Michelle Palmer

Sunday, June 30

Palmer Fabric Collections

Two new fabric collections to share with you!

P&B Textiles has brought more of my watercolor paintings to fabric~

'Fresh Picked Farm Stand'

I have taken photographs of farm stands for over 20 years~

Along the roadside, while we're out for a country drive.

Most of the stands are 20 minutes or less from our home.

We LOVE to support our farmers & gardeners!

Winter Snowmen Wreaths!

So much fun!!

Snowmen with their cardinal friends... framed by different wreaths~

I began painting some of my favorite stands several years ago.

A few extra props & signs tucked in here or there...

I will often change the crop to fill my 'garden' of subjects.

We do not have a long growing season here~

It is an amazing variety... sweet and full of flavor!

We are surrounded by apple, peach, plum, cherry orchards...

I LOVE honey...

Grateful for Beekeepers!

No matter how few or how many hives they keep~

Protecting our bee population is crucial.

Grateful for open fields of wild flowers, hedgerows, windbreaks & field edges.

I search for heirloom & pollinator-friendly plants to add to our garden.

Farm stand location/direction signs at cross roads are often made from

recycled wood. I thought it would be fun to add some

farmyard friends!

I will be releasing some of these designs as punch needle

and rug hooking patterns soon!

The border...

I can't wait to play with some of these fabrics!

(If I could sneak a few more hours into each day...)

Bustling meadow...

They must have wonderful visits!

Some of the coordinates for Winter Snowmen Wreaths

Perfect size and detail to cut out...

Ideal for ornaments, set inside quilt blocks... patch a Christmas stocking!

Margaret Luewen~ Miss Marker's Quilts

Margaret drives past some of the same road side stands...

She designed a quilt for Fresh Picked Farm Stand~

and...

...a quilt for Winter Snowmen Wreaths, too!

A LINK to Margaret's web page

We are enjoying dryer, sunnier days...

The vegetable garden is delighted!

The flowers are blooming & bees are humming~

Hope you have a wonderful week, Friends!

Thank you for stopping by~

Friday, June 14

Flag Day

Long may she wave~

Friday, June 7

Punch Needle Patterns

Good Morning, Friends!

I hope your Friday is off to a great start~

Feathered friends are always invited to help around the studio!

Baby Robin has grans button jar tucked under her wing.

She sure loves to scatter buttons... like fairy dust.

Blogs and social media sites are such fun in the Springtime~

There are so many wonderful images of baby birds peeking out

from their nests... their little beaks reaching up for their tummies

to be filled.

'Stitching Bird' is on a mission...

Her sewing needle is threaded and she has her emery strawberry

filled with straight pins!

I frame most of my punch needle pieces.

Frame shops carry an acid free 'spacer' that aids in keeping

the floss loops from touching the glass surface.

Depending on your loop length, they come in various thickness.

The spacers allow me to add extras, too~

My little button jar looked like a pickle jar before I added MOP buttons.

The jar could be punched with an aqua, pale blue or pale purple

floss... the look of old glass without canning vegetables... giggle.

A second new release!

We have seen a lot of crows this spring...

With all of the rain, wind and cold weather the songbirds seem to

be a few weeks later than normal.

'Crow' has been collecting wishes again!

She keeps her stars inside her titled spice jar~

Her sunflower perch creates the perfect lid!

Little brown sheep and friends are available in the

Summer 2019 issue of Punch Needle & Primitive Stitcher Magazine!

That should be arriving at Barnes & Noble, JoAnn Fabrics,

your favorite stitching & quilt shops and mailboxes any day now.

I hope to add more punch needle patterns to my shop over the weekend~

Seem to say that every week and the hours just disappear!

A few hours set aside for yard and garden work develops into

full days of hauling, cutting, pruning, pulling, planting...

I get lost in the bird songs...

The hum of the bees...

The weeds...

The blossoms....

Wishing you beautiful summer days~

Thank you for stopping by!

Monday, May 27

Land That I Love~ Memorial Day

Honoring and remembering

soldiers and service members who

gave their life in service...

Memorial Day and every day.

'Patriotic'

'Land that I Love' is No. 3 in my Fraktur series~

Each rug measures 24" x 22"

Hooked with wool strips. I used #6, #7 & #8 wool cuts.

I am having such a fun time with this collection!

There is something about wool...

Warms ones soul~

'Summer'

No. 2 in my Fraktur series...

This design was inspired by walks along the Erie Canal Path...

Beautiful poison sumac blossoms with their long and draping leaves~

Green, deep sage with a hint of chartreuse... with a little wheat, gold, salmon..

They are fond of color changes!

Birds & chipmunks live along the pathway... waterfront real estate~

They must deposit sunflower seeds for snacks and

then forget where they stashed them~

Every now and again a brilliant yellow sunny flower will peek up!

'Spring'

The illustrated collection is titled Frakturs & Flourishes.

Red Rooster Fabrics designed a fabric line from them.

I love putting down lines with my dip pens and homemade walnut ink.

Lines flow naturally, unevenly...

Curves and swirls fall into place as if they were following

the trail of a butterfly.

Tulips in Springtime and my mother loved bleeding hearts.

Purple crocus peeking through just as Robins are building their nests!

Earth day is in April... I thought the dome with the sun would

be a nice way to cover the birds just as treetops do.

Wool is a flourish of its own~

No extra effort needed!

Gold Star Families~ remembering you, too.

Peace and love~

Monday, April 29

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~

Tuesday, April 23

Blackbird Wool Hooked Rug

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!

Monday, April 22

Fraktur wool hooked rug

#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~

Sunday, April 21

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~

Saturday, March 23

Joyful Spring~

Sweet Friends~

I hope your Spring days are filled with joy!

Pussy willows follow their own calendar~

They're not waiting for the snow to stop falling!

Went for a nice long walk along the Erie Canal trail with my neighbor today.

The sky was so blue!

Sun on our shoulders...

Canada geese filled areas of the canal waters. They were so chatty!

They are here with us throughout the winter months but

many traveling flocks stop here with the snow geese.

Came home and noticed that the pussy willow buds were completely open!

Lopped off some of the tallest branches for bouquets to share &

left some to open for the bees that will be seeking nourishment soon~

Hope you have a wonderful week, Friends!

Thanks so much for stopping by~

Wednesday, March 13

Chickadee has found the perfect assistant!

Rabbit will deliver her sweet treat to the base of the tree

where her nestlings await dessert!

Perhaps Mr. Chickadee will bring home a dollop of whipped cream.

Rabbit will rest in the shade and enjoy his snack before heading home

with a pussy willow bouquet for his family.

Our pussy willows have started to open!

Little fuzzy buds trying to break through their winter shells...

Nice to see hints of Springtime.

We have a few sprigs tucked in a jar with water.

They will be fully open by the end of the week~

Hope your March days have been a little more sunny...

A touch warmer and filled with happiness, Friends~