~*More Oxford Punching... How To Part 1*~

Hello Dear Friends!

I've been crafting up gobs of things... for a couple of events that are quickly approaching.

On October 12th, I will be set up to demonstrate, show, and sell my wares at Cabin Antiques located at beautiful Lake Wabaunsee.  Pam, the owner of the cabin, is having her Customer Appreciation Days... and has generously offered both my Mom and I to be there.  (My Mom makes the sweetest crochet critters!  Her Etsy shoppe is called Sweatheart Threads.  Have you visited her?)

On November 7th, I will be doing more demonstrating, showing, and selling at Fairlawn Plaza Mall in Topeka, Kansas for the 1st Friday Art Walk.  My dear friend Kris, who owned the famous Dickerson Antiques, invited me to join that event.

I am just giddy about both of these!!!

At both shows, I will be doing Oxford Punch and Needlepunch.

I thought y'all might like to see more about Oxford Punch right now.  One blogger asked too... where to get good wool yarn.

Let me answer that first...

I have purchased great wool yarn from Halcyon Yarn.

I have also purchased wonderfully, dyed yarn from my good buddy, Ginger... Prairie Moon Primitives.  Ginger has her website closed at this time though, because she is preparing to set up her wares at Silver Dollar City...  September 12th ~ October 26th.  Maybe you can go visit her?  She will have TONS of GREAT things!!!

I have also been lucky enough to get wool yarn at thrift stores and garage sales.  However, most of the yarn found at those places is acrylic.

You can also use wool fabric... cut to a size 6... or about 5/8" wide (I think).  If you use wool strips, you will want them to be at least 18" long so you don't have to re~thread so often.

Here is how I made these...Part 1

 I started with some plain boxes.  They were painted, distressed and waxed (with shoe polish).  This photo is only of the painted boxes... without the final treatments.

 I use the #10 Oxford needle...

 I punch on Monk's Cloth.  The fabric on the left is the 'cheap' stuff you can get at the discount stores.  The fabric on the right is the better rug hooking quality.  Either will work.  For this project though, I used the cheap stuff.  HINT**** When working with the lower quality fabric ~ WASH AND DRY IT FIRST TO TIGHTEN THE WEAVE.  It will help!!!

 Stretch your fabric super~drum~tight on your rug hooking frame... then stretch it even tighter!  (You can use a hoop, but will be much happier with a gripper frame.)

Mark your outline.  HINT****  The Oxford punch will stretch out your design!  Because I want my pieces to fit on the lids of these boxes, I made them about 1/4" smaller all around.  The outline on the left shows where I traced the box... then drew a line on the inside to work with.  For the circle, I just used a compass.

To thread the needle...

Begin by threading the hole in the top with your yarn or fabric... with the open side of the needle up... like so...

 

Align the yarn with the groove in the needle...

Then pull on the end of the yarn so the yarn will work down into the groove...

Next, pull back on the yarn so you have about an inch or so still showing... this will be your tail...

Don't allow the yarn to get tangled or caught on anything.  It needs to flow freely through the Oxford Punch.  I drop mine into a wooden bucket...

Begin punching.  Remember, you are working on the BACKSIDE of your finished piece.  Press the needle down into the fabric until it hits the wooden handle.  Leave the tail sticking up for now.  It should be about an 1".  Punch down, pull up ~ but don't lift the metal part of the needle off the fabric.  Drag the needle a little (maybe 1/4")... then punch down again.  Repeat and repeat until you want to change yarn or fabric. 

Later, cut your tails off even with the top of the fabric.

Punch your rows next to one another.  Don't worry about over~crowding.  If you have punched and later can see a gap from the front side... simply punch some more to fill it in.

After all the punching is complete... use Tacky Glue or Elmer's glue... put a generous amount along the outside row... covering the first row of rug punching and about 1/2" past to the unpunched fabric.

Let it dry.

Another HINT**** Don't worry about snags on the front side of your work!!!  This will be cleaned up before you are all finished.  Snags will happen!!!  It is impossible for them not to!!!  

For my box lids (pictured at the top)... I punched a row ~ plus some (meaning I overlapped a little) with wool yarn... then I punched a row ~ plus some wtih wool fabrics.  I repeated yarn/fabric/yarn/fabric until it was all punched.  I started on the outside and worked to the center.

I'll share how to finish the pieces for the boxes in the next post.  Honestly... I was worried there were too many pictures.  Hopefully they all load for y'all!

Wishing you warm smiles...

Betty

~*Happy Labor Day My Friends*~

Hello Dear Friends!  I hope you are enjoying an extra long, peaceful, fun~loving weekend!  

I took a little walk around our home today...

Autumn is near... the leaves are beginning to turn and fall...

 The cattle across the road were enjoying themselves...

 The Buckeyes are beginning to POP...

 My Grandpa Milliken loved to find these.  He would give them to us grand kids and tell us they would bring good luck...

 The walnuts are falling to the ground...

 The pecans are nearing readiness...

 Apples are ripe for pickin' and pie making...

 The pears are getting ripe...

 My chickens are so much fun... and even though they are running towards me for food... I can still think they are 'just happy to see me'...

 Red is the only one with a name.  She is our best layer in the bunch... (I can tell her apart from the others because her comb lays down.)

 We had a nice rain last night.  It is so good to see even a little bit of water trickling into the pond from the spring...

 Our pond is just so serene... I love it here!

 Soon I will venture into the woods on the hunt for bittersweet... but not just yet... too many spiders, snakes, and ticks.  The bittersweet should be ready by the end of the month.  I'll bundle up good then and go out...

Wishing you all warm smiles...

Betty

~*Ebay Auction Starting TONIGHT!*~

Hello Dear Friends!

I am so HAPPY to say I have been crafting and crafting and crafting... and, even better than that, finishing and finishing and finishing!

My goal is to be back~in~the~swing of things and I am slowing getting there!

Please meet ~*Jack and Jill*~...

 Two... ever~so~sweet Art Dolls... made and designed by me.

 True love?

I punched both with awesome wool threads purchased from my dear friend, Ginger.  The threads were so GREAT to work with... and I do just LOVE how the dolls finished.

Beginning tonight at 7pm CST... both dolls will be up for offering on Ebay... in separate auction listings... and starting at only $1!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THEM... and read the story I wrote about them too... SMILE

 

Friends, I have so much more to share... and promise to be much more active on my blog in the next few days.  For tonight... I must go clean up after the tornado that has gone through my studio... and whip up some more wind in the process!  I'm on a Crafty~Roll!

Wishing you all warm smiles...

Betty

~*Oxford Punching*~

Hello Dear Friends!

I hope you are having a great weekend!

I've been crafting as much as possible between family time and chores.  This weekend I've been keeping my Oxford Punch popping!  This is one of the mediums I will be demonstrating at two events in just a few months... I posted about them in the previous post.

With Oxford Punching, I typically don't just make 'rugs'.  This art form is a method of rug making, but I personally like it more for adding to other pieces.  Here are a few thrift store pieces as they were before...

 I added some paint to them... and then began playing with the needle and yarn...

 Here are the finished pieces...

 The JOL is made from acrylic, bulky weight yarns.  I love the variegated orange~ish color!

 Close up...

 The snowman is mounted in a very shallow bowl.  I used 100%, rug weight wool yarn for him.  Someone could use him to set out a few peppermint candies around Christmas.  He will share with anyone.  Look at that grin!

 With those two pieces finished... and my muse wanting to keep working with my Oxford Punch... I picked out a few more boxes and thrift store goodies to bring new life too...

 And have kept punching...

 The Oxford Punch I am using is my Amy Oxford #10 punch.  My SIL Robin and I went to Ginger's house in June for a rug camp to learn how to use it.  We had an amazing teacher!  Frank Beilec!  If you ever get a chance to take a class with him... DO IT!

Today we had a small birthday party for my sweet kiddo.  I can hardly believe he will be 12 in just a few days!  Many family members came for lunch and goodies.  Happy Birthday Trinity!  Mom loves you!  (Yes, I do think he could use a haircut... but he doesn't.)  *grin*

Wishing you all warm smiles...

Betty

~*Some of My Finished Wares*~

Hello Dear Friends!

I told you before that I have kept busy crafting at my summer job.  The pile of things needing 'finished' has grown greatly over the summer.

Here are a few things I have been able to actually complete... I'll show a few more over the next few days...

boxes... lots of needlepunched~topped boxes...

I have used DMC cotton floss on some and lovely wool floss on others.  The boxes have been trimmed with fabrics and slightly aged... because that I how I do things.

You can't see in these photos, but the underside of all the boxes have been finished with wool... just to make them softer.  I also hand sew wool yarn... using linen thread around the edge of each needlepunch.  I feel it is necessary to cover the white edge left when tucking the Weaver's Cloth under.

Most of the designs are my own doodles... but the chicken on the box below was fashioned from a lovely design by Tonya Robey.  She has an awesome rug pattern in the latest Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine.  I hope to be able to hook her pattern soon.  I love it!  My chicken looks different than hers, but I do need to give credit where credit is do.

I've been working on many things.  I'm not sure if any of these items will be listed for sale online or not... at least not at this time.  I am however preparing for a few great events...

On Sunday, October 12th... I have been invited by Pam of Cabin Antiques to display my wares and demonstrate needlepunch at her Customer Appreciation Day.  Cabin Antiques is a lovely cabin on Lake Wabaunsee full of beautiful antiques.  I feel so honored to be a part of this event... and I am delighted to have Pam as a new friend!  (I met her while working at my summer bait shop job!)

On Friday, November 7th... I will be demonstrating again at the First Friday event in Topeka at Fairlawn Plaza Mall.

I'll be back soon to share more!  Looking back at my photographs... it appears I need to work on them better.  Well... I have been out of the loop for awhile.  I'll be better in the next post.

Wishing you all warm smiles...

Betty

~*I'll Be Back Soon...*~

 ©primitivebettys 2014

Hello Dear Friends!  I do hope you have been enjoying your summer.  My summer has been very memorable... and I do honestly feel it has been quite wonderful!  Yes, it has been busy... but then, aren't they all?

As you may recall, I took a summer job at a bait shop ~ here at our local lake... Lake Wabaunsee.  We moved in our new home last October.  While I have always been familiar with the area... I didn't know anyone here and I had not spent a lot of time around Eskridge or Lake Wabaunsee.  When I was offered this job, I was a little excited.  It doesn't pay beans (not even minimum wage!)... but I was looking forward to it.  Now as the job is nearing an end... I can honestly say it has been worth it and so much more!

I have made memories and new friends!  WARNING... This is a wordy, windy blog post.  It just shares my joys of summer.  <3>

My job has had its not~so~great moments like cleaning the public restrooms, picking up gobs of trash left by campers and fishermen, cleaning up what dozens of geese can leave behind (if you know what I mean... ewwww!), getting up before dawn so I can be there by 6am, and sitting alone in a quiet, stinky (very stinky!) bait shop when times are slow.

But really... the good outweighs the bad!  Here is my list of good...

* Beautiful Flinthills sunrises... In my normal life, I am not a morning person.  I can usually crawl out of bed early, but not so early to see the sun rise and brighten the sky.  The sunrises this summer have been truly amazing!  They are so full of color and so stunningly spectacular!!!

* Lake Wabaunsee itself has been truly amazing!  When the summer started, the water was low from the last few years of drought.  We have had rain this year and the water has now risen to where it should be.  I love to watch the water sparkle with the winds.  I love to see the morning fog when the temperatures are cool.  When I've been there during the rainfall... that is beautiful too.  The smell, sounds, and sight of rain on the lake is something else.

* The wildlife at the lake is special too.  While the geese can be quite messy, they are great to watch.  I have been able to walk within feet of them.  They do honk and hoot loudly, but it is great to hear.  When they begin to fly away, their large wings flap and splash the water.  It is fun to watch.  There have been deer, ducks, and cranes nearby too.  It is quite peaceful to see them all.

* I pass many cattle fields on my drive to the lake.  I thought it interesting when I had to call the sheriff's office on a bunch of cows.  Well, when they can, they will get out of the fields and walk along the ditches and the roads.  Someone needs to be notified to round them up again before they cause an accident.

* Seeing grumpy, grouchy ol' men smile when they tell their fish stories made me realize these grumpy, grouchy ol' men can smile!

* Seeing cheerful, sun-kissed faces when kids are enjoying summer fun ... fishing or building sandcastles on the swimming beach is priceless.

* When my son tagged along with me a few times... and even brought a few friends with him... was priceless too.  He decided early in the summer that 6am was not really 'his thing'... but I loved to watch him fish, I loved to see his face light up when he caught one, and I loved to just sit and visit with him.  At the bait shop, I was able to get him away (me too!) from the cell phone, computer, and TV.  It was just us and some good quality time together!

* All that time alone at the quiet, stinky, bait shop... meant I could craft and craft!  Each day I took along a project or two.  My stack of pieces waiting to be finished in~to something is huge now.  Soon, you will see what I have created.  I must say it was funny to hear ol' men comment on my work.  I would be sitting there cross stitching, rug hooking, or needle punching when they would walk in.  Several asked me what I was knitting.  Hmmmm.... guess they should stick to fishing huh?

* One of my favorite summer memories inspired the doodle above.  A little boy, maybe 5 years old, came into the bait shop alone one day.  He was camping with is family.  He came in with a dollar wadded up in his small hand and was looking around.  When I asked what he was looking for, he replied, "Worms."  I told him, "We sell them by the dozen and they are $2.25... $2.43 with tax."  I asked, "Do you have enough?"  With a frown on his face, he said, "No."  Well, I am a sucker for little boy frowns!  I'm sure he could have gone back and asked his parents, but they might have said he couldn't have more money.  I grabbed my wallet and made up the difference so he could go fishing.  He was happy and the smile on his face proved it!

Later, I saw him fishing (alone still) off the end of the wood dock.  The doodle shows how he put the worm on his hook.  That, of course, is not the right way to do it... but he was having fun and I didn't correct him.  I asked if he had caught any fish yet.  He told me he had a bunch of bites, but no fish yet.  He was happy and excited.  He may have been happier if he caught one... but he was having a good time.  That is all that mattered.

Feel free to play with the doodle.  It is simple, but maybe it will inspire you to create something.  Soon I will be back with lots of finished goodies to share.  My time at the bait shop will end in a few weeks... and so will summer vacation for my son.  School starts here on August 21st.  

Wishing you all warm smiles...

Betty