~ Sunshine & Shadows ~

 Good Morning Friends & Folk...

~ did you have storms last night?...we sure did.

lots of heavy rain, thunder and lightening too.

but 'tis April and we need the rain for the well & gardens,

... so be it.

I woke early this morning, 

{{ to rain on the tin roof mixed with small patches of blue sky & sunshine }}

 before Peter & the roosters even ~

Iggy & I headed downstairs to put the kettle on, 

then came back up to my sewing room do a little stitching.

 

I love quiet mornings where the house is still ~ 

with nothing but the soothing sound of birds, rain and the kettle whistling...

my stitching chair is a comfy spot to work and dream.

yes, Iggy ~

 mom loves you and you are quite handsome.

 I'm working on new designs for the upcoming

Prim Stitchers Society Retreat& Merchant Mall

May 5th & 6tth 2017

at the Embassy Suites

2886 Airport Drive

 Columbus, Ohio 43219

I'll be a vendor at the Merchant Mall

where you can visit us from 12:30 - 4:30 both days...

I am stitching in my favorite way, 

using a technique that I call 'freehand cross stitch', or UNcounted cross stitch...

you can read my previous postings about this way of stitching by clicking: Here

this isn't hard to do, by any means...

and the look is one I favor as it is extremely humble, naive & primitive.

I design a sketch on paper, 

then I trace the design through my osnaburg {cupboard cloth} using pencil. 

then I just fill-in the motifs using cross stitches and one strand of floss....

I do occasionally use 2 strands,  but I prefer 

one strand because I like the 'lighter' look it gives my work.

 I always wax my threads when I stitch this way, 

to keep from getting knots & tangles...

plus I always over-stain my finished work ~

 and the wax helps keep my threads from soaking up too much of the stain.

the design is one that I did to resemble an antique sampler...

but with motifs close to my heart ~ 

a girl, a goat, a bird...anf flowers & leaves.

all of the penciled lines you see will be filled-in with wonky cross stitches.

I make my cross stitches just like I would if I were counting them,

 as in traditional counted cross stitch ~ making all of my half-stitches to the right first, then coming back to the left and crossing them...

the difference is plain to see though,  that I am NOT counting my stitches,

 nor am I concerned about how many threads I am crossing over.

In traditional cross stitch, 

you would make your cross stitch over 2 strands of linen, or over 1 strand of linen.

you can see in the photo below that I give myself free-reign 

to make my X's that are over 3, 2, and sometimes four threads ~ just stitch to fill in.

You can also see that I DO some-what keep my stitches in rows...

BUT they are far from even or straight!

{ and I like it that way }

no, this look is not for everyone ~ but it makes me happy.

Using mostly DMC cotton floss, 

as I prefer a more plain look to my work than using variegated threads. 

That is not to say that you cannot variegated threads, use what makes you happy!

I choose mellow colors that reflect my personal palette ~

greens, browns, creams & a pop of red.

...and after all is stitched and filled-in, 

I will stain this using my black walnut/spice dye. 

perhaps Peter will make a frame for it, 

or I will turn it into a sawdust/lavender filled pillow?

we'll see....

 

at the moment, it looks like a cave drawing to me! Ha!

but it is a little goat....

;)

 

Hoping your day is filled 

with everything and everyone you love...

Blessings from the Farm 

~ Lori