Don't Miss This Giveaway!

Don't miss this giveaway......I am giving away 9 items just to say thank you for visiting my blog!

I have truly been blessed by having so many folks stop by and visit this blog.  It started out way back in January of 2008 as a way to log some of the happenings of  my family and things I love to do!

I have been richly blessed beyond measure with so many wonderful friends near and far and so I want to give THANKS for just how grateful I am for all of you!  A quick little update on my dad he is doing better and goes in next week for a cancer check.  Thanks so much for all the prayers!

On to the giveaway :)

Everyone that leaves a comment between now and November 28th (Thanksgiving 2013) will receive a free wool applique kit in the mail....so click on those COWS on the right  or email.... gsjackson1962@yahoo.com    and send me your snail mail address if you would like to have the applique kit.  

Now for the rest of the giveaway!

I am giving away this hand hooked snowman rug.

A bundle of  Eight cakes of hand dyed 100% wool yarn!

A kitty and heart pre~cut wool and old quilt applique kit!

A booklet of needle punch patterns!

Pre~ Cut Bird and Branch Wool Applique Kit

Ready to Stitch Joy Applique Kit

Scrappy Rug Hooking Kit with hook, monks cloth, pre~cut wool strips, binding, pattern and instructions.

Dancing Rabbits needle punch kit that includes hand dyed wool threads, line drawing, and color photo!

AND......ONE MYSTERY GIFT!  

Rules..... follow this blog, leave a comment and if you don't have a blog just leave an email for me to get ahold of you if you win. 

I will announce the winners Thanksgiving night!  

Happy Trails.....Ginger

Log Cabin Welcome and A Day With Friends

I finished up a new needle punch pattern and I have it available as a kit or just the pattern.  It will be available on Prairie Moon Primitives and Etsy

I also made a kit of the Frosty and Friends.....It measures 8 1/2 inches across when finished.

This weekend we had the ladies out for a time of rug hooking, needle punch, and penny rugs.

Carolyn is new at rug hooking and she is getting a LOT done.

Aren't they wonderful!!!!

We had 15 gals this time and we sure had a great time visiting.

Lunch was soup and sandwiches.

My mom, sis Jane, and niece Mandy also came out and worked on some crafts.

We will be meeting again December 7th and will have our yearly Christmas party!  

Wishing each of you a wonderful week and hope you find time to do something you love :)

Happy Trails.....Ginger

The Winner Is....

AMY FRAZIER.....CONGRATULATIONS

She is the winner of the needle punch and It's Snow Time kit.

Just so everyone gets a little something......I drew up a quick little doodle so if you would like to use it just click and print it off!

I will be having another giveaway soon so stop back and enter for a chance to win!

Happy Trails....Ginger

Time for a Giveaway!

If you would like to try needle punch or perhaps you already have well enter to have a chance to  win this pattern along with a Ultra Needle Punch and hand dyed wool threads.  

Simple little things you need to do.....follow this blog, leave a comment on this post, and if you don't have a blog be sure and leave an  email address  so I can get back to you if you win.  That's it!

I will announce a winner Friday, November 15th, 2013.

Happy Trails....Ginger

Frosty and Friends Needle Punch Tree Skirt

Christmas is right around the corner!  Frosty and friends is one of my newest patterns.  I designed and made this one while at Silver Dollar City.  I am offering the pattern at my website.

Prairie Moon Primitives   and my Etsy shop.

These cheery snowfolks will dress up a small Christmas tree!

Thanks so much for all the encouragement on the new adventure of starting a website :)

Stop back this coming weekend for a chance to win a few giveaways!

Happy Trails....Ginger

Prairie Moon Primitives It's Open

I finally opened a website :) Prairie Moon Primitives

and yes it is still a work in progress as I have a LOT of things I still need to log in.  I have new patterns coming soon, hand dyed 4 ply wool yarn for rug hooking and oxford punch, wool thread for needle punch, and oh so much more!

The Welcome sign above is one of my newest needle punch patterns.  It is $5 and you can also order a kit.....don't you just love the colors?  Inside this pattern you receive both the drawing of the sheep and the cat and the kit includes enough wool thread to have your choice  of the sheep or cat!

Rise and Shine is another new needle punch that is coming soon!

I've been sorting all the hand dyed 4 ply yarns and I have a lot to photo and log in hopefully in the next few days I will have that ready to go.

Wool threads perfect for the Ultra needle punch medium or large needle!  I still have a lot more to load in.....if only I had more hours in the day :)

Happy Trails....Ginger

Dyeing and Punching

 

Almost every evening the sound of poppity, pop, pop, pop can be heard.....nope it's not popcorn but the punch needle.  Some nights wool finds it's way into a bit of rug hooking but punch needle is such a fast way to make small projects. 

I have a LOT of new pieces that still like the finishing touches and deciding what to make them into.  Pillows, placed on boxes, pinkeeps, little notebooks, little mats......you see there is just so many choices.

 

 

 

 

During the day I also try to find time to wind ball of wool thread.  Coming soon I will be offering a big variety of dyed threads....perfect for punching.

 

 

Today I finished up this new color.....now what to call it????

 

 

 

 

Here it is all wound up.  Maybe it would make a nice snowman!

 

Now to answer a few questions....what do I use to dye my wool threads with?  I have used kool~aid, cushing, and pro~chem.  Lately I have been using pro~chem dyes.  I use a big turkey roaster and just experiment.  One helpful hint is write down what you did because if it turns out that you like it you just may want to duplicate it again!

 

What kind of yarn and thread do I dye?   I use 4 ply wool yarn for my oxford rug punch and a fine wool thread for needle punch that is just a bit heavier than DMC embroidery floss. 

 

How do I wind these lil' cakes of yarn?   I have a swift and ball winder and boy does it work like a charm. 

 

Will I be offering these types of hand~dyed yarns for sale?  YES!  I am working on dyeing, rolling, packaging, and logging it all into a website that I plan to open SOON. 

 

Well back to the sound of poppity~pop~pop~pop!

 

Happy Trails....Ginger

 

Cowboys, Sugar & Spice, and Hand Dyed Punch Needle Thread

 

As October comes close to being over and the prairie winds continue to blow warm yet with a hint of coolness.....I wanted to try a bit of dyeing for some needle punch projects.

 

I soaked my wool thread with a bit of suds.

 

 

Gathered up my needed supplies and went from off white to a wonderful rich color of walnut browns with a hint of  dark blues, nutmegs, and autumn reds.  Wonder what all kinds of projects will come of this wool thread?

 

Picked up this lil' cowboy from school today and of course we had to play a little baseball.  I pitch to him and he knocks it over the fence.  I get in a pretty good workout chasing balls.

 

When I'm not chasing balls I try to keep up with Miss Eva.  She is now 18 months old and loves to be outside.  We are enjoying as much time as we can outside before Autumn is gone and winter arrives!

 

 

Happy Trails....Ginger

Sunflowers, Cats, Pumpkins

Wow has the weather cooled off here in Oklahoma.  Perfect weather for an evening fire and a little punch needle. 

 

Sunflowers, cats, and pumpkins are getting done.  Just like some pumpkin stems and background and then a good pressing and deciding what to make them into!

 

Hope you are enjoying your Autumn days.  If you are in the area we will be meeting on October 26th here at the farm for a day of rug hooking, punch needle and stitching!

 

Happy Trails....Ginger

Finishing Your Needle Punch Projects

 

I know I have a LOT of needle punches to finish but it won't take too long :)

 

I apologize for the shaky video and not speaking loud enough.

 

 

A few little hints on finishing your needle punch pieces.

Steam press them once you are finished punching.  Let dry and then decide what you plan to do with your piece if you haven't already.

If your piece may possibly be used as something that may get washed you will want to cut around the outside loops about 3/4 inch and then baste the weavers cloth  to the back of your work.  Finish by adding wool or fabric to the back and then add some trim around the edge using things such as jute, wool yarn, wool strips, etc.

For things such as pins, magnets and some projects you may want to place on paper mache or wood boxes you can simply brush some glue onto the back of your work let dry and carefully cut around the edge once it is dry being careful not to cut into the punched loops.  Add wool or fabric to the back, finish off the raw edge around your piece with whip stitching over some  yarn, jute, or wool strips placed next  to the edge.  You want to hide that raw edge of weavers cloth.

 

Just a couple of easy ways to finish up some needle punch projects!

 

Happy Trails....Ginger

Free Doodle and Birthday Celebrations!

 

A free fall doodle just for you!  Wishing each of you a happy Autumn :)

 

Our lil' grandson Sloan turns 6 today!  Time passes so quickly love my grands :)

 Funny how he is in to ninja turtles I remember well how my kiddos liked them too when they were young.

 

 

Our son Dan had a birthday on Monday hard to believe he is now 30!  I did get him and our daughter Jenn to stop long enough for a rare picture.  We have a new lil' grand on the way next April.

Eva Mae will be a big sis and Sloan will have a new cousin to play with.

 

 

We had a big moon bounce for the kids to play in and they had lots of fun jumping.

Good exercise for all the kiddos.

 

 

Time for some cake and ice cream!

 

Happy Trails....Ginger

Beginner Needle Punch

While at Silver Dollar City I did a LOT of needle punching.  There are a lot of new needle punchers from the ages of about 5 years old on up that did very well learning how.  Yes 5 years old!  Lots of children stopped by and wanted to try needle punching, rug hooking, and oxford rug punch. 

If you have ever wanted to try needle punch it really is very easy to learn.  Thread your punch needle, grab some weavers cloth and put it in a hoop or on a frame and draw on a pattern and your on your way. 

A few little helpful hints....make sure your thread, floss, or yarn glides smoothly through your punch needle.  Never force it through if it won't go it may have a knot, fuzz inside the needle, or may just be too thick for your punch needle.

Begin by doing small areas that are detailed then fill in around them to hold them in place.  Letters should be drawn on backwards.  I like to take a sharpie and draw them on the right side then turn my weavers cloth over and retrace them on backwards.  That way they get on to the pattern right where I want them and don't struggle trying to draw them backwards.

Leave just a tiny tail of floss out when you begin to punch.  Most of the time I set my ultra punch on the #3 setting unless I wanted to add some dimension such as flowers, sheep, etc.  When you start punching you need to punch your needle all the way down into the fabric and then as you come up with the needle come out of the fabric and barely scratch the surface moving your needle just a fraction and going right back down into the fabric all the way down as far as the needle will go...this makes your loops all the same height on the front side.  Get into the habit of going all the way down each time. You will also want to keep your rows side by side with very little space between.

You want those loops nice and compact on the front side!  When you do little things such as eyes don't worry about that at first they don't look right once you add the background around them they will shape right up.

Needle punch is a fun and easy craft that will have you making lots of fun things in just a few hours. 

Happy Trails....Ginger

Pattern Transfer method for Needle Punch

Are you a beginner at needle punch?  This is a simple easy way to transfer patterns to weavers cloth.  I also included how to hoop up your weavers cloth using a Susan Bates hoop la embroidery hoop and then my favorite a gripper strip frame.  So if your brand new to needle punch let's get started!

 

Happy Trails....Ginger

Threading A Needle Punch

While at Silver Dollar City I demonstrated needle punch and for a lot of folks it was brand spanking new!  So I will be adding some simple little videos on needle punch, oxford punch and rug hooking in the next few weeks.

For those new at punch needle I hope this helps :)  Also, if you are wondering about what is on my punch needle I made a little cushion of coflex tape it works great as a pencil type grip for my punch needle!





Happy Trails.....Ginger

Back from the 1800's!

 

 

What a grand time Silver Dollar City was.  Sometimes it is nice to slow down a bit and spend time living a simpler life. 

 

Frank Smith twirled his rope and included Ann and I in his lasso for the crowd.  He works at Silver Dollar City and cooks pork rinds.  He has been using a lasso since the age of 7.  He was a bronc rider in rodeos and was also a school teacher.  The folks that work at Silver Dollar City enjoy entertaining the crowds and are some of the nicest people you will ever meet!

 

I've had a chance to get home and unpack  and see the grandkiddo's and boy did this MoMo miss them.  I'm getting back into the swing of things and hope to do a few instructional videos for beginning needle punch and oxford punch to help out some new punchers :) So check back soon!

 

Thanks to all that stopped by the booth it was a great experience and I plan to go back again next year.

 

Happy Trails.....Ginger

 



Silver Dollar City

 

Well the time has finally arrived and we are set up at Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO.

It has been quite the experience and we have really enjoyed being a part of the 1800's!

 

 

Our booth is packed to the brim with lots of goodies!

 

 

Rug hooking, oxford punch, and needle punch supplies as well as lots of finished goods.

 

Pati  and Sandra were out for a couple of days and returned home but they will be back this weekend ready to help for the next 3 1/2 weeks.

 

 

Our booth gets changed around a bit everyday :)

Ann and I have been showing lots of kids how to hook and punch and surprisingly they caught on very quickly.

It has been very warm during several of the days but with lots of ice cold water we kept right at it!

 

 

If you get a chance and are in the area we would love to have you stop by for a visit!

 

Happy Trails....Ginger