Friday Finish and Fun!

 

Another week has gone by and I feel like I just started. I was able to get a few things done this week, one was the stitchery by Kathy Schmitz. She offered it along with the design for the monthly club and I thought it was perfect for the sewing room.

I also made some more masks. Some extra for Bill since he is working and does the shopping, he can use at least two a day. The others are for my son, he is using Gaters and they do not really offer protection. He has a larger round face so the mens didn't fit him. I went up a size and used blue jean fabric on two and black broad cloth on the others, so we will see if they are big and stiff enough for him.

Last weekend we took all the boys out, my son wanted to go for a walk and we ended up tiring them all out with a hike at Barn Island, for 4 miles. 

On Sunday, Bill and I went to the Patchaug forest in Connecticut. We took a new trail that took us down some old fire roads, then a path through the woods to the overlook. The cabin is a shelter for hikers, nothing fancy but nice when you want to get off the ground.

We also took some short walks up paths on the other side, to see what they were like. I will definitely want to come back to the boardwalk when the flowers are in bloom. The long trail with the pines goes for miles, so we may try more of that path, the next time.

At home I have been enjoying the birds. I got a new feeder for them, so hopefully I can get clearer photos of them. It is one of the joys I can enjoy at home. A Tufted Titmouse, a red Breasted Nuthatch and a Downy Woodpecker.

And the leaves have fallen, which is Bean's favorite time. It is useless to rake with Bean around. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and stay safe and enjoy some adventures of your own.

Friday Finish!

This week I finished one small project and about to finish a few more projects. I always like to have one small to do during the week and found a small simple one. A friend sent me a box of goodies last year and I had forgotten that it had kits in it, so I decided to make the little heart pin cushion.

After I made it, I decided to turn it into a lavender sachet, I really do need a lot of those. I am putting one in every box of supplies and also drawers, as well as books, the lavender keeps the musty smell away and it seems to keep the moths away, as well.

Nothing fancy, but fun and relaxing to make.

I also finished the second snowman pillow top. I was all ready to finish them, I added a border, then I noticed how crooked they were. So now I am trying to figure out if I need to redo the outer stitching, or cut more of the main piece, to follow the lines better. I am not sure if the lines are straight on any part, so I may just redo the bottom stitching and leave it as is, what do you think? I am waiting for my brain to work better, before I redo it.

We also got out last weekend, visited some new places, but no eagles. But, I did hit the jackpot with cemeteries, two old ones with a lot of unique stones, so I may just do a booklet and add some sayings and local folklore. I really got a good workout, between hiking and walking up and down hills, along with deep knee bends for better photos. It took a few days for my legs to recover, lol.

We also stopped at local waterfalls,  I love trying the Bulb feature to slow down the water's motion. I don't use a tripod, so I can only do a quick burst, but I was pleased with how this one came out. And if you notice the rocky outcropping, it reminds me of a dog with a stick in it's mouth.

And today I got a nice surprise, a belated Christmas box from my friend. She sent me some fun nautical decorations and made me this wonderful cross stitch piece. I always treasure the things my friends make me.

It looks like a storm is heading our way, so we may not get out as much, but I have been reorganizing and cleaning and today I made a lot of progress, so I can finally move my furniture around in my sewing room, to make it more functional. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and stay safe if you are in the storm's path.

Friday Finishes!

This weekend we went for a few drives and found out, one store was closed on Monday, but the good thing was, Colchester Mills was open and I was able to get some nice muslin and a new pattern, as a treat.

This design is by Blueberry Backroads, called Just for You! I love the fact that it is small and has the perfect saying for gift giving. I made the first one into a pillow, but they also have a flat version. I think the flat one would be fun to fill with balsam but I didn't get any this year. It is also nice since the flat version can fit in a small yellow envelope, along with a card.

I gave it a little color and some bells.

My freebie for the week was a design I found online, a simple tree with cut out hearts, but I decided to try some of my buttons. It was simple and quick to make up, so a great giveaway item, and something simple enough for kids to do. I think I like the smile face trees, better.

I saved the site these came from, but it seems to be an iffy site, isn't taking me to the same post, so I am including the pattern I downloaded and it does have the name of the site it came from. I wouldn't bother though, I already cleaned out my cache to be safe.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. It is going to be cold again, so we won't be hitting the beach, anytime soon.

Friday Finish and Finds!

This week I enjoyed some rest time and worked on some little pillows. The pattern is by Cheri Payne and in her older Christmas book and also available as a download on Quilts By Cheri, on Facebook.

It was a fun project to do and worked up quickly. I did one in a simple prim style and the other with some brighter bells and buttons. I did add a bit of walnut stain to tone down the lighter colors.

We also got a chance to shop last weekend. We took a ride to the upper area of Connecticut to see if we could find any foliage. No real foliage but some great shops to stop at. One is a Christmas shop, they have lots of different items, along with antiques. I got some grubby candles and I found this wonderful bottle. It is an old, Cod liver oil, bottle, with a fishermen carrying a cod. Perfect for my beach room. There was no price on it, so the lady sold it to me for 4.50, great deal.

I decided to stop at a local shop, that I haven't been to in awhile and found a new black cat door stop, for my collection. I am always on the lookout and only ones that I like and for good prices, so it won't be a big collection, but fun to look for and I still have one more step to fill.

I am still working on glass ideas and an angel ornament. The weather has been cool and windy, not good weather for outdoor spraying, so I may have to buy a cheap tent to use outside, to do work like that.

We did get some beach time in and we didn't find a lot of glass, since it was later in the day. Sometimes I find something that seems different but doesn't look like glass. This is what I found and I decided to keep it and check it at home.

And this is what it looks like, when you concentrate the light under it. The light makes it more yellow, but it is a green piece of glass. You would never know when you see something like this on the beach, so always worth carrying a light with you. The thicker, dark pieces don't always show the light through them, unless it is concentrated.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. We are going to try and find some foliage this weekend. We will head into Connecticut, or maybe Massachusetts, but I am happy if we just get out and get some hiking in. I think I need to do more activity that doesn't include constant bending.

Friday Finish!

A new month, means a new stitchery from Kathy's, One Stitch at a Time Club. I always enjoy getting a new pattern and they always work up quickly. She gives the option of using just floss or coloring in your piece with instructions on her method.

I thought I would try it this time, I used cheap pencils, which was not the best idea. They work, but you don't get the nice colors that art pencils, will give. I added some lavender and put it in my sewing room, with the fabric on a shelf. It really helps to keep things fresh smelling. Instead of stitching the buttons, I decided to use real ones.

I also tried a simple project for glass. I used a 4" canvas and tried to paint it to look like beach wood, but it just doesn't have the same look as real wood. I want to put a wave of glass in the heart, but my tiny pieces are not fitting that well. What seemed small to me, is not when you do it in this scale. I guess I will have to hit the beach and do a sand search for tiny pieces. There is tons of it on the beaches, so I will gather some for this piece.

I also used crackle, not the best looking piece and I think on wood this would look nice. I just set the glass down to give you an idea of what I am doing. You can see by the drawing, the wave needs more sweep, than I could get with the glass.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. We have one good day, so I plan on enjoying being outside.

Friday Finish!

This week I made a new piece with a free design by Cheri, from her Facebook group, Quilts by Cheri, friendship group. The original is done differently, and I wanted something simpler, so I kept the design on one piece and did it as a pillow.

The finished design is 9" x 12". I made up a drawing of my version and you can find it in the files section, as well as, numerous old designs and new ones that Cheri has shared with the group.

I also had a gift certificate to the Quilted Crow, and I finally used it. It only took a few months to make up my mind. I got Wool & Needle flannels to add to my collection. I have a pack of fat quarters that was gifted to me, then I got some yardage but I needed some lights to balance it all out. Now I am ready to plan a quilt with them. I also got some extra Seasonal Gatherings birds, have used all that I had and love using it in Christmas pieces. The check it to go with the sailor piece, that a friend sent me, it will be used as a border for a quilt in my beach room. And I treated myself to a couple of patterns, one for the beach room and the preprinted stitcheries I got as a treat since I loved seeing the ones done up and want to make some of my own.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. We have weather coming in, so not sure if I will get beach time.

Friday Finish!

This week I made a new piece, A BOM from The Little Red Hen, a new group on Facebook called Wooly Mysteries. There will be a new block each month and it is cat themed, my favorite subject to create.

I decided to do mine scrappy, using striped homespuns from my stash and old thrift wools. I added a mouth to mine, each one will be different but similar, since I do mine by hand and my hand has a mind of it's own, so that is what creates the personalities.

On this one I used green shades, the body is a men's jacket that I over dyed with a greenish blue, it got washed out in the photo.

I also got all my stockings prepped and ready to sew. I use freezer paper and decided to cut out the shape itself, before cutting the stocking. I was able to use the same piece for all five stockings, which is a nice way to save on freezer paper costs. What I did was, iron on the stocking shape, then I put it on the table to have a harder surface. I used my General's pencils to trace the design around the freezer paper, then removed that and cut out my stocking, 1/4" from the chalk line. It made it easier for me to judge the cut around the line. It also makes it easier to turn under, since you can use the lines as your turning edge. The pencil does make the line outside the original line, so you need to compensate for that, by turning the chalk line under, but it still works, even if your stockings are not the exact size.

This is with the white pencil, they also have them in colors, if you are working on light fabrics.

And this is how they look, when done, not perfect, but much better than my usual wonky applique. I will wait till I make the next three, before I decide placement. There is also a sashing and a middle section, so I think once separated they will look much better.

I hope  you all have a wonderful weekend and hopefully it will be warming up in your area. I am going to get out early to catch the tide and look for more beach glass. I have been collecting ideas for things to make for my beach room.

Friday Finishes!

This week seemed to go by quickly, and the weekend is here again and I am ready for some adventures, lol. We are going to explore a new area in Connecticut and see how the foliage is, then we can decide if we need to go up or down from there.

Of course I always have to have something to keep my hands busy during the week so I decided to try some bookmarks. And of course, I cannot follow directions, to save my life, so mine are a bit simpler.

I wanted to try them first to see how it worked and they were fun and quick to make. I may try the next with machine sewing on the edge, so I can put in a nicer ribbon. I used fabric from my scrap box and felt that I had won, lots of it to use up and it is perfect for bookmarks. They also have a stiffer felt at the craft store which would work nicely for this. I did a stiff kitty with it and use wool appliqué on top of that and it sews nicely.

The pattern is free at Craftsy, and it would be nice in appliqué too. This would be fun to leave in libraries and a tag can be easily attached with floss. If you are good at machine embroidery, you could  make a tag for the back. I do need to learn how to use my machine, I love the idea of making my own tags.

The bookmark is 7" long. Two pieces of wool are attached with a blanket stitch.
I would like to try some of my own designs that the girls can use to make for others and if you are interested, you can join in at DSmiles4Miles on Facebook. If you are interested, please fill out the questions, that lets me know you are a real person. Someone has made a request, but when I click on her Facebook page and there is nothing there, so it makes me suspicious.

Another item I finished was another block from Suzy's Sitcom, called Words of Wisdom. I skipped last months but I did like this one, so I will see when it is done, I like having an odd block so I can add my own saying and name for the recipient.

I am also working on another large stitchery and started a project from Cheri's Facebook group. She is so wonderful with sharing her patterns and making new ones for us to have for free, even though she is going through her own struggles right now.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, filled with adventures, and creating.

Friday Finishes!

This week I made a new piece and made another bunny. The new one is an idea I got from an old postcard. I wanted to try something more 3D, so I used varying heights to have the bunny coming out of the egg.

It is hard to see in a photo, but you can get an idea that there is depth and in person, the bunny is hooked much higher so he sticks out of the egg. I made a few mistakes, and things I would do differently. Right now my arm is killing me and to add to that, I slipped on the snow when I was kicking Bean's ball and slipped, resulting in a slam to the back. So, I am resting for tonight and will see how I feel tomorrow, I don't think I can take one more injury, I am sore enough, lol.

If I feel better, I may do another bunny egg. Not sure if people would be interested in a pattern for this one, but I thought it was a good way to learn about doing depth in a piece.

I also made a larger bunny, they are so fun to make, wish I could make a lot more. I realized I need to rest my arm more or it will never heal, but it is so hard to just sit still;) This one is my favorite, I will keep him for me. I added a bow tie and wood buttons from an old jacket. Flower button are also a fun way to embellish him.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Looks like more snow coming our way, so no long outings this weekend.

New Bunny Pattern!

This week I was in the mood to make something new and fun, so I made up some Bunnies. I got such a great response from them on Facebook and requests for a pattern, that I made one. I wanted to make something I could use up my scraps on and the quilted bunny uses lots of different colors and the second bunny uses white and brown shades. I also did each one differently and added how I did them in the directions.

I hope you like the new bunnies, they are 5" tall and I antiqued them. If you are interested in making your own, you can order the pattern with the link on the left column.

I had so much fun making them, so I gave myself a rest day, they are hard on my arm. Today I made another one that is 6" tall. I did it in the crazy quilt style, but on this I made a different nose, a raised, punched version. I think I could make a lot more if my arm wasn't hurting and a lot of people want me to make them some, so maybe next week. These are great to make for yourself or shows and make extra for your friends.

I hope you all have a nice weekend. We had snow today and cold all weekend, so maybe a ride. My son's birthday was this week so we are having them over for dinner on Sunday.

Friday Freebie Finish!

This week I have been taking it easy, not easy for me, lol. I worked on my stitchery but wanted to do something quick and fun. I revisited a site that I hadn't been to in awhile, Rusty Tin Roof. They used to offer a free monthly magazine with free patterns. I found some new ones I hadn't seen and made one yesterday.

The pattern is called Garden Rabbit Family by Cave Creek Primitives. Some of the patterns are still available to download, some are gone, but well worth a look while they are still up.

My bunnies are not exactly the same, I did not have status so I guess I need to hit the flower shop at the craft store, well worth having some dried flowers to put with my pieces. I found an easy way to do small patterns; I trace the pattern onto muslin with a water erasable marker and retrace the design from the back. That way I have my lines for eye and face placement and then I can just sew the back to the front and follow the lines on the back. The material I used was over dyed and grunged up, so when I added some black walnut ink, it made blobs of ink, but that makes it more fun, so I left it.

I am sorry I didn't think to remember what issue these came from, but I think it was from a spring issue, since that and summer was what I was looking at, this time.

I took a break from my stitchery, I am debating on the center, should I do a fill stitch or a spaced running stitch to look more quilted, thinking of the quilted look? I will add a blue snowflake border and border stitches too.

Another thing I do while I am resting is look for vacation places for our June anniversary week. I wanted to go to Acadia this time, but it seems all the good spots in the good camps are full already, so not sure if I want to go if I am stuck in a small spot away from the water.

One place we went that was nice was Freeport Maine and stayed at a camp there. They are an old farm on a peninsula so lots of land to go for walks with a state park down the road. We loved paddling there, this is Bill getting the boats ready to go out.

And this is what we came back to, a mile of mud flat. So, the bad thing is, I checked and the tides are not in our favor, if we can get out, we can't get back in. There are launches in other areas, but I really want to relax and enjoy the area we are in. One of the nice things about camping in Acadia, no mud flats. So, I will keep looking and inquire at the camps I like and maybe they will have something that has views and enough space, since we cannot be on top of people especially with Bean.

I hope you all have a good weekend and nice weather, we actually have some warmer days, so I am going to enjoy getting out.

Needle Felted Art!

I have been working on my needle felted piece and I think I am done with the piece. I always see things I should have done differently and wish I had the right types of roving, so something to think about when I make a piece that I want roving that works best with wet felting. Some of the roving is thicker and great for molding animals and figures but not great for working into a wet felted piece.

Another thing I tried was a wool felt background. It is white and looks like batting but it is a thicker wool felt. It is great to work with, the felt goes in nicely and it is thick enough to hold the fibers without too much going through to the other side, but not a good choice for wet felting. You want longer, loose fibers so you can place them on your piece, then use the wet felting process to blend them and work the fibers together. I will have to try a small piece with my longer fibers and see how it comes out with wet felting. It is fun to experiment and try new things.

I used what colors I had, so not the best choices but I wanted it to be bright and fun. I used embroidery floss and pearl cottons to embellish, trying different stitches to see how it looked. Now I have to decide what to make with it. The piece is 9" square and I still need to trim it down, but if it is a little wonky I will leave it that way, I like the artsy look of uneven felt. Would love ideas, what would you do with it? I am thinking of a tote or use the piece as the front of a folder style case, for sewing or something that is 9" square.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Bill has to work tomorrow and it is too hot to be outside, so I am going to try to reorganize and catch up in my sewing room. I also need to decided about simplifying my crafting, since I have too many things, that I can't do it all. I am tempted to sell off my rug hooking equipment and supplies. I have an original Townsend lap frame and cutter with two blades, as well as backing and hooks. I loved hooking so I could create my own designs, but now I prefer to do designs in punch needle.

This piece is a beautiful art quilt design by Laurel Burch but mine look like dodo birds, lol. I will do the piece in quilting too.

Monday Finish!

I decided not to post on Friday since I didn't have anything to show. I seem to have over did it and all my joints from my hip to my neck are out of alignment and so painful, I have been laying on the couch since then. It is frustrating for me since I hate laying around and if I have to, I need something to keep my hands busy but I was flat out, most of the time.

Yesterday I was able to move more so I got my snowmen ready to finish and was able to finish the rest today. It is for my sister so I kept it fun and brighter. I like how it has a prim feeling but also fun and a pop of color with the off white stitching. The one problem I had was, getting the blue ink off, it went through 4 rinses and it is still there so I may have to add a bit of stain to see if that will tone it down. I used a fabric that may not have been all cotton, so that could be it.

The designs can be found at Christmas Coloring Pages. They have a lot of different designs and lots of similar ones that can be used to make a mini quilt or a larger one. It is a bit wonky from shrinking up, but I will be rewashing it and then I can block it better.

I also got a new photo of my sweet grandsons, I sure miss Nick and I can't wait to meet Alex, but they are not due home until September. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and hopefully I can get out more next weekend, I do miss paddling and was hoping to get out more this year.

Friday Finishes!

This week I wanted to try something new, or something old, since I have had the pattern for years. The pattern was a freebie from Create and Decorate and is a design by Denise White of The Cat's Pajamas.

It was the pattern and no directions but I never read them anyways, lol. I changed it a bit and made some mistakes but she is so goofy, she makes me smile. I forgot to cut the red ticking to make the stripes go across for one thing. Then I decided to make stockings and no shoes, but didn't like it, so I tried coloring it in with a sharpie, takes too much time and you need more than one coat, so I decided to paint them on. That was fine, but I didn't realize that I grabbed the black enamel paint, duh. I actually like how it looks, a bit thicker and a bit more shine so great for shoes, but not for washing off.

Too windy to get an outside photo, the material for her face and arms is an old muslin that I stained, beat up, washed in dirt, among other things, so it is really grungy, a bit of brown and some green. The flash washed it out. I made the hat and boat by using an online tutorial and online american backgrounds that I printed out on laid paper. Laid paper is a nicer paper with enough weight to keep it stiffer, but not too stiff.  The hair was a thick binding yarn that I attached with a thin piece of wool to tie it down, then I unravelled the yarn to get thinner locks.

She was fun and fast to make, I tried different things and see things that I can improve on, so maybe I will try some more and change them up.

Then I finished the next block in Buttermilk Basin's BOM, the  Second letter T with the snowballs. I got some carrot buttons, they are fun to use on pieces like this and on the snowman pillows, guess I need to get more.

Here is what I have so far, with the letter T at the end.

At the last minute, as usual, Bill has to go on a trip, the day after our planned vacation. It would be too much to spend the week away and then come home and have him leave the next day, there are some things I can't do and Billy is going away too, so easier to stay home and get things done before he leaves. There is nothing going on at work for now, so Bill is taking the next two weeks off, so hopefully we can do some exploring and have some fun during the weekdays with no crowds.

Friday Finishes!

This week I finished two projects. I tend to start things and not finish them or finish something but not quilt it, so time to finish things and I have a large to do list, so a bit at a time.

This quilt is a design by Cheri Saffiote and she has offered it for free on her Facebook Page, Quilts by Cheri. The original had eggs in the basket, but I decided to add simple flowers so I could use it for spring and summer. I did basic quilting around the shapes and edges and I was thinking of tea staining it, but that needs time to soak, so if I do it, that will come later. It does look better in person, much darker and prim, but as usual the outdoor photos were too bright and indoor I get light and dark so it makes it harder to see, so it is still a bit brighter than in person. Now I have to figure out where to hang it, time to take down my Easter pieces.

I also realized after I saw the photo again, I forgot to put the stitching on the border. I can still do that, will be a stitch around the inner edge with a dark tan thread.

This second piece I made and wanted to frame, but it didn't fit or look right, so I added a homespun edge and simple stitching. I gave it a light staining and it makes a nice mini wall hanging. Another piece for my gift box.

Tomorrow is our local quilt show, they do it every two years, so I will be going. Not a big show but fun to see the quilts and hopefully some new vendors from other states. Hopefully I can get some nice photos, usually people stand in the way;) Have a wonderful weekend and I will be sharing some photos of the show on Monday.

Monday Finish and Find Giveaway!

This weekend I decided to make another small piece to put in my Christmas box. I love Cheri's designs and this one came from one of her old books, 301 Country Christmas Quilt Blocks. You can still find old copies online, but it seems everyone is wanting them now, so getting harder to find. I was lucky and found my copy at a thrift store.

I really enjoyed making this one, it is happy and meaningful. I added extra stars to fill in the empty spaces at the bottom and I left it, as is. I am not sure who will get it, so I didn't want to stain it and think that may darken the design too much, I like keeping this one bright and happy.

The little quilt is 6 1/2" x 7 1/2". Mini quilts are fun to do, great for small spaces and a great way to use up scraps.

Yesterday was a nice day but windy and cool still so we decided to go the the antique barn. It is a nice ride and you never know what you will find. One thing I always look for is cast iron, cat door stops. When you are hunting in a shop full of booths, you have to look carefully, sometimes items are hidden behind other items and guess what I found, a cat door stop.  I thought it would be fun to line them on the stairway.

Can you guess which one is the newest one? Make a guess and I will pick a name from the guesses. I will pick a name on friday night and the winner can pick any pattern or booklet from my ecrater shop.

Monday Stitcheries!

With the holiday weekend, I didn't have time to do too many things in the sewing room, so I made up a couple of small stitcheries that I can add to my Christmas box.

They are designs from the Kindred Spirit Christmas book. I didn't finish them off since I just finished them today, but I love the tree piece for a balsam pillow, so I will probably make the pillow, but wait till next year to stuff it so I can use fresh balsam. I think it would be fun to get more prim buttons and maybe try some mini bells instead of the bright buttons. The angel may become a mini quilt. I like the idea of making mini's that I can fit in a small envelope and send as a gift.

No walnut stain on these, the backing is tea stained muslin, so I will probably leave these alone.

Yesterday we had my son and Nick for dinner. I was not feeling great so I took it easy and used all my energy for Nick, but it wore me out. Today was a rest day, just watching tv and a little simple stitching.

I took Nick to the playground and we even went down the slide a few times, though a kids slide is not made for a ladies rear;) He loved his knapsack filled with goodies, especially the flower lollipops. Sadly he started getting a fever before he left and tonight he is worse so my Son is taking him to the emergency room to be safe. I sure hope my sweet little guy is ok. They are leaving early tomorrow morning, so not sure how this will effect that.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

Friday Finish!

This week I worked on a rabbit quilt from a free design by Cheri Saffioti. She is offering her old designs and free ones on her Facebook page, Quilts by Cheri.  She gave us the bunny with basket and then I change it up a bit, and added the saying and extras. The chicks I added when I saw another guest who did hers with two chicks and loved that idea.

The saying is something I came up with when I saw a quote by Martin Luther King, I took the first line and added the rest to fit my piece. This is the finished quilt, walnut stained after I finished it.

Here is what the piece looked like, before I stained it. It is easier to see the details and colors in this one. I always prefer the stained piece, that is more my style. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, looks like we may get snow again.