~ I'm taking off! ~

I will be taking flight soon to Pennsylvania

for the PSS Retreat & Merchant Mall!!

{Merchant Mall is open to public June 1 & 2}

at the Red Lion Hotel Harrisburg, PA

Once landed, I will meet up with lots of stitchy-friends there ~

{you know who you are}

🌛🌝🌜

 

and spend some time doing this in the evenings ~

{after teaching classes & vending AND SHOPPING! at the merchant mall}

 

so needless to say...but I will anyway,

our little needlework shop here at the farm will be 

CLOSED Saturday June 2nd

Hoping to see lots of you in PA!

Safe Travels to all ~

 

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ Super Prim Stitching ~

 it all begins with a speck of an idea...

a small seed of inspiration from anything I see, hear, smell or feel.

it could come from where I am, where I've been,

or where I'm going ~

 and from places that don't even exist outside of my own little mind.

one word can conjure up thoughts for me of stories, poems & characters...

and then I have to create.

thread ~ linen ~ wool ~ fabric ~ pencil ~ ink ~ paint

lately as I am preparing for the

Prim Stitcher's Society Retreat and Merchant Mall 

{June 1 & 2 2018 ~ Red Lion Inn ~ Harrisburg, PA}

I have been once again plying my needle and thread and making tiny little x's.

but

trying to make them perfect by counting 

has always been a challenge to my somewhat dyslexic brain...

so after my 'near' perfect models are finished being stitched by myself,

I turn once again to my most favorite way of cross-stitching ~

So those that are familiar with me know that I  love freehand cross stitching, 

or uncounted cross stitch as I like to call it!

not stamped, not on linen...

but I simply hand drawn onto Osnaburg {click HERE for more info} 

then filled in by row {or not!} with my uncounted and crudely stitched wonky little x's ~

no, the look is definitely not for everyone,

{ I once had a very sweet & kind member of a local EGA chapter 

feel sorry for me and offer to teach me the correct way to do it ~ }

a needle, no I don't have a favorite, one with an eye big enough for me to thread though,

some floss ~ in this case one strand for me, 

and a hoop ~ are all I need.

 oh and I use beeswax on my thread ~

I love the smell and feel of it ~

I love how the wax keeps my thread from tangling and knotting up as I pull it through my cloth ~

and I like how the wax keeps my threads from soaking up too much stain when I am finished stitching and want to age my work a bit with walnut dye.

{I sometimes dye my fabric before I stitch, sometimes after ~ sometimes both.}

I started this specific work last year, and put it away to peruse other ideas ~

but it has been here in my sewing room,

looking at me every time I pass by it,

with a most-pitiful, woe-is-me attitude

that I just couldn't walk by it one more time...

this is where I left off last year...

 and this is my progress as of last evening:

I am hoping to complete it soon, 

then make it into a pillow stuffed with fabric scraps & such

here is a good shot of those wonky x's ~

 

I have had a positive response to my posting this over on my Instagram page ~

it isn't new to me, but may be to new followers and readers... 

I am using the hashtags:

 #uncountedcrossstitch, #freehandcrossstitch and #nocountxs 

if you would like to follow or post your own progress photos of your work.

 So, my questions to you on this day are this:

~ does the idea of cross stitching in this way make you nervous?

~ can you break free from the thought of perfectly counted cross stitches?

~ can you unleash your thinking into a more free-form way of prim stitching?

~ are you interested in learning more and would you consider a class from me online for this?

inquiring minds would love to know your thoughts...

 

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ Memorial Day Weekend ~

Good Morning Friends & Folk ~

the official weekend of Summer's beginning is here!

 In remembrance of those who serve, 

~ and those who have served to protect our Nation for centuries ~

we will celebrate them quietly and peacefully.

here are a few of my favorite antique postcards

that blend my love of country with my love of thread:

{all found on Pinterest, of course}

 

Our shop is Open Today ~

10:00 - 4:00

 hoping you all enjoy the long weekend!

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ I'm Finished! ~

Hello Friends & Folk!

I have been away from my blog for a few days, finishing up things for our new release and getting prepared for the PSS Retreat & Merchant Mall June 1st & 2nd...

Remember 'Feeding the Bees'?

well here she is, all tucked into a fabulous frame that Peter & I made for her...

like all of our wooden products,

they are made from our very own farm-grown trees and home-milled wood ~

{{ I added a couple of honeybees to my comb-painted and severely distressed finish! }}

and I'm sure you have seen my 'When Pigs Fly!' design, 

~ but now these two are captured in a frame as well ~

tiny gold-leaf painted stars are sprinkled about for just a little more charm...

my little 'Stitching Witch' is in her frame, 

simply painted and made to look old & farmhouse-y ;)

 

and here is 'Tiny Little Stitches' ~

left in her antique hoop and hung with a ribbon.

just plain sweet...

 

but here is another new one for you ~

'Rest Thy Scissors' ~ 

Peter has made an exquisite little wooden 'bed' 

~ with headstone shaped top just for this design...

I have painted it black and added a few scallops rendered in gold-leaf paint...

simple and witchy fun!!

 

 The patterns for the new designs above,

will be released at the PSS Merchant Mall on June 1st & 2nd...

after that they will be available in our Etsy shop.

The frames & Scissors Rest box will also be available in our Etsy shop:)

Much to do before we leave for PA in just one week!

Can't wait to see everyone again :)

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ OH BOY ~

did you know,

that you do not have to be a pre-registered attendee to visit the fabulous, upcoming 

Prim Stitchers Society Retreat's

MERCHANT MALL?

You can simply come in to the 

Merchant Mall on June 1st and/or 2nd 

and shop to your heart's content!

here are the most-awesome vendors who will be there ~

tell a friend or 5 and carpool ~ you will NOT want to miss this Merchant Mall!!

⌣

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ Despite the Rain ~

Our Little Needlework Shop

here at the farm will be

OPEN 

today 10:00 ~ 4:00

If you're in the neighborhood, come by for a visit!

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ Thursday Morning Musings ~

Good Soggy Morning Everyone!

'tis that time of the year when the mushrooms and dandelions grow ~

as well as other weeds that I love ~ 

like wild yarrow:

our American Beauty roses love this warm, wet weather too!

but the dampness is not good for having a fire outdoors...

 and it's a good thing too,

as we have a friend visiting!

 hello!

Amidst the rains,

We are stitching and preparing for the upcoming 

PSS Retreat and Merchant Mall at the end of this month... 

a few new designs will be released at the retreat 

and we will have our wood products for the needleworker too!

Saturday is our Strawberry Sewing Box class here in the Farm Shop and we still have a few openings left if you're interested in coming in to take the class...let me know by email/pm or call :)

Here is a video of Peter in his woodshop ~

doing what he loves to do!

 Hoping you all have a loverly day spent with those who love you most....

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ After the Rain ~

Good Morning Friends & Folk!

and a happy mid-May day to you ~

We had some crazy storms come through here last night...

mostly high winds, lots of thunder and even hail

 but hardly any rain.

but rain it did.

here are a few snaps of our kitchen garden and front of the farmhouse...

Peter & I have been weeding, turning soil and planting for two days!

our Mock Orange bush is getting bigger each year...

...the blossoms smell SO sweet ~

next to that are shoots of our banana trees ~

we have counted 12 this year and think there might be a few more coming up.

 

these will grow so tall and their leaves will be huge ~ creating perfect shade for our little patio :)

 the rusty planter below is filled again,

it was a gift from Joan...

 ...as was the solar Owl lantern that lights up each evening

this was completely overgrown with chickweed and other sundry weeds...

we left a few wild Black Eyed Susans and Sweet Annie plants, 

as we do every year.

the larger bunch of Chocolate Mint towards the bottom of the photo will fill in much more, and we also have volunteer green leaf & red lettuces already coming up!

we planted Rosemary {the cold winter zapped mine}, Basil, Parsley...

and 2 types of tomatoes ~ and we will be transplanting our Oregano & Thyme 

from another garden to this one as well.

an Italian garden of-sorts for my Pasta-Loving Hubby!

Then we decided to do away with the grass 

in one portion of our lawn that is inside the fence:

 we transplanted variegated Hosta, Giant Hosta and some of my beloved Lily of the Valley too.

Everything will get a fresh covering of wood mulch soon ~

the vine you see growing on the left is Jasmine

 and I cannot wait for the blooms to open again this year ~ 

makes sitting on the porch-swing even better!

Aside from gardening,

I finished my little Stitching Witch ~

and put her under glass in one of Petere's frames that I handpainted.

 

  the pattern for Stitching Witch, 

as well as the previous Feeding the Bees design 

and their frames will be available soon

in our Etsy shop ~ 

Did you know that we have all of these delightful 

Bee-Themed patterns & such available?

we love our little bees, big bees and in-between-bees too!

Click HERE to see them all in our Etsy Shop

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ We are OPEN Today! ~

 Good Sunny Saturday

~  Friends & Folk ~

just a quick post to say that our little Farm Shop is

Open today from 10:00 - 4:00

Come on in for a visit,

bring along something to work on ~

Stitch - Hook - Punch

and come create with me!

  Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori