Friday Finish!

 

Another week has zipped by, but I was able to find time to finish my Christmas stocking quilt. I used pearl cotton to do simple quilting around the blocks and stockings. This is one I will use on the couch and let the boys use, so I kept it simple and durable with the heavier block fabric. It was a great way to use older fabric and scraps.

We got out for a bike ride on Saturday. We rode up to the town of Bolton in Connecticut and rode the rail trail from the park, to the town of Vernon. It was a nice ride through forests, past a pond and into the town of Vernon, a stop on the old railroad. 

On Sunday we stayed closer to home, rain was headed our way and I wanted to go hiking before it came. We hiked around a pond, where the foliage was coming in nicely and along the river.

We hiked along the bike path and old railroad bridge.

And we ended up in the fields, surrounded by amazing fall colors, and back to the pond.

We were getting ready to leave when I spotted a white spot in the trees, across the pond. What a nice end to the day, I was able to get a shot of the eagle just as it started to rain.

Unfortunately Bill and I woke up on Monday with a flu or bug, but we are fine now. Another nice weekend ahead and hopefully more adventures to be had. At home I enjoy watching all the new visitors who have come to stay for winter. This Blue Jay was nice enough to sit and pose for a photo.

May your weekend be filled with blessings and joy.

Friday Finish!

 

This week I finally got the binding on one of my wheel chair quilts. I watched a video, about 10 times and still messed it up, lol. I think I need to watch more videos so I can do the edges better, but it still came out nicely and hopefully the recipient will enjoy it. The colors are a bit bold on some blocks and dull on others, but it looks nicely together, in person.

If you would like to make some of your own, to give to others, you can find the pattern here: Hearts Creations.

On Saturday we went out with the kids to a local pond near their house. It's a great place to take photos but the river was overflowing, so a lot of the areas were saturated. We got a few good photos for them to use and always fun to spend time together.

This one was one of the better photos of the family, but the background was dull, so I took them out of one photo and put them into one I had taken, without them. It looks nice with the bright colors behind them.

On Sunday we went for a ride into Connecticut to check out an area that has a dam and a bike path. Once we got to Case Mountain, we ended up hiking to the top. It was well worth it, the views were spectacular. We were looking down at Hartford and the surrounding area.

The hike was up and down hills and a lot of rocky cliffs. It also follows a river, so a nice hike with beautiful views. Unfortunately the water was running low at the dam.

On one path, we ran into an old cabin. I can imagine how wonderful this place was, in it's day. I always did some research and found out, it was used in the movie, Animal. I am glad I haven't seen that movie, I might have skipped this hike.

On the way home we stopped at Yantic Falls. Color was starting to pop and always nice to see the falls. I hope everyone has a nice weekend. We are planning on going back up to the same area to explore the bike trail this time, or do some sightseeing if I am not up to peddling.

Friday Finish and Fun!

 This has been a whirlwind week, with the extra days Bill took for the holiday, we have been going more than usual and I only had a few days to catch up before the weekend is here again. I have been working on my hand quilting, for my Christmas stockings and making good progress, but I wanted to make something quick for fun.

I use regular pillows for my back on the couch and decided to make up some quick halloween covers. They are simple to make and fun for a little change. A great way to whittle down my stash. This is fabric a friend sent me and perfect for halloween.

One good thing is, Connecticut has no hunting on Sundays, so it was the perfect day for a hike. We went to a preserve that has five waterfalls and walks along a river. The bad thing was, with the drought, the smaller falls were mostly dried up. It was a nice hike, but a lot a hills, so I got a good workout.

They also had a Fairy Trail, lots of makeshift houses but winds and weather beat them down to the ground. They did have fun, carved animals along the way.

Along the river, were pops of color.

On the way home, we stopped to enjoy some local views.

On Sunday we spent the afternoon with the boys. We took them to the owl sanctuary, a wonderful place to walk and explore. We found a baby snake under a log.

It's a great place to let boys get out their energy, lots of trails to explore and rocks to climb.

We enjoyed one day at the beach. Our weird find was a bowl that looks like something from a restaurant, or maybe it fell off one the the cruise ships, across the bay.

Tomorrow is photo day for the kids. They have me take photos that they can use for Christmas cards and send to family. I hope everyone had a good week and enjoy the weekend ahead. Hopefully I can relax and catch up on blogs this weekend.

Friday Finish!

 

This week I got the stitchery of the month, from Kathy Schmitz, so of course I had to make that. I decided to make myself a pillow to enjoy for the season. I love how it came out, but it really clashes with my primitive pieces, so not sure if I want to stain it darker.

Last weekend we spent a day at the ocean. We still had winds from the hurricanes, so the waves were up at the lighthouse area.

This week, Bill took a couple of days off for a long weekend. We had plans to head to New Hampshire and a friend said we could park  our rv at the house is is Renovating. But, I had a bad spell this week and it took a few days to recover, so I didn't have the time to get everything ready. So, we decided to do some trips from home.

We headed to the Airline trail In Connecticut, along the Salmon River. Along the way I stopped for a few foliage photos, lots of colors popping in some areas.

The trail was really nice to ride and I was able to do over 7 miles. Just a few gradual slopes, and nicely graded trails, that ran along wooded paths and waterways.

At the pond, we stopped to watch a Heron, when he caught a snake for lunch.

Today we went up to another part of the trail and started in Willimantic. The trail starts along the railroad and runs past the river and into the woods. We only did 5 miles today. Bill forgot my juice drink at home and the food in the car, so I had nothing but water and my energy died out. It was still a nice ride though.

On the way home we stopped at the apple orchard and filled another bag. On the way back, we stopped at Lantern Hill and hiked up to the first ledge, always a nice view. A long the way back, we pass several farms. Tomorrow we may take a break to get some things done and maybe a few hours at the beach. The weather will be cooling down again, so perfect days for hiking or biking. I hope everyone has a nice holiday weekend and enjoy getting out and finding new places to enjoy, in your area.

Friday Finish!

 I am still working on finishing my two quilts, but almost there, just the binding left. I decided to take a break and try an idea I had. I was thinking of making penny ornaments with needle felting and fill them with balsam. Not so sure they will work with balsam, it might fall out and what I had thought in my head, didn't quite work out, a bit cutesy. I tried to put too much in a small space and didn't have enough room for detail. But, it was fun to do and helps me to decide on what to try next.

Last weekend we spent a day with the boys. On the way to the farm, I remembered the alpaca farm had an event for the weekend, so we stopped there first. The boys loved seeing the alpacas and I got myself a few bags of wool felt, from the alpacas.

Nick got to try out weaving on a loom, he loved it.

Then we went to the apple farm, always a fun place for the boys.

The boys got their own bag to pick and take home. Nick loves apples and Alex enjoyed helping him by picking out of a few of his own.

On the way home we stopped at the mill. Next month they will open for demonstrations, so we will go back.

The boys had fun exploring.

Sunday we decided to go  to Groton, Connecticut. We stopped at the point and enjoyed watching the boats and ferries.  Then we went for a walk at the boardwalk that follows the river. It was a nice walk without crowds.

We also spent some time at the beach this week. So much nicer without the crowds, even though it can get a bit chilly. Today I found some nice treasures, a piece of pottery and the top of a red glass bottle, probably from an old perfume bottle. 

I hope you are all doing well and safe from teh storms that have come through. We are getting the rains tomorrow, so a good day to stay in and finish my quilts. 

Friday Finish!

 I am still working on my charity quilts and I wanted a break from sewing, so I made up a halloween piece. I find that I can sit for hours while felting, so it is a good activity when I want to sit and rest. I always start with an idea and it comes out differently, but still fun to make and have something new for the season.

I also, finally, put my scrap quilt together, so now I just need a border and get it ready for quilting. This will be another hand project, I want the stitches to show and it should work up quickly enough, that I will have it ready for Christmas.

Last weekend we went for a few walks. The first was at our local bird sanctuary. Always a nice walk and lots of birds in the area.

A few views on our walk.

And a few of the wildlife, we saw along the way.

On the way out, we spotted a hawk, flying overhead.

And also flying overhead, were a group of World War II planes.

The next day we went to a park in Connecticut. A nice walk along the coastline with views of the ocean, along the way.

We spotted quilts a few groups of birds, who are resting on their way south.

And more shore birds along the way.

Lots of Monarchs, flitting about, gathering nectar for their trip south.

And quite a few dragonflies and bees, as well. Unfortunately we also ran into quilts a few mosquitos and I got bit, way too many times. It was a hot day, so to the best time to be in a swampy area.

Today we went to the island to do a little walking and glass hunting. It was a bit windy and cool, and the waves were higher in the inner bay, due to the hurricane, passing by. I found a few treasures and was delighted to see that the black piece I found was a cobalt blue piece.

I hope everyone had a nice week and plans for fun this weekend. A lot of the places we visit, are ones I found by using Google maps and exploring closely to find walks and parks in the area. See what fun things you can find to do, in your own backyard

Friday Finish!

 

This hasn't been a great week for doing things, the kids were sick again and I think I have the same thing, since I was feeling better and it came back, so back on meds for me. The good thing is I spend more time working on projects and making progress on my second wheelchair quilt, so once that is done, I can put both together.

I decided to take a break and work up a quick project. This is a design by Susan who offers the free pattern on her site, Downeast Thunder Farm. I used wool from a thrifted jacket, which is thick and fluffy, so perfect for a black bat. I messed up the face on the first one and the second came out a bit better.  I used rusty wire for the feet and have them hanging on my shelve. I took the photo on the rack so you could see them better.

We were able to get to the beach few days.  I was able to get some paddling in, one day, but too cold to swim.

                                        

I found a few nice pieces of glass, the darker one in the middle is red glass. I hope you all have a nice weekend.