Christmas Memories finish…

bits and pieces

I was hoping to get this posted in time for Christmas, but things don’t always work out the way I plan.

I wrapped three dowels with some homespun and attached the punched pieces to the ends. I used another dowel to push holes part way into a piece of styrofoam, angling the outer holes and keeping the center hole straight.

The styrofoam, which was a cone, fit perfectly inside the bucket once I cut the top off.

You can see how the angled holes hold the two outer dowels in place.

“What’cha doin’?” ~the elli-bell

Ellis is extremely helpful when I’m working, and when I’m not.

I could fill the bucket with tissue paper or moss or lots of things to hide the foam but I’m going to use these:

Yum…

Candy Cane Kisses. So scrumptious!

Back

I attached a little pocket to the back of the bucket with a vintage bone button that holds an identity tag.

ta da

And, Christmas Memories is finished!

Wishing you health and happiness…

~rebecca

Christmas Memories…

This is one of my favorite patterns from Bird in the Hand Primitives. You can find Robin Leuschen’s designs at patternmart.com by clicking here, or you can visit her blog by clicking here.

Do you love rocking horses as much as I do, Ellis?

“zzzz…” ~the elli-belly

I particularly like how this design lends itself to a simple palette. Just two favorite colors, though you could definitely get fancy.

Because I’ve attached the finished piece to a little galvanized bucket, I decided to add three festive “sticks” with these little pieces attached. The sticks will pop out of the bucket with the help of a little styrofoam.

What do you think of styrofoam, Lilly?

“i do NOT like styrofoam!” ~the lillykins

I have to admit, I don’t like styrofoam either, but sometimes needs must.

I’ll age these pieces in coffee, add fabric to the backs and cut them out before attaching them to the sticks.

Sticks, Otis?

“i’ve nibbled sticks in my time. *yawn*” ~the oatbran

Hopefully, I’ll complete this project before Christmas. This will be one of the most memorable Christmas’s from a “wow, this is unusual” standpoint. Welcome to the pandemic!

Until next time!

Stay safe and healthy…

~rebecca

give thanks…

Happy Thanksgiving!

turkey and tallowberries colors…

In case you’d like to use some, or all, of the colors I used for Lori Brechlin’s Turkey and Tallowberries design (click here for her etsy shop), here they are in all their glory. From left to right and how I used them:

h212 ~ turkey legs and pupil

p9 ~ turkey tail and wing

p3 ~ tallowberry vine

h206 ~ tallowberries and turkey wattle

jp2 ~ turkey body, beak, and wing/tail detail

jp11 ~ turkey head

5 ~ background and turkey eye

What do you think of my color choices, Ellis?

“i’m cuddling with the lilly-kins, i can’t be bothered with colors.” ~the elly-belly

So, Ellis and Lilly-lou-hoo are busy. Otis? Do you have any thoughts you’d like to share?

“zzzzz…..” ~ the oatbran

Well, since my feline fellows are MIA, it’s up to you, gently reader, to tell me what you think.

Until then!

~rebecca

turkey and tallowberries…

Is it really november? The middle of november? Then, it’s time for turkeys.

I love this pattern from lori brechlin of notforgotten farm.

This is the first time i’ve punched this design, but lori’s patterns are some of my favorites. You can find her things here. I traced this notforgotten farm design on weavers cloth and thought about my color choices. I decided on my background color right away.

Valdani 5 is one of my favorites. It works well with almost all the valdani colors i use and is easily aged with coffee or tea. the other colors i decided on were somewhat serendipitous. I didn’t plan them beforehand so i can tear them out and start again if i choose.

So far i’m happy but i need a little help from my friends. Usually i ask lilly, ellis and otis, but they’re busy today, so i’m turning to my canine friends.

Josie, what do you think of my turkey? Is she realistic?

“zzzzzzz……..” ~josie-jo

Josie lives with four young kitties, and is kept busy keeping them in line all day long. I know she’d approve if she could keep her eyes open, so i’ll keep punching…

I’ve filled in the tallowberry vines and decided to use valdani h205 for the berries themselves. This is such a great orange; very soft for orange and it easily mixes with golds, browns, blues and greens, like i’m using here, but also works with reds, and every neutral. What do you think Duke?

“look at my bowtie. i love every color under the sun! orange blends with my grey beard perfectly!” ~the dukester

(i swear, dogs are the enablers of the world. while i have every personality trait of the loner, shy, “leave me alone” feline, i definitely embody the enabling canine.)

Duke likes the orange, so i’m going with it.

So, now to fill in the background.

More to come!

Keep creating!

~rebecca

warty witch…

i’ve been slowly getting back into punching after struggling with thumb, wrist and elbow pain for a few years. i decided to start simple with “warty witch”.

i drew the pattern freehand on weavers cloth…

then pondered my color choices. i needed a little help deciding so asked otis what he thought.

“you should use this one ’cause it’s the same color as me.” ~oatsy-toatsy

while i respect his opinion, i decided to go with the traditional silhouette colors, black and white.

valdani h212 and 5 are two colors i use often, and i think they’re perfect for “warty witch”.

what do you think, lilly?

“purrfect! they’re the same colors as me!” ~the lilly-kins

as with most of my pieces, i used my cameo needle set at the lowest, #1, setting. the valdani is 2 strands of perle cotton #12. i gave “warty witch” a coffee bath, attached her to a painted wood board and added a grosgrain ribbon as a hanger.

happy creating!

~rebecca

happy halloween

hello!

here’s a little warty witch i punched for the season. you can find the pattern on my etsy shop, the simple quiet design, by clicking here. i’ll be back soon to show you the colors i used.

boo!

~rebecca

an intermission…

i finished miss b’s turkey ~ hooray!  however, i’m taking this opportunity to share with you another rug i finished recently.

wytch one?

“wytch one?” is a pattern i created many years ago, and it’s always a fun one to punch or hook.  i’ve just listed this finished rug on my etsy site which you can find by clicking here.

if you’re interested in the simple pattern for “wytch one?”, you can find it on my etsy design site by clicking here.

 

i’ll be back soon to show you the turkey finish!

 

~rebecca

almost done…

whew!  it’s hot here!  so, not a lot of hooking, but i am almost done with miss b’s turkey.

“yep, she’s almost done.” ~the oatsy

otis is my project manager.  thank you, otis, for keeping on top of things!  as i said, i’m almost done with miss b’s turkey.

“this part looks ok.” ~elly-belly

ellis is in charge of quality control.  thank you for checking my loops, ellis.  so, anyway, the rug…

“hey! where are my workers?” ~lilly-kins

lilly is in charge of hiring and firing.  she keeps the boys in line.  thank you, lilly!

one small corner to go

i’ve had some questions from a few of you about what size the rug is and the colors i’m using.  i’ll try to answer those next time!

 

wishing you warm days and cool nights…

 

~rebecca

 

turkey progress…

our heat wave broke, at last, so i was able to get back to miss b’s turkey.  here’s a picture of how far i’ve come…

“hello!” ~the oatsy

well, i can say, without reservation, that otis looks lovely, but how about miss b’s turkey?…

“i think it looks swell!” ~elly belly

ellis looks every bit as handsome as otis, but the rug?  the rug?…

“what? you want to see what? the rug? sheesh, these people. they don’t know a good thing when they see a cat or two.” ~otis

well, here, at last, it is…

miss b’s turkey progress

for some reason, the tree is my favorite part, so far.

well, time to sign off… oh wait… i hear a faint caterwauling…

“i’m not ready to go. i’m staying right here!” ~the oatbran

until i find a feline-free field…

be well and happy!

 

~rebecca