Tumbler Baby Quilt!

I finished Nicolas' baby quilt last night and took it to him today. I was going to take a photo of him on it, but I was too busy holding him;)

I used the leftovers from the first quilt and material from the curtains. For the stars and circles, I used fusible and raw edge. I used variegated thread and a blanket stitch to sew them on. I decided to quilt by hand, using a medium blue floss, which I think, makes it look more fun. I would have liked have quilted stars on the border, but I wanted to finish it, and went with a simple border stitch. The binding was done with a vintage satin material that I had bought to make curtains. Never made the curtains, but found a great use for it.

The fabric is Down Under, that I won from Henry Glass & Co.

Here is a closer look at the stitching. As you can see, I am not perfect, I missed the edge on a few places but that is ok, he won't mind;) I like how the variegated thread looks, but the lighter color makes it look like I missed a few spots.

And for you new moms and grandmas, I found a wonderful tutorial for making a Mei Tai Baby Carrier. After seeing the ones you can get now, I thought this was a wonderful carrier, for those of you who can sew and read directions, unlike myself. It is in a PDF format, so you can print it out.

Liberty Lady!

I am still working on the baby quilt but almost done with the main quilting, then I will do the border. When I am working on a larger project, I like to do small things to take a break and have something I can finish quickly and there are a lot of fun, free patterns on the internet.

One place that has wonderful patterns is Bird in the Hand Primitives. Robin has wonderful free patterns that you can use in stitchery, punch needle or rug hooking. I have also done some in fabric as mini quilts, so something for everyone.

I made mine as a mini doll pillow, so I could add it to my americana setting. I kept it simple and sprayed  it with walnut spray to prim it up.

Today I found another free pattern that would be fun to do for next month and easy enough to do in a day. You can find it at Simply Put Plus. I think it would be fun in wool too, great item to make for your July fourth party.

This week I also checked out Bloglovin' and Feedly. I found Bloglovin to be the better of the two, it has a nicer layout and automatically sends a daily feed to my mailbox. Both are easy to set up, just a simple click to transfer your blogs.

Prize Winnings!

Thanks to everyone taking the time to vote for me, I was able to get some new supplies with my gift certificate, from This-n-That Fabrics. My big buy was rotary cutters, I use those a lot and having new sharp ones, makes it a lot easier on my hands. I also treated myself to some Christmas fabrics and ticking, so I can get a head start on the patterns I have been wanting to make. One of the items I have been wanting to try is Thimble-it.

I used them today for quilting the baby blanket and I loved them. I have been using bandaids to protect my middle fingers and they work, but they tend to get sticky and gum up the needle and if I have to do things, I have to take them off and put new ones on. With Thimble-it, I could take them off and put them back on when I got started again. On the bottom finger they are perfect, I could push the needle through and hit the thimble-it instead of my finger. It is hard enough so the needle doesn't puncture it, so I highly recommend it for the bottom finger. On the pushing finger, it was a bit harder since the hard plastic made the needle slide when I pushed, but as I went along it started to work better as it softened up from the needle, but it also makes it wear faster and wasn't sticking as well by the third time. All in all, I would buy more, I do like using them, I like being able to stitch without pricking my poor fingers to death. They do make another product that has a softer stick on for quilting, so I might try that for my pushing finger.

Another prize I won was from Maureen Cracknell Handmade. She had several prizes and I was the lucky winner of a bundle of fabric from Form and Fabric. They are pink shades with beautiful patterns, beautiful fabrics for a little girl's quilt or maybe an art piece for my daughter.

We had a wonderful week paddling but yesterday was a good day to rest and stay home. It was also a good day for a cookout with the kids and of course my sweet grandson. Grandpa got some cuddle time while Nicholas slept soundly on his arm. He is such a content and sweet baby.

Still Paddling!

Today I relaxed in the morning and decided it was a good day to take a short, easy paddle. Well, so much for that idea, we ended up paddling 8 miles today. No idea how that happened, didn't seem that far, lol.

We stuck close to home and went to our town launch. It was low tide, so not too many places to paddle in the coves, so we went around the island and then headed out to the bay. We were going to go to a spot on an inner cove that has a strong current coming through a channel, so you can swim in one spot and never move, but it was too shallow.

We ended up paddling to the other side and paddling, till we found a nice sandy spot. Rhode Island has a lot of rocky coast and this area is mostly rocks, but we were able to find the perfect spot all to ourselves.

Lots of beach, just for us;)

Since the tide was out, there were a lot of exposed shells on the beach. I threw this guy back in the water after I got his photo, way too hot to be stuck on the beach.

It was a humid day out, but the cool ocean breezes made it perfect for paddling.

Coming into the harbor was fun too, lots of boaters coming and going and all with a friendly greeting as you pass by, I love my town:)

Happy Anniversary!

Today is our anniversary and of course I spent it, doing my favorite thing, paddling.
Today marks our 38th year together and I won't say it is perfect or bliss, but we love each other and we work through the tough times and the differences.

I saved my favorite place for today and the original plan was to go to the island but I changed my mind and we paddled to Napatree Point at Watch Hill. Watch Hill is famous for it's grand homes and stretches of beaches at the point.

We started at Barn Island in Connecticut and headed to Napatree point in RI.

As we got up the point the waters got too shallow to paddle, so we had to walk the boats into the shore.

We had our own quiet beach area, no one around on this side. Bill got himself a present, now he can sit on the beach without worrying about the sun.

We spent the day enjoying the views and walking along the beach. We also went over the dunes to the other side, this is where most people go and a lot deeper. It is wonderful having vacation before school gets out, no crowds.

The winds were picking up and the waves were getting higher, but fun riding along as we headed back to the launch. The end to a perfect day.

We will probably do more paddling this weekend at our local launch, but I think I am about ready to relax at home and start sewing again. Next month will be my 5th blog anniversary, look for a special giveaway. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Vacation Paddling!

We have been paddling every day since Saturday and it is wonderful getting out again and I am loving the fact that I can paddle longer in my new kayak. I admit, I can paddle easier but I also go longer so it is wiping me out each day, but Bill helps out with cooking and I can rest at night.

Yesterday we went to Narrow River which leads to Narragansett beach. It is a wonderful place to paddle along the waterway and the beach end that we land on, is basically a quiet end, only boaters use it, so a nice spot to sit and relax.

After we enjoyed the ocean, we headed back into the cove and paddled around before heading back. We ended up doing 6.5 miles yesterday.

This area has a lot of egrets and they are used to people paddling in the area.

And... this is the perfect way to end the day!

Today we went to Ninigret park. It is a large salt water pond that leads out to the ocean.
We headed right for the ocean, going up the waterway to the breakers that lead out to the ocean.

This was where we landed our boats, a nice quiet spot to sit and enjoy a rest.

And this is the view behind us, beautiful wild roses.

We walked over the dunes and enjoyed some time in the cool ocean breezes, perfect way to spend the day. We did 5.5 miles today, plus some beach walking, so I think that was enough for one day;) Friday is our actual anniversary but it is fun celebrating it all week long, doing what we both love.

Anniversary Week!

This week is our anniversary, so Bill always takes this week off. Of course we plan on paddling as much as possible but we needed some new gear for Bill's kayak so we ended up at EMS and they had a sale on kayaks, not good;)

So, after hemming and hawing and talking myself out of getting one, Bill told the guy to bring it out and I have a new kayak. She is longer and sleeker so faster on the water, a big plus. She has a padded seat and padded leg braces, very comfortable and makes bracing in the rougher waters, a lot easier. There is a drop down skeg so I can paddle straight and not have to adjust my course constantly, so I have to admit, I love it and I love paddling in it.

We went out yesterday for a trial run and I got used to how she feels in the water and I paddled for two hours and didn't get tired out.

Today we went from our town beach, nice and cloudy so it kept us cool. I guess this sign is for those who can read, feathered friends can do what they want.

We paddled under the bridge and rested on the other side, then headed back. I set my trails today to see how far we went and it was 3 miles one way, so we did six miles today, not bad for my second time out, this year. I think a better boat was a really good idea. Poor Bill has to slog along in his old one, but he has more muscle, so it evens us out;)

To top the day off, we had a nice cookout with the kids and of course my sweet grandson. They put the new outfit on him, that I bought and realized that the number on it was 28, he was born on the 28th, so that was funny that I would pick that out before he was born.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed time with their families.

Baby Quilt: Tumbler and Stars!

I decided to make a quilt from the scraps that I had from the first quilt and the curtains I am working on. I am still working on the curtains, I made a mess, so now I have to think it over and decide a better way to do them or just make a topper and buy solid curtains to match;)

This one I used the baby tumbler die to cut, makes it easier to cut them out, but it does waste a bit of fabric. Great though for scraps since you just need sizes that fit the dies.

This is the fabric that I won from Henry Glass Fabrics, they really sent me a lot. I still have the green shades that I can use for another quilt, plus a yard of print and one with rows of animals that I will use for the curtain tops.

I wanted to add a little touch and saw a quilt that had stars with circles in them, so I made my own starts and fussy cut the circles to add a little fun to the quilt. I used fusible on them, then a blanket stitch by machine. I also used a variegated blue thread, so on some spots it looks like there is no stitching, not a good idea to use lights on light if you want it to show;)

Then I decided I wanted stitches that were larger and fun, so I am hand stitching the tumbler blocks. It is taking me longer, but I am on the second half, so I should have that finished tomorrow. I would like to do star stitching on the borders, and I also think embroidery would be cute, but would take longer. I am hoping to have it done by sunday, we shall see.

Here is a sneak peak, not the best piecing or stitching, but I am sure he won't mind that Grandma isn't perfect.

Mini Flag Quilt!

I wanted to make something quick and fun again, so I used a pattern from the summer issue of Primitive  Quilts and Projects. The original is framed and I wanted to make a framed piece, but I didn't have the right sized frame. I have lots of old frames but of course not the one I need and I don't want to buy more, so I quilted it.

I added a little extra stitching around the outside and a border so mine measures, 9" x9". I also used fabric instead of wool. It is a great piece to put in those areas that need a little something, but too small for a regular wall quilt.

Must be Monday!

First, I would like to thank all of you who voted in the contest at This-n-That Fabrics, it isn't official but I came in second, so I can get myself some needed supplies. They are also having another giveaway this week, so be sure to leave a comment, to win a queen sized, wool batting.

It seems we are getting our share of rain this week, a few more days and then the good weather gets here, just in time for the weekend. With the heavy rains, we are staying away from the rivers, some are at flood stage and I do not want to be on one if the dam lets loose, lol.

We did get a walk in and enjoyed the cooler temps at the park by the bay. Most people take the main path, straight to the beach. We have to explore and take side trails through the woods, you never know what you will find.

This makes me think of Hansel and Gretel, lol. Someone started a Geocache at an old home site in the woods. They always decorate it with something for the season.

And of course I visited my sweet grandchild. He is such a good baby and loves being held, which I am happy to do.

Patriotic Mini Quilt!

Voting is still open for Patriotic Quilts at This-n-That Fabrics, be sure to place you vote. Just click on the vote button next to your favorite quilt. I was fortunate enough to win a gift certificate from a previous quilt contest that they had and one of the things I got was a mini pack of Old Glory Gatherings  .
I decided it was the perfect time to use it and make a mini quilt. I kept it simple and added a few appliques for fun. The basket from a Patek book, the flower from Whimsicals and the flag, I just added.

I am not sure if it is too busy? Too many of the same colors? It is pouring today, so I tried different lighting but I could not get rid of the contrasty look. I used all of the precuts, except for 4, so it shows what you can do with a mini pack.

Primitive Stars!

Voting is still open for Patriotic Quilts! Visit This-n-That Fabrics and scroll down to view the quilts, vote for your favorite!

I wanted to make some new things to decorate with and I had this pattern, by Buttermilk Basin. They are a nice size, so great for those areas where  you want something a little extra. I used cotton ticking for the fronts and antiqued them with walnut spray. Now that it is nice out, I use the sun to dry them and save on the electric bill.

I put them here for now, so you could see how they look in a setting and to show the size. The penny rug on the bench is one of my designs, I made a few different styles and one of these days, I will make them into patterns.

And here is a closer look. I had fun making them and think it would be fun to do some smaller ones.

Vote Now!

The voting has started for the patriotic challenge at This-n-That Fabrics. Please take the time to cast you vote for your favorite quilt piece.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. We had a cookout with my new grandson and my DIL's sister, so it was a nice day. I wish I had taken photos, but I was too busy holding my grandson to pick up the camera;)

Today was hot but windy, so too hot to be on a pond or river and too windy for the open waters, so we went for a ride to check out a paddling spot and then a short visit to see the new baby. We planned on taking a trail along the river, but it seems that people had built homes all along it, so no where to hike now.

I will definitely be back with the kayak, perfect place to paddle.