Creatively Distracted……

unfinished projects

The weather is beautiful today – the next few days we have 80 degrees predicted and then rain. So I would rather be outside walking on the beach than working. But alas I need to work to continue with my creative habits. As I have mentioned before I purchased a spinning wheel. Oh the fun I am having!! I have worked with 4 different rovings since I brought my machine home. It is really amazing to see the difference in the yarns that I am spinning. I do see some improvement.

I plied 2 strands of spun yarn to have a thicker yarn. The fiber that I was spinning had lots of variations in the color. I am really please with the results of the yarn – the variation in color reminds me of the ocean.

while still in the process of being spun

This is the yarn after I spun the 2 strands together. Pretty cool don’t you think. I think this will be knitted into a Christmas present for someone who will remain nameless.

– the last of my fiber to be spun until the end of next week

So I will finish up this fiber that you see above and then I will dive into my quilting. I am going to promise myself that I will work on my quilting at least 2 hours every night. The way that I am talking it sounds like a punishment – it of course is not – I love to quilt and to make quilts but I am like a kid with an attention deficit problem – I keep flitting from project to project. Lots of fun flitting!!!

So my spinning is part of my distraction – the nice weather is part of my distraction – the desire to cook (because of the cooler weather) is part of the distraction. But as you can see by the photo at the top of the page there are quilts to be finished. 1 is a baby quilt, 2 are Christmas quilts that I have been working on for years, one is a mystery that needs to be marked for quilting and then quilted. Plus I have many other projects on my shelves waiting for my attention. I also have not mentioned the unfinished sweaters that are in the bags by my couch. Far too much to do and far too little time for it. There needs to be more time in the day, if only I didn’t need to sleep I would be getting much more done.

Remember to let your creativity shine – it is fun and rewarding.

Be Kind…

Faith

Latest Quilt challenge….

Aug28

Fabrics for Challnge

Back in April we signed up for a challenge at Evergreen Quilters – we were given 21 8″ blocks. I wrote about it here – https://quiltingonthecove.com/2013/04/03/faith-in-me/. I had an idea of what I wanted make but I have to admit that I procrastinated for over a month and then I started cutting and paper piecing the background. I used my Electric Quilt program to print up several various 4″ log cabin blocks. My plan was to use the fabrics to make a background for my garden. The lower part of the quilt is the ground and the steps into the garden. There is a stone path and as your eyes work upward the sun is setting. I was thinking of a fall sunset with all of the reds and oranges as the sun goes down. Ok, so you may need to use your imagination but that is what creating a quilt from a disjointed pile of fabrics is about.

Flower Garden Challenge Quilt

I added bias cut stems and 3 dimensional flowers. I am really pleased with the final outcome.

3 Dimensional Flowers

I neglected to take a picture of all of the wonderful creations that my fellow quilters made. Silly me, but they were amazing!!!

I have a ton of projects in the pipeline – several with deadlines. So I will be very busy in the next few weeks. I also have pickles to pickle and salsa to make so it will be a crazy few weeks. Life is good – fall is coming and I am ok with it all.

Be Kind…

Faith

One UFO done…

Aug24

My quilt guild has a UFO challenge every couple of years. This year I signed up to finish 4 quilts. They are all pieced and only need to be quilted. Two of them have been UFO’s for over 10 years. One is all hand pieced star blocks done in Christmas fabrics. I love the top and I need to find just the right long armed quilter to quilt it for me. The other one is a Dresden plate quilt block that is machine pieced and machine appliqued. Hopefully they will be done soon, but they will not be done by Monday when the UFO challenge is taking place.

I did finish one of the quilts that I signed up to complete. I started this quilt my years ago at a quilt retreat in the Catskills. It was a wonderful retreat and a fun class.

Part of what took me years to complete was the hand quilting. I quilted some feathers in the corners and along the edge.

I machine quilted the rest of the quilt with metallic thread. It gives the quilt a little extra Christmas sparkle. This will either be used as a wall hanging or a table topper. For now it will be stored in a closet in a pillow case to keep the dust off of it, but come December it will be used to decorate as well as reminding me of a great fall weekend with friends.

I have also been spinning yarn with my new spinning wheel. Here is a picture of the yarn that I have spun. I am happy with it. Not bad for a novice. I really love it and hope to, take a class soon to really learn what I am doing right and wrong.

First spun yarn

Have a nice weekend,

Be Kind…

Faith

Fun weekend & Mabel visits Maine part 2…

Aug6

Jacoby Ellsbury hitting a triple

What a wonderful weekend I just had. Friday night we went to Boston to see the Red Sox. We met our daughter in Boston, sat at the bar at Jerry Remy’s, had a couple of cold beers and some nachos and just talked. It was wonderful to have some time to just visit and be silly. Our daughters boyfriend met us later for dinner and then we went to the game.

We had fabulous seats and had a really nice evening. Got back to Maine at about midnight. Phew long, but great day. Sadly the Sox lost.

On Saturday our son and his girlfriend came to visit. Of course they brought their 5 month old, 70 lb. English Mastiff named Mabel.

Mabel is a very large, very sweet dog. She has her crazy times as do all puppies but then she gives you a big sloppy English Mastiff kiss and all is right with the world.

Mabel

The weather was absolutely beautiful. The temps are perfect, no humidity. We had some wonderful meals together, the kids and Mabel went to the beach for a walk.

A man and his dog.

We have determined that Mabel does not like the water. We tried to get her into the pool but she wanted no part of that. When we brought her to the beach she skittered away from the waves. Some dogs like the water and some just don’t. Mabel is a don’t.

Mabel thinks that she is a lap dog. Which is fine now but someday she may weigh in at 150 lbs.

Mabel loves the yard and the freedom to check out the flowers and the bees.

She also likes to sunbath. Overall I think that Mabel likes visiting Maine. Every time I see her she has grown a lot. I have to say that I love this dog. I love her goofy antics when she is chasing a ball and sliding all over the floor. I love when she pounces on an ice cube and sends it flying across the floor. She is a puppy disguised in a very large dog body. Mabel is fun!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend also. I hope it was spent with people you love, that always makes the weekend better.

Be Kind…

Faith

new socks….

Jul11

One of my favorite things to knit is socks. They are small and compact and easy to take any where. They are perfect for car rides and when you are waiting. I made these socks for Mari – she is someone who appreciates hand made things. Mari makes beautiful flowers out of clay. It is very difficult to tell that they are not real.

It seems like I have been working on these socks forever. There are several steps to knitting socks, you knit along happy as a clam and then you need to do something that requires concentration. This is the point where I very often put the project down and pick up something mindless. Something that requires no thought just muscle memories that I developed when I was 8 or 9 when I first started to knit.

I am a self taught knitter. Don’t get me wrong, along the knitting journey I have had many friends who have taught me different techniques and ways of finishing but usually when I knit I am alone and I have to figure out how to get to the next step. I have a wonderful library of knitting books. Two that come to mind are “Knitting in Plain English” by Maggie Righetti and “Stitch ‘n Bitch” by Debbie Stoller. There are many others but at this point they are probably in a knitting bag with an unfinished project and there are far to many of those for me to track down.

Another new resource for learning to knit is Craftsy.com. This is a website that is full of wonderful videos that teach you almost anything “Craftsy” that you might want to learn. There is usually a small fee for the class but you can refer back to the video and also send questions to the instructor. I have found this to be a very valuable asset when learning a new technique.

Who would think that you can end up with a pair of socks when you start with this. Don’t start with a pair of socks, start with something easy like a scarf. Find a yarn shop near you and they will be a constant source help. LYS (local yarn shops) are always willing to help their customers with a project that was purchased at their shops. Let your creative side out – you will be amazed at what you can create and what a wonderful sense of satisfaction you will have when you complete something.

Be Kind…..

Faith

Spring in Maine…

May31

Bleeding Hearts

It is hot here! Crazy, last weekend we were all wearing sweatshirts and long pants. Yesterday it hit 87 degrees, today and tomorrow more of the same.

One of my favorite things to do every morning is to walk around my backyard and look at the flowers that are blooming. They are blooming in spite of the cooler weather. My husband spread 16 yards of very dark mulch in our yard this year. A lot of hard work, but it makes the yard look so pretty and the flowers just seem to pop with the dark mulch as a background.

Columbine

It is always fun to see what pops up out of the ground. We moved and transplanted a lot of flowers last fall and to be honest I sort of forgot what I put where. No, I did not mark anything. That is just not my thing, I would much rather be surprised in the Spring.

Who doesn’t love a Red Rose?

I also added some new perennials this year. We had pulled up a lot of old ground cover and needed to replace it with a garden. It is slow going because some plants made it through the winter and others didn’t. I am never sure what will survive and what didn’t.

This lovely little flower made it through the winter – can’t remember the name.

I always plant this adorable little poppies – they remind me of the crepe paper we used to decorate our classrooms with for holidays.

Poppies

I will be planting my veggies now that the ground is warm. Tomatoes, peppers, onions, lettuce, eggplant, cukes, zucchini and lots of herbs. Yum!!! I also have a lot of annuals to plant in pots to beautify my yard. Love lots of flowers and color.

Enjoy your weekend – stay cool.

Be Kind…

Faith

Faith in ME…

Apr3

I am involved in an online block swap. I have written about it here – https://quiltingonthecove.com/2013/03/07/block-swap/

All of the people who are participating in the Swap are posting on a Forum. When I sign my posts I write Faith in ME. Of course my name is Faith and I live in Maine. Hence the sign off.

One of the other participates mentioned that she appreciated the signature because it caused her to pause and have “Faith in ME”. I was touched by this sentiment. We do need to have Faith in ourselves, we need to have confidence to take a risk. We need to have the courage to do things that may make us a bit uncomfortable – an example of this is me writing this blog. I still have doubts when I think of a topic that anyone will even be interested enough to read it.

I have doubts when I pull piles of fabrics out of my stash to start a quilt. Do these fabrics really go, should I use one color or another? All of these self doubts bombard us on a daily basis – sometimes it involves our relationships, sometimes it involves our jobs or career choices. We have to learn to trust our guts!!! Don’t have “buyers remorse”.

Right now I am working a quilt challenge – all of the participants had do bring in an 8″ square of fabric. 21 of us are involved.

Fabrics for Challnge

So we each need to make a quilt using all 21 different fabrics and it can’t be larger than 144″ outside dimension. So I started to cut these fabrics and work out how I was going to use them all to make a quilt. I have to have “Faith in ME” that I would choose the correct design and use of these fabrics. I don’t have any extra – once it is used it is gone. I will keep you posted – I started to sew last night. So far so good. I have an idea I just have to be very careful not to make mistakes that prevent me from achieving my desired results.

Learn from your experiences and have Faith in ME.

It is chilly and breezy here today – hope some warmer weather is on the way.

Be Kind….

Faith in ME

Oh my Spring is coming…

Mar27

First Crocus

Spring is coming – some would say it is here. It probably is in some places but we still have snow on the ground. I love to see these darling little flowers poking up out of the mulch. There is other evidence of flowers to come poking up through the mulch – maybe some tulips or daffodils. Hopefully the deer will leave the tulips alone this year. Last year they ate all but one beautiful red one. Most of them a planted in a fenced area where the deer can’t get to them but some on in my front island and they are like a salad bar for the deer.

Enjoy the sunshine,

Be Kind….

Faith

National Quilting Day and a trip to the Beach….

Mar26

Full Bloom

March 16th was National Quilting Day – to honor this day and to have some fun, 10 friends – some new friends and some old friends loaded into 2 cars and went on a road trip. We started our journey at 7:00 AM. We all live in southern Maine not far from the coast, our destination was the mountains of New Hampshire. QUILT SHOPS!!!

Our first stop was the Attic Cat which is in Effingham, NH. The road or roads to the Attic Cat are windy and hilly. I am not sure if I would have ever found it if I didn’t have capable co-pilots with me. What an adorable little shop, the Attic Cat was offering a 25% discount off of your total purchase. Loads of lovely fabrics, books and tools. We all did some damage to our bank accounts when we stopped there. We left inspired to quilt and to shop some more.

Next stop was a quilt shop known to many – Keepsake Quilting (www.keepsakequilting.com) in Center Harbor, NH on the coast of Lake Winnipesaukee. Many of you, I am sure have seen their catalog, flipped through the pages looking longingly at the quilts and fabrics. The first place we headed was the SALE room. We wanted to snatch up any wonderful kits, fat quarters or yardage that was not only on sale but also 20% off. Such bargains, such dreams of wonderful completed quilts. We all did some damage in this area as well. I bought several kits to make quilts with. One is very intricate and sort of modern, the other is very traditional and made with 30’s fabrics. I can’t wait to start both of them.

Quick break for lunch at a lovely restaurant called the Canoe which sits on the edge of the Lake. Very nice views of both the lakes and the mountains. We were all hungry but also anxious to get back to shopping. We had so much fun discussing our purchases and our quilts and getting to know each other better.

Back to Keepsake for the final hit of the day. Purchases made, bags stuffed into the car and off we go. One friend mentions that there is another quilt shop that maybe open just over the bridge in Laconia. The Quilted Frog. Ladies, do we want to stop? Of course, we are here, why not? As we piled out of the car and into the shop the owners thought that maybe a bus had arrived. Once again purchases were made, and bags were stuffed into the car. We decided that this had to be the last stop because there was no room left in the car.

We were headed home – laughing all the way. What a wonderful day we had. Good company, beautiful fabric and quilts and lots and lots of laughs!

Thanks Ladies for a wonderful time!

The next part of my journey took me to Florida to visit family. My husband and I traveled the day after a snow storm to Florida. It was a trip that took a few hours longer than expected but we got there. Plane de-icing and missed connections and all.

It was so wonderful to walk on the beach with our feet in the water.

Heaven

We had some company for part of the walk.

This beautiful Heron decided to walk with us for a bit. I think he thought we had some food foe him. Since I don’t think Heron’s drink wine he was out of luck with us. Isn’t he a beauty though! The birds are so tame it amazes me.

We had a wonderful but short vacation – we visited with family, laughed alot, ate good food and too many desserts but that is what vacation is for.

Have a very Happy Easter! I hope where ever you are spring is on its way. We may have to wait here in Maine because there is still alot of snow left to melt.

Be Kind…

Faith

My new I-Pad cover…

Mar19

I take my I-Pad everywhere. I rarely leave the house with out it. I decided that although I have a cover for it I needed a bit more protection…not to mention something that was just a bit more my style. When I put my I-pad in my bag the magnetic cover sometimes opens which could lead to scratches or a dead battery. I decided that I would make one – Big Surprise right???

I googled covers and tons of covers that I could buy popped up – then I turned to Pinterest. All I needed was an idea – I had a pretty good plan already bouncing around my brain but I wanted to see what others were making. Sure enough loads of good ideas popped up on Pinterest. Many very similar to what I had been thinking about.

I took some measurements, thought about what materials I had on hand, wondered how I could use scraps rather than cutting “new” fabric and this is what I came up with.

Here are some of the stitches that I used to decorate it.

I used velcro to secure it when my I-pad is in it. I am very pleased with the way it turned out. Here are a few more pictures of the final product.

So that is my latest little creation. It is snowing again here in Maine. It is pretty, but I am ready for Spring. Winter just wants to hang on tight but eventually Spring will win and little green shoots will be poking up through the dirt and I will be very excited.

Enjoy your day…

Be Kind…

Faith

quiltingonthecove

A peek at my life. My quilting, my cooking and a look at the beautiful place that I live!

Archives

Creatively Distracted……

Latest Quilt challenge….

One UFO done…

Fun weekend & Mabel visits Maine part 2…

new socks….

Spring in Maine…

Faith in ME…

Oh my Spring is coming…

National Quilting Day and a trip to the Beach….

My new I-Pad cover…