Improved Burlap Pumpkin?

Today I went to the craft stores. We are lucky, in that they are all in the same area. I go armed with coupons and stock up on supplies I use the most. One of my favorite items is quilt batting, I wait for a 40% sale and use the 20% coupon on that and get a great deal. I have a lot of tops to quilt and I want to make charity quilts, so getting batting this way, will build a stash for me;)

I was able to get moss for my pumpkins and I also found a pack of fall leaves to add to the display.
My husband but some stems that I had from an old wreath and I used those in place of the sticks.

I decided not to glue it down, so I can just throw the moss away and remove the stems for easy storage.
Hopefully the kitties won't try to eat it.

I tried different angles, but none showed off how nice they look in person. They are about 7" in diameter. You can find the tutorial to make your own at Country Quilts Blog.

Burlap Pumpkins!

If any of your follow Cheryl's blog, Country Quilts, you might have seen the wonderful tutorial that she created on her blog. It is a burlap pumpkin and it has easy instructions with photos. Of course, I cannot follow instructions, my brain isn't wired that way, lol.

I used white burlap, which seemed like a good idea, but too white, so I stained them with walnut. I have sticks that I collect and dry, and used pieces of those to make the stems. I don't have any status or toppings that I could add to mine, so for now, I just added the tie. I guess I need to hit the craft store. I didn't glue mine in yet, will wait till I get status and do it all at once. It is a fun and quick project and you can use different colored burlaps or fabrics.

Of course my camera decided to act up and the flash wouldn't work. I used an old wool yarn to tie the sides with.

Locker Hooked Rug Finished!

I finally finished my rug, last night. It seemed the closer I got to the edge, the longer it took, definitely not a quick project. I used excess scrap homespuns on this one, some thicker than others, which gives it a more prim look.

I would say, if you have arthritis, this is not an easy rug to make, especially if you work every day for two weeks, lol. These rugs are made with latch hook canvas and cotton fabrics, so it is great for areas that get used a lot, since you can wash it.

The finished size of my rug is 50" x 33". I folded it while I was working on it, so it needs to settle down, a bit. It is a great project to do if you want a rug, since you can use scraps or ugly fabrics. It does use up a lot of yardage, so buying new fabrics wouldn't be worth the cost.

I got a box of supplies from Chris of We Love Quilting. She sent me a nice book and some nicer hooks to use in my projects. Chris has a monthly giveaway, be sure to sign up, she gives away great boxes of goodies.

I tried outdoor photos and several indoor photos, and this is the best I could get.

Sunday Paddle!

Today was a bit warmer, but windy, so we got a late start on our plans. We decided to go to the town launch which is close to home and just paddle in the cove. We know how well that works for me, lol. It took me five minutes to say, heck with it, lets go out on the bay.

It was windy, but not too wavy and the paddle was easy since the wind was at our back. There were a lot of boats out today and we got to see a tug pushing a barge, out to the ocean.

We paddled down to the town beach. There was a festival going on, mini boat races and live music, so we sat and watched and enjoyed some music from the boats.

Of course I had to keep going and we started paddling down the coast, but I decided to give up at the last point. It was way too easy to paddle, we were flying in the waves with the wind pushing us and that meant, fighting it, coming back.

It took twice as long coming back, but it was a nice paddle in the waves and I just rested during the heavy gusts. The lighthouse means we are back to the breakers, wouldn't this be a fun place to live. 

It was still high tide, so I paddled close to the breakers, till we found a place in the rocks to slip through, a short cut which didn't please these guys too much, they all flew away. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

Saturday Stroll!

Nothing exciting today, just a ride to the south end to check out some stores and a walk around the beach areas. I got a few fat quarters, been too long without new fabric, so had to get a quick fabric fix;)

We went to Galilee and I was curious, how it got it's name. Yes, I have lived here forever and never thought about it, lol. So, here is what I found.


The town received its name "n 1902, the story goes, Thomas Mann a fisherman from Nova Scotia who had settled here, felt the village that had sprung up with its fishing shacks should be called Galilee, after the fishing village of biblical times. One day, an old timer sat on the docks repairing his nets when a stranger called out to him, "Where am I". The answer was "Galilee". "And what is that?" the stranger asked pointing to the other side of the channel. The old timer thought for a minute, nodded his head and replied, "must be Jerusalem". And so the name of Galilee and Jerusalem have been used since to denote a most picturesque part of Rhode Island.

So, it got it's name, just because someone decided that would be it's name, lol.

It is a major fishing port, lots of boats coming and going, during the day.

And since there is a restaurant in the parking lot, the seagulls like to hang out in the area, waiting for scraps.

Coming in for a landing.

And this rock seems to be the favorite spot, the toughest gull gets to be king of the mountain.

Still Hooking!

What I thought was going to be a quick project, turned into a two week marathon. I am on the last ten rows though and hoping I can get it done tomorrow, my hands are killing me, lol.  I bought 2 yards of cheap homespun to add to the rug, and all I got was 4 rows out of it, you use a lot more fabric when you get out the outside.

As you can see, Izzy doesn't mind if it isn't finished, it is still a nice place to sleep. That is the backside, my locker hooking skills are a bit lacking, but I like the look and it will look nice in the entryway.

Prizes and Picking and Giveaway!

A few weeks ago, I won two stitcheries from This-N-That Fabrics. They also have a new giveaway going on this week, as well as a contest for autumn. All you have to do is submit an autumn quilt and you will be entered, so be sure to visit and follow their blog, they always have something new and exciting going on for their subscribers.

Here are the stitcheries I won, they are so fun and great for gift giving to quilting friends.

The patterns are from Chickadee Hollow Designs, it comes in a series that can be made as single pieces or into a larger quilt.

This one is the my favorite of the two.

The weather is changing and getting cooler, which means apple season. I love apples and eat a couple a day. We took a large bag and filled it to the brim. My son and DIL came to visit for a cookout, so I sent them home with a bag of their own.

I am on the outer edge of my locker hooked rug, so hopefully I can have it finished soon.

This photo was taken with my iPhone. I told Bill to relax and look natural, lol.