Old School Acres

I have the key to keeping you young

It's doing nothing for me, but hopefully it will work for you(?).

Acorns appear only on adult trees, and thus are often a symbol of patience and the fruition of long, hard labor. For example, an English proverb states that Great oaks from little acorns grow, urging the listener to wait for maturation of a project or idea. A German folktale has a farmer try to outwit Satan, to whom he has promised his soul, by asking for a reprieve until his first crop is harvested; he plants acorns and has many years to enjoy first. In Britain, one old tradition has it that if a woman carries an acorn on her person it will delay the aging process and keep her forever young. ~~From Wikipedia

A lot of reasons for us to be enamored of the little acorn.  For your chance to own this leave a comment and I will draw a winner Friday. 

Wool tweed and wool-blend felt stuffed with PolyFil.  If you don't want the pins (vintage glass beads) I will add a ribbon so you can hang it. 

Don't be surprised if you find this in your package.  Lucy is in her terrible 2s!!  The girls are learning the hard way that toys can't be left on the floor.  I rescued this horse, though not without a fight.  Lucy was determined to make her a hairless horse.

Squirrel food

My "loose" interpretation of the March/April Pincushion Challenge theme of Eats!  An acorn pincushion.  Now it needs a squirrel. 

Blue + brown

I wish I could find yards and yards of these prints.   I dug them out of the scrap fabric bin at the thrift store.  I'm sure I'll never find more like them.  They are for Jackie for the Potholder Swap. 

Little gift

For a kind fellow crafter.

Tiny bits of glass goodness

  Fancy pins 
  Originally uploaded by Old School Acres.

Made from vintage glass beads bought at an estate sale. I've had them for years and never could think what to do with them.  I've not had much luck finding pretty pins to include in the Pincushion Challenge Swap, so made my own.  I have quite the collection; once I got started I couldn't stop LOL 

One for a swap and one for me

Remember how I was afraid a 4-inch square would be too big for a pincushion?  Well, I love it that size and made one for myself!!  The one on the right is for the Pink and White pincushion swap at SwabBot.  The round one is mine and I love it.  Both are wool felt.  Mine is embroidered with linen and the other with cotton.  I've about had my fill of pincushions.  I do enjoy making them, but how many does a person really need?  I will continue to participate in BooaJ's pincushion challenge, but don't be surprised if you see them posted here looking for a new home.

Another bird

I started this with the intention of making a pincushion for a swap, but evidently I have no sense of scale.  I drew it on the felt with disappearing ink and it looked pretty good.  But the more I embroidered the more it seemed too big.  It will end up being about 4 inches square.  Is that too big for a pincushion? 

I don't know what my attraction is to birds, but I love them.  In arts and crafts or real ones from a distance.  We have several barn swallows and it freaks me out to go into the barn because it totally ticks them off when we go in there and they start flying within a couple inches of our heads.  The girls don't mind, but I always scream like a girl.  LOL

Tiny, perfect stitches

They aren't mine, that's for sure.  This was started by Mabel, Brett's grandma.  Mabel died in 2000.  She had Alzheimer's and lived in a nursing home.  Mabel's husband, Dillon, lived alone on the farm after Mabel went to the home.  After he died in 2003 Brett's sister and her family moved into Dillon's place.  So she is cleaning out, too.  We know nothing about this other than it's seen better days.  It's a table runner and is a cutwork design with a crocheted border.  It's stained and smelly, but the stitches are perfect.  Click on the picture for a very large version to see the detail.

This is my latest pincushion for Booga J's pincushion challenge.  The theme this time is flowers.  I modified a pattern I had for a children's napkin ring project.  No particular flower.  The petals are wool felt (white and pale pink) and the leaves are from a felted sweater.  I have a heck of a time losing needles in pincushions, so I added a piece of chipboard inside the leaves. 

Finally

  Scotty stuffy 
  Originally uploaded by Old School Acres.

I finally finished 2 projects I've been wanting to do.  This little scotty dog is so cute.   I used the pattern from Allsorts.   I also finished my pincushion for the May Pincushion Challenge, a pear pincushion.  No pattern and I'm pretty pleased with it.  Next on the agenda is finishing up Father's Day stuff and my assignments for Ready Set Create.

Here is Katie with her finished embroidery for Grandma Mary.  She is so pleased with herself.  The first thing she asks when she gets home from school is if she can sew.  I found the Sew Cute machine in the back of the closet and will let her give that a try.  I figure someone may as well use it.  I end up using my big machine for paper instead of messing with the Sew Cute.

I've been in a rut.  I sit and look at all the paper-crafting supplies, the fabric, the sewing machine, etc., and I think I'm overwhelmed.  I have so much I want to do that I don't know where to start first.  I think over the next few weeks I will clear out a bit.  I'll offer up any goodies here in hopes of them going to good homes.

Sweet little pincushions

gh1971b
Originally uploaded by Old School Acres.

My mother-in-law brought me 4 grocery sacks full of magazines she was finally ready to get rid of. They are mostly Country Living, Country Home, Dolls magazine, and Teddy Bears and Friends from the 1980s and early '90s. But in the middle of them I found this Good Housekeeping from December 1971 and these cute pin cushions. They were made with a styrofoam core and covered with felt.