The Next Project....the Jacket

Well, lots of drama around here with cameras.  I tried to destroy my camera by taking a ton of pictures in the rain on my last big bird trip.  After a week of trying it every day, I decided I needed a new camera as I couldn't change the settings on the camera anymore.  I ordered an upgraded model -- Canon 70D which came with a bunch of accessories and I was really happy with it.  I have been playing around getting used to the differences.  Well, of course the day the camera arrived, my old camera mysteriously started working again, ten days after the trip!!  The above sunset picture was taken at a different place down at Ft. Fisher which I discovered thanks to my roommate from the bird trip, Sandra.  She knows tons about Kure Beach as she lived here for many years before moving into Wilmington proper.

This past weekend I attempted to go on a field trip around Greenfield Lake with an Audobon group.  They walked very fast and there was quite a large group and my ankle gave up after about a mile and a quarter.  I did use the new camera to get this nice picture of an osprey though!  

Unfortunately, I went out today to take some pictures and the camera wouldn't work!!  So much for the new camera.  Thank goodness I bought it from Amazon and can easily return.  Then I will get another one although now I am a little leary.  I never  had an error code on my old Canon!

Anyway, the next order of business was to take this big bag of silk scraps I have had for years and make a jacket from them.  For a long time, I have thought I would just create strips about four inches wide and separate those strips with black and that would be it.  So I have started just taking these leftover 1 1/2 inch wide strips and sewing them down on a flannel foundation.  These are cut up silk (only silk) ties that I bought back in the 80s for twenty five cents each.  I deconstructed them and then washed them and made a quilt called "Thrift Shop Stained Glass" many years ago -- a pineapple quilt.

This was an attempt to see how it would look together with thicker black strips as it just looks far too busy for my tastes.  I decided I had better play a little bit in EQ7 to see if some of the variations I have thought about would work.

This is just a try at a better composition.  I decided that I would try to vary a great deal the width of the strips and would add something a little calmer - the checkered red and black strips.  There is quite a bit of red in the long strips and I thought I would try to bring this out by adding some more.  These are obviously not the actual strips and I would not have the regular rhythm that there is here but would vary it a bit more.  I am thinking I would just have one main strip on each sleeve with the red/black checkered pieces on either side and a lot more black.  I want this to be a pretty dressy jacket that I can wear with black dress pants.  I don't have all my nice silk fabric down here but luckily found some black silk and red silk  at a local store so I could make progress down here!

January QBTS Meeting -- the Challenge Quilts

 The main theme of this month's meeting was the unveiling of the challenge quilts built on the theme of home.  The pattern was a very basic house pattern which you were free to do with what you like to express home.  There were a lot of kitties, birds and dogs represented in the 13 quilts.  I just didn't get around to doing one but was going to do the beach house.

Two more of the quilts.  Pat M's is to the right and features a mermaid.

Three more of the quilts.  The center one won best embellishment and was certainly a creative way to do the pattern -- she added to the pattern rather than doing something different.

 This one won for the best portrayal of the theme and was done by our club president Ann M.

We had "show and tell" and it was started with this stunning quilt!!

This is one of two circle quilts that Betty V made -- it is all from one fabric.

There is always a good representation of Habitat for Humanity quilts and this month featured two.

Bobbi did this quilt inspired by the jockey colors at (I believe) the Kentucky Derby.

I loved this big scrap quilt but then I am very partial to scrap quilts as are many members of this guild.  There will even be a prize for best scrap quilt at our yearly quilt show in April.

My dyeing buddy Dianne B did this beautiful quilt!!  She has quite a stash of unique fabrics from her time living in Africa.

I did like this purse a lot but Pat reported that the pattern was awful and she had to make many adjustments but it certainly came out fine.

The Yellow-rumped Warblers (affectionately known as Butter Butts) are back in numbers again.  These were taken at Ft. Fisher park but we saw many many by the Basin pond at Ft. Fisher as well.  They will be swarming all over in another couple of weeks!

Day 3 - Outer Banks Birding Trip - Cedar Island and Harkers Island

At the crack of dawn, we piled into the bus and headed for our next stop which was the ferry from Ocracoke to Cedar Island which is a 2 1/2 hour ride.  We hoped to see some loons and Northern Gannets on this ride.  It was a beautiful day finally!!  These are a group of Mallards right by the ferry.

I looked up and saw a flock of Tri-colored Herons flying overhead -- not a bird I am used to seeing in a flock!

I didn't see the Common Loon that some saw but this is a picture of one from the Coast Garden Station on that miserable Saturday.  He was swimming alongside a Red-breasted Merganser.

This is a Greater Black-backed Gull who was flying along the thermals with the ferry.

 He landed in the water here.

 This is a side view of the Greater Black-backed Gull.

These I believe are Herring Gulls who followed after us as well.

As we headed into the ferry terminal, I spotted this Red-breasted Merganser standing on the rocks by the jetty.  She was really far away.

We headed to the Cedar Island NWR but didn't spot anything but flocks overhead but hard to identify.  This is a look at the large Sawgrass marshes though.

Next on our agenda was Harkers Island and we spotted this beautiful Red-headed Duck by the marina.  You can see my camera has completely unfogged here but the ability to change settings is gone so into the camera shop it will go to see if it can be fixed.  If not, a new camera body is in my future.  

Another view of the Redhead.

I can't remember now but I think it was at Cedar Island that I saw my first Canvasback.  The light was not ideal and she was far away but here she is among a flock of American Coots.

She took a stretch here.

We saw a Common Yellowthroat here but this is a picture from Mattamuskeet as you couldn't see much of the bird in my picture from Cedar Island.

We took a walk around a pond at Harkers Island but really didn't see anything at all but the scenery was beautiful and you can see the bright blue sky reflected in this untouched photo!

Another view of the pond!

Outer Banks Birding Trip -- Day 2 - the Outer Banks and RAIN!!

 As you can see the weather was beyond terrible for our second day of birding on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  I hadn't known that there were so many wildlife refuges despite having vacationed there for years.  All of these refuges are south of Nags Head and included Bodie Island (above the view from the lookout), Pea Island, Oregon Inlet, and Buxton Woods.  Most of the ducks in the picture are Red-headed Ducks.

Our first stop was the Bodie Island Lighthouse.  There is a bit of a shelter there so we were not standing in the pouring rain.  The light was beyond awful and all the speckles you see in the pictures is rain.  Despite that, we saw lots and lots of Northern Pintails including this nice male and female.

We also saw lots of American Avocets including these two who were fairly close -- notice all the raindrops!  It was very early in the morning and there was no light to speak of so a good thing that the birds are black and white!

Another of the Avocets standing in the shallow water.

One of the birders spotted this American Bittern in the high grass.  He actually was more visible than they usually are because the grass colors were not the usual tan.  The picture is not great but at least you can see him!

 

After returning to the bus with a damp camera, the day went downhill as my telephoto lens fogged up (as everyone's did) but mine did between the filter and the lens.  The filter has somehow gotten jammed on so I was out of luck for pictures except those I could get with my little

point and shoot camera. (I always have backup!!)

This is the Bodie Island Lighthouse.

We next stopped at the Coast Guard Station where we saw some gulls and a Lesser Yellowlegs.  We barely got out of the bus though as weather was terrible.

Not on the agenda, but we made a quick stop at the south end of the Oregon Inlet bridge where we spotted some Semi-palmated Plovers, Dunlins, Greater Yellowlegs and an Eastern Meadowlark.  It was pouring rain by now, my good camera had fogged over completely but I did get a couple of pictures with my "point and shoot".  These are the Dunlins.

Here is a closeup of one of the Dunlins.

He was quite a distance away but this is the Eastern Meadowlark.  Even without enhancement, you can see the bright yellow breast.  I haven't seen one of these since living in Batavia many years ago!

I did not venture any further as the rain was getting heavier but three of the group went closer to the water and spotted a Dovekie!!  This is a rare occurence close to shore in NC and was a Life bird for our wildlife leader, Andy Fairbanks.  I had seen one in late March in 2013 down at Ft. Fisher or I would have been really disappointed not to see this one!!

Next we headed to the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge but the weather was too bad to trek the entire area but we were not disappointed in our sightings which resulted in a life bird for some of our party.  This was the second time this day we saw a large flock of Red-headed Ducks.  There were 1000's at Bodie Island out pretty far.  In the middle of this flock, however, you can see one lone Lesser Scaup.  He is a bit smaller than the Redheads and has a smaller (and black) head.  I also saw one lone female as well.

There was a large flock of Ruddy Ducks as well.

Here is a poor shot of the life bird for a few of our group -- a White Pelican.  I had no idea that some wintered in NC.  We saw quite a few of these huge birds.  I had seen many in Florida however and there are occasional sightings even more local to here.

Some Whitetails wandered by wondering what was going on!

This is the famous Cape Hatteras lighthouse located in Buxton.  Last year there was a Snowy Owl that spent quite a bit of time there.

After lunch in Buxton, we headed to the Cape Hatteras-Ocracoke Ferry where we would spend the next hour before arriving at our motel in Ocracoke.

We saw quite a few Northern Gannets on our ferry ride.

The ferry blew its horn and this enormous flock of Cormorants flew out of the water!!  It looked like a black island.  There are certainly large flocks of birds this time of year in the Outer Banks.  The crossing was a little rough as you can see by the whitecaps.

Finally we arrived in beautiful Ocracoke just as the sky was beginning to clear.  We settled into our motel rooms and we headed out for dinner (my second blue crab cake dinner in two days!!).