First Friday Freebie #3

Can you believe it’s the First Friday of November already?  That means my third Freebie design is available for you to enjoy.

Many of you already know how much I ♥ samplers, and this month’s FFF (First Friday Freebie) is called A Colonial Christmas Sampler.

The size of the design is 8 1/2” x 11” but you may either reduce or enlarge the line drawing to suit your individual needs.  I chose to frame mine but you may come up with other uses such as a pillow or a table runner, etc.

I stitched mine in the traditional redwork style but this too may be changed to compliment your individual styles and decor.  Let your imagination run wild!  Just click here to download the PDF file which includes the photos, line drawing and instructions.

So please grab my button, place it on your sidebar and link it back here in order for us to share it with those who might not otherwise find their way here.  The button will also serve as a reminder that on the First Friday of each month I will be posting a new Freebie design to share with you all.

Thanks for stopping by and as always…

Happy stitching!

Kaaren ♥

Busy Hands

It might appear as though I’ve been slacking off but honestly, these hands have been working really hard lately.  Most of the things I’ve been working on are for swap gifts and Christmas presents and I can’t show them here yet because they’re for friends who read my blog.

Lisa from Black Bear Cabin sent me a photo of her rendition of last month’s Halloween Hauntings FFF (First Friday Freebie) stitchery which she completed in time for Halloween.

Awesome job, Lisa and thanks for sharing!  I just ♥ that border fabric!

And while I’m on the FFF (First Friday Freebie) subject, I’d like to remind you that this Friday, November 6th, is the First Friday of the month so please be sure to drop by to see the Freebie I’ve designed for you this month.  Think Christmas and you’ll be on the right track.  *wink*

Happy stitching!

Kaaren ♥

Boo!

I find the origin and history of Halloween fascinating.

Halloween is the one of the oldest holidays still celebrated today. It's one of the most popular holidays, second only to Christmas…or so they say.  While millions of people celebrate Halloween without knowing its origins and myths, the history and facts of Halloween make the holiday even  more intriguing.

Some people view Halloween as a time for fun, putting on costumes, trick-or-treating, and having theme parties. Others view it as a time of superstitions, ghosts, goblins and evil spirits that should be avoided at all costs.

As the Christian debate goes on, celebrating Halloween is a preference that is not always viewed as participating in an evil holiday. Halloween is often celebrated with no reference to pagan rituals or the occult.

Halloween is on October 31st, the last day of the Celtic calendar. It was originally a pagan holiday, honoring the dead. Halloween was referred to as All Hallows Eve and dates back to over 2000 years ago.

All Hallows Eve is the evening before All Saints Day, which was created by Christians to convert pagans, and is celebrated on November 1st. The Catholic church honored saints on this designated day.

While there are many versions of the origins and old customs of Halloween, some remain consistent by all accounts. Different cultures view Holloween somewhat differently but traditional Halloween practices remain the same.

Halloween culture can be traced back to the Druids, a Celtic culture in Ireland, Britain and Northern Europe. Roots lay in the feast of Samhain, which was held annually on October 31st to honor the dead.

Samhain signifies "summers end" or November. Samhain was a harvest festival with huge sacred bonfires, marking the end of the Celtic year and the beginning of a new one. Many of the practices involved in this celebration were fed on superstition.

The Celts believed the souls of the dead roamed the streets and villages at night. Since not all spirits were thought to be friendly, gifts and treats were left out to pacify the evil and ensure next years crops would be plentiful. This custom evolved into trick-or-treating.  Interesting, huh?

Will you be welcoming the trick-or-treaters tonight?

Happy stitching…and haunting!

Kaaren ♥

Baa Baa Black Sheep…

Have you any wool?

I guess my affection for sheep dates back to my childhood and maybe that’s also why I’m enamored with wool to this day.

I ♥ working with wool.  I ♥ the way it feels and I ♥ the scent that emanates from the storage bin when I remove the lid.  I also find it a very forgiving medium with which to work because it is so easy to manipulate and is very forgiving.

When I was chatting with my friend Julie this morning, she asked me the question, “What are you mad about?”  Julie wasn’t asking me what I was ‘angry’ about, but used the OZ expression ‘mad about’ referring to what was I passionate about.  Christmas is coming and and we are trying to find out about appropriate gifts to make for one another.

As we were chatting, I got to thinking  about my many passions and it dawned on me that one of them was sheep.  I guess I inadvertently started to collect sheep many years ago and after we had finished our on line ‘conversation’, I decided to walk around the house with my camera and take inventory.

Our spare bedroom is my designated pasture which houses the bulk of my herd.

This is the shelf above the bed.  There are vintage German sheep, chalkware sheep, redware sheep, plush sheep,  papier maché sheep, a pastoral scene that I painted and my favorite…an antique Steiff lamb with blue glass eyes…the one in the center on the top shelf.

 

Sheep are grazing on and around each bedside table...

and on top of the quilt rack as well.

More sheep sightings in the hallway…

and by the front entrance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They’re even in the living room!

And in the den on this redware plate…

and in the laundry room.

And how could I not have one or two in my studio to keep me company while I sew?

*  ~  *  ~  *  ~  *  ~  *

Baaaaaa…I mean…

Happy stitching!

Kaaren ♥

 

A Productive Saturday

No news from the realtor which in my mind means that we won’t be moving any time soon.  Unlike last Saturday, today it was very windy and it rained all day.  Great weather to stay indoors and do something creative.

I’ve been wanting to rearrange my studio for some time now and today seemed like the perfect day.  All our outdoor garden work is finished so we decided to tackle both Mr. Painted Quilt’s office and my studio.  We started moving things around which allowed me to vacuum and dust in hard-to-get-at-places, emptied out some cupboards, traded book shelves and made piles for trash, donations and recycling.

Three hours later, we were done!   Come with me and I’ll take you on a tour.

This is the farthest right corner of my studio. 

As we proceed counter clockwise around the room, you can see my sewing station next.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Both the cupboard in the corner and the Hoosier to the left of it are filled with fabric and supplies.

Next and to the left of the Hoosier is my Featherweight station with more fabric and wool stored in the bins below.  The white magnifying lamp on the right side of the table is a life saver  for those small stitchery projects.  I used to use this for the tiny detailed work in my paintings.

This is my computer station where right now I am composing this post on my new laptop.  Can you see me waving at you all? 

Next is my antique treadle machine along with some of my favorite sewing memorabilia displayed on and around it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here we’ve come to where we started.  This pine cupboard used to house our television but now it’s storing more of my fabric and wool.  The shaker table that used to be in my studio is now displaying Mr. Painted Quilt’s favorite toy…his television…and of course, remote control.

And there you have my newly rearranged sewing studio.  The color in the photos is a little yellow because they were taken at night and without any natural light.  It is actually very bright during the day.

I don’t know about you but I always feel so inspired after a good tidying up and reorganization.  I did manage to get some stitching in this afternoon as well.  I’m working on December’s FFF (First Friday Freebie) which I hope to finish tomorrow.  November’s is already done and is ready to be released on November 6th, the First Friday of the month.  I think you’re going to like it.

Now I’m going to make myself a cup of tea and enjoy the rest of the evening.  Thanks for accompanying me on my tour.

Happy stitching!

Kaaren ♥