Friday Finish!

 

This week I was busy getting the trailer ready. It seems I take all week with packing and planning and cooking, on top of taking care of the house but I was able to get it all done and not forget anything. During the week I got a chance to finish a small pillow. Another stitchery I never finished off, so bit by bit, I am whittling down items in my box.

Last week we went to the island for some beach combing. I noticed a goose, close to shore and was able to get close enough to see it was in distress. He has wry neck and that can be a sign of Avian flu. It cannot raise its head, so it is unable to fly. I also saw two dead birds on the shore, so it is possible with the large flocks of geese and gulls in the area. I contacted a few organizations in the area, so hopefully they could help it.

Lots of Ospreys have come back and new ones are nesting so not sure if this is a regular or a new one who may be thinking of nesting in the tree.

Today we got to camp. We got a nice spot on the cove, so it's a great place to relax.

After we set up, we went to the beach and enjoyed some time beach combing and the cooler air. A storm was coming in, so we couldn't stay out long.

Back at camp, I enjoyed relaxing and watching the storm as it rolled in. With the tide being so low, I was able to walk out further in the marsh with my boots. Tomorrow is cloudy and cooler, perfect for bike riding. Sunday will be rain, and I paid for the night so we could stay all day, so it will depend on the rain.

I hope you all had a nice week and can enjoy some nice weather, though I saw there are some bad storms in some areas. 

Friday Finish!

 

This week I have been working on finishing a pillow. It is the same design I did on a kitchen towel, but I wasn't pleased on how that came out, as a present. My sister is going through new treatments and I wanted to make her a happy present. 

When I was little, my mom would get me something when I was really sick, to cheer me up. I love keeping that tradition by giving gifts to cheer others up, when I can. 

I am also working on my quilt, the edges are all done and it is ready to quilt. Then I put together rows for another quilt for my sister, as a comfort quilt. I will be putting an angel at the top and squares on the rest. Lots of projects to sew next week. 

The pillow is a design by Bare Roots. My sister loves to bike and has done a lot of biking vacations in Europe and still uses her bike at home when she is up to it. 

I hope everyone enjoyed their week. We had a lot of heat, but cooling off now, so it is a nice relief. 

Final Finish

 This week I have been getting ready for our trip, so not a lot got done in my craft room. I did finish the stitchery and made it into a wall hanging. I added some buttons and an outer stitch and hopefully the recipient will love it. 

Today was cooking, I made corn bread and a big pot of thick soup. I call it a cross between minestrone and  Pasta Fagioli. I make mine with beef and it makes its own broth and then I use petite chopped tomatoes, which I chop a bit more, before I add it.  For vegetables I use frozen mixed veggies, white beans, onion and garlic, so hearty and healthy meal for cooler days.

The weather is horrible, rain this weekend, but Sunday should be better and then a few nice days. It may rain at the end of the week, so it will depend on how bad it gets, and whether I stay all week. Hopefully we can enjoy time outside, paddling and biking. That is the one good thing, cooler weather means I have more energy to do things. I hope you all have a wonderful week.

Friday Finish!

 

This week I finally made the time to finish my daughter's quilt. I was working on it for her 30th birthday but we lost her five days before. Over the years I have wanted to finish it, but didn't have the heart, but this year, was the year.

It felt good to finish it and I am thinking we will use it as a family quilt for now. It was a pain to put together, since I used a cutter to make the blocks. I would rather cut the fringe, after piecing. Having them cut before, just got in my way. I had planned on adding another row of denim for the outer edges, since she had a queen bed, but it doesn't have to be that big now, so I left it as is.

We have been getting out more with the nicer weather. We had a nice Easter with the kids, the boys checking out their finds from the hunt.

The next day we picked them up to go fishing. They loved their new poles and I realized I miss fishing, so I got a license, now I need to get a new pole. 

We enjoyed time at the beach, and I spotted this shy gull.

And they are all nesting on the big rock in the bay, all the Cormorants stay on the same rock.

We spotted the Ospreys in the cove, along with two Oystercatchers, a first time I have seen them inland.

In the nearby farm, a lot of birds were gathered in the fields. The Glossy Ibis and Killdeers were wonderful to see.

Today we went back to the beaches. It was really hot the last two days and now there are fires going up in the woods, so it was nice to get away from the smoke.

I got to enjoy watching this new pair, doing their mating dance and showing off.

And the final act, I hope they have a successful year and I get to see their young.

I want to thank you all for your prayers. Cyndi is still in ICU, but she has improved and we are all hoping she keeps fighting. I hope you all enjoy your weekend.

Friday Finishes!

This has been a slow week but I picked up speed at the end and have several new projects in the works. I finally made it to another Doctor and explained to him that I am not sick with a cold, but my allergies were so bad, I could hardly breath and I was always coughing.

So, he gave me a liquid med and I put it in my mouth before I realized it was cherry flavored and sweetened, so it worked but then it triggered off my other allergy symptoms. So, he gave me my regular medicine and I am finally balancing out, so hopefully I can get back my energy and not get sick again.

I did make up some more lavender sachets, I am making them for drawers and cupboards that store items. It keeps the musty smells away and so far, the bugs. The designs are from different sources, from patterns I had in my stash. The middle house design is a freebie from Lori Brechlin.

I also used a free pattern from Rebekah Smith. She has several on her website and is offering a small each month, at a lower cost. This one was made into a jar lid, but I decided to do the basket on it's own. Perfect to hang on my seasonal tree. The stitching is more tan, but the camera made it pop.

Last weekend we went out for our usual ride and I did see the eagle, as he flew by, high in the sky, so no photos. We did try a few bike path areas, to see what they were like. They run along the river and some ponds. I am hoping I can get out on my bike this year and try all the paths we have found.

On Monday I went to the doc and Bill took the day off, so we were able to get to the beach. We missed the full low tide, but I was able to find some treasures before it came in.

And with good weather, we are able to get out more, which makes Bean very happy, since he gets to come along. He loves the beach and there was so much seaweed on the beach that he was getting buried in it.

I hope everyone is doing well and being safe. I avoid stores for now and haven't been able to see the boys. Last weekend was my son's birthday but they were sick again, so we got to video chat and he sent me a video of the boys singing Happy Birthday.

Friday Finish!

This week I have been getting ready for camping, but I wanted to make something that I could finish in a few days. I admit, I had to push it, to finish it fast enough, but I got it done.

The design is a freebie offered by Lori Brechlin in the punch needle facebook groups. Lori's group is called The Punch Needle Guild, if you are interested in joining her group, but it is offered on the others.

I used floss from my scrap box, lots to use up, that is nesting more and more. The orange is a variegated floss that I bought in a package. It is cheaper and with a coupon, you get a lot more for your money. I over dyed it to antique it a bit and it makes a fun pumpkin shade.

I used the twisted yarn method for the edge, a mix of black wool and a bumpy green. Once done, I antiqued it with walnut ink. It looks lighter and whiter than the actual piece, but I have to lighten some areas so you can see them, which ruins the rest.

We also attended the memorial service for my daughter's friend. They were very open about her death and that she lost her battle with her addiction. There was a lot of sadness and crying and a lot of laughter. I made up a little photo of Jenna and my daughter Danielle, as a tribute to them both. And it was confirmed that Jenna will be buried near my daughter, just a few feet away, so I think that is a comforting thought for both of our families, together again in death.

This is when the girls were little, at Jenna's house. I had never seen this photo, so was happy to see them together, smiling and happier times. The saying  I found online and changed to fit them both.

Monday Finishes!

This weekend I was stuck at home, so I got a few things done. I also worked on my angel painting, but for some reason the crackle I got, did not work. I ordered some of the crackle that is used in the tutorial, so hopefully I can fix the mess I made.

I also wanted to make some little boy bunnies. I could not find my old pattern, so I used a photo that I had of my wall quilt and remade it into a drawing. The design is adapted from Twigs and Sprigs. I used fabric markers on this one, so I will tell you how each one worked.

For the yellow and red colors, I used Tee Juice. I didn't realize how small the tips were, so it took longer to cover the areas. It went on  nicely and I liked the look, but it ran when I had to wet the piece to get rid of the blue marks. The purple, green and pink were tulip fabric markers. I did not like them. They went on roughly and seemed more dry, especially the green, so I would not buy those again. They also run. I think I will stick to my Faber Castell markers. They cost more, but they dry fast, can be washed and are archival.

I made them for the boys, for fun, so I am sure they won't mind if they are not perfect.

Another project I worked on was, my cubby base. Bill made it for me, it is a bit bigger and heavier than I needed, but it will do and has an extra area to store more art supplies. To stain the piece, I used Varathane weathered wood accelerator. I love how it works. I got a quart and only used half. All you do is brush it on, and it ages the wood. The color depends on the wood type, but it usually grays them and it is the perfect shade to go with the top cubby, that I bought. It is watery so you need an area you can work on, I used large sheets of painters paper under my piece. You can use a cheap brush and the Verathane is cheaper than other stains, so a good deal to get that weathered look.

I put some paints in the cubby, have more to store. I also found the two green bottles today, so I stored my glass in those.

I hope everyone is able to stay out of the storm heading our way tomorrow, looks like we are due for a bad one. I was able to get out this morning and find a nice batch of glass from the dog beach. I knew there would be more with the storms and it was nice to get out in the fresh air, for a little while.

The flash messed up the colors. The two pieces are a medium, dark gray and the white crates are antiqued so not as white, as they appear.

Friday Finish!

I love projects that I can finish quickly and have fun, while doing so. This is a pattern by Cheri Saffiote, offered in the file section of her Facebook group, Quilts by Cheri. Cheri has allowed others to scan in, her out of print patterns and their are enough to keep you busy for years.

I made this one into a pillow, I think it would make a nice gift. It is 9" x 15". I used a wool yarn for the edge and gather it as I go to make it like a nubby scallop. I also added a light walnut stain to age it a bit.

We have a rainy day and a bit more tomorrow, then cold again. That means no walks on the beach, the cold is bad enough, but with the rain turning to ice, walking anywhere will be dangerous.

Bean and I were able to get out and enjoy one more snow day before the snow turned to mush this week and now the rain is turning our yard into a pond. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I plan on relaxing and working on a new project and getting my stocking blocks ready to sew.

Bean will try and catch anything  you throw and his mouth is big enough to catch most things.

A Day Late Finish!

This week I wanted to try something from a  free pattern by Lori Bechlin, on her Facebook group, The Punch Needle Guild. It seemed simple enough and I thought I could finish it over the weekend. I made it larger than i had planned and I didn't get any work done this weekend, so I got it done yesterday and the finishes today.

I made them to hang on my prim tree for Valentines. I also used what I had in my scrap box, so kept it simple and antiqued it to mottle the colors. I finished it by trimming the edge to 1/4 inch, then I folded that to the back and tacked it down with stick glue. Then I cut out a wool heart and stitched that onto the back of the heart. I made a twisted cord to add to the edge and left enough to use as a hanger. I still have to sew it into a loop and trim the pieces on the front, forgot to do that.

I tried some leaves on one, but I like the one with just hearts, better. I also did them in different sizes. the top one is done in 3 strands of floss and the bottom in 6. I found the 3 strands easier to work with and easier on my arm.

Today was actually warm enough to go outside without freezing. Bean was very happy, even though Dad takes it out during the day, he still wants to play with me.

His soccer ball is perfect to play in the snow with.

Soft enough for me to kick in the air and easy to catch for him.

And who needs a ball when we have all that snow on the ground to throw around.

And when you are stuck in the house, you find ways to entertain yourself. Izzy wasn't thrilled with being my photo model. I used my phone, will have to see what outfits I can get on her and use my good camera;)

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

Friday Finish and Fun!

This week I finished two pieces. One was a comfort pillow for a friend, but I forget to get a photo of it. I will do similar ones, so I will share those and basic patterns so others can do them for friends.

I finished my pillow stitchery, this one I made for spring and summer, it will fit with both seasons and look nice, sitting with other items on my chest.

The design is from an old Kindred Spirits book, called Homespun Stitcheries. I made mine into a pillow and kept it simple and prim. It measures 9" x 12". I use my Faber Castell art pens to give it a touch of color. I like the markers since they are archival ink and quick drying. I alway do the coloring before I do the stitching.

Grandpa has been keeping Nick busy in the mornings, though he tends to do things that put Grandma's nerves on edge, lol. 

Bean doesn't like it when he isn't getting all the attention, so he decided to show off some of his skills. He will catch one ball and hold on to it and when I kick the big ball to him, he catches it with his hands, he would make a good soccer goalie.

We also took Nick shopping and decided to give him an early birthday present. He will be 4 this month and his mom won't be home till the end of the month, so I wanted to get him something he could have fun with, at our house and take home to ride, when Ivy comes home. He tried it in our yard and I realized it was not a good idea on grass, small bikes and little legs do not peddle well, but he still had fun and then played on the porch with it.

Today we took Nick to the bike path, though it was more hilly than I realized. He did really good though and got up the incline and had fun going down again. It was nice to see him enjoying his bike on a better surface so we will have to take him to areas like this, next week. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and mother's day. I plan on resting and Sunday we are getting pouring rain, so no day out. I guess Bill will just have to cook me a nice dinner while I relax and work on some projects;)

Friday Finishes!

This has been a rainy week so it was a good week to work on some new projects. The first one is a free design by Cheryl Seslar. I have had the pattern for years, so not sure where I got the free one.

I wanted to have fun with this one so I used more color. I will make it into a mini quilt and it will go into my gift box.

The second piece I made is from another design I found on the internet. I am not sure who the designer is and the site is in another language, so I hope it was free. I just loved this one, love the saying and the cute angel, just brings a smile to my face and hopefully the person who I decide to give it to. The photos are not the best, so hopefully I can get some nicer ones when I finish them.

I added a few fun touches on this one, the hair is done with a chain stitch and the stars are an addition. I also used batting on this one, that way I get more depth in the piece, the raggedy ann is done just on the cloth and a looser weave, I think I prefer the muslin for stitchery.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend. We have rain on and off so hopefully we will get some breaks and out for a few walks.

Monday Finish and Fun!

I never seem to get much done on the weekend, I work better when I am by myself but I managed to get some stitching done and finish today. This was the last block for the free Garden Blocks by Theodore Cleave, but she added two new ones that fit with the pieces. I will see what I have so far and how they look together and what size I have, then I can decide if I want to add more to the quilt.

Another idea I had was to make two quilts with at least four blocks each, so the next step is to try them out and see what versions look best. I am using tea stained muslin for the backgrounds.

We got to spend a little time with Nick this weekend while his dad was getting a few things done. He always puts a smile on my face and he and Bean are becoming best friends. Nick has finally got the hang of throwing and Bean was enjoying some extra play time.

This week I will be doing photos of Nick and the family and reducing them to fit in a mini booklet I found. I thought it was a fun activity to add to his backpack with photos he can go through and photos of us to see while he is away. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

Friday Finish!

Well, I would call it another un-finish, but I got the stitchery done, so all I need to do if make it into a mini quilt. I thought it was a fun designs and a fun idea for gifting to quilting friends. I am not sure if the design is free, but the person offers the design on their site, so I assumed it was free?  Now I am not so sure, since some have other designer's names on them, this has her name only. There is so much  on flickr sites and I know a lot of it is scanned from books, so hard to tell what is free anymore.

It seems the months are flying by and before we know it, it will be December and time for The 12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop. I will be doing a post on day 4 and today I have my pieces all cut out and ready to do this weekend. Don't forget to mark your calendars, patterns and recipes for the holidays!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. I will be stitching and keeping Nick occupied, and on Sunday there will be a special memorial mass at church and our son will do the honor of carrying his sister's candle, to be lit.

Friday Finish!

This week I wanted to make a piece to go with a basket I bought. Since it goes in the beach room, I wanted to do a beach theme and I wanted it to be my own design. I used a photo I took from a kayaking trip and modified it a bit for the design. I also did it in 6 strands, so not a lot of detail though there is more than shows in the photo. I guess it is semi-releastic.

I had to redo a few colors, some got lost with the same color values and I really didn't look at the sky before I finished it, otherwise I would have made the clouds better, but it will do for now. I attached it with double backed tape, so I can change out the design, in the future.

Here is a closer look at the punched piece. I do like how the seagull came out, simple enough to do in 6 strands, but enough detail to look like a real seagull.

Another thing I got this week was, a new table. It is a grayish shade and rough wood, so it fits in nicely with the beach room. The reason I loved it was, it has a tray style top, so it was perfect to display the rock and shell collection and place the candles and painting with them. Not the best angle to get a nice shot, but you can see how the room is coming along. I may change my mind later, but for now, it makes me happier to go in the room and now I can get to painting the walls. After that, I will start work on the mural.

I am also getting ready for out trip, though I am not really ready. My brain has been on hold lately, I cannot concentrate or think too long, so I keep busy with other things. Luckily Bill has the weekend off so he can help with packing and cook dinner and I can concentrate on making sure we don't forget anything and make more cookies. Today I made two batches and I need at least two more, I eat a lot of them;)

I found this photo of a trip we took to New Hampshire with the kids. We hiked along this trail and I want to go back and try to hike to the waterfall. It is 3 miles one way, so it will depend on how I feel and the heat. We will at least stroll along the river trail and just enjoy the walk and the views, I know Bean will love it. The trail is wide and easy, so I could do it on our bikes, but I have not had time to train Bean with a bike, so just walking for now.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend. We should be in New Hampshire monday night, so as long as the Wi-fi works, I will be posting from there.

Friday Finishes!

I actually finished something this week, I do miss creating and I am trying to make time for myself, even if it means the house is a mess. I can clean it tomorrow, but for a couple of days I took time to sew and relax.

I have been doing the BOM's from Buttermilk Basin, they are fun to do and I am using woolly flannels for the background and wool for the appliqué. There are 11 in all, so 3 more to go. I am not sure how they will be finished, but I think a sashing will be nice, around each block.

I still need to add some detail to some things, but the main things are done. I had a solid blue, but messed up on some cuts and only have enough for one more, so I used a plaid woolly from my stash.

Here is what I have finished so far. As is, it just looks blah, but I think with a plaid or print woolly around them, it should look nice. I also forgot what order they were in, but this way, I have my backgrounds arranged nicely, but I may change my mind.

Another thing I am doing is, looking for items and ideas for my beach room. I tend to go to stores and see something I like and say, I can make that myself;) I hit the thrift store and found a prim green basket. I will get some nice dried or faux plants to put in them, I was thinking of wild roses like the ones we have on our beaches. For now, I stuck some dried plants in it and I am going to make a punch needle piece with a beach design, on the front.

It seems more critters are visiting my yard, and today it was a family of turkeys. I rarely see them and they let me get closer, but not too close.

While I was sewing, I watched Quilting Arts. I tape them so I can watch them when I want and save shows that I might want to watch again. Today they were talking about using photos in art and taking macro shots. I have a zoom that does macro from a distance, so not quite the same, but it was fun walking around the yard and seeing things through my lens. It is a great way to see shapes and textures and get creative. Maybe this weekend you can try it when you go out for a walk or visiting a town, take photos from a different perspective and lots of close ups of items that interest you.

This was one of my shots today, I like the simple look and the textured wheat against the blurred background. I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend. Bill has to work, so I am going to try and get more time in my sewing room.