We’ve been so busy lately and it’s been hard to fit in some stitching but I’ve managed! I’ve been stitching orders and stitching things to sell and once in a blue moon I stumble across a pattern I just have to stitch for myself!
When we were at the quilting/needlework store in Amana we found this cute cross stitch/beadwork kit. Two of us purchased the kit and are going to make Christmas ornaments to commemorate our camping trip. I haven’t done beadwork in a long time and it’s been fun to do a little bit of it again. I’m looking forward to finishing mine and seeing how Susie finishes hers. I’m sure they will look totally different from each other and yet both will be beautiful!
You can’t really see how the beads sparkle but they do. And they’ll really sparkle on the Christmas tree! It’s fun to have someone else stitching too as I don’t have anybody local who stitches and I’ve always thought it would be fun to stitch with friends!
It’s a cold, rainy day here today, but no complaints. I love these kind of fall days. They just seem so cozy and homey to me. Although I do realize the fact I get to stay home and I don’t have to be out in it does make a difference. Although even when I was working full time, I still enjoyed these days. And I do have to go out and chore but it’s always good to get out of the house and get some fresh air and visit the chickens! Joe on the other hand is out in this weather willingly today. He took the day off to go pheasant hunting. He left the house at 5:00 this morning and we have no idea when he’ll be home. In the 30 years we’ve been married I don’t know that he’s ever gone pheasant hunting. I’m really hoping he gets at least one bird. I have never fixed pheasant but I remember Mom putting them in the crockpot and I remember I liked it. Plus, he has strict orders to bring me the tail feathers of any bird they get. I have wanted pheasant feathers for years to decorate with!
Pheasants always remind me of Thanksgivings as a child. We would always have Thanksgiving at my Uncle Jerry and Aunt Konnie’s farm. We are a small family so it was Grandma Ward, Uncle Jerry and Aunt Konnie (my dad’s twin sister), my cousins Terri Jo and Todd, Dad and Mom and me and my sister. Aunt Konnie was the best cook. Everything was homemade and just plain, simple, old fashioned cooking. Grandma always brought the homemade rolls and pickles. And the turkey was always a wild one Uncle Jerry had harvested. Then after we ate, the men would go pheasant hunting while the women would make a Christmas craft of some type. I can remember Christmas tree pins made from cinnamon sticks and fabric, or angles made from pasta. One year we made yo yo’s and turned them into Christmas trees on sweatshirts. Everything was homemade and simple. And so much fun. Then the men would come back and we would watch them dress the pheasants and we would go home with a meal for later. Such good memories of Thanksgiving as a child.
So back to today, Joe went to bed early last night and I stayed up and stitched. Then I was up early and started back up and finished this beautiful sampler. It was a fairly quick stitch and it turned out so beautiful. The designer is Falling Star Primitives. I had stitched a lot of her designs in the past and then she stopped designing for a few years. I was so excited to see she had started offering patterns again and this is the first one I stitched. I love her designs and I’m sure I’ll be stitching a lot more of her stuff. I was thinking I would dig around in my stash and see if I can find a frame and keep this one for myself but I’ve had someone ask about buying it so it will probably be shipped off to another home. And that’s fine too. I really, really don’t need to keep another stitched anything. And I can always stitch another one if I feel I just have to have it!
This is what you do when you take a break for a week. Last week when I was being a bum I binge watched Downton Abbey (I know – I’m way behind everyone else in my TV shows!) and I stitched. I stitched a lot! While it was hot and humid outside I worked on Halloween and fall things! I finally got them all died and filled and stitched into pillows. I love how Miss Grimhild fits inside this gourd – it’s like they were made for each other!
I’m finally getting caught up on orders. I love this time of year because it’s so nice to finally get to be outside and out of the house but we get so busy that I don’t get to stitch as much as I’d like. I told Joe I’m going to have to stop taking orders for now becuase I just can’t dedicate the time to stitching like I would like. It’s hard to not stitch. But by the time we get into the house of an evening and settled in for the night, it’s getting late and I’m just plain exhausted and too tired to stitch. This time will pass and we’ll get settled into our summer routine and I’ll be able to bring stitching back into my days but for now, I’ll just have to grab a few minutes here and there when I can to keep me grounded. Stitching is my relaxation, my calm during a storm, it’s just what I do. I think maybe my next project will be something for me. Something I won’t feel pressured to finish. It’s been too long since I’ve stitched just because. Now to pick the perfect pattern from my every growing stash!
I’ve stitched for so many years I’ve lost count. My aunt taught me when I was a young girl and I’m so grateful to her for taking the time to teach me. I stitched on and off over the years and then for some reason I stopped for a few years. I just had no desire to pick up the needle. I did lots of other crafts and did lots and lots of scrapbooking for a time. I never thought I would get tired of scrapbooking but for some reason the desire just slowly went away. I have some beautiful books and we love to pull them out and look through them but now I hardly ever even print a picture. I have so many pictures of Abby and even Aaron. Not as many of Eric but I still have way too many. And then Drew comes along and I had stopped taking and printing pictures. I started taking pictures again but I just don’t print them like I should.
Anyway, back to stitching. I picked up my needle again a few years ago and discovered stitching on linens and developed a love for the primitive patterns and the designers that are out there. Good bye Aida cloth and bright colors and cute designs. But along with this new love and more time to stitch again now that I only have Drew at home, I have run out of room for my creations. And I’m a pack rat and feel the need to keep everything so of course I can’t get rid of any of my creations!
Then I started following some primitive and country decorating pages on Facebook which led me to some primitive selling pages and I took the plunge. Joe has been pushing me for years to try and sell what I stitch but if it wasn’t for Facebook I don’t think I would ever have even tried. And low and behold – my creations sell! I’m not going to get rich by any means doing this but I can at least justify my stitching now. I’m not filling the house with unneeded creations and it’s not costing me anything to make what I do because I’m selling what I make. And now when I sit and stitch at night not only am I enjoying myself immensely I’m making others happy too! It’s a win win right??!!
Stitching is a form of therapy for me. To just sit quietly and pull thread through linen. The feel of it, the sound of it, and the creating process. The beautiful colors of the threads and putting those threads together to make beautiful designs. And there’s something about the primitive designs that just tug on my soul. Their simplicity and dark muted colors. And then dying them in a coffee bath when I’m done stitching to make them even more muted. Picking out the perfect baking fabric – Civil War reproduction fabric is my fabric of choice. Just one more thing to draw me to the past just like these little pillow tucks, cupboard keeps, whatever you want to call them do. I like to think that even back in days gone by, even when our ancestors didn’t have much and they had to sew by hand out of necessity that they would stitch a little pin tuck and put a little primitive design on it to make it pretty to help lighten their load and have something pretty to adorn their home. My stitching draws me to the past and gives me something pretty to adorn my home too – a little pillow tucked into a little bowl or the corner of a shelf. Just a little something to brighten the day!
This week has turned out to be a busy one. Yesterday saw me walking, then home to do laundry. Lots and lots of laundry. Cleaning out the chicken coop and taking care of the cats we brought home Sunday evening. They are in the shop but they won’t come out when we are in there. Hopefully they will be a little braver today. Then Dad and Mom came over with some apples to share and to see the cats. They stayed and chatted until dark.
Today I’m up early – no earlier than usual but I’m heading to Kalona to meet Abby. I’m going with her to a doctor’s appointment in Iowa City. Jeremy couldn’t take time off work so I volunteered to tag along. Nothing is wrong, just checking for gestational diabetes. I had it with my second two pregnancies and am hoping she doesn’t but since she didn’t pass the first test I won’t be surprised if this one comes out positive. So, I get to spend some quality time with her today which will be nice.
Tomorrow should be pretty normal. Nothing specific planned anyway. Just normal routine. Although I do need to do something with the apples Mom brought over. And I finished stitching my Fancey Blackett I working on so I need to decide on a finish for her. I love those days! Then Thursday and Friday I’m subbing at the elementary school. Friday is homecoming so that should be fun – the kids will be all excited to go see the parade. Not sure I know what I’m getting myself into! It’s nice to visit the school now and again to see how things are run and to get to know the teachers. Especially with Drew there. And he likes having me there. There will come a time when having his mom working at the school once in awhile won’t be so fun but for now he thinks it’s awesome!
And best of all – it’s supposed to be ten degrees cooler today than yesterday and then it’s supposed to drop down into the 60s. Yeah – hopefully fall is here!
My husband lovingly says I’m weird, or crazy, or odd. Which word he uses depends on the day! And I’m okay with that. I know I’m not normal and I really don’t want to be! He just shakes his head when I tell him how happy I am to see Fancey Blackett again. I know he’s thinking I might be a little loopy but that’s why he loves me! Fall is my favorite time of the year. I love the crisp fall air, the smell of burning candles, the leaves turning colors and crunching under foot. I love pulling out my sweatpants and sweatshirts and blankets to cuddle and making chili and veggie soup and casseroles. I love to decorate with pumpkins and mums and buckeyes and natural things. I could go on and on. But one thing about fall that I really love is bringing out Fancey Blackett. Who on earth is Fancey Blackett is what Joe asked me when I brought her up the other day. Well, Fancey Blackett is a sweet prim character created by one of my all time favorite artists, Wendy Stys-Van Eimeren of Pineberry Lane. Fancey Blackett is someone I get the joy of stitching into my home. She reminds me of all the things I love – sunflowers and pumpkins, gardens and black cats. I haven’t stitched up all the Fancey Blackett designs yet but I plan to. I’m taking my time and enjoying the process. I’m enjoying stitching Witch’s Brew right now and Fancey and I are enjoying our evening chats as I stitch along. It’s like visiting with an old friend I haven’t seen for awhile! She comes out for a visit every fall. One of these days she just might not leave for the winter. She just might have to stay, pumpkins, broom sticks and all!
A bowl full of Pineberry Lane – October Ride (with Fancey Blackett) is middle left. Fancey Blacket and the Butter Churn is bottom center. Tansy, Yarrow, Rue top center and All Hallows Eve middle right.
Fancey Blackett – Witch’s Brew – love the little pumpkin border!
I was soooo sore after walking yesterday. I think we might have overdone it a tad – four miles right out of the gate! But, after walking this morning I’m loosened up and feel much better. Still sore but it will only get better from here right??!! Yesterday afternoon, instead of working on Drew’s room like I had planned, I got some fall decorations out. Every year I do less and less and this year is no exception. I’m mostly using my stitched stuff. The less I get out, the less I have to put away later and the less cluttered the house looks right!
It feels so much like fall – I just had to stitch up some new fall ornaments. Two down, working on another, and I have a couple more all kitted up. I need to make a trip to Hobby Lobby for some fall fabric to back them with and that’ll be my new fall décor.
When Joe and I stopped in at North Creek Antiques over the weekend I made one little $6 purchase. I’m finding the older I get the less I want. My house is overflowing with “stuff” and I see all these neat things on Pinterest and Facebook and Esty that I think I want. Then when I go to an antique store, I change my mind. Everything is so expensive anymore and I just don’t have room for things and I really don’t need all this stuff anyway. I wanted something though to remind me of our anniversary camping trip and decided this would be perfect. After a little cleaning and some mineral oil it looks perfect in one of my old wooden bowls! And maybe a couple more old wooden paddles would look nice to go with it – maybe I will have to go back and see what they’ve got!
Just needs a little mineral oil.
Now to spread the oil around – it’s amazing what a difference a little bit of mineral oil makes!
