Free Easter Bunny!

This weekend I took a break on Saturday since it was windy and cold. It gave Bill a day to work on the bathroom, though I am not sure how much he really did, lol. On facebook there is a group called Homespun Whimsey - Woolen Friends. She offers free patterns and block of the month. When I saw the bunny, I knew I had to make one.

I used what I had in my stash drawers and did more prim stitching, but I wanted to add a pop of color too. I like having things that the boys enjoy too, so more color in my pieces, lately. It was fun to make and I put it on the wall with rug tape. A great way to hang pieces without wrecking the walls.

On Sunday the boys had plans with mom and dad, so Bill and I went exploring by ourselves. We went to a small wooded park, that has paths and along the way, artwork by local artists.

It was a short walk, but fun to see something different and I left a painted rock along the path, for someone to find.

I was in the mood for a longer hike, so we went to the bird sanctuary at Trustum Pond. It was more crowded than usual, but we could still enjoy some quiet hiking along the paths and the local wildlife along the way. There are fields that are off limits for hikers, but I spied this guy and snuck in a little way to get a shot. A red tailed hawk, perfect spot to watch for mice in the fields.

The turtles are still hibernating, but we spied this beaver in the pond.

At the entrance, there is an area for birds with feeders and water, so a great place to see varieties of birds that are coming and going for the spring migration. This little Tufted Titmouse sat just long enough to get a shot.

The tide was going down and I wanted to check out the beach nearby. It was windy and cold, so I did a quick look in the immediate area and grabbed what I could, but too cold to stay out too long. The beach was covered in rocks, I know there was tons of glass in there, hated to leave, lol. The larger round piece was so clear, I grabbed it, thinking it was probably a rock, but I realized it was glass, so a nice find.

Hopefully I can get in the creative mood this week and start working on some art projects.

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;)

Little Chick Pillow!

Today I finished a pillow with the spring chick design that I won from Stacy of Buttermilk Basin. It is a fun design to do and since it is longer, I reduced it a bit to make a pillow to put in front of one of my wood boxes.

For this piece I used a white muslim and then antiqued it. I also added a little extra stitching and outlines, then I did a blanket stitch around the outer edge of the pillow.

I am not sure, but I think the new batting is causing the stains to pool in one spot.

And her is the back, I used a green  homespun and  you can see how the stain pooled in spots.

Little Chick Mat!

I was thrilled to get my giveaway gifts this week, just in time for the holidays. My husband is going to help my son with the electrical wiring in his new room, so I thought I would make them a little gift for their new home. I used the wools that Stacy, of Buttermilk Basin, sent me for the pattern and my own wools for the backgrounds. The kids like new and bright things, so no dark fabrics or aging on this one.

The piece was small, so I added a larger background so they can use it on a little table. The blanket stitch was done in gold, but of course the flash made everything look brighter and shiny. I thought the white wool with the flecks of pink and blue were perfect for this project.

Rug Progress

I got to work some more on my rug today. I decided to have fun with the cat and used some thrift wools that I had in green and blue. They were both dyed in a darker shade to get a bit of variation to them, so it gives them a more darker appearance. Hard to tell in the pictures, the camera loves to grab colors. I also decided that the apples didn't work, so I made a little cherry branch instead. As usual, I throw in faces with what worms, I have on hand, so those get redone later.

I am using black shades around light object, dark olive green around the brown and on the kitty, I use a black/gray texture that I had. I will use those and some dark browns as the main background colors and try to keep them close to the black hue, so that is blends in and adds movement.

For the tulip, I used a gold as is jacket that had touches of brown and varying shades in it. I mixed a yellow/gold that I dyed myself. The reds are from red jackets. I over dye them with maroon or mahogany to get the varying shades.