"I Stitch…"

I posted these snaps on the PSS FB group page yesterday,

showing a new finish for a little idea I had ~

this is a cross stitched cuff bracelet…

the name of the design is "I Stitch…"

I stitched it onto 30ct Parchment Linen from Weeks Dye Works

using ons strand of floss over two threads of linen

in DMC colors 831 & 3858…

when finished I backed it with a brown/cream calico cotton fabric ~

…then I stitched tiny black seed beads along the two longer sides ~

it reads:

"I Stitch, Therefore I Am Remembered."

This will be a new pattern that I'll be taking along with me to the 

PSS Retreat Merchant Mall

May 1 & 2

in Williamsburg, VA ~

It will be available for everyone in my Etsy shop too !!

the next few designs that I'll be making will be coming along with me to the 

Virginia Rug Fest on April 18th

so I'll be sharing some finishes for punch needle & wool appliqué, and perhaps a small hooked project or two :)

~ and ~

I am inviting you to become a member of

Friends of Notforgotten Farm

a new Facebook group I've created 

...for those that want to share their finishes of my patterns 

for cross stitch, punch needle, wool appliqué, & embroidery ~

Once you're approved as a member, 

you can then upload photos of your finishes of a NFF design

for other group members to see…

it is a closed group & I am taking membership requests now :)

xXxXxXXXxXxXxXxXXXxXxXx

Well, the sun is shining, but it is cold this morning ~

there was a very hard frost last night and we woke to chilly temps.

Hoping that the sun will warm things enough so I can hang out some fresh laundry!

...Let the SPRING CLEANING begin!

~ Blessings from the Farm ~ 

 Lori

Rainy Day ~ CLOSED Today!

yep ~

 we are closed today ~

everything is wet ~

the driveway, the yard…

…the sheep!

hoping the sun will return this aft or tomorrow ~

we will definitely be 

OPEN

tomorrow!

...see you then my friends ~

~ Blessings from the Farm ~

 Lori

Sepia Sampler Finish ~

...all finished

and framed too ~

how do you like it?

the big old heavy white painted & heavily-carved frame 

was found on my short trip to CT a few weeks back ~

truth be told,

I had already began stitching the sampler before I found the frame…

but

as things usually work for me,

the frame is a perfect fit!

the Sepia Sampler was stitched by me

onto 30ct Parchment hand dyed linen from

Week's Dye Works

I did take the liberty of adding a few stains to my finish as well ~

stitch count: 82w x 121h

approx. finished stitched size of recommended linen ~ 5-1/2" x 8"

DMC 6 strand cotton floss used ~ 

{model stitched using one strand of floss over two threads of linen}

611 - drab brown

640 - beige grey very dark

869 - hazelnut brown dark

3021 - brown grey very dark

the frame dates to ca. mid 1800's…

it has two interior liners plus one frame, making it a triple-frame.

I love all of the layers of thick white paint that have built up over time…

and there are a few 'ghost spots' of guilt-gold paint peeking through in places.

remember, this {and a few others!} will be released at the PSS retreat 

April 29th ~ May 3rd 2015 in Williamsburg, VA

and the PSS Merchant Mall 

May 1st & 2nd...

you can't make it to the retreat or Merchant Mall?

no worries ~

this {and a few others!} 

...will be available in my Etsy shop in May :)

Well it  is a sublimely rainy morning here at the farm today ~

I love the rain. have some chores to do, then get back to my stitching….

Oh! almost forgot to mention ~

we have been blessed with  7 new little baby chicks!

I'll introduce you to them on the morrow….

have a *sparkling* day my sweet friends!

~ Blessings from the Farm ~ 

 Lori

New-ness ~

there's a new kid in town…

actually, she's not a kid, and this is a farm, not a town.

her name is Annie ~

she is cousin Charlie's kitty-girl

who now lives with us.

...cousin Charlie is no longer able to care for sweet Annie ~

so now we are :)

Annie is adjusting fine ~

she loves to chase Iggy around the farmhouse.

and she loves napping in the afternoon sun.

she's a bit of a snark at times,

but

we know that's because she misses her home & Charlie ~

we're happy she's here with us!

I like to purchase fresh flowers for my kitchen each week...

here are my very favorite ~

 white tulips

they make me happy :)

the solar wind chimes you see hanging in my kitchen window below

make a sweet-sound every few minutes ~

perfect to wash dishes by!

and you all must know by now how much I love my little birds ~

bird's nests, eggs…

and birdcages.

this bottle stopper below is one I cherish ~

it came from my sweet friend Kathy Barrick a few years ago ~

I placed it into one of my early green glass bottles that we unearthed here at the farm….

and here is an auction find ~

a reproduction cast iron bird feeder….

love the color, weight & patina of it.

it is on our farmhouse front porch

next to a little cement urn & old basket full of found-things

like old farm tools, a deserted wasp nest and old hollow log.

{I don't know why I collect such old & odd things ~ but I do}

As I was snapping photos,

... I noticed that our white lilac bush is budding!

Hooray!

we almost lost the poor thing to last year's hard temps

and had to cut it down to the quick, so-to-speak…

but here she is,

tiny but strengthened and

I cannot wait for the first bloom to open ~

Pinnochio & Daisy are beginning to shed their winter-woolies…

the their thick wiry fur

 is now being carried off in the beaks of our little bird friends ~

to warmly line their far-away nests.

and here is more progress on Sepia Sampler ~

I am in the home stretch and finishing up the inside flowers of the border…

I'm enjoying this stitch,

and can't wait to see it all framed up!

Sepia Sampler, along with a few other new designs,

 will be a released in May at the PSS Retreat in Williamsburg.

Happy Wednesday everyone,

...make it a loverly & peaceful one!

~ Blessings from the Farm ~

 Lori

Here Chick Chick….

….Chick!

Chickens have been taking over my sewing room.

tiny little cluckers with even tinier beady eyes ~

made from scraps of calico cottons

 ….from my overflowing scrap baskets ~

...and minuscule  snippets of red wool from leftover rug hooking projects.

each one has her own personality and expression ~

they look like they want to say something, 

don't they?

actually they do have something to say:

"…see us at the VA Rug Fest & the PSS Retreat in Lori's booth!"

the hard-working little dears ~

they love to hold your stray pins for you and will keep you company when you stitch :<

Now I'm off to hatch a few more!

Happy Tuesday my Friends…

~ Blessings from the Farm ~

 Lori

Monday Musings ~

Made a little progress last night ...

on the Sepia Sampler I'm stitching ~

I did have to frog-out the entire bird once :(

but

it is fine now :)

i'm in love with the floss colors I chose for this ~

...subtle, aged & old.

my stitching chair sits in our Keeping Room 

~ and I enjoy lots of natural light there…

although today is a bit cloudy,

my green glass still glows on my table.

I've been collecting pretty jars & other glass containers 

to make tiny terrariums out of 

for our 

Spring Open House & Market

Saturday May 23rd

...this one sits on the table as well ~

I'll try to finish this today ~

then I need to work on a bunch of tiny chickens 

{wait till you see!!!}

that I'll be bringing with me to the

Virginia Rug Fest

on April 18th.

I love what I do 

and am blessed everyday to be able to share it with all of you ~

Hoping you have a beautifully creative day my friends!

~ Blessings from the Farm ~ 

 Lori

Punch Needle Class ~

Our punch needle class yesterday
was blessed with beautiful Spring weather!

at one point during the class,
...we all decided to head outside to grab a snack & take a break...
then 'some' of us wanted to work out there ;)

I was in & out and all-around,
but
the students were happy and that's all I could ever hope for!

I always like to bake fresh goodies for our Saturday gatherings,

we enjoyed some of my chocolate chip scones, blueberry corn-bread

and were treated to a gift of chocolate chip cookies too!

'one' of us snuck in and was caught in the act of 'sampling'....

now that this week is over,
and all of the new Spring designs are out & on their way ~
it's time to get my ducks in a row and get BUSY!

I will be working on the next installment of the
~ Little Stitches Handwork Club ~
{a.k.a. "LSHC"}
due to ship the beginning of April...
I found a very pretty cotton fabric that I want to use in this project,
so I'm excited to share the finish with you!

then before I know it the
Virginia Rug Fest will be here!
it is a show NOT to be missed if you are a lover of rug hooking & wool...
I will be working on new smaller rug patterns & a few new punch needle designs for you!

and can you believe the PSS Retreat is just around the corner too?
oh my stars I need to get going ~

Hoping you all have a peaceful Sunday my sweet friends ~

~ Blessings from the Farm ~ 

 Lori

Finally ~

…it's here!

Spring is HERE ~

it arrived on tiptoes and gently nudged me awake this morning…

the birds sang me into the day outside my bedroom window 

and the sheep and donkeys shouted for joy!

Wishing you all thee happiest

first day of

~ S P R I N G ~

my spring mantle

Bobby says hello!

our little violets have returned :)

tomorrow is our 

Pansy Basket Punch Needle Class here in the farm shop ~

Looking forward to seeing old & new friends!

I'll share class photos tomorrow…

~ Blessings from the Farm ~

 Lori

…and a Happy St. Patrick's Day to ya!!!

The wearing of the green…

corned beef & cabbage on the menu 

...with a sweet & moist carrot cake to follow ~

perhaps I'll make a batch of Red Beet Eggs today too?

the wee Lass above 

is hinting at what I'll be doing today as well….

…stitching!

Wishing you all a 

~ Happy St. Patty's Day ~

~ Blessings from the Farm ~

 Lori

Our Trip to TERRAIN in Westport, CT ~

The absolute highlight of my short-lived trip up north 

{besides seeing family of course}

was visiting a magical garden shop called

~ T E R R A I N ~

http://www.shopterrain.com 

in Westport, CT

I'd heard about this shop from my sister Louisea, 

and she said it was beautiful…

but to me

it's more like beauty-full ~

it is huge, it is open & airy

it is filled with wondrous things that are garden/nature inspired

...and best of all

it gives one a sense of place in the world.

we are all but small organisms in the great cosmos too, 

but we seem to forget that…

being closer to nature, gardening and even just decorating my old farmhouse

with fresh live plants, beautiful wood and antiques

helps keep me connected somehow…

here are a few snaps for you

the quality of the photos is lacking, as I took them from my iPhone

{and was shaking with excitement just to be there}

{can you see me?}

Hannah & Louisea shopping happily

oh! hello!!

the humongous tree-trunk tables blew me away ~
...I need one for my dining room now!

I shopped, sniffed the plants, rubbed all of the wood surfaces

absorbed the good energies 

and soaked my brain while there ~ I want to go back again NOW!

This standing concrete hare wanted to come live with us

so I begrudgingly obliged…

{yeah right ~ he sure twisted my arm to make me take him home!}

he will not go into the gardens,

instead

he was introduced to the other rabbits in my warren 

and will live out his days here in the farmhouse ~

If you have a moment, please visit the link to

Terrain

that I've pasted at the top of this post ~

once there, you'll find their blog too…

I think you'll love it!

*and*

THANKS SO MUCH 

for the wonderful response to our release last night of our new

Spring Goods

in our Etsy shop

we're so happy that you love everything!

~ Blessings from the Farm ~ 

 Lori