Stash Gatherings...

Welcome dear friends...are you ready to leap into March?

We totally enjoyed Spring like weather

on Saturday...temperatures hit 61°

Sunday, my family suggested a spontaneous road trip

to Country Sampler in Spring Green, Wisconsin,

how could I say no that idea!

 Sharing with you today are some of my gatherings...

After a road trip Studio helpers love to inspect

and approve the new goods!

Love this viny print on a terra cotta background!

Fabric shopping is so fun, scanning all the hundreds of bolts...

Knowing when you've found a real winner!

I really love this one...chocolate brown background 

with parchment vines!

I have special plans for this fabric...

These flowers look like they are dancing!

Ribbon, never enough ribbon on hand...

Being inspected for softness...Yes, velvety soft!

I love shops that carry quality overdyed wools...

I can hardly wait to cut into these gorgeous colors!

I love the feel of wool in my hands...

Don't you just love the texture of wool?

Quilt Corner in Sparta, Wisconsin has a big scrap bin...

It's amazing what you can do with a small scrap of wool!

Spring Green, Wisconsin is a very small town, but

has some very unique buildings...

Wouldn't this old gas station make a perfect needlework

shop or Studio...so quaint and charming!

~**~

Weekly Soul Food...

"Ask, and it shall be given you;

seek, and ye shall find;

knock, and it shall be opened unto you"

Matthew 7:7...KJV

~*~

Many blessings for a happy stitch filled week!

Kindly, Tammy

The Early Workbasket ~ French Knitters

Welcome dear friends to the last 

Friday in February!

I have some exciting "Bee~u~tee~ful" news to share...

Several names have been chosen for the main series 

title, which I'm having a hard time deciding on!

 Spring is such an exciting time of the year, especially  

the buzzing of the humble, busy little bees!

I love displaying bee skeps on my back porch, and 

watching the little bees land on one flower to the next!

I'm so "un~bee~lievably" excited about getting this

series up and running!

So, if you love bees & skeps, flowers & beekeeping,

houses & alphabets...the first sampler is

scheduled to be released hopefully in

July!

This is NOT going to be a club, but a series

of samplars that will be released to my three

Distributors and also available through 

my little Etsy Shoppe.

I'll bee posting updates over the next few months

as the times draws nearer!

~*!*~

Just back from the print shop earlier today...

Hope to have Humble Hare Handwork Club kits

all kitted and ready to ship on Monday & Tuesday.

~*!*~

The Early Workbasket ~ French Knitters...

Busy little hands are happy little hands!

Did you love working with your hands at a very young age?

I sure did, my lifelong passion starting as far back as I

can remember!

Anything tedious made me so happy!

Coloring (always making sure I stayed within the lines), 

jigsaw puzzles, drawing, making pot holders for my relatives,

crocheting (made a full size bedspread in Granny Squares at the age of 8),

embroidery, making barbie doll clothes...my list could go on and on! 

French knitters are a perfect tool to 

inspire creativity in a young girls childhood...

Early French Knitters were often embellished 

as little folk with simply faces!

Bright colored paints were used...

Just the perfect size for a little child's hand to hold onto! 

Typically from Europe, Germany and Poland... 

Later ones were also available in America.

These are getting harder and harder to find...

They are very desirable and sought after by collectors!

Typically a French Knitter will have four pegs...

Original pegs would be either metal or wood, some have

been replaced over the years with nails or screws.

They were also made in "Bakelite"...

What endless hours of fun I had as a child knitting these long

 snake shaped coils, and then sewing them into useful

  things like coasters, rugs for my doll house, etc.

If you don't have one of these little tools,

you can easily make one out of an old wooden spool...

Simply tap into the top four nice smooth rounded

brass nails, and ta~dah you have one!

Any blunt pointed needle or stick will work for

 turning the thread/yarn over the nails...

I'm hoping to get my little granddaughter Rachel 

interested in trying this the next time she visits!

Hope you enjoyed today's feature on French Knitters!

The primitive one on the far left had 8 pegs...I gifted 

this one to my friend Lori Brechlin from Notforgotten Farm

last year for her birthday.

~*!*~

Weekend Soul Food...

She looketh well to the ways of her household,

and eateth not the bread of idleness.

Proverbs 31:27...KJV

~*!*~

Wishing you a Bee~u~tee~ful weekend!

Kindly, Tammy

Antique Reproduction Samplar...Coming Soon!

Welcome dear friends...would you agree that 

weekends are just too short?

I've come to the realization that I'll never live long enough 

to do all the things I want to do, but I'm sure going

to enjoy trying!

Those of you who know me, know I love, love, love 

antiques...especially antique samplars!

Thus, the burning passion to add to my pattern line...

 Antique Reproduction Samplars!

Remember my "Secret Sunday Samplar"...

The secret is this ~

 It will be my 1st Antique Reproduction Samplar!

Over the weekend I pressed the finished backside!

Now, that it's all stitched and pressed, I can finally focus 

on framing it in my spare time ~ WAIT ~  what am I 

talking about ~ I don't have any spare time ~ for this

 I WILL FIND THE TIME SOMEWHERE!

I can hardly wait to share the front side with you!

This pattern will be available through my Etsy Shoppe 

and will also be sent to my three Distributors.

~**~

Most of my weekend was spent 

cutting, cutting, and more cutting...

And still more cutting tonight!

I'll be heading to the print shop later this week, 

and hope to have the kits for "Abby's Needlekeep" 

shipped by next Monday & Tuesday.

~**~ 

It's hard to believe a whole year has gone by since

starting my different clubs, and even harder to

 believe that I used over 1,000 needles...

 My second little package of needles have arrived!

Yes, it's true, there's really 1,000 needles in this little package...

 All the way from England!

 These are my favorite John James Petite needles in size 28...

I also sell individual packages of these in my Etsy shop...

https://www.etsy.com/listing/178158127/john-james-tapestrycross-stitch-petites?ref=shop_home_active_1

They fit perfectly in my Grandmother's old metal bird box...

 And they didn't arrive any to soon...with kits needing to ship

out next week!

Ahh, now I can relax...

 My little box is full once again!

~**~

Signs of Spring are in the air...

You can even hear the "City Birds" chitchatting loudly

above the traffic!    

I love the sound of melting ice and snow...

And the sound of crashing chunks falling to the ground!

With several days of spring like weather,

little critters are popping up all over...

 I wonder if this little Caterpillar knows where it's going! 

~**~

Weekly Soul Food...

For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;

The flowers appear on the earth; the time of

the singing of birds is come, and the voice

of the turtle is heard in our land.

Song of Solomon 2:11~12...KJV

~**~

Every day is a new beginning.

And we can close every day with no regrets 

when we have followed our consciences, 

that "inner voice" that tugs within.

Live each day in good conscience,

waiting for the tug and following it!

Wishing you all a wonderful week,

Kindly, Tammy

The Early Workbasket ~ Pins & Needles

Welcome dear friends to the wonderful

day we call Friday!

And a good Friday it is...finally ready to share

Humble Hare Handwork Club's next kit...

"Abby's Needlekeep"

Stitched on 36ct. Edinburgh "Summer Khaki"

then a layer of quilt batting, backing is a

 wonderful mocha fabric with matching ribbon for the ties.

The back cover of the needlekeep 

can be personalized with your initials and date.

Pins & needles center piece is dark chocolate wool~felt...

Pinking shears can be used to give your insert a

 nice border look or it can be left untrimmed, 

the choice is yours!

Hope you will enjoy stitching Abby's Needlekeep!

Memberships are still available to receive all four of

Humble Hare Handwork Club kits,

"From Me to Thee" Strawberry Pinkeep (No. 1)

"Humble Gatherings" Pillow Tuck & Bittersweet Fob (No. 2)

"Be Still My Soul" Tailor's Roll (No. 3)

"Abby's Needlekeep" (No. 4)

available through my Etsy Shop

https://www.etsy.com/listing/229937538/humble-hare-handwork-club-one-full-year?ref=shop_home_feat_2

Please note

Humble Hare Handwork Club

will not be available in 2016 ~

But...coming soon  

is a new club titled

Schoolgirl Samplar Club!

~**~

For today's Early Workbasket I've chosen  

the topic Pins & Needles... 

Advertising pinboxes were more widely available in the 

USA than in Britain, and this is the only English one

in my collection.

These cardboard boxes in which pins were sold, 

frequently carried advertising slogans...

What outstanding labeling!

Can you believe this originally sold for only .10¢!

The USA bases are usually wood with a 

rolled paper insert to keep the pins...

 

This one is from Scovill Manufacturing Co.

Waterbury, Connecticut 

Some will have a pincushion in the 

center, this one does not...

Crescent Brass & Pin Co., Detroit, Michigan 

This one is from the same company, but with a pinkeep...

A little faded, but is stamped 

Crescent Brass & Pin Co., Detroit, Michigan 

This one is from American Pin Co...

The tattered label is still hanging on, 

stamped Waterbury, Connecticut 

Cubes were also very popular in their day...

Cubes had glass~headed pins arranged in rows.

Pins have been used for centuries but only became

inexpensive from the mid~19thC, and in the late

19thC they were still being carefully packaged.

These can be found through sites like Ebay & Etsy.

Now, for the needles...

This is the only round wooden needle container with

advertising that I have ever come across!

It is so sweet, measuring only 1.5" in diameter!

Such simple beauty in small packaging...

So there you have it, "Pins & Needles" something else

to keep your eyes open for this summer while

out antiquing!

~**~

Weekend Soul Food ~

"And again I say unto you, it is easier for a 

  camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for

 a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."

Matthew 19:24...KJV

~**~

Live with Joy!

Joy is a great accessory and can be worn every day!

Kindly, Tammy & Abby