Playing with Patterns

Happy New Year! I hope everyone is having a peaceful and blessed New Year celebration. As always, ours is a quiet one at home by the fire, and this year we've kept the woodstove going pretty regularly since it has been a cold one.

I'm close to finishing the last Log Cabin pattern, hopefully another day of football bowl games tomorrow and I'll finish it. I took some time out to begin drawing a few more designs and began playing with the Log Cabin~Winter pattern's software. Now it was fun to stitch this pattern, but I don't really see myself doing it three more times in order to make one that looks like this, lol. But with the ease of software I wanted to see what doing it four times and putting it into a log cabin quilt formation would look like.

Here are the two variations I put together. I don't expect anyone to actually stitch them, but at least you'll know what they'd look like if you did!

Log Cabin~Winter Variation 1

Variation 2

That was fun, now back to trying to finish just one Log Cabin~Summer!

~~Merry Christmas from Gracewood~~

Winter has arrived on Gracewood! This was the first day of a three day winter storm that just passed through our mountains.


This is day 2, love the 'hats' on the fenceposts.

By day 3 it was getting serious!

In between baking things for the holidays and watching Terry plow the driveways, I have gotten some stitching done.
Log Cabin~Summer

May you all have some wonderful holidays and a blessed New Year!

And a Merry Christmas from Zoe who always knows how to have fun!

New Design - Chrysanthemums

Asian Screens~Chrysanthemums

My design,Poppies
hangs on the wall in the dining room and I find as I sit at the table looking across at it, it just makes me smile. I like its size, its open spaces, its colors and the fact it reminds me of its inspiration, Asian screens in my favorite Korean historical dramas.

We are still firmly addicted to KHDs, the current one we're watching on Hulu is the Horse Doctor. Another of director Lee Byung Hoon's wonderful series - Jewel in the Palace, Dong-Yi, Yi-San, Huh-Joon - that always feature a gracious soul whose life is full of trials and tribulations that they quietly and courageously overcome.

The Horse Doctor

Like its predecessors, this series is also inspiring me with its beautiful sets and scenery which always includes some of the most intricate and intriguing screens. So I designed a companion to Asian Screens~Poppies and there may be more such themed patterns in the future. This one features one of the flowers I've always felt to be so naturally elegant and certainly suits the theme. I look forward to stitching it soon.

Something else that makes me smile as I sit at the dining room table and look out the glass doors is this little gal who now comes right up to the porch each morning and waits patiently for us to give her a piece of fruit. I hope we don't run out of fruit!

Log Cabin~Summer Model

I'm finally picking up some speed stitching Log Cabin~Summer's model. I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy stitching a summer piece while looking out the window at the snow falling but I'm happy to say they work together rather well. I'm particularly enjoying the morning glories :)

I am using HDF silk floss and the dmc to hdf conversions are as follows -

DMC 827 Blue-vy lt - HDF Aquamarine 2433
DMC 826 Blue-md - HDF Chryscolla 2253
DMC 825 Blue-dk - HDF Chryscolla 2255
DMC 741 Tangerine-md - HDF Umber 4355
DMC 740 Tangerine - HDF Umber 4353

It is hunting season here and our many local deer know right where to go, lol
Most mornings we find scenes like this right off of our back porch.
Twins born this year seem to be able to read the "No Hunting" signs posted on Gracewood

Three Log Cabins on the Wall

First three log cabin designs

Three down, one to go. And as I'm starting Log Cabin~Summer it begins to snow on Gracewood :)

Log Cabin~Summer

I'll post the colors and floss I'm using for this one next time.

Tunisian Lapghan

The stitching has slowed a bit as I took some time to do some Tunisian crochet to make some new lapghans for winter. I found some beautiful wool from Sweden on ebay to make this one.

It so nice and warm and with the temps forecast in the teens the next few days I hope to spend some time under it while I stitch.

Hope that any of you affected by hurricane Sandy are finding some relief from all the hardships it brought with it.

The design of my pattern, Sanctuary, coincided with the time of the terrible tsunami in Japan, in March, 2011. At that time I dedicated this design to always be a pattern that is free to anyone making a donation of any size to help victims of such disasters. In light of what so many are experiencing in our northeastern states, I'd like to post it again.

Inspired by a line from an Isaac Watts hymn, #74

"...A little spot enclosed by grace,
Out of the world's wide wilderness.."

The design symbolizes a family gathered together by its hearth, encompassed by a harsher world outside.

If you would like a copy of the pattern, just contact me through this contact form or at bungard.gracewood@gmail.com and let me know you've made a donation to a charity supporting relief efforts for Sandy victims. If you would like to easily make a donation through the Salvation Army Click here

Our prayers are with all those affected by this storm.

Log Cabin~Spring Model Finished

Log Cabin~Spring

Another one done in the four seasons series! The pdf charts are on sale for $8.00 here

I hope to get it framed and on the wall with the first two soon, though it might look strange until the Summer model can complete them.

Today I hope to get the fabric on the frame to begin Log Cabin~Summer, I can't stand not having a working piece on it. It just doesn't seem right to sit down for a bit and not have something to be stitching :)

Though it will be strange doing something with summer themes as winter is nearing. We've had our first 'winter storm' warnings and the snow on the mountains is working its way lower and lower with each storm. It won't be too much longer till it is white here as well. All the fruit trees are harvested, fertilized and are giving us some lovely fall colors.

Every weekend in the month of October the local Lions Club sponsors train rides through the area and people come from many miles to take the rides and see all the fall colors. Here is one lady's description of her visit to take the train.

You tube also has some videos of the rides