primitive finish

I love primitive finishes because the piece never has to be perfect. It’s afforded the rustic worn and aged appearance. I like things that have hang-ups and mismatched seams. I like getting to use my walnut crystals and the oven. Like Stacy Nash designs. I love, love, love her designs and I will never have too many of them!

Country Sampler Velvet Bag was a sweet and simple stitch. Again the finishing instructions are well put together. I warn you, though, as Stacy does. Watch out for that velvet. It wants to walk around on the fabric so have fun catching that little booger and keeping it still. I had one hell of a time trying to get it straight and aligned with the reproduction fabric. I had to use my seam ripper 3x. I have learned something with this project. I HATE working with velvet and don't plan on implementing it anytime soon on any new projects! The velvet can stay at the stores on the bolts where it belongs, thank-you-very-much.

The velvet is very pretty when worn by ways of taking the tip of scissors and scraping it against the surface. I was nervous about this technique but went for it. It was something new and different. I did stab myself which I bled but not bad. Now I have to insert buy a pair of Putford scissors to hide inside the tiny heart.

What a great project bag this will make for a teeny tiny project on the go or not on the go. Either way it’ll be a nice addition to my other project bags, which come to think of it, I have a small collection going now…my punchneedle pocket, the Traveling Stitcher by LHN and now this. Cool beans!

I have a couple of other projects going on of course. Would we have it any other way??? LOL! I have an Elmo piece I stitched in 1999 for Jose (geez, Jose was 2 then-ah) and never got it framed. Cameron is a huge Elmo fan and so I thought now is as good-a-time as ever to finally get this piece moving. I decided not to frame it and instead I’m going to make it into a pillow b/c Cameron likes to lay around with pillows and blankets and watch none other than Elmo.

This thing was stitched on like 1 ct (I’m exaggerating just a bit) with a million strands of floss. I went to Jo-Ann’s last week and picked out some flannel fabric for the back. It’ll be soft and colorful just like Cameron. :o)

I also just finished a teeny tiny two-day stitchery, but I can’t show it off just yet. In due time…Talk soon!

a teeny tiny break

I’m sure most, if not all of you, are tired of seeing the same project over and over again, but I’m not. LOL Last time I tried to post JA sampler photos of the motifs I couldn’t get them to load, so here is the progress on those.



Just so much fun! I can’t say it enough. HOWEVER, I need a teeny tiny break away from the biggie and started Cast Your Spells by Stacy Nash that I recently received in the mail (another one of mom's love-y gifts to me). I have no business starting something new, believe you me, but I had to. It’s just too cute and I know it’ll go fast. Swear! It’s nice just to have something small for the hands, you know.

I started this yesterday afternoon while outside with Cameron. These days he loves playing in the car. He’s so boy. Anyhoo…it’s a nice little kit. It has the cutest beige/tan ticking to turn into a pincushion or whatever the fancy, but I’ll stick to what its purpose demands.

I’m so disappointed. I’m going to miss my LNS moonlight stitching on Saturday evening. I always go to this and I’m bummed that I can’t make it. I have other family obligations that should have my attention so I must go. It’s my FIL’s 60th birthday. My BIL and his fiancé, my friend, are coming all the way from Calgary to celebrate and relish in their vacation time here in the States. It’ll be a nice visit for everyone. Dh has taken quite a bit of time off for the occasion so a relief for him indeed. Starting August, however, dh will be commuting to Birmingham, Alabama for that entire month…but this is a whole other story to which I’m not about to get into right now. I’m going to keep this post happy. :D

Did anyone watch Miss Marple on PBS Sunday night? I caught it the next day via the laptop. I thought it was a bit creepy b/c of the eccentric personalities. They were so very bizarre. Btw, I want to thank everyone who visits and comments. I so appreciate the attention as I am aware of how many wonderfully beautiful blogs are out there and you've made a choice to come see mine. Ah, YOU are great!

Anyway…Talk soon!

from the babbling brook

Ahhhh!!! I’ve got so much to blab about it isn’t even funny. Ever since last Wednesday I’ve been rather busy and not just with stitching because I really don’t have a whole lot of stitchy-news, but just life in general. My Uncle and grandparents came to town for a visit on Wednesday and just left yesterday morning.

Sunday, April 19 was my Aunt Pam’s birthday and as far as I can tell she received a lot of lovely gifts. My mom sent her a Rascal Flatts CD along with a discontinued Vera Bradley bag called Little Traveler. This bag is genius for stitchers, let me tell you!

30 ct. Straw linen by WDW
DMC threads listed by designer

I stitched and assembled primitivebettys My Favorite Kitten Pinkeep for my aunt. I even added my own personal tag to the side of the kitty. My aunt’s home is a safe haven for cats of all denominations. :o) I think at one point she might have had 12 cats, and she has a dog too. She’s an amazing feline mother and thought it only appropriate for her to have one of “my cats” for her “studio” (as she calls her room). She loved it and I’m happy that she does. It may even be her first “primitive” piece. My aunt’s specialty is samplers. Her walls are like a museum of sampler art from the last 20+ years. She does amazing work. She received other wonderful treats from her friends and daughter too. I think she had an overall fantastic birthday. Happy Birthday, Aunt Pam!!!

28 ct. White Monaco (coffee dyed)
DMC colors of choice

Awhile back I stitched my mom primitivebettys Spring Time tulip freebie design as a just-because-I-love-you gift. I made moms into a wall hanging and used yellow and gold tones as the primary colors. I liked hers so much that I made myself one. I changed the colors just a tad, added some buttons, fabric on the back and made it into a pinkeep. I really like how it turned out. And I must admit that I’m getting better at whip stitching which is a much needed relief . The navy blue, flowery fabric in the background is what I used as the finishing fabric.

4o ct. White linen
DMC threads listed by designer

I have begun a dainty piece from Blackbird Designs called My Needle Book. It’s from the My Heart Is True booklet that was released earlier this year. I decided Tuesday needed to be filled so BBD took its place. Wednesday is still open, can you believe that? In addition to this project I decided to take a stab at the contest piece that Alma and Barb are having. It’s a sweet, sweet piece so go check out the details on their blog.

An outside report ~ Spring is definitely in the air and so are my allergies. I am miserable! Can’t say it enough. When I was younger I used to get shots in both arms twice a week. This went on for sometime, but now I have nothing to help me cope. I need to get on this and soon.

Aside from this, there is a robin that is making quite the home atop one of the columns on our front porch.

Before she accomplished her temporary home she had one hell of a time getting the initial twigs and debris to stay up there. We’ve had many, many storms come through and to say that it hasn’t been windy would be an understatement. As you can see, she made quite the mess on the porch, which I’m leaving there in case she needs extra insulation for her babies, but I believe she’s a good mama. She never quit. She kept on persevering until the job was done. Day in and day out ~ she never stopped gathering whatever she could fit into her mouth and find on the ground to stack up on that column. Yay for mama robin!

On Saturday morning the older boys were doing “manly” things outside while Cameron and I stayed inside. (I could barely take the outside because of my allergies.) It was perfect weather, but I couldn’t handle it. Once I stepped foot outside, it took at least 30 minutes to recover once I returned inside.

Jose mowed the front and backyards. We are almost on a full acre (.79 to be exact) and that may not sound like a lot to some, but when you live within city limits, 8 minutes if that from downtown, that is a gracious amount of property…and we’re paying for every shard and blade of grass too!

DH played with his Cobra Mustang while the child worked his tail off (he did assist though). DH does this every spring because he stores the car through the winter, so it is time to get Sally out and play around with her. He’s had this car a long time and has spent many, many nights, days and mornings with her. She’s been driven like 10,000 horses and treated like a baby all her life. She is a beauty though and she is extremely and violently fast. The torque is insane in this thing. There is some work to be done in the rear so DH is going to sell one of his guns in order to pay for it.

I have really been on a reading kick lately. Ever since I dove into the Twilight saga I have been so curious to read as many novels as I can cram into my life, for the rest of my life. I’ve read books here and there in the past, but never religiously or diligently; not like I have with the Twilight series and not how I want to continue from this day forward. I also met a really neat girl named Annie on Goodreads. She writes and has amazingly articulate reviews to what she reads. She is a read-aholic in my book and I love reading what she has to say. I find her opinions insightful and comprehensive.

my 'to-read' shelf:

I joined Goodreads dot com in October 2008 and have recently added more and more books, especially in the last week. I’ve taken a few quizzes and read reviews. I have found numerous quotes that I simply adore if not stand true to myself. I’m a bit philosophical myself at times. I have a few friends and hope to gain more. I really need help and insight into the storytelling world as I’m fairly new to this arena and wouldn’t know what was good and what isn’t. Tanya is another great source of reading insight too. I don’t know how she crams all this reading into her already abundantly busy life. :D

Anyhoo, I’ve added numerous ‘to-read’ books on my sidebar and quotes that really mean something to me now or struck me when I read them, especially Stephanie Meyer. So far she is my favorite author, and she’ll always be a favorite but there are other favs of mine, but she takes top-spot right now. I love the quotes from Twilight.

I’m nearly finished with Breaking Dawn by Meyer (on page 601) and I believe I’ll pick up The Host by Meyer after BD. I hear The Host is excellent and that Meyer only gets better in tune with her writing. Since I cannot afford to buy all the books, I’ll need to head to the library. Hopefully, it’s available.

Ugh! I’m finished. My babbling brook has arrived at the precipice. Talk soon!

"emma" is framed!

I have finished and finished my first piece for 2009. I am quite pleased! It is "Emma's Sampler" from Stacy Nash Primitive Designs. It's so cute too! Luckily I had this frame on hand and I removed the glass. I stained the linen with walnut crystals I received for Christmas. It was more fun working with the walnut crystals than dyeing with coffee, I must add. I enjoyed framing my piece too as I have never framed before ~ not like this.

My Mom recently gave me two folk art plates! I am very excited to have them. I put them with my 2 rooster plates that I have displayed on the wall above our french doors. The plates my mother gave me are set in winter, but I think I'll keep them up all year round. They are very pretty!

Below are my rooster plates.

Here they are joined with my rooster plates. I know they don't really mesh well with one another, but they are plates and I love them. I had a group of 4 rooster plates, but my Mom likes roosters too and I decided to give her the other two ~ she got to choose which plates she wanted.

I made a new discovery today. I was on PatternMart.com and was adding various designs to my 'wish list'. I've been going through the alphabet of designers all afternoon with periodic breaks for other things. I'm not even finished going through the list. I'm on letter "J" right now. So far, I love PatternMart. It's a great place to purchase those folk art, primitive pieces you just have to get your hands on ASAP. If you're anything like me sometimes having to wait for mail just doesn't suffice the stitching hunger and sometimes I don't feel like trekking out to the shop. PatternMart gives you the option of ordering by download. It's great!

I found another primitive designer. Some of you may have already heard of her, but I am new to this style of cross stitch and home decor. Her name is Jenny Hoffman of Country Rustic Primitives. I find her designs appealing and primitive, of course. lol

I also stumbled onto a ton of folk art-primitive-rustic-grungy type websites. It'll take me forever to go through every single one on the list, but I am enjoying myself. I am learning so much about textiles, differences in fabrics, and ways of "dirtying" up a piece. For instance:

The Rustic Rooster ~ this website has a great array of primitive, folk art, rustic pieces. I'm still sifting.
Simply Gianna Primitives ~ I love this site! It's very pretty and has lots to offer. I love the stitchery that could be made into cross stitch and embroidery pieces. Reasonably priced too.
The Pitchy Patch ~ this is a great little directory/market for anything primitive, folk art, grungy, patterns; you name it you'll probably find it here.
Prairie Creek Primitives ~ for the really grungy style.
Country Crow Stitches ~ this is just a great website. I found so much that I was looking for.

These are just several of the 50+ that I book marked in my Favorites. I still have many many to route through. I did get a little stitching done, but not as much as I should have. I traded from being mama, to stitching on my quick-stitch weekend piece (and it isn't done - boo hoo!), talking to my Aunt on the phone, to web searching for primitives and decor, to adding to my wish list on PatternMart.com.

I have so much I want do and I just can't seem to make room. I am usually very good at scheduling and sticking to a plan. Maybe I have too much on my plate. lol And I have plans to start working part time? Oh man, how am I ever going to get anything done?!?!

It's late! Talk to everyone Monday. Goodnight, sleep tight!

progress report (revised)

I want to report on a couple pieces that I'm proudly progressing on. I am thoroughly enjoying each stitch I take with these projects. This first piece is taking a little longer than it should, but that's because I keep picking up new projects to add to my WIPs pile and I'm included in a quick-stitch every weekend. Needless to say, I am finishing small designs so my turn out is not so bad. Okay, back to my progress report...

Hallow's Eve Sampler Pillow
by Stacy Nash Primitives
fabric: 28 ct. Autumn Fields (already hand-dyed)
floss: DMC ~ 301, 310, 612, 730, 838
finish as: pillow or door hang

The SN Hallow's Even Sampler Pillow is half way complete. I plan on either having it as a pillow laying around my home (I don't care that it is Halloween-ish), maybe in a basket, or giving it cording or twine so it can hang from a door or hook. I haven't decided yet. I am thinking about adding a black nostalgic key as an embellishment. I believe it will go with the piece. On to my next progress report...

These next three photos are Phase I of my progress. Approximately a week ago was my start time.

I must add that I love my scissor fob! It was a cute little project I received from a stitching night out. It is a vintage wooden spool which I need to get my hands on some more so I can make more fobs or whatever my heart desires, really. The spool even has its original label on it. I used Crescent Colours instead of the called-for floss: Belle Soie - Rose of Sharon. Again, I don't have any Belle Soie and my LNS didn't have many in stock and naturally I grew impatient and wanted it NOW! After much thought and comparing I decided on Crescent Colours - Bandana. The color has a fabulous variation of deep reds. It's close to the called-for floss, but Bandana is a deeper red.

(Photo Above) Check out the hand-dyed fabric. The photo doesn't do it the justice it deserves (never does!), but the hand-dyed portion has a very subtle green tinge. It's so pretty!

(Photo Below) I tried to get a better, close-up of the fabric I choose for this piece ~ it's a little better. It called for 28 count Bisque Linen from Lakeside Linens, but I did not have that in my stash and neither did my Mother. (I always go to her if I can't supply it myself and can't make it to my LNS.) By chance, as me and my Mother were rummaging through her ENORMOUS stash, we came across this fabric and I was floored. I had to use it...if she'd let me. Thankfully, she had a large enough piece to split it right down the middle with me. Isn't my Mom an angel?!?! (Thanks Mom!)

These next couple photos are Phase II of the progress. Hopefully the next time I post this progress report I'll have it all stitched up...hopefully!

I love that little schoolgirl. She would make a wonderful little scissor fob or floss tag.

Schoolgirl Lessons
by Little House Needleworks
fabric: 28 ct. Vintage Country Cream
floss: Crescent Colours ~ Bandana (2 skeins)
finish as: frame

quick-stitch, part II

I'm back again with another quick-stitch weekend piece called Simple Joys. This design is complimentary at Tanya's website so go check it out and stitch it. I picked the design, floss and fabric on Friday. I stitched the piece and then reflected on its finishing Saturday. Sunday I was able to dye the fabric and assemble my piece with store bought supplies. This piece was fun to stitch because of its size. I've decided its life will be that of a Christmas ornament, but you can finish it any ole' way you like.

Simple Joys
designer: Tanya Marie Anderson of The Sampler Girl
stitched by: Julie (me)
DMC Floss used
32 count Antique linen ~ coffee-dyed for aged look
Specifics: The cording is hemp cord. Poly-fil as cushion. I hand-sewed this together and then covered the seams with a free-handed cross stitch to give it that "not-so-perfect" appearance. Lastly, I initialed the back and included "08.

What I love about the backing fabric is that it is folk art which compliments the intention of the design. Ironically it has a tree and snowflake (also, but not shown on this fabric swatch, are holly and barns - all set in wintertime) which match the design motifs. And as it says, Simple Joys, it was to stitch and finish.

quick-stitch

Every weekend starting Fridays, the SNG (you can join too!) I belong to pick out any "quickie" and get it all stitched over the weekend. The rule is it has to be primitive and/or antique at least (hence the Stacy Nash Group - primitive designs). Afterwards, we share it with the group, admire each other's work through photographs, and chat. So far so good... I've managed to complete both of mine. We just started the quick-stitch weekend 2 weeks ago and we're all lookin' good. I am happy to report that I'm on track. Yay!!!

I have finally finish-finished my first quick-stitch piece from the previous weekend. As a refresher, it was Tanya's Prim Friends Gather design. I decided to make it into a floss tag. In fact, I had never heard of a floss tag or seen one since before blogging in October. Now, here I am ~ waiting to stitch up a ton of those little thingies. I got to use my Crop-A-Dile for the first time too and I was really excited about using it.

Just as a reminder, here is what my "prim" piece looked like before finishing, all stitched up, and coffee-dyed.

As of today, here is my finished "prim" piece without the floss attached. Check out my brass eyelets ~ first time too. :-)

When I saw this red toile fabric at Michael's I had to get it. I instantly thought of my Prim Friends Gather piece I had stitched and thought it would compliment the fabric. Even though the lady is alone, she is plucking fruit from the tree to "gather" for a feast, I bet! I also choose this fabric because of its depiction of life once primitive. If you could see the rest of the fabric...ummmm; it is just gorgeous...and surprisingly so - it did come from Michael's. (I still need to go to a quilt/fabric store. Grrrrrrrr)

Lastly, here is the completely finished Prim Friends Gather with floss attached. I am quite proud of this piece too. I was really happy with my whip stitch and that I was able to make all four corners neat and round...and I was really pleased!

Prim Friends Gather
designer: Tanya Marie Anderson of The Sampler Girl
stitched by: Julie (me)
DMC Floss used
32 count Antique linen ~ then coffee-dyed for aged look

QSW

This past weekend was my first quick-stitch weekend with the Stacy Nash Groupies at Yahoo!. I decided to stitch the design 1-over-1 using DMC floss and plan to make it into a floss tag. I also plan on dying the fabric, but haven't decided on which method yet. This is my first attempt at this and I'm a little nervous. I hope it comes out alright. The photo is just the completed stitching. I still need to finish-finish it. I plan on using a light interfacing to give it some substance, but not much, and then I want to back it with fabric, which I have not picked out yet ~ hope to do that in the next day or so. This design was complimentary from The Sampler Girl through our SNG at Yahoo!.

design: Prim Friends Gather
by: The Sampler Girl
stitched by: Julie

stitching weekend

This weekend is going to be a busy stitching weekend, hopefully. This weekend at my LNS there is a Moonlight Stitching Saturday night. They only have these evenings quarterly and are from 4:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. (I wished they were every month). There is all kinds of food, giggles, good company and we get a make-it and take-it. I can't wait! This would be an excellent time to stitch on my QSW piece ~ I may even get it completed with 6 hours of uninterrupted time. Hmmmmmmm...

Also this weekend, a local area near my home called the Berry Hill District is having a Holiday Happenings with almost 20 businesses of various sorts participating. In addition, there is a wonderful charity called Soles 4 Souls that the local businesses are collecting for. I wished I had known this earlier because I donated over a dozen shoes to Goodwill...shucks!!! The Berry Hill Community is about 4-5 blocks of close-knit shop owners and small restaurants. It's a great little place to walk around and shop. In addition to the Holiday Happenings, my LNS is also having a local crafter in-store displaying and selling her craft-wares. I'll have to check this out though as I have no idea what type of craft this lady brings. This happens from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. in Berry Hill. Immediately afterwards, Moonlight Stitching starts. This is going to be quite the Saturday in Berry Hill and at the shop.

I have finally picked which piece to stitch for the QSW and have gathered my floss and fabric for the occasion. Since I'm new to primitive stitching and have very little quick stitch pieces I have decided to stitch one of the freebies I received from The Sampler Girl through our Stacy Nash Group at Yahoo! (SNG at Yahoo!). The freebie is called Prim Friends Gather. I figured since this is our SNG's first QSW, I find it appropriate to stitch this piece since we're friends getting together and stitching our quick stitches. Tanya is such a gifted designer and generous with her work. Check out Tanya's blog as well. She always has something going on and she's definitely worth reading.

Prim Friends Gather
by The Sampler Girl
stitched by Linda in VA

primitive stitching

I have started my very first Stacy Nash Primitive design called Hallows Eve Sampler Pillow. I haven't stitched much on it, but to see it with your own eyes, even at the small amount of stitching I have done, you can see what it'll become and it just makes you hungry. Once I post this little tid-bit, I'll be off to bed, put in a movie and stitch on my SN design. Oh, I'm so happy!!! Yeah, I know...Halloween is over but I don't need Halloween to display my SN piece. Do you???

I also have at least 3 other SN designs that I'm going to begin and I cannot wait to get my supplies together and in order ~ I find this part particularly fun. It gives me a chance to see what I have. Kind of like a constant reminder of what I own and what I need. I see it as an opportunity to incorporate concepts not originally called for in the piece. But I digress, it isn't that I'd want to make any changes to Stacy's designs but I think any designer would be satisfied and pleased with any needleworker putting personal touches in a piece that was theirs. I think to give that much thought into a project is giving the designer a lot of credit. The needleworker feels empowered and motivated by the designer to think outside the box and add their own personality to an already perfect piece.