Friday Finish!

 

This week I wanted to try something new. I had seen a quilted ghost and thought it would be fun to try one. First I sewed 41/2" blocks together. 

Then  I used a coloring page ghost and printed it out on printer paper, so it was a bit small. Then I put it on freezer paper and traced around that and retraced again to make it larger. Then I put the freezer paper cut out onto the back of the fabric. Added a backing and batting, right sides together with the batting on the back of the back piece. I left the freezer paper on and sewing outside the cutout and just went about it to add a little extra sizing and curves. I cut off the excess after sewing. I left an opening on the side, then turned it back to the front sides. I sewed along the outer edge with a machine, closing the opening.

I hand quilted it with floss and added eyes and a mouth. A fun project that you can do in a day and a great way to use up scrap fabrics. I use rug tape on the back and stuck it to a wall.  

Last week we went for a bike ride on a paved path. We tried a new route that went through a lot of woods, so it was nice and cool. It was shorter and with an electric bike, I had enough energy to go a little more in the opposite direction. We went by a pond and took a break there.

I spied a Blue Heron in one of the coves.

Another day we did a couple of walks at the park by the ocean. 

I spotted an Egret, trying to catch fish, but ended up with weeds.

And a Green Heron in the pond.

Today we went to the island. Bean hasn't been out with us as much, so we thought he needed a fun day. We took a walk around the lighthouse area, where he got to meet new people and pet by the kids.

After we took him to the beach, so he got to walk in the water, while I looked for glass. The tide was high so not much to find. 

I hope you all enjoyed your week and are enjoying the nice fall weather.

Friday Finishes!

 This week I was able to finish two items. I like doing small projects while I work on the larger ones. They are simple to do and something fun to do, while I watch tv.

One item is another heart. I do enjoy making rag rugs and a heart is a quick way to make one. 

I also made another small mat for my table. This one I used precuts with a spring look. These are fun to do and I think I will make one for summer with my nautical or seagull prints.

We also got a chance to take Bean with us for a ride to the beaches. It was too cold to be out long, but we got out in certain places and let him roam a bit.

I also caught a few birds along the way.

Along the route we stopped at the college campus beach. 

I was also able to get a shot of the lighthouse, from a different view point. When I opened the photo to see it, I was surprised at the shapes in the doorway. 

One afternoon we had the boys, while dad went shopping. They spent the time trying out my instruments. Nick seems to pick up anything and play it by ear, Alex is getting the hang of following notes.

Today we stopped to see if we could spot the Eagles, none in sight. I did spot a Hawk hanging out in a tree by the pond.

I hope you all had a nice Valentines. I do not celebrate it, too commercialized for me. Weather is coming in tomorrow, so we won't be able to get out too much. 

Friday Finish!

 I am still working on my charity quilts and I wanted a break from sewing, so I made up a halloween piece. I find that I can sit for hours while felting, so it is a good activity when I want to sit and rest. I always start with an idea and it comes out differently, but still fun to make and have something new for the season.

I also, finally, put my scrap quilt together, so now I just need a border and get it ready for quilting. This will be another hand project, I want the stitches to show and it should work up quickly enough, that I will have it ready for Christmas.

Last weekend we went for a few walks. The first was at our local bird sanctuary. Always a nice walk and lots of birds in the area.

A few views on our walk.

And a few of the wildlife, we saw along the way.

On the way out, we spotted a hawk, flying overhead.

And also flying overhead, were a group of World War II planes.

The next day we went to a park in Connecticut. A nice walk along the coastline with views of the ocean, along the way.

We spotted quilts a few groups of birds, who are resting on their way south.

And more shore birds along the way.

Lots of Monarchs, flitting about, gathering nectar for their trip south.

And quite a few dragonflies and bees, as well. Unfortunately we also ran into quilts a few mosquitos and I got bit, way too many times. It was a hot day, so to the best time to be in a swampy area.

Today we went to the island to do a little walking and glass hunting. It was a bit windy and cool, and the waves were higher in the inner bay, due to the hurricane, passing by. I found a few treasures and was delighted to see that the black piece I found was a cobalt blue piece.

I hope everyone had a nice week and plans for fun this weekend. A lot of the places we visit, are ones I found by using Google maps and exploring closely to find walks and parks in the area. See what fun things you can find to do, in your own backyard

New Pattern Winner and a freebie for all!

I was able to finish the new pattern this week, though it took longer than usual. The last fall landed me on my elbows, so my arm is still recovering from that. I made it larger, which actually makes it harder for me, I am better with smaller designs and detail.

The punching is not the best and I wish I had gone out and gotten new floss, but I love the design and how it is a bit of history and a bit of whimsey.

The lighthouse is the Ledge Lighthouse which is off the coast of Connecticut, which is reported to be haunted. The perfect place for the ghostly sailor to sail by.

And to add to the fun, guess what number the generator picked? Lucky number 13, lol! So, the winner is Rugs and Pugs! Please send me an email and I will attach the pattern to the return mail.

The finished piece is 6" x 7". I have added a button to the side bar that links to my selling site. For some reason, PayPal is not letting me use their code for a link, so this way you can see the pattern and link to that, to purchase one, if you would like to make your own. This would be fun as a rug, or applique, which I may try myself.

The colors are better in person, I needed to keep it light for the pattern and printing.

And for those who want to make something fun for Halloween, I have gotten permission to share this older pattern. I did the piece and the write up for the magazine, Mercantile Gatherings, from Tiffany's design. I miss her website, lots of freebies and wonderful prim designs.

Have fun and remember to give credit to the designer, when posting a photo. You can use Primitive Blessings, which is her old store name.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Friday Finishes!

I received my issue of Primitive Quilts and Projects and I loved the hooked rug by Mad Hen Primitives. I decided to try it with punch needle so I reduced the design to make a pillow. I was trying to keep it toned down and similar colors, not sure if I really like how it came out, but not too bad.

My arm has been bothering me more this week, so I don't have the control I would like and it tends to make me stiffen up, so my punching gets tighter, as you can see by the various blobs of hoops that got smashed into it;)

I used two pieces of rug yarn and twisted them as I whip stitched it on. I also gave it a light coat of antique stain. It is a 6" pillow and I think it does look better in person than in a photo.

I also have plans to get out this weekend, warm weather and the leaves are turning, so we are heading up towards Massachusetts and hopefully hit the foliage. I wanted to have some rocks to hide as we travel, so I whipped up a quick batch. I do think the ghosts are fun and they are easy to make, maybe I should see if I can find some more of those shapes and make some for next weekend.

I did try a new pen, it is the same brand but it was a brush tip. I found it hard to see where I was going and it doesn't dry like the thin pen, so I couldn't clean around it without smudging it. I do like it though, for rocks it would be nice to color them in but they are not cheap, so I will stick with paint.

If you are interested in making your own rocks or other items to hide, for others to find, you can join my group on Facebook, DSmiles4miles.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, I plan on enjoying the nice weather.

A walk through the woods!

Today was another beautiful day, so we went for another walk.
This one was a good hike, through Arcadia State Forest, The trail we took was really beautiful, rolling hills, giant rocks and stone walls, in an area that was once inhabited by the early settlers.

We took a trail that led us to a fishing pond. The pond was so beautiful with the fall colors coming in.



We took the trail around the pond, which was a nice easy trail and then we crossed a little bridge where the river runs in.



On the way back we took the trail that ran along the river coming out of the pond. It was wet and rocky and hilly, so I got my workout on that path.



On the way to the pond, we passed an old graveyard. I didn't think to take a picture, so I got one on the way back. It was late afternoon and the woods were a bit darker, perfect time to catch visitors;)

Ghost Rider Hand Hooked Rug

I have not finished anything in the past few days, I have been fighting a bug or something, what else is new, lol.
I have been keeping busy, most need finishing and a couple are secret projects that I am working on for the magazine.
I decided to try selling my Ghost Rider again. This is a beautiful rug and I would love to see it go to a good home. My home is not good for rugs, my animals are terrors and I am always reworking them and this piece deserves better;)

This is my own original design, made from dyed and specialty wools, that I made just for this piece. The purple was the hardest color to get, it is much nicer in person. I had to dye it three times to get the right shade. I have it on ebay tonight if you are interested in owning one of my rugs. The rug measures 32" x24".

Ghost Rider Rug

I thought you might like to see the original rug I did for this pattern. This is a large rug, took me a few months to hook this one.
I also hand dyed the background, 3 times to get the right shade of purples. Of course the camera is not showing it properly as with the punched piece. My camera just doesn't know what to do with purple shades. I tried selling this rug, but I wanted too much, I guess, so it stayed with me. Sometimes I just cannot let things go on ebay bids.

Sometimes I feel so bad when I see rugs and punched pieces go for nothing on ebay. I know the time and materials that go into our work. I mean, would you work for 3 days, for 20$, now that is sad. Or the fact that someone will pay hundreds of dollars for a used box of french fries and not pay a fair price for a hand crafted work of art? I really would like to have a site for hand crafted art, a gallery type website with the best in primitive crafts. I have thought of doing one, but I just don't have the time and my web building software is outdated. So, that is my complaining for tonight and why I stopped making rugs for sale. Now onto the rug, I hope you enjoy it, it is a fun rug. I had to lighten the image, so you could see the details on the colors that were too dark. The purples are richer and darker, as well as the leaves.

New Punch Needle: Ghost RIder

I decided I wanted to do my Ghost Rider in a punched design. I have this rug in my hooking room, I could never get the price I wanted, so kept it for me;) But, I will sell the punched version, on ebay, tomorrow. I will try and put my new pieces up, a day ahead, so those of you who would like to make an offer, can do so, before I list it. Only serious offers, please.


I made this one into a pillow without a hanger, I think it looks great sitting with a display to show off the design.
I used some variegated linen threads on the ghost and pumpkin's head. I love those two shades in the linen.

This is also a pattern in my ebooklet if you would like to make your own punched piece or hooked rug. I modified the original to make this new piece.