Friday Finish!

 

This week I worked on finishing my wall hanging, so now it is ready for quilting and binding, so almost done. I received the new and last design from Kathy's stitch club, so I decided to make that for fun. She has shut down the club, so now I am thinking, maybe it is time for me to try my hand at making my own stitch designs, so we shall see what I can come up with. This one was fun and easy to do, I love using fun colors in these.

Last weekend we took a ride to pick up some fabric and stopped at one of the beaches. It was a bit too crowded for me, and the water is a bit rough.

We decided to head over to the pond for a swim at the launch area. The water was a bit too warm, but still nice to get a swim in and I tried out the new paddle board. This one blows up, so we can keep it in the truck, so convenient if we stop at a beach when we go out for drives. I was able to paddle a bit, standing up, but much easier, sitting down.

We have been getting to the beach on the island this week, always nice to walk and enjoy the views. The water is a bit cooler than the ponds, so it is refreshing, as well. One day we rode around and caught this sailboat, taking visitors on a tour.

Another day the waves were too rough and the air a bit cooler, so I just enjoyed walking along the beach and collecting glass.

On the way home, we stopped at the local pond to see the Lotus, in boom. 

And the pieces I found during our visits. I am getting more picky with what I take, I like the old pieces and colored pieces, but some I take for art projects.

I hope everyone had a good week and enjoy their weekend. Our weather is getting nicer, less rain and not too hot, so hopefully it stays that way, the rest of the summer.

Friday Finishes!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We had a nice dinner and a quiet day, just what I needed. I finished one punch needle piece and started another one, so I am enjoying working on that. It is a piece done with the nativity scene, so hopefully I can finish it this weekend.

This piece is a free pattern from The Old Tattered Flag, for use on the Facebook group, The Out of Hand Rughookers Group. She said we could use it for punch, as well as hooking, so I made a punch with mine. I want to take it further, so I have something else I will be doing with it and I have to go in and fill those little gaps that I missed when I was punching. That is what  happens when you are tired and finishing the last rows;)

I was being lazy and used my little camera, so not the best quality compared to how it looks in person. I used scraps from my floss box on this piece.

Another piece I started was the spencerian birds, and decided it would make a nice pillow. I added a border that will work for Christmas but also prim enough to use all year. This and the sheep will be aged when they are finished. I am just wondering about adding an edging and what type. I had some old cream cotton lace and it didn't look right, so thinking on it, but needs to get done by next week.

My fur babies enjoyed the holidays too. Moki and Bean, in the spirit of the holiday, shared a meal together:) I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Spring Stitchery from a Freebie!

I was thinking about painting and decided to look at free patterns and tutorials on the web, to see if anything sparked my interest. I found this fun design and realized it would make a great stitchery. I found the pattern at Artist's Club under free patterns. They have everything from simple to more advanced painting as well as books and supplies if you are looking to add to your collection.

I had some empty space, so I added a few little quilted areas and a vine at the top. I wanted to fill in the boot holes with antique medium to darken them, but it spread out too much. I was also thinking of adding some little embroidered flowers to the branch?

Moki Caption Winner!

Today I needed to take a sewing break, my fingers are really sore. I stick myself a lot, the point in one finger and the eye in another. Plus when I sew, I tend to lean into my bad ribs, which is not a good idea. So, what to do, a new punch needle. I decided to make the pattern that Sharon sent me. I used colors from my scrap boxes, need to use those up. For the bird, I used the valdani black. The original pattern is by Brenda of With Thy Needle and Thread. It is pin keep on a base, so maybe I will mount it later. I actually made in this afternoon and finished it tonight, so maybe I will reduce it and make some smaller ones to put around the house.



And now for the winning number, it was number 21, Melissa of Farm Field Primitives! Congratulations Melissa! Please email me with your choice of pattern from my ecrater site. Thank you all for joining in and making me laugh. I still need to get some patterns made up and when I do, I will have another contest when they come out.

Bird and Nest!

Yesterday I wanted to try a free bird pattern I found on The DIY Dish. I like the idea of making one with a gusset and this one was so simple to make. I messed up the eyes, since all I had was some glossy plastic ones Tomorrow I will get better bird eyes at the craft store and replace them. I also want to antique it, that will cover up my sloppy sewing, lol. But, my daughter is over washing her weeks worth of clothes, so I will have to wait to stain it.

Then I went to work on a new piece to practice my machine applique and my machine sensor told me there is lint in the bobbin case and won't sew. No amount of cleaning helped, so she went to the shop today, I am sad. But, I will get the new upgrades while she is there, so that is good.

I decided to take back the kitty fountain, they didn't like it and hey, 8 bucks is a lot to me, lol. I bought my daughter a bath mat in the sale rack and found this wonderful nest to go with my bird. Perfect for spring decorating. I think I will try some more birds in different fabrics, and maybe reduce it to make some small chicks too.

Bye Bye Birdie

Today I went to look at the babies to see how they were doing and this is what I saw.
He was just sitting there, staring at me, the other baby was gone.



And like a dummy, I wanted to get closer and scared him into flying down.
So I thought maybe I should put him back up.



I went to grab him and noticed he had tiny bugs crawling all over him, lice? No way was I going to touch him and he didn't want to stick around, so he flew over to the fence and stayed there. I went out later and he was gone, so I think he found a good perch in the scrub trees. They have old nests in them and full of prickers, so good place for a guy who needs more time to learn to fly. While he was squawking at me, I had four robins buzz me, so guess they protect their own, lol.

Little Birdie

Look what I found under my porch today. We have a second story porch, so it is a perfect hideout for a nest.
I wonder what they must think though, when we are tromping around the porch.
The other baby is hiding.



As for braiding, here are some answers to your questions.
You can type in braid aid and find lots of places that sell them.
I got mine from whispering hills of Connecticut at a rug show.

If you want to learn, there are some nice books available, I got mine from the library.

I use a long doll needle to sew my rugs and for thread, I got crochet cotton in black. I try and go inbetween the braids, but sometimes I go into them, so I do not do it professionally, just my way;) The threads for braiding are expensive, so I get the nice crochet cotton at jo anns with a coupon.

For braiding, I use thrift wools. Men's jackets are a great place to look and if you hit them on discount days, you can get some good bargains.

Circle Challenge

I was reading Sue Spargo's blog and she challenged herself to find circles and take photos. So, I got the idea to go outside and find circles. I found that I have a very boring yard, lol. There were circles if you want to count old tomato holders, plastic pipes in the back and old tires;) I did find a few circles that were worth showing and it is a good exercise in form and texture. I need a macro lens on this camera and I can't find the cord to my other, so not the best close ups.


This is my favorite, it is a circle and a study in form, would make a very intricate pattern. We have tons of these growing in our yard, I have no idea what they are.



I think everyone has these growing in the yard. They are weeds, but I like them and they are fun to blow in the air.



This is sort of a circle. The birds have built multiple nests in this tree, this is the biggest and most well built. They must have had a party when the babies flew out of the nest;) It shows you, that birds will put anything in their nests.