Friday Finish!

Yesterday I decided to try another  tea towel. I used a design by Buttermilk basin so I could make a fall towel for next month. I reduced the design by 20% to fit the towel and sewed it one with a blanket stitch. One thing I am noticing is the towels are bright white, so I might try tea staining one to see how I like it, then I can do some with primitive stitcheries with christmas designs as gifts.

The towels are Aunt Martha's and with a coupon, well worth getting and easy to work on. I might just stain this one with tea, might give it a more prim look. The wool is prim, but I have to lighten it, so you can see the details.

Flower Mat Finished!

I finally finished my wool mat, though I took a few short cuts to make it go faster and get it done. I did not add the bugs or spider web, I just wanted a flower piece for my table. The problem is, it doesn't look good on my table so I need to find a place for it or maybe it will be a gift.

I finished it off by adding a linen backing and a blanket stitch. The original was done with a nice edge, but I am too lazy to make a binding.

Not perfect, but not bad. Pattern is Flower Garden Crazy, by Primitive Gatherings.

For the back, I used a linen that has the feel of wool. I found it in a thrift shop and I thought it would be nice for a backing. I cut out the design and left about a half inch of excess so I could tuck it under and keep a nice edge on the back. I pinned it and turned the edge under as I did the blanket stitch, not perfect, but not bad;) The crooked edge came about when I did the stems, I was a bit tight on the stitching.

Sunday Paddle!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. We had a beautiful day yesterday and I decided to get out for a paddle. We went to the town launch and stayed in the cove. It was high tide so it makes it nice to be able to go in and out of the coves and not worry about hitting bottom.

My daughter wanted to go, she is loving kayaking but she needs better gear.

Dad and Daughter paddling past Smith's Castle.

We went around a few coves and landed at the little beach by the breakers. This is the perfect spot to relax and enjoy the views and take a swim.

We even had some visitors. The circle of life continues, even for horseshoe crabs, lol.

Flower Garden Crazy Mat Progress!

This week I have been working on my wool crazy mat and the bird stitchery. I want to use the mat before summer is over and finally getting to the end. Once I finish the last wool appliques, I can add the stems and extra stitching. On the original they added a border, but I am just going to add a backing and do a blanket stitch around it.

I am trying to stay close to the colors they used and using what I have but hard to see the true colors and shades in the photo. The flash makes the colors come out too brassy and the blacks too light. I also find that they way I pieced the blocks made them smaller so I have to reduce some of the flowers to fit.

The pattern is by Primitive Gatherings and I think it will be a nice pattern to keep for the flowers and make smaller pieces with them.

The original also has a spider web, where the white daisy is. I turned it around and left it plain. I tried some pearl cotton on a couple of the flowers on the right, I like the thicker thread for the stems, what do you think? I found it at a yard sale and over dyed it so it is dark and light green shades.

Tea Towels!

A few weeks ago, I got some tea towels from Jo anns with a coupon, to try them out. I really like the loose weave and vintage look and it is something I can stitch or applique as gifts. They come in different colors, but green is my color and perfect for halloween or Christmas.

The first one I did with a stitchery, that I got from Kathy Schmitz. She has a newsletter and she offers free patterns in each issue, and this one worked perfectly for the tea towel.

The second one I did a wool applique from a Buttermilk Basin pattern. I love this design and will be making the actual pattern, but I wanted to try it on a towel. It takes up the length of the towel so it can't be folded, so this is good if you hang it from a wide rack. I also messed up and went wonky at the end, guess I should fix that;)

These are fun to do and we all have appliques that can be used for towels or reduce ones that are too large. With a coupon, it is cheaper than making your own and they work up quickly.

Blogaversary Winners!

I really enjoyed reading all of the misadventures of everyone's vacations, I think we all have those. I have been taking my meds and finally starting to feel human again, so hopefully it will stay that way. This weekend I got to see my sweet grandson twice, so that is always a mood booster. 

Since this is my five year anniversary of blogging, I wanted to have an extra prize for the person who brings the most traffic to my site. The winning website is Quilt Hollow, so Mary will be getting a little surprise package in the mail, as soon as I make another one;)

The winner of the prize package, which has a couple of extra goodies added to it is: Jean at Prim Crafts!

And for a third prize, the winner gets their choice of one of my epatterns or booklets. The winner is Cathy of Acorn Hollow!

Congratulations to the winners and thank you for all of your wonderful comments and support. I am hoping to get back into creating this year, so look for some new patterns and I will also try to do freebies when I can as my gift to all of you. 

Jean, please email me with your address so I can mail out your package and Cathy, email me with your choice of epattern. 

Giveaway Goodie Sneak Peek!

For those of you who would like to make  your own candle mat, Tiffany has her website back online. She was away and didn't realize it was due, so now you can download the snowman design or any of her wonderful free designs. She also has some wonderful designs that are reasonably priced and great for all types of mediums.

One thing I wanted to mention, is that Tiffany is helping a friend who has stage 4 brain cancer. They are working on a bucket list and Tiffany needs help with expenses for their trips. If you would like to read more about Bonnie's story and the things that she has been able to do with Tiffany, you can visit their blog, Bonnie's Blessings to learn more. Her story will touch your heart.

Today I finished another candle mat, the winner can have their choice of the first one, or this one, I will let you decide. This one is more fun but more prim with the staining. The design is by Michelle Ridgeway Designs. You can find the freebie on her right side bar.

I had to clean out my wool bins and put the wool in boxes for now and I picked out some camel hair wool, that I hand dyed. It is a super soft wool that can be used in different types of projects. Also a mini halloween quilt, a christmas pillow and a candle. I will wait on the patterns after I choose a name, since some of you like to quilt, punch or stitch, I will customize those to your likes.

I also said that I would pick a name on Sunday. I will do that and then announce it on monday. I have not had the best week and still recovering, so I will take a break till Monday and see what else I can add to the box. I hate to send out a box that isn't full;) I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

If you would like to enter the contest, you have till Sunday night, 10pm EST. You must leave your comment at THIS POST to be entered. I have enjoyed reading your comments and I think I can say, done that, been there, lol.