Nothing but Roosters in the Pumpkin Patch

I'm a woman on a mission. My mission is simple, to make it through this Winter. Wow, what a rough week. Ever have one of those weeks when it's nothing in particular, just the sum of all parts? I supposed we all have them.

This week was full of challenges that I somehow manages to survive but let's just recap the good: we had a sunny Tuesday. And how the heck do I remember that? It was the only sunny day this week, that's how! The bad: The week began with a rainstorm that made my bathroom roof leak and then dentist left me with a throbbing tooth that still hurts after four days. The ugly: I tried a new stylist and she gave me a REALLY bad haircut! Well that's when I just decided that I was done. I would just call it a week! It was so bad I had to go out and buy some Jelly Belly Beans. You know it's bad if I make a special trip to the mall to buy Jelly Belly Beans... Yeah, it was a rough week, but it's Friday so I am putting it behind me and moving on to show and tell. This is what I did this week while I was waiting for the stars to align themselves again, I worked on some roosters. Gotta love Craft Therapy.

Here's Rooster #7 Rooster#8Rooster #9: I think I might actually have these done before the end of the month. Only three more to go!!!

I decided to redo one of the roosters because I just realized that in order to keep the backgrounds in the same order as the pattern I would have to have a rooster facing the wrong way, and my OCD just wont allow that kind of transgression. I'm bad like that... so, I am now redoing it. No biggie. I think I'll be done with all the applique by next week, now if I could only get motivated to put them all together, that might be the hardest part of this project. HMMM. I have to psyche myself up for that. Piecing is just not my thing. Gotta work on that. ;)

Hope your work was not a total bust too. I know my sun must be hanging out somewhere so if you have it, please do send it back...

PS: If you'd like to start your own Seeing Roosters quilt,

you can order the pattern HERE!

I've been Seeing Roosters

Lots and lots of them!
While I was away I wanted to make sure I did not have to spend any more hours on infomercials than necessary. Not being one to pack more than one suitcase for both of us (yes, that's two people, one suitcase, regardless of how long our stay will be). I had to find something that would fit, something that wasn't going to bore me to tears, and something that was effortless. I literally rummaged through my "project basket" where you will find countless number of projects in different stages of completion, and pulled out "The Rooster Project". HMMM. Maybe this one will work.
All I needed to take this with me was a scissor (some pieces were fused and cut, some were just fused, but all were ironed so there would be no tracing or "paper work" involved), then I needed some black Perle Cotton (one color for all twelve block, gotta love that), and a pack of needles (JIC I lose the one I am using, it's been known to happen). Ready.

I trimmed all my blocks the first couple of nights, then I fused some blocks and started stitching away. By the time I got back I had three completed blocks. Last weekend I worked on three more and TADA! Look what I have...
And what will I make with all these Roosters? Well a wall quilt, of course!
I'm hoping mine will look like this when it is completed. It is such a great project. It's easy to follow the pattern, the tools needed are few. The finished product will be a dream. What more could I want from a take along project? Nothing! I am loving this journey, and I'm half way there. Stay tuned for the final chapter on this one. =)

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas...

at The Mercado's house. Are you lovin' my Santa? He is almost ready to be "revealed" but it's too dark to take a good pic so it'll have to wait until tomorrow. In the meantime, enjoy this little sneak peek of what I painted today.

I spent the day painting with Cynthia Erickson and a group of very happy ladies who all had a crush on Santa Baby... Oh he is a cutie, eh? Nothing soothes the soul like a day of painting fun.

Hope your day was filled with wonderful crafty things. If not, there's always tomorrow. Make the most of the weekend by sneaking in a little holiday project of your own; you can do it!!!

Some Projects Just Go On and On,and On...

Ever find yourself wondering how something so small could ever take so long? Yep, I do too. Take this wool Monthly Mini quilt I started months ago (please don't ask me when. I blogged about it but I am hesitant to search and find out how long it's really been "in progress").

Today I thought I had finally finished the blocks and was ready to set them on the background. Well, two things happened. First, I couldn't find the pattern (I put it in a "safe" place so I wouldn't lose it, don't laugh at me!), and second, well, you tell me what's wrong with my blocks... can you tell me what's wrong with my blocks??? It's the Monthly Mini that wont end! LOL!

PS. My blocks aren't as bright as they appear, that's just a bad pic. Click on the link to the old post about them to take a closer look at some of the blocks. Better pic to follow once I finally finish this; hopefully before I'm on Social Security! HAHAHA

No Rest For The Weary...

I decided I have to make a Tree Bird Quilt, I just have to. With this little cutie as my goal I am stealing time from my crazy schedule and getting it done. The best way to "steal" time from myself is to carry my project around and that's what I have been doing. I traced and cut these while waiting for GP to get out of the shower...he takes LOOOONG showers, so I was able to get all the leaves cut out and traced, and the rest of the applique traced (onto fusible web). On another short break I got all the other stuff cut out. I think it was while I was waiting for something else. I feel like I spend half of my life waiting, on hold or in line. Is that just me???Oh now I remember, I was watching the news at noon...that's what I was doing. Lunch break!

Anyway, I finally have everything cut and while ironing a shirt I fused on the pennies and the wings. Hey, the iron was hot and I was already there...So this is what I have so far.

Well, almost, because last night while I was watching TV I was able to start the actual stitching... and loo! I have a wing, one wing is done; woo-HOO!

OK so that's not much progress, but will have you know that I am a woman on a mission. I am going to complete this kit this week. I know I will . Then I will have one of these in my studio:
I can't wait to have it up. It's so cute!!!
You can order the patterns to make your own, HERE! Fast, Fun and easy...just what any busy Mom needs, because God knows we have no time.
There is no rest for the weary!

Horn Of Plenty, In Progress

I've been working on a wonderful new wool penny rug from one of the latest designers to be showcased at the Pumpkin Patch, Jan Speed. This is her pattern, Horn of Plenty as I have converted it from wool felt to all hand dyed woolens. The applique is all done but the tongues are still in progress. When all is said and done it will look like this: My pic was taken outdoors so it looks brighter than it really is. The daylight makes the other colors "bounce", but it really is not bright at all. I wanted to make sure you'd see the textures on the woolens. I love the way the applique turned out. I hope to be finished with the tongues tomorrow; stay tuned for the great reveal!
Hope you've been working on something fun too...

Settler's Pride BOM Block 1, Done!

You thought I was goofing off, didn't ya? Well, I'll have you know that it's almost time to send out the next block of Settler's Pride so I was a woman on a mission. I needed to catch up, or almost catch up, with the Settler's Pride BOM ladies. I am now officially only one month behind schedule.

Take a look at what I did yesterday... I completed Block#1, TADA!!!! One down, only eight to go! Woo-HOO!

Seeing Roosters, Now In Progress!

Have you ever set aside a pattern to make "someday", and one day you just find it again and decide "someday" has arrived? Well, that's exactly what happened to me this weekend. I found this awesome pattern that I had stashed away to make "someday" and thought it was the perfect one for a rainy and *ugh* soooo dreary weekend... and I was off! Hours of tracing and cutting later, this is what I have to show for my efforts:

TADAAAAA! Seeing Roosters, is now in progress! I still have SIX more roosters to cut out but I have six ready to sew, and I feel like a rock star!

woo-HOO! I'm halfway done...

Each rooster is unique and goes on a different colored background. These are on the same background because I wanted to show you the actual roosters but they will each be on a different color when they are stitched down. I am using all hand dyed woolens for the roosters and the background. I'm still deciding whether or not to machine applique them....
But I will mull that over as I cut out the last six...
Stay tuned; more Rooster news to come!

It's A Wool Crazy Week!

I've made some progress on my Wool Crazy Pincushion. I added a few flowers and even decided that my first flower was looking a bit too "dowdy", so I put my seam ripper to good use and removed it. My new one will be added shortly. Here's what I have so far: And as I was working on my new flower.... look what arrived:
This is Roseanne Kermes Round Robin pincushion.
I am its first stop, woo-hoo! Now isn't that bee skep the bomb? Amazing!
I will be adding a little something to it but I will have to sleep on it before I decide...stay tuned... it's definitely a Wool Crazy week at the Pumpkin Patch!

Wool Crazy Fun

The more I looked at my little pincushion reject, the more I thought it was just in need of some lovin' to make it shine. Needless to say, it didn't take long for me to pull out my scrap bag and start having some wool crazy fun. Three hours later, this is what I had:

TADA!

Hope you had some fun yesterday too. =)

Another Work In Progress...

Ever feel like your all out of "craftiness"? I've been feeling that way lately.

I can't find my crafting MOJO. It's so sad, it depresses me... but last night I said I need to make something. I must make something!

So this is what I made... TADA!

It's a Sewing Case! Mind you, this is not a
"get your mojo back kind of project". This is more of a "What the **** !", kind of project, LOL! Yeah, I'm thinking this just looks like a beginner project but when I started making it (by the time I read the directions I had already sliced and diced all the wool so it was either I made it or chucked the wool...are you nuts?!) I discovered that THIS is what the inside looked like:
Hello?! There are pockets on the other side too...better pics when I finish the last pocket but I really just had to take a mental break...what's up with all the pockets? OK, so it's really, REALLY cute, but I am feeling a little worked up about the pocket situation. And the directions are "like" four pages long...hello? I saw the little flower pot and and was hooked, I didn't bargain for all that work...I thought it was a needlecase! I was dooped by this pattern... But who knew I could make pockets? LOL!
Anyway, I did get to try out some of the fancy stitches on my Bernina... and I did use some awesome threads. I also used raw silk for the pockets and all hand dyed woolens for the outside and the applique.
I really love the way it looks and it's almost done, so stay tuned... my fancy schmancy pockets with flap covers are on the other side. Well, you didn't think I was going to show you the whole thing in one post, did you? =)

Tuesday's Task

The week is off to a great start. I'm well on my way to a productive week, well, almost....My little pile might not look like much right now but I tell you, it is destined for great things, it is destined to become...

drum roll please,Yes, it's my very own "It's Spring Chicks!" mat. Hello!

This is another great design by Cathy Wagner that I have kitted for the shoppe. It can't all be work and no play around here, so I'm "testing" her pattern, ahem.... And if the "pattern" is good, mine will look like this:

I know, I know... all you skeptics out there are thinking, "Fat chance, Missy!" but I'm telling you, I can do this. I can make my own fancy schmancy mat. It usually helps if you actually follow the directions but I have to confess I'm a fusible web kind of girl so, I did fall off the wagon there. But no fear, no one will ever know that my chickies are facing the wrong way, I'll photoshop them into reverse, LOL! I'm so bad!

But let's not get ahead of ourselves here, today's task will be to cut out the black background and cut the little color patches . I want to put the patches on the eggshells before I put the eggs on the background. Does that make sense? OK, you just gotta trust me on that...or read the pattern for the "real" way to do this. hahahaha. But that's happening later, break is over, back to work!

You can order your very own kit here, I promise Cath's directions are way more accurate than mine, LOL!

I Love Painting!

Today I drove down to Newbury to paint with one of my favorite instructors, Cynthia Erikson. After only six hours this is what I drove home with, a Patriotic Santa Dummy Board.
He isn't finished yet, there is still linework to do and some shading but all in all, a good show for a few hours work. I am hoping to finish him tomorrow. Nothing like a completed piece to remind me of how much I love painting.
I hope you spent your day doing something that makes your heart happy...nothing makes my heart happier than a day of painting! If you've never given the brush a try....well, you just wouldn't understand! LOL!
A better pic will follow once it is complete. Stay tuned!
So what did you do today? Anything FUN????
No, laundry does not count as a fun activity; and cooking, nope, that's a "no go" too....LOL! Only fun, "I did this for ME!" stuff counts...c'mon, think hard...what did you do for yourself today?
If your answer was "Nada!", then remeber, there's still one more day this weekend that you can claim as your own. Go ahead, take the day and do something fun. You know you want to.... so do it! LMK what you're up to! B=)
PS..I will have a painted piece to giveaway. No, not my Santa... a secret piece! I will ask GP to draw from among those who share what they did for themselves...only selfish, "I did this for myself" entries qualify. LOL! Yeah, I encourage "Me" time, what can I say???LOL!
OOps. I'll draw a winner tomorrow night. You have one more day to do something for yourself...so go ahead and do it, and then tell me about it....I can't wait to read all about it!

I'm Working Here!

OMG! Is it Thursday already? Time flies when you're having fun, doesn't it? Geez!
Well, here's what I have been doing. I'm working on my own
Scarecrow Jack In The Pumpkin PatchThis is a new kit I've added to the shoppe. I'm so sick and tired of the cold; I am dreaming of warmer days and bright orange pumpkins while making this adorable little mat.
Look at my little Jack, isn't he the cutest? I am lovin' this project. So far, I have all the applique pieces cut out. I have yet to cut out the background...maybe tonight. In the end, I am hoping my little mat looks like this one from Cath's Pennies. I have only kits for this one, but if you'd like just the pattern, you can find it HERE!

My pic's colors are off, I will try to get an outdoor, true color pic posted when I'm done. I just wanted to share my progress, lest you think that I am slacking off or something, LOL! Trust me, I'm working here!

I'm Almost Done!

Oh, yes I am! This is Cathy Ruggiero, rug puncher extraordinaire and patient instructor, she's so much fun. I had a great time and now my snowman has eyes, nose & a mouth! All in one class, hello! Again, this is the back of the mitten, he's still on the frame as you can see. I need to add the "teeth", the twinkle in his yes and punch in the star, before I can add him to my "Done!" list. Going in for my last class on Saturday... I'm lovin' this punching thing. It's like rug hooking without having to worry about the direction your wool strips are going. It's awesome! More on this one next week. =)

And Now... We Wait!

Mr Snowman and I are ready for class. I know, I know, he doesn't look like much now but once he gets his party face and his star, well I think he's going to steal your heart away. =)
This is my progress so far, again, this is the BACK of the mitten.
This is it until next Saturday so now he'll be stored in the closet out of harm's way. Waiting, just waiting till it's time to come to life. I can hardly wait!
Now my aching hands need some rest. Aleeve, here we come. Please don't even try this if you have a serious case of arthritis. I have a little arthritis and I feel like my hands need to be soaked in warm water w/ Epsom salt! Ouch!

I'm Punching a Snowman!

Oh, yes I am! I just got back from taking my
Rug Punching class. And, I am trying to complete my mitten tonight so I can put it away until next weekend when I will learn how the heck to turn this little guy into an actual mitten. W00-hoo! The pattern is by Stacy West, it's actually an applique pattern that I really loved and thought it would make a perfect beginner project, it's Trio Of Woolen Mittens.
I think I will have enough left over wool yarn to make all three. The mitten is a nice big size, perfect to hang on a coat peg with some winter greens. I can't wait to finish it. I chose a dark pumpkin for my background, and the snowman will be a natural wool color.
I will save the pic for next week. This is the BACK of the piece, the front looks sooo cute. I am lovin' it!
No Snowmen were hurt in the making of this post, JIC there are any activists out there. I am a humane puncher, LOL!

Work In Progress...

I ran away this weekend to claim some time for myself. Yep, I got in the car and told Gino I was off to the Post Office, which I was , but after the PO I just could not face another morning of Mommy duty so I ran away, LOL!
I'm so bad!
I spent the afternoon window shopping, I went out to dinner (alone) and then I went to the movies to see an R rated film, Up In The Air (George Clooney) ...save your $$$ ladies, it's a dud! The only redeeming quality of this movie is that you get to gawk at GC for a little while. Yep, it was a serious disapointment. Yep, better just skip that one! Go see Avatar!
On Sunday I got up early, ready for some stay at home fun and I made up some kits for Pumpkin Berries' In The Meadow quilt.
The kits are ready but my sample is not. I'm so sad... my embroidery skills suck. No really, they do. LOL! To make matters worse, I decided to ink the letters first so I could see what I was stitching and THEN, I realized I had misspelled meadow. DUH! What a moron! ARGH!>=( I had to use spot remover, scrub with a toothbrush to get the ink out and then toss it in the wash before I could correct my mistake. I was so mad! If I didn't have the kits cut out I would have chucked it and just made something else...
This is what I have done post crisis...nothing! Well, I did write the words (in chalk this time), which only means I can't stitch them on at night because I can't see it, even with my OTT light; I'm blind as a bat! I hope to steal away some time tomorrow to continue the wording. Then it's just the buttons and I'm done.
Yeah, It is quilted and bound...I'm weird like that, LOL! Stay tuned, it's a work in progress. What are YOU working on???

What'cha Working On, HUH?

Is it just me or is this Fall just full of "life"? Nothing wrong with life mind you, but it somehow seems to be getting in the way of my crafting! LOL!
I am cutting Fall kits today and you know what that means, sample time! Woo-HOO! I've decided to make two samples because this is not a Halloween quilt and I've already made two of these in the past, and I know it is fast and fabulous cutie. Sooooo, I'm sharing!
You know those lovely pictures of the giveaway fabrics that have been flashed on over 400 blogs so far? Well, TSandy took those when she was here on a business trip in September, and I think they are wonderful. I'll be sending her one of these cute little Fall quilts for her cube on Monday. You see, T-Sandy's cube wants to be like TChoco's cube when it grow up, and she needs a little help...you can see TChoco's cube HERE! LOL!
What are YOU working on? Have you been sharing your
talents with those you love? I hope so; trust me, sharing will make your heart happy! See you soon with my updated pic... you can see one of my finished ones in TChoco's cube pic, B=)