Friday Finish!

 I finally finished my stitchery. It is a pattern by Bareroots and a fun one to do. I did it on a tea towel, like the pattern, but I think this would make a fun pillow. I used an iron on cloth to cover the back stitches, but it shows through, so not sure if I like that. 

I also did another painting, my first flower. I find it hard to follow the instructions, some make no sense, so I tend to do my own thing. I really don't like copying someone else's style, but I like learning a few new things and practicing techniques.

Last week we hiked at a park, that also has a bird sanctuary area. Some paths are paved, part of the old World War II airport training camp.

Other areas are grassy and others are wooded pathways, so a nice variety of scenery.

We also spotted a few returning birds, but only caught the Eastern Towhee. On the ride home we spotted a  Merlin and a few other things along the way.

Another day we went to the island and let Bean have some fun time at the beach.

Today we went to another sanctuary. There were so many birds and critters, we barely took a few steps before seeing something. Most were shy and ran away when they saw us, but I caught a few along the paths.

A Yellow-rumped Warbler.

A Yellow Warbler.

A Tree Swallow.

And a few more things we spotted at the ponds and path. We have rain coming, but it may hold off tomorrow, so hoping to get out again. It is nice to see signs of Spring at the parks and at home. My flowers and trees are blooming, so it is a great mood pick me up, after a dreary winter. I hope you all can get out and enjoy spending time outside.

Friday Finishes!

This week I was able to make two items and one is a freebie. The freebie is offered by Michelle Palmer on her facebook page, Michelle Palmer Artist. She offers one each year, and I love this new one. It was fun to do and can be done in primitive wools or bright wools.

The stocking is about 9" tall. I think it makes a nice gift that you can add some candy to, or some lip balm, etc. You can find the pattern at the link above. You can see a little shading on his head and tail, I used walnut ink but it faded as it dried, so I can add a little more.

My next piece is a design by Kathy Schmitz for her One Stitch Club. I decided to do it in Christmas colors,  on a tea towel,  perfect for a gift.

This week I was able to get in a beach day. Bill has his laser surgery and a late appointment the next day, so we got in a  few hours at the beach. I got  quite a few nice treasures, that large chunk is an old green piece and the larger rock would make a nice shape to do a nativity scene.

Do you see that smaller dark piece above the green and yellow one?

Well, I got a nice surprise when I put it to the light and saw that it was a piece of red glass with a gold decoration on it.  I almost threw it away, thinking it was a piece of a new bottle.

I hope you all have a nice weekend and not snow bound. It is colder here, but it will be sunny.

Friday Finish, and Giveaway!

This has not been my week, or more like, my worst one in awhile. Bill was sick, then I got full blown flu so we were both sick, who takes care of who? LOL, we all know the answer to that.

Bill started to feel better and he did a few things, like take the dog out to play and stare at his computer, but I did get him to go shopping and make up a chicken fry and we made burritos, not the smartest thing to eat when you are sick, but Bill is limited in his cooking abilities. After that I decided rice was a much better mix with the chicken and much easier on my system.

So, two days of misery with the flu, mostly laying on my chair and sleeping, and looking forward to the next day when I would have more energy to relax and sew. Well, that night I had one of my old spells, when I was in the bathroom and ended up crashing my body into things as I tried to stay upright long enough to get back to the bed. Never made it, whammed my hip and whole right side into one doorway, whammed my left side on another door and Bill finally found me on the floor.

So, My body feels like it got  hit all over with a baseball bat, my motions when I am like this are in high gear, I thrust forward or sideways at high speeds, so not much that doesn't hurt, at this point. For now I am waiting for the main trauma pain to subside, then I can see if anything is really hurt or just needs some rest.

I had two things planned for this week, flu killed it for two days, now I can barely move my arms since my shoulders took the brunt, so resting them and just light typing today.

I received my new design from Kathy Schmitz's One Stitch Club and wanted to make a few things for my Christmas box. I did get one thing finished, a snowman dish cloth. This is a fun one to do on a  dish cloth and I was also thinking, what if I add another to the other end as a runner, maybe some simple trees on each side to balance it out, what do you think?

My other project will be a runner, but I just got it started before I crashed. Not the best photo, but my new flash is being buggy, maybe it was the discount batteries, Bill bought;)

We got quite a bit of snow, I was disappointed tonight, beautiful full moon to catch right after the sunset, but my bones can't take a car ride and the roads are still covered, so not worth the risk. The good thing is, Bean was in heaven, he got to go out with Bill and catch snow, that he was shoveling.

And for putting up with all my rambling, lets have a photo contest. The winner gets any free e-pattern from my ecrater site, even booklets. Name this photo, add a funny caption, you decide. I will pick a winner on Monday night.

Friday Finishes with Bean!

I finished one thing this week, Bean is more than a handful and I seem to spend most of my time taking him for walks or chasing him around the yard. He has so much energy, I think I could run him for miles before he tires out.

I was trying to get some snowmen pieces done before my sister gets here, so I made a tea towel for something different. I found the design online and now I cannot find my copy or where I got it from.

I did this one in simple colors and added the saying for fun. I also want to put a button star on the top of the tree, but mine are all prim colors, so I need to go shopping for some yellow ones.

Today we got a lot of outdoor play time. Yesterday rained all day so I think Bean had double the energy. More than once I had to chase him after he took off, into the surrounding yards. I use the leash for bathroom times to keep him focused on the task and then let him loose for play time. Of course every stick in the yard has to be picked up and put in a pile by the tree, he is building a stash of them.

We also went shopping for some supplies and of course that included some new toys, he loves dragging his squeaking, crinkling lamb around the house. Bean and I hope you have a wonderful weekend, filled with adventures and joys.

Friday Finish!

Yesterday I decided to try another  tea towel. I used a design by Buttermilk basin so I could make a fall towel for next month. I reduced the design by 20% to fit the towel and sewed it one with a blanket stitch. One thing I am noticing is the towels are bright white, so I might try tea staining one to see how I like it, then I can do some with primitive stitcheries with christmas designs as gifts.

The towels are Aunt Martha's and with a coupon, well worth getting and easy to work on. I might just stain this one with tea, might give it a more prim look. The wool is prim, but I have to lighten it, so you can see the details.

Tea Towels!

A few weeks ago, I got some tea towels from Jo anns with a coupon, to try them out. I really like the loose weave and vintage look and it is something I can stitch or applique as gifts. They come in different colors, but green is my color and perfect for halloween or Christmas.

The first one I did with a stitchery, that I got from Kathy Schmitz. She has a newsletter and she offers free patterns in each issue, and this one worked perfectly for the tea towel.

The second one I did a wool applique from a Buttermilk Basin pattern. I love this design and will be making the actual pattern, but I wanted to try it on a towel. It takes up the length of the towel so it can't be folded, so this is good if you hang it from a wide rack. I also messed up and went wonky at the end, guess I should fix that;)

These are fun to do and we all have appliques that can be used for towels or reduce ones that are too large. With a coupon, it is cheaper than making your own and they work up quickly.

Bunny Tea Towel!

One of the other wonderful gifts that I received from Buttermilk Basin's giveaway was a tea towel and a bunny design to applique onto it. She also sent the rick rack and thread to use with it, but I forgot I had the threads and used my own.

I love the colors in the towel and I used my hand dyed wools for the bunny. I love how it came out and how it looks hanging in my kitchen. I have a pale sage green on the walls, so it looks beautiful against that color. I just wish I could have gotten a better photo to show it off.

Here is how it looks hanging on one of my racks in the kitchen.

Here is a little closer look, so you can see the dyed browns, love how they look on a piece like this.

This week I also found a new freebie that I thought you might like to do. It is from Badbird's and it is a beautiful design that would look nice as a mini quilt.

Pumpkins and Prizes!

I had another small piece that my friend Kelley sent me, and it reminded me of autumn. I hand stitch the top with lana wool thread, starting out with a design and then decided it was easier to do a basic stitch in the ditch with an X in the middle. I wanted to add applique, so it was silly to do anything that will be covered up by the appliques and since it is a table topper, it will have something on top.

I used appliques from two different books by Jan Patek. I liked the pumpkin in one and the crow in another. I kept it simple and like how it came out, something nice to use for fall.

The chalk marks still show, I need to rinse it off.

A nice surprise today was a package from Stacey of Buttermilk Basin. I was one of the lucky winners of one of her giveaways and today I received my wonderful goodies. I love what she sent and just in time for Easter. We have a storm heading our way tonight, so perfect timing. I can work on these two projects and have something new to decorate with. She even sent the wools and threads for the kit. The striped piece is a dish towel and I will be putting the bunny on the end, I just love that.

She even sent me a little Chocolate bunny, a really special treat for a dreary day.