Easter Candle Mat and Winners!

I decided to try an Easter mat and use one of my patterns for the center design. The bunny is from my Spring Flock pattern. I am having fun trying different designs to see what I like and how well they look together. I think I might like this one better with the leaves on the inside and the feather on the outside?

I picked two names, each person will receive a gift certificate number which they can use at the Quilt Show. The winners are..... Cindy and Anna! Email me and I will send you, your numbers. Thank you for joining in and I always love feedback.

Easter Rabbit!

A friend sent me a box of kits that she no longer wanted and one was this rabbit kit from Buttermilk Basin.
It was really fun to do and I changed out the background and used one of my wools that had specks of color that was perfect for an Easter piece.

The grass is a bit crooked, but I can fix that later, for now, it is good enough;)

Giveaway Winner!

Well, I was working on the new pattern and it is almost ready, but I had problems with size and layout to get it on a single page. I also have the punch needle piece for sale, so if you are interested, I will be taking serious offers.
And I am tired, it has been a long day, so I will have it ready tomorrow. And I know you are all waiting for the winner of my giveaway;)

But, I am mean and I will make you look at photos first, lol.
I found a new pattern that was just fun and cute and had to make some pillows out of it.
I think this pattern was from a digital stamp site, but I could not find it and I did not keep a copy.
I added a little wool bunny to cover up the back slit.



When I was putting the pillows together, I found a piece of blue homespun, just big enough to make another prim bunny.



And now for the winner of the free Epattern. The winner is....... Mosaic Magpie!
Congratulations! You can get the new Spring chicks pattern or pick from my patterns on my ecrater site.
Email me with your choice. Thank you all for entering and commenting and I will make this a regular giveaway when I come out with a new pattern.

New project finished!

So, how did i finish my project without a working bobbin?
I wound it by hand, lol. As long as I can get a decent straight stitch, I am happy for now.
I have other projects I want to finish off, so for now I can work on those till my good machine comes back.

This project was done with a free stitchery by Allie. I just loved the bunnies with the rose tree and a wonderful saying.
What a great piece to make as a gift for a friend.

A beautiful finish!

Well, today I started to use my old kenmore and the bobbin thread ran out.
How to wind the thread with no manual, no idea, lol.
Then I noticed on the top there was a diagram and it looked easy, but it seems the bobbin pin is missing the lever, no idea where that went. So, I cannot sew with it unless I buy a bobbin winder and they cost as much as a cheap machine;) I will have to check with my dealer to see when my machine will be done and maybe I can go in and wind some bobbins in the store. It is frustrating since I have one piece to finish and almost done with my hippie piece and need a machine to add the borders.

So, for tonight, here is a photo by a follower who made my free easter piece. She did a beautiful job on the piece and love how she displayed it.

Rabbit Eggs!

First of all, I thought I would mention my last posting. No, I did not take Moki to the beach, lol.
That is Photoshop Magic;) Thought, I wouldn't doubt it, if he would love to go exploring with me, he is a character.

I decided to try some eggs with one of my patterns and this one is with the epattern; Spring Flock.
I might do the lambs next on some eggs.

The first one I did with markers. I like the idea of coloring them in, but I don't have much control with shading and art markers.




The second is done with stitches. I think I like the stitches by themselves, more prim too.
I am thinking this rabbit would make a nice small wall hanging, as well. You can find this and other patterns at my ecrater site.
The eggs in the little bowl are more cheater quilt eggs. I use floss to stitch over the design with batting and make my own fake cutter quilt eggs;)

Bunnies and Moki!

I finished a little piece today. I wanted to do something with felting, so I made the bunnies with wool roving.
I cut out the wool shapes and felted onto those first, then I clipped off the excess to get the pieces into shapes.
I like how some roving sticks out, it looks like bunny fur.

For the lettering, I used the wash n go. I learned one thing, do not use sharpies to write with, it bleeds when you rinse off the paper. I had to use soap and wash it to get the light letters back.

I am thinking of adding small embroidered flowers into the background, something that isn't too bold, just blends in with the background. The design is from Primitive Blessings.



And for the Moki fans! This is what I have to put up with, when I am working around the kitchen. Moki thinks it is fun to grab, bite and dig his claws in, he tends to get a bit rough. When I cook, he hops up and tries to help, and one day he even pulled a piece of squash out of the sink and ate it, he has a strange appetite.

And don't forget to sign up for the giveaway below. It ends friday at midnight. The winner gets a gift code to buy anything they like.

Bunny Quilt Finished

I finally got around to finishing my bunny. I wasn't sure what to do with the background, so I went with primitive stitchery.
As you can see, I use fabric markers and pencils to draw things as I go. The blue chalk pencils, do not fade with water, so I guess I need soap. The purple marker fades after you draw it on, so I used that for the flowers, by marking each petal, as I went. Markers are so much easier to draw with too. After I finished, I sprayed it with water, then walnut spray. Then I stuck it in the dryer on a rack and that sets the stain.

I also need to antique my clothespins. I love using them to hang small quilts with.
The Stitching was done with lana wool thread, I love that for primitive stitchery.
The bunny is a design from Twigs and Sprigs. If you would like to make your own wall hanging, she has instant downloads, which are nice if you want to make something right away.

What I am working on

I wanted to finish a rabbit, I started last year, but decided I have to think about the layout and what to add before I can.
So, I decided to start a new one. This is smaller and will go nicely on my wall rack.
I used the bunny design from Twigs N Sprigs and made it into a wall hanging.

I used my husband's old jeans, but wish I had gone with dark on the pants and light on the cuffs.
I changed the sign to a basket again, but this time I added flowers. Now I have to decide if I want to leave it plain or add a saying.
I was thinking it would be a fun piece to practice free motion and do little flowers for the quilting.



And for your amusement, here is Dora, doing what she loves best, flying;)
This is what it will be like, now that the weather is warming up. Nothing like a bug covered window to keep her amused. Tonight it was a lone moth.

Easter Bunny Punch Needle

I am at it again, I can't help myself. I love to punch and create wonderful designs.
This wonderful design is from A Twigs N Sprigs pattern. I just love her designs and love working on them.

You should check out the links on her site, I noticed today that she has some gatherings that you and your friends or shops can participate in, that sounds like fun. She has lots of free designs, but don't forget to support our fellow crafters, when you can, by buying their patterns, as well. Her designs will work for any type of crafting that you enjoy.

I changed my piece up a little. He had a sign, so I decided that besides the beautiful flower, he has a basket of carrots for his Easter Love. I really had fun punching him, he is just so cute. The piece will be up for sale on ebay, later tonight.

To answer the question: Is punching like rug hooking?
Punch needle is worked with a tool, sort of like a fat pen, that you thread your floss through. You work through the back of your material and punch to the front side, where you will see the loops, when you are finished. With rug hooking, you have a hook, similar to a crochet style and you pull your loops up from the front side. You usually use wool strips with rug hooking, but there are those who use yarn and other materials.

Chocolate Rabbits

Today we got a lot of snow, but too warm, to stick. I wanted to take a better shot of the crazy piece, but guess not.
I don't plan on making a bigger quilt with it, I just made it into a small square and hung it on the wall for now.

Today I was in the mood to punch and I wanted to try some rabbits. Someone said they loved chocolate rabbits, so I thought I would use my old rabbit pattern and make it into a punched pair of bunnies. I used a brown wool for the back and then stuffed them.

I like how they came out in some ways, but think I need to change the shape a bit on the bottom, so they are not so long and sit in a bowl better. I also had a hard time turning the ears and pulled at it too roughly, so it pulled out a few loops too. It was a good practice run and not something I would sell since they are messed up. I think it would be easier if I made stuffed ones to put in my wire basket, these would take too long. I also think that if I do some more, I will leave the neck plain and tie a real bow or something primitive around the neck.

Easter Punch Needle

I have made another piece from Robin's designs, couldn't resist this one either.
I added a flower and corner designs to mine and a couple of tiny eggs are hidden in the grass.

I used over dyed and regular dmc in this piece and then antiqued it with walnut ink.
Her blouse is a darker rose pink, looks a bit peachy on my screen.

Sometimes I like to play with color and try new things, as you can see in this piece.
I will be listing it on ebay later tonight. It may be my last piece for sale for awhile, I need to concentrate on Lynette's pieces for the upcoming show. And I will be working on some old patterns that people have requested and some new ones in the future. Check out Robin's new freebies and a wonderful new stitchery you can do for spring. She has wonderful prim designs and great prices on her patterns.

Buford Bunny Punch Needle

I just love doing Robin's designs, they are so fun. This guy was no exception.
As you can see, he is very sad, he has lost his eggs. I used variegated dmc linen for Buford, it really looks nice with just the right touches of dark and light shades. I used a variegated wool yarn for the edge, love how it changes from dark brown to light shades. Buford will be up for sale on ebay tomorrow.

Next I will make the new rabbit that Robin has given as a freebie. I think the two would be great together, almost tempting to keep them;) Robin is very generous with her designs and she even has a Buford doll, that I am thinking of doing. For some reason the tags are not working for me tonight, so if you want to see Robin's designs, click on the link to the left. It is Bird in the hand Primitives.