Fibers Galore

Before crossing the bridge to the Island we visited Deanne Fitzpatrick's rug hooking studio in Amherst, Nova Scotia. If you want to give your creative muses a jolt this is the place to go! Fibers abound in saturated hues of all kinds. There are piles of fun yarn and fleece to incorporate in your rugs to give it some interesting texture. What intrigued me were the packages of fibers that were wrapped up in pretty yarn to whet your hooking appetite. I could not resist and fell upon this rose/pink bundle. I have a specific design in mind - a traditional island scene.

 Also picked up a Fall bundle ( my favourite season) and an ocean bundle to use in the design I bought at the studio.

You can't see it here but this is a lady mermaid with Deanne's trademark Wonky Houses. These houses will be hooked up in Maritime colours - a little out of my comfort zone as they are bright colours. She has also drawn up paisleys for the sky which is a new touch of hers in her designs. Certainly adds some whimsy to the piece. Can't wait to get started on this one but I do have a couple of others that have to be completed. You would think being a stay at home person would give me more time to hook but time just seems to fly right by. My goal is to hook more and do at least half an hour a day if not more! I've come to the realization that I love it too much not to.

Island Jaunts

Old Church down a country road in Breadalbane,PEI

Some pictures of our drives around the Island....

We headed into the hills one day - PEI is very hilly as opposed to the seacoast drives which can be along cliffs, dunes or very gentle shores. There is such a variety of landscape on this small province. A little bit of heaven for everyone.

I love this house! not far from the church and for sale too!!!

Sherman's Shore on Malpeque Bay outside of Summerside, PEI

Red Sands, Blue Waters and Fluffy Clouds



New Glasgow, PEI



Downtown Charlottetown with a small town feel where to be greeted with a hello on the street is not uncommon.

Our lunch spot - sole with hand cut PEI fries...heavenly and yummy...

Confederation House - where Kate and Will paid a visit earlier this summer.. the birth of Canada 1867

PS I am still tackling the steam and seam applique and not happy with it at all. This is just too tense an activity for me. I think I have sworn off using any adhesives! It is way too friggy! My one and only project using this method. Next week I will be able to hook again. Next vacation I am bringing my frame even if I have to have a roof rack installed on the car. I feel so much more relaxed with hook in hand and a rug on the frame. Rug Hooking here we come....

My Island View

This is my view as I work on my wool applique project. Dunes and the Atlantic ocean to one side and the bay to the other. A great panoramic view. How inspired can you be! It has certainly led to a number of sketches which I hope to put to canvas. The Island that holds my heart is where I find my peace and creativity.

The boats were already on the water harvesting the bounty from the sea on the bay this morning. We are located on a peninsula just jutting out to the ocean with the Atlantic on one side and Malpeque Bay on the other. It can make for some windy days. When the wind blows you can hear the ocean waves pounding on the shore. Yesterday we spent exploring parts of the Island and there is no place on PEI that is not beautiful.

So this is my latest project and I am using the interface method and not sure if I am liking it. This is a pattern called Prairie Rose available on my website and the designer uses an applique method of applying Steam a Seam to the wool. I am a traditionalist and I usually use a pin and baste method of appliqueing. I am not comfortable with the feel of the wool and the addition of the adhesive on the back. I'll persevere with it but I think that after this it will be back to the old method of pin and baste. I guess I don't like anything between me and my wool :) The last wool applique I did was my way and I loved doing it and it worked just fine. I guess the best thing is to use what works for you!

Off to explore more of the Island today. After coming here for so many years you would think I have seen it all but there is always your favourites you go back to and new places tucked away waiting to be discovered.

The Gentle Island

Seashore Scene Cousins Shore PEI

After a very stressful summer - September has proven to be a quiet relaxing time. A month for me to gather my strength and put my priorities in place and simply veg out. This summer was one that I never wish to repeat and a valuable lesson was learned. listen to your body - go with your instincts and don't be afraid to ask questions if something does not feel right. I learnt that I can't afford to be an ostrich with its head in the sand but need to raise my head. 10 days in Cardiac ICU will give you that! After 2 months of just not knowing what was going on - I feel better than ever and ready to wallow in the beauty of my favourite season  - Fall.

So that is the reason I have been lying low and there have been no postings to my blog or website. I am enjoying my days by the sea and loving every minute of  it. This is a gentle Island cradled by the sea and a place where I leave my heart every year. It is a place where I find a renewal of my creativity in the people I meet. It is their passion for their art which spurs mine whether it be in their rug hooking, quilting, painting or metalwork. The Island abounds with artists all so individual in their interpretation of their Island life. 

This year I met some lovely ladies who personify Island life in their rug hooking. If you are on Prince Edward Island have a drive by their studio - Pastimes PEI. I had a lovely chat and of course picked up one of their patterns all drawn up called the "Cavendish Mat". It is a geometric which I have never hooked before and there are traditional colours to be used to tie it back to the Island but essentially is a scrap rug. I can't wait to dive into my stash of scrap wool and dig out some treasures to hook this one.

This was Roby's first time by the seashore and I am not sure he knew what to make of it :) Working on a wool applique piece right now but I am itching to put hook in hand and start hooking some of them rugs! Have a new Deanne Fitzgerald rug to do  - gosh have to finish my other one too. Seems like I have to make up for lost time.

This will be my first Fall not working outside the home and I am going to love every minute of it! I have a new lease on life and for me Fall is a rebirth - always has been. Some people might say it is spring but for me it is Fall - the start of school - learning new things and cracking open those new copy books and putting the first word on a clean white page. It is trying new soup recipes and opening the window on a cool aftenoon to capture those special fall fragrances. Just love it!

It's Been Awhile

I have been missing in action on this blog for two months. Got back from Maine (where we had a lovely holiday by the beach) and got called to the hospital for surgery. It's been a bit of a recovery, with doing very little. To top it off I came down with some kind of virus and that had me down for the count. So hopefully I will be back creating and blogging next week.

One thing I did do was make some pots of soup. One of my favourites being, leeks and potatoes. Soup seems to be my comfort food. Although we were in the midst of a heat wave - the state I was in called for a nice healthy soup as my food blankie.

2 leeks (washed and chopped)

3 potatoes (diced)

1 onion

Saute leeks and onions in 1-2 TBSP butter for about 5-10 minutes on medium heat.

Add potatoes and saute for a few minutes.

I use commercial low salt chicken broth, but if you make your own - great. I use what is quick and on hand.

Pour in about 6-8 cups - depends how thick you like your soup.

Add some sage and pepper to taste. I also put in a little sweet smoky paprika. Simmer for an hour or so.

Serve.

I rarely use recipes when making soup - usually it is what I have on hand and herbs/spices are added depending upon the mood I am in.:)

I did work on one project  - a wool applique kit by Primitive Gatherings. Needed something simple and not too demanding. Everything is provided and all you do is cut and sew. I had not done one before and since I am selling them on my website - I thought I would try one out. This one is called Redware Crow. Here are the materials provided in the kit. The reason I chose Primitive Gatherings is because I loved the wool colours they dye. It is so much like my own dyes that I thought it would be a great fit. As soon as I got the kits I knew it was perfect - they are saturated with colour and look so primitive!

This is the completed piece.

The next one I think I will try is called Prairie Rose and is available on my website under Wool Applique.. along with some more of their wonderful kits. If you are looking for a fast - easy project I have decided Wool Applique is the way to go.

Have a great evening! Joni

Thursday Stitching

It is that time of the year when I start gathering my things for our annual one week retreat to Maine. The ladies in my family have been doing this for at least 20 years. This year Mom, my sister Lorraine and I are heading south for the beautiful ocean beaches of Maine. For me it is one week of relaxation where I read, sketch and muse on some designs I would like to do. Along the way we seriously indulge in good food (anything fish - the most amazing donuts and anything else we can find that is yummy), talk and laughter. We treasure these times and appreciate them for what they are.

Needless to say I have to have my handwork ready to go. This year I am bringing my next release for Island Cottage - I am working, for the second time,with Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk. I used it for the first time on my design May Flowers (release date May 15th) so cannot show you a picture. I loved the feel of it and the richness of the colour. I found it has more of a similarity to my wool than cotton does. I guess it is the softness and the texture. I always thought silk would be cost prohibitive but you get 12 strands vs 6 in cotton. It is still twice the price of cotton but so worth it. I am using a 35 ct spring green called Guacamole from Weeks Dye Works.. I just love the names people use for their colours! My contribution is my hand dyed wool called Tantramar Marsh (this is a marsh that runs between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick) Peter's grandmother lived here most of her life and painted the old barns on the marsh. It is one of my favourite places.

I am excited to get this one started and done - and of course our trip will include jaunts to Halcyon Yarns, Dorr Mills,  King Arthur Flour and any other interesting/crafty place we come across. Just hope we have the time to pack it all in! Bon Voyage....

Why do Cats?

c. Joni Black 2011

This is a new project I have on my board - I selected some beautiful spring colours - robin egg blue - a soft green and some posey pinks. Thought I would lay them out in a semicircle and there will be a hooked piece that will get set in the middle. Have to get this finished so that it is available in Pfatt Marketplace for the 10th.  

I just sort of got inspired and the ideas flowed and the fingers flew and I am happy with this look. I have been wanting to do some wool applique for awhile. I just love black as a background! The colours just seem to pop. I started glueing the pieces down but the glue did not seem to want to hold it well - so I went to my tried and true method of basting everything down. I know it takes longer but I am constantly starting and stopping and putting down that I like the security of the basting. I do not use any interfacing - I like the softness and flexabilty of the fabric. But some people do like to use it and that is ok. Whatever works for you!

I decided to use a whipstitch to secure the pieces to the background. I love the look of this stitch - just seems to add to the primitive look I want. The thread I am using is the new Valdani Twisted Tweed #12 Perle Cotton. It is wonderful to work with and I have also used it in my punch needle pieces.



Curious Kitty

 So you ask "Why Do Cats?"....
well what happens when you put down something new on a table? I thought I heard Mr. Mischief jump down from around my work area. What do you know - put something new down and it is inevitable that they will find it - no matter what. Our Noogs is a very curious and nosey little bugger. Tonight I have to remember to cover it... hence the cat hair in the picture.






Time to Work

Another thing I have learned from being a stay at home person is that what the day is doesn't really seem to matter anymore. A Saturday can be a Monday or a Tuesday can be a Saturday - meaning I do what I want when I need to. Yesterday I spent watching TV all day - catching up on wedding stuff so today I need to buckle down and get some work done.

Having said that today will be devoted to working on projects for Island Cottage Needlearts -my other moniker :). I 've got wool to cut, fabric to slice and a pattern to publish for the next May release. Then for another project, dyeing wool, choosing the silk threads and the hand dyed linen to complement the design. It will be a work/creative weekend. Just what I love! Hope you are enjoying a weekend doing something you all love.

British Wedding Date

This morning I was up at 3:00am - TV turned on - Roby brought out for his P&P - did not want anything to take me away from the TV. Set myself up for a few hours of royal watching and it did not disappoint. Just loved it! She was beautiful, he was handsome - they looked so much in love and I hope they have a long and loving life together. Of course I did not want to miss a minute so there was no needlework going on for these idle hands.
The Brits sure now how to put on a party with pomp and circumstance.
My sister came over for the balcony kiss (es) and we had our own little British breakfast.
Pink grapefruit, raspberry scones with strawberry and rhubarb jam, and scrambled eggs with a cup of tea- delightful as they say. I served it on my only purchase from London when I was there - a breakfast dish set.. how appropo.
To bed early for this gal .. have a good nite...Joni

Organizing the clutter - YES I will

I read the other day that storing your hand dyed threads in plastic bags could result in the dyes having a reaction to the plastic. I don't know the complete details on this but maybe someone out there can enlighten us by leaving a comment.

Anyway it was a good excuse to buy some pretty boxes at Michaels. They are having a sale and I am always a sucker for a sale. Besides I am on an "organizing my workspace" trip so any box will be put to good use. The clutter in the two rooms I have devoted to my crafts is driving me crazy. When I was working a 9-5 job I never had the time. I just wore blinkers because I couldn't see my way clear of getting rid of the clutter. Now that I am home - I am attacking the rooms with a vengeance. - well the plans are in place and just need to be executed LOL. First step to decluttering - what do you need to keep. Ohhh that will be hard. That's why I have my sister coming this weekend to rein me in and justify what I need to keep. I figure a well organized studio will lend itself to my devoting more time to creating. Right now I spend more time looking for things ughhhhh.

So my trip to Ottawa today was to locate the "Solutions" store. I fell in love with it when I walked in. Even though I had to drive 1-1/2 hours to get there - it was worth every minute. I can see that this store will be visited often in my pursuit of the organized workspace! Lots of goodies.

You can also find great stuff at Ikea. Found some wonderful cloth bins - my colour of choice was pink. They make great storage bins and I love the idea that they fold flat. You make them into a box by zipping the bottom. I also found some black vinyl ones that are the height of a letter tray and I use them to store projects in progress. Just use your imagination and you can find all kinds of items that lend themselves to organizing your craft essentials. Now I am looking to find something to organize my stacks of ribbon rolls. Any suggestions out there??

On a side note - what the heck happened on American Idol tonight.. one of the best singers, Pia is gone. what gives with that!

New listings on Prim Nest

c.jblack - Lazy Hare

Hi

This month on Prim Nest I am offering two new original  "Spring is Here" ornies. These are done using punch needle and hand dyed cotton threads. The back is a hand dyed wool. I used vintage style ribbon as the ruching. Patterns will be available when I get around to them on my 101 things to do list LOL. I'll also be offering the fiber package - wool and ribbon for sale along with the paper pattern. In total there are four new ornies from my spring collection.

c.jblack - Prim Purple Posies

Enjoy the lovely spring weather  - we finally are seeing some! g'nite, Joni 

First Day of Spring Really???

10 good reasons to make biscotti. Starting with crunchy Cherry-Pistachio. King Arthur Flour – Baking Banter

Every Christmas Mom makes biscotti for us and it does not matter that I make it all year round - hers is always special. I just love biscotti. It is something I dunk in a cup of tea and mostly have during the winter months. It's when I curl up with a current read and a favourite quilt to cuddle under. It is a big sigh of happiness with snow carpeting the ground and there is a nip in the air. What! stop -  why am I talking about snow and nip in the air on the first day of spring. Well Mother Nature played a trick on us today and put us in the midst of a snowstorm. I know the snow won't last but it sure is a reminder of who is in charge.

So Monday was spent on the road driving through a snowstorm to Cornwall, Ontario and not in my favourite leather chair reading my book with a cup of tea and a plate of biscotti. It was that type of weather though! The trip to Cornwall was for a very good reason and well worth the drive. Cheers to Derek!
G'Nite all 

Spring Hare # 4 Wool Stuffie for 2011

copyright Island Cottage Needlearts 2011

Forgot to mention the new design for Island Cottage Needlearts - the 4th in a series of 12 for 2011. I am now working on #5. All are themed with my hand dyed wool and some simple cross stitch. Great to do in a couple of sittings and so practical as they all can be used as pinkeeps or smalls to tuck on a shelf. I don't know about you but I ran out of wall space a long time ago what with the quilts and the rugs!

This one along with the other three designs can be found on my website as a kit.

Spring is Here!

I decided to do some spring designs. To me hares do not necessarily mean Easter - they are a sign of spring. In the morning I can see the tracks criss-crossing the backyard. They've been foraging under the snow for some spring greens which are finally popping up. I do have a small lake in the backyard due to all the rain we have been having. It's a favourite watering hole for birds and playful squirrels. Yesterday Roby found it and decided he would just plop himself in it. He has very long fur so we had a very wet soggy belly dragging itself through the house. I have given up on trying to pick up every paw print. I have animals what can I say and spring time is bound to bring in some pawprints!



Spring is Here!

 These are two new designs in punch needle. The patterns will be for sale in a couple of days off my website and Patternmart as a download. Meanwhile the original pieces are for sale on PFATT.

Have a wonderful weekend..I am off to bake some peanut butter cookies with chocolate chunks and do some needlework.
Joni

Road Trip

A selection of Dorr wools

What a great weekend this past weekend. My sister and I went on a road trip down to New Hampshire. We left Saturday am and prayed for good weather. You never know up here when you are going through the mountains what you are going to run into. What was our destination? well where do all wool lovers go but Dorr Mills. It was the first time I brought my sister and she definitely could see why I loved stopping in at this place. It is paradise for me. So many treasures - so much wool - so much inspiration! I am like a kid in a candy store LOL.

Terry,the owner, showed me some new black wool that came in - perfect for wool applique kits and penny rugs. My mouth must have dropped a foot - I have never seen so many rolls of wool. Dear Lord I would have a hard time working there - I would be running my hand over each and every bolt and the colours - oh la la la! We came home with a trunk full and the Canadian government was happy to have their share (taxes) Thank God there is no longer any duty on wool - only if it is made in the USA.

Wool for my next dyeing projects

Now to find a place for these bolts. Requires major re-organization, long overdue. Realized that when our internet failed us this past weekend. I was glad I was not home or I would be chomping at the bit. Repairman was here when I got home and then poor him I had to dig a path to my phone line in order for him to check the line and I realized it is time to clean up and be serious about it. So this week is re-organizing the supply room!

With the kitchen renos I have been slowly cleaning out all the kitchen cupboards and recycling, giving away or throwing out the unnecessary and being quite brutal about it. Today was the pantry! Yikes. It wasn't too bad. Swore to myself though that only buy what you will need in the NEAR future and USE IT! Tomorrow the baking pantry gets a makeover because of course a trip to New Hampshire means a trip to King Arthur's flour. One of my favourite places. I came away with a few baking supplies from there so a good excuse to clean out and see what it is buried in there. Recipe for 2010 Great Cake winner here.

Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cake - winner of the 2010 Great Cake Contest

With what is happening in Japan - it gives you a jolt and you tend to rethink your life and what you can do to improve yourself and I think one of the things I am going to do is make a conscientious effort to be less wasteful. Buy what I need and use what I buy. This of course does not apply to wool! Everyone should have a harmless little vice and if I can say I LOVE having fibers and colour around me then I can consider that not such a terrible vice. Don't you think? We artists, do need our pretties to inspire us to create.





Having said that I discovered some beautiful ribbons that I am using in some of my pieces - cross stitch and punch needle. They are reasonably priced and have a beautiful lustre and the colours are gorgeous. You can find them on my website. I am also listing a whole bunch of new patterns from some very talented designers. I am getting those up this week. So drop on by and see what we have as NEW STUFF...

Good nite..Joni