Bye Bye 2017 & Hello 2018

How is it suddenly December 31st?  What happened to all those projects I so carefully came up with last January?  Oh well, I'm optimistic enough to know I'll do it again next month and be grateful for any of them I actually accomplish.

"August~Seaside", the second month design for my Damask Calendar series, is coming along well and has been a lot of fun to stitch.  It is a frosty 7 degrees fahrenheit and we have about 14" of snow this morning and it seems like whatever season I'm in I always enjoy stitching something for the opposite season, go figure, lol

August~Seaside

I'm loving this funny little fish looking back at me.

I hope wherever you are it will be a Happy New Year!  And that it will be full of lots of completed projects and happy memories.


Scenes from a very cold but cozy Gracewood this last day of 2017

Jasper LOVES snow!

The local herd begins to gather at back porch for handouts of carrots and apples.

Birds are enjoying the black oil sunflower seeds from the feeders

2017 Just Cross Stitch Ornament Pattern Error

Hello everyone, hope all of you US stitchers will have a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow.  It smelled absolutely delicious in our house today as some of the advance cooking was taking place.

I wanted to first show you a lovely interpretation of my 2017 ornament from Just Cross Stitch's special edition stitched by 'Mrs. C'

Joy ornament in lovely lavenders

I love the colors she chose!  And she pointed out what I had failed to see when the magazine arrived, but the pattern is incorrect.  For some reason the bottom floral motif was not included when the magazine printed the pattern.  They also called the pattern 'Beaded Joy' when it was submitted to them as 'Stained Glass Joy'.

 And while Mrs. C's ornament is lovely without the bottom motif, if anyone would like the correct pattern please send an email to me and I'll send the correct pattern to you.

Thanks for stitching my ornament so beautifully, Mrs. C, and thank you for bringing this error to my attention.  I've let JCS magazine know of the error and since all of the charts in my files have the correct image I have no idea how the incorrect pattern came to be printed by the magazine.

Have a very happy Thanksgiving and again just send me a note at bungard.gracewood@gmail.com and request a correct copy and I'll be happy to send one to you.

Tussie~Mussie for Sale & New Damask Calendar August Design!

Winter has come early to Gracewood and of course I LOVE it!  Usually our snow starts around Thanksgiving towards the end of November, but by the first week of this month we had 8" of gorgeous snow and the cold temps to keep it.  Definitely stitching weather.

Since it has been the required amount of time since my pattern, 'Tussie-Mussie', appeared in JCS magazine I may now publish it myself and through my publishers - It can be purchased on my website on this page and through ICG Crafts and soon through Creative Poppy

Tussie~Mussie

And now, I'm happy to introduce the next month in the Damask Calendar series - 'August~Deep Blue Sea'

August~Deep Blue Sea

When I think of August I think of cool waters and while Gracewood is in the mountains, much of my youth was spent by the ocean so my inspiration comes from the sea.  I'll be stitching using Rainbow Gallery Splendor silk floss in shades of aqua.  New aida cloth is stretched on the frame, the needle is threaded, coffee is making and I cant' wait to take that first stitch, I'm sure stitchers know just what I mean!

Hoping all is well with you in your part of the world!  Happy Stitching!

JCS Ornament & July~Poppies & Bees Pattern

It is definitely autumn on Gracewood and as always I can't stop looking at all its beautiful signs.  Mornings are foggy and frosty and afternoons cool and crisp, just my kind of weather ;)

The 2017 special Christmas ornament edition of Just Cross Stitch magazine is on the newstands and this was my contribution to it this year -

And I'm happy to say that I finished the model for the first design in the new Damask Calendar series of patterns - 'July~Poppies & Bees'.

July~Poppies & Bees

It is now for sale at my website Here and at  Everything Cross Stitch.  It will be available soon through my publisher outside of the US at Creative Poppy

I'll leave you with a pic of one of my favorite trees here on Gracewood in all its autumn splendor.  This green ash was just a little stick that came as a free extra when we ordered lots of plants when we first moved on Gracewood 26 years ago.  It was so small and dead looking we never expected it to thrive, but thrive it did and we love it!

Hoping your season in whatever part of the world you dwell is lovely as well!

Jasper loves Autumn too, as long as  you throw his ball!

New Tutorial & Pattern for Hurricane Harvey Relief

It is September and I am sooooo ready for summer to begone!  The garden is bursting and each morning the question is what to do with that day's pickings, but that is a nice problem to have.

First I'd like to reintroduce my Pattern for Charity,   Sanctuary from the Storm, which I  introduced during the Tsunami disaster in Japan.  I will be happy to send the pattern to anyone who makes a donation to the Salvation Army designated for hurricane Harvey relief.  Just send a note to me at bungard.gracewood@gmail.com to let me know you've made a donation and it can be in any amount and I'll send you a pdf of this design.  

Sanctury from the Storm

My publisher, Creative Poppy, has uploaded a tutorial on how to take my four designs from Lace Traces and turn them into the wall hanging I posted in the last blog.  It can be found at this link - Free Tutorial for turning Lace Traces into a quilt wall hanging.

I'm enjoying stitching the new pattern - Damasks~July

Damasks~July

and as I said above I'm enjoying preparing lots of delicious dishes with the tomatoes, corn, beans, cucumbers, eggplants, and of course zucchini that our garden is yielding.  I still stand amazed looking at all that can come from a simple seed!

Here is what my kitchen counter looks like most mornings.

I've also been making ice cream, yogurt and all sorts of luscious things with the milk I've been getting from my dear friend's goats!  

Hoping all is well in your world and that you are stitching something that makes you smile!

New Design, New Series!

Summer is in full swing and the garden is jumping with blooms, hopefully boding well for lots of tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, peppers and most of all corn!!!  If you haven't had fresh corn on your pizza you don't know what you are missing!

The Lace Traces wall hanging is now on the wall -

Lace Traces Collection Wall Hanging

And I'm introducing a new series of designs reflecting my love for damask table linens and to be sure I can have plenty of them, lol, I've decided to do a calendar of them beginning with July.

Damasks ~ July

In a bright tangerine color, I've used poppies and bees to begin this series.  It is so nice to have that new piece of Aida stretched out on its frame and the first few stitches appearing on it, I really feel like something just isn't right if I don't have something astitching!

Finally, have a smile with this -

Lace Traces Wall Hanging ~ Belfast in Just Cross Stitch Magazine ~

Here is a preview of the Lace Traces collection in a wall hanging.  The top is complete and as soon as I can add the backing and batting it will be done!

Lace Traces Collection

I am no seamstress but a simple log cabin style strip surround even I can do :)

And I just received my copy of the August edition of Just Cross Stitch magazine which is featuring the latest in the Vintage Textile series of design, 'Belfast', which was inspired by damask table linens that the linen makers of Belfast are expert at weaving.  The issue should be on news stands soon.

My thanks to JCS for featuring another design in just a few months from each other!

And finally, I had to share some photos of the robin babies in the eaves of our front porch.  They are so big right now I don't know how they still fit in the nest ~ yes, the big one on the right is one of the 'babies'.  It is seriously time for Mom to kick this crew out of the nest!

This robin had her nest in the same place last year and I was surprised she built another there since we'd added some wind chimes in the meantime - gorgeous Bells of Paradise chimes from Woodstock Chimes - but they seem to love them!  Go figure, lol

Hope you are having a lovely June wherever you are!

Lace Traces~ Fourth Design & Other Blooms

Lace Traces~Vividly Violet

It took too long to finish this model.  But considering I had to stop mid-stitch twice to finish a couple of other projects for a magazine I am not going to be too tough on myself and be happy to see it turned out just the way I hoped it would.😊

It is my plan to use the four models from this series to create a wall hanging.  Though I've had more requests for submissions to magazines so it may take longer than planned to put them together.

'Vividly Violet' is for sale on my website and will soon be available through  Creative Poppy and Everything Cross Stitch

Life on Gracewood in May and June is usually busy but beautiful and this year with all the blessed rain everything is so green and lush it is hard to stop looking at it all!  Terry is busy putting our garden in place and already getting firewood for next winter, since this last really cold snowy one consumed last year's stock.

Here are a few photos to share this lovely time with you -

Spirea in all its bloom

Growing corn in fabric bags

Season's first pickler

Last snow left on Mount MolyB

Jasper is finally tired after his morning ball chasing

You may remember the special doe we named 'Baby' since she visited us on her own at a very early age?  Well Baby is getting ready to have her own baby as you can see.

May your June be as beautiful as ours has been!

5th Season & Vividly Violet Debuts!

MUD Season Arrives on Gracewood

Greetings from Gracewood as we slowly - and I mean v-e-r-y slowly - emerge from a memorably epic winter here in the inland northwest.  Record breaking snow and now equally epic rain is bringing us into what we call (rather unaffectionately) our 5th season, known as MUDDDDD! We've been under flood and landslide warnings for so long I don't remember what our accuweather page looks like without big red triangles saying 'warning'!!!

It is easy to know this season has finally fully arrived when you see the stack of towels at the back door with the wet mop next to it.  The towels are there of course, to wipe dog paws and yes even his big Chessy chest which somehow manages to pick up more mud than his feet.  And I'm going through so many microfiber wet mop pads it is really time to get more so I still have some available while the others are in the wash.

But, all this moisture is taking us further away from the drought that plagued us for a few years so I am still nothing but thankful for it, though the brief bit of sun we had today was glorious and a promise to the tomato seedlings warming under grow lights in the loft that indeed the day will come when they can actually go outside.  It really shows what optimists gardeners are that with temps in the 20's and snow still on the ground, we still break out the grow light stands and pop seeds into trays this many weeks ahead of our official last day of frost, which is May 15th - though we've had more than an inch of snow one May 27th!

In between cleaning dog paws and mopping floors I am happy to say I was able to design the 4th pattern in the Lace Traces series.  This one was a little more challenging since it needed to 'fit' with the first three patterns especially since they are going to go together in a wall hanging.

Here are the first three pinned to a fabric I'm contemplating using -

Lace Traces Collection

I decided to make the fourth pattern in shades of violet and at least for the moment I'm calling it Vividly Violet.

Lace Traces ~ Vividly Violet

I hope you'll find it appealing :)

Now I hear a scratch at the back door so it is time to do more battle with a very muddy but happy doggy.

Tussie-Mussie in April Just Cross Stitch Magazine

Even though it is still thoroughly winter on Gracewood (see photos at bottom of post) Just Cross Stitch's April edition is hitting the stands and will definitely put you in the mood for spring!

And the pattern for 'Tussie-Mussie' is on page 52.

My thanks to Just Cross Stitch for another very nice feature of one of my designs.

While it is still winter here, some of our four feet of snow is melting and this morning Jasper discovered that he has a new place to play -- on top of the barn!

Jasper discovers a new place to play!

It is hard to believe we'll be starting seeds inside soon, so I need to finish the ornament for this year's Christmas edition and get to work designing Traces of Lace 4.

Happy stitching!

Lace Traces~Bursts of Blue Stitched! January on Gracewood

How happy am I that I have finally been able to have no interruptions and have completed the model for Lace Traces~Bursts of Blue?  Answer, VERY! lol, this poor model had to be put down so many times so I could complete other deadlines but now it looks happily back at me and makes me realize the wait was worth it.  It is a beauty, if I do say so myself 😉

Lace Traces~Bursts of Blue

This pattern is now for sale on my Website

I hope to get the fourth design in this Lace Traces series started soon, though first I need to design another ornament for this year's Just Cross Stitch special Ornament edition.  Designing something that necessarily small is hard for me, so it will surely take some time.

In the meantime, as January's last day is here and another 8" of snow is forecast this weekend, I thought I'd share what a scenic wonder Gracewood can be wrapped in winter!  I love having four seasons and will joyfully plant tomatoes as soon as possible, but oh how I love our home snuggled in for winter!  Have a lovely February wherever you are!

One gate we won't be using for awhile.

Jasper thinks all weather is frisbee weather.

You may remember the young fawn who'd losts its mother that we were feeding last year?  Well thankfully, she is back and looking gorgeous.  She still comes right up to the back porch and licks her lips to let us know she is hungry, here she is with one of her favorites - a carrot.