Next Year at Thistle Manor

Next Year, no not 2012, Next Year is the name of my garden.  When I am weeding, dead heading, weeding, pruning, weeding, planting, weeding, watering, weeding in the garden I find myself saying:  "Next year, I am going to plant more perennials.  Next year, I am going to spray the roses before they get black spot.  Next year, I am going to add the Bird Girl ornament.  Next year, I am going to. . ."  Hence the name of the garden became Next Year.  My friend Cindy says naming the garden Next Year is a sign of the eternal optimist in me.  I think Cindy is being kind.  I sometimes think it is a sign I am less than diligent about caring for the neglected garden. 

Going to garden centers is fun!  Going to garden centers is dangerous for the wallet.  AppleJack says I can do some serious shopping at the garden center.  I have a good relationship with the garden center and in January when the catalogues start arriving, I start making the gardening list.  It is so much cheaper, time saving, and easier on the back to ask the garden center to order perennials, ground covers, herbs and pick up at one time in one location. 

2012 Plans for Next Year at Thistle Manor

1. Ground cover--full sun, will need at least two trays,
2. Tansy--invasive.  Remember to plant to contain or else. .
3. Russian sage
4. Blue Flax--this is a wonderful plant.  Blue Flax can eventually become linen
5. Creeping soapwort--makes a wonderful ground cover and smells so good
6. Ferns--especially Cinnamon fern
7. Hosta???   Do I have enough shade?
8. Amaranth--such a hardy annual
9. Plan more bulbs--they are so pretty to look at in the spring
10. Grandmother Bessie type annuals--Maids, marigolds,

Midnight Watch

In 2009, the Blackbird Girls did it to me again.  They introduced a new design called Midnight Watch.  I could not wait to get my hands on this design.  Black cats and fall colors--it was calling my name.

In June of 2010, AppleJack and I took a road trip to Kansas City.  We had a great time and Kansas City was a great town.  AppleJack and I are spontaneous travelers.  Stopping at stitch stores is always on the agenda when traveling.  I had read about this stitch store called Ole Mill Stitchery in Liberty, Missouri  We got out our trusty map and followed the signs.  Ole Mill Stitchery was a fun find, many purchases later and nice ladies, I wandered across the hallway to American Whatever!  WOW!!  If you love wool, if you love hooked rugs, if you love creative, high energy people and a cat named Rosie, DO NOT MISS American Whatever in Liberty, Missouri.  You will think you have died and gone to heaven.  Sorry there are no photos my camera was on the fritz, the day we visited.  One of the great finds at American Whatever was this wonderful re design of Midnight Watch.

        

This is my 2012 rug hooking project.  As you can see, it is in its beginning stages.  There are many fun stages along the way--purchasing the wool!  Next step, cutting the wool--a great Sunday afternoon project.  Callie Mae naps and supervises while I cut away.  Sometimes we find an old movie to watch, sometimes a Law and Order marathon or Sopronos marathon or History Channel.  Am looking forward to working on this project and hope to complete for fall 2012.  The design and colors just say fall to me.

Seeing Stars

In March of 2011 the American Folk Art Museum had a quilt exhibit at the Park Avenue Armory called Infinite Variety.  The exhibit featured 650 red and white quilts from the collection of Joanna S. Rose.  The exhibit was packed with quilting enthusiasts.  I did not see the exhibit, I think I would have been in sensory overdrive.

Reading about this exhibit and seeing via newspaper, magazines, Internet some of the quilts started me thinking about making a red and white quilt of my own.  Remember, Grandmother Sarah Miranda loved the color red.  I found a freebie pattern called Just One Star.  I looked in my fabric stash box one day and said Eureka!  I have a lot of red fabric.

 While cleaning out a closet one day, I found toile fabric.

 The elements are starting to align--right design, right color, right fabric.  I believe it is all coming together.  Red Stars for Christmas 2012 sounds like a good plan.

From my best estimate, I think the quilt will require approximately 100 stars.  To date, I have made thirty.  It would be wonderful if all the stars could be a different color of red fabric, but alas I do not have this much red fabric in my stash.  I do think I will shop for an appropriate red fabric to make the sashing.

AppleJack wanted to know why I had a needle threader caught in my hair.  Some things are just hard to explain.

2012 Stitching Plans

I am a list maker!  My lists sometimes make AppleJack roll his eyes!  There is the standard list--groceries and Honey Do list.  The other lists are the stitching, quilting, and rug hooking lists.  Dave Ramsey, author and founder of Financial Peace University says "no one plans to fail, but most fail to plan."  I do not make New Year's resolutions, I make lists plans.  As 2012 is barking on my heels, it is time to start making the stitching, quilting, and rug hooking plans.

Stitching Plans 2012 (please do not come home to haunte me)

1.  An All Was For An Appil by the Scarlet Letter

I have admired this sampler for years.  My love affair with this sampler began when I saw Carmen's.  When I visit Carmen, I also visit this sampler.  For me, this Adam and Eve sampler is the epitome of all Adam and Eve samplers.  The guilty looks, the "I've just been caught with my hand in the cookie jar look,"  the colors, the animals, the scale.

 This sampler is big, I am stitching on a 28" x 18" piece of 32 count linen.  I keep telling myself I am half finished.  I started stitching the sampler in the lower left hand corner because this seemed to be the most dense part and I did not want to do this part last.  Many have stitched this sampler and I admire each and every one.  My plan is to join the ranks of those who have completed the sampler.

2.  Ann Pennsylvania Peacock aka Anne Magnolia by Little by Little

Annie Magnolia was AppleJack's Grandmother.  Isn't this a wonderful name?  Isn't this a name calling to be stitched?  Annie Magnolia affectionately called "Ma" by her family is one of the most fun people in AppleJack's family.  Whenever I am with AppleJack's family especially Sisters, Sis and Sister C, we always talk about Ma.  I will never tire of hearing the stories about Ma.  Again, this sampler sings to my heart because there are so many quirky elements.  Annie Magnolia is bigger than the house!   She had a problem with spelling.  She loved her dog. 

3.  Smalls--As both Appill and Annie are large samplers and I am a S L O W stitcher, I stitch many smalls.  Smalls give me instant results.  I get to say I have finished something.  Some of the smalls on my 2012 plan list are:  Nick by Notforgotten Farm, Primitive Merry Christmas by Chartmakers, a freebie Merry Christmas using French General fabric as the backing, Crowning the Tree by Blackbird Designs.

I also have some Valentine items of smalls by Pineberry Lane.  One is called Redwork Sampler Pillow and the other is Token of Love.

I found some beautiful overdyed wool in my stash and I have decided to use it as backing for Waiting for the Harvest by Blackbird Designs.  And because I love primitives and quirky designs I have included Fancey's Sunflower by Pineberry Lane.


Whew!  For me, this is an ambitious list plan!  We will see how it goes.  It is a good thing I have Callie Mae an alarm clock set for early rising.  Let's hope Life and the new designs from the Nashville Needlework Market in February do not make my plans go amuck!

Feeding the Birds

There are many trees at Thistle Manor.  One of my favorite trees is the dogwood.  Beautiful in the spring with its white or pink blossoms, brilliant red leaves in the fall and berries for the birds in the winter.
The Japanese Maples are another favorite.  The beautifully shaped leaves and coloring.

I have a mixed bag of feelings about the black walnut.  There is nothing like walnut stain for baskets and linens.  The downside to black walnuts--very messy.  It is also very difficult for other varieties to survive under a walnut tree.

The trees provide a landing place for the birds.  The squirrels jump from branch to branch.
Miss Callie Mae loves to hear the sound of the wind rustling through the trees.

There are bird houses.

And empty bird feeders.

One year AppleJack and I decided we would feed the birds.  It began with a 10 pound bag of bird feed which was consumed overnight.

I had always heard a bird eats it weight each day--but WOW those guys had an appetite bigger than mine.  We kicked it up a notch and bought a 25 pound of bird feed.  Same story.  While sitting at the kitchen table, we learned it was not the birds who were enjoying being fed but the squirrels!  They were having a  P A R T Y!  Those clever squirrels had invited their families, extended families, friends, acquaintances, strangers they had met in the grocery store and anyone else left in the squirrel world to Thistle Manor for lunch.  AppleJack and I decided we could not afford to feed the squirrels birds.

Whoops! I forgot the stitched boxes

These are some of my favorite pieces!  Great for storing smalls, embellishments, and buttons.

I also use them for fall and primitive decorating.

  

The smaller box is a design from The Goode Huswife called Pennsylvania Quilt, it is stitched over one.

                                             The larger box was a freebie from Carriage House.



This is a Blackbird Design from one of the Loose Feathers--Secret Garden, Necessity Box.

The boxes are from Hobby Lobby and start out looking like this.  It is amazing what milk paint, sandpaper, elbow grease, and shoe polish will do to a box.

Does anyone have any suggestions for this box?  I was thinking of a Carriage House design called Penny Rug, a second option is Overshot Heart by Barrick Sampler and a third option is Blackbird Designs Loose Feathers Partridge Sewing Box

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Boxing Day

In Britain, Boxing Day is usually celebrated on December 26, the day following Christmas.  Many poorly paid workers were required to work on Christmas Day and took the following day off to visit their families. As they prepared to leave, their employers would present them with Christmas boxes.

 

Boxing Day at Thistle manor has a different meaning.   I have boxes of all sizes and assortments for different purposes.   There are little boxes.

                                                                    Shaker boxes.

                                                                   Festive boxes

                                                                  Painted  boxes

                                                           and wallpaper boxes


Boxes with a purpose.  The boxes provide an eye pleasing approach to hide all my "stuff."  Important stuff like buttons, fibers, linen, letters, fabric, Christmas ornaments