paper, cutting by hand and sewing without a seam line, so they are not perfect, but if I tried to be perfect, I would mess it up;)



This weekend my nephew is getting married at our local state campground. We will be going during the day and maybe spend a night, but I have to take care of my furry babies, so will be coming home at night. We have a cabin, so I have a nice little porch to sit on and relax when I want. I made up some stitcheries that I can do, so here is a sneak preview. Next week will be cooler, so I can spend some time in my sewing room and finish off the other ones I have made.