My first punch needle pattern!

Check out my new blog for primitive patterns and see my very first punch needle pattern!

www.simplyprimpatterns.blogspot.com

Answering Questions from comments

Just want to answer a couple questions I received in my comments.

When I was in Pigeon Forge, I did not get to Rebecca's Thyme prim shop. I spent 2 hours in the three shops I did go to and I knew I had to get back to the cabin so we could go to the Knoxville Zoo before it got too late. I would of loved to visit Rebecca's, but there just wasn't time.

Also, the hoop you see Linda using is called a NO-SLIP Telescoping hoops lap stand. You can purchase them at www.punchneedlemarketplace.com. I'll be getting one soon for myself cause it will take the stress off my neck when I'm punching. It keeps your work higher up so you don't have to bend your neck down so far. If you're like me, I stay pretty sore between my shoulders cause I'm always looking down when I stitch or punch.

I'll be starting needlework classes at my shop in August! I'm calling it the Stitchers, Punchers & Hookers! We'll be doing primitive stitcheries, penny rugs, rug punching, punch needle embroidery, and rug hooking. I'll be posting more info. as I get the details worked out.

I'm doing Punch Needle!

Lucky, lucky me, when I got to the Pattern Hutch in Pigeon Forge Monday morning, Linda Brown was doing demos for punch needle! If you know the shops in the Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community of Gatlinburg, you probably visited her shop Primitive Thymes. I met Linda many years ago when I first starting visiting TN on vacation. She closed her shop a few years ago and now she does some demos for Cindy at The Pattern Hutch. She also has her quilt/stitchery pillows in another shop I visited Monday morning, Primitive Treasures.

Here's a photo of Linda. It looks like she's sleeping while standing, but she was just looking down. She jokingly said she'd look up if I bought another pattern. ;) Thanks Linda for being such a great teacher!

Primitive Treasures is a great prim shop and has only been in Pigeon Forge for about a month. She moved over from the Craft Loop in Gatlinburg and is getting the much deserved foot traffic now at her new location right across the street from The Old Mill Restaurant.

The third shop I visited that morning was Dixie Darlins. Huge needlework shop with patterns and gadgets and supplies for all kinds of needlework.

I must add that EVERY employee at each of the stores was very helpful and oozing the southern hospitality that the south is famous for.

Linda taught me so well, that I've already completed my practice project AND designed and punched a project that I'm going to make a pattern for! Should have the pattern done within the next week, maybe even in a few days! It will be a primitive Christmas decoration with a crow, Christmas tree and star, then mounted in a rusty tin dish. The first of many patterns to come! For now, it's soaking in the coffee. Just can't deal with that white weaver's cloth. ;)

As soon as I get the pattern finished, it will be posted on my new blog. www.SimplyPrimPatterns.blogspot.com

Here's some photos I took of The Old Mill and the river. What gorgeous petunias! Notice that they're all along the railing by the river.

We also went to the Knoxville Zoo. I'll post a slide show soon of the animals. The gorillas were the most entertaining!

blogging in Pigeon Forge at the cabin

How pitiful am I to be blogging while I'm on vacation??? Well now, first before you judge me, let me explain the setting.

We were going to walk around Gatlinburg tonight, but decided to stay at the cabin and just relax.

So, I'm sitting in the dark, on the porch of the cabin, watching the campfire burn and getting ready to eat some burnt marshmallows. Very, very relaxed. Tomorrow,,,,,I hit the prim shops!



Here's a photo of my little Dachshund Annie on our camping trip. She is freaking out at all the new noises and strange sights. Poor thing is so used to her fenced backyard, that she's shaking like crazy! We put her and Shorty in the cabin and put up the baby gate. They're much happier in there. :)



I just listed three new dolls in my etsy shop that I finished late last night. Buy them so I can spend more money!!!

http://www.priviesandprims.etsy.com/

Going to TN!!!

We're off for a short vacation and I'm planning to visit the primitive shops in Pigeon Forge! My teenage son never wants to go shopping (imagine that!), so I'm leaving him to sleep in tomorrow morning and I'm hitting the prim stores! On my list of places to visit are Rebecca's Thyme, The Pattern Hutch, Dixie Darlins, Yesterdays Antiques & Collectibles and Primitive Treasures. I kind of doubt that I'll get to them all, but then there's always Tuesday. :)

I wish you all could be with me and we could have so much fun finding all the great prims!

I'll be sure and take photos so I can share all the fun with you. If you feel so inclined, feel free to purchase something from my etsy shoppe so I have more money to spend!!! www.PriviesAndPrims.etsy.com

be blessed and stay prim!
Doreen

Two new prim dolls listed!

Just listed these two primitive dolls in my etsy shoppe. Miss America is a primitive Americana with awesome eyes and Millie is a Raggedy Annie with some funky purple dotted bloomers!

Click on the photos to check them out!

Just finished a "flock" of 5 primitive bird nodders. I call them "prim tweeters".

They're listed on etsy, so you can click on the photo to see the others.

These birds have literally been perched in my living room for about a month waiting for their wings! I finally blanket stitched some wool felt wings, added a prim hang tag and some rusty bells, saftey pins and a bit of raffia. Stained with coffee and prim perfectly finished! This morning they flew into my store. :)



Years ago, my aunt and I went to a quilt shop in Hendersonville, NC for a group called "Baa Baa Sisterhood". It's a group that does penny rugs & punch needle. I wanted to learn punch needle. It wasn't a class, but a group that meets once a month. The leader wasn't there, and someone tried to help me, but I just couldn't get it. The stitches kept coming out and the hole kept getting bigger. I quit! I figured there was soooooo much that I ~can~ do, that I wasn't going to spend time on something that frustrated me so much. Now~~~I've decided to try again. I want to make some punch needle pins to sell in my store. Soooo, I just bought a Cameo Ultra Punch needle with the three tips from The Prairie Grove Peddler's Etsy Shop. She sells punch needle patterns also, so check out her shop!

I'm determined to learn it this time. Everyone says it is so easy. Say a prayer for me! Of course I needed another craft skill like I need a hole in the head! People tell me, "you're so talented". I tell them sometimes it's a curse. Everything I see, I think "I can do that!". Therefore, I turn into a work-a-holic. Maybe it should be a craft-a-holic. (Crafting forever, housework whenever.)

My list of current things I make: Primitive dolls, prim stitcheries, stenciled signs, make-dos, nodders, penny rugs, painted items, wreaths, annnnddd, I'll soon be adding pattern designer to the list. I'm sure there's more, I just can't think of them right now. :) In addition to the crafts, I have my blog, my store website (priviesandprims.com), my etsy store (priviesandprims.etsy.com), my wedding photography website (affordablememoriesnc.com), my brick and mortar store, my photography etsy store (thenandnowartphotos.etsy.com), and I'm webmistress for Kit-N-Kaboodle Antiques here in Burnsville (kitnkaboodleantiques.com), and webmistress for Mountain Piecemaker's Quild Guild which I am a member of (mountainpiecemakersquiltguild.com). Sometimes I sleep. :)

Made it and sold it! Americana dolls

I made this Lady Liberty primitive doll, but she sold before I even got her finished, so I didn't get a photo. :( I took this photo from the pattern designer's website. Prim & Proper Folks is one of my favorite pattern lines for primitive dolls.
I try to get a photo of every doll I made before it sells, but this one went pretty quick and I didn't have my camera with me. It was Saturday, July 4th, and I had her almost finished. I had sprayed her with coffee, but she wasn't dry yet, so I took her to my shop with me and hung her outside to dry in the sun. Her banner wasn't even attached! A customer came in asking about her and she bought it on the spot! I stitched on her banner as the customer went to lunch and she was gone! I asked the lady to email me a photo, but she said she's not too up on computer stuff, but she'll try. :)

My doll had red sheep's wool for hair and of course she looks just a bit different than the pattern photo. I usually put my own touch on them. She's pretty close, but not exact. Hopefully I'll get a photo for my album.

The other doll I just finished is from another of my favorite pattern designers, R&K Creations. Her name is Miss America!

Again, I forgot my camera, so I used a friend's, but all the photos are a bit blurry.

Miss America is 26" tall and her hair is blonde sheep's wool from nearby Celo, NC.

She's got a round head and Americana flag fabric on the bodice and sleeves. She is $38. Email me if you're interested. I doubt it will be long before she also goes to a new home. :)
The vintage quilt in the photo is also for sale in my store at $45.00.

I do sincerely hope that ya'll had a great July 4th and please remember to pray for our soldiers overseas. The temperatures are over 110 degrees in Iraq and they can't jump in the pool to cool off.

I'll be back soon with more to show and tell. I'm going to TRY to get started on my own pattern designs later this week so I can take them to Pigeon Forge and hopefully The Pattern Hutch will want to sell them!

Sweet Meadow Farms giveaway!

If you're a doll maker, then you've almost certainly heard of Sweet Meadows Farm. She's got a blog now and she's having a giveaway! You could actually win this sweet primitive doll!

Click on the photo to enter the drawing!

While you're there, check out her new patterns. :)