New Friends ~

Good Morning Friends & Folk!!!

a new friend has come to live with us here at the farm ~

please meet 

~ Hope ~

the tiniest little elephant-girl you'd ever hope to meet!

Hope arrived in yesterdays mail ~

all the way from NY…

she came with a note attached to her 

saying that she was made by another new friend.

"Miss N"

tiny little elly-girl

"Miss N" wrote on the note that she decided that Hope should come live with us here ~

where she would be loved to bits

and have many new friends to talk & play with.

here she is below, 

...telling her new friends all about her adventure from 'the north'

her new friends listen intently to her chattering-on
{friends were all created by Lori Ann Corelis ~ aka: The Spotted Hare}

I am so thankful to "Miss N" for her random kindness ~

a token of friendship between kindred souls….

wishing you all a day filled with random kindness too

xoxoxox

p.s. Farm shop is

 OPEN 

Today & Tomorrow

10:00 - 3:00

come on in & meet little Hope!

~ Blessings from the Farm ~

 Lori

Finally ~

okeedokeee….

the new Valentine's designs are now available in our

 Etsy Shop

they are:

"I Forgot…" cross stitch design

"Heartwarming" wool appliqué by Felicia Martin

"Tokens of Love" punch needle design {3 in 1}

….now onto Spring!!!!

~ Blessings from the Farm ~ 

 Lori

a day late...

watch for the release of the new Valentine's designs on thursday!!!!

~ Blessings from the Farm ~ 

 Lori

Small Update Tomorrow ~

Good Evening Friends & Folk ~

are you snowed in?

well  if you are ~

 I'm hoping it is perhaps with someone you love most...

...not a flake here!

{except for a couple of best girlfriends and you know who you are.}

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

With the winter weather upon most of the northeast,

'us~folk' who love needlework really don't mind being snowed in though , do we?

with that said,

I will be releasing just a few new patterns for your Valentine's Day stitching...

"I Forgot"   ©2015 Lori Brechlin for Notforgotten Farm

Actually, one of the new designs is coming from Miss Flea!!!

~a sweet little wool appliqué runner ~

and I could not be happier that she is dipping her tiny toes back into the designing waters!

Miss Flea, {aka Felicia Martin from The Martin House}

 as you may know is my model stitcher for my cross stitch designs ~

and

although she has not designed a new project in a few years, 

NOR has she been blogging, 

she is not one to be idle...

she is very busy caring for her large family {5 children} 

and going to school for her RN degree!

AND she also is my right hand, my BFF, my confidant 

~ and I couldn't get through a full week without her help here in the shop.

So very proud of you Flea ~ xoxoxoxox

So, tomorrow you will see what is soon to be one of many to come

{I hope} of her vintage-looking designs ~

(((and Joan, if you're reading this, you need to get to work ~)))

and I love you too.

~ Blessings from the Farm ~

 Lori

Sunday Morning Musings ~

Well I spent the entire day on the couch yesterday ~

needle in hand and feet up.

feeling a little better today, so I guess I'm on the mend so-to-speak….

so I stepped out into the fresh air this morning 

to clear my lungs a bit and this was waiting for me:

Pinocchio & Daisy say

"Good Morning to you!"

I put my "FAUX-sythia" {lol}

in my basket on the porch post the other day…

doesn't it look cheerful?

can't wait for the real thing ~

{{Hmm…think I'll go cut some and force it here in the farmhouse!}}

Our hens are juuuust beginning to lay again ~

the cockerels have been busy I guess!

this is our plunder from yesterday morning ~

I love my old Star Egg Carrier ~ 

and those white eggs are blown glass….

 used by farmers to 'encourage' their hens to brood ~

Here is that pocket I was working on ~ all finished…

~ it is fully lined and I love it.

the fabric is prairie cloth, and the threads are Valdani ~

...my own doodle-design ;)

I am enjoying hand embroidery/stitching more and more recently…

I love my cross stitch and punch needle,

but

there is something so very rewarding 

about the freedom of creating various stitches while I work.

just taking a line drawing, transferring it to fabric 

~ and then letting my imagination run with color and stitch…

here is what I worked on all day yesterday

{between naps, stretches and cups of tea, mind you}

I wanted to start something simple,

and I wanted to just sharpen my stitches a bit ~

you know, that practice-makes-perfect thing?

well, my stitches are far from perfect…but they are happy little stitches and that's all that matters to me!

this is stitched on weavers cloth ~ 

yes, the same cloth we use for our punch needle…

I like it because:

I can trace a design through it ~

it is nubby like linen ~

it is woven and 'takes' cross stitches well ~

it is stain-able ~

it is inexpensive ~

the threads I used for this are Guterman threads found in Joann's ~

using an air-erasable marker,

I drew on simple, positive words {'believe, keep going, carry on"} and then just let my needle dance ~

really not a lot of thought went into this, as my poor brain was fuzzy from this head-cold.

If you are interested, I created a group on Facebook 

{yes, another one! no rolling of eyeballs please lol} called:

"Humble Work Hand Embroidery"

here's the link:

Humble Work Hand Embroidery

it's a group devoted to hand embroidery & embellishment ~

like crewel work, stump work, 3 dimensional stitching, needle weaving ~

and simple, primitive stitching using the basics:

chain stitch, satin stitch, french/colonial knot, straight stitch, running stitch, feather stitch, etc…

 As there already is the most awesome

Prim Stitchers Society

https://www.facebook.com/groups/primstitcherssociety/

and the equally fabulous

Punchneedle Place

https://www.facebook.com/groups/PunchNeedlePlace/

I thought a group for other hand embroidery would be a good place to chatter about ~

Do drop me a line if you'd like to join the Humble Work group!

well, I am off to get a little more fresh air into my lungs…

perhaps allow my hubby to accompany me on a short woodland walk ;)

hoping you all have a beautiful Sunday my friends!

~ Blessings from the Farm ~ 

 Lori

we are CLOSED today ~

sorry, we are closed today, 

~ Saturday January 24th ~

we were supposed to hold our Winter's Tea & Wool Applique class today...

but the powers-that-be, aka the weather-folks

put the fear into us all that it would be crummy weather, 

...not suitable for driving...

so what's a girl to do?

better to be safer than sorry and postpone the class,

 and not have our students drive in the 'proposed' mess.

oh well,

I am feeling a tad under the weather too,

scratchy throat, headache & slight cough.

SO

I will keep the shop closed, 

...and rest a bit.

hot tea, cozy blankets, fluffy pillows…

box of kleenex and a 'heater-cat' on my lap {chest, back, head…}

needle and thread? perhaps…

old movies?

…definitely.

even when I'm sick, I cannot be idle.

unless I'm unconscious…

*sniff*

~ Blessings from the Farm ~

 Lori

Valdani Threads ~

Look what I got!

...just received in the mail yesterday ~

three shiny new packages of my first collection of threads in conjunction with 

~ Valdani ~

this is the first of 4 collections that I will have with Valdani,

this one is called 

"Spring" from Notforgotten Farm

I'm working on finishing up the designs for the small Valentine's Day release,

~ and my Spring release too

and the threads in this collection are used for the new designs...

and I've listed this chair pad on EBAY today as well ~

{{ link to my auctions is on my sidebar to your right --------> }}

it's S N O W I N G!

really the first flakes we've seen all year here in these parts ~

expecting a mess of freezing rain too.

be safe, & keep warm!

~ Blessings from the Farm ~

 Lori

Another little mat listed & other news ~

Hello Friends & Folk!

 I've listed another little hooked mat on my Ebay page ~

Primitive Hooked Rug/Mat ~ Blue Heart ~

this one was hooked with smaller width strips in the center {blue heart}

and gives it an early, dimensional look :)

I also wanted to mention that I will be teaching at not one, 

...but TWO wonderful stitching retreats this year!

the first, will be

April 30th ~ May 3rd ~ 2015

Prim Stitchers Society Retreat {teaching/trunk show}

in Colonial Williamsburg, VA

I'll be teaching a cross stitch class (project photos coming soon)

~and~

October 9th - 11th 2015

Stitching in the Valley Retreat {teaching/trunk show}

Middletown, VA

www.valleyneedleworks.com

I'll be teaching a primitive embroidery class (project photos coming soon)

I am so excited to be a part of these, 

...what I'm sure will be the first of many,

needlework gatherings ~ 

it fills my heart to know so many of you have already signed up

and I'll do my best to offer you a fun & rewarding class experience!

~In Other News~

I'll be releasing just a few patterns for 

Valentine's Day within a day or two...

{will share them here}

 ~ and then will release my Spring designs soon to follow :)

>>**NOTE to SATURDAY JANUARY 24th Winter's Tea & Wool Applique 

Class students**<<

IF the weather is inclement on class day, 

we will reschedule the class for Saturday February 7th. I'll contact you via email if we cancel for Jan 24th ~

there will be NO OPEN HOOKING, PUNCH or STITCHING on class days :)

thank you!!!

Hoping you enjoy a loverly afternoon & eve ~ 

we do have 'falling-weather' heading our way!

~ Blessings from the Farm ~

 Lori

One thing leads…..

yesterday I posted about my sketching, 

drawing….doodling.

today I have quite a few finished pieces 

that I will begin uploading into my Spoonflower and Zazzle shops 

to be made into fabric designs, wrapping paper, & postcards….

{links are on sidebar to your right}

my PA German heritage is evident in my work ~

I love those folky birds, flowers, baskets, vines and lettering….

of course I have to add an element of 'me' 

~ with keys, hands….hearts.

….and as usual what happens is

my sketchings become the seeds for my needlework designing ~

this time I chose to work on a darker fabric 

{I believe this to be prairie cloth}

using a lighter thread

{Valdani #8 pearl cotton}

and embellishing with old buttons….

colonial knot ~ lazy daisy ~ feather stitch ~ primitive satin stitch ~ chain stitch ~ outline stitch

~ just letting my hands & needle play…

when I embroider, I do use a hoop.

unlike when I stitch on linen…

this one is a vintage green & white enamel {metal & cork}

spring-hoop from my collection. 

one of my favorite phrases:

~ perhaps I'll include it in the needlework?

I'm hoping to offer some of my simple embroidery designs for you to create…

we don't see too many patterns out there for this kind of work, and I thoroughly enjoy it ~

no counting, no threading

and I like adding different stitches ~ slow & steading stitching…

a refreshing change from punching, cross stitching & hooking :)

Sunny here at the farm again this morning ~

warmer temps again too, in the 50's

gotta love that!

farmhouse chores to be done:

laundry {bedding}

wash floors & windows

clean pantry

farmyard chores to be done:

sweep porches

clean coops

spread sawdust in coops

brush donkeys

only when they're complete will I find my stitching nest again….

Have a beautiful day!!!!

~ Blessings from the Farm ~

 Lori

Re-visiting ~

The month of January ~

finds me with a brain-ful of fresh, new ideas…

I come back time & again to my beloved sketchbooks ~

my pens, inks & paints are ready for something new from my hands.

there's something about the slanted light 

...that comes in my studio's windows early in the morning:

it allows me to see things in a more shadowed form ~ subtle and gentle…

reminding me to slow my pace and enjoy the creative process.

one lone paintbrush, 3 good nibbed ink pens…

a small cache of watercolor cakes

& some hand parched paper….

…are all I need to make me happy today ~

...working on a few new folk art pieces to be available in my Zazzle shop soon

{link on sidebar}

and to be added as new fabric & wrapping paper designs in my Spoonflower shop

{ link on sidebar as well}

will share finishes here soon :)

I'm hoping that wherever this sunny monday morning finds you,

...you are enjoying what your hands & heart love best.

~ Blessings from the Farm ~ 

 Lori

I listed something on Ebay!

oh yes I did ~

here's the link if you're interested in taking a peek or perhaps bidding:

Primitive Hooked Rug/Mat ~ Hand & Hearts ~

I'm hoping to begin listing more items now ~ 

some handmade items, some items from my 'collections'...

I've added a link on my sidebar to take you to my auctions too :)

have fun!

~ Blessings from the Farm ~ 

 Lori

Virginia Guild of Needlewomen

Miss Joan & I had a loverly day yesterday ~

spent with the even more loverly ladies of the

~ Virginia Guild of Needlewomen ~

...a small but charming group of gals 

who gather together regularly to share what they love.

we began by sharing their progress on the design I had made for them ~

some chose to finish at the class, some not.

:)

we talked {well, I know I did!}

laughed {hopefully I didn't make you all crazy!}

and shared....

how wonderful it is when women gather in friendship 

and share their love of needlework!!!

 ...some members brought along show & tell,

beautifully stitched & finished of course ~

after class, it was time for a little shopping ~

I brought a small trunk show along with me for them to have fun with :)

 I really enjoyed the ladies of this guild ~

 and I'm looking forward to getting to know them all a little better in the future!

...my heartfelt Thanks to the members of the Virginia Guild of Needlewomen!

thank you for putting up with me ;)

***JUST A HEAD'S UP***

FARM SHOP IS CLOSED TODAY Friday January 16th

BUT will be open TOMORROW SATURDAY January 17th 

{{bring your work in progress & come create with me}}

10:00 - 3:00

~ Blessings from the Farm ~ 

 Lori

For the Birds ~

each morning during the cold months ~

...we make sure the bird feeders are filled.

our feathered friends come from near & far to our farmyard

for their daily nourishment.

blue jays in our black walnut trees

I love how animated my little friends are ~

how they hop and squawk at each other.

listening for worms

i love blue jays especially ~

their colors & markings are so beautiful :)

handsome little fellow

we usually have jays, cardinals, titmice & juncoes…

goldfinch, purple finch, sparrows ~

bluebirds, indigo buntings and brown headed cowbirds…

just to name a few.

happy cardinal-boy

when the feeders run low, 

 ~ they will make such a ruckus in the cedar bushes!!

making sure we know to do our jobs ;)

I also toss out all of my thread & wool snippets to them ~

to cozy up their nests in the harsh weather….

fill 'er up!

I will be traveling to Richmond today ~

to where the Virginia Guild of Needlewomen will be gathered

...to teach a finishing class for this project:

"My Threads" ditty bag ©Notforgotten Farm 2014

Joan & I will head on down the road on our adventure ~

can't wait to see these wonderful ladies who help us keep 

the needle arts we love alive!

I'll take pics at the class

{if they allow me to?} and if so, share them here ~

I'll also be bringing a trunk show with me of patterns & other 'needful things'

Have a beautiful day my friends ~

and don't forget to feed the birds!

~ Blessings from the Farm ~ 

 Lori

Mixing it up ~

when I don't have a needle & thread {punch, hook, etc...}

in my hand ~

I will usually hold a pen or pencil or paintbrush.

the first thing I do when I design is doodle.

"doodle."

that's a funny word if you say it numerous times :)

I usually doodle in sketchbooks ~

and I keep sketchbooks everywhere...in my purse & car.

one (or three) hides in every room of this old farmhouse I swear.

but

I got to thinking ~ {uh oh.}

I said to myself:

"self, why don't you doodle on those luggage tags 

that you have hiding in that old tin way up there on that shelf,

instead of those sketchbooks that are tucked away?"

and myself answered:

"good question."

so I climbed up and got them out ~

love my old red PA German tins ~
these are on a shelf above my worktable in my sewing room

 I keep all kinds of 'stuff' in them,

...this one holds luggage tags, especially.

T A G S 

and I did this ~

nothing special, just a random drawing in ink....

 lots of fun ~ but just what will become of them?

not sure, but at least my creativity is never idle ;)

maybe I'll make them into custom business cards 

 ~ and include a little original drawing in each order I receive ~

Hmmm....wheels are turning {constantly}

but for now, I'm just enjoying making them!

I finished one of the punch needle projects I've been working on ~

this one is called 

"Tulip Peddler"

and is punched using both Valdani variegated threads & my DMC floss colors:

you can see the darker brown/black threads are Valdani, 

....while the ecru threads are DMC

I like how this looks ~

the Valdani I am using is #8 pearl cotton, 

and I use it in my Cameo Ultra Punch Needle w/ the MEDIUM tip needle ~

when I use the Valdani with this size needle, on the #1 setting of my punch needle

my loops come out looking little tiny french knots...

and I LOVE this effect!

...not sure if it's because the thread is worsted {twisted} 

as opposed to the 6 strand DMC which is not, and lays "flatter" ~

but regardless, using both kinds of threads in my work is awesome...

~ best of both worlds!

look for this design and more new designs 

~ coming soon to my Etsy shop ~

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

tis a snowy-blowy day here at the farm today...

a dusting of the white stuff graced our barnyard this morning,

making it even more cozy inside.

Hoping your day is filled with creativity & warmth!!

~ Blessings from the Farm ~ 

 Lori