Saying Goodbye ~

it's never easy to say goodbye...

but I'll say it...

SEE YA!

to whom am I sending off?

why...hotmuggysticky August, of course!!!

Nocchi can't stand the heat, he says he's all done with it too ~

but, my garden is showing signs of one-last-hurrah:

roses reaching for the now-weakening sun...

the wild morning glories in every size and color are grasping their tiny tendrils
around anything they can get hold of...


my black eyed suzy's are drying up, and creating tons of seeds for next year...
the more the merrier of these cheerful little volunteers the better for me!

a strange, pale morning glory...

...and one last daylily has arrived,
my little angel looks like she's crying over August's end...

not me!

I am embracing September!

these next few months will bring so much joy,
...with shows, classes & new creations...

it is the true beginning of a magickal new year for me
and I'll embrace it with an open mind, & heart ~

Hoping you'll enjoy it with me!
here's to the end of Summer, let the Harvest Celebrating begin!

*CLINK*

:)

Blessings from Notforgotten Farm...

Lori

30 ct Old Farmhouse Linen back in stock ~

....for those that have purchased my two new cross stitch patterns,
'sisters of the broom' & 'stove pipe hill' and have been waiting for the 30ct old farmhouse linen to stitch them on, it is now back in stock in my
etsy shop
~ limited stock, so get yours quick!

old farmhouse linen (C) ~ from notforgotten farm

 

Blessings from Notforgotten Farm...

Lori

the ups and downs of primitive hooking ~

In my almost 20 yrs of hooking rugs,
I find myself always tweaking and learning the technique.

I cannot get my loops even.
EVER.
some are so high, and others sink down into the other loops...

 

high & low....

they go this way & that way and don't really look like they have a plan...



scattered loops....

but somehow, they all come together to make a pleasing (to me) sight



didn't plan on such a wonky expression, it just happened!
i love it!

I've taught many classes on primitive rug hooking, and usually there are one or two students in the groups that can create these perfectly-evenly-piled rugs.

and as much as I admire those that can,

I cannot do that ~ try as I may...

 

SO

I won't waste anymore of my time trying to pull that perfect loop.

nope, I won't...

 

instead I'll keep enjoying the process of filling them in,

lopsided & haphazardly

until my work is complete...
embracing the fact that I love to hook
and gathering bits of joy in my heart
...with each uneven little arch of pulled wool...

 



see my sunken loops? how boring this moon-face would be without them !

high, low, straight, crooked...
even or not even.

 

that's what makes your work completely & utterly your own.

don't change anything ~ be your unique self and your work will reflect that!
 





my loops gradually get higher from left to right, see the border?
and that's fine with me :)
 

Hoping you have a wonderfully wonky & imperfectly perfect day! 

 

Blessings from Notforgotten Farm...

Lori

on the fringe of.....

 

Hey Friends & Folk!

hoping you are all enjoying the cooler temps like we have here in VA today
(ok, drier, maybe not exactly cooler)

I'm keeping those of you in the path of the hurricane in my thoughts ~ may you all be safe!

thought I'd share a few pics of my little rug that I've just finished...
I wanted to finish the edge a little differently, so I hand-knotted on some wool fringe...

 

 

a fun & festive finish!

I really like how this turned out...
I've only finished one other rug like this before, but you can be sure I'll be doing this more often....




JACK

on the back, I've stitched on some brown/cream repro cotton calico for a simple finish...
and stitched on my label too...

it's important to always label your original work :)




 

here's a closer look...primitively stitched, but neat & tidy ~

I do not mind loose threads at all...
I think they convey the handwork in a rich sense....

 I hand-knot the fringe on before I add the fabric binding, so that the fringe lays flat.
don't you just love this look?

 

As always, I love to share my original work & designs with you,

so please be respectful by never copying my work in any way ~

(hate to say that, but some folks 'out there' have real issues about being 'inspired' by others' work
...& I'm not talking about the fringe, I'm talking about the design)

 

would you like to see a video of how I hand-knot the fringe on?
am thinking of making a little tutorial ...nothing special, just my way of doing it :)

 

let me know what you think?

 

 

 

Blessings from Notforgotten Farm...

Lori

have you been stitching??

I'm starting to receive the finishes for the

Tophat Jack challenge, & oh boy ~ wait till you see them!

 

don't know why this is so blurry, to see the clear photo & chart,
and read the challenge rules,
click on the challenge link on my left sidebar

Remember, I'll be posting all of the entries here on the blog
and it will be up to you, my readers to vote on the winner for the
most unique finish!

 

Blessings from Notforgotten Farm...

Lori

a room of my own ~

ah, nothing like the feeling of walking into a clean sewing room.
I worked all day yesterday in there, cleaning, organizing & purging old 'stuff'

and it feels so good!
my thanks to my sweet hubby for helping me arrange it this way...

(love you peterjohn)

so come on in for a visit, won't you?

my worktable/desk

another view of my worktable/desk

the burlap & muslin curtains held on by old clothespins and tied up with twine
help to conceal bins of supplies....

sewing baskets, glass jars and tins hold more trims and supplies ~

the 'sewing corner' of the room...

another view of the "sewing corner"...

...and yet another view.

this is where i sit & stitch, hook or punch...
...my cozy little blue chair that Pete carried upstairs for me ~

fabrics on a wire rack stand ready for my needle and thread ~

 

the room feels like it's a part of my home now...
I wasn't happy with the layout, things were all over the place and I couldn't stand the clutter.

now I have a peaceful room to work in while watching movies on dvd ~
Hmmm....let's see...should it be
Practical Magic? or Hocus Pocus? ....

 

have a beautiful evening everyone!

 

Blessings from Notforgotten Farm...

Lori

framed.....

I use a Pittsburgh frame for my larger hooking/punching...

 

love that it is collapsable,
and especially love that I can stash my stuff in it's tray under my work!!




scissors, check...hook, check....wool.....check.

and here's what I'm working on...

a tombstone angel with wool pinwheels ~



 

 

these are fun to make and add so much to an otherwise plain rug...
I also beaded a little on the bottom border...

 

what's on your frame today?
and what frame is your favorite??

blessed be, from....
Lori

in my etsy shop.....

are two *brand new* patterns for your stitching pleasure...

may I introduce:

"Sisters of the Broom"

and

"Stove Pipe Hill"



please visit my little shop by clicking on the link at the top of my sidebar to your left...
I hope you enjoy them!!

blessed be,

from.... Lori

Sharpen your needles Halloween Lovers!

I'll be releasing 2 (maybe three)
new Hallowe'en designs this coming week
...for lovers of Hallowe'en Cross Stitch ~

...models are freshly back from my most-talented stitchers,
Faye & Starr...
and what a superb job they've both done!

(oh my, you two are awesome!!)



a mosaic of both new patterns...
"Stove Pipe Hill" stitched by Faye Riggsbee
&
"Sisters of the Broom" by Starr Baumgartner

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

I'll be 'finishing' them both tomorrow,

and will share their finishes and release in the next few days...

both were stitched on my own hand-dyed 'Old Farmhouse Linen'.

I also just received the model for the next
Prim Sisters Club
from Felicia ~ oh boy...I can't wait to show you this!

to refresh your memory, it is called
"Old Witch Mary"

and...I. Love. It.
I will be incorporating some of the large rick-rack trim (shown in an earlier post)
for the finish of this design...

it was stitched on my own hand-dyed 'Old Farmhouse Linen', too!

Oh the wonderful things I have in store for you all...

SHHHhhhhhhhhh ~

I am sworn to secrecy at the moment, but....

please keep those needles SHARP!!!!

Blessings from the farm,

Lori

in my ETSY shop ~

just loaded all of  my little folk art paintings in my etsy shop ~
(I swear they mumble to themselves)

please click HERE to see all of their little personalities

Blessings from the farm,

Lori

Falling ~

my garden is beginning to fall ~
slowly changing hues towards Autumn...

signs of the subtle change are everywhere i turn ~

colors aren't as bright, petal edges seemingly spent...
and things going to seed.



rosemary reaching for the sun with tired spires

(and the beginning of a woodpile in the background)

my sweet annie has reached the stars this year...
and it is the fullest I've ever seen ~



waiting to be harvested, dried and seeds collected.



even the ivies are starting to dim...not as bright green as they were
perhaps the summer's intense heat & lack of rain is bringing us an earlier-than-usual autumn feeling?



Pinocchio grazing in the morning sun...searching for tender grass ~



the swallowtails have been busy collecting last sips of herb nectar...



my beautiful coleus with it's striking colors...reminds me that halloween is not far away :)

...and my orange & yellow zinnias hint of pumpkins & sweet potatoes :




and everyday, i am visited by this little fawn & it's momma....



they come very close to the farmhouse and Lazy & Buddy don't seem to mind them much at all ~

...following momma back into the woods...
see the leaves starting to change?

...hoping you all have a beautiful day where you are!!

Blessings from the farm,

Lori