whirligig….

i think antique whirligigs are wonderful!

antique whirligig

so, when i saw this one i thought it would be fun to play around with the design.  not everyone is thrilled by whirligigs, though.  take otis for instance….

“whirligigs make me very, very sleepy.” ~ the oatsy

and lilly, who is usually interested in anything that may move, shimmy or shake, seems, well, less than riveted….

“whirlizzzzzzz…” ~lillykins

when i asked my friends what, exactly, would thrill them, the answer was unanimous…

“crinkly paper!” otis, ellis and lilly

but, i’m sticking to my guns.  i love whirligigs and continue to be inspired by them!

so, i drew up this design….

whirligig design

…which you are welcome to capture and use.

then, i picked out my valdani colors….

gorgeous valdani perle cotton

they are, from left to right:

4 ~ sailors top and hat

5 ~ face, arms and feet

h205 ~ stars

p3 ~ whirligig stand

jp11 ~ background

o578 ~ oars, pants and tie

as it turned out, however, i decided to make one change…

a different blue

i decided to use:

1072 ~ for the oars, pants and tie.

1072 is very, very navy and seemed just right for a sailor.

once i got the whole thing punched it looked like this….

whirli almost finished

i then coffee stained it, backed it with ticking, and stuffed it lightly with sawdust….

whirligig finished!

you can see more of, “whirligig” by visiting my etsy shop here.

 

sail on!

 

~rebecca

snow….

it’s actually been so cool here that one could almost believe in snow.  so, it seemed a bit apropos when i came across this piece that i made a year ago…

snow

i’ve never been very good at sewing circular pieces, and this one is no exception.  it’s a bit wonky, like most things in my life, but it’s a fun celebration of one of my favorite times of year.

you can see more photos of “snow” on etsy by clicking here.

 

enjoy!

 

rebecca

new listings……

i have, amazingly, just added several “new” punch needle pieces to my etsy shop.  These are all pieces that i punched and finished last year, before my thumb started bothering me.  i’d forgotten all about them until recently.  you can find these items and several more by visiting my etsy shop (click here).  here’s a sampling of my new listings:

bunny stocking

angel pillow

polly minnick design, “St. Nick” pillow

bunny pillow

notforgotten farm design merry wreath

autumn leaves hooked pillow

autumn leaves tiny punched pillow

enjoy the day!

 

~rebecca

a new book…..

polly minick and her sister have a new book out!…….

“blue and white” – minick and simpson

 

this is a gorgeous book that explores how polly and her sister use their rugs and quilts to enrich their homes.  i highly recommend this one!

 

you can find, “blue and white” on etsy by clicking here, or on amazon by clicking here.

 

rebecca

taking a risk…..

notforgotten farm “home” click here for her blog

 

i miss hooking.  really, really miss it.  so, today i stepped way outside my comfort zone and spent money i don’t have to invest in a future i really want to pursue.

bee line townsend 14″ rug hooking frame

i purchased this rug hooking frame….

bee line townsend #10 long cutter kit

… and this cutter from The Merry Hooker ~ click here for her shop.

 

this is an investment, a big one, and i’m somewhat terrified.  why?  well, for three reasons:

ellis, otis and lilly on the track of “something” (i don’t even want to know what).

 

my 3 best friends are also my worst enemies when it comes to hooking.  they want to lounge, languish and lie on my rugs… not just the finished ones, which they love to pull apart, but more importantly the ones that i’m working on… while i’m working on them.  i’m hoping, hoping, hoping, that now that they’re a little older they’ll allow me to hook without playing with my wool strips, napping on my lap, biting my hook, and generally making themselves PRESENT….

 

wish me luck!

 

rebecca

thank you….

antique rug

thank you….

 

thank you, all of you, who have sent me messages, emails, texts and cards.  you are an amazing society of supportive and creative women.

antique rug

everything is fine here. the thing is, i injured my thumb a while ago…. like 18 months ago.  i’ve been hoping that it would heal and that i would be able to get back to punching, but… no…

antique rug

i think it might be arthritis ~ yuck!

antique sampler

so, not being able to punch or hook has put a damper on my blogging.

antique rug

i’m hoping, hoping to get back to it someday soon!

antique rug

in the meantime, enjoy all these gorgeous rugs ~ i want to punch and hook them all!

antique rug

 

antique rug

 

antique rug

 

antique rug

 

antique rug

 

antique rug

 

antique rug

 

antique rug

 

antique rug

 

antique rug

 

antique rug

 

antique rug

 

antique rug

 

antique rug

 

antique rug

 

antique rug

 

antique rug

 

antique rug

be well and enjoy life!

 

~rebecca

 

 

 

 

whew!…..

well, i’m glad that’s over!  the presidential election, i mean.  the outcome may or may not have been what i was hoping for, but i did reach my ultimate goal by surviving these past, seemingly interminable, months.  my guess is that much of the country feels the same.  so, congratulations to each and every one of you for persevering and, may four years from now find us in a much less embittered battle!

peace

wishing you peace and healing…..

 

~rebecca

witch, cat, jack…..

i started this piece a year ago…. a YEAR ago.  how embarrassing!  however, i did, finally, finish it and in time for this year’s halloween…..

“witch, cat, jack” on the mantle

this little witch is backed with black and white ticking….

ticking, ticking, ticking

lilly, what do you think of ticking?…..

“ticking? is that anything like cat food?” ~lilly

the base, which resembles a rocker but acts more as a stand, is also finished with ticking, as is the handle of the “jack”….

more ticking

how about now, lilly, any further thoughts about ticking?….

“oh! ticking! yes, i LOVE ticking!” ~ the lilly-kins

now that i finally have lilly’s approval and understanding, here is the finished Witch, Cat, Jack in all it’s glory….

done!

 

you can visit this piece, along with my other offerings, in my etsy shop by clicking here.

may the witching season only cast the most happiest of spells!

 

rebecca

united?……

I’ve been aware, lately, of a slight, ever so slight, feeling of division in our country.  A bisection, a breaking up, a partitioning, if you will.  Have you noticed it?  I mean, it’s ever so subtle, sort of like a rumbling of far off thunder….. hmmmm….

Actually, a better way to describe it is to say that it’s about as subtle as a hurricane, and potentially as destructive.  So, during this season of election, I punched Lori Brechlin’s, “United”…..

united

I wanted to remind myself that regardless of how vicious and dangerous the political stage is, right now, we are still a great country, filled with quiet, compassionate and decent human beings.

So, hang in there!  November 9th will, hopefully, find us on the other side of this troubling and desperate time, and on the road to healing our nation and, once again, see us united.

 

You can find Lori’s “united” design in her, “American Folk” pattern book on etsy ~ click here.

 

think happy thoughts!

 

rebecca

marion’s polly’s parade…..

Marion shared her finish of Polly Minick’s “Polly’s Parade” months ago, but I’m only just now getting around to sharing it with you……

marion’s polly’s parade

didn’t it turn out beautifully?  This is a design I’ve been wanting to punch and Marion has inspired me to actually get to work!

You can find the pattern for Polly’s Parade in Polly Minicks, “American Summer” design book, available on etsy ~ click here.

 

enjoy the day!

 

rebecca