Friday Finish!

 

This week I have been working on hand quilting, so that will take awhile. I have a box of projects that I made, but never finished, so I took two out and finished them. I made them into little pillows and added a yarn edge. The fox will be a Christmas present to a friend. I have a lot of finished pieces, so I may need to do a craft sale someday.

Last weekend I was still recovering, so we did a few rides to get out, and then rain. Today I was ready to get out for a bit and wanted to get some apples before they ran out. It was not too crowded, so a good day to go. I got a large bag and a smaller one for the kids.

We took the scenic back roads home and made a few stops. One is a pond with an old sawmill. With the drought, they have not been able to open for visits, since the falls are not flowing. It is a nice spot to stop and walk around the pond.

There were a few Mallards enjoying the pond and this couple had a friend, sharing their log.

We drove by the farms.

And a stop at another pond. Lots of colors popping in Connecticut, but a lot of areas have narrow roads and no place to pull over, so I couldn't get shots in a lot of areas. Hopefully tomorrow I will be up to a bike ride or a walk, to catch more foliage.

I hope everyone had a good week and can enjoy the fall weather in your area.

Friday finish!

 This week I have been working on finishing my quilt and have gotten the solid blocks done, so now on to the finishing touches. I decided to try one of the animals in a kit I got. It has various types so I thought it would be good, to learn some basics on animal shapes.

Of course I don't follow directions and didn't like the original that was holding grapes, so I added a little outfit to mine. I see things I would change in my next one, which is how I learn, from my mistakes, lol. I started the face when the boys were here and Alex called him Bob.

Over the weekend, the kids started work on our porch. It was Bill's birthday present. They washed it and sanded it, and then started to stain it. Then my son pulled his back and now my porch is a mess and not finished, and we have rain coming in. Then my husband knocked over the umbrella and it tore through the canvas top on our lower screen tent. I think this is about the 10th one that has been destroyed, time to go with a metal roof gazebo.

We had another party since it was Ivy and my husband's birthday. I saved another present and they were thrilled to have roller skates. Alex didn't want to take them off and rolled around the house.

Another day we took them out while their parents were doing the porch. We took them to a local beach and then the bike path to ride on their scooters.

I am still coughing, worse at night. I heard that there is a new virus going around this spring, hangs on like Covid. Today we went to the beach for a bit, I walked along the beach and found a few pieces of glass and just enjoyed the views and fresh air. The boaters are back on the water, so fun to watch them, as they sail.

I hope you all had a good week and enjoy your weekend.

Friday Finishes!

Well, I was able to finish all my pillows today and use up the last of the balsam. A few trips to the post office and a few more next week and I can relax. I do have boxes of cards, think I go carried away, so those will go out too.

I also finished off a stitchery, I had made earlier in the year. The box behind them, I found last week and plan on using it for my newest snowmen pillows.

With the new month, I also got the new stitchery from Kathy Schmitz. She also gave away an extra freebie and I had to make that for some quilting friends. I photoshopped the initial out of the heart, so that wouldn't show. They also have lavender in them, so the person can put it with their quilts or fabrics to keep them fresh smelling.

And, I finished the stitchery of the month. I was hoping for something for Christmas, so I went with brighter colors, but that didn't work, so it is more of a fraktur style bird. The fabric is crackle print with and I aged it to look like old parchment. Hard to see in the photo.

And another freebie this month was by Michelle Palmer, for her Artist's Facebook Group. She also has a fun snowman to do, as well. Of course I added a few of my own touches.

I hope you all are enjoying the holidays, whether with family or quiet time to create, what brings you peace and joy, is truly what matters. For me it is always bitter sweet, Danielle loved Christmas and I will always miss her, but I still keep her close to my heart. I found a beautiful ornament with a saying, it is at the lower right and the saying is on the photo. The other I found and put in a photo from one of our last hiking trips. My tree is covered in silly cat ornaments, but these two remind me that she is with us in spirit. May you all find peace this holiday season.

Friday Finishes!

This week I worked on the new blocks that Stacy of Buttermilk Basin has been offering for free each month. This month it was a snowflake block and the letter I. I know this is one project I will finish and enjoy putting together. It is going to make a wonderful wall hanging for Christmas.

I also decided to try a piece by Bustle and Sew called Friendly Fox. I love the fox and the saying, a perfect gift for a friend. I am not sure how I will finish it yet, I was thinking it might make a nice sachet, with some lavender. I also did the flowers in simple stitchery, the original is done with embroidery stitches and filled in.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. We have one nice day, then rain, so hopefully we can get out and explore tomorrow.

Noah's Ark Banner!

After I got all of the chaos out of the way, I have been resting. I am so sore from the paddle, didn't realize I had paddled that far and when you start out tired, it is not smart to over do it, lol.

I think I got everything covered and taken care of, still need a new window for my car and I have to get another license and of course a purse to put it in. I want to thank all of you for your comments and encouragement, friends are a blessing when we have a bad day.

Yesterday I finished my ark piece, and hung it on the wall. I made it to fit above the back double doors, so it is long and narrow. I tried getting a good shot, but with it on the wall, I had the fan light in the way, and reducing it, made it hard to see the details. I used a lot of fun fabrics, some homespuns and patterns that worked well with the animals, I used them on. The design was made from patterns by Jan patek and some from Janet Bolten and a bit of my own. I also added some 3D elements to some areas, just had fun and made it up, as I went along.

Of course, you know who had to jump up on his tree to get in on the action. The quilt measures 68" x 10".

Here is a closer look at the center designs. I used jute for hay and some tools in noah's box. I had to lighten and sharpen the photos, so they look bright and cutesy, I wish I could have taken a photo outside before I hung it up. I used double backed rug tape to put it on the wall.

Kitties and Foxes!

Last winter I was lucky enough to win one of Lark Crafts giveaways. I won a calendar with patterns and a lot of wonderful felt. I also won the Fa la la Felt book and was thrilled since it has lots of fun designs and things to make for the holidays. I finally got to make some of the cute penny ornaments and did the kitties and foxes. For now I left them as they are, and later I will either keep them as ornaments, or maybe add them to something. The book also has some christmas trees to make, so lots of fun things i can make as gifts for others. The originals are in felt, but I decide to use wool and make them into pennies, so mine are slightly different. They were fun to make and love how they came out.

Hooked Runner

Today I finally finished my runner.
I did a yarn whip stitch around the edge and tucked under the excess backing and loosely stitched it to the back.
The rug still needs steaming and walking on, then as it flattens out more, I can redo the back after it has stretched.
I also need to clip the leftover snippets on top.

I am not sure if I want to make a big rug again. I would like to make one for my living room, but between the time it takes and struggling with it on the frame, I might stick with smaller ones.

This is not a great picture. I tried an extra light, but with flash, it makes everything pop out in color.
I used a lot of scrap wools in various weights and textures to give it more of an antique appearance.
For some reason it looks like you can see the white edge underneath, but that is the black yarn edge. Flash really plays havoc with my rugs.



One of the reasons I used scrap and rough wools was for this guy. This is his spot and he needed something he can lay on and run across without slipping. He seems to be pleased with it;) The rug is 78" long x 27" wide.

Experimental Creations

This weekend, one of my groups had a virtual retreat and flowers was the theme.
I decided to make a piece based on a fraktur and then I got the brilliant idea to use some old pearl cotton I had.
I realized after I used it, that it was thicker than the ones in the store. Not a good idea. I made a few holes, in the eye area, so I double punched it and then used glue to make sure the floss would stay. I ended up using 6 strand floss for the background and punching it in a one height, so the design which is in a 3 height stands out. Hard to see in a picture. So, now I know, do not use thick cottons on weavers cloth;)



Then I decided to try watercolor on some laid paper I bought. I read that the original frakturs were done on laid paper. I usually use heavier weight water color papers. I used a freebie design by Twigs N Sprigs to make this cute little picture with saying. It is done in black ink and then I used watercolor pencils for the colors. After I painted it, I let it dry a bit and then used watered down antique ink to age the paper. It came out nicely and the paper held up well, to the water.



Then today, I decided to over dye some floss. I used rit dye over pinks and purples. I used about 1 part black, 1 part green and 2 parts red. I tend to add colors and when it looks right, I pour it in.

Here is what it started out as.



And this is what I ended up with.T he purples go from light to dark shades and the pinks are dark to light. It will be fun to see how they punch up.

Antique reproduction punch needle

I made this punched piece a while back, but couldn't decide what to do with it.
It is a adaptation of an antique rug and I liked it the way it was, so today I decided to just leave it be.
I put two layers of cotton batting behind it and covered that with a blanket weight piece of wool.
I sewed it on with a blanket stitch and added the jute cord for hanging.
I looks great in every spot I hung it. I really need to do something with my twig wreath.

This will be another piece for sale and will be up, later tonight, on ebay.
I have been braiding and braiding, the never ending snake, lol. I am at the point where I will start sewing it together to see how much I have and how much more I need to go, to fill the hallway.

Today I hit Jo anns and got a few supplies, I just love coupons. Did you know that you can use online and mailed coupons on the same visit? As long the coupons have different numbers, you can use as many as you like. I was able to discount all my items, just love saving money.

New punch Pieces

Today I worked on my rug and was hoping to finish the last dog, but that isn't going to happen, unless I stay up another hour working on it;) So, I decided to show you some pieces I made this month. I have not decided what to do with them, they may be presents, they may go on ebay. I have not had good luck with ebay and hate to put things up to see them go for pennies, I rather give them as gifts.

This piece is based on an antique rug. I love the simple designs and this is what I based my runner on. Love the simplicity of it.
I think it would look good on an antique box.



This piece was based on an old postcard. I thought it would make a nice needle keep or on a sewing box. I used 3 strands for some of the smaller areas and the rest was 6 strands.

Lazy day for everyone

Today I had to go out for errands and then decided to cook when I got home. I make my own snacks, since I have a special diet. Today it was oatmeal crackers, banana/pineapple bread and Apple crisp. I think the cold weather is making me hungry lately, need lots of fuel;)

I put my rug on the couch to decide what to do next, but never got around to doing any hooking. Wore myself out, so worked a bit on my scrappy dog and cat quilt. It doesn't matter whether a rug is hooked or not, cats love them. Put backing on the floor and they are on it, they love to sit in the frames and love to roll around and dig their claws into them after they are hooked. Thank goodness, I can do my own repairs;)

I thought this picture would give you an idea of the size of the rug. The horses are about the same sizes as the kitties, lol.
Dora is the heavier of the two, Izzy has more fur than mass. Izzy is finally coming upstairs more often and likes to be nearby when I am working. Of course Dora always has her eyes on what she is doing, she is way too jealous of my attention.

Tuesdays Rug progress

Today I finished off what I call the fox and a squirrel that looks more like a rat;)
I used some plaids that I had lying around and I like how they worked up. I love experimenting with colors, and plaids give such unique effects. For the fox I used the multi-colored plaid and the one with a bit of what orange shade in it. For the squirrel, I used the light/dark brown check. The multi wool was from a man's jacket, the other two were gifts from friends. The colors look brighter hooked, than they actually are.





Dora and Izzy were playing ball as usual. I throw them down the hallway and they zip after them. Dora also loves to try and catch them in the air. When I roll one down the hall, she flies to the rug and then slides into it, her favorite pastime. She decided to take a break and give me that smirk of hers;)

Dora wants you to help!

Dora is my newest Kitty. She fills my life with laughter and love. I adopted her from our local pound when she was seven months old. She was scrawny and scrappy and didn't seem to interested in being taken, but something about her made me want to take her home. Well, it didn't take long for her to fit right in, she loved having a home and loves the freedom of playing without having to worry about outdoor predators.

Dora does not seem to understand water in a bowl, they only way she drinks is from a faucet. I was finally able to get a shot of her strange habit. Today we played with the infrared light on the wall. Izzy, my son's cat was jumping up a few feet to get it, but of course Dora has to show her skills and flew over Izzy in an attempt to grab the light. If only I could take a photo while playing with them, they are too funny for words.

Today Dora is asking you to help others who have pets. Amanda Atkins, daugher of Donna Atkin, a wonderful folk artist is auctioning off a beautiful print on ebay. The proceeds will go to "The Bunky Walton Fund". The fund is set up to help pet owners with the expenses of veterinarian care. In this economy, so many pet owners cannot afford to take their pets to the vet and a lot have had to give them up to shelters, so I think it is a great cause. If you love folk art, Amanda's print is a great way to get a beautiful piece of art and help a great cause.

You can see Amanda's auction here: Amanda Atkins Auction
It would also make a great present for an animal lover. I just wish I could have bid higher myself.

"All is Calm"

The Holidays are over and today I stayed home and rested, well some what. For me resting means doing a hundred things instead of a million, lol. I had a wonderful Christmas with my kids, DIL and future SIL. Because of my allergies, I do most of the cooking, but my son made a few special dishes to add to the feast.

My husband did his usual last minute shopping and I got a pair of polka dot pj's and slippers that are just butt ugly, lol. They are comfy though. We got a tv this year for our present, so we just got some silly gifts to open.

Today I got to do something for me finally. I have been wanting to do some new projects and had put them aside while I made presents for friends and family. I decided to start a runner for behind the couch area and later I will make one of the other end of the hallway.

I have no idea how long it will take me, but it is big. It is 85" x 26". I took designs from old rugs and put them all over. This way I can use scrap wools and not worry about having enough of one color. I plan on doing the background in black. I still haven't decided on the border, I may just go with a simple hit or miss type coloring, we shall see. Here is the pattern. There are a few spots that I will add items to later, but I wanted to start hooking and then I can decide if and what it needs.

I will share my progress as I go along. Tonight I worked on one of the horses, but it is slow going.