And the Winner Is

Just a quick post to announce that Pam from Baskets and Prim won the drawing for the Primitive Quilts Magazine.  Please send me your address to I can send it your way.

I hope to have a full post soon, but house is in complete disarray trying to get Christmas out.  Why does it seem to get harder and harder each year?

Start of the Christmas Season

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and survived Black Friday.

This year I was lucky on all fronts.  Enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner at Mother in laws all she wanted me to bring were rolls.  Some how didn't seem quite fair, but I was not going to argue.  As for the Black Friday I left that up to the kids so that freed up time to get some stitching done.  I managed to finally finish this bag by Stacy Nash I think it turned out pretty well.  I hope you can see it well enough, while I'm pretty proficient in the finishing department, photo shoots have room for lots of improvement.

Front

Back with cute little pocket

Since I have been so lucky this year I would like to spread it around a little.  I have an extra copy of this wonderful magazine.  Have you seen it???  Well it has a little something for every needlewoman.

  Wool work, Needlework, and Quilting.

A few pictures of the projects within this issue

  

                             

So if you would like to have a chance to win this, just tell me what form of needlework you do in the comments or drop me an email.  If your out of the country I will be glad to split the shipping with you.  I will draw a name on Saturday the 3rd of December. Good Luck!

Now for those of you that know me know that I can not go for very long with out starting some thing new. So why start small....I had to start this scrap quilt.

A few of the blocks that I have done.  Right now I'm up to 140 only 500 more to go....

What did you do over the long weekend?

Well I'm heading back to the sewing room, see you next Saturday with a Winner.

Keeping Calm

This post is all about keeping calm, why might you ask?  Because I won big on Liz's month long give away!  Liz added one item to the giveaway for the entire month of October, it turned out to be an inheritance.

Everyone in the house had to join in opening the treasure box.

Danny right away started reading the ledger entries and Koo was inspecting the box.

 I'm sorry that my photos are not more artistic but you can get an idea the shear amount of wonderful goodies.

Every thing will be put to good use even the box it came in.

I wish you all could come by for a day of crafting.

Stop over at Liz's blog and etsy because she has lots of wonderful items that could be yours.

As for keeping calm a sip a vino can always help on that front.

I mentioned that I would show you Candi's B-Day present and here it is. 

A bottle of wine in its own special bag with directions.

It was a very easy stitch and you can make one of your own.

Just check out the The Primitive Hare this design is free,  but she also has some other awesome patterns. 

I can't wait to get my hands on her advent calender.

Hope you get lots of stitching done this week, Christmas is just around the corner.

Whats preventing blogging

Gosh I can't believe it has been one month since my last post.  That must mean I have been busy doing great things.... but I really can't find all of those great things I have done.  I applaud all of those faith full blogers that come up with interesting things Daily, I just don't know how they do it. 

I did find a few things to show you.

These tomatoes are a bonus from my job.  I work in a soil testing lab, but our building also houses some of the states extension specialist that have been perfecting the tomato.  I must say they are doing a wonderful job, these made great BLT's that we had for dinner.

Another thing that kept me busy was Danny decided that the deck had to go so....

I know it looks like he was doing all the work, but someone had to take the pictures and load the truck.

This next picture is not for the faint of heart.  While we were working on the deck the neighbor's cat would come over to help.  He must have thought that we needed some nourishment so he brought a snack.  It's a little vole, these tiny fellows have the softest fur. I sorry that his little life was cut short.

Now I did get some stitching done, just not as much as I would like. 

A pincushion

Autumn on Marigold Lane

And a start on a Christmas gift

I will be doing better this month I do have another finish to show you, but since its a birthday present I want Candi to see it first.

Hope everyone has a wonderful evening.

An Awesome Month Long Giveaway

Liz Mathews

Is having the most amazing month long giveaway.  By following a few simple rules you could come in to an inheritance.  Liz is adding to the giveaway daily and by simply joining her blog and commenting each day you can multiply your chances to win.  So what are you waiting for go check it out.  Believe me as a former winner, Liz never disappoints!

Do you remember?

Do you remember this cute little sugar bowl that I found antiquing last week?  If you recall I said I had big plans for this small treasure!  Well it is now time for the big reveal.

A place for my pins and butttons

A perfect plate of sewing needfuls.

May you find some sewing treasures of your own this week!

Happy stitching.

Working Weekend

Weekends are when I get the most done.  On Saturday while waiting for Danny to come home I decide that I would get busy...

I put the finishing touches on two thimble keeps that are now for sale.

These thimble keeps are made with reproduction quilt fabric on the outside.  The inside is made with antiqued cotton velveteen a snug spot for your needles.  The roll which holds the thimble if filled with emery so you can sharpen both pins and needles.  Pins have the perfect place on each end of the roll.

                          

Each thimble keep has an antique button that provide a place for the cording to wrap around to hold the thimble keep closed and your thimble safe.

If you would like to give one of these a home I would be happy to send it on its way.

Each Thimble Keep is  $54.00, for purchases in the US shipping is on me, for outside the US I will contribute the US shipping price to the overseas shipping rate.

I also made a quick outing to the antique district in Franklin.  I was checking to see if The Barn Door had made it to their new location.  I found that they will be opening the doors at their new location on the 22nd of this month.  The new location in on South Margin so if your in the area be sure to stop in.  Since I was unable to get my antique fix there I headed over to The City Farm House, where I found the above ironstone sugar bowl.  Its missing its lid but I have ideas for this little beauty, so check back in a week or so to see what it becomes.

When I got home I thought that I should make something for Danny (OK me) it is called Starbucks Lemon Loaf.  I don't mind saying it was pretty yummy the recipe is can be found on http://recipecircus.com/ so don't be shy it goes perfect with a glass of milk or a cup of tea.

Now on to what took the rest of the weekend.  I guess I should not have put this ugly picture so close to the Lemon Loaf.

What you ask is that???  Well about one month ago I picked up wool at The Hatcher Dairy and as you may or may not know that sheep, while they are the sweetest animals are not necessarily the cleanest.  So washing was in order.  This time consuming process took place in the bathtub, lots of hot water and Dawn dish soap. 

But look how rewarding a bunch of snow white wool

The basket on the right is clean dry wool,  the basket on the left is carded wool.  While I'm proud at how much I got washed I still have a large black garbage bag full of dirty wool.  So I guess I know what next weekend will consist of.

Thanks for all the comments on the last post, I love to read them. 

Danny did make it home on Saturday night dog tired and disappointed that his team did not take over the lead, but thanks for all of the luck that was sent his way.

Well I guess I had better get ready for bed because it is back to work in the morning.

Have a great week, stitch well!



New Patterns, A Finish and a Start

Two new patterns are released!!!

First up is

Johnathan Pease

A small original tombstone sampler, verse is borrowed from a real tombstone the rest is just what I thought Johnathan might have looked like. 

The second is a reproduction sampler

Caroline Adler

This is a very colorful sampler from Candi's collection. 

 It's the perfect size one that can be finished fairly quickly, but has plenty of substance to add to any sampler wall.  Jean stitched this one in her usual record time.  Thank you both Candi and Jean for sharing this sampler with us all.

Both of the new patterns can be purchased from me or your local shop can order them from Hoffman.

Johnathan Pease $12.00

Caroline Adler $ 13.00

The models will be on display next week at:

3 Sisters Antiques and Needlework

Knoxville, TN

865-588-1230

Now for the big finish!!!

Ann Smith

I still can hardly believe it's done, but I put it in the mail today and it will soon be home.

 This is truly a lovely piece, the colors are vibrant and draws ones eye.

Danny is for ever telling me that my samplers needs some color red, well this one has it and I guess I should listen to Danny because it really is stunning!  I'm am honored that I was able to help complet this sampler for my friend.

I can't deceide, but I think I like those two parrots best!

So now what do I do with myself?????

I have to say I'm almost too tried to think about it.  Not because Ann Smith wore me out, but because Danny has been away fishing this week and that means no one to tell me to go to bed.  So late nites stitching, days at work, a vicious cycle hard to break.

As of today Danny's fishing team is in second place, so send out the good fish vibs so maybe they can pull to the lead.  Besure to add to the wish that the fish are released after the weigh in so its a win win for both fish and men.

I still have one more late nite so here is what I decided on.

Pineberry Lane's Autumn on Marigold Lane.

I just love all that comes from Wendy's studio, she is one talanted lady.

Happy Stitching!

Antiquing and Friends

Well so much has happened in the last two weeks, where do I begin.

I guess I will start an introduction to a new antique shop here in Franklin.

City Farmhouse

It's a must see, lots of things that if my house was not already overflowing I would be tempted to bring home and there would be no arm twisting involved.  Of course Danny will tell you I become attached to furniture in about one minute.  

Here are some pictures of what I would like in my home.

This chain from a sugar mill, framing the door way...

Love everything in this picture the unusual lamp, chair upholstered with feed sacks.

If you love boxes this one beats them all.  It was an artists box, the top lifts off with lots of compartments in it.  Then check out the two draws on the side and the one on the end.  Oh what I could put in there.

Good looking chopping block

What about the green piece (I forgot to look at the description), but again tons of storage.

I need to work on my photography skills, but the 3 lamps in this picture were very cool.  After reading up on the owners a very talented pair, Mr City Farmhouse makes them.

So if your in the area make sure that you stop in as I'm sure that you will find some thing that will speak to you, and if your house is already full just stop in for a fill of wonderful eye candy.

So how did I find this place???

Well last weekend I met a fellow blogger that happened to be in Brentwood on a job.  I was just jumping from blog to blog when I came across Kentucky Sampler and Peg was talking about the taxes in TN (nice and high) so I contacted her and we made plans to go antiquing in Franklin.  We had a great time, running around Franklin, looking at all the antiques.  Peg found some good deals, I was trying to be good. 

 This giant wooden egg was one of Peg's finds and some how it now lives in my house.

Thanks Peg.

I then dragged Peg back to my house and of course I had to show her my stitching. 

We finished the day by going out to dinner with Mastercheif and Danny. A wonderful day.

One of the things that Peg and I did was enter the contest My Heartstring Around the World.  Its a great idea of Beth Twist.  You take a picture of her blog title in your neck of the woods and send it in.  Beth gets lots of cool pictures of her blog title around the world and she sends you a wonderful sampler pattern! 

I hope your week was filled with friends and wonderful finds!