~ New Patterns Available ~

Just Listed ~ in our Etsy Shop... 

3 new patterns for my Folk Embroidery line!

and they are:

"Tulip Polka"

paper/pdf available to make this sweet double-decker pin cushion

just in time for Valentine's day ~

 

"Farmer's Market"

paper/pdf available, a 4-in-one pattern for you to make your own wearable vegetable garden 

{brooch or necklace}

and

"Folk Art Collection Number One"

paper/pdf available, for a 3-in-1 pattern for you to make tiny folk-art inspired wearables...

{brooch/pin, you choose!}

 

Blessings from the Farm 

~ Lori

~ Slow Sunday Stitching ~

it is snowy ~

and cold.

sleet and freezing rain is tapping 

on my old glass windows here in the farmhouse 

while I am enjoying the warmth of our wood stove 

and comforting scent of spaghetti sauce bubbling in the old iron pot on top...

keeping my hands warm is not a problem though ~

~ watch for the pattern for this sweet little embroidered double pincushion 

to be released soon ~

 

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ Fabricating ~

Happiest November 

~ Friends & Folk ~

I love October very much...sad to see it go ~

but, November is another wonderful month...full of coziness & creativity!

{and some really good comfort food, too}

I have been busily holed-up in my sewing room these past few days/nights 

~ since returning home from up North ~

getting my fabrics ready to be made into wonderful sew-y related things 

that I will be bringing with me to the 

From Our Hands Show 

 November 11th in Penninsula, OH

always choosing just the 'right' colors and patterns are much fun for me ~

just look at these beautiful reproductions from the 1800's!

I'm making these little covered box ornaments... 

how sweet for your feather tree ~

inside holds a surprise: 

a pincushion in a coordinating fabric ~ to hold those precious pins & needles.

How will you spend your first day of November?

you know how I'll be spending mine...

 

Blessings from the Farm 

~ Lori

~ Pin Me ~

Good Morning Friends & Folk ~

happy Tuesday to you!

I am in the throes of creating finished goods for my upcoming shows…

July 8th ~ will be Summer in the Valley show in Fishersville, VA

then I'll move full swing into Fall/Harvest/Hallowe'en for our annual

Gathering of Primitive Friends show here on September 17th ~

then

I'll commence working on Winter/Yuletide & everyday goods for

November 11th & 12th From Our Hands Show in Ohio,

which will end with our annual Christmas Open House here on December 3rd.

WHEW!

It's early I know, but when you work a season or two ahead of schedule all the time like I do

it's better to have your ducks-in-a-row ;)

I am making bunches of Pinkeeps & Pincushions for these shows.

those handy little things that accompany us when we work with needle & thread…

I have chosen cotton fabrics in reproduction prints, beautiful hand dyed velvets 

and wonderful nubby linens to make then from ~

I collect them, and I know many of you reading collect them too…

this one is my 'busiest' pincushion, kept near me at all times when I'm working in my sewing room:

it is large, at almost 8 inches in diameter & made from blue calico {my very fav}

This set of sewing drawers was in deplorable condition when I found it.

so I painted & distressed it, and added a salmon hued velvet pincushion to it:

a trio of sawdust-filled pin keep drums rest on it ~
 the ones on the far left & right were made by Miss Stacy Nash, the middle one by me ;)
 

it also holds my spools of thread on the 'cage' and other sewing needfuls in those drawers ~

oh dear!
please don't write in the dust!

Always on the lookout for another one of some-sort,

I've filled this small hanging cabinet with all kinds of pincushions ~

some were gifts from dear friends, others found…

I love the 'make-do' cushions too…

used up & broken implements form the bases for many of these ~

found on Pinterest

found on Pinterest

I love this hanging leather-crafted pin & needle board below:

I may try my hand at creating my own from cotton calicos though :)

found on Pinterest

I have a board Chock-full of Pincushions & Pinkeeps 

on Pinterest if you'd like to see more examples:

https://www.pinterest.com/loribrechlin/pinkeep-obsession/

I'll be sharing photos of my finished work soon ~

in the meanwhile…

Whatever your day holds for you,

 I hope it is filled with things & those you love!

~ Blessings from the Farm ~

 Lori

Passionate ~

My Passion Flowers are in bloom!

every year, I wait (not-so-patiently) for these strange, alien-looking beauties to entertain me with their anemone-like fronds and extraterrestrial colors...

aren't they beautiful?

the vine climbs along one of my hubby's twig trellis' that leans against are farmhouse ~

and here is a finish of one of the little pumpkins that I showed you yesterday...

I made it into a little pinkeep using a sweet bittersweet colored repro fabric ~
it's been filled with sawdust & stained, then I added a few glass headed pins...

I love my little OWL scissors!!

 

I had a wonderful phone conversation with Mary from
Ye Olde Cross Stitchery located in Bristol, PA
www.yeoldecs.com  

...we were talking about 'pattern sharing'

and how we all need to keep in mind how it hurts everyone in the Needlework industry ~

from designers to shop owners...distributors to customers.

please always remember to always do the right thing!

I'll be in the shop today, working diligently to process your orders :)

have a beautiful Summer day my friends!!

Blessings from the farm,

Lori

A Fabric Finish & What's on my Frame ~ and other stuff...

Thought I would share a fantastic finish with you...
I received an email from sweet Pat ~ she said in her email, how pleased she was with my new fabric that she ordered from Spoonflower ~

she also sent along these snaps of a project she stitched up,
...backing her work with my "Sew Primitive' fabric...
here's the front with her wonderful stitching ~

&
here is the back showing my fabric ~
I'm so happy to know that my fabric is being used!
how cute is this????

Many thanks, Pat ~ for sharing with me and for your kindest words....
it makes me feel so good to know so many of you out there love the same things I do!

AND

I received a fat 1/4 of my new Sepia Faktur Bird fabric from Spoonflower today!!!!
I LOVE L O V E Love it!!!!

I think I'll be using this to back some of my pinkeeps as well....
what do you think?

Iggy says he likes it...
(although, he is thee least pickiest cat who's ever owned me)

comfy Ig???

...checking it out a little more....

and here's what's STILL on my frame...

remember this??

I would have generally had something this size (approx. 7" x 7") finished by now,
but
I was detoured into revamping our bathroom...
(ya know how ya just sit there...lookin' around???...TMI?? LOL)

so I decided to paint colonial murals onto my upper walls...

I took 'before' snaps, and will share the whole SHEBANG with you in a couple of days...
not only am I doing that, but I bought some AWESOME vintage embroidered fabric from etsy to make a roll-up shade and new curtains from...

I can't wait for the mail-lady to deliver the goods!!!

Ok, I'm off to the kitchen...
making home-made Chinese food for us tonight-
Sticky White Rice
Stir Fry Veggies w/Shrimp
and
Shrimp Rolls!!!

hoping you all have a pleasant eve ~

Blessings from the Farm!
Lori

Simple Things from the antiques Show today ~

Hi Folks!
thought I'd share with you all what I found today...
it was the Fishersville, VA Antiques Expo and Flea & I went together...

while we were there, we saw many friends and one in particular,
...Mr. James Cramer (Season's at Seven Gates Farm) ~
I haven't seen Jimmy in at least a hundred years ~ last time I spoke with him was at the Wilton, CT show where he and Dean sold their beautiful wares...Good to see you Jimmy! xoxox

I found a whole collection of THIMBLES!
(on our way home we stopped at a barn sale hehehe!!)

12 OF THEM TO BE EXACT...what's that? you only counted 11???

Oh, that's because Miss FLEA scoffed one of the sterling silver ones with tiny birds & vines...
(actually, I gifted her with it xoxoxox)

can you see thee tiny little thimble...
there, second to your left, next to the bakelite thimble??

it is embossed with the words
"For a Good Girl" and doesn't even cover the tip of my pinky!
too eeeepin' cute!

This pincushion, below...is mid to late 19th C. and is beaded/needlepoint/wool
stuffed with excelsior...gorgeous piece of work!!!
(HAD to come home with me)

...backed with velvet that's so worn,...it's shiny :)
LOVE L O V E LOVE

and the best for last...
THIS SAMPLER ~

*ack*...sorry about those squiggles...
it is SO worn...done in what-looks-to-be wool onto homespun linen...
red, pink, browns & gold...with some white lettering as well

sweet motifs of
2 red hearts, a 'tree' and perhaps a bird(??) in the bottom right corner...
THE MAKER'S NAME IS
Maria Hadley and the date is 1826

~ I saw this sampler sitting on the ground in the direct sun and thought I'd tell the dealer to move it into the shade a bit to try to save it from fading even more...I picked it up and saw a price of 135.00
which I thought was a great price for such a humble bit of naive handwork...so the dealer said to me,
'oh, that's not the original frame' and I took another look at the price sticker and it actually said
$35.00 ~ not $135.00 (so I thought it was a print) nope...it's real.

uh huh....it now proudly resides in my humble farmhouse and I can't stop looking at it, trying to uncover more clues as to what it says and perhaps who Maria was & where she'd lived...

AND
I am a candle freak. the second thing I do upong waking up in the morning,
is to light my candles ~ I love them. they can make the house semll so cozy & inviting,
comfy & clean...(sometimes they even trick Peter into thinking I've been baking! HA!)

so, when I came into Cecilia's booth
(www.picturetrail.com/henhouseprimitives)

I had to purchase two of these amazing Aqua Ball jar candles from her...
the labels are so prim & farmhouse-y...but their scents are heavenly...
this one is "Primitive Blessings" and the other I bought is called "1899 Early Buttery"

BOTH are delicious!!!

I will be in the shop tomorrow, and if you're in the neighborhood, please do stop by for a visit ~
I know there are some of you that will be attending the show in Fishersville tomorrow and will be stopping in ~ can wait to see you!!!

For those that want to come by to hook ~ come on!!!
I'll be hooking (or punching) so bring your projects and visit with me for a while :)

Blessings from the Farm!

Lori