Showing posts with label harvest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label harvest. Show all posts

Thursday, November 28

Thanksgiving~


"Acorn Perch" copyright Michelle L. Palmer
No. 4 of 6 Fraktur Rug Series

Thankful for you~
Wishing you and yours a beautiful
Thanksgiving weekend!


Wednesday, October 30

Wool Hooked Rugs


"Dance of the Harvest Crows"  copyright 2019 Michelle L. Palmer

Hello, Friends!
Hope you have been enjoying beautiful Autumn days~
Praying for all affected by the California fires.
Hope they are contained and end quickly.
Prayers for safety.

I finally found my little book of passwords!
That is why I have been away~ I couldn't log on.
It is good to tidy the studio...
It is not good to reorganize the studio.
My mind is not good at remembering 'the better spot anymore'

Dance of the Harvest Crows is one of my most recent rugs.
I love to see crows perched on sunflower heads~
Dancing with delight at the meal they have before them!
I tucked apple trees in the corners.



"Orchard Santa" copyright 2019 Michelle L. Palmer

This jolly old fella looks to have his rain coat on!
Early American Belsnickel's had variety of coats~
He scooped up a basket of apples that had fallen from the tree
when he collected the hive from the orchard.
The skep will winter in the outer-barn where it will be
protected from harsh winter winds.


Just a few doors down, a vegetable stand had harvested the most
beautiful painted corn! Flint corn, Indian corn, Calico corn...
I was taking photographs of several different subjects
on the same sunny day~
The colorful corn had been set next to my hooked rug...
Aren't those blue, black, periwinkle, olive, taupe, umber,
plum, maroon and salmon kernels beautiful?
A pretty side by side.


We have two craft & fabric thrift shops in our area.
The stores are brimming with donated supplies. The proceeds are
used to support, care for and educate the local community.

Orchard Santa's background is a remnant from one of the shops.
It is a little bit thinner than wool milled specifically for rug hooking.
The results came as a complete surprise to me!



Here you can see the original patch of wool
next to a small hooked sample,#8 cut loops.
I wash all wool before adding it to my existing stash.
Making sure it is clean and clear of any unwanted clothes moths
or carpet beetles. I make a sample patch of the plaids and textures.

The wool looks different when it it is hooked in curvy lines!
Since this was a fabric remnant, we don't know how old it is.
I have searched the web for it~ I have not found a source.

The wool in the image below is currently available from Dorr Mill Store.
My friend Caryn shared the photograph with me.
It looks to be similar~



Autumn is golden~
Wishing your hearts joy!

Tuesday, October 31

October 31st~


It's a blustery Autumn day here!
Hold onto your hats & treat bags~

Hope your day is filled with sweet-treats, Friends!

Friday, October 20

Harvest Moon~


'Harvest Moon' Copyright 2017 Michelle L. Palmer

We have been enjoying several weeks of mild weather.
Beautiful sunny days & clear starry nights...
Walking the pup without a flashlight when the night sky lights the way~

That is what inspired this friendly moon~
Walking past pumpkin fields as the sun is setting.
Harvest beauties silhouetted against the sherbet orange sky.

Moon shining down on roadside pumpkins for sale~

Hope your Autumn days are filled with beauty, Friends!




Wednesday, October 18

Punch Needle & Primitive Stitcher Magazine~


'Melt Your Heart' Snowman~ copyright 2017 Michelle L. Palmer

This Valentine friend is in the 2017 Christmas~Winter Mega Issue!
There are so many beautiful patterns tucked inside.
Deb Jochim fills her publications with goodness!

She included a photograph of the snowman before I added 
the Instant Antique spray~



'Gathering Goose' copyright 2017 Michelle L. Palmer

This happy fella was on the cover of PNPS Fall 2017 
He has some vegetables & seasonal decorations to deliver
for a meat-free Thanksgiving dinner (giggle)

I have so much fun with punch needle~
Hope you do to, Friends!

Wishing you a harvest season filled with goodness~

Tuesday, September 26

Punch needle patterns~


'Rooster Rising' Copyright 2017 Michelle L. Palmer

'Rooster Rising' my dad would always say,
"Never let the sunshine catch you sleeping!" "Up an at 'em!"
Days with him were always filled with adventure~ and love!

Hello, Friends!
It has been too long since my last post~
Summer seemed to dash by us and Autumn has arrived with 
unseasonably warm and beautiful days!
The gardens continue to call to me and
somehow I find myself spending too much time away from my desk~


'Scarecrow in the Pumpkin Patch' copyright 2017 Michelle L. Palmer

When the moon is so bright you don't need a flashlight~ 
That's when I imagine new friends are made!


'Apple a Day' copyright 2017 Michelle L. Palmer

Apple a Day' ~ The orchards smell so, so good right now!
We have been enjoying several warm days.
Driving past the rows of apple trees with our window down~ 
Sure to make an apple pie as soon at the 80 degree days go back down to the 60's.
(I think punch needle each day is great medicine, too!)


'Love You, Fraktur Bird' copyright 2017 Michelle L. Palmer

My dad would sit on the edge of my light blue
sand box (that he had built) and look up to the moon and say,
"I love you all the way up there, to that big white moon~ and back"
He used the moon to keep me awake on the way home
from Christmas Eve parties,
"Where's that moon, Boo? Did you see Santa fly around it yet?"
Something about the moon~


'Sunny Perch' copyright 2017 Michelle L. Palmer

Perfect place for our little crow friend to rest his wings~
Pumpkins can get heavy!
I remember walking through the pumpkin patch with little ones.
They would find the biggest one they could wrap their little
arms around & claim it as their own.
It would grow heavy in their arms after a few steps~


'Pumpkin in the Window' copyright 2017 Michelle L. Palmer

Mom always put a ceramic pumpkin (that my sister made)
in our front picture window.
I loved the soft glow of the smiling jack o lantern's face
as it reflected in the window.
The pumpkin sat on a very thick encyclopedia,
wrapped in tin foil, for perfect height. I put my little friend on a pedestal~

Hope your Autumn days are filled with happiness, Friends!

Monday, August 7

Sunflower in the pumpkin patch hooked rug~


I often spend weekends trying to catch up on special orders~
A fever decided to grab on to me so I gathered some
wool worms and passed some time with a harvest project!


I love painting, drawing, photographing, stitching, sketching... pumpkin tendrils!


Painting with wool...
I had such a great time working on the pumpkin...
Choosing my palette & adding some plaids for texture!


One of my favorite color pairs~
Yellow and blue

Hope your Monday is filled with blue skies, Friends!

Friday, June 23

Pen & Ink Pincushions


 

Bees, feathered friends, harvest perches and patriotic themes~


Pinkeeps!
Pincushions!
If you remove the pins they are fun to hang on a cupboard pull~


Teddy bears love to hold hearts in their laps, too!


Chickadee and bee are discussing their sewing project~


This bee stopped by the firework daisy!


How I love bee skeps~
Hives of all shapes & sizes!


I love to draw bees in straight lines, too~
They are flying off to work together!


I bet these little friends sing, "Whistle while you work!"
They each have their yellow-topped pin...
They're off to help in the studio~

Wishing you a wonderful weekend, Friends!

Thursday, November 24

Monday, October 31

Carved pumpkins~


My carved pumpkin~
Hope you're having a fun day, Friends!

Be safe as you're gathering tricks & treats!


Friday, October 21

Snowmen, sheep and a squirrel!


We have been enjoying beautiful Autumn days!
Very little frost...
The vegetable garden continues to share.
We were warned that our fall foliage colors would be minimal.
Not as full, could be dull, muted.
NOT AT ALL!
The most beautiful, vibrant and stunning colors in years!
Wish I could share the setting with you~


Came across a row of young oak trees the other day~
There were acorns everywhere!!
Not sure how squirrels & other gatherers have not discovered the nuts!
I could have scooped them up with a shovel & buckets~
I filled my pocket and brought them home for our little gray & red friends.
Gathered some leaves so we can purchase the same oak varieties for
our back yard!


I used Instant Antique spray for this snow friend~
Pure white is beautiful...
I love the textural results of the antiqued floss on my more
primitive snowmen friends!
(Instant Antique is available from Primitive Gatherings)


Most of my punch needle designs are interpretations from
my original watercolor paintings~
The top image is a color printout of my original watercolor painting.
I painted this little meadow scene in 1996.


I originally punched the sheep with white & taupe colors~
They didn't stand out enough to me... the whole design was too cold.
Painting with threads is a little different than painting with watercolor!
Now I want to paint the scene with brown sheep!


Our snowman looks sad that my sheep lost their coats of white!
Soon to have their coats of brown, gray & black~
The one color I just love in this piece is the scarf~ DMC 4130!
It is variegated... rich harvest colors!
She has her November scarf on~

Hope you have a wonderful weekend, Friends! 

Wednesday, October 12

Painted Acorn punch needle heart



I couldn't get through the harvest season without a few
punch needle hearts!

Once I close the windows and accept that our warm days have passed~
I completely enjoy Autumn.
The colors, the harvest~
Bringing some of those colors indoors to warm heart & home!

Wishing your hearts every sweet happiness!

Tuesday, September 13

Acorn Pincushions


These little buttons are perfect for the bittersweet themed pinkeep!
Pins with golden yellow & red heads...


Vegetable ivory buttons look like acorns...


This vintage gear button was perfect for my acorn wheel!


So much in life starts small... 
Builds...
Grows...
Hard work and determination~


I had a teacher who taught me to have strong foundations.
Build several sturdy legs to your table.
If one leg weakens~ the others will hold it up.
Then don't neglect the weak spot. Immediately work to restore strength.

I hope your week is off to a great start, Friends!
Stay strong & I hope you find a creative project, too~

Thursday, September 1

Hello, September punch needle designs!


'Jack O Lantern Hill" copyright 2016 Michelle L. Palmer

No matter the shape of my fall pumpkin...
Tall and narrow,
Short and flat...
Smooth or bumpy...
No matter how much planning I did to carve a really neat face~
The eyes always ended up as triangles.
The nose was always long and narrow.
It always had a smile~


"Bushel and a Peck" copyright 2016 Michelle L. Palmer

The orchards are full~
We have been very short on rain this summer. Drought conditions.
The limbs are heavy but holding onto all of that precious fruit!
Little road-trips in the country... smells so good!

Hope your September is filled with harvest goodies & creative projects!
Thank you for stopping by, Friends~


Tuesday, August 2

Harvest of punch needle fun!


"Trick or Treat Boot" copyright 2016 Michelle L. Palmer

We are experiencing drought conditions this summer~
It has limited how much gardening can be done.
I'm able to get more work finished since I'm not digging & weeding.
That means more play time!
More punch time!


"Harvest Crow on Enamelware" copyright 2016 Michelle L. Palmer

How fun it was to use up some bits & pieces of floss that were left over!
Border of many colors!
Harvest colors~


"Pumpkin Hill" copyright 2016 Michelle L. Palmer

I did this one earlier in the year~
Something about sheep!
When I purchase roving for needle felting the farmers allow me to 
visit with their sheep. They come running to their keepers like puppies!


"Walking on Sunshine" copyright 2016 Michelle L. Palmer

Sunflowers and bumble bees~
I could punch, paint, sketch sunflowers from Springtime through Fall!
They bloom early in the growing season here because chipmunks
bury sunflower seeds all over our yard!
They have little keeping spaces too close to the surface & we let them grow!


"Pumpkin & Crow" copyright 2015 Michelle L. Palmer

Black has so many colors reflected in it~
So does this crow!


"Painted Corn Crow" copyright 2016 Michelle L. Palmer

I wonder if each kernel tastes different for them?!
We have grown painted corn, miniature Indian corn, strawberry corn...
blue corn (a variety of flint maize) 
It is so much fun to pull back the husks & reveal the colors!

Hope your August is off to a great start, Sweet Friends!
I'm not rushing summer away~
August is filled with beauty!