Friday Finish!

 

I am trying to finish old projects and found one in a box, in the basement. This was a runner I was making for my sister and for some reason, never finished it. It is a pattern I found in an old Better Homes and Gardens magazine. The original has a quilted middle, but I left that out. The only thing I did was hand quilt around the appliqués and border to finish it. 

It is done with old fabrics from an old fabric store that had sale bins, so not choices I would make now. The only bad thing is, two flowers have staining, so I will try and get those out and then send it to my sister. The side view makes it look shorter.

Last weekend we got out for a ride, still too cold to be outside for walks. We stopped at the breachway and enjoyed some fresh air and the incoming waves, for a bit.

The next stop was at the marsh. Lots of birds in the area and always nice to enjoy the area.

Our last stop was at Point Judith. It's a great place to park and see the ocean, without having to be outside. 

Another gull came in and let me take its photo. There are always a lot in this area since a lot of people get take out seafood nearby and sit here to eat, so they wait for leftovers.

Another day we stayed close to home and took a ride through the old base. Lots of businesses in the area, but a lot of area is left for wildlife.

With the snow and colder weather, I am seeing a lot more birds. There is a flock of Black-eyed Juncos that have decided that they like hanging out in my yard.

And a new pair of Cardinals, they are shy but the female finally decided to eat out of the feeder and stays nearby in the scrub bush.

And today I was able to catch the Sapsucker. It hangs out in the maple tree and has been drilling holes, all over. Usually the sap runs in February or early spring, so I guess he is making sure that he will get plenty when it comes in.

I hope you all had a good week. We are staying in a cold spell and maybe a little more snow next week. It seems the weather is reversing and the south is getting it all. 

Friday Finishes and Fun!

 

This week I worked on my table runner, it is finally finished! I like to keep the runners simple for now since the cats sleep on them and occasionally a claw gets into them, so sadly, they don't last. I hand quilted this one, then I added a blanket stitch around the edge. It has a middle halloween block and pumpkins and fall around it, so I can leave it out for the month.

I also made a small lavender pillow with the monthly stitchery by Kathy Schmitz. This was a fun one to do and of course I changed a few things to simplify it.

We also had some adventures last weekend, though we keep it low key, just getting out and enjoying a few places was enough. We went for a ride and ended up at the castle, always a nice place to walk around and plenty of parking spaces. There were pops of color here and there and we even spotted an eagle, flying over the river.

On Sunday we headed to the island. Rain was predicted and I didn't want to waste what time we had, driving around. It was a great day for the beach, very few people and we got a nice spot with views.

And of course, we went to this spot to find some glass. The tide was going out, so we spent time searching and time, just enjoying the views. 

And I spent some time enjoying my feathered visitors. There are a lot of Black Capped Chickadees that live in the pines and they love to come when I put a bowl of seed on the porch.

And quite a few Tufted Titmouse. I think there was a boom in breeding this year, I have never had so many as I have this year. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and find some ways to find joy in the area where you live.

Friday Finishes!

This has been a busy week, time seems to fly by which is good, maybe the bans will be lifted soon and we can all get back to a new normal. I am not making any big plans, I am happy to just be, to create and spend time with the boys when I can.

This week I finished a runner I made for the new trailer, which I am doubting will happen at this point. I have no idea what is going on and they don't answer my questions, so I may just take my money back and keep looking. I am not even sure if I can travel with the way things are, so not worth it if I cannot go camping and it just sits in the yard.

I wanted something prim and would work with brown shades, so I used blocks from two pre-cuts. I did the black blocks in the middle, since that is where I plan to put a basket to hold salt and table items. I did one design in the center, then butterflies at the end and outer corners and a floral design in the rest. Nothing fancy, but it will be used, so I want it to be easily washed.

Speaking of washing, the backing is a heavy black material and it did not shrink, so it has a big bulky puff underneath. I will take the binding apart and recut it, or I may replace it with something thinner, but not good as is, way too bulky.

As usual, a horrid photo, I love how it looks and it is longer than it seems.

Here is a close up to see a little stitching, I did this by hand with a tan floss.

And I made more masks. My DIL loved the ones I gave them and so did her sister. So, I made two each for her family, and Ivy will ship them to England. The dark reds and blue jean will be for the guys, Nick wanted the pretty colored one.

And for the girls I used an old print from Barbara Brackman, gifted by a friend. The pale yellow with blue feathers are for them. Then my son said he wanted a cat one, he wants to wear it for fun at a meeting, lol. One is upside down, I was trying to save material and forgot about direction.

I also tried a couple with a slot for a filter. It was a pain and I will stick to my two fabric masks. I heard that a good test is to try and blow a match out, with the mask on, and I could not blow it out, so I guess mine are nice and tight, but still comfortable and breathable.

I also need for ties and no old T's so I found some T-shirt yarn on eBay, I did make sure I got name brand instead of imported ones. Not the colors I wanted, but good enough for the masks and will be easier for me to make more. We have a few people in town who are charging for them, and a lot of people cannot afford them with loss of pay, so I will make some for those who need them.

We were able to get out for a nice hike last week, I got in 5 miles with lots of hills. It would have been shorter, but we took a wrong path and had to back track. There was a lot of downfall along the trails which made it hard to tell where the paths were so a few dead ends.

But it was all worth it when we got to the swamp and our reason for going. Can you see all the blobs in the furthest trees?

It was amazing to see the blue herons. There were at least 30 nests and some would come out and fly around but not close enough. It is also very swampy so no good places to stand along the shoreline, but I was able to get one decent photo. I will definitely go back to this place and take the easier path.

And a funny for today. Nick wanted to show me the new mask, I made. I keep thinking it looked big on him and something was not right, then it hit me. He has it on backwards, lol. Alex will not wear one, he is a fuss budget, so I may try making him a ninja mask and seeing if that works.

I hope you all have a good weekend. The weather is warming up and the sun is out again, so even if we have to take shorter walks and stay close to home, I appreciate every minute that we can.

Friday Finish!

This week I worked on a table runner. I am trying to use things that have been lying around and finishing other projects and this was a perfect project to use blocks and have something for my side table.

The blocks were gifted to me by a friend but a bit large for the table size, so I cut them in half and then arranged them into a windmill pattern. I usually go with smaller blocks but I also wanted to get it done so I could use it, so they are still a bit larger than I like, but it looks nice on the table.

I machine stitched the blocks and hand stitched it afterwards. I got the penny idea, because the blocks had been sew and recut, so they centers were a bit stiff and bumpy. The pennies cover that area and I was able to stitch around the bumps, instead of going through them. I did the quilting with just the batting and added a wool felt backing, afterwards.

I tried photos of it, in different areas, but it seems the light in my house is horrid and with larger pieces, it is hard to place it so I can get better lighting. I put it in this area so I could shoot at a better angle, so it is a bit smooshed at the ends, to fit the area.

Last weekend the weather wasn't the greatest, but we got out and enjoyed some exploring. On Saturday we drove up state and visited a few ponds, but no eagles. We enjoyed seeing some new areas and getting out for a bit, after the rain.

On Sunday, we visited Connecticut and started in a new area and came down river. No eagles and the roads on the map were not back roads, but dead ends, so we lost a lot of time, turning around and starting over. We did find a few new graveyards and I got glimpses of the sunset, as we headed home.

It is funny how we look all over for eagles and as we are driving down the road, there is a red tail hawk, sitting on a telephone wire. He was not happy that we stopped in front of him and flew off into the bush, but I was able to find him in the bush and get a shot before he took off again.

Tomorrow we get a new tv, the beauty of having a protection plan, they are well worth it. Sunday will be our day to get out, and I found some new graveyards along the river, so we can look for eagles and see some unique stones. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Friday Finish!

This week there was a new mitten I wanted to do. Each month there is a new one and this one was perfect for me. It will be nice with my beach theme room and for relatives who love nautical items.

I did make a mess of my layout, a bit crooked, so I do need to pay attention to how I set things on, before I sew them down. It makes me want to do more with my own nautical designs on each, for a beach tree.

You can find the stockings at Christmas Present on facebook.

I also finished the top for my runner, another item that is a bit wonky. My brain is wonky lately, so are my finished items. It will be used and prim, so a little wonky is ok. Since we are just going for a weekend, I will wait and take it on the longer trip. I have my stitcheries I can work on, but I know I will be on or in the water, most of the time.

The edges will be  trimmed down, after I quilt it. I like extra edge just in case it ravels. And if you notice, there is a new fabric in the mix. I decided to buy a yard to use, so I have two of each pattern. It was the perfect shades with acorns and leaves.

I thought you might like to see a photo collage of me and my family, through the years. They are all at the same camp and beach area. I was around 3 and in clothes. My mom would put dry clothes on me and I would be back in the water, I still love water. Danielle was 4 and Nick was 4 in his photo, so we were all close to the same age in the photos.

The weather looks great, no humidity, so I can enjoy being outside and later in the day we will head to the ocean, across the street. No dogs at the beaches, but no one cares after they close. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Friday working on!

This week was catch up with cleaning and repacking the trailer for the next trip. We have three days at the state park, right on the pond, so I plan on swimming and paddling, as well as some biking, if it is not too hot.

Or course I need a project to work on, since there are no hook ups, I wanted something I can do in lower lighting. Hand quilting is perfect and I need a runner for the fall, so I am working on putting one together, so I can sit and stitch during my rest time.

I used what I had, most is from my friend Kelley's stash, love the older fabrics and it has a prim, but fun print on most of them. I think two more blocks will be enough, and I will add a black sashing around the blocks, which should pull it together nicely. Then I will add the black as a border row. I think it might look more like halloween, than fall, though.

I used my phone, so not the best photo. I buy yardage of black linen, great for borders.
The blocks are 15" and I think 1" sashing should be enough. It won't be perfect or all matched, but I want to use what I have and it also serves as a sleeping spot for Moki, so for now, fancy applique is out. I will use black pearl cotton to stitch with.

Here is a close up of the main fabrics, they show the colors better.

I also have been keeping an eye on the Keets, for some reason the other Guinea Hen is picking on the mom. They chase her away and she runs off and leaves the babies, who get all upset and run around chirping. She does come back, but no idea whey they pick on her and today they even picked on the babies, so I have been chasing them off.

While I was putting out seed for them, I found this little guy on the ground. It is a baby Cedar Waxwing. I assume it fell out of one of the pine trees and was stunned, so I bought it on the porch for a few hours and it took a nap, then I placed it high in on of the crooks, of a pine. The mom will come back and help feed it,  until it is ready to fly on it's own.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and remember to check your lawns before mowing. A lot of babies are leaving their nests and baby bunnies, as well.

Friday Finish!

This week I finally got in my sewing room and finished something. I won fabric from Minick and Simpson in 2011, called Banner Rose. I had it for a few years and decided to make a patriotic runner. I got as far as sewing the strips together and it has been sitting since 2013.

I kept it simple with a darker blue border, which frames it nicely. Then I machine quilted it with a straight stitch around the inner strips. Not perfectly straight stitches, but I can live with my wonky sewing, I tend to stray on occasion.

The finished runner is 23 1/2 x 65". Moki has already taken over half of it, which is why I didn't put too much effort into it. I do have some nice patriotic fabric so I may do one with squares and stars for next year. Things do not last in my house, so having another, just in case, is a good idea and always fun to make them.

I guess I need to work on a fall one next, that I can put more effort into, as well as one for Christmas. This week Bill has off, so hopefully we will get out and have some fun on the water and maybe take a ferry ride. I also want to explore the bird sanctuaries in Newport, always a nice walk and amazing views. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Monday Finishes!

I was able to get in some sewing time this weekend and finished one piece, made another and started to finish a UFO.

The first piece is a design by Plumcute Designs. This was one of the free designs in the Buttermilk Basin spring hop. The original design is in a small hoop. I planned on putting mine on a wood heart, but the piece was too big for my heart. So, I went with a simple square pillow and added the saying.

I added a bumpy yarn by using  two strands and gathering it, as I went around to get a full decorative border. I added a cord so I could hang it on my peg rack at the top of the stairs.

This next piece is a free design from the Wool Applique group on Facebook. Trish from Attic Heirlooms is offering the designs and she also offers them on her website, but you have to get them during that month. I am making mine over sized because I will be hanging them on a line with clothespins, for a Christmas garland.

Another project that I have been wanting to do is a Christmas runner with blocks that my friend Lauri sent me. I finally got it into my head, how I should have sewed them to get them even, after I was finished, lol. I do not take things apart, so the uneven edges will stay;)

The middle section is white so I am trying to decide, if I quilt it, how should I quilt it and what design. I wanted to hand stitch it with black threads but not sure if i can do a nice design that way. Or, should I put an appliqué in that section? Would love suggestions.

I bought material to match it, but I wonder if it is too light? What do you think of the border fabric? It is more tan than the middle sections, but I plan on tea staining the piece, so the middle will be darker in the end. I hate to buy more fabric but I could also go with a dark red or green for the border?

Friday Finishes!

Another slow week, I spent more time thinking about what to do, so I didn't start until later in the week.  One project I started was an old topper that my friend Kelley sent me. She made the top and I added the green edge for the border and binding. I thought the piece had a Christmas look so I can use it for the holidays.

I was going to practice my machine stitching with it, but decided I needed a simple hand project to work on while I do other things. I am using pearl cotton on this one and a simple stitch in the ditch with an X in the middle for the smaller blocks. They are 1 1/2" in size. The larger block is 4 1/2" and I am doing a stitch in the ditch around the edges, then an X and in-between that I am doing a diamond shape pattern. I thought that it would be simple enough and give it a bit of a snowflake look.

The red is a darker red and the materials are a mix of cotton and brushed cotton so it has a nice look on it's own, which means I won't be antiquing it. But you never know with me;)

 Another project I started is a Christmas piece called "Hand the Stockings", by Joann Mullay. My friend Karen has gifted me with her older patterns and I love using them, fun and quick to do. I have all the pieces ready to place and sew.

Friday Finish!

I really had to push this one to finish it tonight, lol. I wanted a runner for my bedroom table and since it would be covered with items, I didn't want to go fancy. I did want nice colors so I used a 5" charm pack of Metropolitan Fair by Barbara Brackman.

I thought this would be a good quilt to practice my machine skills with, but then I decided to hand stitch it with black thread, which was a lot more work than I realized. This is a long piece, 51" x 16". I stitched down and across the blocks, then an X in each one, as well as a border stitch.

This is a fun and easy project for charm packs and great for those long tables. I tend to move things around the house when I need more space, somewhere else and this is how the table go in this room. I am also going to hang my cross quilt over the table and then I can frame my cross stitches and put them around the quilt.

The mailbox is on the table for now, since the air conditioner is in front of the table, it usually goes on. Later I can redecorate this table to match the biblical theme. The table doesn't really match the room but it will do for now.

Here is a close up of the stitching. I rushed it a bit, so there are big and little stitches, but it adds to the charm;)

Friday Finish!

This week I have been doing a lot of stitching. I wanted to make a runner for my dining bureau, so I used similar materials on this pieces, as the one on my dining table. I did the half square triangles with the first method on Jennifer's Blog. It is an easy way to make more blocks quickly but I still had to cut and press and then sew them all back together. I even made them larger and cut them down, but still didn't match up my blocks, I am a lost cause, lol.

I hand stitched it with black pearl cotton #5. It took me most of the week to do that and tonight I decided not to stitch on the border and just finish it, as is. It is slightly larger than I wanted, but I know it will shrink, once I wash it. I am also working on finishing my mail box, which will go on top, so hopefully I can finish that, this weekend.

I added some things for the photo, love how the orange shades look with the dark woods and white walls. The runner is 56" x 20".

Of course my shaky hands and flash, ruin the colors, so here is a close up, showing the fabrics I  used. I  wanted to do a big stitch, but I keep making tiny stitches. I think I should do machine quilting on my next runners.

Now onto Christmas, I have a lot of things I want to make and hope I can do at least half of them, lol. I also bought 3 bags of Maine Balsam. I plan on making pillows and ornies for gifts and I think a giveaway for Christmas would be fun too;)

Fall Table Runner Finished!

We had a beautiful weekend but as luck would have it, Bill and I seem to have gotten a flu bug so we sat on our butts and watched tv all weekend. The good thing was, I was able to stitch all day and I got the quilting done on my table runner and then today I finished the sunflowers and binding.

The bad thing is, my brain is messed up and I cut from the wrong point of the quilt and lost my black border and it had to be double folded to make a binding instead. All in all it came out ok and looks nice on the table.

The fabrics were from a charm pack called Posh Pumpkins by Sandy Gervais and the leaves are from one of her older fabric lines. I used the same sunflowers that are in my scarecrow hanging since he will go on the window in this room and now they will match. The fabric was a prize from Sauder's Fabrics and if you visit now you can enter their contest for their 40th anniversary.

And here is a close up, bad stitching and piecing, so you can see, I am definitely not a perfectionist;)

New Hexagons and Giveaway Goodies!

I finally finished my other runner, this one will fit in more spaces in my house, and I made it so I can place things on it for Christmas decorating. I made a mess of the border and wondering, am I supposed to put batting there too, or maybe that is why my borders are so stiff. On a quilt I can see it, but now that I have done these, I realize, it might be just put batting in the design area, since I don't do any quilting on the border?

I also wanted this to look antique, so I soaked it in tea and then gave it a spray of walnut to darken it more. Of course with the camera, it is hard to see the aged look, but I tried to get it, the best I could. It is nothing fancy, this was actually my first piece, all hand cut, hand sewed and no guide for the seams, so they are not perfect.

 Here it is, a little closer and lighter, so you can see the aged look a bit better. And if you are wondering, someone made me the pear as a gift and I made the strawberries. I wish I had more of that wool, makes great strawberries. But what I have left, has to go in a rug I have yet to finish;)

And I also got a surprise package today. For some reason I thought I had won a few pieces of fabric, and was so surprised at all the goodies I got. This was a giveaway, hosted by Cindy of Yankee Valley Stitcher. I love the fabric she sent me. I have been thinking of making some more crib type quilts and this fabric reminds me of the ones on old doll cradles. I even have a pattern that I found that would be perfect for it. And if you know me and scissors, I am always needing a new pair, I love this pair, just the right size and weight for clipping and cutting when I hand sew. I use blue markers for my stitcheries, so it will be fun to try a new brand out, not thrilled with the ones I get. The tape measure is also something I need, now I don't have to roll mine up every time I want to measure something and a notebook and a package with all types of note and stickies to use while I work. What a wonderful package to win, all the things I use and need and wonderful fabric, Cindy really outdid herself with her giveaway.

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!