~ All Hallows Eve ~

Merry Halloween!

A Blessed Samhain to you all!!

Tonight the winds will stir memories of our beloved folks 

who have passed on before us ~

🌜

Light a candle in their honor

and...set a place at your dinner table tonight for them 

while the veil is thin between their world and ours.

Welcome them home once again...

🎃

Here are a few of my very favorite antique postcards and photographs

of my very favorite 'holiday' ~

 

the photo below is so clever ~ 

but that child's face is telling another story altogether!

 

 and although the photo below is slightly creepy,

I love their dresses, basket and the clothesline behind them!

and here are a few favorite quotes for you too:

On Halloween, what bothers some
      About these witches, is how come
      In sailing, through the air, like bats
      They never seem, to lose their hats?
Hitchhiking owls, as we have seen,
      Ride nicely on this queer machine...
Another thing: if brooms can fly,
      Do witches keep them handy-by
      To sweep the kitchen floor with, say?
      Or do they have them locked away
      For private passage through the sky?
~David McCord (1897–1997), "Witch's Broom Notes"

 A gypsy fire is on the hearth,
Sign of the carnival of mirth;
Through the dun fields and from the glade
Flash merry folk in masquerade,
For this is Hallowe'en!
~Author unknown

They that are born on Halloween shall see more than other folk. 

~Saying of unknown origin

You wouldn't believe
On All Hallow Eve
What lots of fun we can make,
With apples to bob,
And nuts on the hob,
And a ring-and-thimble cake.
~Carolyn Wells

 

Backward, turn backward,
O Time, in your flight
make me a child again
just for to-night!
~Elizabeth Akers Allen

   

Blessings from the Farm 

~ Lori

~ Friday Musings ~

Hello Friends & Folk!

a quick posting to say:

our little needlework shop here at the farm will be 

CLOSED 

tomorrow, Saturday October 21st through Saturday November 4th 

 Miss Joan & I 

are heading up North to visit with family for the week.

but worry not, 

we will be bringing along LOTS of our stitching with us 

to work on finished goods for upcoming shows!

I'll be posting on FB & IG mostly this coming week, 

and will post again here with photos of our adventures

upon our return ~

**PLEASE NOTE**
our ETSY shop is always OPEN, but any orders placed after Sunday October 22nd
 will not ship until after my return ~

Thank you kindly!!

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ Very Little Stitching ~

Good Thursday Morning Friends & Folk ~

a nice chilly start to this fine day indeed!

the laundry is washed, the bed made...

 &

after a heaping bowlful of piping hot steel-cut oats with cinnamon & raisins 

and two {in the very least} more cups of tea,

I will get back to work stitching this:

'Very Little'

yes, my post title today is intentionally misleading 

~ have to keep you on your toes, don't I?

 

I'm working it on the same linen that I previously stitched on,

I hate to cut linen...I want to use up every inch of it all.

 

both will be finished & framed, housed neatly for all-time under old wavy glass that we are recycling from our humble farmhouse's ancient windows that we replaced....

these will be offered at the From Our Hands show in Peninsula, OH come November ~

 simple stitches ~ quiet thread ~ humble linen

so see?

even though I'm stitching very little,

I am stitching quite-alot!

 

so, what is in your hoop? ~

inquiring minds....

Blessings from the ƒarm 

~ Lori

~ Changes ~

 ****SHOP OWNERS PLEASE NOTE****
NFF {Notforgotten Farm} charts & patterns are NO LONGER available through distributors!!
If you are a shop owner, and would like to ether create a new shop account OR if you are a shop owner who already carries my charts & patterns, please click on this link to read about how to begin/continue carrying our charts & patterns :)
https://farmhousenotforgotten.blogspot.com/p/wholesale.html

So, why the change?

~ well let me explain please...

1) ~ I am happy to offer my charts & patterns directly to shops on a wholesale basis,  

because I believe that I can get your orders out for you and your customers faster.

2) ~ I believe in friendly customer service and love to interact directly with shops that carry 

my charts & patterns.

3) ~ By working directly with a Shop Owner, I can get a better 'feel' of what their shop is like, and what their customers are looking for....I am always interested in knowing what your shop is up to!

4) ~ Having direct contact with Shops that carry NFF charts & patterns means I can send out emails to those shops, announcing new/upcoming designs, releases & events....better keeping you up to date!

5) ~ ~ and, by working directly with a Shop Owner, 

there are no 'middle-man' fees.

;)

We humbly Thank You for your continued support and friendship 

♥

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ Counting ~

 Good Morning Friends & Folk ~

a very happy Sunday to you all...

the weather here is perfect today ~ perfect for a day of quiet stitching~

cooler temps, overcast skies and blustery winds make for a comfy day to be filled with tiny little X's.

although I love to stitch in any kind of weather, Autumn days like this are my very favorite.

I posted a few photos on FB and Instagram lately, 

that show me using counting pins while I stitch...

this is by no-means anything new, in fact stitchers have been doing it for centuries ~

but I don't always show how I do things, taking for granted that some of you would either already know or not be so interested.

but, 

for those who have inquired about using counting pins,

here goes:

Now, you can purchase them or even make your own counting pins 

by simply gluing beads onto the head-end of your pins ~

... like these that were sweetly gifted to me 

~ and that I keep in my sewing box:

... aren't they beautiful? 

like tiny precious gems :)

But, 

you can use plain pins too ~ 

or in this case some antique 'toilet' pins.

no, they weren't necessarily used in the bathroom, 

~ but a lady's dressing room wasn't complete without them...

she would use them to fasten a blouse or hem, and use them in her sewing as well....

I love how mine look on my stitching in progress, 

~ and imagining how these were used by nimble hands before me.

 

 

So, 

how do you use them when doing counted cross stitch?

Simple.

I use them to hold my count when I'm stitching a border, 

as I place a pin every 10-20 stitches or so... then remove them when no longer needed.

I also use them as a reminder where color changes need to be made with my thread,

as in the acorn at the bottom in the photo below:

and since I usually have two {or more} projects going at one time,

I can leave the pins in to remind me where I left off.

Just make sure your pins are clean and aren't rusty ~ 

and never ever leave them or your work in your hoop for an extended period of time.

 

Or, 

I'll tuck one in if I think there is the chance {and there is always that chance}

that I have miscounted and need to track where that might be
{like in the basket worked below...me thinks I split a stitch}

you can see that I'm using a different type of antique toilet pin

while working on this sampler ~  these being white glass and a larger size at that.

 

So now you know ~

counting pins help keep that stitching 'FROG' away!

{ Oh, ..."frogging" refers to ripping out those miscounted stitches, as-in rippit! rippit!....get it? }

 

 Iggy likes the fact that by me using counting pins,

I'm less likely to yell, cuss or throw things.

... therefore making stitching much more enjoyable for us both ~

This blog post has been officially Iggy Approved.

 

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ Friday the 13th ~

Firstly,

Happy Friday the 13th!

with the lack of luck I've had with my foot, then tooth ~

I'm thinking positively today!

 and 

Since I haven't been able to unpack from last weekend's show,

and the shop is on it's um....ear,
and Miss Joan is under-the-weather {get better quick girlfriend!}

we will be 

C L O S E D tomorrow, Saturday October 14th

sorry for any inconvenience my friends!

Blessings from the Farm 

~ Lori

~ Freebie Time ~

Hello my stitching friends & folk ~

happy Thursday afternoon to you all! 

FINALLY

today's weather seems more Autumnal, more fall-ish

more...better!

I'm working on a new Thanksgiving cross stitch design, 

and I though I would gift you all with a coordinating freebie...

so here is:

Big Red Acorn

click on the chart and the symbol legend below that {separately}, save them to your computer

and then print them out any size you'd like.

 The model {{above}} that I'm stitching for the new design is called 

~ Talking Turkey ~

and the colors of DMC threads I'm using to stitch this are the very same that are in this freebie...

I'm stitching Talking Turkey onto 32ct Cedar Plank linen from Lakeside Linens 

2/over/2

I love using my mom's old maple-wood 'QUEEN' hoop with coin-screw

when I stitch

 ♥

 Hope you enjoy the Freebie!

I will be adding it to my 'FREEBIES" page 

under 'my link's over there on the upper tight column of this blog for future use.

*Friendly Reminder*

I love to offer my friends and customers free designs...to stitch for themselves, or others ~

and as the designer, I also allow you to sell a limited number of finished projects from this design.

However, 

any mechanical copying/printing/mass producing and/or selling of this freebie 

or any of my free charts/graphs/designs

 is strictly prohibited and protected by United States Copyright laws © 

~ I kindly ask that you give me credit for design 

if you will be sharing it and/or posting about it on social media.

 

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ This & That ~

Hello Friends & Folk!
and happy Tuesday to you ~

'the foot' is feeling better.
not as swollen on the sprained ankle,
... but still very sore at the broken heel.

I am being a good patient and keeping it elevated and on ice much more now.
This past weekend was the Stitching in the Valley retreat in Strasburg, VA
{ www.valleyneedleworks.com }
and I really over-did-it on the foot....
but with the help of friends I muddled through and had a good time seeing folks ~
especially my sweet Joan who really outdid herself by lugging all of our 'stuff'...
I was very cranky and she really held up with me ~
{{{{ I love you muchly my sweetest best-friend, Thank You. }}}

I didn't get a chance to take one photo of the event either!
and that is quite unlike me....as you may know.
We enjoyed each others' company in the Merchant Mall,
at dinner and chatting about stitching-related subjects.
~ and our Thanks to Jen Cave for hosting the event :)

🌛
Since I am being such a good patient,
that means I am planted on the sofa....I have everything I need near me and within reach,
and Peter makes sure I am comfy, well-fed and as happy as I can be being 'grounded'.

I am working with needle and thread,
on the Oct/Nov/Dec 2017 Little Stitches Handwork Club kit design that I am hoping to have shipped for you by the end of this week or possibly the beginning of next...thanks for your patience with me while I am hobbling-around on these blasted crutches my friends!
{here is a preview}

While at the retreat,

Joan & I shopped the Merchant Mall....

and I bought this beautiful linen from Beth Seal of Summer House Stitche Works

{ summerhousestitcheworkes.blogspot.com }

I would have preferred a higher count, but I couldn't resist it...

"Wren" from Picture This Plus

have no clue as to what I'll stitch on it, but....whatever :)

So I am sitting here, healing and being as good as I can be...

all of my books and computer filled with inspiration and now my head is even more full of 'things' I want to do....

like using these specialty threads from Weeks Dye Works

 on their beautiful 32ct linen called 'Havana' ~ 

I'm thinking tiny candy corn & jacks.

When Joan & I were heading home from the retreat,

we stopped & shopped a bit at Valley Furniture in Stephens City, VA

where we found these:

HUGE scissors that look like the tiny Putford scissors from 

Kelmscott Designs

{www.kelsmcottdesigns.com}

look how big they are next to a skein of floss! 

gotta love 'em....and I do have a scissor addiction ~ 

well I am off to stitch ~

then ice and rest and stitch again!

Hoping you all have a wonderful October day 
filled with creativity & peace ~

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ That Felt Good ~

Oh my...

well, 

at least I'm putting my 'recovery' time to good use ~ 

For my readers here that aren't on Facebook or Instagram,

this is what I've been doing:

~ Needlefelting ~

{{ ok, I'm needlefelting + applique with a sprinkling of embroidery }}

 a few years ago, I spun some of our Finn ewe 'Esther''s fleece {aka Mommy}

she has a beautiful loose staple that is great for spinning.

but, I am not a great spinner!

as you can see below, my skeins are a mess ~

too tight, too loose, knots, slubs and pieces of hay

all make up a hank of my 'yarn'...

lol

but it's pretty 

and I never thought I would be able to do anything with it.

Until Now.

 

it is perfect for creating my 2-dimensional {2D} sheep!

each wonky curl and loop of the yarn 

just seems to add more of a realist effect to my needle felted sheep's coat...

~ don't you agree?

 

especially this little guy,

 below...

I'm embellishing with applique, embroidery and each lamb or sheep 

has hand blown German glass eyes.

they aren't perfect, but I am improving each time.

the most important part of this is enjoying the creative & learning process as I continue.

 

I hope you all have a wonderfully creative October Day ~

full of inspiration, peace & kindness.

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori