Finishes to share.....

In no particular order....just a bit of what's been keeping me busy over the past few weeks.  

This is a revamp of the sunflowers punched piece.  I took it from a woven basket and stitched it to  

a handmade burlap wall pocket.

I like it!  Just add your favorite filler! 

Sunflower design was actually a hooked design by Tonya Robey and was a feature in a previous issue of Primitive Quilts and Projects.  i just didn't enlarge the pattern!

Celebrate! Another featured project from Primitive Quilts and Projects by Maggie Bonanomi.

Homestead Collection a TwigsNsprigs design.

The Great Pumpkin ...a design by Becky Delsman, another feature project from Primitive Quilts and Projects....This is also another revamp. I stitched the great pumpkin piece last year and had finished it with a wool felt backing and lined a wooden tray with it. Honestly? I didn't care for it so I took it apart and stitched it to this handmade burlap runner and added two more crows.  I LOVE how this turned out!

 This is a set of aprons I made for a cousin who was hosting a gathering for 

breast-feeding Mom's and needed items for door prizes.

Another Twigs design here....Oh My Pumpkin.  This design was featured in a past issue of Mercantile Gatherings magazine.

There are few more aprons but I don't have pics ready yet.

Sew much to do and sew little time!

School starts next week so that means baby girl will be back full time beginning Monday!

Blackberry Pickin'...

A friend has a "you pick" blackberry patch so this past Saturday morning we went to pick berries.  I thought that Rylee would think it would only be fun for a hot second but she hung with us to pick a whole two gallons!

Got them all washed, frozen, bagged  and back in the freezer.  I'll be going back tomorrow evening for another picking.  Can't have too many blackberries in the freezer!  

Love me some blackberry cobbler!

Happy 3rd Birthday...

.....to this beautiful little girl!

Rylee Brooke

She loves color and she loves butterflies.....

I can't believe she is already three!

Time sure flies.....

Happy Birthday baby girl.....Momo loves you more than words can say!

Fabrics, Patterns and (almost) Finishes...

"Just take a quick look at the clearance rack" I said to Liz as we were passing by the fabric on our way to the check out.

Four cuts of fabric later and I had to make myself stop....

A few days later, I found out that Joann's has McCall's patterns 5/$7.00 which makes them $1.40 each. 

There was a limit of ten but I stopped at five.  I had a total savings of $73.75.

So here is a little dress for my granddaughter using one of the fabrics and one of the new patterns.   I LOVE how this print worked up into such a cute little dress.  McCall's M5613.

 It's not quite finished.  Of all the buttons I have in my stash, I didn't have any that suited me. 

\

 You will see the I have the straps pinned differently.  The pattern suggest the straps being on the outside but I think I like them just the opposite.

This one I'm sharing just because.  I bought these fabrics a couple weeks ago and finally got this little pillowcase style dress done yesterday afternoon.  They are "sew" cute and go together so quickly.  And who doesn't like chevron and dots?!

  I may add a little somethin', somethin' to the bottom.

I think I got all my little daily chores done this morning so I think I'll spend some more time at the sewing machine......however you are spending your day.....ENJOY!

Yesterday's Morning Coffee.....

Some mornings I like to spend my coffee time outside...it's usually the most quiet and cool part of the day.

Just to sit and enjoy the view......

......or walk around the yard and enjoy the little of what I have left in my flower boxes, as I'm gradually getting them cleared out for total redo. I love these plants but as they are right now, it's just a little too much on the upkeep so it's time for a new plan!

Lamb's ear.

Lavender.

A volunteer sunflower....from a seed dropped from bird feed.

Yarrow.

And this is the extent of our gardening this year.....a couple of cherry tomato  plants...

...and seven regular tomato plants.

If this many plants produce like they should, I don't know who's going to eat them all!
Time to get busy.....
Enjoy your day!

A Couple of Finishes...

.....and I just got them listed in my etsy shop yesterday!

Both are freebie charts by two of my favorite designers....

Home is Best by Betty Dekat aka primitivebettys

And this Token of Friendship by Lori Brechlin aka Notforgotten Farm

Sew much to do, sew little time.  

And working at home it can be so easy to get distracted.  And not just with the everyday chores like laundry and weeding the flower boxes.

  I've been cross stitching and making pincushions and I'm wanting to work on some punch needle and wool applique' so I guess the aprons I've been thinking about will have to wait just a little bit longer. 

Scrap N Cap Pincushions.....

Remember the fabric scraps and bottle caps I shared in my last post?  

Well here they are.....

I just listed them in my etsy shop, just $5.50 each!
Just click on my shop link on the right side bar for more info!

Hope your weekend was fabulous!

What I've Been Working On.....

Aside from a few alterations for the clothing store, I've not been spending much time at the sewing machine.  I've been doing some cross stitching. I've sewn backings to all three to make small pillow tucks but someone forgot to pick up more fiber fill in town....I may have to use some other filler options that I have in my supply stash. As soon as they are complete, I will be placing them in my etsy shop!

Awhile back I made up a few tobacco stick stars and decided to add a little something to one for my front porch.

Some white lights.....

.....a bow with long flowing tails of natural and red burlap ribbon......

.....and a small American flag.  Ready for the Fourth!

That's just one way to dress up one of these stars.

I recently found some bottle caps in my scrapbooking supplies and there is never a lack of scraps in my fabric cupboard so I've been playing with these and will share the finishes with you soon!

I'm planning to get back to the sewing machine tomorrow....fabrics, vintage linens and jeans to be upcycled all await to be sewn into something magnificent!

Hope you are having a fabulous week!

28 years and counting...

We dated for just five short months.....

Yesterday was our 28th wedding anniversary.

Happy Anniversary JE

I love you.....

...more!

Finishes...

Thought I'd share a few finishes.....

Calico/wool bird pin keep. Set on a small jar of buttons from my grandma's button tin.

Vintage embroidered linen pin keep, set in an old zinc canning lid and filled with crushed walnut shells and a little bit of fiber fill in the bottom.

Another pin keep set in an old zinc canning lid. Made with a heavily stained osnaburg cloth and filled with crushed walnut shells and a bit of fiber fil in the bottom.
And finally.....

Simplify

A punch needle design by Buttermilk Basin. Punched onto weavers cloth with dmc threads, stitched to black wool then edged with crochet chain of black cotton yarn.  Found an unfinished wood stool that I painted black, sanded, light coat of burnt umber then a light covering of  matte clear coat. I attached the punched piece with carpenter tacks. I love it!

All these items will soon be listed in my etsy shop. 

"Sew" many things on my sewing room to-do list. I have the vintage linens and a stack of fabrics set aside for more aprons.   I've set aside my Brown Egg Farm cross stitch project for the time being to work on some smaller cross stitch designs. I work on whatever speaks to me at the time.

Until next time.....

A Weakness for Table Linens...

...and I know there's more stashed around the house.

Some I received in swaps.

  A weakness when out treasure shopping in flea markets or antique shops.

And some are from passed family.

Plain, cross-stitched, crocheted or tatted edges.

John's Grandma Merle and Great-Aunts seemed to put a crocheted or tatted edge on everything.

I just love the piece on the right in the above photo.

Embroidered floral designs. Some are faint and frayed from years of use.

Tablecloths. Napkins. I think a hankie or two or three are in the mix as well.

Dresser scarves. Look at that stitching! And it's just as beautiful on the backsides.

So beautiful and delicate. 

I do use and will continue to use many of these pieces.

 I am inspired by this collection and will be taking a select few, the few that have really seen better days and repurpose them and give them new life! 

Stay tuned....I've actually already started.....

What's on the Work Table....

Here's a peek of what's on my work table.  I've had this punched piece finished for some time and just looking for something to put it with.  I had a girl day with two of my sisters the other day and found a little unfinished stool.  I've managed to get it painted and that's as far as it's gotten.  I'm hoping to have it completely finished and listed in the etsy shop soon! This punchneedle is a design Simplify Crow by Buttermilk Basin and I love it!

I've also been working on this cross stitch piece. I only started it a year ago!  Brown Egg Farm by Lori Brechlin.    

I've managed to make a little bit of progress over this past week since the time I actually started this post.

It will be slow going, as this will just be going to my sampler wall in my sewing room, I'll work on it while watching a movie or on a road trip with John.

This past Friday was the last day of school, so now little Miss Rylee is home with mama for the summer. I'm sure to still get some Momo/Rylee time over the summer and will enjoy every single minute of it but I will also use this time to stitch like a mad woman in the hopes of having an open house here at the farm later this year. There's ALOT of work to be done between now and then though so we'll see.

And speaking of lots of work, I've got five long sleeve shirts that need to be made into short sleeves so I'd better get this last cup of coffee finished then get busy!

Hope your day is fabulous!

My Little Country Girl.....