Friday Finish!

 

This week I have been working on hand quilting, on a cheater quilt for the fall. I am stitching around the designs, so almost half way done and should be done by next week. While camping we stopped at Herman Melville's house and museum. We didn't take the tour since we had Bean with us, but we were able to go in the gift shop. I got myself a whale cookie cutter and tried it out this week.

I decided to add a Christmas hat on him, for fun. Then I glued him to a small piece of driftwood. I did an AI background so the driftwood is thicker than it actually is. It was fun to try, but I think I do better when I freeform my pieces, cookie cutters have their limits.

This was Melville's home, where he wrote, Moby Dick. There are also fields and paths to walk on the property.

We got to go on another bike ride. This time we did the upper area, between two towns, so we enjoyed a quiet ride. It goes through a lot of wetlands, so we saw lots of critters in the ponds and marsh birds.

It also went through wooded areas and then along a river.

Another day we went to the Natural Bridge park. The natural bridge was formed by years of glacial melt.

And this bridge was built by man, roped off since it is dangerous now.

And while shooting photos, I noticed this strange formation, caused by the waters carving it out, over the years.

We did ride along the Mohawk Trail. There are a few stops with views of the mountains, nearby and you can see some of the ones in the surrounding states.

We spotted this sculpture, along the way. 

Another place we visited was an area called Greylock Glen. We found a beautiful waterfall, and also the park nearby. There are paths at the park and ones that take you to Mount Greylock, so we walked around a pond and enjoyed the mountain views.

Another place we visited was the Norad mill, which houses 3 floors of shops. We went to the pet store and Bean got a new toy and a bag of cookies. Then I went to the candy store and got the boys some treats.

It was a wonderful place to stay and the area has a lot to offer for outdoor adventures. We stayed at Mount Greylock campground, similar to a state park with spacious sites, but more amenities. 

I hope you all had a wonderful week and enjoying the fall weather.

Friday Finish!

 

This has been a busy week and I am exhausted. I made reservations at a camp in NH on a river, so I have been planning and packing and keeping up with the house. I made time to finish a painting I started awhile ago. Unfortunately I lost the instructions, so I just went by the photo and then added a couple of whales. The original was on a shorter board and my canvas was larger, so added to it. 

I do not have a steady hand so I am a bit messy, a bit wonky, but I am happy to have finished it. It's been a while since I did acrylics, so need to hone my skills so I can finish another I started.

Last weekend we went for a walk at the ocean park. It has longer trails and less people on the backside, so we enjoy that section. It used to be an air force training field in World War II. This path is what is left of the old runway.

Most of the other trails are overgrown and lined with all types of vegetation for the wildlife. We spotted this Snapping Turtle on my section.

Tomorrow is our 50th anniversary. I really wanted to rent a place on the island, but missed the opportunity to get an affordable place in time. The area we are going to has places I want to visit, and we have a river site, so hoping to relax and enjoy seeing some new things. We will be there all week, so next week I will share some of our adventures. I also have my art supplies and embroidery supplies, so hoping to spend time making up designs and stitching them, while I relax.

I hope everyone has a nice week and not affected by all the storms that have hurt so many. We are lucky to have good weather this week, but it will be hot, even up north.

Quilt progress!

 

Not a lot got done this week and no weekend fun, since it rained on and off. When it is not raining, it is so hot, the beaches are filled to capacity early in the day, so not worth fighting the traffic and crowds. 

I was able to come up with a new idea for my quilt. I added some more appliqués, going up the quilt. I think I need to fix the pointy cloud, that is what happens when you work when you are tired. I hand drew and cut out the shapes, keeping them simple. 

The next step is to do the quilting. I am thinking of doing straight lines along the strips to keep it simple and more puffy, for kids. After I will add some sail lines, so I can quilt across without having to go through them, and a whale eye and water spout. I tend to change my mind as I go, so we will see how it ends up.

We did get out one day, an hour at the town beach. Going later in the day is nice, since there are less people and the tide was high, so we could swim without having to walk out too far. I was surprised at how clean and sandy the bottom was, a nice change from the rocky, seaweed beaches we usually go to.

Looking to the right of the beach. 

And to the left side. The area has picnic areas, a playground and treed areas to sit under. 

I hope you all have a good weekend and enjoying good weather. It seems it is a summer of weather extremes for all of us.

Friday Finish!

 

This week I got a new resin mold and I wanted to try it out. It is a heart box, that has indents, so more of an ashtray. I like the idea of having something that I can give as a gift and add my sea glass. It came out pretty good, but I think I need to add less glass to let the light in and show off the glass. 

I had too much resin, so started filling the other molds to use it up. I tried some dye but I guess too much on the dog and lady piece, it came out too dark. The good thing is, I mixed the resin in the right amounts, so all the pieces hardened. I like the idea of doing smaller pieces, maybe get some ornament molds. The anchor was too thick to be an ornament, so maybe if I fill it with less resin, it will be the right thickness.

I also painted some new rocks. I love using the markers and paint pens, so much easier to do. This time I painted them white first, which makes the colors pop more. There are lots of designs on the internet that are fun to do.

Last weekend we went to the beaches on the island and enjoyed watching the birds. The Red-breasted Mergansers, are funny to watch. I also spotted a Red-tailed Hawk flying by and a Common Eider. With the mottled coloring, I would say this is a younger one.

We also stopped at another beach and it was where all the gulls were hanging out. I enjoyed watching them fly about and diving for fish.

I also spotted an all white one. I found out from a local group that is is a Glaucous Gull and I was the first one to spot one, so that was a thrill,

Today we went to the beach again and I had the camera out, just in time to grab a shot of this guy, as he came out of the water with his prize. It looks like a sea worm, not sure what type.

I hope you all enjoyed your week and have a nice weekend. We have rain again, then one good day, before more rain and snow. I guess we are in for a cold March, since we missed all the snow this winter.

Working on!

 

This week went by, way too quick. Lots of plans and as usual, only a few things got done. I have several projects I am working on and a quilt I got ready to hand quilt. We will be leaving our RV at a camp next month, so we will be able to spend days there and overnights when we feel like it. It will be easier since Bill doesn't have to drive around and he can relax, and I can get out and bike and paddle, right from our site.

One of the projects I started is a new painting. I wanted something simple and a change to try a pattern from a painting site. It will be a nice summer piece, but the instructions are written with a small photo of the finished piece. I am just looking at the photo and trying to copy it and some of my old skills are coming back to me. The pattern was smaller than my canvas, so I added more water and I will paint in some whale parts.

We got a chance to enjoy some time at the beach. My happy place.

And a few beach finds. This week the tide was high in the afternoon, but the waves threw up a few nice pieces.

And on another beach at the southern coast, I went for some photos of birds, but no luck. As I walked back to the truck, an Osprey flew overhead, carrying a fish. We followed it to the area that I had seen a nest and found him in the nearby marsh. It was a beautiful area with a lot of birds, and across from the fishing fleet, so we will definitely go back for the day.

I hope everyone had a nice week and can enjoy getting out this weekend.

Friday Finish!

Only one thing finished this week. Seems it has been a slow unproductive week and I am spending the rest of the night cleaning the house and making sure all our gear we take in the morning, is ready to grab.

I did spend a fair amount of time, quilting my summer challenge quilt. I love how it came out and have it hanging in the middle of my front window. I use rod clips to hang it, they are great if you have rods on the windows and a nice way to decorate without curtains on some areas.

The only thing I regret is the way I placed the whale, I think he looks off balanced compared to the other designs, so I may add a little something to the right side, to balance it out. I do love the blue board fabric on the sides, I have more to use in another project.

I was able to get a decent site at our state park. It is a lot cheaper than private but no hook ups. That is the great thing with our new rig, fully self contained and a generator. I have my stitching and drawing bag, so hopefully I can relax and sketch a bit. It is going to be hot, but it is usually cooler down there, so hopefully it will not be too hot. The kids are coming on Sunday so we will get to have some fun with the boys.

I hope. you all have a wonderful weekend. This is where you will find me, on the other side of the little trees, something new they planted this year.

A Day Early Finishes!

We are headed off for a long weekend tomorrow so I thought I would post a day early. I lucked out and got a spot by a river, surrounded by trees, so nice privacy to relax and work on my quilt.

The first thing I finished this week was more lavender pillows. They are free designs by Deborah Cade for a Facebook group, Primitive Folk Art quilts and projects. These are so fun to do and the next ones will be roosters or chicken, something my brother and his wife love to collect.

The second project is a summer quilt, another freebie from the group. I have it all set to quilt, so I can sit and relax at the camp, and work on the quilting. It looks a bit flat in the photo, so I will have to take a nice photo when it is done. I used some of my new fabric with the blue wood, for the side edges.

We also got out for a bit on the weekend. I wasn't feeling up to too much activity, so we went to Beavertail and found a nice side spot with views of the ocean. It was nice to just sit and relax and we got a few walks in, as well.

I have also been seeing a lot more birds in our yard. I was surprised when I went out and saw two females with their young, eating under the feeder. There are 16 babies, in all. One just had three little ones, and the other had 13 or she may have adopted from another female, I did notice the male is not with them. They tend to run back and forth across the road and there are lots of predators in the woods, so they do lose a few of their young, but seem to keep the flock growing.

I hope. you all have a wonderful weekend. In these trying times, I try to keep up my spirit by keeping busy and trying new things.

New Pattern: Jonah and the Whale!

Today was a busy day and I almost forgot to post. Bill had his second surgery to fix the eye, they did cataract surgery on and all went well and he is seeing much better now.

I was able to make another whale but my arm gave out from two days of punching, so I just kept it simple and slightly different, than the first. I also made a pattern, if you would like to make your own. You can use any old piece of wood or check your local craft store, they carry a lot of weathered board pieces now.

I just laid this whale on one of my boards, I need to find some more flat drift wood, or I may use a piece from an old bureau I saved.

If you would like to buy this pattern, you can find it at my Ecrater Store. It would also be fun to do as a rug or applique piece and with a change of colors, perfect for a child's room. The pattern includes both whales, since they are a little different.

It looks like a stormy weekend, so hopefully we can get out for a walk before it hits or in between storms. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Whale and Driftwood Punch Needle!

It seemed to be too long of a week. Our anniversary week and Bill took it off, but it rained on and off, so we never got to do anything we had planned. We got some time at the beach, but I never got to relax or work on anything, so today I made up for it, lol.

I have been collecting driftwood and thought it would be fun to design something to go on a flat piece. Today I made a whale with Jonah inside, based on old drawings I had seen. I wanted to keep it simple and see how it would look, so it is not perfect, but I like how it came out and with a few tweaks, I can make it into a pattern. I have already gotten interest in a pattern, so I will be working up a new one, that may be different, so I can make two in this set.

I would love your input, what you do and don't like, anything you would like to see in nautical or beach pieces? I antiqued this piece, the blues were too bight and light, I tend to grab floss out of my scrap box, to use them up. I also had to go with 6 strands, since I can't seem to find my smaller tip, so I will look for that tomorrow.

I want to thank everyone for the anniversary wishes. I try and answer comments, but some are anonymous and some have no email, and not all come to my email. If you have a question and I cannot answer you, I will answer those in the comment section.

We had planned on taking the kids out a few days, and on Saturday I got too sick to do anything. Sunday they came over and had a fun day at our house, I was still weak but having them, always picks up my spirits. Unfortunately Bill put way too much chlorine in the pool, so my son bought one of their small ones to play in. That along with squirt guns and we all got cooled off. Bean had a blast too, but he got so excited listening to the boys screaming that he tore off the lower half of my screen tent, ugh. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and made memories of your own.

Friday Finish!

This week I was behind since Bill had his cataract surgery, but all went well, so one more eye to go. It is so nice that it goes so quickly and easily and he won't need to wear his glasses anymore. When Bill is home, I never get much done, he distracts me too much, lol.

But, I decided to try a new piece for my beach display, a whale. I looked online for ideas and liked the more realistic look, so I redid the design a bit and enlarged it. I thought it was large enough for turning, but I was wrong, the tail would not go through and I ended up ripping more than a few loops. I had to slit open the entire back to turn it easily, but it is for me and no one sees the back, but the large slit made it sew up more tightly and turned his tail. I definitely have to rethink how I design something so it sews and turns easier. To fix the pulled loops on the tail, I used my ink marker and colored over the white, that was showing.

He is 6" long, so the next one will be bigger and thought out better. I would love to know how others turn small areas for shaped pieces, that are stiff like this. I was thinking I could sew by hand, by whipstitching the backing to the piece, so no turning.

I have also been making my yard more bird friendly. I bought a new house, a beach one and more peanut bricks, the birds love it. I learned that Robins and other species like an open house to build their nest on, so something to find for some future houses. I found this under my porch, the robin keeps leaving it, every time we go out there, so hopefully they will hatch.

And of course we got one last good weekend of glass hunting without the crowds. There is less glass to be found with everyone enjoying the nice weather, but I still found some nice pieces and a little plate of plastic corn. Nick went home with that one, he thought it was neat.

Tonight I watched the boys while their parents went birthday shopping. They are a handful, but we kept it calm most of the night. Tomorrow is their birthday party and then we will hit the beach for a little bit, before we go home. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend!

Friday Finishes!

I decided to get last year's issues of Punch Needle and Primitive Stitches to get a pattern that I liked. The nice thing is, you can order back issues at a reduced rate if you get the EMagazine, which is nice, since you can just print out the patterns, that you want. I wish I did more cross stitch, they do have some wonderful stitcheries, as well.

This pattern was in the summer issue, it is perfect for summer. I made mine with a round border, instead of stopping at the rope, which is uneven. I plan on mounting it onto a round wood box, so I will paint and prep the box next.

The design is about 8" round, but worked up quickly.

Another fun thing I did this week was to make a card. The design was a free painting pattern, from the Artist's Club, by Christy Hartman. I did it on watercolor card stock and used my water color pencils.

And I also did another image transfer. This is a photo of my son and husband, when we went for a hike one day. I wanted to make him something for his Birthday, since we always give him a gift certificate. I like to give him something to hide the card in, so I will tape it to the back.

Well, as you can see, it didn't work. I really don't like working on mounted canvas, not enough stiffness to press down the photo. I will have to try wood, next time. And maybe it is time to try some photo transfer medium, to see if it works better.

So, I fixed it. I had another copy, that I forgot to reverse. The photo was redone in a  watercolor filter, so I trimmed off the excess white and decoupaged it over the first photo. I had extra edge showing, that didn't look right, so I sanded and antiqued the edges. Not perfect, but something fun to hide his card in.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. We are expecting snow to come in tonight, so tomorrow will be a stay home day, perfect day to work on more projects.

Holiday Happenings!

It's been a whirlwind week, with getting everything ready for Christmas, but we were able to spend a few days outside and do some beach combing for a few hours, even though it was a bit chilly. And the wonderful thing about being on the beach in the late afternoon, is the sunsets. We stayed long enough to enjoy a beautiful sunset over the bay.

We found a lot of new glass pieces, that you can get in a craft store. I am assuming someone lost a garden display with all the wind we had and it floated to our beach.

We had the kids at our house on Christmas eve. We enjoyed a nice dinner and I let the kids open one of their big presents.

Nick loved the new floor piano and Alex was more interested in all the pretty lights and things he could pull off the shelves.

And Bean wanted to open one of his presents. Alex wanted to help and was disappointed when I said it was for Bean, a big blue octopus.

Christmas was spent at their house. The kids made dinner and I played with the boys, so it was a nice treat to relax and enjoy time with them. Although I wouldn't call it relaxing, both boys want my attention so a bit chaotic, to keep up with them. But, a joy that is worth a few sore muscles, lol.

I got Nick a view master, but found out that the reels are expensive and hard to find, so I will look for more in the thrifts and yard sales. If anyone has any old reels they don't want, I would love to have them.

I really wanted to rest, but the boys wanted to go to the aquarium, the next day, so we went. It was fun seeing the look of wonder and awe on Alex's face, since it was his first time. Again, it was chaotic, but a joy to see them both enjoying themselves and having fun together.

I stayed home for a few days, no rest, lots to catch up on and clean. I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday week and a Happy New Year!

Weekend Wanderings!

This was a great weekend for getting out, even though it is getting cold. But not too cold to go for long drives and find new places to shop.

We headed into Connecticut to check out a new quilt store. We have driven by this town a lot and never knew that it was there. Sometimes it pays to do searches of areas you want to visit for shops that are in the area.

The store is called Colchester Mill Fabrics. I wasn't sure how nice it would be and if it was local mill fabrics but I was pleasantly surprised. It was a full service quilt shop, with 3 large rooms of fabrics, supplies and crafting items. They carry a lot of Moda fabrics and even wools, so it is a great store to stop in, if you are in the area.

The staff was friendly and helpful, if you had a question or needed to know where something was, they had the answer. So much nicer than the big stores, where they have no idea what is in stock. The only negative for me was, not that many prim patterns. They had a few but none that I wanted, which I guess is a good thing, lol.

Another thing they have is an assortment of gifts and decorative items. I found this cute snowman garland and had to have it. The hearts are rusty, but the flash washed the prim out.

Once you are done shopping, you can drive to the next town up, and visit the Shops at Marlborough Barn where there is a wonderful antique barn and a few other small shops and businesses. I was surprised at how big it was inside, room after room of antiques and primitive goodies and gift items. The prices were also reasonable, so another shop we can visit, since our favorite one is closing.

On Sunday, I just wanted to have fun and I wanted to have fun with Nick. Luckily my son stopped by and Nick stayed here, so we could just go and not pick him up. We took him to Mystic Aquarium which is also in Connecticut, not sure whey we just don't move there, lol.

We wanted to see the new Dinosaur exhibit, which was really fun and the boys loved it, both of them.

I loved what I saw in this photo, I think the whale is smiling at me;)

I took a quick shot of the penguins and noticed something picking out, behind the rock, when I looked at it closely. We all had a fun time, and since we got a Grandparents pass, we can come back anytime and bring Alex with us.

Today was an easy day, we went to our favorite antique barn, which is closing this year. They are trying to find a new place, so hoping they can and continue to host dealers and prim artists, since we usually find great things there. Today nothing interested me, but always fun to look.

Since we had time and the tide was going out, we hit the beach for an hour. Bean got to play and I found some nice pieces of glass, for my collection. It was cold and getting cloudy, so we didn't wait for the tide to go all the way out, I am sure there was a lot more glass, waiting to be found.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and a week ahead, full of creating. The kids decided to have dinner at their house, so I said fine, leaves me more time to work on my quilts and get my Christmas items ready.