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 :)

All To Pieces

Fat quarters, not too carefully selected.  A favorite pink, a blue that can't decide between grey and green, some browns in all shades and a little muslin to rest they eye.

Cut into so many pieces, scattered on the table, waiting for my daughter's nap tomorrow to be sewn  together anew, even prettier than they were before. 

When said aloud the idea of cutting whole pieces of fabric into smaller pieces just to sew them back together again into another whole piece seems a bit ridiculous but oh the joy that can be found in doing just that!

xoxo

Jennie Lynn

It's been awhile . . .

It feels as if I've been away from my computer for months! Of course it's only been two weeks, but what a busy two weeks. There are only a handful of days now before Summer Break. Between recitals, field days, award ceremonies, carnivals, field trips . . . I've barely had time to breathe. I have, however, found a little time to stitch.

During the Summer I switch from my usual 4oct linen to an easier-on-the-eyes 30ct. It takes a little getting used to but I think I got the hang of it again. I love how "prim" the larger counts look and my designs end up reflecting that. I've been working on two larger samplers with wonderful borders. Hopefully I'll be able to show them sometime next week. With the hectic schedule I've really only found time to stitch at night and I've never been much of a night owl. Usually I'm asleep with my head on my husband's lap by 10pm (he's the night owl). That doesn't leave much time for stitching but if I don't get a good night's sleep I'm impossible to live with.

I did find the time to finish this little piece; a little summer garden of sorts. I love the salmon pink, don't you? As soon as I get it charted I'll offer the pattern. I'm thinking . . . another pincushion? I love this fabric for the backing. What do you think?

It's already hovering around 90 degrees here even though Summer is still a few weeks away. We don't get much of a Spring around here. Our air conditioner is quietly humming outside the window (I could not live without central air) and we're planning our first trip to the beach with the kids. I always stitch less during the Summer and apparently blog less often as well but I've set some goals for myself this year and hopefully that will increase my productivity. I hope everyone had some warm weather and sunshine to enjoy this weekend.

xoxo

Jennie Lynn

Spring Peacock Needle Book and Pincushion

I finally finished my Spring Peacock Needle Book and Pincushion. I aged these pieces a little more than I usually do. To be honest I'm not entirely sure I like it but you never know, it could grow on me after a few days. I just love the look of extreme prims but when I try it I'm never happy with the results. I suppose I'll eventually get the hang of it.

My attempts at aging aside the design is very sweet and I love it. The colors really were a joy to stitch with; they're such lovely colors. The set is a little touch of Spring . . . A pretty little peacock, a single bloom, and a basket of eggs. A sweet little flower tree . . . The wool tulips on the inside are just perfect (at least in my opinion) and they were so much fun to applique. I've told myself that there are two to of them to help organize my needles. Say two different sized cross stitch needles, or cross stitch needles and applique needles. Really I just couldn't decide which color wool to use. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed doing it and just those two little tulips weren't nearly enough for me. Time to take out the wool stash and start planning another project. Can someone have too many projects going at once?

The fabrics were just a perfect compliment as well. I purchase them from Nauvoo Quilt Shop on Etsy. Julie is so sweet and she has the most lovely reproduction fabrics. Her listings are all for half yards but since I never need that much fabric for any one project she's so sweet and puts together listings for me of fat quarters of the materials I want. She has certainly helped to grow my fabric stash!!! If you like the design and want the same fabrics she still has them listed. If you'd like the purchase the pattern just e-mail me at appleseedprim@yahoo.com.

An e-pattern is $6.00 and a printed pattern is $7.50 which includes the shipping costs. The pattern includes the finishing instructions for the needle book including the template for the wool tulips. I actually think when I wrote out the finishing instructions I said I did a light tea stain. Hmmm . . . well whenever you create something you have to trust your instincts and definitely experiment.

I think I'm going to take a little break from cross stitch. I do want to do some applique or maybe rug hooking (working with wool is so gratifying) or maybe even back to the punch needle (again). At any rate, I'll be sure to share with you ladies.

xoxo

Jennie Lynn