Closed Today ~

Good Morning Friends & Folk!

the Shop here at the farm will be 

C L O S E D

today (friday)

I will be taking the day to finish my little 'creative space' ~

and celebrate my BDAY!

Peter & I went to purchase a new rug for the redux last night ~

on our way, we shopped stopped at Joan & Art's house

(antiques dealers & best friends)

I say SHOPPED there, 

because if you need it and can't find it anywhere else, 

chances are that Miss Joanie has it! and she usually has 'it' squirreled away in her home somewhere.

Their home btw, is a showcase for everything the pair love and collect.

I am threatening her with a visit from me with my camera so you can all 'visit' her via my blog ~

They sell their goods at:

Duke's Antiques Mall

30 Pinnacle Ln, Lexington, VA 24450

(540) 463-9511

under the name "Olde Rectory Antiques"

Joan specializes in Vintage, Antique & Primitive items ~ she always has unique offerings and she holds a wonderful eye for the unique…

You may have met her here at our Gathering show last September.

ANYHOOOOOO long-story-short,

I bought a pair of decorative iron shelf brackets from her ~ so Peter can make that shelf above my desk to hold those tins!!!

We purchased the new rug ~ too (not from Joan)

from of all places Walmart! 

it is a 5' x 7' 6" ~ from Better Homes and Gardens and

has a nice vintage/faded look to it, and incorporates the colors I'm looking for now for this room.

I will share pics soon ~ perhaps this evening!!!!!

Have a beautiful day my friends ~

remember that YOU are all gifts to me!!!

xoxoxox

* Blessed be *

 Lori

A Beautiful Mess ~

L O O K!

Progress is being made!!

yes, it's a mess at the moment, but what a difference already!

Peter & I took that big elephant of a computer station/cupboard out and…..

wow.

what a difference it makes!

already seems bigger and brighter :)

I am loving having my Big Mac on my old farm table…

((now I feel more contemporary and professional for some reason!))

'scuse the vacuum please…and the wires under my 'desk'.

we will be replacing that dark blue braided rug for something fun, light & colorful today :)

(Peter asked what I wanted for my birthday, so I told him a new Sewing Room! HA!)

I am loving the pop of red on the little shades on my chandelier,

and think I want to incorporate more red into this room ~ too.

I still have to rearrange furniture, but at least I'm happy with the computer situation…

rug still makes it very dark…it's gotta GO!

I'm still unsure of the window treatments too ~

like I mentioned, my Mom made them and I would like to keep them in here, especially since they are cream with tiny red flowers on them ~ but perhaps use them as cafe-curtains on the bottom instead… maybe I'll make a coordinating valance from red/cream floral? too much? Hmmmm….

that cedar clothes closet will be set kitty-corner over there soon ~

 I've had this old oak folding shelf (below) for years ~ thought I would sell it once, 

then thought I would have Peter strip the white paint off of it.

{{ Naaaahhhh….I'll keep it just as it is now.}}

...glad I second-guessed myself on that one!

put the folding white oak shelf behind Iggys' napping my stitching chair ~ and filled her up with old jars holding buttons & such, with fabrics on the bottom…

 Sorry this is at such a wonky angle (below) ~

 but I couldn't get the full-effect of my wonderful industrial shelving…

you can see my collection of red PA German lithographed sewing tins up along the top of the shelving.

I'm thinking I would like to bring them down 

...and have shelves up on the wall over my desk to hold them ~

That way I can use them better for storage and see them better too!

makin' me dizzy!

 here (below) is that wall above my desk where I'd like those shelves to go:

...what do you think?

I am bringing in ivy plants and natural elements too, like more twigs, bird's nests and such ~

I love to collect things that Mother Nature gifts me :)

blank wall (for now)

So there you have it today ~

I'll work more in here and share updates asap !!

Aaahhhhh…..

Have a Beautiful Day my Friends!!

* Blessed be *

 Lori

Sewing Room Redux ~

I've been visiting Pinterest for inspiration ~

because….

I am changing the look of my sewing room!!!

and, I will do this by spending hardly any money ~ 

I'm just using things I already have ~

I have too many things in here…

too many cupboards really,

too many tables too ~

at the moment, 

...it is a mess and unruly, 

but that's because I 

W O R K in here :)

I need to get rid of the outdated computer station (bought in the early `1990's) that holds my Big Mac 

(I never ever close the stations' doors anyway, so why use it? and

I feel like I'm working inside a small dark box with housed it in there…)

this is what it looks like at the moment, 

before changing things up a bit, 

which I will begin to do right after I hit the publish button for this post!

you can see the flip-down desk portion of the computer station that the little white lamp is on ~
I've butted another table up to it for more desk space, but that only makes me feel more boxed in!

right now it's dark, cluttered and makes my head crazy…

way too much going on here!

my little 'cubicle'

see where my desk chair is in front of my Big Mac (computer)?

when I sit in it to do paperwork or computer work, I feel like I am being held captive ~ not fun!

behind me, as I sit at the computer,

is a wall of industrial shelving ~ which I love.

I hung the fabric to hide the clutter on the shelves a while back ~ but now I need to get rid of that and clean out the boxes and bins and stacks of books behind those curtains!

"…pay no attention to the clutter behind the curtains!"

I have stacks of antique white frames waiting to be hung,

there are boxes of books, magazines & patterns everywhere…

baskets & bags holding who-knows-what too!

everything needs to be cleaned up, cleared out, rearranged and put to better use…

I can't even get to my ca. 1900's Pfaff Treadle machine you see hiding back there! (below)

...everything that is not useful to me anymore will be given away, sold or donated.

If I haven't touched it in the last 6 months, 

...then I know I just don't 'need' it any longer.

ack!

there are things of course that will stay in here ~

my vintage dress forms for sure ~ 

(there are two in this room, one in our bedroom, one in Hannah's bedroom, one in the shop….LOL)

My fabrics, cross stitch, rug hooking & punching supplies definitely stay too,

they just need to be better organized.

the big cedar closet holds my clothes, since this old farmhouse has few closets ~ that will have to stay in here….sigh.

... the curtains that are hanging in here were made by my Mom, so they will stay…

but I might move them to the lower half of the windows to let more light in.

 (sans trim work around the windows, but that's another project waiting to be finished too)

:)

too dark for me.

 of course the King's Throne my comfy sewing chair will stay,

if I ever get a chance to sit in it ~

hey Ig!

 I have a love for old dress forms…

so, yeah…whatever.  ;)

wearing a dress from my friend Cathy and wearing my collection of necklaces, most from another friend,
Kathy from French Sentiments on Etsy...

 I have beautiful sewing-related antiques in here that have gotten lost ~ 

like this spool cabinet I bought from Robin at Millstone Mercantile, 

and the white wicker floor-sewing basket that I bought from Joan at Olde Rectory Antiques…

(among many other items)

fill 'er up!

So, now that I've shared my latest caffeine-induced obsession with you,

I will share progress pictures soon!!

I am off to roll up my shirtsleeves and get to work ~

Hoping you are all having a productive day my Friends!

* Blessed be *

 Lori

Revisiting Old Friends….

I have been thinking about this for a while, so here goes…

a while ago (like 10 yrs) I wrote a bunch of little booklets from my desktop…

"Just Plain Folk"

"Harvest Tyme"

"Wytches Stytches"

"Spring Tyme"

"Summer Tyme"

(see a pattern here?)

they were in a 5" x 7", stapled format and I sold quite a few of them…

They included lots of my fine-line drawings for you to use in your needlework ~

rug hooking, punch & appliqué.

I 'retired' them because they were a lot (ALOT) of work to put-together.

but

now I am revamping them into a larger, spiral-bound format.

this means that you wouldn't have to resize the drawings to use them…

...as they will be my 'actual drawn' size.

So, with that said,

I have begun with this one first:

"My Favorite Things ~ a journal of inspiration from Notforgotten Farm" ©2007

 this is a fictional journal,

based in the year 1863 and 'written' by a farmwife (written by me, of course…)

a month-by-month journey through writings and doodles to help foster your imagination and creativity.

24 pages, spiral-bound, laser printed & desktop published right here at the farm

'everyday' doodles & motifs

the book measures 8 1/2" x 11"

with full-size drawings for you to trace and use…

page from april 1863

winter themed drawings

I'll be releasing each of my older little books in this format.

I really think this is a better idea than having to resize them, don't you?

back cover

"My Favorite Things"

is now available in my ETSY shop

(link at top of blog under my header too)

Shopping with Charlie today, post office run and banking to do.

We are expecting 'falling weather' here tonight into tomorrow.

Hoping you're all snug and keeping happy!!

* Blessed be *

 Lori

Working with Wool ~

I love 

W O O L

I love the way it looks, feels 

...and yes

the way it even smells ~

'1863 sheep' ©Notforgotten Farm

I love my sheep, and the gentle manner they have.

...not to mention that they gift me with plenty of ~

W O O L

 our gentle ram, Bobby ~ (baaaa-bee…get it?)

I have worked with wool

in it's many forms

for many years ~

I hook with it

I appliqué with it

I felt it….

some of my wools and their snippets in glass jars

I dye it

rip & strip it

and collect every last scrap of it ~

I don't usually work with worsted wool ~

(wool that has been dyed & spun into yarn)

unless I'm doing needlepoint or crewel embroidery….

so pretty

We carry the complete line of Waverly Woolen yarn in the shop ~

a mesmerizing rainbow of colors that I never even knew existed.

the yarns are 3-ply and come in 55 inch lengths…

my binder of wool yarn sampler with their corresponding color charting numbers

Always looking for something new to try or do,

my thoughts turned to what I was doing at the moment, 

which was needle punching…

 so While Joan & I were in the shop yesterday,

I did this:

I separated the 3 ply yarn into one strand and threaded my medium Cameo needle with it….

 I was a bit worried that it would be too bulky for my needle, 

but I went ahead and threaded it.

Below is a closeup of what the yarn looks like vs. 6 strands of DMC cotton floss:

looks a lot bigger than the floss
BUT it really isn't!   it's just fluffier :)

 So I plunged my needle down into my weavers cloth ~

I already had been working on my Hookinpunch© frame 

...and had some designs already drawn up on my cloth.

I started punching a little red house with the wool yarn!!

this is the back ~ see how the fluffier wool yarn bulks up quickly and fills in nicely?
I think I might be loving this….

 Here is a rabbit I punched with 6 strands of DMC cotton floss:

the rabbit was punched on the #1 setting on my medium needle,

 his tail was punched on the #6 setting for dimension….

he looks a little 'skimpy'

meaning, the DMC isn't quite 'filling' up the motif ~

But then again, this is what I am used to…

bunny boy

 and below is the little red house punched using one ply of the wool yarn, 

set on the #2 setting on my medium punch needle ~

a lot 'bulkier' and less 'sheen' than the DMC floss….

and I think it resembles a miniature hooked wool rug better than the floss!

(although I will continue use floss in my work, but now I will use that wool yarn too!)

little red house

we calculated this:

Wool Yarn: 1 ply @ 110 inches = 1 square inch covered area

DMC Floss: 6 strands @ 175 inches = 1 square inch covered area

We sell the Wool yarn for .50 cents = (3 ply) x 55" length.

and since the Wool yarn 'fulls' nicely on the front of the project side, 

...it really is a good amount of coverage for the money (for wool that is ~)

back of 1x1 sq. inch punched on #2 setting using 6 strands of DMC floss

front of same above

back of 1x1 sq. inch punched on #2 setting using 1 ply Wool yarn

front of same above

...can you tell I'm a little excited?

yeah, I know ~

it's those 'little things', right?

LOL

my Hookinpunch© Frame all set up for me ~

and did I mention that my hubby is a genius?

(thank you Peter for designing this awesome frame for me (us!)

If you are one of our customers that pre-ordered one of our

Hookinpunch© Adjustable Frames, they are beginning to ship 

(in the order that they were purchased)

YAY!!!!

{{The recent storms have slowed us up a bit here, 

so please know we are working hard everyday to get yours to you asap :)}}

** ~ thanks in advance for your patience my Friends ~ **

now ~ back to work!

So tell me ~

have any of you tried needle punching with wool yarn?

(since it's new for me, I'd love to hear your experience with this, if any)

I'm not talking about wool floss (such as Gentle Art), 

nor am I referring to Valdani or any other perle cotton or worsted cotton..

I would love to know your thoughts about this and if you would be interested in 

using beautiful, 100% Wool yarn in your punching projects?

should i design some new punch needle patterns that call for/use this Wool yarn instead of cotton floss?

...would you like me to offer kits for my punch needle designs using this Wool yarn?

OR

how about another club?

this one would be exclusive to punch needle only…hmmmm?

have you any wool (yarn?)

Lots of things to think about here ~

please do let me hear from you…

I value your opinions and thoughts, 

and as a needlewoman/designer I know I just can't get enough input!!!

Happy Sunday my Friends ~ thanks for visiting &...

* Blessed be * 

Lori

Stormy Friday ~

Hello Friends & Folk ~

Blustery day today here at the farm….

high winds & rain.

gloomy but almost balmy out with temps in the 50's.

I mentioned in my earlier postings that Minew is expecting.

her belly is full of squirm-y kittens now!

(I have been calling her 'Polly McWaddle')

here is a profile:

sweet Minew

 ...and here is a full frontal shot:

look at the sides of her belly!

she is such a loving cat ~ 

she loves her belly rubbed and as big as she is, she rolls over for me…

hoping she has the kittens soon ~ we can't wait!

(perhaps she'll gift me with them on my bday?)

yay!

our little mother...

 Minew has been sleeping in Peter's workshop ~ 

...where he can keep an eye on her.

(I swear he's more excited about these kittens than I am!)

He's been out there cutting & milling wood for the Hookinpunch© frames ~

cutting a huge log to be milled

 ...this thing scares me!

crazy chainsaw

he works hard everyday in that workshop…

~ for hours at a time.

awesome….

of course, besides having Minew for company,

he gets plenty of help from our Friends….

hello Buddy!

 and if Buddy gets a little too much attention,

then Lazy has to make sure Peter divides it evenly…

hello Lazy!

 because they work so hard here too ~

making sure we remember to take breaks from our work to pet them,

and assuring that not one visitor goes without a proper welcome,

each one of them gets a biscuit…

Good Boys

... after visiting all of them down in the workshop,

I took a walk around the front yard to where the piles of snow once where…

...and this is what I found:

G R E E N !!!

 my narcissus are poking their tiny heads out of the dirt next to an old tree-stump…

oh how I want to play in that dirt!!!

welcome little sprouts!!

but I will wait ~

...instead I'll head back in the farmhouse and do a little needlework

and listen to the rain on our old tin roof…

Hoping your day is filled with friends and thoughts of Springtime :)

* Blessed be *

 Lori