Portrait Progress

I have been working on my portait and have most of it done.
Now I need to fix the crooked mouth and weird eyebrow, lol.
This is what happens when you sew, while watching tv;)

The hair is done with yarn, lopi lite. I still have plans to style it a bit and give it some more strands after everything else is finished. I am thinking of ways to shade the face, maybe painting in shadows and highlights. The bowtie needs to be tied, I have no idea how to tie one, so going to look that up. I will also tack down the pleats, so they drape better. Luckily, with hand stitching, I can change things without too much trouble. It is not what I envisioned, but a good learning experience and it is fun to do.

Don't forget to comment on the contest and the pattern sale, which runs until sunday.

300th Posting! Contest

Yes, I made it to 300, lol.
I finished off my new piece today, so you could see it and how I converted one of my patterns into a cross stitch.
I would love to know your opinion on it, do you like it, would you make something like this?
And for all the comments I get about this piece, good or bad, your name will be entered into a drawing for the pattern, to this piece. I am new at using PC stitch, so it is a basic pattern, with color blocks and color code. I made this one into a pillow, but I think it would wonderful framed or on a hornbook. Since I am trying my hand at designing cross stitch patterns, any feedback is welcome. What would you like to see in patterns? Would you buy an epattern and do you like color blocks or color codes on your patterns. Do you care if the finished piece is different from the pattern, sometimes I do my own thing as I stitch, then decide, I like the original better.

I will draw a winning name on Sunday. Remember, you must leave a comment to be entered into the contest.
My next one is an adam and eve piece. I make up the basic design, then stitch it myself, and make changes as I go. I also, cannot see the holes as I stitch, so I am a bad stitcher, lol. But, it lends to the aged look;)

Pattern Sale!

While I am working on finishing up new projects, I thought I would offer a sale this week.
From now until Sunday, buy one pattern and get one free of equal or less value.
So, if you buy one, you add in the comments, what other one you would like and you will get that one for free.
You can find my patterns at the woolensails link, at the left.

I am working on a new cross stitch pattern, from an older pattern, so look for that with my 300th Post!
And we all know what that means;) Can you guess which pattern I am redoing?

Quilt Show: Part Two

Here are the rest of the show pictures, that I took.
There were lots of quilts, but these were the ones that stood out for me.
Unfortunately, the true colors do not show here, but they were stunning in person.

These quilts had nice applique patterns and fabrics.







These I like because of the edgings and ways to use scraps.







Who doesn't like an americana quilt.



And this is just a fun quilt. I have seen another done in more prim fabrics and I really like the pattern that way.
I think it would look great in homespuns too.
I hoped you enjoyed the show. It is always fun to go to local shows, wonderful people and lots of inspiration.

Rhode Island Quilt Show

Today I went to a local quilt show, held by the Narragansett Bay quilters.
There were a few new vendors, but I was able to walk out with some nice batiks to make art quilts with.
I like the idea of making simple applique pieces and then practicing my free motion on them. I think the batiks will be perfect for that.

I took a few photos, the lighting was horrid and the skylights from the gym, let in light that made it hard to shoot well.
So, here are a few that I liked and I will put up some more tomorrow.

This piece is done by Barbara Barber. I really love her work. This is a quilt depicting her grandmother and father, he was an only child and much loved. She hand paints her quilts and then stitches around the designs, it is beautiful in person. She fashioned the background after her grandmother's crazy quilt.



I just love the bold colors on this one and the subject of course. She made it after an artist's friend's dog.
Wonderful use of stitchery to enhance the design.



I love the realism of this quilted piece. It makes you want to walk into the picture. The berries are done with red beads, so nice use of embellishments and stitchery.



This I like, just because it was cool, lol. The sneakers are all applique, really loved them. I think she did a beautiful job on using fabrics and stitching to get realism and depth.



This one I loved, need to look up the pattern, it is so much more beautiful in person. She really used gorgeous prim fabrics and wish the camera could show the true nature of this quilt. It is from Folk Art Threads by Maggie Bonanomi.

Seals!

Today I finally got out for a walk and was so glad that I did.
Not only did I feel so much better, getting out in the fresh air, but I got to see some wonderful sights.

This place is called Rome Point and has a nice wide path that leads out to the bay.
We walked along the beach area and then took the path that leads to the point, at the end.



This guy was out laying his traps, with a little help from his seagull friends.



And this is what we got treated with, when we reached the point. Seals basking on the rocks. I had to use a telephoto on full zoom to get them, so not the best shots.



I went to take a shot of the birds on the big rock and didn't realize, until I saw the photo on the screen, there were more seals basking on the rocks below.



I took a photo of a line of rocks with seals. I can only see so far, since I am nearsighted, so it was fun to see what I captured on the camera. This is the right side of the line. The guy on the right must have his own little rock just below the surface.



Then on the other side of the photo, I captured the rest of the gang. It seems like you see one or two and then notice more and more that are disguised by the rocks.



And since I showed you a picture of me, that was 20 years old, I let my husband take a shot while I was enjoying the view.

Stairway to Quilting

I received my new stair treads this week and put them on the stairs to see how they look.
Of course the picture cannot show how nice and prim they really are, but I love them.
I found them on ebay from a seller called littlegranny. She has great prices and is willing to discount on full sets.
We still need to finish off the edges and I am thinking of sanding down the shiny paint my husband put on;)
Then I might do a simple stencil on each riser. And the guy making funny faces is Casey, he does that when I talk to him.



I finally decided to go with yarn for my hair and using my needle felting tool, I punched it into a wool template. Truthfully, this is what my hair really looks like, now, lol. Later when I finish the rest, I can go back and redo it, here and there, if I want. I do have a new couching foot, but I need to practice with it some more, then I can try hair with that. I made a tie and sewed it in, later I will figure out how to make a western tie and do it that way. I thought it would be fun to have a 3D effect on that. The picture is out of perspective since I have it one curved couch. The yarn looks mooshed since I had to use flash and I move too much.