~ Old Things, New Things... ~

 Good Morning Friends & Folk ~

and a happy Tuesday Morning in April to you all....

I've been thinking about something,

{well, a few things to be exact}

but one thing in particular;

I want to publish another book.

there ~ i said it.

A self-published book...

that I will author, illustrate and photograph.

AND it will be a book about Embroidery!

{OH, I can hear the cross stitchers, rug hookers and punch-needlers out there saying "boo!"}

but, this is a way for me to share my love of embroidery with you.

There will be projects with step by step photos, 

and tips on my techniques to achieve the look I get with those tiny little split stitches.

 featuring my "Primsical" characters and little folk like my Farm Witches and Rabbit Ladies

with a few new 'folk' included that I'm working on now.

{btw, 'primsical' is how i describe my work and style: Primitive + Whimsical = Primsical!

a coffee-table styled book that will be pretty to look at and informative as well...

I have a ton of work to do for this endeavor ~

but there is no time like the present to begin work on something that I have been longing to do.

~ my creative juices are flowing and my cup runneth over with ideas!

 I am hoping that my excitement about this gets you, 

my needlework-loving friends excited too ~

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ Still Punch Drunk ~

Three things have been topping my creative-list lately...

painting in watercolors, rug hooking and

punch needle ~

yes, I still design for cross stitchers, and love to do so ~ 

but these old eyes of mine just cannot see those little x's very well anymore ~

thank the stars for my model-stitchers!!!

since I posted yesterday regarding my new book idea,

folks really seem to be eager to see finished projects from it...

so I am punching from sun-up to sun-down till I get them done.

I woke early this morning to finish the one I started yesterday,

I was even up before Iggy ~

I love working here in this quiet old farmhouse in the early morning light... 

near an open window so I can here our farmyard friends waking up.

these warm February temps have me opening up the windows every morning 

to let in the clean fresh air...today is no exception 

:)

I finished my first little project from the new book,

and working on my hubby's Hookinpunch© adjustable gripper frame 

makes punch needle so much easier for me ~

 {{ but I do love my Morgan locking hoops as well! }}

this book will be a labor of love,

one that started in my mind about a year ago ~

and I'm so happy to be finally bringing it to 'life' with my needle and thread.

Today I will in the Farm Shop...

and will begin and hopefully finish the second project...

a companion to my little farmer shown above!

 

If you're in the neighborhood, stop on in for a visit ~ 

bring your needlework in progress and come have a creative day with me!

or if you need any supplies for your

 rug hooking

 {we have tons of wool and patterns, frames hoops and our own rug hooks!}

  punch needle supplies

{we carry Morgan hoops, Ultra Punch needles, Weavers cloth,

 Valdani threads and patterns!} 

as well as cross stitch supplies 

{ hand dyed linens, threads and tons of patterns too!}

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ A Fine Line ~

 There is a famous quote among artists...

'Everything starts from a dot'

with the quote credited to Wassily Kandinsky, 

a Russian artist who lived from 1866 to 1944.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I hear this quote in my head every time I put pen to paper, 

thread to cloth or wool to linen.

most of the time, my thoughts are jotted down rapidly...

then translated into fine line drawing first, 

... and are finally applied to their textile medium, or watercolor paint.

I have long been a 'doodler' 

and enjoy keeping my sketchbooks filled with inspirational words 

and small quick rough drafts in pencil and ink.

you never know what will turn out from these impromptu pages,

but I've been mulling an idea in my mind for some time now

~ and I think it's time I put them together...

it's a punch needle pattern book called

The Garden of Weedin'

{yes, it is a word-play on the Garden of Eden scheme of things, 

and again, yes, intended primarily for punch needle ;) }

Like my other desktop-published books {printed/bound by me, right here at NFF}

 this one will be spiral bound so you can more easily trace your designs onto your weavers cloth

... and all pages are one-sided as well, so there isn't any confusing 'bleed-through' 

of another design coming through while you trace.

So

here is my draft cover;

Wassily Kandinsky
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/w/wassilykan380803.html Wassily Kandinsky

and 

here are small glimpses into the not-quite-ready pages ~

howdy

hello

 and the back cover too...

with a small excerpt of my idea for the book.

I am in the process of punching some of the designs from this book, 

so that you can better see the finished, intended & shall I say: UNIQUE use for it's patterns ~

as always, the threads I'm using will be Valdani & DMC {all 6 strands} in my favorite colors.

BUT

There are no color-placement instructions included in this book, 

as I want YOU to find your own colors to use for your own personal Garden of Weedin'...

There are 13 actual 'pattern' pages, 

with some pages having multiple patterns on them.

just lots of folky designs & 'primsical' motifs 

{my made-up word for primitive + whimsical}

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised...

at least I hope so!

Have a beautiful & creative day my sweet friends!

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ Beautiful ~

just Beautiful ~

our weather has been a delight…dry & breezy & sunny.

perfect laundry drying weather, 

gardening weather and outdoor stitching weather!!

it's so nice to be able to sit & stitch and watch the goings-on here at the farm ~

there is inspiration everywhere in color, sounds & sights.

my kitchen garden is coming along, 

 … need to hoe it, so until I do ~ no pics for you!

but here are a few snaps of the patio plants that keep me company…

and a couple of crawly-friends too:

sleepy striped wasp 

son't know what he is, but this has been a banner year for these striped centipedes!
they are everywhere ~ 

my zinnias need a drink…old rusty planter filled with small petunias

sweet gerbera daisies nestled in an old potty

Lowes had a great deal on these humongous ferns ~ so I grabbed one for 8.00!

i put it in our old coal shuttle ~ i love my woodland ferns :)

some stitching on the patio ~

this is one of my favorite little books on antique samplers

… the small cross stitch I'm working on is on cupboard cloth {my hand-dyed osnaburg}
and will be a sawdust & lavender filled pincushion when finished.

You can find me stitching while waiting for that sunshine to come around the side of the farmhouse

~ so I can dry my hand-dyed linens on the clothesline…

I prefer my cross stitch linen to be crisp when I stitch on it ~

 it softens-up with use and has a nice "hand".

Oh!

I've been experimenting with a new color of linen to add to my

"Old Farmhouse Linen" & "Ironstone" Linen collection ~

a darker brown color, with lots of mottling and age…

 thinking I'll call it "Tobacco Leaf",

 but we'll see.

{{ will show it to you as soon as it's dry & ready }}

Enjoy that sunshine my Friends!

~ Blessings from the Farm ~

 Lori

~ Stitcher's Notebooks ~

I've never been the most organized person…

you can probably tell that by past photos of my sewing room!

my little pea-brain is always full of chattering thoughts and ideas ~

and my creative muse constantly visits me & gives me gentle nudges to do more, create more

…design more!

If it weren't for my many {MANY} sketchbooks & notebooks I have and use on a daily basis

I would be lost.

Things I write in my notebooks:

I like to jot down what linen I'm working on {color/count}

what color & type threads I'm using for a specific project

 {are they DMC, Weeks, or what the heck threads are these??}

listing threads I need/want/have and any/all supplies for that next project.

what needlework shops I've visited, where they are located and contact info

{I even tape business cards onto the pages for quick reference}

how much $ I've spent and where

{that notebook is locked-away so dear hubby doesn't faint}

ideas, thoughts, words, colors, names, quotes…

anything that I may gain inspiration from.

see?

notebooks are needful things aren't they?

I decided to design & personalize a couple for myself 

~ this one below being one that I keep in my sewing basket:

my trusty sewing basket on my comfy stitching-chair

personalized my sewing basket by adding a small sampler and many pinned-on treasures ~

~ even the inside is pretty!

you can see how ragged this notebook is,

by the tattered edges..but it is an indispensable tool for me!

…jotting down color & thread placement 

is very important as I design & work…

I don't want to goof!

I thought that maybe some of you 

would like a 

Stitcher's Notebook©

from Notforgotten Farm™

so I created a few that are now available in my Zazzle Shop:

http://www.zazzle.com/notforgottenfarm

clockwise:

 "I Get Cross", "Snippets", "Stitching Mends" & "Woolgatherings"

they are $12.95 each ~ plus applicable tax/shipping.

I'm actually looking back through my older notebooks 

~ for more ideas to come up with 

for NEW Stitcher's Notebooks© from Notforgotten Farm™

HA!

Hoping you all have a sweet end-of-April day my friends !

~ Blessings from the Farm ~

 Lori