New Pattern: Jonah and the Whale!

Today was a busy day and I almost forgot to post. Bill had his second surgery to fix the eye, they did cataract surgery on and all went well and he is seeing much better now.

I was able to make another whale but my arm gave out from two days of punching, so I just kept it simple and slightly different, than the first. I also made a pattern, if you would like to make your own. You can use any old piece of wood or check your local craft store, they carry a lot of weathered board pieces now.

I just laid this whale on one of my boards, I need to find some more flat drift wood, or I may use a piece from an old bureau I saved.

If you would like to buy this pattern, you can find it at my Ecrater Store. It would also be fun to do as a rug or applique piece and with a change of colors, perfect for a child's room. The pattern includes both whales, since they are a little different.

It looks like a stormy weekend, so hopefully we can get out for a walk before it hits or in between storms. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Whale and Driftwood Punch Needle!

It seemed to be too long of a week. Our anniversary week and Bill took it off, but it rained on and off, so we never got to do anything we had planned. We got some time at the beach, but I never got to relax or work on anything, so today I made up for it, lol.

I have been collecting driftwood and thought it would be fun to design something to go on a flat piece. Today I made a whale with Jonah inside, based on old drawings I had seen. I wanted to keep it simple and see how it would look, so it is not perfect, but I like how it came out and with a few tweaks, I can make it into a pattern. I have already gotten interest in a pattern, so I will be working up a new one, that may be different, so I can make two in this set.

I would love your input, what you do and don't like, anything you would like to see in nautical or beach pieces? I antiqued this piece, the blues were too bight and light, I tend to grab floss out of my scrap box, to use them up. I also had to go with 6 strands, since I can't seem to find my smaller tip, so I will look for that tomorrow.

I want to thank everyone for the anniversary wishes. I try and answer comments, but some are anonymous and some have no email, and not all come to my email. If you have a question and I cannot answer you, I will answer those in the comment section.

We had planned on taking the kids out a few days, and on Saturday I got too sick to do anything. Sunday they came over and had a fun day at our house, I was still weak but having them, always picks up my spirits. Unfortunately Bill put way too much chlorine in the pool, so my son bought one of their small ones to play in. That along with squirt guns and we all got cooled off. Bean had a blast too, but he got so excited listening to the boys screaming that he tore off the lower half of my screen tent, ugh. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and made memories of your own.

Anniversary Week!

This was not our best week to take off, it rained a lot of the time, so I was afraid to make any good plans, just to get washed out. If it was free, I might have, but for the cost of going to the island or Newport, I hated wasting money. Of course when we stay home, the sun comes out and when we go out, the rain comes, can't win.

We usually head north for the week, but with Moki on shots, I would have to pay more for our sitter or leave him with the vet, so for now, easier to stay close to home.

This year makes Forty Four years. It is funny to see how we looked then, Bill with his full head of hair, my dad told him he had to cut it, if he wanted to marry me, lol. That is short compared to the long mane, he had.

We spent most of our dry time, at the beach. The good thing was, we had the beach to ourselves, most of the time. Just being outside in the fresh air was a nice change.

Yesterday we got out late, after the rain stopped, but the fog was thick.

We did find some nice glass on Monday, we spent 5 hours that day, a bit of clouds and sun, so it was a nice day to hunt and enjoy the beach. We also walked the entire length of the beach, so I got some exercise too.

Yesterday we walked more, than hunted, but I did find some nice treasures. The blue piece is my favorite and Bill found a green heart shape. The oyster shell has two holes in it, not sure if it is natural or a piece of lost jewelry.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. We finally have sun and heat coming in, but that also means, the crowds will be back.

Monday Meanderings!

This week we are staying home and trying to just enjoy being out, when the weather is good. We had an early fathers day with the kids over for dinner. We did a family visit to look at trailers and it was fun to see how we all fit, or not, but nothing that was just right for us, so we will wait until we decide what we want. Hate to buy too much if they don't come with us.

Sunday was a relaxing day at the beach. The air was cool and windy, so there weren't too many people at the beach. We found a few nice pieces of glass and got some exercise, walking up and down the beach. I found some nice driftwood, as well. I need to get a cheap dish pan so I can soak them, then they will lighten up more, when dry.

We also enjoyed the birds in the area, a Great Egret flew over head and the Lesser Terns were in their nesting areas and if you got too close, they would dive bomb you.

Today I decided to go to the beach again. We stopped at the store first and I was able to find a speedo for only 12.00, couldn't beat that price. Once we got to the beach, I realized it was warm enough for suits, luckily I had extras with us, so we could beach comb and walk in the water.

I found a few nice pieces, we walked and looked, more than hunting today, less glass, but easier on the back. Always thrilled when I find a nice piece of pottery with a colored spot.

After beach combing, which was a lot of walking, we walked to the furthest point of the beaches, which took us the the breakers. Between the walking back and forth and the full walk, we did well over 4 miles today, lol.

For a perspective, we are at the end of our walk and the dots in the sky is where we were beach combing.

On the walk we met up with this little guy, a Piping Plover. They are very busy birds, so hard to get a photo.

Then I noticed a knob on his leg and this is what I found. He has a hitchhiker.
I hope  you all had a wonderful weekend and a wonderful week to come.

Friday Finish!

This week I finally got in my sewing room and finished something. I won fabric from Minick and Simpson in 2011, called Banner Rose. I had it for a few years and decided to make a patriotic runner. I got as far as sewing the strips together and it has been sitting since 2013.

I kept it simple with a darker blue border, which frames it nicely. Then I machine quilted it with a straight stitch around the inner strips. Not perfectly straight stitches, but I can live with my wonky sewing, I tend to stray on occasion.

The finished runner is 23 1/2 x 65". Moki has already taken over half of it, which is why I didn't put too much effort into it. I do have some nice patriotic fabric so I may do one with squares and stars for next year. Things do not last in my house, so having another, just in case, is a good idea and always fun to make them.

I guess I need to work on a fall one next, that I can put more effort into, as well as one for Christmas. This week Bill has off, so hopefully we will get out and have some fun on the water and maybe take a ferry ride. I also want to explore the bird sanctuaries in Newport, always a nice walk and amazing views. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Friday Finish and Fun!

This week I worked on a stitchery. It is a pattern from Kathy Schmitz's, One Stitch Club. It is fun to get a new one each month and they make wonderful pillows. The designs this year have a bird theme and are all the same size, so those who want, can make them into a quilt.

I made a pillow, something I can decorate with or give as a gift. It measures 10" x 10". I wanted it a bit larger, so I added a little border.

Last weekend we took the boys to the aquarium and then to the owl sanctuary, as well as a picnic. The boys loved seeing the outside areas, now that it is warm enough. The sanctuary was a great place to play and explore.

We went for a picnic in between and I wanted some place close that wasn't crowded, so we went to the Mystic cemetery, which was nearby. It was a beautiful day to sit and enjoy watching the boats and the boys were fascinated by the gravestones. The funny thing was, I told Bill to stop at a place that had an open area and parking, and when we got out, I noticed the gravestone in front, said Daniele. Spelled differently than my daughter's name, but a strange coincidence.

At the sanctuary, they noticed that the different trees, made different sounds when they banged a stick on them.

And a few of the critters we saw at the aquarium, as well as, a Tom who was showing off to the two females in my yard. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.