~*A Crow Finish & Greenhouse Fun*~

Good Morning Dear Friends! Cleaning up my work area was a HUGE POSITIVE for me yesterday! I actually have been able to get something FINISHED! This little pillow was a quick to~do. I started it over the weekend ~ simple & easy. I hooked wool on wool... (This is actually the retreat theme for the online group, AAPG, next weekend. I guess I'm a week ahead of the game!)



Hooking with scraps leftover from other projects, I hooked the crow and the word directly on a piece of old army blanket. Simple as can be! After hooking, I backed the pillow with a fabric scrap from an old grain sack... and filled with with woolly snippets. For an added treat, I pinned a rusty jingle bell for his eye.

I have a vintage garden chair that is riddled with paint. I bought it that way at a garage sale for only a dollar last year. The seat is pretty rusty, so I keep a chair pad on it when it is dry out. The crow pillow adds a little more FUN to the spot. This chair is just outside the greenhouse ~ a nice spot to sit & enjoy the yard.

On the other side of the greenhouse door is this guy...


Isn't he a hoot? I bought him last week at the prim shop. He was one of those HAD~TO~HAVES! I attached him to one of the hedge posts & get a chuckle each time I see him.



The hedge post on the other side of the door is decorated with a beeskeep a friend gave me last year. The kitties? Well, the yellow one is Tommy and the black & white one is Oreo (also called OC ~ as in Oreo Cookie). They are trying to get along. Oreo is new to the homestead... he just showed up a few weeks ago. He is very loving & is trying so hard to get Tommy and Mr. Bean (the white kitty you may have seen in earlier posts) to accept him as one of 'the guys'.



I also dyed some fabric yesterday. It is dry and awaiting another couple of finishes. More to come later...

Wishing you all warm smiles...

Betty

~*Linen Quality*~

Hello Dear Friends!

Thank you for all the kind comments regarding the latest FREEBIE!  I do hope you all have a fun time stitching it up!  You are all very welcome!  *SMILE*

This morning at the bait shop I kept my fingers busy again!  So busy, in fact, that the tip of my middle finger, on my right hand, has a slight puncture wound!  Oops!  Maybe it is time for me to change mediums for awhile so it can heal?  It is so nice that I'm not actually busy 'working' at my job!  ha ha ha

I started by stitching the missing crow on my latest freebie... then grabbed some scrap linen and threads from the plastic baggie (no, it isn't pretty) that I carry my cross stitch supplies in... back and forth from the bait shop... and stitched a beautiful pattern by Beth Ann Seal of Summer House stitche workes.  This is a free pattern titled Pennsylvania Blossom that she gifted the members of Prim Stitchers Society on Facebook.  Thank you Beth Ann!

Are you a member of the group?  You should hop on over to join if you aren't.  It is a great, supportive, addictive group!

Here is my finished Potted Jacks N' Crows... along with the start (almost finish!) of Pennsylvania Blossom.  I only needed to finish the '9' before leaving 'work'.

See the missing crow?  I didn't even notice until after I posted this photo below on my blog a couple days ago!  This was even after a good coffee bath!  

ha ha ha

Now onto the title of this post... Linen Quality!  I have tried to NEVER be a linen snob.  I have used all sorts of linens, aida cloths, osnaburg, and other fabrics.  Whatever is available at the time... I will give it a try.  This morning I realized something... something I had not paid attention to before.  Maybe I came to this realization because I am a more experienced stitcher now... after over 25 years of doing it!  Maybe my eyes are getting worse.  (Oh... bifocals I know you are getting close!)  Well, whatever it is... I will deal with it and just give my normal explanation... "It is primitive, and I won't stress about it being PERFECT."

What did I notice? 

Well, the linen that I grabbed from my baggie this morning is a linen purchased several years ago from a large, big box, craft store.  I remember it costing about $8 for the 'bag' of it.  I don't believe it was a full yard.  Rather it was just a hunk-cut of fabric.  This linen is thicker than the quality stuff available from the fine cross stitch suppliers and shops.  Also, the threads are not consistent in thickness.  On top of that, there are thick 'spots' here and there.  

I worked with it.  However, I am sure I missed some stitches and picked up 3 threads, here and there, when I was stitching over 2.  Oh this finish, as beautiful as the pattern is... would be criticized drastically by the professional, by the book, stitcher.  Well... I don't care.  I still think it is lovely!  And like I said above, "It is primitive, and I won't stress about it being PERFECT."

I will continue to work with this fabric.  But, after the difficulty trying to 'see' the threads this morning (and my light was good)... I will probably reach for the finer quality linens in the future when I can.

Look at the photos to follow closely.  You can see my errors... you can see the fabric errors.  Would you use this linen?  Honestly, for the price and primitiveness of it... I do think you should try.  But remember, it is a little difficult to work with.

 

My afternoon has not been as productive as my morning... but the evening is still ahead of me.  I have the house to myself... so I'm sure I will find something to do.  Yes, probably continue to research the pdf file thing... by maybe I'll craft some more.

Wishing you all warm smiles...

Betty

~*Friday Finishes*~

Hello Dear Friends! It is that time again... time for ~*Friday Finishes*~! I look forward to Fridays! Don't you?

Here is some really YUMMY eye candy to share...

Nan has stitched up the lateset ~*Crow*~ freebie... using overdyed flosses of Onyx and Palomino. She had read that I was going to be putting my stitched piece atop a box... and she has beaten me to the punch. (mine is still unfinished) Didn't she do a lovely job?


She even stitched up a matching strawberry. Just LOVELY!

Another darling ~*Crow*~ finish comes from Becky. She told me she hadn't cross stitched in over 10 years... but after seeing all the delightful finishes by others, was inspired to pick up the needle again. She stitched on tea~dyed 18 count Aida with #12 Valdani thread... using a shade of multi~colored brown. She mounted her finish in a 4 x 6 frame that she painted black with a gold base coat. She says she is HOOKED & will be doing lots more stitching. That is GREAT!

While watching the news this morning, I heard the local weather guy say this weekend could be the best one of the year. Lots of sunshine & comfortable temperatures. I would like to wish that for all of you too... but if you don't get the nice weather, you can enjoy Michelle's ~*Spring*~ freebie finish...

Isn't it cheerful? She says it was a quick stitch. Quick or not... it is just DARLING!

Thank you to all of you for stitching & sharing! Please keep those needles busy & keep sharing your stunning finishes! I LOVE to see 'em!

I've been working on my lollipop flower rug... and have it almost finished. Hopefully a finished photo of it will be posted soon... along with a few other finishes that I need to keep plugging away at.

Because it is going to be a lovely Spring weekend... I'm thinking of loading up my pocketbook with some loose change & a few dollars... and hittin' some garage sales! Doesn't that sound like fun? Hmmm... maybe I should browse the classifieds and make a list of some to hit in the morning!

Wishing you all warm smiles...

Betty

~*New Monthly Hooking Group*~

Hello Dear Friends! Today was our 3rd gathering... and I just cannot be more thrilled! A few month ago, I was asked to teach a small group Beginning Rug Hooking... at our local quilt shoppe. At that class, we discussed meeting on a regular basis. Linda, sister of the quilt shoppe owner & organizer of the class, has made it possible. The quilt shoppe is closed on Monday & it has worked out that we can all meet once a month. We have also discussed meeting here at my studio, but there is much more room in the classroom at the quilt shop.

The girls are really getting 'HOOKED' on hooking too!

Linda has a new primitive hook from Aults and has also acquired a new frame. She says she really enjoys working on her hooking while watching (or listening to) the TV at night. She is on her second piece. She didn't bring the first one to the group today... but here is her current project. It will be a footstool cover when completed. She just started hooking on this one during class...She kept calling it her "flying bunny"...


Debbie is almost finished with the hooking on her class project. She had originally planned on making it larger with various colors of blocks around the heart, but was having trouble working in the hoop to do this. She has decided to make it smaller now. Today she was working on making it more straight to even it out. She does already have plans for her next project, but doesn't want to start until she has this one finished...


Trish is moving right along with her class project too... but she doesn't find much time to work on it outside of our get~togethers... she is an avid quilter & quilts keep her rather busy...


Jerilynn is almost finished with her first project too... her ear of corn. She too has plans for her next piece... a cool crow that she plans to hook in black & purple...


It is really cool to see the projects progress. Each has a great sense of color and design.

I drew up this rug last night & very quickly color planned it so I would have something new to work on during our get~together. We only met from 8:30~11:30 and I did talk while we worked... but even I was amazed with how much I was able to get done on it during our time together. I pulled my first loop in the rug there & did all this during our three hours...I'm pleased with how it is coming along...
I'm hooking this one with some FAT 8.5 cut worms.

Wishing you all warm smiles...

Betty

~*Some Birthday Treasures*~

Hello Dear Friends! Yes, I did recently celebrate another birthday. Trinity has made a huge point this year of telling EVERYONE (and reminding me constantly) that I am now 41. Seriously, his whole class knows my age, the girl that took our order at McDonald's the other day knows, the check out clerk at the grocery store knows, a stranger that was leaving the store the same time we were knows... and so on and so on. And now... YOU all know! LOL Oh well, I'm happy to be 41 and can see another 41 in my future if I'm lucky enough.

Would you like to see some of my Birthday treasures? I truly am blessed with a wonderful family and dear, thoughtful friends.

This has not been 'displayed' where I would like it yet in our home... and I haven't taken a deserving enough photo... but this awesome, old spinning wheel is from my Mom and StepDad. I have been wanting it for a few years... since the second I saw it at Dickerson's in Topeka. I'm so happy to be the proud owner of it now!



Last Sunday, the family was together here for the May Birthday party and go kart racing. We all had a wonderful time... wonderful food... and made wonderful memories. We opened our gifts together and in front of everyone. This one made me cry...



My sweet SIL, Robin, made if for me. She saw it in a catalog and even though she prefers to hook or punch... she stitched this one up for me. She knew I needed to have it.

My Sister and her fiance recently took a vacation in Branson, MO. While they were there, they shopped a few antique stores. She found this sweet tea cup for me. Isn't it pretty? She also gave me a beautiful Shasta daisy and a box of tea. (don't know why I didn't get a photo of them) Relaxing with a cup of tea is a great thing to do for the soul.



Yesterday, I spent the afternoon with my dear friend, Marianne. She treated me to lunch, we shopped a little at a prim shop & the quilt store, had an ice cream, and gave me this sweet porcelain box. She does such beautiful work.



Today as I was getting ready to write this post... I received this bunch of goodies in the mail. They are from my sweet friend, Kathy. This cat is adorable... holding his crow buddy. Along with him came an assortment of yummy wools, a darling sheep pin, and a magnificent vanilla tart.



It is no wonder I smile like this...



Wishing you all warm smiles...

Betty

~*Independence Crow*~

Hello my dear friends! I'm just taking a short break from needle punching to give you another freebie doodle! I hope you like it!

Many smiles,

Betty

~*What a Delight!*~

Hello My Dear Friends! I just have to show this off! My buddy Beth made this from my freebie doodle, Independence Crow! She always does such delightful work. She needle punched the front of the pinkeep... but then did a lil' cross stitch on the back.....



She told me she does plan on listing it on Ebay soon.... but it isn't there yet. Her seller id is heartstringprimitives. Beth also has a very sweet blog.... and a couple of REALLY sweet kids.... The Twist Family.

It has been a weekend of playing catch up.... after our visit in Oklahoma. Dad is doing well, but still has a long road of healing ahead of him. Your continued prayers on his behalf are GREATLY appreciated. Thank you! I've started laundry and tried to clean the house (but just a little)... weeded the big flower bed in the front & have plans to bake a peach cobbler with some sweet peaches from my mother-in-law. YUMMY! My body is aching to create ~ so hopefully I can pull out a needle before the day is over. Oh... and it is getting to be time for another freebie doodle too.... watch for it in the next couple of days.... whatever it may be. ;)

Many warm smiles to you..... Betty

~*Another Crow Finish & An Auction Listing*~

Hello Dear Friends! My time has been spent creatively lately & I'm enjoying it so much! Here is my latest finish...





Yes, I actually did the stitching long ago... but this morning I finished the box! AND... it is now listed on Ebay & is up for offering!

CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE AUCTION or search seller id primitivebettys

I don't recall the exact floss used for the stitching, but it is a charcoal tone. The fabric is Weeks Dye linen ~ chestnut dyed. Isn't it YUMMY?

It feels good to be getting some finishes of my own. I'm about to walk away from the computer for a bit... and work on some more. But before I go, here are some blooms from the yard this morning...



The poppies are almost done blooming... you can see the bare heads. We are going to get more rain tonight & then they will probably be officially finished. I should have taken a photo earlier.




Wishing you all warm smiles,

Betty

~*Friday Finishes*~

Hello Dear Friends! As always... I'm truly delighted to share these fabulous finishes with you! Enjoy!

First, a few ~*Wicked*~ pieces...

From Phoebe ~



Don't you just LOVE this lil' pincushion? And the setting for the photo too? So totally DARLING! Oh, Phoebe's blog is in Chinese. Even if you can't 'read' it, you should swing by to take a look at her other finished stitches. They are all so beautiful! Be sure to see her Mary Wigham SAL!!

From Elizabeth ~



I just adore these too! The stars stitched above the crow are very cool! Specialty stitches & fibers of 'October Orange' ~ too sweet! Oh, these are BOTH freebies by me. The ~*Hallow's Eve*~ is a freebie I offered to the members of the Stacy Nash Groupies Yahoo group. Are you a member? The chart is available to group members. I'm sure you can become a member... swing by. It is a great online group!

From Mercy is a delightful, Autumn finish of ~*Blessings*~ ...



This one warms me inside... almost like homemade soup on a cool Fall afternoon (with homemade apple pie for dessert, of course!). Why do I get a warm feeling like that from a photograph? Silly me! Well, this is a super sweet finish ~ and again, I just love the display set up for the photograph!

Thank you Ladies for stitching and sharing! Each and Every finish warms my heart!

Please keep stitching & sharing!

Wishing you all warm smiles...

Betty

~*I have been tagged!*~

Thank you Nutmeg... of The Magpie Nest. Well... I now have to come up with five things to tell you about myself & then tag five more of my friends that have not previously been tagged. So.... here goes...


1. I eat a bowl of oatmeal every morning for breakfast. Why? Because it is healthy (that is about as healthy as I get) and I think it tastes pretty good ~ if it has enough sugar on it! LOL

2. My love of olde things can be blamed (Is that the right word? It isn't bad!) on my Mother. I remember shopping with her in the antique stores way back when...... back when it really wasn't fun or cool..... but it grew on me. Thank you Mom for sharing this with me!

3. I get very grouchy when I have not done any of my hand-work for more than 24 hours! (My family knows this too well.... and urge me to 'work'!)

4. I NEVER throw wool or cotton away! Wool is too expensive to pitch..... even the tiny pieces of tails. I save all my fabric straps to use as pillow or pinkeep stuffing.

5. I can't hold a tune in a bucket.... but I love to sing in the car!


Now..... here is who I am going to tag!

1. Sarah of the Paisley Studio
2. Jean of Bluejeans n' Primitives
3. Tammy of Treasured Heirlooms
4. Sher of Old Crow Farm
5. April of April's Folk Art


BTW..... don't forget to stop by tomorrow for the Valentine give away!!! :)

~*Joyful Sunday*~

Hello Dear Friends!

I hope your weekend has been warm and great!

We have had an amazing family, fun~filled, joyous weekend!  Two of my Aunts from California came to visit.  It didn't last nearly long enough... and I have been on the verge of sentimental tears of absolute JOY all weekend!  We hugged, laughed, giggled, talked, ate, played, mingled, toured the capital city, enjoyed the country~side, rode dirt bikes and just plain smiled all weekend!  I'm sad that they are gone... but so glad they were able to come!

The house has quieted down now... except for the roaring sound of football in the background.  I have been getting some needlepunching finished... and listed this ditty on Ebay a few minutes ago...

 ~*Jack & Crow*~ Pillow Tuck

 

Click HERE to see my Ebay listings. 

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

The Eskridge Fall Festival is this coming Saturday, October 25th... in Eskridge, Kansas.  I will have a booth set up on Main Street during the day... offering my wares and demonstrating needlepunch.  Stop by for a visit!

Also, I will be set up here with my Momma during 1st Friday in Topeka, Kansas...

This will be a fun night!  Mark your calendars!!!

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

There were several pictures taken during our family fun.  This is one of my favorites.  My baby Sister, my Momma, and myself.  Doesn't my Momma look happy?  

Wishing you all warm smiles...

Betty

~*Friday Finishes*~

Hello Dear Friends! TGIF! Hey... you know what that means.... ~*Friday Finishes*~!

And here they are... gloriously beautiful...

Gabriele stitched up ~*Sunflowers N' Crows*~... to make this darling pinkeep... but she also used parts of the ~*Crow*~ freebie to make the hang tag. And her sunflowers!! WOW! They just make me smile!! Beautiful!




~*~*~*~

Dora has stitched up another wonderful ditty too! ~*Hallows Eve*~... a pattern you can find in my Etsy Shoppee. She said this is her first Halloween Finish of the year... hmmm, sounds like she will be making more delights! She said "first"... so you know there is going to be a second. :-) Dora stitched on 30 count WDW Cappuccino using the recommended threads, 2 over 2. Just wonderful! (And I LOVE candy corn!)
View of the applique pumpkin on the back...


Thank you, Ladies! Your finishes are always such a delight to see! Thank you for stitching and sharing!

I want to wish you all a fine Friday with warm smiles...

Betty

~*I've Been Playing*~

Hello my dear friends!

I have been playing with the freebie doodle I put up the other day & my cross stitch program..... and look what I did!


(84 x 84 stitches)

WOW! Sometimes I just amaze myself.... really, I have never taken a computer lesson! Like with my folk art, I am completely self~taught! :)

There were a few of you that had mentioned maybe I could do my doodles into cross stitch.... and it looks like I might be able to figure it out. LOL This process isn't how I normally design my cross stitch.... but there is a first for everything!

I'm not sure how to put up the legend with the chart here (I'm still learning) ... but these are the colors that I would use..... these are all DMC floss

outline of pumpkin 400 mahogany - dk
pumpkin 921 copper
stem & crow eye 612 drab brown - lt
everything else ~ 310 black

These are the colors I have been using with many of my recent needle punches... along with my over~dyed floss.

**** To print off the graph ~ click on the image. It will then bring the chart up on the screen alone. Then just print. :)

You are more than welcome to stitch this up AND PLEASE DO ~ just give credit where credit is do.... to me, Betty Dekat of primitivebettys. I would LOVE to see how you stitch this up.

Happy stitching!

Smiles,
Betty

~*Monday*~

Hello Dear Friends! Today has been a good one! It was the monthly get together at the local quilt shop for some hooking. Why-O-Why didn't I get my camera out? it was a nice gathering. Linda was working on applique Christmas stockings, Deb and Trish were working on hearts. Well, Deb was also working on a few other projects... she had forgotten her hoop was was filling in the time with many projects. There were only four of us there (missed you Sher!), but we still enjoyed the time together.

It has been three months since I have hooked. We didn't meet last month & I missed the month before... so it did feel very nice to pull some loops. Here is my progress on my latest, hickety~pickety rug...
Just a simple, old crow with a scrappy, hit n' miss border. I am just working from my scrap bag... trying to use up some of the leftovers.

Over the weekend, I decided it was time to finally paint our front door. We have lived in this home for five years. This old door has had years of abuse... from the heat of the afternoon sun & from the window on the cheap, old storm door being left open during the rain showers. The sealer on it was cracked, bubbly, and peeling... but it is a good, solid door. Tony took it down for me and set it on some saw horses... then I sanded & cleaned & painted it. After three coats...
It looks nice from inside with the door open.
And is beginning to look nicer on the outside too - notice the cheap, old storm door is still there. I am saving to buy a new, PRETTY storm door. Hopefully I will have enough saved up soon.

I also did some more stitching on my Autumn Challenge piece. The stitching part is finished... now for the finishing...
I will post more soon to share the finish... and have a goal to also release it as a pattern. What do you think so far?

Wishing you warm smiles...

Betty

~*Oh Sweet Bunny*~

Hello Dear Friends! Here is another fabulous finish...



This one comes from Tea in Perth, Western Australia. Tea worked with the freebie doodle, ~*1857 Bunny*~. It is needle punched, rag stuffed, hand sewn, and dunked in a walnut crystal bath. She did the punching with Valdani threads. (hummm... I still have not tried those ~ maybe I should!) Oh how sweet it is! I love it!

Tea doesn't have a blog, but will be offering her delightful goodies on The Chocolate Crow Trader beginning April 15th. This is a great site that I was not familiar with. You will want to check out the wonderful artist offerings & freebie patterns... so be sure to swing by!

Thank you, Tea, for punching & sharing... and for pointing me to the direction of the great new, online magazine!

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

Tomorrow is April 1st... that means website updates for The Primitive Gathering and Lemon Poppy Seeds (truth be told... I'm still working on the goodies for this update)... AND, YES, I will be releasing two new patterns. One is for cross stitch and the other is for needle punch. Please stop back by tomorrow to see!

Warm smiles to you all...

Betty

~*Friday Finishes Time!*~

Hello Dear Friends! Oh goodness are there a lot of goodies to share with you! I'll waste no time in showin' ya...

From Nikki, a marvelous stitcher & new blogger, comes this very unique finish with the ~*Crow*~ freebie... It is AWESOME indeed!



Nikki stitched the piece ~ then made it into a pocket to mount it to the paddle. She then tucked in a little raw wool for extra~prim goodness. How darling!

Angela did a personalized finish of the ~*Valentine*~ freebie. Her friend Valerie is visiting from France for a few days. She instantly thought of her friend when she saw the freebie chart & asked if she could personalize it. Well, of course she could! She made this beautiful floss tag for her friend. What a special treasure it is!



floss tag back...



These next several sweets are from Becky... she must have needles for fingers! How do you get so many darling stitches finished dear Becky? Each is more lovely than the last. :) These are each stitched on 18 count Aida with Valdani pearl cotton floss.







The lil' bunny pillow in the shelf is super sweet too! I'm not sure of the designer for this one. Becky, do you know?






That is all I have for this week of ~*Friday Finishes*~... keep 'em coming though! You KNOW I LOVE to see & share 'em!

Wishing you all warm smiles...

Betty