Finally a touch of Spring and a Freebie

I really needed to get out of the house and it finally got warm enough to go for a walk, a whole 53 degrees, lol.
We wanted to walk to the point to see the seals, but so did everyone else, so kept driving and decided to go to Pettaquamsscutt Rock. It is a historical site that originally belonged to the indians. It is a bit of a steep climb for someone who has had bronchitis all winter, but well worth it, once I got my lungs working again;) The views are spectacular, reaching out to the bay.



On the backside of the rock, it is old grounds and stone walls. You can just imagine what it must have been like when the indian had their camp there.



The front side of the rocks are used by rock climbers. The cliff is 50 feet high, so great for beginners. Though even that is way too high for me to climb straight up;)



Since the walk wasn't as long as we expected, we decided to go over to the URI bay campus. This is an extension of the main college for oceanographic studies. Their research vessel, the Endeavor, was at the dock.



Looking in the opposite direction, you can see the inner bay with the Jamestown bridge.



Past the boat area, the bay opens up to the ocean. You could see the rain bands coming down from the clouds.



And as stated, a freebie that I wanted to share with you. I was browsing and found an online copy of one of Yoko Saito's books. It is a large file, but well worth the wait. It has the most wonderful patterns for quilts, purses and seasonal wall hangings. You won't be disappointed.

For Sale: Primitive Easter Set

I have decided that ebay is not the way to go. Not only do they take a chunk out of sales, they now want to tack a fee onto shipping, as well. I charge exact shipping, so why should I pay a fee for that? I do not understand their reasoning.

So, I am offering my Easter pieces as a set. This will include the hooked rug, the punch needle and the cross stitch piece.
The rug is 15" x 9 1/2", the punch needle is 7 1/2 x 4 1/2 and the cross stitch pillow is 4 1//2 x 3 1/2. This is nice if you would like matching pieces for a display or you can keep one and give the others as gifts. I think it would also look wonderful in an antique doll setting. If you are interested, you can email me with questions. I have it listed on my ecrater site.



The price is 140.00 for the set, which includes shipping and insurance, priority mail.
The rug is done with hand dyed wools and whipped with lopi yarn. I sewed the excess backing onto the back of the rug and added a cotton ticking backing as a cover. I have also added the new single pattern to the side panel. This is for both versions of the pattern, no instructions or color charts.

Also, for the rest of the week, until Sunday April 3, buy one pattern and get one of equal or less value, for free. Just order one pattern and put your free choice in the comment box.



And today it is Izzy's turn. Izzy loves bags and decided to make a little hut out of my bag and use the bolt of fusible as her bed.
When she decided to use it as a scratching post, I decided it was time to put it away;)

New project finished!

So, how did i finish my project without a working bobbin?
I wound it by hand, lol. As long as I can get a decent straight stitch, I am happy for now.
I have other projects I want to finish off, so for now I can work on those till my good machine comes back.

This project was done with a free stitchery by Allie. I just loved the bunnies with the rose tree and a wonderful saying.
What a great piece to make as a gift for a friend.

A beautiful finish!

Well, today I started to use my old kenmore and the bobbin thread ran out.
How to wind the thread with no manual, no idea, lol.
Then I noticed on the top there was a diagram and it looked easy, but it seems the bobbin pin is missing the lever, no idea where that went. So, I cannot sew with it unless I buy a bobbin winder and they cost as much as a cheap machine;) I will have to check with my dealer to see when my machine will be done and maybe I can go in and wind some bobbins in the store. It is frustrating since I have one piece to finish and almost done with my hippie piece and need a machine to add the borders.

So, for tonight, here is a photo by a follower who made my free easter piece. She did a beautiful job on the piece and love how she displayed it.

Bird and Nest!

Yesterday I wanted to try a free bird pattern I found on The DIY Dish. I like the idea of making one with a gusset and this one was so simple to make. I messed up the eyes, since all I had was some glossy plastic ones Tomorrow I will get better bird eyes at the craft store and replace them. I also want to antique it, that will cover up my sloppy sewing, lol. But, my daughter is over washing her weeks worth of clothes, so I will have to wait to stain it.

Then I went to work on a new piece to practice my machine applique and my machine sensor told me there is lint in the bobbin case and won't sew. No amount of cleaning helped, so she went to the shop today, I am sad. But, I will get the new upgrades while she is there, so that is good.

I decided to take back the kitty fountain, they didn't like it and hey, 8 bucks is a lot to me, lol. I bought my daughter a bath mat in the sale rack and found this wonderful nest to go with my bird. Perfect for spring decorating. I think I will try some more birds in different fabrics, and maybe reduce it to make some small chicks too.

Primitive Easter Eggs and More Moki!

Yesterday I needed a sewing break, so I made a new type of egg.
I had the plastic eggs that I got and wanted to do something with them, so I thought, why not try decoupage with them.

So, I took both the large and small plastic eggs and sanded them a bit to roughen the surface.
Then I Took out my scrap box and cut up pieces of fabric in varying shapes. I used a paint brush and brushed on some decoupage, then placed a piece of fabric on the egg, then brushed over the fabric with the decoupage again. You want the decoupage to soak into the fabric. I kept doing that, until the egg was covered.

Once they are done, I set them on wax paper to dry. When they were dry, I coated them with a mix of decoupage and walnut ink to antique them. Then dry again. Then I lightly sanded them to give them a worn look and reapplied walnut ink. I wet the brush with a dab of water, just enough to make the walnut coat lightly over the egg. So, if you would like to try your own, it is not hard and can be done with dollar bags of eggs. A great way to use up those small scraps. Or you can use fun prints and let the kids have some fun too.

My eggs were the type you open, so you can use those. I also had tabs on mine, so you do need to sand that piece down so it doesn't stick out in the cloth. Also, if you can get plain ones, that is best. Mine had painted designs which uses up sandpaper faster, since the paint goes onto the sandpaper.

The photos isn't great, flash always makes things look shiny. I need to make some prim chicks or something to add to the bowl.



Moki was in his cute mood today and has been running around with his toys and trying to get Casey to play with him.



Even Casey can't resist Moki's charms and in rare form, gave him a big kiss;)

Welcome Spring Wallhanging!

I finally got around to finishing off my bird piece.
This is a pattern I found in an old Better Homes and Gardens magazine, done by Carol Armstrong.
I love how it came out and wanted to use it for my entry way to bring some spring into the house.
I added the Welcome by using a script font and then tracing it onto freezer paper and using some of my hand dyed wool.

I would have liked to add quilting to it, but with the wool, I cannot get the free motion foot around those pieces.
Next time I will do the quilting first, then add the appliques.
I ended up doing a simple double border stitch to take the sandwich together.

This is where I put it. My husband made me a smaller coat rack after he added wainscoting to the walls.
The wainscoting goes down the stairs at an angle, so I couldn't use my large straight one, anymore.



And here is a closer look. With winter hanging on, I needed some springtime cheer;)
As for the kitties, they have lost interest in the new bubbler. It seems the bubbler is too intimidating, they rather have running water to play in.