Finished Quilt Top!

I can't believe I actually finished something, lol. I am starting to get back my motivation and working on finishing what I start and it is a good feeling. Of course the idea of quilting it, is overwhelming, but I have decided to look at it, as a section at a time, starting with the middle and working out. That way I can decide on the design I want to use for each part and fit the design to the patterns and shapes. At least that is the plan, I may get crazy and make a mess;)

I hope those who are in the paths of the storms and fires, stay safe and my prayers are with you all.

I went with a hit and miss border, then a dark red cloth, that my friend Kelley gave me for amish quilts. It is a nice weight but softer to the touch, so nice for a border and my binding. The main fabrics are from the 1862 Battle Hymn collection, by Barbara Brackman.

This makes it look like the border is thin, but I couldn't wait till it got darker, since I would have had to use a flash and I wanted to try an outdoor shot. I am not sure if I like the brighter white shirtings, I might have to soak it in tea after I quilt it?

My bad editing made the red look more purple, but is a really dark red, so goes nicely against the other red shades.

Kitty Pillow and Quilt Progress!

I have been resting this week, but I have been stitching. I definitely did more, last week, then I have all year, lol.

This week I received a wonderful prize, that I won in a giveaway from Barbie Jo, of Cleo and Me. I won a wonderful pillow that she made, with a kitty theme, isn't is adorable, I love it! I am thinking I need to redecorate my office with fun kitties. I haven't been using the room lately, but I do need a computer space and it has a chaise, so it would be a good place for me to relax and create. I think a room filled with kitty decor would be a fun place to do that.

Be sure to visit Cleo and Me, there are a lot of fun patterns for all types of sewing and punch needle.
The fabrics she used, look so wonderful with the stitchery.

On the sewing front, I have been working on my americana quilt. The main fabrics are from Barbara Brackman's 1862 Battle Hymn line. The shirtings are from different lines. I decided to add a little appliqué, but I wanted it simple. Barbara and I had talked about doing a quilt that we liked, which had appliqué circles on it, so I thought I would try it on this piece. I added an extra round of shirting and now I am using the jelly roll in a hit and miss border, around that. I will add one more row in a darker color for the binding. So, what do you think?

Christmas Goodies!

Today was a rainy day and I was having one of my bad days, too much paddling  yesterday;)
The mailman bought me an unexpected package, what a way to perk  up my day.
My friend Lauri, Threads of Miz, sent me a box of goodies.

This is a quilt that she made years ago and never finished. It is made up of christmas kitty fabrics with a kitty border and she does the most beautiful piecing I have ever seen. I will just need to add a border for the binding and quilt it, now I need to decide, how should I quilt it? Would love suggestions for designs.

Of course, you know who, had to check it out.

She also sent me finished blocks that I can make into a table cloth or runner, will have to play with them. She made the ear muffs to keep my ears warm when I go for walks, she does beautiful work, and I think that is roving that she made herself, yes she even spins her own yarns.

And a lot of wonderful patterns that I can make and use for gifts, what a wonderful package and lots of wonderful things that I can make. Because I have been so blessed with so many wonderful gifts and prizes this year, I was thinking of starting a giveaway box, filled with goodies that I won't use anymore and have a drawing for those who are interested. Then the person who wins the box, can take what they like, add items from their stash that they won't be using and pass it on in a giveaway on their blog. What do you think, would you be interested in starting something like that?

Last Day of Vacation!

I went out with a bang, or should I say I feel banged up or more like I was run over by a car, lol.

I wanted to paddle down the bay today and go to a point that we played on when I was young.

The paddle sure bought back a lot of memories, at the beaches and the areas of houses along the shore.

This is where I grew up and it was a wonderful place to be a kid. What I didn't realize was, it was 6 miles one way, so a 12 mile paddle today I am feeling it;)

We went straight from the cove, down the bay, past all the coves and stopped at Rome Point. I was walking in the water and suddenly a funny fish was swimming around my feet, it looked like a red colored cat fish, Bill said it was a sand shark, I have no idea but wish I had my camera then.

We are headed for the bridge in the distance.

At the bridge, someday I will be brave enough to paddle across the bay, maybe;)

On the other side, it gets rougher on this side as we head to open waters.

Paddling past Plum Beachouse. We spent a lot of days swimming here, since a friend had a membership.

Heading down the bay, lots of beautiful homes and cliffs on this side.

Arrived at our destination, Casey Point. It is a point owned by the historical farm. We played on the farm and in the barns and in the winter, we could sled down the road that led to this point. You can see the bridge we went under, in the distance.

Looking up the bay, to the ends of land and out into the ocean.

We rested and enjoyed watching the boats passing by.

Time to go home, the tides were shifting and the wind was blowing in our direction, so perfect time to paddle back with the waves. It was nice riding along the waves, but with the boat waves, it could get a bit choppy and hard to keep my boat going straight, it took all of my will power to keep paddle, halfway back, but we made it and now I am resting and not moving a muscle.

This is the small waves that are flowing in, nice ride. I cannot take a picture and keep myself upright when the large ones roll by;) Tomorrow I get back to my routine, lots of sewing to catch up on.

Saturday Paddle!

Yes, I was out on the water again, I love it, I love to paddle, I love the cool salt air and rocking up and down in the waves, in my boat. Today was tougher, my muscles are getting tired, but I realized, I am feeling my muscles, so I must be getting some strength back, so that is good. It was a beautiful day out, high tide and just enough waves to have fun without a struggle.

I hope you enjoy my photos of our paddle today, the feeling I get when I am out in the water, is hard to explain, but is like being in heaven. Today I left my good camera home, so these are taken with my pocket camera which has horrid zoom.

The launch cove was nice and calm, but too hot to stay in the cove today.

We headed for the breakers, heading out to the bay.

The cormorants were enjoying the bay too.

Past the lighthouse and heading down the coast.

In coves and out of coves and around another point.

A rare photo of me, of course Bill cannot take a decent photo, lol.

Then into the cove at Rome Point, this is where we go for walks to see the seals. 

They leave in april, so no seals today.

Then to the point, this was our stopping point. We sat and enjoyed the boats and views while we had a snack. This photo was taken with my iPhone, not bad for a phone.

Then back down the coast, riding with the tide and the waves, till we got back to the harbor and made a stop at the little beach to cool off, before we headed home. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Anniversary Winners!

First of all, I will announce the winners. Patti of Winding Vine Wanderings, the first comment and the first right answer is the winner with Piping Plovers. Now, the island has fences all around it and signs that say, not to go in the areas of the piping plovers, so duh to me, lol. They are so cute, they look like little chicks, but with pretty markings.  Patti, please send me your choices of two epatterns or ebooklets.

The winner of the random number generator is #11, Valerie of The Wooden Acorn!
Valerie, please send me your choice of an epattern or booklet.
Thank you to everyone who commented and played along and for the Well Wishes. This year was our 37th and hopefully we have many more ahead of us.

As for yesterday, I was going to take it easy, but I loved going to the island so much, I had to go back. During the weekends it is too crowded, so being able to go when there is room to park, was a treat for me.

If  you noticed the scenery behind the gull in yesterday's picture, you will see a point, off in the distance, that was our destination. Things look a lot closer than they are and this was no exception, lol. The paddle up was nice, we stayed close to the shoreline and enjoyed the views.

Here Bill is enjoying the views and watching the boats coming through the channel. I think he should move;)

We made it to the point, here is the Stonington Lighthouse Museum, if you visit the link, you can see some interesting displays that they have there. When we got to the end of the point, the water changed, a lot rougher and windier out in the open waters. I decided it was too much for me, so it was time to turn around.

As we paddling back down the coast, I decided it would be quicker and fun to surf back to the island. Well, when you enter the channel, the waves got a lot higher and were churning back and forth between the tide changing and the boat waves. I don't know if you call it surfing, but I was paddling like a mad lady and bracing with my legs to keep the boat steady and flying across the waves. And it was a lot longer across than I thought, so I was exhausted by the time I got to the island.

Since I could not take photos and paddle in this water, I made Bill go back out and paddle in, so I could take a photo, lol. I am such a mean wife, but he loved it, his boat is larger and taller in the front, than mine.

And here is a photo of the waters in the main areas, this is more my style, nice rolling waters.

At the island, we enjoyed the views, a swim in the calmer waters, all types of sea birds and a nectarine for lunch. Fresh fruit is a great pick me up, after a tough paddle. In all we paddled about 6 miles, so today was a rest day, if cleaning and cooking is considered rest;) This weekend, I will be back out on the water and paddling along the coast in our bay.

Sailors pray, For fair winds and a following sea The smell of salt in the air, The feel of their skin as it's touched by the spray An albatross soaring above, Dolphins in the ship's wake at play To witness a work of art that only God can create, The sunset at the end of day At night a million stars in the sky, Safe anchorage in an islands lee When the time comes to die as for all it must, To awake in Sailors Heaven where nothing ever rusts And always there would be, Fair winds and a following sea

Happy Anniversary Day Giveaway!

Today I decided I wanted to go back to Barn Island again.
What is that saying about, too much of a good thing? LOL
More about my adventures tomorrow, tonight I am ready to collapse;)

The only thing to do on a hot day, go for a walk on the beach.

I saw this little guy, he didn't want his photo taken and kept running away. I have no idea what he is, he looks like a baby gull, but his beak is too small. I am too lazy to look it up so tell me, what kind of bird is he? The first winning answer will receive their choice of two free epatterns from my ecrater site. I will also draw a name from all of the comments and guesses and the winner will receive one free epattern. I will announce the winner tomorrow night along with photos about our adventures today.

Barn Island Paddle!

Today was hot as heck, so we headed to Barn Island in connecticut. It was worth the drive, less than an hour away and the temps were 10 degrees cooler and a nice ocean breeze.

Here is the launch site. The big boats get a ramp, we get a tiny space, filled with dead fish heads and flies, ick.

This is the view from the launch, looking out to the ocean, the island we headed to is in the distance.
It is called Sandy point and it is mostly sand.

Standing on the island, you can see Long Island NY in the distance.

Looking left, you are in Connecticut.

To the right you are in Rhode Island, weird state lines.

The inner island is perfect for swimming, shallow and calmer. That is Bill's head out there.

The Island in back of him, is where we headed when we left this island.

This little island has a few homes and beautiful rocky shores, would love to live here.

After we went around the cove, we headed back to the launch, then decided to go out to the other point towards RI. The tides were changing, the wind was blowing and the fog was creeping in, I loved it. Nothing like rolling water and splashing waves to cool you down on a hot day.

I hope  you enjoyed going paddling with us today. Tomorrow promises to be, another hot day, so not sure if we will paddle, it depends on how hot it gets. It is our anniversary, so I want to do something special, but all this fun is wearing me out, lol. Today was another long paddle, three hours on the water, so maybe I need a rest;)

River Paddling!

Today was cool and cloudy, perfect day for the river. This is a river that snakes through the lower half of Rhode Island and comes out to the ocean. We only did a portion of the river, it was 4 miles one way, so 8 miles is a lot for me, wonder why I am so tired.

This is also why I get so tired, Bill just paddles at his rate, forgetting that I am half his size and strength:) That and the fact, that I had my big camera case which weighs a ton and I am basically pushing that too. I never did get to use my good camera, too hard to take out while paddling, so these are with my pocket camera.

This is our first stop, it is a wilderness campground for kayakers. The water was too cold and icky to swim in today. This is me waiting for Bill to get his skirt back on, he is sooooo slow.

This is where we stop, I don't do rapids, even small ones.

This is the old pump house area, someone actually lived here, at one time.

On the way back, we spotted this blue heron. They always fly away if you get close, but this one kept trying and stumbling, so not sure if it was hurt or a baby who hasn't learned to fly. We also saw lots of turtles and a hawk who flew over us, down the river in search of fish, but he was too fast to get a shot of. 

Monday Musings!

I love getting packages in the mail and today I got two, what a great way to start the day.
My friend Kelley has been making quilts for years and she sent me two full quilt tops and two smaller ones that I can use as table toppers. These are older tops, so lots of fabrics you don't see anymore and beautiful pieced designs that she must have spent hours and hours on. I feel blessed to be able to have something that she made and I can practice my quilting on them. I think I will do hand stitching on the geese and machine quilting on the stars. And, they have blue in them, so they look nice on the new couch.

The colors are not as bright as they appear on the screen. The red and white piece will become a runner and the red and greens, will be a christmas topper. They are sitting on my new couch, the color is called pewter, I call it slate blue, not really sure;)

I belong to a yahoo group hosted by This-n-That fabrics. Linda and Sandy have a wonderful group and they host challenges and giveaways for their members. This week I won a fat quarter and told Linda to surprise me. Well, she couldn't have picked a better fabric, it will go beautiful with my new american quilt as an add on, can't wait to use it. She also sent me a charm pack of little apples for a charity quilt, it will make an adorable quilt for a little girl.

Today was a beautiful day with a cool breeze, perfect day for a walk. We walked along the woodland paths and then onto the beach. It was later in the afternoon, so the fishermen were just finishing up for the day.

The seals are gone, and the rocks have been taken over by the cormorants. Just a beautiful day and just what I needed to relax and get some exercise.

Real Birds and Steal Birds!

This weekend was spent shopping for a new couch and today, cleaning before it got here.
It is so nice to sit in a couch that is comfortable and not falling apart;) I wanted something simple, so I got a pewter color, which is like a dark slate blue. I guess I need to rethink my quilt colors, and do some new pieces to decorate with to match blue. I have decided my new quilt will be perfect to put on the couch, so I will make it couch sized and finish it off. I do have my braid quilt that almost fits the bed, so I am thinking of adding more to the borders and using that on my bed. Good excuse to make more quilts, at the very least;)

The air show was this weekend, so lots of noise, but we got to enjoy some nice stunts when they flew our way.

The poor birds were having fits, flying back and forth between the trees and squawking most of the day. Poor mama just wanted to feed her babies and was sitting there wondering if she should go to them or run the other way.

Civil War Quilt Progress!

I worked some more on my quilt and I like how it came out.
I wanted to use the blocks that I cut out, but in a unique way, so I played around and came up with this design. I added the red border, without thought to size, so of course the blocks wouldn't fit evenly around it, so I added an extra blue piece, in-between. Once I got that on, I added another row of blue, with red in the corners. This is the result.

This is how it looks and fits on my bed. Now I have to decide on the outer borders, using the jelly roll. Maybe some keys going around, will think on it. I may add some appliqué in the center and I may do some free motion designs, will think on it;) The fabric is from Barbara Brackman's 1862 Battle Hymn line. The shirting is from Judy Rothermel fabrics.