~A Token of Friendship~

This month I have been thinking about Valentine's Day, love, and the blessings of true friendship. I am very fortunate to have wonderful friends in my life who personify Proverbs 17:17. I wanted to make a little token for each of them...and then, decided to make a few extras for you...or your bosom friend.

 

 

I hope you'll stop by Early Work Mercantile to see my latest offerings. 

 

Until next time...

Rhonda

 

Log Cabin Christmas at Early Work Mercantile

 

Here's a little sneak peek at what I've been working on for the Early Work Mercantile update on November 15th. My designs were inspired by the classes I took at Country Sampler last month. I'm really pleased with the way these projects turned out. I can hardly wait to show them to you!

 

 At Early Work Mercantile, you'll find lots of great winter offerings from many talented primitive artists. I do hope you'll stop by for the big reveal.

Until Next time...
Rhonda

Boxwood and Berries~Day 1~

 ~This lovely old pincushion was an unexpected treat from Maggie~

You know how sometimes you look forward to something so much that you blow it up in your mind to unrealistic proportions…so that when it finally comes, you are disappointed by the reality? Well, even in my most vivid imaginings, I couldn’t have dreamed up the Boxwood and Berries Gatherings. A gathering this perfect could only be dreamed up by fabric designer, Jeanne Horton, of Country Sampler in Spring Green Wisconsin.

Simply put, Boxwood and Berries was the best of everything. The best people, the best projects, the best shopping…the best trip I’ve ever taken.

I left early on Friday morning, and with music blaring, drove across the farmland of Illinois and then into Wisconsin. The scenery was breathtaking and as I rounded each bend in the road I exclaimed aloud to the creator, “Magnificent!”, “Well done!” and “Thank You!”… “THANK You!”. I always seem to do my best praising in the car…

  

The area around Spring Green is incredible, with rolling hills and farmsteads dotting the autumn landscape. It’s so beautiful that architect Frank Lloyd Wright built his final home there and is buried in a nearby cemetery. I arrived in town around 6pm and found my way to my modest motel room. It was nothing fancy, but the owner was sweet and my room was clean. The property was beautifully landscaped with flower gardens and gazebos for the use of guests, and there was always hot coffee in the office.

 The wonderful, independently owned, "Arcadia Books" in downtown Spring Green. What more could a girl ask for?

Oh, I dunno, how about alfresco dining in the town square?

In the morning as I drove into downtown Spring Green I was mesmerized by the waves of yellow leaves along the streets and the gorgeous treetops filled with fall color overhead. Pulling up in front of Country Sampler felt like a dream…I was finally there.

Being the new kid in class, I wasn’t sure where the school room was, so I wandered into the shop looking for help. I was overwhelmed by the extensive inventory in this four star needle arts shop. Everything on my wish list was there…and more. But it was almost time for class to begin, so I pulled myself away and walked to the classroom where everyone was just finishing breakfast. 

I could not have received a warmer welcome. Jeanne immediately jumped up to greet me and invited me to sit at her table with my hero  Maggie Bonanomi. Now seriously folks, I had to keep pinching myself, trying not to fawn or drool. Do you have any idea how long I have admired this lady’s work? And here I was, at Boxwood and Berries, casually chatting with Maggie Bonanomi!

So now let me tell you how absolutely silly I am…it turns out that Maggie is just like everyone else. She could by all rights be a Diva, but instead is one of the warmest and most genuine people I’ve ever met. And Jeanne is just as lovely, she was so kind and helpful to me during my stay…she went above and beyond to make me feel sincerely welcome. Both ladies were so generous in sharing their knowledge and friendship that I felt like I’d known them all my life.

(Front Row, L to R) Kim, Liezbeth, Nel, Patti~ (Back Row, L to R) Stacy, Maggie, Carla, Wendy, Linda, Els, Nicki, Me and Jeanne.

And...as soon as breakfast was finished I was greeted by the sweet and talented Patti from Winding Vine Wanderings. She brought everyone over to say hello, including Linda whom I had chatted with through email. Oh my goodness what a group! Talented, funny, helpful, kind…I knew it was going to be a fabulous four days. I was fortunate enough to share a table with Patti and Kim, a seriously wonderful duo. Patti is as patient and helpful as can be and Kim kept me laughing.

Now, a little about the school room…Jeanne has created a wonderful work space for her students in a building that adjoins the shop. A row of big windows across the back wall let in lots of natural light and there is plenty of room for displays, workstations and even a buffet table at the front of the room. We were seated 3-4 ladies at each of the big round tables. 

On that first morning we were greeted by a rustic wire basket filled with sumptuous hand dyed wools and the pattern for Maggie’s project. I’ll be honest, it was a little overwhelming to compare that bundle of wool to the magnificent bedcover hanging on the classroom wall…but in true Maggie fashion, she broke the project into easy steps and gave us the confidence to begin. One of the best things about Maggie’s projects is the relaxed way she approaches things. With a true make-do attitude she encouraged us to piece together fabrics as needed and make the project our own. This mind-set is just one reason her finished pieces have such great character. 

(Photo courtesy of Patti Gagliardi)

We worked until lunch and then had a bit of free time to see the sights. Patti, a Boxwood and Berries veteran, graciously led the way to visit "Yore", a wonderful primitive shop in Gotham, Wisconsin. We wandered through lovely vignettes featuring antique furniture and fall decor.

A favorite corner at "Yore".

After our adventure we went back to the school room for dinner and a truly fabulous trunk show. Maggie displayed the pieces she stitched for her new book, "Buttonwood Farm", and shared her inspirations for each one. What an absolute treasure to hear her tips and creative process first hand!   

Maggie sharing inspirations from her latest book, "Buttonwood Farm".

(Photo courtesy of Patti Gagliardi)

Maggie's finished pieces were incredible...what a thrill to be able to  closely examine each piece! They are beautiful in the book, and even more so in person. I admit that I was hanging on Maggie's every word during this session...Patti graciously shared her photos with me.

 

 Jeanne and Maggie hold up the "Buttonwood Farm" wool bed cover. This was made from several cream wool blankets pieced together. The motifs were stitched from Maggie's collection of antique blue calicos and hand dyed wools.

(Photo courtesy of Patti Gagliardi)

 Jeanne offers kits for Maggie's designs in the shop. Of course I bought this one.

  Maggie's (and Stacy's) finished pieces were on display in a corner of the classroom for the duration of our stay. It was wonderful to be able to admire and study each piece at our leisure. What a treat! 

 The wool hearth rug "might" have been my favorite design from the new book...although it would be hard to pick just one. This is definitely on my to-do list.

Some of Maggie's small projects from the book.

I’m rather a slow stitcher and at the end of the day had only constructed the backing of the bed cover and cut out the endless small pieces of wool for appliquéing. Back in my motel room, I spread my project out on the bed and stitched down some of the larger motifs. It was very satisfying to see some progress on such a large project.

My night ended quietly with a phone call home, to tell Mr. Kattywhompus about my day. Poor man, he listened to every detail and even pretended to be interested. Mostly he was just happy to hear the delight in my voice. I feel blissfully asleep that night dreaming of cross stitch samplers and velvet sewing boxes…

Tune in next time to hear about our fabulous day with the extraordinary Stacy Nash...

Blessings to you,

Rhonda 

(Please forgive the crazy spacing on blogger...it's being temperamental today)

Remembering Helen

Being the junk junkie that I am, I often watch the online listings for estate sales, hoping there might be something close by. A few weeks ago I came across an listing for a sale to be held in my little town. I was excited to see something so close to home...little did I know.

The night before, while talking with a friend, I mentioned my plans for the next day, which included attending this particular estate sale. She was interested in going along, and so we rounded up a few more friends and decided to meet there bright and early in the morning. But...just where was 'there'? Because addresses are not typically announced until the night before a sale, I had no idea. Upon checking, I was shocked to find that the estate sale was being held on the farm of my closest neighbor. 

 Early Sewing Roll

Helen passed last fall, leaving a big old house filled with wonderful things she had collected in her 95 years. I'd like to say I knew Helen well. I didn't. For instance, I didn't know Helen had a degree in Home Economics...or that she was an accomplished seamstress and weaver. I didn't know Helen had once been interested in fashion design and had notebooks filled with fashion sketches. I wish I had known. It makes me sad that I didn't "stop by" more...talk with her more. I think Helen and I would have been friends. 

Helen was born right down the road and lived in the same house most of her life. And even in her nineties, she was sharp..and funny. We did have some amusing exchanges during the time I've lived in her neighborhood.

In nice weather Helen sat on the screen porch...she always waved when I passed by on foot or bicycle. We commiserated over our predicament with the skunks who had taken up residence under our respective porches...and plotted how we could be rid of them, once and for all. 

When our orange tabby came up missing I walked to Helen's searching for him. She was in her familiar spot on the back porch, and inquired if my cat would come if she called his name. "What IS his name?", Helen asked. When I replied, "Fido, his name is Fido.", Helen chuckled, and with a mischievous smile quipped, "No wonder he ran away!"

So when I found out the sale was at Helen's house, it felt a little strange. In the end, I'm glad I went though...

Several of Helen's family member's were there, selling coffee to ward off the morning chill and benefit the Three Creeks Historical Association, of which Helen was a lifelong member. They had already been inside and taken the things that meant the most to them. And it was fun to see the things Helen had saved and collected...and to imagine her coming down the wide stairway as a young girl. The same young girl who went off to college and who designed and sewed the dresses hanging in the closets upstairs. 

 I was thrilled to find this very early sewing roll among the doll clothes in an upstairs bedroom. Just look at the wonderful fabrics.

I came home with some wonderful things...I couldn't help myself. I love knowing the history behind these things. I love knowing they belonged to Helen, and in some small way I think she would like it too. 

Turn, Turn, Turn...

This is the first fall in over twenty years that I didn't have to concern myself with the education of my children. No books to order, no lessons to plan, no contemplating whether we should we start school before or after Labor Day.  My last student "graduated" and is on to grown up things. It's a strange feeling. But, as both Pete Seeger and Ecclesiastes say, “To everything there is a season..."

Honestly, I'm really enjoying this season. Sometimes I almost feel guilty for enjoying it so much. Almost. :) And although I no longer have to grade papers...I still have homework. 

I've fantasized heard about the Boxwood and Berries Gatherings at Country Sampler in Spring Green, Wisconsin for years. This year, I've been saving my pennies to make my fantasy become a reality. And this year, I'm going! I can hardly believe it! Five glorious days of solitude...reading, sewing, antiquing and best of all, taking classes with two of my folk art heroes...Maggie Bonanomi  and Stacy Nash. I've been working on perfecting my curtsey, because in my book, these ladies are the royalty of primitive design. I feel like Cinderella going to the ball! Can you tell how very, very excited I am?

I got my itinerary a few days ago...the projects and other events planned for us by the artists and shop owners look incredible. In order to get so many things accomplished in the time we have, Stacy assigned some homework.

Whew! I'm very nearly finished. This is the first time I've stitched on 28 count linen... it's stitched one thread over two. It took a bright light and magnifier for me to see the threads.

This section is part of a sewing basket we'll be making with Stacy. I've long been a fan of her beautiful sewing accessories and samplers, but let me tell you, this gave me new respect for what she does! I hope you'll hop on over to her blog and see her exquisite work for yourself. She also has some photos of the finished sewing basket on her blog. It's seriously TO.DIE.FOR.

I still have a wee bit of stitching to finish. I am determined to have it finished before I go. I wonder if they'd believe me if I told them, "the dog ate my homework?"

If you've been to a Boxwood and Berries Gathering before, I'd love to hear any tips you might have, either about the workshops or must see places in the area. Any information about where to shop, thrift, eat healthy, or antique in and around Spring Green would be very much appreciated. I'll be traveling from the Chicagoland area...where do YOU recommend I stop?

And...if you happen to be one of the fortunate few who are attending the second session (I know you're out there somewhere) please do send me an email. I'd love to say "Hello" before class. :)

Until next time...Rhonda

Painting Upholstered Furniture

We recently decided to change up our living space by swapping out several rooms. While trying to decide which furniture would work best in which rooms, I realized that I was in need of a sewing chair in my studio. I wanted something pretty, pink and comfortable. I watched Craigslist for over a month with no luck. Finally, I spotted a listing for this chair, just a short distance from my home. In the listing it looked pink, but when I went to see it in person, it was definitely a peachy orange. Still, it was a great style, clean, comfortable, and in good condition. And the price was right...$50. I convinced myself that I could make it work.

After

When I got home, I moved the chair upstairs next to the window and looked at it. I let it sit there for a few days, hoping it would grow on me. It didn't. It looked awful in my pale pink world. This is when I decided I'd change the color. After an extensive internet search, I determined that there was no colorfast way to dye the chair...then I came across Kristy Swain's blog, hyphen interiors. Kristy posted a tutorial that showed how to paint upholstery. I was intrigued. After reading and rereading her instructions many times, I thought, "I can do this!" 

I gathered my materials. 

1. One quart of  Behr indoor, satin latex paint.  (There's enough left over to do 30 more chairs-you could probably get away with a sample size paint)

2. A large bottle of Delta Textile Medium (I used 2/3 of the bottle)

3. Six Foam Brushes (I used one brush)

I already had a spray bottle for water, painters tape, and a pint jar. And although this project was surprisingly not messy, you'll probably want some sort of drop cloth under your project...just in case.

Getting started was the hardest part. I had to tell myself that if I ruined the chair, it wasn't the end of the world...so I took a deep breath and jumped in.

First things first. Even though it was in great condition, the chair had a wee bit of what I like to call, "old lady smell". I am a bit of a germophobe, so I decided that before I painted it, the chair must be shampooed. This is a photo of the clean, damp chair, before. The fabric on this chair was a beautiful nubby silk with a flame stitch pattern in the weave. Because the color I envisioned was an old fashioned dark pink, I chose a bright pink paint, hoping the combination of colors would be exactly what I had in mind. 

Before

Before getting started, be sure your piece is clean with no lint, dust or dirty spots. This will ensure that the paint goes on evenly as possible.

I used the upholstery attachment on my Bissel Rug Shampooer to clean my chair, making sure I didn't leave it too wet. While the chair was damp, you could see lines where the various types of stuffing begin & end...which was a little worrisome at first. But by that point I was already too far in to fret over it.

Next, I mixed equal parts paint, textile medium, and water in a pint jar. If your paint is really thick you might need to add more water until it's about the consistency of a glaze. I refilled my jar only once, using about 1.75 pints of my paint concoction altogether.

I began by taping off the wood with painters tape. Since I planned to replace the faded gimp trim on the chair, I left it in place and painted right up to it. The trim acted as a natural barrier between the wood and the painted areas. 

 My chair was already pretty damp from cleaning. If you are starting with dry upholstery, you will want to get it damp before beginning. As Kristy said, don't be shy...you want the fabric damp. Keep your spray bottle handy, the upholstery dries out as you are painting. 

To begin, I took the seat cushion off and painted the inside arm of the chair. I painted slowly and deliberately, blending the paint as I went.

I worked my way around the chair, spritzing with water and blending the paint. On the deep sculpted back, I used the foam brush to paint between the tufted folds of the chair. I finished the seat of the chair last, then tackled the cushion.

After I finished painting, I used a fan to dry the chair. I painted it late at night and it was completely dry by morning.

I'm sure different fabrics will react differently to the process. I found that one coat of paint was all I needed on my chair. The color is perfect and the fabric remains soft & pliable. In Kristy's tutorial she used several coat of paint to achieve a darker richer color. She also recommended sanding areas that might be too stiff. 

I finished my chair by pulling off the old gimp trim and using a hot glue gun to attach the new trim. I had a hard time finding trim to match so I did what I always do...I checked Etsy.com. I found Peggy's Shop there...she was offering 6 yards of  (new) vintage trim in the exact shade I needed. In retrospect, I think I'd buy my trim first and match the paint to it.

After

I think you'll have to experiment with your own upholstered piece to see what works for you. Kristy's tutorial is a must read...and be sure to read through her tips at the bottom. It's also a great place to see more painted upholstery projects done by her readers. Some of them are really incredible.

What I Did On My Summer Vactation (OR where the heck have you been?)

Some of you might be wondering just what happened to me over the summer...I've really missed being part of the blogging community these last few months. I've missed seeing what you've been up to, your projects, your photos, your offerings...I've missed YOU. I really appreciate my faithful readers...THANK YOU for sticking with me, I hope you'll return again and again.

I can't believe it's fall! Seriously, summer flew by so quickly that I almost feel like it never happened. We were just incredibly, incredibly busy here. It seems like we went from one project to the next... 

There was a lot of painting, remodeling, and exchanging of spaces. My studio moved from a small crowded room on the main floor of the house, to two large rooms on the second floor. My old studio became a cozy little sitting room just off the master bedroom. 

This may not sound like much to some of you, but with the exception of moving the heavy furniture, I did most of the work myself.  The moving, sorting and organizing of supplies was probably the biggest part of the project. I made myself go through every button and spool and was relieved that my family didn't call the producers of "Hoarders" when they saw what was packed into my tiny studio. Mr. Kattywhompus said it reminded him of a clown car...where no matter how many clowns emerge-there's always one (or two) more. *sigh*

The changes have been a dream. I not only inherited a bigger space, but three more closets and room for an office, packaging area and permanent spot to take product photos. I was able to move most of the inventory for my vintage shop into one space, and still have a pretty and functional area to create. Of course during the move, I wasn't able to get a bit of work done...but I feel like I will be able to be much more productive now that everything is in one space and more organized.  I also have plenty of room to host gatherings with friends, which has happened a couple of times already. :)

As the mother of three sons, I've lived in a world flooded with testosterone for over twenty years. Now that the two oldest have their own place, I lost no time in creating what they refer to as "The Pink Room".

I really wanted a pretty (and comfortable) chair to sit in by the window and stitch. It's pretty now, but it certainly wasn't when I found it. I'll tell you in my next post how I PAINTED the upholstery and transformed this Craigslist find. You might be as amazed as I was at how easy it was!

In my new space, I even have room to to create vignettes with all the little pretties I've collected over the years.

Surrounding myself with things I love inspires me.

Fabric at my fingertips.

 

Pretty storage all in a row.

The "Hoosier" makes great storage (but was a booger going up the stairs).

Needfuls near the sewing machine.

On the tabletop, a sweet stemmed dish, a gift from my mother-in-love. Each time I made her a grandma, she brought me a pretty piece of glassware. One day I hope to gift them to my daughter-in-loves. The little kitten was a Mother's Day gift. I can still picture four year old Nash, standing by my bedside at 5 am, with a tiny gift wrapped box. :)

Favorite things...vintage rabbits, Tasha Tudor storybooks and shiny dragees unearthed at an estate sale by my friend Joan.

More Inspiration...

Everyone needs a helper...

Supplies...

Another corner...

A turn of the century, white cotton day dress and antique ladies pocket watch, gifts from my Momma.

I have one last project to finish in this room. I want to paint my worktable a creamy white. It's a big round claw-foot table that we've had since we were first married. Right now the finish looks like this...it really needs a makeover.

 

Well...I hope you've enjoyed the tour. I look forward to sharing the rest of my summer with you...including a tutorial on how to paint upholstered furniture, a special outing with friends, my first big feature story in Mercantile Gatherings Magazine and what I am looking forward to for fall. Until next time...Rhonda

(Please forgive my crazy spacing...blogger seems to be buggy tonight.)

Please join me...

...on Simply Primitives this evening. 

I hope you'll stop by to see my work, as well as that of the other talented artisans there.

Thanks for looking!

Coming Soon on Simply Primitives

Here's a sneak peek of things to come...

Watch for my update, April 1st, on Simply Primitives.