Monday Finishes!

This weekend Bill had to work so I used the time to get caught up on my blocks from Buttermilk Basin. One block was a pumpkin and I decided to change mine to a turkey and pumpkin for Thanksgiving.

I kept the candy cane simple, but I did add some jingle bells, not sure if that is a good idea for a quilt and not sure how big the quilt will be, but I think it will be more for display than use or maybe I may end up gifting it, if I don't make a mess of it. I had fun with the mitten, added a few embellishments for fun. I am thinking about the sashings and border, maybe blue?

Here are all the blocks with the layout. I think I have some out of order, but I think this looks good, do you? The blocks are a bit larger than the original, so I will be cutting them down to size.

On the home front, I have been trying to get ready for Christmas, and with only two days left, I come down with a stomach flu, such is life. We are going to go with turkey again, that way Bill can do the cooking and I will do a few dishes, so I can get the house done and not over do it.

Ever since I was young, I have had a believe in Christmas wishes and miracles. Today I was granted two of my wishes, one was for a friend of my daughters who was coming home for Christmas and missed her flight, but today she made it home, so that made me happy. She was one of my daughter's best friends so it will be good to see her again.

The second wish was for my daughter's gravestone to be in by Christmas. Well, two days left and no word from the company. Bill called and they said it was there and ready to go in and when we got to the cemetery, the caretaker was just pulling up to pour the foundation. He told us that it will be ready to go on, Christmas Eve. What a wonderful Christmas present for us, yes Christmas wishes do happen.

I want to wish everyone A Merry Christmas and blessings to all who have followed me this past year, been there for me, during the good and bad times and lifted me up when I was low. May all your Christmas wishes come true!

Friday Finishes!

I actually finished something this week, I do miss creating and I am trying to make time for myself, even if it means the house is a mess. I can clean it tomorrow, but for a couple of days I took time to sew and relax.

I have been doing the BOM's from Buttermilk Basin, they are fun to do and I am using woolly flannels for the background and wool for the appliqué. There are 11 in all, so 3 more to go. I am not sure how they will be finished, but I think a sashing will be nice, around each block.

I still need to add some detail to some things, but the main things are done. I had a solid blue, but messed up on some cuts and only have enough for one more, so I used a plaid woolly from my stash.

Here is what I have finished so far. As is, it just looks blah, but I think with a plaid or print woolly around them, it should look nice. I also forgot what order they were in, but this way, I have my backgrounds arranged nicely, but I may change my mind.

Another thing I am doing is, looking for items and ideas for my beach room. I tend to go to stores and see something I like and say, I can make that myself;) I hit the thrift store and found a prim green basket. I will get some nice dried or faux plants to put in them, I was thinking of wild roses like the ones we have on our beaches. For now, I stuck some dried plants in it and I am going to make a punch needle piece with a beach design, on the front.

It seems more critters are visiting my yard, and today it was a family of turkeys. I rarely see them and they let me get closer, but not too close.

While I was sewing, I watched Quilting Arts. I tape them so I can watch them when I want and save shows that I might want to watch again. Today they were talking about using photos in art and taking macro shots. I have a zoom that does macro from a distance, so not quite the same, but it was fun walking around the yard and seeing things through my lens. It is a great way to see shapes and textures and get creative. Maybe this weekend you can try it when you go out for a walk or visiting a town, take photos from a different perspective and lots of close ups of items that interest you.

This was one of my shots today, I like the simple look and the textured wheat against the blurred background. I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend. Bill has to work, so I am going to try and get more time in my sewing room.

Monday Woolies!

Another weekend with snow and more coming in tomorrow. I don't mind the snow, but the bitter cold and winds make it impossible to stay outside for long. The good thing about being stuck in the house is, I can work on projects.

I decided it was time to make a mitten pattern called Flaky Blake by The Teacher's Pet. I really had fun making it and love how it came out. I am thinking it is something that I would like to make more of, and change it up a bit and do it in different colors. This mitten is large so you can put christmas greens in it and hang it on a hook or a door knob. I think smaller ones would be fun to do on a line with mini clothespins.

I added a few touches of my own, the buttons on the tongues and using buttons on the snowman instead of stitchery. The wool is very loose and stretchy so stitching snowflakes on it was impossible, I guess I need to use fusible on projects like this.

My other project is month two in Buttermilk Basin's free BOM on Facebook. I had one idea and ended up using different wools, now I am debating on whether I like it. It looks better in person but the heavy pearl cotton on the leaves seems to throw it off. It is floss that I had over dyed so a light green but looks more white in the photo. I used a chain stitch on the large flower for an added touch. So, I will relook at it tomorrow and try and take a photo outside when the snow stops. I do think I will take out the light green and find something more subtle. The background fabric is a yellowed woolie flannel.

Monday Freebies Galore!

I recently joined a group called Wool Applique to share my love of wool work with others. What I didn't realize is, the group has a lot of talented crafters and generous designers. One of the things I was able to make this week was a free BOM by Stacy West of Buttermilk Basin. I love the first design and can't wait to see what other ones we will be doing.

I used a flannel suede on this piece and have woolie flannels for the other blocks. I am not sure if they are all the same size or what they will be, it is a mystery BOM, so I got neutrals so I can mix and match.
The only thing I changed on mine was the star, I used a button instead of wool.

The bad thing is, they only had one piece of the blue suede and I messed up my cuts, so I may be able to do two more.

The reason I used this blue was, I made a trip to the folk art quilt store and when I saw this, I knew it was perfect for the pineapple. Since she had a supply of woolie flannels, I was able to get three neutral shades to add to the mix. I also found monks cloth on sale. It was two yards that had gotten wet, but it is dry now and nothing wrong with it, so half price was worth it. I also found some homespun to add to my stash and a fun art print for a future art piece. I have been avoiding going to a quilt store since i want to use my stash, but also fun to treat myself;) The seagull print is to go with a charm pack, I bought. This will be perfect for the border, of a quilt I have in mind.

Since we had a break in the snowstorms but too cold and deep to enjoy being outside, we went to the antique barn. It is two floors of booths with antique and new items. I found a wooden box that is perfect for my canisters. It was slightly used, but looks new and less than half the price, so well worth it. It is in the mustard/black shade that I am painting my noodle board.

Our kitchen is a work in progress, I am still debating on how I want to do the walls.

Bean is still growing and being good this week. He gets out for some play in the snow, and I play with him in the house but it is nice that he is calming down and relaxing more often. Of course he decided he wanted my chair and there is not enough room for two. I hope everyone had a nice weekend and it looks like we may be hit with one more storm this week. I guess I need to get snowshoes next;)