Stitch a Patchwork Jack Wreath with HeatNBond Interfacing

While the 
My Favorite Quilt Block Blog Hop is continuing,
I want to squeeze in a post to share my tutorial for Thermoweb today.

Scroll down for today's post for the hop to enter the giveaway today.

I just love making Halloween decor projects.  It's the one time of year that you can just go wild with decorations. 

 Here is one of my favorites. 

 I've made this wreath without the eyes for fall, but it's just a hoot to add the eyes with HeatNBond Lite to make a patchwork pumpkin Jack-O-Lantern.

Today I am over on the 

Thermoweb Blog

with a free tutorial to make a

Patchwork Jack Wreath.

It only takes a few supplies including

HeatNBond® Medium weight Non-Woven Interfacing

and

HEATNBond® Lite iron-on adhesive.

Wouldn't it be fun to make pumpkin seeds coming out of his mouth?

I should have done that.

It's time to start bringing out the Halloween Decor

or

making something new.

This is just the project to get you started.

Be sure to go to the 

Thermoweb Blog

and 

grab this free pattern.

CREATE A QUICK FALL PILLOW WITH THERM O WEB SPRAY ADHESIVES AND DECO FOIL™

I'm so thrilled to be over at the Therm-o-web blog today

showing how to create this pillow.

Fall is near and it is time to start thinking about fall décor.  Deco Foil™ in beautiful fall colors teams perfectly with the natural color of burlap to capture the warmth of fall decorating.

It's a quick and easy project for a crisp fall afternoon.

No one will know that you made it yourself.

All the details can be found by clicking HERE.

Have a great day!

Howdy Partners - Welcome to Don't Let the DOOR STOP You and She Who Sews Blog Hop

Howdy, partners.

 

Welcome to my spot in the
 

She Who Sews
And
Don't Let the DOOR STOP You
Blog Hop

 
2 Blog Hops in 1

 

 

We are having a
Door Stop
Rodeo
Here in the Sticks!

Every rodeo has sponsors.

Thank you

Madame Samm
and
Quilting Treasures

 

 

First up:

 

a little pre-rodeo entertainment
for all you buckaroos

 

 

Remember our Rodeo Queen, "So Last Year?"

 

 

Now she's stopping doors with a new attitude.
But, her reign as Miss Duck Creek is over.

 

It's time to crown a new

"Miss Rodeo"

to stop

that Duck Creek door.

 

Burlap Duck

 

Made of burlap and canvas with Kona fabric wings and pearl bead eyes.
 

Yep,

she represents Duck Creek much better.

She'll block that door with her aquarium gravel stuffing

and plastic canvas bottom (the plastic canvas is inside).

Her free motioned feathers will delight
all

"Duck Creek Rodeo"
fans.

 

Now for the Main Event:

Ride 'em, Cowboy!

 

*The crowd cheers...*

cowboy silhouette in burlap and felted wool

 

Sometimes, sitting on the fence is the best way to see

the rodeo.

The "Main Event" is made of burlap (canvas behind) and felted wool with a rope handle.
The handle will make it easier to move.
 

This contestant had never played with wool before.

After cutting and appliqueing with it,

she'll be back for another round, for sure.

 

Putting burlap and wool together...love

 

This one is heavy with aquarium gravel and will keep a door in place,

especially in a

door stop rodeo.

Once again, hidden inside on the bottom, is a piece of plastic canvas to keep it nice and flat.

 

 

During intermission
count on our
 Rodeo Clown
aka Molly
 to

entertain.
 

Some clowns steal the show.

(If I lay down in front of the photographer, maybe she will rub my belly...)

 

 

Pull up your boot straps.

Yee-Hawwwww

 

It's time for the

Grand Finale.

 

 

cowboy boot door stop in teal fabrics

 

 The door won't hit you when you have a

Cowboy boot

holding it back.

 

The lighter teal fabric was a treat from For Quilts Sake.
The darker teal fabric was a treat from Dye Candy Fabrics.
The brown for the boot sole is, once again, Kona solid fabric.
You can find the pattern, here.  I did modify the pattern a bit (it was for a pincushion) and added the decoration.

I used decorative stitching from my Janome for the top of the boot and
stuffed it with Aquarium gravel and fiber stuffing.
 



western door stops for a rustic room

Perfect door stops for my "Dodge City" bedroom.

Go west

and visit my

Compadres

 

 

February 3rd

Why-Knot-Kwilt
 
Elizabeth Coughlin Designs
 
Marjorie's Busy Corner
 
Shepody Mountain Crafter
 
Lydsfire Sewing
 
Creatin' in the Sticks You are here!

 

 

The complete schedule for this 2 for 1 hop is here.

 

Don't forget to cheer for these creative blogs!
A kind word will make some one's day.

 Please say a prayer for Linda J
who has had a loss in her life.
Thinking of you, Linda.

 

 

Check out all of the Door Stops:

 

 

 

 

Happy Trails, to you...singing.

(you should be glad you can't hear me)
That other, other lady made me think I should be singing
as I was thinking of her and her cattle crossing when I decided to post this...
 

Our neighbor's bull in our yard.  I wasn't going out to take a picture.  He's big!!

 The bull stops here...
On hubby's newly planted grass.
Free fertilizer ;)
 

 

 

Chikaskia River family memories

Happy Easter!  We are having a great weekend and Easter is here!  He is risen!

My favorite Easter memories are from my childhood and family picnics at the Chikaskia River in Argonia, Kansas.  Easter egg hunting, eating Grandma Haskins' fried chicken, fishing, and playing with my cousins at the family farm on the river's edge.  My cousins would all agree, we were so lucky to have such a beautiful place to play.

Haskins dam on the Chikaskia River

My Grandfather built this dam across the river and my uncle has maintained it for decades.  It is a great place for fishing and playing. 

My mom was raised on the family farm and wrote a poem about her memories on the river.  She really captures my feelings about spending time at the river's edge.  Because she put it on her Facebook page, I am able to share it here and I also made a wall display dedicated to the beauty of our family place.

My Mom, Susan Haskins Berry

The Mighty River Flows On

The river I knew as a child
Still lingering in my mind
The wonder of it all
Bringing comfort so sublime

I can hear the water rushing on
Taking all my cares away
Filling my heart with joy
Renewing my soul today

The warm sand under my feet
Glistening from the sun
The birds, trees and sky so high
Remembering all the fun

The damn so majestically holding
The water in its arms
Preserving a home for the life within
Protecting the catfish farms

A moment of peaceful beauty
Seeing the current swirling about
Giving solace to all who come here
Mending broken hearts no doubt

The Chikaskia River was a blessing
In the memories I have had
The happier times of youth
Growing up with Mom and Dad

Somehow there is a lesson
In these thoughts that I hold dear
The ever-mighty river flows on
No matter what the time of year

I love to pause and ponder
Remembering quiet times I've spent
Sitting at the rivers' edge
Wondering where the water went!!

Susan (Haskins) Berry



My mom fishing off the Haskins dam





I put the Mod Podge to work again and made a plaque with this poem and then, because I'm not lucky enough to have a painting of the dam, I had a couple of prints made to put beside the poem.  This is a work in progress, but this it so far. 

This is what I did:



I took this blank canvas and painted it brown.

The poem was then printed on scrap book paper and the edges of the paper were burned.

The poem was glued to the canvas and 2 coats of Mod Podge applied.  Now I have a nice keepsake of the wonderful poem my mother wrote.

I wanted to show the river in different seasons, so I picked this picture for the fall-winter scene. 

This is the picture for spring-summer.  I uploaded the pictures to Walmart.com and made  faux canvas prints.  The link is here.  I had coupons which made this more affordable than traditional canvas.  You can't really tell they are card board unless you touch the pictures.

Now I have a great display and I recall wonderful memories every time I look at that wall.

Best fishing hole, ever! 



I hope you are making wonderful Easter memories,











Linked up with:

  

Front Porch and Checkerboard Table

It's a beautiful day out here in the sticks.  NO WIND!  Hip Hip Hurray.  That means it's a great day to get out on the front porch and finish my latest project.

Front porch at the Cabin

I love sitting out on the screened in front porch and watching the deer eat out in the alfalfa field or just rocking the day away out there.  We used garage sale money to purchase the chairs at Cracker Barrel last year.  We found them 1/2 price and couldn't resist filling up the porch. They are heavy enough to withstand the western Kansas wind and are very comfy. 

Patio Table from Lowe's

Once the chairs were in place, we needed tables.  I purchased  an outdoor table at Lowe's for about 40 bucks last year and decided that would do until I came up with a better plan.  I really wish I would have saved my money and looked at the local flea market first, but live and learn..

I found these table, which are about 24x 24, at the flea market.  They weren't together and one was priced 15 dollars and the other 20 dollars.  My husband was able to talk them into giving us both for 30 dollars.

I lightly sanded them and had to primer them.  I learned in this process to buy the better primer.  Those stains on the oak table kept bleeding through the 2 coats of primer.  Once we went and visited with the lady at the paint store we were able to purchase a water based primer that actually worked.  Lesson learned on that one.

I painted both of the tables white to match the rocking chairs, but I wanted to put a checkerboard on one of them so I taped out the checkerboard on the "problem table" very easily with my quilting ruler and got to painting. 

 I didn't go with traditional red and black. Mine is brown and barn red.  After I painted the checkerboard I covered the top with a couple coats of clear acrylic to protect it and shine it up a bit.

Checkerboard Table

To finish the project today, I'll need to cut some checkers out of some old sticks and paint them.  I purchased an old military map carrier from an antique store to hold the checkers.  I'll post the end of this project when it's complete.  lol 

For now, I have two great tables for the price of one.  Lesson Learned!!!

Happy Spring,

Linked up with:

Rustic master bath

It's time to start focusing on home improvement a little around here.  I will start posting a little about some of the finished and unfinished projects around the cabin.

Rustic Bathroom

Our first project when we moved in about a year ago was the master bedroom and bath.  Although the cabin is mostly rustic, the master bedroom and bath were somewhat Victorian.  This just would not work for me.  The walls were a light green, turquoise color (which I liked, kinda), but the carpet was the same color and there had been some pet damage to the carpet.  The ceiling was that popcorn stuff which would be fine, but the ceiling comes down far enough that if you rubbed your elbow on it, ouch... not to mention all that popcorn falling from the wall.  The ceilings in the main part of the house are all pine which we wanted to duplicate in the upper loft bedroom.


I didn't take pictures of "the before".  I've regretted that many times.  We were in such a hurry to get that ceiling and carpet out, that we were shopping for carpet immediately after closing on the house and my husband started scrapping the ceiling the very next day.

The bathroom was all marble and just seemed weird in a cabin.  The vanity was a double sink marble and really needed to go...can you say yucky.......  We wanted to put vessel sinks in, but didn't want to spend a lot of money.  One day, while talking about the project out in the garage, we came up with the idea of re purposing a work bench top.  My husband refinished a work bench ( FREE) that came out of the garage. (you'll see more benches when my sewing room is finished).

This project was labor intensive, but wasn't super expensive.  We saved a lot by using what we had and it doesn't hurt the cost by having such a handy husband.  He spent a lot of evenings sealing wood.  I love the results.



Pine ceiling

Bedroom corner to show the ceiling. 

We still haven't found the right light fixtures and I really want to change the floor in the bathroom from marble tile to more of a rustic tile.  We have such great tile in the other bathrooms, I would like to match that. 

I can't wait to show more,

Linked up with:

Debbiedoo's Newbie Party

Cherishedtreasures Sunday Blog Love

The Shady Porch