Production Begins Today...

 

 

I begin production today for all the luscious items that will be stocked into my booth in February. As it is a quilt show, I'll have many quilty-themed items, along with sewing and wool work designs. These are a few of the fabrics I'll cut into first. 

Upper left is from my friend, Michelle Palmer's fabric lines, fashioned after her incredible artwork. These will become Bryn Clutch Wallets. Upper right are fabrics destined for wool work totes. Lower right are needlework/sewing themed, and of course, lower left are quilt themed fabrics from Kathy Schmitz' line. From my last show poll, many of these fabrics will be turned into sewing organizers to hold supplies. 

I haven't made the tri-fold sewing organizers since living in Florida. I taught classes for that piece at Crazy Quilters in Venice at the time. Now, I'm going to make a bunch of them for my booth. These are all first on my production schedule. Other wallets, handbags, totes, my new Matty Clutch design, and even "bum bags" will also join the list.

I usually make tea in the morning when Handsome is away, so this morning will either be a nice, hot cuppa, or perhaps I'll start the day with toast and a hot chocolate. Either way, I'll be cutting a lot of fabric after that. Update to follow soon.

Finished Snow Days Blocks...

Brynwood Needleworks - My Last Two Finished "Snow Days' Blocks

I completed my last two Snow Days Bowl Filler blocks on Monday, and wanted to share them with you before I move on to my next project. Do you like the snowflake I purposely placed on the snowman's carrot nose? I also added the shoe lace and top fringe on the skate.

I really enjoyed working on these, adding special embroidered touches to each of them. As I've said, I'll fuse a woven fusible fabric backing to these (after they're ironed flat), and then I'm planning to create little cushions using either dark green or red plaid wool as the back side. I'll do that when I'm back in my studio, and will share them with you one last time after they're done.

Brynwood Needleworks - Kathy Schmitz Embroideries

 

So, I'm working on my Kathy Schmitz embroideries again. I have a little game I play. I use a Leonis Air Erasable Pen to draw out the designs. I then work to get the entire design done before the ink disappears. lol I'm okay as long as I get it done in one sitting. Otherwise, I have to wrap up the hooped fabric to keep the design visible. 

 

I'm doing these in brown Sulky #12 thread. I've also chosen the Kathy Schmitz fabrics for making a finished quilt once all the designs are stitched. There are about 32 of them, so it's going to take a while. I'm not planning to stitch them all at once, though. I'm also going to work on my Royal School of Needlework butterfly while I'm here in Florida. I'll keep you posted.

 

Waiting With Needlework...

Kathy Schmitz Squirrel Embroidery

 

When my friend, Kathy D. and I decided to do these "My Little..." series from Kathy Schmitz, we chose the color of crackle fabric and thread we were going to use for each of ours. I chose this color fabric, and the brown thread. I promptly stitched out the first embroidery in brown (an acorn and oak leaf design), and set it aside.

When I next went to work on the minis, I pulled the pattern, fabric and black thread. Then I stitched out these three designs from the sets. It wasn't until yesterday morning when I pulled out the basket with all my supplies, that I realized I had two spools of brown thread tucked in my basket. 

I looked back at my first embroidery, and that's when I realized my mistake. I really do like the brown better for this project, so while I waited in the hospital today, I stitched another one of the three I did in the wrong color. It reaffirmed my decision to go with the brown. 

I'll quickly redo the other two, and then I'll have them all corrected so I can proceed to new designs. I've taken the black thread out of my sewing box so I can avoid grabbing the wrong one by accident. I'll make something fun with the three that were done in black thread. Maybe they'll become a Christmas gift for someone on my list.

Handsome underwent surgery yesterday. I didn't know it was imminent until I spoke with him in the morning. I quickly got to the hospital so I could be there when the surgeon arrived to explain the procedure. He came through the surgery with flying colors, but he's understandably uncomfortable. I'll be back at the hospital today - where I should be. I'll take along my needlework to keep my hands busy while I tend to my dear husband. "It's what we do."

Sweet Little Embroideries...

Brynwood Needleworks - Working On Kathy Schmitz' Embroidery Patterns

Over the weekend and into last evening, I've began working on a series of little embroideries. They're all designed by Kathy Schmitz from her "My Little..." series. There are four sets of patterns available, and when completed, each design measures approximately 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" square.

In the series are the four patterns: "My Little Garden", "My Little Home", "My Little Year", and "My Little Stitches". The designs you see above are from the "My Little Garden" pattern.

Getting Started

 

I have a small light box, the Cabin LED Light Panel CL-5300P (You can find them new on Ebay), with a viewing surface that measures about 4" x 5". It's the perfect size to pack in my needlework kit to keep handy when I need to trace out a design. I'm using my current favorite air-erasable pen (Leonis Air Erasable Pens). I order them HERE from Amazon. 

I'm glad these are small designs and I stitch fairly quickly, because the ink is nearly gone by the time I finish the design. Once I iron the completed piece, the rest of the ink disappears, and I'm ready to go on to the next one.

I do have some stitching commissions to begin, but in between, these are the perfect designs for a quick needlework fix! Just right as the evenings get a little cooler at the farm.

 

Nearly Done...

Almost Finished

There are only a few things left to do before this piece is complete. I'll add the eggs to the nest with Heat & Bond when I get home, as well as ironing off all the Frixion™ pen marks that are mostly hidden by my stitching.

Embroidery Detail

 

I'll stitch in the French knots on the bird's breast once we're home, too. Then, I'll be ready to begin sewing all the quilt blocks around each finished embroidery. This will really be fun!

 

We've decided to stay one extra day in Atlanta to spend time with friends we haven't seen in ages. We'll continue our travels on Tuesday morning and arrive home on Wednesday. 

 

Tag will be here to visit with you tomorrow. I know you can't wait to hear all about his big medical adventure.

 

I'm Stitching Again...

Work In Progress - Bluebell Nest

 

*ORIGINALLY WRITTEN FOR THURSDAY, BUT IT DIDN'T PUBLISH. sigh Let's try again. *

When we travel, I almost always take along a needlework project. It's portable, doesn't take up much room and doesn't require a lot of supplies. 

I traced out this design with a Frixion™ pen on the lightbox in my studio, and then mounted it to scroll frame bars. Then, I packed my needles and thread into my carry case to bring along on our trip to Florida.

Note: I only use the Frixion™ pens now on areas that will be covered by stitching, and only on light-colored fabrics. The pen leaves ghost lines on dark fabric, so I won't take a chance of that happening. 

On light colored fabrics, I cover the ink with my stitching, because there's always a chance the ink will reappear under colder temperatures. Otherwise, I use chalk pencils for most of my markings. I don't have to worry about them leaving marks or having the marks reappear.

Pattern - Kathy Schmitz' Bluebell Nest

 

This pattern is "Bluebell Nest" from Kathy Schmitz, and it's the last one I have to stitch before I go on to the next steps toward creating this quilt. 

I'll be working on it as we head back to the farm today, so we'll see how much I manage to finish while we travel.

Tag is home from the Emergency Clinic. He's on special food and antibiotics, and we're waiting to travel with him until Monday, just to be sure he's okay. He'll tell you all about it from his point of view next week. Thanks for your concern and kind wishes.

 

Finally...

Kathy Schmitz - Snow Day

I know it seems like forever, but I finally finished Kathy Schmitz' Snow Day.

Snow Day Detail

Little birds in the snow share the block with snowflakes falling on a cozy, snow-covered house...

Snow Day Detail

  and a sweet snowman, bundled up in a fancy, snuggly coat, mittens and hat. It's appropriate that I finished it before the end of winter, too!   I have one more design, Bluebell Nest to stitch out, and then I'll be ready to start working  toward finishing out the individual blocks. Each one came with different fabrics for their own quilt block designs, and I just have to decide if I want to use those various   fabrics that came with each kit, or whether I want the fabrics for all of them to be the same.   This project is on my list of UFOs to finish by the end of 2018.  It's going to be a fun year!

In Case You Wondered...

Advent Wreath In Process

Frequently, when I post pictures of my finished work, be it canning, needlework or something else here at the farm, someone invariably comments that they don't know how I get so much done.

Truth is, most times, I work in fits and starts. I accomplish things in a flurry of activity, and then I have to rest and kick start again. Sometimes, I just sit in a chair and read or do needlework.

Yesterday was one of those days. Monday afternoon I drove to the Milwaukee area to go to a music concert with our elder daughter-in-law. We went to St. Paul's Episcopal Church to see a performance by Milwaukee Symphony's Concertmaster, Frank Almond and four of his musician friends.

It was a magical evening, and in some ways ushered in the Christmas season for me. I only wish Handsome could have been there with us. He would have loved the music.

Tag and I stayed overnight with our elder son, his wife and our grandson (and their black lab, Duncan). Tag had a ball while we were gone, and the guys had a football banquet to attend. We got back to the house and visited for a while before everyone headed off to bed. It was, after all, a work/school night for them.

Almost Done

On my way home, I stopped at JoAnn Fabrics to pick up a few supplies for an idea I'd been working on.  Sunday isn't just my Birthday (Yup. It's that time of year again!). Most importantly, it's the first Sunday of Advent on the Christian calendar. I wanted to have an Advent Wreath this year, so I needed the candles and wreath to make a centerpiece for our dining room table.

The only thing I forgot were candle holders for tapers to set in the center. I learned my lesson about burning candles decades ago (when I nearly burned down our home during a cocktail party), so I will have the candles in fire-safe holders inside a glass container - and the each candle will be lit on each of the four Sundays in Advent while I'm in the room with them. No unattended burning candles in a hundred year old farmhouse!

I added little cardinals to my sparkling wreath, and there are three purple candles, with the one rose-colored candle to signify the eve of Christ's birth. That will be the last candle burned.

Kathy Schmitz Needlework

 

I spent much of the rest of the day reading, and then pulled out one of the last Kathy Schmitz embroidery projects for the other quilt I've been working on. I think there's only one more block after I finish this one!

Today, I'll be making six dozen cookies for a cookie exchange party I'm attending on my Birthday. Aside from my chocolate chip cookies, I haven't mass-produced (six dozen is "mass produced" for me!) a batch of cookies. Each person who attends was asked to bring that many for the exchange. There will be contests and games and such, and I'm looking forward to going. 

 

I'm making cutout cookies that I'll decorate. I'm not sure I'll get all of that done today. I may bake them today and then decorate them tomorrow. I might decide to sit and stitch a bit more. We'll see how it goes.

A Pleasant Surprise...

Wooly Critters Pattern

Remember last week when I went with Kathy at Primitive Gatherings? The night before, I was in the studio trying to decide what I was going to take along to work on at the Sit & Sew.

My mind immediately went to my Wooly Critters project (which is taking forever!). I pulled out the plastic carryall I used to carry back and forth to Nifty Fifties. It holds this project and the Kathy Schmitz pieces I've been working on, too. I needed to figure out which Wooly blocks still needed to be set up if I was going to work on one.

My Completed Blocks

I started pulling them out...one through twelve. Wait. What? One, two, three, four, and all the way to twelve. I've finished all of them! Squeeeee! I guess with the cross country move, I just lost track of my progress.

Sashing Fabric Choice

I chose this checked flannel fabric ages ago just for this project. Of course, I have to square up and cut down the size of the background fabric on those blocks first. There's too much space around each design, but once I've done that, I can add the sashing, using this fabric.

 

If you look back at the first picture, once the blocks are all joined together, I'll just have to choose the fabric for the border...and sew the flowers all around. That's all I have left to do! Then I'll decide if I'm going to hand quilt this one, or send it off to my pal, Susan (in Georgia) to get machine quilted.

 

For now, I'm just jumping up and down to know that all these blocks are done. I guess I'd better think about stitching up the last of my Kathy Schmitz blocks soon. (I actually think I only have two or three of those left to do.)

A "Face Palm" Moment...

Brynwood Needleworks - Schmitz' "Snow Day"

When I had my needlework shop (Stitches), I could never conceive of a time when I would use a machine to stitch out an embroidery. Goodness, how times change!

While I still treasure the time I spend doing handwork, it's fun to let Destiny cut my time on a project down to minutes or hours, rather than days, months, or years!

You've watched me complete nine (almost ten) of the Kathy Schmitz' Sweet Stitches embroideries so far. Until now, I've placed each piece of fabric on top of the pattern...onto a light table to trace each design. Until now.

Brynwood Needleworks - Sulky Sticky Fabri-Solvy

I purchased this stabilizer - Sulky Sticky Fabri-Solvy - quite a while ago, and then promptly forgot about it. Two weeks ago, my friend, Mary Agnes, showed me an embroidery she was working on and said she "loves this stuff".

Brynwood Needleworks - Schmitz' "Snow Day"on Sticky Fabri-Solvy

These are water soluble sheets that you run through your inkjet printer on the "copier" setting. It prints your design onto the stabilizer, which has a sticky backing. After it comes through the printer, remove the freezer-paper-like backing, adhere it to your ground fabric, and you're ready to stitch. It's that easy.

After you're finished stitching, simply get your piece wet and the stabilizer dissolves away. The only catch is that, if you're stitching outside and it starts to sprinkle, you'd better hightail it inside...and don't spill your glass of water on it either. Your design will melt and you'll have to get out the water soluble marker after the fabric is dry again to retrace the rest of your pattern.

Brynwood Needleworks - Sulky Sticky Fabri-Solvy Stabilizer Pack

 

As always, I'm uncompensated for my endorsement of this product. If you're interested in purchasing it, you can find it at your local quilt shop...or I will carry it soon on my website.

 

I can't believe I haven't tried this sooner! (That's my "face palm" moment.) Now, I can run each design through the printer and get right to the stitching. Happy Dance!

Pieces of April...

Brynwood Needleworks - Schmitz' Sweet Stitches "May Day"

Just in time for the start of a new month, I'm ready to stitch out "May Day" from Kathy Schmitz' Sweet Stitches series.

This one has four little bees that will buzz around the flowers, once they're created. I'll be putting this design onto the scroll bars so I can get right to it.

Brynwood Needleworks - Schmitz' Sweet Stitches "Peter Cottontail"

 

"Peter Cottontail" is just waiting for the eggs to be fused into the basket, and he's finished. I'll take him off the scroll rods today and add the final touches. Nine designs down. Three to go. I can see the end in sight.

Note: You might notice my reference to Three Dog Night's "Pieces of April" in the title. In case you haven't noticed yet, I love using song titles for many of my blog captions. In the lyrics for this particular song, the refrain kept repeating in my mind as I wrote this post: 

"I've got pieces of April, I keep them in a memory bouquet
I've got pieces of April, but it's a morning in May..."

Three Quarters Finished...

Brynwood Needleworks - K. Schmitz' "Peter Cottontail"

 

Yesterday was Nifty 50s, so I decided to get back to my handwork. I took my kit and supplies for Kathy Schmitz' kit, Peter Cottontail from the "Sweet Stitches" set I've been working on and got busy.

I traced out the design, attached the background fabric to my scroll rods and got right to stitching (while I gabbed with the ladies, of course!).

Brynwood Needleworks - K. Schmitz' "Peter Cottontail"

 

I made quite a bit of progress before I left Harbour Heights. I took this photo when I set it aside for the rest of the afternoon, and then Handsome and I met an old friend for dinner. 

Brynwood Needleworks - K. Schmitz' "Peter Cottontail"

As soon as we got home, I put on my jammies, grabbed a bottle of water and (Tag and) I retired to our favorite spot so I could continue stitching.

If you look at the pattern in the first photo, you can see that all I have left to complete Peter Cottontail are his pant legs and feet (paws?). I'll do those over my morning coffee today and he'll be ready to set aside until I finish the final three designs.

The rest of the day will be spent making another (#41) The Wanderer Travelers Clutch, as I was blessed to sell the first one I showed you in yesterday's post. I'm so thankful for my wonderful clients. 

I wish you have a great day today. I pray everyday that all my friends, near and far, can be as happy and content as I am.

xo

In The Mail...

Brynwood Needleworks - Piecemakers II Gold & Blue Versions

  I thought you'd like to see them before I put them into their shipping boxes.

Brynwood Needleworks - Piecemakers II Blue Interior

This is the interior of the blue version of my latest Piecemakers wallet.

Brynwood Needleworks - Piecemakers II Blue Straps and Key Fob

I even fussy-cut the key fobs.

Brynwood Needleworks - Piecemakers II Gold Straps and Key Fob

  So, this job is finished. # 38 and #39 on their way to their new home. That was fun!

Wallet Production Day...

Brynwood Needleworks - Wallet Production - #38 & #39 In Process

In addition to shipping, and a few other necessary tasks, I started order production on a commission for two clutch wallets. I spent the morning selecting fabric and cutting out all the components.

Brynwood Needleworks - Wallet Production

My client requested this line of fabric ("Piecemakers" by Kathy Schmitz) from my inventory, and she wanted it in two colorways...blue for one wallet, and the other in the gold/brown colorway.

Brynwood Needleworks - Wallet Completed - #38 - Piecemakers II

I take a lot of care in every piece I create, so it's not a matter of working fast with me. It's so much more important to create quality.

I especially take pride in matching fabric patterns across a piece...from wallet body to flap to the frame around the flap...I'm careful to make sure they all line up. Of course, lining up and matching the fabric before I cut anything always takes additional care and time. Then, I carefully sew the components together to create a piece I'm proud to say is my work.

Brynwood Needleworks - Wallet Completed - #38 Piecemakers II Interior

 

This is the completed interior for the gold/brown colorway. When I finished installing the security flap I giggled at how the pattern ended up exactly where I wanted it to be. I think it will tickle my client, too.

I'd usually be sewing with the Nifty Fifties ladies today, but I want to complete the blue colorway wallet in the studio instead. Once the blue wallet is finished, I'll make all the straps and both matching key fobs. It will be ready to ship out Thursday morning. No time to play today. Hi Ho, Hi Ho. It's off to work I go...