Friday finishes!

 

This week I am still working on my stitchery, but was able to make up two new stuffed pieces. The owl is a remake of the first one I did. The wings are a fun addition and I changed up the face a bit. The problem was, I over stuffed it which changed the shapes, and then my ladder stitch at the bottom is a mess. I plan on taking it apart and re-stuffing it to flatten it out a little and make more room for the closing stitch.

The dog, I made the mistake of cutting it out on the wrong grain. So, when I went to stitch it up, it started to ravel at the edge and I couldn't get a good stitch to close it. I ended up pinching it together and resewing along the first stitch and that helped, but not sure if it will not fall apart. I learned not to cut like that again.

Last weekend we did our usual drive around the beach areas. Way too cold to get out for a walk, so we stopped at spots with views. At the docks, we caught the gulls, going into a frenzy when the boats were coming in. The fishermen throw out the unused bait and they are all ready to grab it.

On the way I home, I spotted two white birds, mixed in with the doves. They are domestic pigeons that are bred to be white, then released at events. Sometimes they get lost and don't find their way home, but these two knew, there is safety in numbers. They were moving too fast around the field to catch them together.

Today we got out for a walk at the bird sanctuary. It was warmer, but closer to the ocean, so the breezes were a bit chilly. There is a lot of downfall, so we had to climb over a few trees. Not too many birds have come back yet, so no photos, but an enjoyable walk.

I hope everyone had a nice week. We have rain tonight, so not sure if we can hike tomorrow, most trails here are in swampy areas. I hope you have nicer weather and can get out to enjoy it.

Friday finish!

  

This week I tried a new stuffed owl. It is a fun pattern and easy to do. I didn't like how the ears came out with the inset and the bottom piece, kept me from being able to keep the opening on the bottom. So, I redrew it a bit larger for a pillow size and changed it up a bit. Hopefully I can get another done next week.

Last week we took a drive around the ocean road and made a few stops, but it was too cold to be outside, too long. We stopped at the docks and watch the boats and birds in the channel.

The next day was slightly warmer, so we went to the island so Bean could enjoy some time out. It was foggy most of the time. Looking across to Newport.

Not too many birds lately, but I have seen a lot of Mallards. 

And of course, I couldn't resist picking up treasures on the beach. The large dark piece is green and I found a few glass hearts.

And at home, I have been seeing the Red-shouldered Hawk. This one was jumping down to the ground, trying to catch something. Not sure if he ever got anything.

I hope everyone had a good week and it seems like another week of cold weather. Hopefully spring will be here soon.

Friday Finish and Fun!

 This has been a whirlwind week, with the extra days Bill took for the holiday, we have been going more than usual and I only had a few days to catch up before the weekend is here again. I have been working on my hand quilting, for my Christmas stockings and making good progress, but I wanted to make something quick for fun.

I use regular pillows for my back on the couch and decided to make up some quick halloween covers. They are simple to make and fun for a little change. A great way to whittle down my stash. This is fabric a friend sent me and perfect for halloween.

One good thing is, Connecticut has no hunting on Sundays, so it was the perfect day for a hike. We went to a preserve that has five waterfalls and walks along a river. The bad thing was, with the drought, the smaller falls were mostly dried up. It was a nice hike, but a lot a hills, so I got a good workout.

They also had a Fairy Trail, lots of makeshift houses but winds and weather beat them down to the ground. They did have fun, carved animals along the way.

Along the river, were pops of color.

On the way home, we stopped to enjoy some local views.

On Sunday we spent the afternoon with the boys. We took them to the owl sanctuary, a wonderful place to walk and explore. We found a baby snake under a log.

It's a great place to let boys get out their energy, lots of trails to explore and rocks to climb.

We enjoyed one day at the beach. Our weird find was a bowl that looks like something from a restaurant, or maybe it fell off one the the cruise ships, across the bay.

Tomorrow is photo day for the kids. They have me take photos that they can use for Christmas cards and send to family. I hope everyone had a good week and enjoy the weekend ahead. Hopefully I can relax and catch up on blogs this weekend.

Friday finish and starts!

 

This week seemed to go by too quickly and as usual, I didn't get as much done. More time spent getting ready for Easter and getting out on nice days.

I did put a new piece together, I have had it for years and decided it was time to make it. I have most of the pieces cut out, so I could make sure I got the layout right. The design is by Crane Design, called Lighthouse Landing.

I also painted some new rocks. I enjoy doing happy pieces that make me smile and hopefully, will make others smile when they find them.

Last weekend we took a drive to Connecticut. A few nice walks at a few parks.

One park still has the old farm buildings left.

And lots of birds at the parks, but as usual, they hid or flew away when I got the camera out. I found an owl in a tree, he stayed still.

During the week we spent time at the beach, in the afternoon. The tide was always coming in, but I still found some nice treasures and got nice walks in.

Today we got out for last minute shopping and spent the rest of the day, at the beach. This is a Long Beach, so we got a nice walk in and found some nice treasures, which are in the 4th glass photo. We walked as far as we could go, which ended at a rocky barrier. Next time we will have to find a place to park and walk all the way to the lighthouse area.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend and a Blessed Easter Day. 

Friday Finish!

This week I worked on some new stitcheries, both from Kathy Schmitz. When she sent out the newsletter, she showed a fun halloween piece, that was featured in, American Patchwork and Quilting. I had received a few magazines from my friend when we camped together and that issue was one of them.

It was a fun piece, so I decided to use fun colors and I even added glitter paint to the cape and hat. I also antiqued it, so it has that vintage look. I like making prim, but a little whimsey and color for the boys to see, when they visit.

My second piece, I did in simpler colors and kept prim. I enjoy making a few new pieces for fall, to decorate with.  This piece was the offering for the monthly stitch club. She also gave us an extra with a pumpkin to put on a tea towel. I only have a red stripe left, so I guess I need to get more, in different colors.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Hopefully Bill and I can find some new places to explore and see the start of foliage. The temps are dropping, so perfect time for hiking.

The two pieces have more dark spotting, but it doesn't show up in the photo.

Friday Finishes!

This week I have been busy with new projects and trying new things. I enjoy experimenting and seeing where it takes me.

I wanted to try two photo transfers with two different mediums. I am still not pleased with the results, but they didn't come out too badly, considering I am using an ink jet and it is recommended to use a laser printer. I also used my laid paper, which has ridges on one side, so I printed on the smooth side.

The first is a sailboat photo, that I took from Jamestown, looking towards Newport. I used heavy gel medium, and I think the heavy is what made it harder to work with. I had to smooth it out a few times to get out the bubbles. I also had to be more careful when I removed the paper, or part of the design would come off too. There was also some slight bleeding, so a little antique medium was applied.

The second piece is another one of my photos, an old one from a kayak trip. I used the glaze medium and it seemed to work better, but it does bleed out some color, always seems to be a red. The design adhered to the board, so that it looked like it had melded into the canvas, so it was easier to get rid of the paper without taking any of the design. I also think my prints come out a bit dark, so maybe lightening them up would help and make it look more aged.

I do think I like them better on the framed canvas, but the smaller hard boards are easier to work on and great for practice, since they are cheaper. Next I will have to try some on wood.

Another project was the Stitch of the Month Club pattern from Kathy Schmitz. I really enjoyed doing this one and used DMC 115 to get a variation. The color tends to run longer with one shade, so I cut off a long piece, then recut and mix the dark and light in two strands to get this look.

And yesterday I was in the mood to paint, but my brain wasn't up to finishing the angel. So, I found a fun design from Artist's Club. This is a free design by Sharon Bond. The club is an online store for painting patterns, lots of free ones and PDF patterns for sale.

A Valentine for Nick. I added glitter to the word love and the heart eyes have glass gel in them, so it shines when you turn it to the light. I also used the glaze finish, which leaves a wonderful glassy shine, but hard to get a good photo with it.

He loves things that I make so it was fun to do. Last week he asked me if I could help him paint some rocks he found. I used to teach kids how to paint, so it will be a fun project to do together.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Friday Foible!

I have been doing the blocks for Words of Wisdom by Suzy's Sitcom. They are fun to do and I made mine smaller, which I wish I had made slightly larger. Since I made so many, I am just keeping them small, and hoping with some sashing, it will make a nice lap quilt size.

I finished the latest one and took a photo. That is when I noticed the difference in color, duh. I used dark red on this one and the others are a brighter red. So, maybe I will have to do another one, or maybe I will keep the darker one in, maybe make another one or two in dark so I can mix them up, what do you think?

Here are the blocks, all together. I will have to go through my stash and find a red print to go with them. The newest block looks darker than it actually is, I haven't washed out the blue marker yet and the flash focused on the others.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend. The boys are finally getting their birthday party tomorrow, so we will be celebrating that and Sunday, hoping to get out for some paddling.

Weekend Wanderings!

This weekend we got one rain day and one beautiful day. It was so nice to get out and not have to wear a coat. This time I found a new place to explore called the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center.

I read up on it and it said that dogs were allowed, but when we got there, I saw on the sign to the center that dogs were not allowed in that area. I asked at the desk and she told me we could hike on the trails on the other side.

The trail was nice, though a few wet spots from all the rain, but it was a nice hike and we didn't see anyone on most of the hike.

Some areas had board walks for the swampy ponds.

There are also farm fields and an old quarry area. One thing the sanctuary has is, plenty of birds, especially wood peckers. I noticed a lot of holes in the trees and even spotted a few babies peeking their heads out. Now I know why so may trees look like faces.

One reason I wanted to go was, they have an owl sanctuary. Bill sat in the car with Bean so I could go and see the owls and check out the sanctuary area. They have ponds and trails and I will definitely come back with Nick so we can explore that area.

This owl seemed to be mocking me. He was making hissing sounds and blinking at me.

This guy just looked sad. He had some strange growth on his stomach, not sure what was wrong with him, but he was not a happy guy. I cropped him in more and used photoshop to make the bars and background disappear.

There are also barns and old homes, and they are associated with a farm, so lots to explore on future visits. I have been by this area when we are in Mystic and never knew it was there. I might even go back next Sunday and bring Nick. Great time of year to see nature as the ponds come to life and the flowers will be budding.

Today we put out fresh feed, so all the birds and critters were feasting on the seed. The chipmunk got too close to the squirrel's spot, so he scared him away. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

Primitive Pillows from Free Graphics!

A while ago, I had bought some Inkjet fabric sheets and decided it was time to try them.
I didn't know what I had bought, it says, sew in sheets, so I think I got the wrong type and wasn't sure if they would work.

The sheets are a bit stiff but that makes them nice for printing. They do print out nice and clear and the colors really come out nice. After you print them, you let them sit to dry the ink, then heat set them with an iron. I waited a day and then ran them under cold water, which sets the colors. The only thing was, the red shades did run, but as you can see by the photos, antiquing them, took the hue away.

This design I printed out, about a year ago and I think I got it from a free postcard site.

I found this alphabet print at The Graphics Fairy, loved these two the most and had to make them into pillows. Love the old time look to them.

The last two are also from The Graphics Fairy. I printed out too large, but they still make nice pillows to add to a spring or Easter setting. If you visit The Graphics Fairy, you can find a lot of wonderful designs to print for pillows or altered art pieces, lots of possibilities.

I really had fun making these and was so glad when they came out so nicely. Next time I will try the regular fabric sheets to see how those work.

Owl Bookmarks

I didn't feel like thinking too much, so went exploring on the web and found the neatest site with tutorials.
One thing I wanted to make was their owl bookmarks. Very easy, wool and blanket stitch. I changed the eyes to buttons and messed up my placements, but what else is new;) I still have to add something to the long part, might stitch the recipients name going down. I thought it best to show them before I do that;)

If you would like to make some yourself or find some other great ideas for gift giving, check out Wee Folk Art. There are lots of tutorials and I love the eye glass case with the birds. Now I need to practice up on my stitching. I would also like to use yarns and pearl cottons, but they do not go through the fabrics with the big needles I have. I would love suggestions on how other's use larger threads in their pieces. I have done couching, but i want to be able to sew it into the fabric.

New Witch and Thrift find

I finished a new witch last week, but wasn't sure what to do with it.
It is a larger piece and I just didn't want to make it into a pillow and I am too lazy to make something wood to put it on.
Tonight I attached a black quilted piece to it. It gives it a nice look and I figure it can still be put on something this way. I see a lot of people selling flat pieces and the nice thing, is the buyer can use it on their favorite item. What do you think about flat pieces?
What do you think of this piece? I was thinking of putting it on ebay tomorrow. It is an adapted pattern from an old post card. The original hag, was sitting in front of a fireplace. I do have the other witch scanned in for a pattern, but I was waiting for this one, so I could offer them both in the same pattern.



I also have been experimenting with hugo and felix items for Lynette and made a mess of this one. It was supposed to be a business card holder with hugo and felix. I made a mess of the sewing, should have done it by hand instead of by machine;)
Then I used wool threads in a tiny area and hugo and felix are a mess.



I was feeling better today and finally got out of the house. I hit Jo anns, love coupons, used printed ones and ones I get in the mail. You can sign up and get ones online and have them mailed to your house, and they allow you to use both as long as the numbers are different. While in the area, I had to hit Savers and glad I did. I found a bunch of old rug hooking magazines, so I took them all. The bad thing is they smell musty, didn't notice that until I got home. My big find of the day was a Belleek cat covered dish. It was only 5 dollars and I know they go for a lot more, so I took it. I collect cats, but not fancy ones, so it will probably become a gift.

Quilt Challenge

I can finally show one of the projects that I have been working on.
This was for a challenge in our quilt group. Sue Spargo gave us the tree and leaves as a base and then we had to work around that. I used fraktur drawings for my design, and had fun with it. I added yarns and needle felting and buttons and a little of this and that. I started out with free motion quilting on the background and then my machine went on the fritz, ugh. So, I had to finish the rest by hand and then did a large black scroll around the red border. Of course I could not get a decent picture and the nice prim look. Keep an eye out for the challenge on Sue's Blog, for the rest of the pictures from the challenge.