Pincushions~

Birthday milestones~

I have enjoyed watching friends share fun projects to celebrate

birthday milestones.

50 weeks of paintings!

60 sketchbook entries!

One gal turned 80, she shared different walks/hikes and 

photographs along each journey! (That was fun!)

30 poems...

I enjoyed watching a Facebook friend share beautiful tiny stitches

each day for one whole year and another

share her beach findings from her morning walks after turning 65!

It was a lot of fun to follow along, getting to know each of them

a little bit more through each milestone share!

I thought on it a bit...

50 Favorite Things!

One each week or as they pop up in time.

No. 1 Pincushions & Pinkeeps!

My mom pulled this one out of her 'cigarette drawer' and told me

it was her mothers. There was a narrow cupboard in my parents kitchen

with a tiny draw above it. That is where they kept their cigarettes.

Once they stopped smoking it became the coolest junk drawer. 

I LOVED to looking through the drawers when I was a child.

Our kids LOVED to look through ours when they were little.

Full of things that should have been tossed,

'But we might need it someday!'

Full of things that may have been taken away, too!

This is a yummy-looking cup of tea!

A little hefty as they are filled with emery powder/sand~

This is my 'Fried Green Tomato'

I just LOVE the movie Fried Green Tomatoes and this beauty

is the only green pincushion I have and

it is a little brown around the edges~

Alaina found this one at a thrift shop~

All of those beautiful glass heads, no uniform size & the colors vary.

Yellow and blue glass heads~

This little wool & velvet love is a 50th birthday treasure from a dear friend!

Love her, Miss L.

This beauty is the work of Donna Liljegren, Brynwood Needleworks!

I shared a link~ her shop is filled with treasures~

These two pinkeeps travel with me~

I purchased 'Lincoln' from the Etsy shop Avery Hill (our daughter)

Alaina is a printmaker, Lincoln is a wood carved print.

This image is printed on fabric from her original.

Hope you have a wonderful week, Friends!

Thank you for stopping by~

Blackbird Wool Hooked Rug

'Blackbird on a Sunny Flower' Fraktur #2 of 6 copyright 2019 Michelle L. Palmer

Illustration copyright 2010

Inspired by summer walks along the Erie Canal~

Poison Sumac leaves and blossoms are so pretty (from a distance)

The leaves hang similar to the top arch~ turning crimson in the Fall.

The blossoms are beautiful~ I made mine salmon, a little lighter than true.

Every now and then a sunflower blossom will pop up

along the pathway edge.

Chipmunks and squirrels drop some of their bird feeder stash

and they take seed in unexpected places!

I included a photograph of my 'Fraktur & Flourish'

pen & ink with watercolor illustration

that inspired the summery piece~

The bird and I had a few closed door meetings.

Feather colors were changed a few times and if I stare at it

for too long I get thinking the wing could still be a different color!

I just LOVE how the warmth and texture of wool is bringing new life

to my collection of walnut ink illustrations!

I draw my patterns by hand on primitive linen.

Finished rug size is 24" wide by 22" tall (actual hooked area)

3.5" to 4" border around the entire design

allowing ample room for your frame.

I take care to keep the lines straight of the grain.

Linen edges are taped to prevent fraying. I use green Frog Brand tape.

It is available through my Etsy shop:

"Blackbird on a Sunny Flower"

It will be a while for number three in the series to be completed~

Free time is shared with gardening and sunsets...

How we have waited for Spring to arrive!

Wishing your hearts happiness~

Always!

Fraktur wool hooked rug

"Robin Red Breasts" wool hooked rug copyright 2019

Illustration copyright 2010

#1 of 6 Fraktur theme rugs translated from my original illustrations.

I used #6, 7 & 8 cut (wool strips) for my model.

I have the second in the collection finished... I hope to share it tomorrow.

The designs are very similar to each other when drawn with

walnut ink and painted with watercolor...

They are so much warmer and rich with texture when hooked~

the wool rugs look completely different from each other!

I began drawing Fraktur and flourish elements in 1989 when I was a

graphic design student at R.I.T.

Through studying cobblestone structures for American Architecture I found

the most beautiful barns with hex signs and painted quilts.

With more research I became very distracted by Fraktur illustrations!

Fraktur sketches filled my notebook margins... ideas swirled in my mind!

I did my best to focus on the professors lectures...

I tried...

Through the years all of my college sketches,

interpretations from early works, have shared inspiration!

Inspired by the early treasures but never copied... 

Nothing so beautiful as original frakturs and the history they recorded~

Illustrated history...

My frakturs, with a twist of whimsy, record favorite birds in

childhood gardens, perennial beds~ the beauty of season changes. 

I draw my patterns by hand on primitive linen.

Finished rug size is 24" wide by 22" tall (actual hooked area)

3.5" to 4" border around the entire design

allowing ample room for your frame.

I take care to keep the lines straight of the grain.

Linen edges are taped to prevent fraying. I use green Frog Brand tape.

It is available through my Etsy shop:

"Robin Red Breasts" Fraktur theme wool rug pattern

Hope your week is off to a great start, Friends!

Thanks so much for stopping by~

Easter Blessings

Praying that your hearts will always be filled with

His promise~

Peace, Hope and Love.

The gardens are beginning to wake!

I haven't been in a hurry to remove their protective blanket~

the winds have been crazy wild with every weather fluctuation.

Up until this past week snow was constantly teasing!

Tiny perennials are breaking through the soil and leaf covering

and I'm able to gently clear the leaves and dead stalks away without

disturbing sprouting beauties. I tend to forget what I plant from

year to year and just how wide some of the perennials reach~

The lawns are greening up...

Birds are nesting...

Chipmunks have started perching on the banister to warm in the sun...

and the peas are planted!

Primrose are open... the bees will be delighted!

Wishing you a joy-filled Easter and

Beautiful spring days~