Peace(ful)work

I tried piecework first years ago, right after my husband and I were married.  I'd never done it before and realized quickly that I did not enjoy it.  Rather than being the peaceful retreat I had hoped for I found it downright infuriating.  I'm a bit of a perfectionist and lacking the skill I was always disappointed in my efforts.  So I packed away the little collection of quilting tools I had acquired and re-acquainted myself with cross stitch.  An early love, I found this to be my perfect companion and never gave piecing another thought.

Since then I have never wavered from my stitching but my tastes have changed.  Discovering the world of primitive work and antique reproductions has provided me with a small corner of my life where I am free from my perfectionism and without that I am quite sure I would have gone mad years ago.  I have applied this principal to my stitching, sewing, decorating . . . it has extended its' reach throughout my life (thankfully).  It occurred to me a few months ago (I'm not sure what took me so long) that I might extend that philosophy into piecework as well.

It took longer than I had planned (as do most things) but I couldn't be happier with the results.  I chose colors and placement based on what I had in my stash and what pleased my eye and forgot all those rules I'd read about years ago.  The borders are pieced because I had strips left over from making the squares and saw no reason to let them sit unused.

My seams don't line up.

My points aren't perfect.

You know what?  I don't care.  Say it with me.  I DON'T CARE.  That felt good :) 

I am pleased with it.  So much so I believe I will quilt and bind it (first time I've ever been happy enough with a piece to invest that much additional work into it) as soon as I'm caught up on some of my stitching that is.  I did promise you progress on that sampler . . .

xoxo

Jennie Lynn

P.S. I forgot to add the photos when I posted earlier . . . that's what I get for bloggin and cooking at the same time :)

Prim Bunny (A Free Sewing Pattern)

Can you spot the burlap rose on my little prim bunny? I ended up painting, staining and then baking my burlap strip before making the rosette. I wanted it to more closely match the bunny itself. The osnaburg and burlap both have such wonderful textures but I wanted them the same color. I think it makes just the perfect bushy bunny's tail, don't you?

There are many prim bunny patterns like this one, especially this time of year. This is just my interpretation. I contemplated little french knot eyes or a stitched nose (both of which would look very sweet) but at the end I always choose less.

I love the way she came out, especially her lines. I was a little concerned sketching the pattern. Sewing curves is not my favorite thing to do and I don't think there's a straight line anywhere in there. Her curves are soft though and I had no problem whatsoever stitching her up. I think they give her such a graceful look and are most likely the reason I've decided that she is a she. Of course yours can be a boy. You can leave off the tail entirely, if you wish. Or perhaps some wool roving? I think she would look sweet with a little rusty bell tied around her neck or a burlap saddle over her back. My bunny is painted white then tea stained but how about a brown or black bunny?

If you would like to download the free sewing pattern you can do so from my Free Patterns page. As always, if you have any trouble downloading the pattern just send me an e-mail at appleseedprim@yahoo.com and I will e-mail you a copy of the pattern. I'd love to see what you guys come up with so be sure to send me photos of your finishes. For now, it's time for me to put away the sewing machine and get back to stitching. I'll share my progress with all of you soon enough but now my stitching and I are in much need of some quality time :)

xoxo

Jennie Lynn

Prim Alphabet Pincushion Free Pattern

I've seen patterns such as this at prim shows and antique marts and just had to make one of my own. It's the lowercase version of an alphabet I designed years ago to put into samplers or use as initials. The whole project was so blessedly simple; just what I needed while waiting for my wool to arrive in the mail. I even stitched it on 28ct linen which is unusual for me. I'm surprised I even had any in my stash. This one I aged with much better success than my last attempt (at least to my eyes) and it makes the perfect little prim pincushion. I finished it days ago but finally got it sewn together today. The pattern is oh so simple but I put it up as a free pattern anyway. The alphabet can be used for so many things; I'd love to see what you ladies come up with. I hope you enjoy!!!

xoxo

Jennie Lynn

St. Valentine's Day Free Pattern -- Cross Stitch

Here is the St. Valentine's Day Free Pattern. It's a complement to the pattern for purchase Seek Thy Love which I will post tomorrow. The pattern is entitled Peahen's Valentine. Year after year my husband complains that Valentine's Day is a "woman's" holiday, that men are primarily ignored in the area of recieving gifts and being pampered. I'm not sure that's entirely true but even if it were I, personally, have no problem with that. The peahen (rather than the more traditional peacock) is in honor of that spirit. The colors used are GA Pumpkin Patch, GA Dark Chocolate, GA Heirloom Gold, GA Grecian Gold and GA Shaker White and it is stitched on 40 count Weeks Dye Works Angel Hair. (The same colors and one of the linens used in the Seek Thy Love pattern.) If you would like print the free pattern simply click on the link on my sidebar. I hope you enjoy the pattern and consider purchasing Seek Thy Love. The two patterns really do look quite lovely together.

xoxo

Jennie Lynn

January Freebie -- Cross Stitch Pattern

Christmas is over but for me the spirit of the season keeps on for a little while longer. Each season brings its' own joys but Winter is for me special. There's something about the cold, harsh weather outside that is so uninviting and yet so nice to look at out a window. This time of year keeps everyone inside on the sofa by the fire. It just invites warm blankets and comfy pajamas; soul warming foods and heart warming snuggling. After eleven months of the year spent running here and running there, summer vacations, soccer games, dance recitals, school performances . . . After the stress of Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas all piled up one on top of the other with barely time to breath in between . . . After all that, January offers me a chance to slow down before birthday season in our home begins. Those long, dark evenings with no errands to run or trips to the playground find me sitting on the sofa with one of my children; we talk we laugh we play and I feel that I'm getting a chance to know them again without all the hustle and bustle that so often crowds out moments like that. Occasionally even my husband takes that spot on the sofa if he can squeeze in between one of the children.

In honor of those moments here is my January freebie. It could defintely be a Christmas design but it makes me think of those Winter months I adore so much. Where I grew up the deer would be out in the woods behind our house well into March hiding in and about the snow covered trees. I used Gentle Arts Oatmeal, Picnic Basket and a Christmas Limited Edition color called Christmas Tree (though Gentle Art Blue Spruce would work well too). The design is 41 squares wide and 66 squares long and is about 2 by 3 inches stitched on 40ct as I've done. If you would like to print out the pattern click on the link in my sidebar. I hope you enjoy stitching it during your quiet winter moments.

xoxo

Jennie Lynn

Meg's Flower -- Wool Applique

Before cutting into my new wool I decided to finish stitching an applique I started months ago. It's been sitting in a tin in my dining room all that time. Every once and awhile I would look at it, occassionally I would take it out and lay it on the table, sometimes I would carefully place all the pieces, there were even times I threaded the needle. Then I hastily put it all back and hid the tin behind something so as to not have it mock me. Like I said I'm new to wool applique (this is only my second project) and my confidence is a little low. Though I have to say I'm very happy with how this came out and and now have renewed confidence to tackle my other projects.

I used Gentle Arts Simply Wool for the stitching; I like the fuzzy look. As you can see I'm still not confident enough to applique something as thin as a flower stem so I decided to embroider the stem instead. The little lazy daisy flowers in the circles were my husband's idea or at least they were how I interpreted the little doodle he did. I'm still not sure how to "finish" it. Do I back it with wool, felt, quilting cotton? Do I stitch on the little "tabs" I see on penny rugs? Do I get another larger piece of wool to back it and cut little scallops around the edge? More circles within the tabs or scallops, maybe a few more daisies? Any ideas? For now I think it will simply lay on my hanging rack for me to draw inspiration from if my confidence wanes while working on my other projects.

xoxo

Jennie Lynn

Thanks to all of you . . .

I am so thankful to Betty for giving me such a sweet shout out on her blog. I felt kind of silly writing posts when there was no one to read them :) Now I am certainly motivated to keep this up. I have so many ideas (well that's nothing new) but now I have a venue for them and friends to share them with!!! Thanks to everyone who chose to follow my blog. I promise to try and make it worth it.

My plan is to put one new free pattern on my blog at least once a month; of course you have to promise to share your finishes with me. I have quite a few "quick stitches" that I can't wait to share with you. I don't tend towards seasonal designs but I'll try to keep them relevant to the time of year. Rather than specific patterns I find myself at certain times of the year gravitating towards certain color schemes. I choose designs that lend themselves towards vibrant colors in the summer, more subdued in the fall, richer colors in the winter and those wonderful subtle shades in the spring . . . you get the idea. I must have at least two dozen patterns just waiting to be stitched, and so many already completed. I have an affinty toward floral designs, birds and of course peacocks so you can expect quite a few more of them. I actually have a peacock design in color schemes for each time of the year so stay tuned for the next one.

I'm not as prolific in these areas but I also have some puncheedle, rug hooking, and wool applique patterns to share. I'm still very much a beginner in these crafts so hopefully I can get some "tips and tricks" along the way from those of you whose talents I'm sure far exceed mine.

Regardless of the direction this blog chooses to take I plan on having fun with it, and hopefully you'll enjoy it too!!!

xoxo

Jennie Lynn

Free Peacock Cross Stitch Pattern

I've been doing cross stitch for about fifteen years now (yikes). I left it to the wayside for a few years in the middle there (mostly during college) and then picked it up again when I became a stay at home mom. For the last six years I have ventured into sewing, wool applique, rug hooking, punchneedle . . . whatever drew my fancy. Of course cross stitch is my first and one true love. It seems only fitting then that my first post would be a free cross stitch pattern. I call it Wintyr Peacock but a different color scheme can certainly change the theme. Here's a picture of what I stitched using the pattern. Maybe I'll make it into a pincushion backed with the fabric shown. I haven't decided. I stitched it on 40 count with some scrap linen sitting in a basket in my bedroom so it came out pretty small. I do like those tiny little designs though; so easy to stitch and such instant gratification. If you would like the pattern just click on the Free Pattern link in the sidebar and print in out. Let me know how it turns out, I'd love to see others' work.

xoxo

Jennie Lynn