Friday Finish!

 

This week I decided to make one of my rug patterns into a stitchery. It is from my pattern, Rooster's house. It is perfect to go in my kitchen to match with my other chicken pieces. I used my phone and no matter where I shot in the house, the colors were off. 

Last week's ride took us along the coast. At the Marsh, we spotted a few birds. 

Then a stop at the piers, we watched a fishing boat coming in.

And I spotted a seal, popping up for a look.

And at another beach, I was able to find a Drift of Snow Buntings. A single bird is called a snowflake.

At home, I have had a lot of visitors. With the snow and bitter cold, they have less to eat and the feeder helps to fill in the gap. I was able to get a decent shot of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. He has been making a lot of holes in the maple tree, so he should have lots to eat when it starts to run.

It looks like a slight warm up this weekend, so hoping to get outside more. Who would have thought that 40 degrees would be a warm up. Hopefully it will continue and spring will come early. I hope you all enjoy your weekend and improving weather.

Friday Finish!

 

This week I wanted something small to work on and I do need some new lavender pillows, as I redo boxes and storage. It really helps to keep the musty scents away. I took two patterns from my Fraktur design booklets, Horses and Rooster. These two make nice stitcheries and fun to color in. 

To color on cloth, I use freezer paper. After coloring, I use a paper stylus to rub the color into the cloth. With these two stitcheries, I used two new threads. The horse was done with cheap black floss, not the best floss and a bit fuzzy. The rooster was done with Anchor cotton floss, that comes on a spool. I like the Anchor on a spool, so much easier to use and no messy skeins to store. It is a bit thinner, but nice if you want more defined lines. On the horse, I used antique ink, spattering it on with a brush.

The cold has settled in and that makes it hard to get out for walks. We do enjoy driving around the beach areas. You never know what you will see and the water views are always nice, especially in a warm car.

The Breachway was a nice spot to see a few birds, but it was so windy and cold, I hate to take a few shots from the window. The gulls across the way, were feasting on something that must have died in the storm. Most beaches still have debris and damage, but slowly rebuilding the beaches and cleaning up.

At home I enjoy watching the birds who come to visit. The Red-bellied Woodpecker is very shy, so he stays in the tree and waits for me to leave. I have also spotted a few hawks this week, this one was checking out the grounds, behind our RV.

A few of the birds who visit the porch. The Sapsucker is making holes in my maple tree, he will have some nice sap, come spring.

And the ground feeders. Since the ground is frozen, I can throw some feed out, so they don't have to find scraps that fall to the ground. They have been coming up to the porch more, with snow on the porch, it is more natural for them, to forage. I noticed the White-throated sparrow is missing a toe.

I hope you all enjoyed your week and can enjoy your weekend. We have bitter cold coming in, so car rides will be all I can handle. 

Weekend rush!

Well, I got out cards and a few packages, but not as many as I would have liked, I think I am just burnt out this year. The good thing is the kids are cooking dinner, so we will go to their house and I won't have to worry about the mad rush to cook and clean this year.

I didn't want to over do it and I really miss seeing the kids, so we went to their house and I got to enjoy some time with the boys. Nick as always wanted to spend all his time playing with him, which is fine with me.

I realize I have to pay attention to where my focus is, I keep shooting and end up with blurry kids, and the fact that they are in constant motion doesn't help, lol.

Nick had just finished making a mini gingerbread house and eating all the candy off it, that might have had something to do with it. I bought over some old glass ornaments and Nick got to put them on the tree.

Alex loves playing in his chair and is just happy watching everyone. He was making some funny faces, but the minute I pressed the shutter, he stopped.

When we got to their house, we were greeted by a flock of chickens, I guess the neighbors let them run loose. It is a large neighborhood in the woods, so cars drive really slow down the roads. This guy was keeping his eye on me.

On Saturday we hit a few stores and then went around the ocean roads to enjoy the views. It was nice to just get out and see the ocean, but too cold to walk on the beach. I love this area, you can park and watch the boats, though I had to get out to take a photo.

A few more things to send out tomorrow and then I will relax and work on projects for fun. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

Friday Finishes!

This week I worked on the newest stitchery in Kathy Schmitz's One Stitch at a Time Club. I love this design, it was fun and was perfect to use for some fall pillows.

I did one with a wool background and rick rack, the other I made into a simple pillow and tea stained it to get a more darker look.

I also found a piece I made last year, so it was time to finish it, so I could enjoy it. The pattern came from an issue of Primitive Quilts and Projects. It fit perfectly with my hammered rooster candle holders.

We had a couple of nice days this week, perfect for some time at the beach with Bean. There were no people so he was able to run off leash and he loved it. Tomorrow will be the annual craft and art fair, and I already have two items on hold for me, love the Folk Friends, the Doll maker will have a booth and I love her mice, so I have a couple of halloween ones saved for me, they sell out quick, so she was nice enough to keep the two I wanted so I won't miss out;)

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and for those effected by the hurricane, prayers for you and your families.

Bean looks like one of the walking dead and his shadow looks like a wolf, catching him in action produces some funny poses.

Friday Finishes!

This week I made two pieces, the first is an Easter piece that I made from Rebekah Smith's book, Wool Applique Folk Art. I made this pillow smaller by reducing the design so it is 9" x 10". I am not sure if I stitched right, my brain is still on hold so I just used what looked good. I also stitched around the designs to help tack down the two pieces.

It is a fun piece and a wonderful piece to decorate with. It was hard getting the colors right in the photo and trying to balance the light and dark so you could see the details.

The second piece is a smaller pillow, 4" square. I found this design online as a freebie, by Cheryl Seslar of Raggedy Scrappin. I found it on pinterest, but can no longer find it online, but you can get it from this pinterest link.

And just in time for Valentine's Day, I made a banner for my bunny. I found a stiff felt at the craft store and it is perfect for mini shapes. I cut out the hearts and stitched on the letters, then used yarn to hang them from bunnies arms. It is a fun idea and I can make an easter one, and one for Christmas, so she can stay out longer;)

I hope everyone has a nice weekend and a Happy Valentines!

Indigo Blue Table Mat!

I finished my table mat this weekend and love how it looks on the table. We got a slate blue couch and just having something that matches, really warms the area up. The table is really an old cupboard top that had a stained glass front, but that got broken and now it is used as a table top with shelves to put my things.

This is the top, as is. I had to wash it to get rid of the chalk marks, yellow is not easy to get out. It shrank up and warped a bit, but fits the spot perfectly. The mat measures 23 1/2" x 13".  I stuck the candle on top so you could see the colors. I have a reproduction pencil box that sits there and holds my scissors and other items.

I decided it was too white and bright, so it got a walnut ink wash. I dried it in the sun and it got spotty, so I rinsed it down a bit and resprayed, then dried it in the dryer and now it has just the right aged look. The extra washing and drying, warped it more, but is is laying flat now, on the table.

Here is a close up of the staining and my stitching. I used DMC floss, 2 strands of #612. A great color for when you want a lighter, primitive shade.

I also decided my rooster was too light, I do like my darker prim look. I used walnut on the main colors and then tried java ink on the orange, but it muddied it on the outer edges of the tail, but it does look old now. Now I have to decide how I want to finish it. Today the summer UFO's went in a box, they will have to wait till late winter. Now it is time to get going on Christmas, I am hoping to have projects finished in time, this year;)

Friday Finish and Paddle Day!

This week I started two projects and finished one, well ….. almost. I made a punch needle from the latest issue of Primitive Quilts and Projects from a rug design by Tonya Robey. I think it will make a nice piece for the kitchen and I am thinking that I can make something with hangers and than attach it to that with double sided tape and change it out with the seasons.

I used scrap floss from my box and some of it was over dyed. I am not sure on the green and orange shades, but I still have to antique it and I think that should tone it down and give it the look I want. This way, I will stain it first and if I don't like how it comes out, I can still take that part out and redo it.

On the original design, there are flowers on the other side, as well. I did this with 6 strands of floss and a #2 height.

Bill was on a trip and came home this week, but they are still busy at work, so he is working around the clock. The good thing is they have him coming in later, so we were able to get out today and go for a paddle.

The tide was higher than usual so we could paddle all over the harbor without worrying about shallow areas. The birds lost their usual hangouts so they were all over the buoys and boats. I hate to be the owner of this boat, he is going to have a mess to clean up when he goes out this weekend.

It was a bit warm for paddling in the coves, and I wanted to enjoy the breezes so we headed out to the bay. The water was so high, you could paddle over the rocks. The birds didn't have many places to sit today. Usually this area has a line of rocks from the opening all the way to the lighthouse.

Some of the birds found a new place to hang out for the day.

We paddled further out in the bay since the boat traffic was light today. It was so nice to be out on the water and the fresh air was rejuvenating.

To finish the day, we went into the town harbor. This is the old bridge, leading out of town. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and hopefully I will finish both of my projects this weekend.

Angel Quilt Finished!

I finally finished my quilt today. I did the rest of the stitching this weekend and the binding today. I made this quilt to hang on my dining window. I have french doors in the back so I don't like using curtains and this is a nice way to decorate the window without throwing off the balance in the room. It is also fun to make them for the different seasons or holidays and change them out.

The pattern is an older design by Pieces From My Heart that a friend gave me. I wanted to get it done and up, but still keep the prim look, so I used raw edge fusible for the appliqués and a simple whipstitch to put them on. The stitching was done with #12 pearl cotton, around the appliques and border edges.

It was fun to make and fits over the window with a little room left for the kitties to sit at the window. I wasn't sure if I wanted to tea stain it, I can always do that later.

Another thing I have been playing around with is Zentangles. Zentangles takes doodling to a whole new level and I find it fun and relaxing to do. I took a design idea from a Charley Harper design and then added some Zentangles to practice the different patterns. As you can see, I messed up on some and  my hand has a mind of it's own so it is nothing spectacular, but fun to practice. You can visit Tangle Patterns to learn more and they also have patterns that you can use for practice and lots of links for inspiration.

Wool Quilt Finished?

I got my quilt finished for now. I am still not sure about the side bards and I might add more embellishment to the stars and the sides, but for now it will have to wait. Hard to get a photo and capture the true colors since there is so much going on. It was windy today so that didn't work out.

I did edge stitching on the blocks where the blanket was flat and left it along where they came out. A bit of this and that, just having fun and doing whatever as I went along. The finished quilt is 54" x 43". It is very heavy, so it will be nice and warm in the winter.

I lightened it up in photoshop so you could see the details, but it is much more prim in person.

After I did the top, I pinned it to the backing and cut off the excess. I sewed the black border/binding onto the front and then flipped it over to the back. That was not the best way to do this, the thickness made the wool bunch up on the sides, so I had to make a few fixes. The new larger star over the kitty is one place I needed a cover fix;) I wanted the border to be a little wider, so I folded over about a quarter inch on the back and pinned that to the back, then sewed it down by hand. This way it has a floppy, softer edge. The green is a loose weave wool, that a friend gave me.

What was I thinking?

I worked all weekend on my wool quilt, but not finished yet. I added the backing to it and the border which is also the binding. After I did that, I wish I had done things differently, so I had to figure out a way to get the border to look the way that I had planned. I ended up folding a piece over, then over to the back so it left more edge. I did finish sewing it tonight, but I still have some fixes to do. I sewed the binding on by machine through the front and back, so it warped a bit in some spots. I will fix those and any I can't might be a spot for a new appliqué;)

All and all, I am happy with how it came out. I started it three years ago and just wanted to finish it. I did hand stitching around the appliques, black on some and a light greenish shade on the dark blocks, but hard to see in the photo. I still need to add stitching to the side pieces, I wanted to wait for the binding before I did those.

I also decided it was time to clean up my sewing room and got that done today. Here is something I found and have no idea what to do with, maybe throw them out, lol. I started this years ago when I first started quilting and had ugly fabrics. They are designs from whimsicals. The only one I like is the kitty piece, maybe I will make a mini quilt with that and save the blank blocks for a jean quilt I will be making. The stitching is horrible on the appliques, so I doubt they would last long and not worth the effort to finish them.

Wool Quilt Progress!

I finished sewing up the blocks on my quilt and then I realized the last one, was sticking out too far, so I added a row of wool strips going down. I still have to cut and even it out, then I can see if I need to add anything to them, or leave them, as is. If I add anything it will be something simple, maybe more pennies. Which makes me think it would be fun to add strips to the other side with pennies, a suggestion by one of my followers. But at this point, I just want to finish it, I have so many more project to finish and start.

I am adding details now, just some stitchery in the leaves and flowers and then I will probably do some basic quilt stitching in some of the blocks, but I might do that, after I put on the back, so it will hold them together. I also need to add some words to my green blocks.

Using a plain cotton back to attach the wool blocks, made it a lot easier to lay it out and sew it down. I used a simple blanket stitch on all of the blocks, using a pearl cotton.

I tried a lamp and the flash, but it still came out dark on one end, so I lightened it up, which messes with the colors, but you can get the general idea.

Yesterday was a beautiful day, so we drove to the Watch Hill Lighthouse. The road to the lighthouse is very narrow and the storm wiped it out, so it is passable again and most of the damage is cleaned up.

During the storm, this area was covered by water, so the keepers were stranded at the tip.

Wool Quilt and New Stitchery Progress!

Today I played around with my wool pieces until I got a layout, that I liked. I had some spaces so I added a patchwork and a striped block and at the suggestion of a follower, some pennies. I also added the green blocks and the plan is to stitch words on those. I am doing a blanket stitch to keep it simple and easier than trying to do too many stitches on one big piece. I did a little bit today and got tired so I grabbed my stitchery to work on and what did I find underneath, a kitty block that I had set to the side. Now I need to rethink how that will fit in, but I am sure I can redo the top area and shorten the long piece. I added the longer piece and planned on making the applique later, which is good, since I will change that out to fit the kitty in.

What do you think? I realized I started this in 2009, time sure flies by;)

Another project I am working on is a stitchery called Blackbird Sings which can be found in Kathy Schmitz's book, Simple Pleasures in Redwork. After I find the stitchery, there will be a border and it will measure 23" x 26", the largest stitchery I have done but perfect to hang for spring and summer.

The original is done in lighter colors with a touch of black, I am going with black and a touch of color.

Contest and Freebie this week at Babycakes Blog, be sure to visit and wish her a Happy Anniversary!

Wool Quilt!

I decided to take out one of my unfinished projects and finish it, my wool quilt. I had a few things to sew down and some stitchery to add faces and windows, and finished that. Then I laid it out on the backing I am using for it. My original plan was to make the blocks, then sew scraps of wool together to fill in the spaces. But, I have no idea what layout I had to do that, makes no sense to me now, lol.

So, I need to rethink it, maybe make a few more blocks and still do some fillers. I am thinking that, instead of sewing the pieces together, I might work it as a crazy quilt. I can use a scrap piece of backing and lay the pieces down and then add wool and overlay it to the back and stitch it down that way. Something to think about and mull over.

The blocks were done with various patterns that I have in books, you will see a bit of Jan patek in a few of them. It is a fun way to make your own quilt, pick out appliques that you like and make them into one quilt. Any suggestions or ideas, are appreciated!

The top block is a possibility for another applique piece. This is what happens when you put something away for a year, you forget what you were doing;)

Narragansett Bay Quilter's Show: Part One!

Today we went to the quilt show and I made a video of the show, but the quality is horrid and the photos are too small to really see the quilts, so I will show a set at a time. I wasn't as impressed with this show, as I was with previous ones, but there were a lot of beautiful quilts and inspiration. I didn't buy anything, but Bill bought a bunch of tickets for the Basket raffles. He filled them out, then gave them to me, to put in the ones that I liked the most, so heres hoping I win one, though I won't count on it, lol. I hope you enjoy the quilts.

I loved the use of shirting in this one.

This one is a basic nine patch, but made special, by the fussy cutting of the squares.

A fun quilt with a lot of piecing and wonderful use of fabrics.

Beautiful colors and designs

An interesting take on americana and nine patch

This is just fun

I really like this, unique piece of art in fabric

Truly gores, beautiful appliqué and quilting

A nice folk piece

What is so wonderful about this piece? It is a mini quilt, so much detail in such small spaces.

And the last one for tonight. This is a unique piece, love the idea of using a seed package as a design