The Boatman Punch Needle!

I finally finished my new piece and I hope you like it, as much as I do.  I adapted this new design from an antique quilt. I love the designs on the quilt and am hoping to do more in the same line. I used a variety of flosses and techniques which are in the pattern. The new pattern is in a pdf file, so you will get the colors if you would like to do yours in the same way.

This piece is 6" x 5 1/2" and I finished it off with a larger piece of jute rope to keep with the nautical theme. This weekend I need to get busy making a ring pillow for my DIL, I finally decided what to do and that is hand stitch it, since I have no idea how to use my embroidery machine and size things, so I will be very busy stitching since it needs to be done by next weekend.

The pattern includes the design and a photo of my finished piece, the border is not included in the design. I think it would look wonderful with a quilted style border, maybe flying geese.

New Epattern and Help a Friend!

I have made my newest punch needle piece into an epattern. You can also use it for rug hooking or as an appliqué piece, whatever  you would like. As with all of my patterns, you can make them for yourself or sell them on ebay.

This week, from now until sunday at midnight, I am going to donate a dollar for every pattern sold, to help a family of young boys who have recently lost their mom. The oldest boy came home to take care of his brothers who are still in high school. They work during the summer doing odd jobs and are always there to help others in need, so we want to help them by giving them a gift certificate to help them while they go through this transition. I will tally up sales from any pattern sales, a dollar for the 3 dollar patterns and more for the higher priced patterns and booklets. So, here is  your chance to have a fun pattern to create with and help others. You can see the full story at Kelley's blog.

This pattern will come in two files, one with the finished piece, the second with the design and color choices. You can buy this pattern, directly, with the button on the left, of visit my ecrater site for more pattern options.

Giveaway Winner and my Win!

I really enjoyed reading the comments and the fun quips to go with my photo. I do feel blessed that I live in an area where there is so many beautiful natural wonders to enjoy. The winner of the giveaway is #9, Sue Tokash! Please pick a free epattern from my ecrater site and email me with your choice.

I also have been blessed with so many wins this year.  The giveaway was hosted by Patti of Patti's Patchwork. It was an extra giveaway along with the 100 blocks tour and I won a fat quarter pack of Northcott's Stonehenge Stars and Stripes. The fabric is gorgeous and a really nice weight, so much better than a photo can show. It will be fun coming up with a pattern to use them in.

Giveaway Winner!

Today I think I did more in one day, than I have all month, lol.
I seem to be getting rotten mood and irritability symptoms as the lyme die off, so I worked it off today.
Lots of items in the yard, that you don't think about, but could be projectiles in the storm, so everything got put away.
Then there is my garden, beans and veggies to pick and lots more coming in, especially my tomatoes, so I hope they live through the winds.

And I am one of those that hates being stuck in a dirty house, lol. I cleaned the house too, so we can rest and listen to the wind howl;) And laundry and some cooking, things that I might not be able to do if we lose power. We do have a generator, so I will have power for the important things like the refrigerator and the tv and a light to sew by.

If you enjoy giveaways, make sure you don't miss next friday. I will be doing a review and giving away a copy to one lucky quilter, so you don't want to miss that post.

And before we get to the winner, here is what happens when someone leaves the door open, while he brings things in;)



And I am not making this up, this is what happened and what they were saying;)



And onto the winner! The Random Generator picked number 2! The lucky winner is Anna of Woolie Mammoth!
Anna, you can pick any pattern from my ecrater site, just send me an email with your choice. And for the rest of you, a hurricane special for this weekend, buy one pattern and get any other of equal or lesser value for free. Just put your free choice in the comments section. If I loose power, it may take longer to receive your patterns or if you lose power and want to take advantage of the special, you can email me after Sunday and still receive a free pattern, just tell me your power went out;)
I hope all of those in the hurricanes path, stay safe and prayers for you and your families.

I win, you win giveaway!

I have been lucky this month and have won some wonderful prizes, so I thought I would have a contest and you can help me out.
I won two charm packs and would like to use them for charity quilts. The top fabric is Peacock Lane by Violet Craft and the second charm pack is called summer house, which I won from Jolly Jabber.

Now what I would like you to do for the contest is, give me some ideas on how I can use these charms or if you know of a good quilt pattern that would work with these, give me a link so I can check it out. Or, how you might quilt a basic quilt for charity, something simple, but still special. Victoria of Bumble Bean quilts is doing a drive to get 350 more quilts to give to a local shelter, so I am hoping I can do a few before the deadline, but if I can't, I will donate them to a local shelter here.

So, leave a comment, throw me some ideas or links and I will draw a name on friday. The winner will win their choice of one of my epatterns. If you are not a quilter, you can still leave me a comment, maybe some ideas for other items I can make for charity or gifts for the holidays.

And for those of you who commented before I added a link, the creature on my kayak is called a Horseshoe crab and they are big. This guy was floating into the cove with the tide, so no, I do not pick up live crabs and put them on my boat, lol.

Rough week Sale!

I had a rough week and ended up in the er, so a bit off these days, but slowly getting back to normal.
Not sure what symptoms are from my episode or the drugs they shouldn't have given me, but I can say I will never go to that hospital again. Since I realized I was better off if I left, I had to sign out on my own and now it isn't covered, doesn't seem fair.


So, this weekend I am doing a buy one, get one free epattern sale. Buy one pattern and get any other of equal or lesser value for free. Just let me know which one you want for free in the comment box.

Fourth of July Special!

I am still working on my flag, might actually get it done tomorrow, lol.
Today I found a dead bird in my trailer and the mess it left all over the place.
So, it is going to cost to restore it, from that and the mouse damage, but at least it is cheaper than buying a new one.
No camping this year, we will have to clean it out, throw some stuff away and then fix it back up for next year.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday weekend and for a special, I am offering........
Buy one pattern and get two of equal or lesser value, great way to get patterns for the upcoming holidays at a fraction of the cost! The special runs until midnight tomorrow, July 4th. Buy one pattern and let me know what two patterns you would like for free, in the comment section. You can see all my epatterns at my ECRATER SITE.

Angels and more cleaning!

I finished my angels. I decided to keep it simple and not add more embellishments, but I added quilted swirls to the background and a simple straight stitch on the outer border. I used wash out for the lettering and it was a pain, since i was using light thread, I didn't keep my stitches tight.

For the hair I used a loose weave wool, works great as hair since it frays a bit when you wet and dry it.
This was done using one of my gothic angel patterns.



I did more cleaning, 4 loads of wash. I am also washing old curtains and anything that has been sitting on the shelves like sleeping bags, just to clean up and the clean smells keep the moths away.

This was my first load of wool. Lots of nice tan to over dye and thicker wools for quilting.



Here is the second batch and of course Moki had to check it out, the got distracted by something on the tv. I still have more in the buckets and boxes, so a bit at a time. This pile had 4 uncut jackets, so I finally got those done. I also bought up my antique basket with my braided rug, I had started. Decided it was time to get back to that and use it on the floor.

This and That Tuesday!

I have been working on a new piece, I seem to be in a small, art quilt mode, lately.
This is from my gothic angels patterns and I wanted to try it in applique and I added a saying to this one.
I still have work to do, I will add some more embellishments and maybe stars and swirls with prim quilting for the background.
I was trying to do wavy strips, but I messed up, and had to resew to get the pouches out. I think this one would make a good cross stitch too, so will have to put in it my cross stitch maker and try it.



This is the wonderful prize I won in the Sew Mama Giveaway.
I was the lucky winner of Jane's Fabric and Quilts blog.
I got my choice of a yard of a Kona solid and five balls of Finca thread by Presencia.
I chose paprika, and it is so beautiful in person, perfect prim shade for an orange fall quilt or pumpkin appliques.
I am going to enjoy using my new goodies and the threads will be perfect for my art pieces.



And my yard is full of life. The butterflies were enjoying my Azaleas today.
This in the only flowering bush I have left, the rest died or got run into by the crazy lawn mowing husband;)

Giveaway Winners!

Yes, I decided to give away two prizes, makes it more fun;)
But, I will make you wait a minute and show you what had the kitties sitting at the door so intently.

This is Mad Mama, that is her name, lol. She has a nest under our porch and all day she screams at the kitties, the dog and me.
She does not like anyone near her nest, but she built in under an area we walk on a lot, now that it is nice out.
I think something tried to grab her, she has a feather sticking out, but it doesn't effect her flying, so I assume it will fall out eventually.



While I had the camera out, I saw a bird go into my neighbors tree, so took a shot to look at it and see what it was.
I am nearsighted and even with zoom, I just see a bird, but once I put it in photoshop at full size, this is what I saw.



I snapped a second in case the first one was blurry, and this is what I saw.
I can just imagine what they are saying;)



Give me a caption for photo two (Two Birds) or three (three birds), in this posting and I will draw a name on Monday night for a free epattern!

And here is a wonderful giveaway at Teresa's blog, she does beautiful work and has patterns now, for rug hooking and punch needle.

Now for the winners.....
#5 Glossyxox
#15 Quilts and Pieces

Please email me with your choice of an epattern from my ecrater site.
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Goofs and Giveaway!

I had one of those days, I got a lot done, but not without the help of my furry buddies and a lot of mess ups.

First I cut up some more hexagons. This way I have plenty to work on, to get some progress done this weekend.
Of course Izzy had to check them out.



Then I got the idea to make an apple core runner for my dining bureau. I have a large penny rug on it now, but the cats get all over it and i need something clean I can put on, to set the dishes on. But my first try, I jammed the threads at the beginning. The second, I sewed two together nicely, then realized one core was backwards, so I tried one more and got it right. But, it made me realize that I need to take my time and it is too much to get done for Easter. Soooo, I decided to make a quickie runner. I got some nice fabric from my friend Kelley, perfect for a table cloth. I sewed two pieces together and planned on doing a blanket stitch with my machine, but then I changed my mind and went fancier. Machine sewing a design, takes a long time, lol. I have never done this before and I made a mess, but it will have to be good enough. At least I can put the dishes down on a clean runner.



This is a close up, you can see my bad stitching, guess I need to show it to my pfaff lady and have her explain to me, how to do it right;) I really need lessons, lol. The good thing is that the material is still good, so later I can take off the edges and still use the material in another project.



And then I got a start on Easter cleaning. I cannot vacuum without Casey wanting a clean up for himself. He likes to be vacuumed and playing ball while I clean. As I vacuum he throws the ball at me and if I ignore him, he will put it on the vacuum. I think it is the noise that gets him going, he is definitely a bit odd;)

And this is my 500th post! And I think it is time for a double giveaway! First prize will be a handmade item from me and the second winner will receive a free epattern. But, I will make you wait till saturday to find out what the prize will be. That will be the official contest day! I haven't quite decided, but I have a few ideas;) So make sure to come back Saturday and leave a comment!

New Punch Needle: Spring Chicks

I finished my piece finally. Yesterday I did a good walk, cooked and cleaned, then crashed, lol.
All those colds took a lot out of me, so It will take awhile to get my strength back up.

For the Kitty fans, yes Dora is that smart, although that is not the kind of smart I call her;)
And I have seriously thought about locking them up in one room, but that will never happen, they will figure out how to open doors next. At night they party hearty and I wake up to things on the floors and the rugs here and there.

This new piece is based on an antique rug. I wanted to do it in similar colors which were very basic and plain, which was common when woman used what scraps they had. But you would always see a bright color mixed in, such as red. No lighting can get the real look of this piece. I used mixed colors and my own hand dyed floss for the grass area and everything is off color. It is very prim and the colors are more muted and blend in more, like you would see on an old faded rug. I also decided not to add a border on this one, I like the simple look and think it is a great piece to hang on a kitchen cupboard.

I will be working up the pattern on Monday and the winner of the giveaway can have this or any other pattern from my selection on ecrater. This piece will be for sale, just not sure when. I also changed my ebay name, decided it was time. I am now WoolensailsPrims. I hope you enjoy this new piece and I think it would look beautiful as a stitchery too. I also forgot to reverse my design, the chicken was supposed to be looking the other way;)

For Sale: Primitive Easter Set

I have decided that ebay is not the way to go. Not only do they take a chunk out of sales, they now want to tack a fee onto shipping, as well. I charge exact shipping, so why should I pay a fee for that? I do not understand their reasoning.

So, I am offering my Easter pieces as a set. This will include the hooked rug, the punch needle and the cross stitch piece.
The rug is 15" x 9 1/2", the punch needle is 7 1/2 x 4 1/2 and the cross stitch pillow is 4 1//2 x 3 1/2. This is nice if you would like matching pieces for a display or you can keep one and give the others as gifts. I think it would also look wonderful in an antique doll setting. If you are interested, you can email me with questions. I have it listed on my ecrater site.



The price is 140.00 for the set, which includes shipping and insurance, priority mail.
The rug is done with hand dyed wools and whipped with lopi yarn. I sewed the excess backing onto the back of the rug and added a cotton ticking backing as a cover. I have also added the new single pattern to the side panel. This is for both versions of the pattern, no instructions or color charts.

Also, for the rest of the week, until Sunday April 3, buy one pattern and get one of equal or less value, for free. Just order one pattern and put your free choice in the comment box.



And today it is Izzy's turn. Izzy loves bags and decided to make a little hut out of my bag and use the bolt of fusible as her bed.
When she decided to use it as a scratching post, I decided it was time to put it away;)

Antique Cat and Dog

I decided to make a pattern for the reproduction rug that I made.
I made it for a group project and thought my viewers and pattern buyers might like to make this piece too and at a reduced price. I am offering it for only 3.00. You will get a jpeg file with a photo of the rug and the pattern itself. You can use it as is, or reduce it for punch, or enlarge for a rug, it is up to you. There are no instructions or color charts with this item.

A great design and project if you are looking for something new to do this weekend. You can find the pattern at my eCRATER site or at the link on the left.

Let me know what you think of patterns like this, simple but for less.
Or do you prefer the full pdf files? With patterns that I do in punch, I have to do larger files to include color charts and instructions, but if you like the idea of patterns for less, let me know and i can do more in the future.

This is the rug that I made, before I trimmed and and cleaned it up. I have it on my floor, but it gets heavy traffic, so needs a good clean and some rehooking from kitty claws.

Cross Stitch Horse!

I finished the cross stitch piece, with a horse to match the other two pieces.
I wanted it to be simple and it is larger than I planned. I used variegated thread on the horse and a mix, so I had to do single stitches to get a nice look with the variations, so took a lot longer to fill. I would like to do it in a mini version, so I will try one this week.

Now I will work up the patterns and make them into a pdf file, so you can get all three patterns in one file.
I hope you like this newest piece for the set and I will try and get the pattern done before the end of the week.

New Giveaway Winners!

Well, I tried and no answer from the previous winners and no email to write to, so remember, if you win contests, please put your email in your profile, or you could lose out on some fun prizes.

I picked two new winners.......

Winner number one from the US is Linda of the Quilted Pineapple!
Winner number two from Canada is Judith Hogan!

Remember, you can pick a pattern for yourself and have one sent to a friend, any pattern from my ecrater site.

I have been working on a new project. I have been feeling better in some ways, but I really messed my ribs up and still pain, so I work on the couch for now, so I am doing more hand sewing for now. I also have a new punched piece that I will be making into a pattern, so that will be coming soon.

Here is a sneak peak of the new piece, can you tell what the theme is?

Giveaway Winners!

I will be nice and not write a long blog and make you scroll for the winnners;)

The first winner is SewCalGal!
Winner number two is Margaretha!

You can go to my ecrater site, link at the left, and choose a pattern for yourself. Then pick one for a friend and tell me which one and where to send it to.

Congratulations to the winners! I will try and have more contests and freebies this year, still coming off the bad flu, so recovery is slow. Today I received a lovely email from Rosa. She is from Spain and made a beautiful christmas pillow with my free reindeer cross stitch. I love to see your work, so please send me photos of your finished pieces.

Double Giveaway!

With the new year coming, we all want to start a new project.
So, I will be giving one winner, a choice of one of my epatterns and a chance to give to someone else.
The winner gets one and the winner gets to give one away, to anyone they would like.

Just leave me a comment on this post and I will draw a winner on friday, December 31st. Just in time for some weekend crafting.
And for this weeks special, you can buy one get one free. Just leave your free choice in the comment section.

300th Posting! Contest

Yes, I made it to 300, lol.
I finished off my new piece today, so you could see it and how I converted one of my patterns into a cross stitch.
I would love to know your opinion on it, do you like it, would you make something like this?
And for all the comments I get about this piece, good or bad, your name will be entered into a drawing for the pattern, to this piece. I am new at using PC stitch, so it is a basic pattern, with color blocks and color code. I made this one into a pillow, but I think it would wonderful framed or on a hornbook. Since I am trying my hand at designing cross stitch patterns, any feedback is welcome. What would you like to see in patterns? Would you buy an epattern and do you like color blocks or color codes on your patterns. Do you care if the finished piece is different from the pattern, sometimes I do my own thing as I stitch, then decide, I like the original better.

I will draw a winning name on Sunday. Remember, you must leave a comment to be entered into the contest.
My next one is an adam and eve piece. I make up the basic design, then stitch it myself, and make changes as I go. I also, cannot see the holes as I stitch, so I am a bad stitcher, lol. But, it lends to the aged look;)

Contest Winners!

Well it is my Birthday, or was and I think one present isn't enough, so I decided to pick two winners.
Winner Number One is.......I Play Outside the Box
Winner Number Two is......Quilt Hollow

You can go to my ecrater site, link on the left and pick out any pattern or booklet that you would like.
Congratulations to the winners.

I didn't take any pictures of my new items today so I decided to put up a rug I made and not liking, as is.
The angel is pulling a cat on the sled, so I think I need to change the cat, so you can see it and also a bird on the tree which is too hard to see. Also, maybe too many snowflakes? What do you think? It is finished and bound, but I can still unhook and rehook without the frame, so it is doable and I really liked the idea, just wish I had changed it earlier.