More Farm Fair Pics

Sunday's event....luncheon with Maryjane. This gal has a Master's Degree in Viola from Julliard..needless to say she was amazing!A perfect setting for a perfect afternoon....

Rene Groom gave a heartfelt speech that left most of us with a lump in our throat.Checking out the organic foods vendors.....

Inspiring words from Maryjane...

Michelle, Huckelberrywine....
Shopping vendors with Maryjane....

Grace "katmom", Rene, and me...

Karen "Kpaints" and Rene......

Two of the Klamath Falls gals.....Gail and Cheryl......

As Promised....

I have been back from Washington state since Monday night. Unfortunately, farm chores and moving have kept me from sharing pictures of my adventure.

I spent Wednesday through Monday visiting with Gracie, "Katmom". Together we attended the Maryjane's Farm Fair 2009. Some of the activities included dinners, a reception, a visit to Maryjane's Farm store in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, wine tasting with our friend, Michele, aka "Huckleberry Wine", an "earth" luncheon, fair, and lots of antique shopping. It was a whirlwind tour of Eastern Washington and an area known as the Palouse. This part of the state is comprised of small towns and vast wheat and grass farms. The countryside is green fields as far as you can see, dotted by an occasional grove of pine trees, and an occasional barn. It is lush, yet austere.

Here are a few pictures of the countryside....

Thursday's dinner out with "the girls"....me, Gracie, Michelle, Karen, and on the other side of the table from left to right: Amanda, Carol, Cheryl, Pat, Gail and Marcie.

Friday night's trip to Maryjane's store for a reception and a chance to meet Maryjane....

Saturday's Farm Fair and trip down the Palouse offered us the chance to tour an old Mill owned by Maryjane....

To be continued......

A Little Time Away

Life has gotten so busy these past few months....with a flurry of activity around the farm.... construction and farm work have made sewing a thing of the past but definitely something to look forward to. Hopefully once we have moved and settle in, gotten the harvest preserved and all the other necessities done, I will once again return to my sewing room for a little creative time.

Hubbs and I did manage to get away last weekend. Our two sons will be living together in Charlotte, NC. R will be moving in with A. So, last week, we packed R's belongings into our truck and drove 7 1/2 hours to A's house for a weekend visit. We left early in the morning so that we would have a little time to explore. Our plan was to stop in Virginia at the Natural Bridge, as that was something I had never seen. Along the way, we passed the most interesting sign....we had to stop and investigate.

Here is what we saw as we climbed the hill to the left of this sign....Pretty cool, huh? A life-sized replica of Stonehenge....made entirely from styrofoam.This gives you an idea just how big this place is.

We were awed by the grandeur and enormity of the Natural Bridge...carved out of the earth over eons by a tiny creek.

We had a wonderful visit with A and his girlfriend L. We played a little golf, toured a winery, and shared lots of laughs. A treated us to his famous hickory smoked ribs...what a cook he has become!! All in all, it was a great weekend...lots of driving, but well worth it!

Tomorrow we are heading to the beach just for the weekend. Then next Wednesday I leave for Washington State to visit my friend Grace and attend Farm Fair at MaryJane's Farm. WoooooHooooo...should be a blast!

A Day Trip

This past Friday, Hubbs had a meeting (educational) to attend in Baltimore. I accompanied him in the car...to provide some company. With several hours to myself, I decided to visit the Baltimore Aquarium. I thought I would share a few pictures from that visit. I had a great time....just me and my camera!

This fellow kept posing for pictures!

What an incredible world we live in.....Another illustration of how much we have to lose if we are not more environmentally responsible.

Just An Ordinary Day

Actually, today was anything but ordinary. I would say it was extraordinary! Brilliant blue skies and warm summer sun made for a great day of outside work. I thought I would share a few pictures of the day....

Have you ever seen a peony quite so brilliant?

Why, in all these years, have I never before noticed this rosebud type of blossom on the blackberry vines?

It was a perfect day to finish up a few farm chores...like hang this sign that I painted a few months ago by the barn driveway.

Pink Saturday

Well, it has been months since I have been able to participate with Pink Saturday. For those of you who follow my blogs, you will remember that my sewing room is packed and ready to move and most creative projects have been replaced with farm work and preparations to move to our almost completed log home. You can follow the process of that on my farm blog.

I did have hubbs take this picture, though, as I was running out to tend to chores....pink work gloves and pink water bottle in hand.... Even a farmgal can be in the pink!!

Thanks for stopping by for a quick chat...hope your Saturday is full of lots of wonderful pinkness. If you are in need of more pink....check out Bev's blog at http://www.howsweetthesound.typepad.com/ for a complete list of participants. And remember Think Pink!!

Missing You

Hi there! I just thought I would stop by my sewing room to say hello and let you know that I am alive and well. I have been spending my days in the garden and amongst the beehives. Spring is an incredibly busy time on the farm and most of my days are spent out of doors. Even rainy days provide a time to get caught up with work in the barn. I suspect that until we move into and occupy the log home, I will be spending most of my time out of doors.



I miss my sewing room so much, but have great plans for my new sewing room. In the next week or two the painter will be painting my two sewing room walls that are not log, and after that point I will begin to do some of the faux painting (wisteria) that will decorate my space. My sewing room theme will be "Feathering Your Nest"...with a nature theme for inspiration. At that point, I will share my progress with you on this blog.



From that point on, this blog will be dedicated to home-decorating as we set up permanent residence in our log house, here on the farm. I suspect I will return to sewing and crafting projects again by late this fall and wintertime. So for now...........we will soon embark on a journey into making a house into a home. Stay tuned for the fun...

Spring Projects

It has been so long since I have had a chance to post what I am doing. As of late, the creativity has been on hold. I have been spending most of my days at the construction site, and the rest of them catching up on household and farm chores. The light at the end of the tunnel is there, though, and I can see the future when chores are manageable, the moving is over, and my sewing room is decorated and open for business once again. For now, though I am concentrating on gardening and farm projects. Of particular interest is the new henhouse that I have just gotten ready. I have ordered 25 hens...an ornamental layer grouping. These should be wonderful showy chickens with colorful plumage and some with top hats and leg feathers. Their eggs will be varied. Here are a few of the girls...


I have ordered a Golden Campine rooster . He will look like this on arrival....

(picture courtesy of McMurray Hatchery)

And will grow up to look like this..... Getting beehives ready for occupancy has also been a major project this spring. I am painting 5 new garden hives and also enough hive boxes and supers to move my old "gals" into five more freshly painted hives. I have 4 more bee seminars to attend throughout the Spring also.

What time I have leftover I spend deep within my imagination...decorating the log home that is soon to be completed. At that point I will resume daily posting on this blog inviting you to a big open house reveal. What fun I will have with that! Until then....have a wonderful Spring and please visit my farm blog as that is where the action will be for now.

Wishing All a Blessed Easter Holiday!

Sustainability Fair

Friday I had the privilege of presenting my "girls" (the honeybees) at a Sustainability Fair at Messiah College. In the middle of a completely gray, rainy day, the sun came out for 3 hours and we were able to be out of doors for the fair. There were displays about water conservation, solar energy and sustainable farming. A small market was set up selling herbs, flowers, and pies baked with local fruit. Honeybees are always a curiosity for young and old alike!

I Am Still Alive and Breathing....

....and spending most of my days at the construction site. Our house is coming along nicely....but it keeps me busy. Unfortunately, I have had no time for creativity. It seems most days I am just keeping my head above water with housework and farm chores. I can hardly wait for the day when we live in only one place. My sewing room will be a magical space....that for now lives only in my imagination. Until then, you will find me.....oror

"Bee"ing Busy!

Well, I am home from North Carolina. What a whirlwind trip. Route 81 south through Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia (oh my that state takes forever) and into North Carolina. On the way through North Carolina, I exited to find Brushy Mountain Bee Farm. Up and up a mountain road I drove and at the very top......I turned onto Bee Keeper StreetAnd headed back to the Store. There they had my order ready to go...So I loaded up my car and took off for Charlotte.By the time I was ready for the drive home, I had added an 8 X 10 rug on top of this pile of hive materials. I just happened to find the perfect rug for our loft at Home Goods. I had a great weekend with Andy and headed home to build my hives.
I added finials to the roof for decoration....And here is one of the five finished hives. Now I have to paint them white and then I am ready for my new bees.

Road Trip

I am heading South this morning. After a 7 1/2 hour drive I will arrive in North Carolina, at the Brushy Mountain Bee Farm. Here I will pick up my 5 adorable garden hives that we are adding to the Bee Haven Acres Apiary. I have been so excited for this trip. I am also going to pay a visit to my son in Charlotte. My camera is packed.....so pictures will follow.

Have a great weekend, friends!

Inter-species Friendships

One of the most amazing things to me is how animals form relationships outside of their own species. I love to watch Maddie, our Newfie, with the various animals around the farm. Her favorite is Lucy our farmhouse cat. Lucy lives in the crawlspace beneath our guest cottage. She used to be an indoor cat until she proved that she could not be trusted to faithfully use a litter box. So we moved her outside. Don't feel sorry for her, because her home has all of the creature comforts including automatic feeder and waterer, heated bed, and a second heater for cold nights. She has the run of the farm and endless adventures. What amazes me is the bond that cat and dog have formed. They are quite affectionate with each other.

You may wonder what I have been up to....since my posting has become sporadic. Lately, construction and preparation to move has used up most of my time. I am still working on finishing the Raggedy Ann quilt and spending a bit of time planning my new sewing room. Once we have finally moved, I will decorate my sewing room and have an "open house" on this blog. Then I will once again turn on the creative flow and see where it takes me.

For the rest of the summer, though, I will be spending most of my time gardening and working around the farm. I will keep you posted as to what I am up to.

The Key to Success

Over the years I have found that the key to success is to surround yourself with people who know much more than you....and then soak up as much of that knowledge as possible. Call me a sponge!

And speaking of sponges.....I think I have finally mastered the sourdough. Thanks to Ronna's wonderful sourdough starter, I just finished a batch of homemade English Muffins (recipe courtesy of my friend Autumn). You can find her recipe here.

So here I sit with butter dripping down my chin...scarfing down my second muffin...Yummy. Oh the taste of success is so sweet.

Many thanks to Ronna, Jess, Bonne, and Autumn for recipes, coaching and answers to endless questions!

If you stop by today for tea, I will serve you one of these yummy muffins, too! Have a great Friday!

More Tales From the Hive.....

This week marked the end of beekeeping class at the local community college. I earned a "B" because, as the prof explained....."You can't earn an A in a Bee class." Next week I head to North Carolina for a trip to Brush Mountain Bee Farm, where I will pick up my adorable garden hives and also some other much needed supplies. (A visit to son, Andy and also a stop in Southern Pines to visit with some friends and their horses will complete the trip.)

In preparation for full time beekeeping, I have done a bit more reading and thought I would share some of the interesting stuff with you.

Have you ever heard of mead? Mead is honey wine and is thought to be the oldest alcoholic beverage. It was the beverage of the very early Danes as told in the poem Beowulf. It was the favored drink of the Greek Gods. Yes, honey has been around as long as humankind...and it didn't take us long to figure out how to make wine from it!
Interestingly enough, the origin of the word "honeymoon" comes from a very old tradition. A newlywed couple would drink mead for their first month of marriage to increase their chances of having a son. Since the mead came from honey and a month is one complete phase of the moon......we have the word "honeymoon". Although I am sure that almost no one drinks mead after their wedding anymore.

In Celebration of Spring

I had a little time today to work on a Spring decorating project. I found chunky cardboard letters at the craft store and decided to decorate and embellish them for Spring....
Eventually when I unpack my belongings I will add a few birdhouses and a couple birds to the vignette.

Things that Keep Me From Sewing......

If there is one thing that can keep me out of the sewing room....it's kids....both the human and the goat kind. We are in the midst of kidding season on the farm. Sharing time with the "kids" is my favorite pastime. We were treated to a visit from Andy (home from North Carolina for a long weekend.)

It Has Been So Long.....

It seems like forever since I have had a day to sew. Most of my days have been filled with packing, storing, organizing and getting farm projects completed. Today, however, I took a couple of hours and started the patches for the Raggedy Ann and Andy patchwork quilt. I had done the applique about a month ago, and then put the project on temporary hold. Now I am commited to finishing this quilt by the end of April. Actually, it should go pretty quickly...patchworks usually do. Here is a sneak peak of the patchwork around the center block.

(Julie....I hope this is what you had in mind...?)

And the Winner Is.......

Oh my, much to my embarassment, I am late in getting to this "Romance" drawing. I had promised to have a winner on Friday...but new goat babies kept me at the farm for the weekend....and I got a bit behind in my responsibilities. Please forgive me for this delay.

With no further delay...it is my delight to announce the winner of the "Romance" apron was pulled from my special feather hat this morning....and the winner is......

Aunt Pitty Pat

Please contact me with your address...so that I can place this apron in the mail as soon as possible.

Thank you to all who played...it was delightful to read your responses....we are all such romantics, and it is wonderful to know that most of us think the simplest things to be romantic!

It's Good to be Queen!

There are definite advantages to being Queen of the hive. Perhaps the biggest advantage is longevity. A queen bee will live several years. On average, the rest of the bees in the hive have a 6 week lifespan.

The queen begins her life as a female egg...no different than a worker bee egg. At some point, her egg is singled out by the nurse (worker) bees and upon entering the larval stage is fed a substance that these workers carry in their glands....called royal jelly. This royal jelly causes the larva to develop into a larger bee and a queen is crowned.

Within a couple of weeks, she leaves the hive to mate with several drones....in flight. Upon returning to the hive, she spends the rest of her days laying eggs. Meanwhile, worker bees are in attendance...doing all of the necessary household chores to maintain the Queen and her nursery.

In beekeeping, it is beneficial to have the queen marked with a colored dot on her thorax. This makes the job of finding the queen much easier. Although she is larger than the rest of the bees...it is often difficult to find her amongst the other 20 or 30 thousand bees in the hive.

Adventures in Beekeeping II

I thought I would share a little beekeeping info with you. I have gotten so many e-mails with questions. It seems there are many of you who have thought of the possibility of having hives.
First of all it is important to know that you DO NOT have to own a farm to have bee hives. You can raise bees in your yard or in the city if there are parks nearby. Bees need to have a nectar supply (flowers) within a two mile range from their hive. And believe me, they will find it. Honeybees are safe and keep to themselves for the most part if you leave them alone. Afterall, they have much work to accomplish in their short life spans, so they pretty much keep on task.

In order to keep bees, you need a hive. Modern hives are wooden structures that contain frames on which the bees store their honey.This is a part of the hive known as a "super". In it you can see several frames. The frame below is filled with honey.It is on several of these frames that the queen bee lays her eggs. Below is a picture of a brood frame with cells of brood food.Amazingly, the queens only job is that of reproduction. She mates with the drones (and she does that only once....midflight....and with many drones in a row). After that she returns to the hive and lays up to 2000 fertilized eggs per day. By the way, upon mating with the queen, the drones die. They serve only one purpose in the hive....stud service. The actual worker bees are all female. It is these bees that are responsible for raising the brood, building the honeycomb, acquiring the nectar and turning it into honey. They also tend to the queen, keep the hive clean, and serve as guards at the entrance.....all these jobs, held by the women!

Imagine all of these little worker bees in their tiny aprons!!

To Bee continued..........

Adventures in Beekeeping

Besides packing all of our belongings and moving them into storage, I have been busy getting ready for this year's beekeeping.

We have had beehives at our farm for the past 3 years, but I have only sporadically helped with tending them. This Spring, I will take over the position of full time beekeeper. I have ordered 5 more hives and 5 colonies of bees to fill these hives.

So, I thought, since I will not be able to sew this summer, I can do some other outdoor crafts instead. I am going to paint my hives white and then get out the craft paints and do a bit of folk art painting on the hives...just to pretty them up! I am also in search of wooden finials to use as decor on the rooftops of the hives. I have ordered English Garden Hives like pictured below (not my picture). They come in unpainted wood. I love what this person did with theirs......

Beekeeping encompasses many activities....construction of the hive body and frames, feeding the bees in the spring, adding supers (boxes for honey) as needed, harvesting honey...and then bottling and selling, making beeswax candles and finally getting the beehives winterized. It does not require a lot of time, though. For the most part, the bees take care of themselves.

Hearty Breakfasts

It seems that I am never quite settled on Sunday until I have planned for the week to come. I have developed a routine that saves a lot of time and still gives Hubbs a hearty breakfast each morning. You see, he is up by 5 AM and, soon after, ready to leave for the day.


Each Sunday, I place all the ingredients for an organic whole grain loaf of bread in the bread machine. I hard boil a dozen eggs (from our wonderful hens) and make a big pot of organic oat groats (steel-cut oats) for oatmeal.

I ladle individual portions of the oatmeal into glass bowls with lids and place them in the refrigerator. At the same time, I bring a quart of organic milk to a boil, cool it to room temperature, add yogurt starter and pour it into the yogurt maker. After about a half hour's work, we have homemade eggs, bread, yogurt and oatmeal ready to reheat in the microwave for a quick hearty breakfast each morning. One benefit of doing it all at once is....only one clean up.


I have been using pro-biotic yogurt cultures for added health benefits and they make a yogurt that is not quite as sour as regular yogurt cultures. To this we add a spoonful of homemade apricot or blueberry preserves...left from last Summer's bounty.




I guess you could say I am an old fashioned gal, who relies on modern conveniences to make life a bit easier. Guilt sets in if my family doesn't start each morning with a hearty breakfast.

Today I am trying my hand at baking sourdough bread. The sourdough starter has been on my counter all week ...nurtured each day with a feeding of organic flour and purified water ..in preparation for baking. Today is the day. Here are the loaves, just formed. They will have to rise on the counter for 4 to 8 hours before baking. Because the starter has been on the counter all week, no yeast has been added. The starter pulls yeast from the environment...and this "local" yeast should do well to make the bread rise....we shall see!
PS....I must have done something wrong....this is as good as the bread ever looked. From this point it never rose. Ok, back to the drawing board! If at first you don't succeed.......oh my, what a flop!

The Many Faces of Romance

I have had a lovely time this week reading your comments regarding what "Romance" means to you. I thought I would take a moment to share what "Romance" means to me.

It seems we all agree that Romance has many faces. It is hearts and flowers and gifts and hugs and kisses. But it is also more subtle. It is a glance, a whisper, a caress. It is the warm glow of a memory, it is the butterflies in your stomach feeling of expectation, it is the exhaustion born of fiery passion.

That is not to say that if you are alone, there is an absence of Romance in your life. Romance is a state of mind. You can live a romantic life of solitude by surrounding yourself with beauty. One dictionary definition of romance involves that which is fanciful or imaginitive. We can have Romance in our lives through our music and our interior design.

Take heart, Romance is all around you!

Apron Give-away....in Honor of Romance

It seems I am running a bit late with everything these days. About 2 weeks ago I welcomed my 10,000th blog visitor and thought I would post a give-away. Then Valentine's Day came and I thought I would post a give-away. Well, today, my Apronology entry apron was returned to me in the mail....and I think I will host a give-away. While there are still a few days left in February, I will host a Romance giveaway and give my apron named "Romance".

Please leave me a comment and tell me what "romance" means to you.....to be entered in the giveaway. I will draw a name on February 28th and post the winner. Then this little apron will be on her way to a new home.

Let's keep romance alive! And....thanks so much for visiting my blog. Your visits and your comments mean the world to me.

Using Last Summer's Bounty

This is the time of the year that I start looking ahead to Spring and Summer's harvest. I have thumbed through the seed catalogs until they are limp. I am dreaming of the dirt that will eventually make its' home beneath my fingernails. In order to accommodate the next season's harvest, though, it is time to seriously make some room in the freezer. It is this time of year that I find creative ways to eat what is left from the past year. I still have a few packages of home grown blueberries that were spared from becoming jam.



I found a yummy recipe in "Country Woman" magazine (thanks Gracie for the great magazines!) and thought I would share it with you.....it is a winner! It is a wonderful reminder of summer with its' fresh citrus and blueberry flavors. Of course I adapted the recipe for my own use....using organic ingredients and removing "whipped topping" from the frosting ingredients. (I never buy whipped topping as it is not actually a food.....just a chemical impostor.)


Blueberry Citrus Cake

1 package yellow cake mix (I used an organic lemon cake mix)

3 eggs

1 cup orange juice

1/3 cup vegetable oil (I use a light olive oil)

1 1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1 tablespoon fresh grated lemon peel

1 tablespoon fresh grated orange peel

Mix first four ingredients. Fold in blueberries and grated peels. Bake in two greased and floured 9" round pans at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

Frosting:

1 8 oz package cream cheese

1/2 stick butter

3 cups confectioners' sugar (more if needed for stiffness)

2 tbsp. orange juice ( I added a little more....for a more orange taste)

1 tbsp each fresh grated orange and lemon peel

Garnish with fresh blueberries and citrus peel curls or edible flowers, etc.

Delicious!!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to you dear friends.

I enjoy your visits each day

And look forward to sharing ideas

with you!

When you leave a comment,

I very often visit your blog

to see who you are.

Blogging has given me a wonderful network

of friends....each with amazing and interesting lives.

Thanks for sharing!

Happy Valentine's Day!

For some wonderful Valentine's ephemera, click here.

Unfinished projects...

Here is the wall hanging that I am making for Hubbs. This morning I finished the embroidery (of the poem) while using a flashlight. It was before the sun rose and we had a power outage due to a windstorm. So...with flashlight between my ear and my shoulder I finished stitching.

The power returned just in time for me to finish stitching the rest of the quilt. Now to throw it on the quilting machine and do the actual quilting.

I love this piece...it has so much meaning for us right now:

We take a tree

Or many trees, as our own,

Respecting the stories they contain

And the lives they have led.

Of them we create a dwelling,

Made beautiful by their presence and strength

And we live within their warm embrace in a place called home.

~Joella DeVillier

Dear Friends....

Oh me, oh my, what's a gal to do? It seems that this past week I have had no time to sew. My unfinished projects are calling to me.....

The good news is this (and the news is mixed)...we have sold our house. You might remember we are building a log home on our farm for a permanent full time relocation to the country. The log home is coming along nicely, but will not be ready until August or September. So now for the bad news....we will be settling our house in April, leaving us no home for about 5 months.

Needless to say, I have been packing, packing, packing in preparation. We will have to store all of our belongings until the log home is finished....and live in our little 20 X 20 A-frame guest cottage for the Spring and Summer (with no room for sewing!)

I will be finishing up the Raggedy Ann and Andy quilt and also my Pine Tree Poem Quilt and then packing up the sewing room. This makes me so very sad.

At some point I will say "See You in September" and take a break from Sew on and Sew Fourth. I will, however, continue to write my farm blog....as there will be so much more to tell once I am living full time on the farm.

Planning.....

Whew, has this week flown by! I have had little or no time in my sewing room this week...between cleaning the house to show (to sell....which we successfully did!) and then meeting with contractors at the farm....the days have whizzed by. I did manage to make a trip to a favorite quilting shop to pick up the fabrics for the patchwork quilt into which Raggedy Ann and Andy will become incorporated.

And, I mentally planned my next project and started the stitchery for that. Hubbs had shown me a quote that he liked; and since we are building a log home and the quote is apropos, I will incorporate it into a wall hanging. So, I also bought the fabrics for the wall hanging. Here is the quote:

I am planning to use the embroidered quote and applique a white pine along the side of the quote and then border it in the pinecone fabric.....stay tuned! I should finish the stitchery this weekend.

Decorating Plans.......

When I am not actively creating in my sewing room, then I am mentally working at interior decorating. If you have been following my posting on our farm blog, then you know that we are in the middle of building a log home. The process is enormously fun. There have been so many decisions along the way....down to each and every light fixture, switch plate, dook knob...not to mention the earlier decisions of where to place each and every wall. With the necessities out of the way, it is now time to plan the rooms. We will move all of the furniture in our present home into the farmhouse, but will need to supplement some of it....such as the bedrooms (the kids are taking their bedroom suits with them) and the loft library area (this is a new space for us and we have no furniture to fill it). I thought I would share some of my ideas with you.

The second floor guest room and loft/library area will be decorated in a cabin style. The bed is a rustic wooden bed and will have "Moose" bedding. Here is a picture of the grain of the wood on the headboard. The footboard matches. The moose bedding is actually a much darker green wool bedspread with a plaid flannel dust ruffle.

The loft furniture will be done in the style of this sofa and chair, but I am using the two fabrics on the right. The Indian blanket print will mostly be on the seat cushions and the seat back. The rest of the surfaces will have the distressed leather look.

I found these snowshoes on Ebay (they were a great buy...apparently no one else was on Ebay during the Superbowl to bid against me) and I will hang them on the wall in one of these rooms....along with outdoor themed artwork from a local painter.

Super Bowl Sunday Project

It's not that I don't like football....but to sit still for that many hours is something I just cannot do. So, while the guys were in the family room whooping and hollering (yes, it's Steeler Country here!) I was in the sewing room with this rootin, tootin, cutie. I found just enough leftover scraps of my cowgirl pinup fabric to cut out one complete cowgirl...and here she is appliqued to the front of a kitchen towel. A little handkerchief ruffle completes the look and she is ready to hang on the stove. I think I will save her for our new farmhouse kitchen.

Here We Are

The Raggedy kids are finished and dancing their way across their background fabric. Now it is time to start the patchwork part of the quilt. They will next be outlined with a thin satin stitch.

Raggedy Andy on the Drawing Table

I have just a little time this morning before meeting with contractors about the log home. So, I though I would get started on tracing Raggedy Andy onto the paper side of Heat and Bond. If you are a machine applique enthusiast, you will have used a product like this faithfully. And for a project like Raggedy Ann and Andy, it is a necessity. I will iron these tracings onto the appropriate fabric for each part and then cut them out. Then the puzzle work begins....piecing them together so that they actually look like Raggedy Andy. Stay tuned.......

...Continued.....

Here she is...ready to be stitched in place. This was a whole morning's work. Now I am ready for a break. I will continue her tomorrow.

With the remaining afternoon I am going to bake some multigrain bread, walk the dogs, and get some supper together...hot, hearty beef stew seems like a good choice for such a cold day.

Raggedy Ann.....continued....

Making the applique will take a bit of time. Each little piece of Raggedy Ann is drawn, cut out and ironed in place. At that point, each piece will need to be stitched in place. That will take several hours. So far, I like how she is taking shape. Now, to cut out her dress and apron.

Inspiration For a New Project

Today I begin a new quilt. This one is special....a special quilt for a special little girl. I received a piece of wall paper from a friend to be used as inspiration for her daughter's quilt. Zoe is moving to a big girl bed and Raggedy Ann and Andy will be moving with her.

I took the wall paper to my local copy store, enlarged each figure, and will use it as a template to create an applique of each figure. A bit of embroidery will finish their features. I will use these appliques to make a panel that will serve as the focal point of a twin size quilt. Wish me luck....

Now for a little Raggedy history....Did you know???? Raggedy Ann had her beginnings in 1915 at the hands of author, Johnny Gruelle. She began as a ragdoll made by a family member for his daughter Marcella. It was this faceless ragdoll that served as the inspiration for this happy character in a series of children's books. Shortly after drawing a face on his daughter's doll, he decided to give her a name. Pulling a book of poetry off the shelf, he combined two titles..."The Raggedy Man" and "Little Orphan Annie" and came up with Raggedy Ann. In 1920 he gave Raggedy Ann a playmate known as Raggedy Andy. When Gruelle's daughter died at the age of 13 from a small pox vaccination, Raggedy Ann became the mascot of the anti-vaccination movement. Gruelle continued writing Raggedy stories in remembrance of Marcella.

Raggedy Ann and Andy are timeless and remain a tender memory from our childhood.

Finished and ready to hang on my sewing room wall!

Scrappin......

I pulled out all of my scraps that had red in the pattern and started to piece together a scrap quilt for my sewing room with my redwork patch in the center. I have no plan in mind....I am just adding as I go. The final result is still a mystery....but here is how it has progressed:

My, I have a lot of fabric scraps with cherries on them! Each of these scraps is left from an apron made over the past two years...all of which have found new homes across the country...and even one in Europe and one in Australia!

Frosty Beauty

This weekend's activities kept me out of my sewing room. Most of Friday, Saturday and Sunday was spent out of doors catching up on chores. This morning as I worked around the farm I was greeted first by our hungry animals, and then by the most magnificent sunrise. With eyes skyward, I could almost imagine the warmth with which this sun has enveloped me in days past. Not so today. No warmth is felt through this frosty blanket of frigid air that forms an impenetrable barrier between me and the sun. And so I will wait, for warmer days ahead....and today I will appreciate the beauty that winter brings.On the way to the duck pond, I stopped to look at the grass growing along a small stream that feeds the pond. This stream emanates from an underground spring that bubbles up beneath the 200+ year old log cabin on our property. The moisture has crystallized on the grass this frigid morning. And, the leaves are decorated with a sugar coating of frost.

Sewing Room Quilt

The redwork embroidery square is finished. Now it is time to build a quilt from my scraps around this self-portrait.

Redwork Self Portrait

While visiting my friend, Steph's vintage ephemera blog, I came upon a picture of an old redwork pattern. How on earth did Steph find this...it is actually a picture of ME! So I decided that my next quilt will be a self-portrait quilt for my sewing room. I will use all of the little scraps that I have left over from other projects and do a patchwork quilt around this piece of redwork embroidery that I have started.

I downloaded Steph's picture....took it into Photoshop and got rid of the pink background....printed it onto white fabric....and am embroidering it. Next I will begin piecing a quilt around it. Most likely it will be a wall hanging sized quilt to hang in my sewing room.

Thanks Steph!!

A Surprise

Today, I went to the mailbox like every other day...with no particular feeling of anticipation. I grabbed the bundle of envelopes, catalogs, and junk mail that daily graces my mailbox. I carried it into the house and set it on the desk and went about my business. If only I had known what awaited me, I would have torn through the pile and ripped open the plastic covered magazine with great excitement. As it was, I took my time and made my usual piles of papers to recycle vs. papers to keep. At the bottom of the pile I found a magazine, covered in plastic wrap with a plain piece of paper disguising the cover. Upon opening it my heart skipped a beat...it was my much anticipated (but almost forgotten) edition of "Apronology"...a special publication by Somerset Studio. It is this edition that showcases one of my aprons. I am so excited....what a wonderful surprise!

Here is the cover

Here I am.....page 131.

Birdville

Here are my birdhouse gourds. Each dried with a very interesting pattern. I decided not to paint them, but rather to leave them in their natural state. I had looked for stains that were non-toxic, but found none that I felt good about using. I think they will be much more enticing to birds if left natural. I will varnish each with a non-toxic, water-based varnish to protect them from the elements. Each has a perch beneath the front door hole, a small hole in the base for drainage and a dowel through the top that I will attach wire to for hanging. These will hang in the trees around the farmhouse. We have a wonderful population of birds that we regularly feed. They will be so happy to have new houses this Spring.

Snow Day

My world is a monochromatic postcard today....in shades of white and grey. The morning started out foggy...then the fog froze on the trees and gave the world a frosted appearance. Now it is cold and snowy...a great day to stay indoors and play. The "girls" and I braved the snow and went for our daily walk. It was quite beautiful...austere and beautiful. I would be sewing now, if it weren't for the fact that my machine is in the hospital. I thought of paying it a visit today....but decided instead to just wait for its' recovery, when I can finally bring it back home.

I think today, instead, I will start to work on turning last summer's gourds into bird houses. They are finally all dry. The first step will be to scrub off the mold that has accumulated on the outside and then decide how I want to finish each. Once they are dry, I will get to play with power tools... and I love power tools!

I thought I would show you how those sprouts are coming along. I have just simply rinsed them and drained them....allowing them to stand in about a teaspoon of water...two or three times each day.

Working Towards Our Goal

Goal for 2009: To become as self-sufficient as possible. Moving to the farm is a major step towards attaining this goal. Little by little, I am trying to move away from the need for a supermarket. Making yogurt is another step in that direction. I tried making my first batch last night.....so very easy.....and it was a success!
What a simple process: milk heated to boiling, cooled to lukewarm, cultures added, jars place in yogurt maker. Four hours later: fresh homemade yogurt....ready to be flavored with whatever is on hand. I suppose we might add some of my homemade blueberry/lime preserves. By the time the year is over we will be growing and preserving our own fruits, vegetables, chicken, eggs, and honey. We are planning to grow lettuces year round under grow lights, bake our own bread, make yogurt, grow sprouts. Self-sufficiency is a bit of work...but highly rewarding, and so much more healthy!

Here she is.....my egg-laying Rhode Island Red....and no coop to clean!

Today was an extremely cold one! I ran a few errands and was so happy to once again be snuggly warm at home. I lost a good friend today...no, nothing serious, but my embroidery machine went kaphlooey...so I had to run it to my favorite quilt store for service. Thank goodness for back-up machines!! Oh, and while I was at the quilt store, of course I found some yummy fabrics.

About Those Sprouts.......

I just rinsed my seeds again (they need to be rinsed at least twice daily) and low and behold the outer hull of each seed is cracked and a tiny white sprout is beginning to emerge...another day or two and small green leaves will appear. And once again I am reminded of the promise of Spring and all that it brings with it!

Dreaming of Summer

We are heading into the coldest part of the Winter, and I am dreaming of Summer. Bonne of Bonne's Abode (fellow farmgal friend) got a few of us started on a dress sewing craze. I headed out yesterday to find a pattern and wound up with this sun dress pattern, black polka dot fabric and black and white flowered fabric. Three hours later.....a dress for summer. And the amazing thing is....it fits!


Thanks, Bonne, for getting me started. Of course by the time she reads this post, she will have finished at least 10 dresses!


Longing for gardening and playing in the dirt prompted me to try my hand at growing sprouts. I had no idea how easy it is to grow these tasty, excessively nutritious little seedlings. I used organic broccoli seeds, soaked them in water for about 6 hours, rinsed, and then placed them in about a teaspoon of water in this jar. Across the jar's opening is a piece of mesh that will serve as a strainer for the twice daily rinsing that these will get over the next 4 days. In about 4 or 5 days I should have edible sprouts! I will let you know how they turn out. You may want to try this yourself!