*NEW* Victorian Posey Pinkeep (a Faithfully Reproduced Antique Pincushion)

I’m not generally a huge fan of Victoriana. At least not the overly floral and foofy parts of that era. But something about this old cushion was alluring to me, so I placed a bid on its online auction, and was pleased when I won.

Undated, unsigned, stained, faded, worn, but still retaining all of its original beads. When I first received it, I was a bit disappointed, because the beads were so scratched up that they looked like plastic. It was only after one of the loops broke and I got a closer look at the edges that I realized they were indeed glass, and appear to have been hand-cut, due to their irregularity.

I can’t glean much else from this old piece, but can tell you that I enjoyed every second of reproducing it for you. I hope that you have fun with this project too.

Stitch Count: 68 x 77
Model stitched on Weeks Dye Works 30ct. Confederate Gray linen

Using flosses from The Gentle Art: 0620 Apricot Blush, 1030 Banker’s Grey, 7005 Old Red Paint, 7024 Tin Bucket, 7033 Harvest Moon, 7042 Raven, 7057 Roasted Marshmallow, 7072 Raspberry Frost

And flosses from Weeks Dye Works: 1171 Dove, 2201 Moss

Recommended Additional Materials:
1 fat quarter of plain muslin
Crushed Walnut Shells or Sawdust for filling
360 beads, 5mm length

I do have enough beads leftover for 8 of you to order. I have made them available in 27 gram packets, each having around 275 beads; more than enough if your pincushion is finished according to my instructions. There is a separate listing in my etsy shop for the beads. If I find that there are more than 8 of you that want the beads, I can continue to order bulk bags as needed. I am selling them to you for just enough to cover my cost plus shipping.

As usual, you can find the listing for this, my newest release, in my etsy shop. You can also contact me directly via email if you prefer to bypass PayPal.

In Other News...

Our tomatoes have finally started to ripen.

I'm still picking zucchini.

The first of the green beans were picked just yesterday.

A huge owl perched in the top of one of our Cedar trees a few nights ago and hooted at us. She looked like she had a 5 foot wing span when she flew away. Which is why I am calling her a "she", and thinking she might have been a Great Horned Owl (the females are larger than the males).

The blueberries have started to taper off finally, 38 pounds later. Yes. For the first time ever, we had so many berries that I decided to weigh each picking. I should have been weighing all of the produce that I pick from our property, so that I could post the total weight of fruits and veggies we grew. Perhaps next year.

Just as the blueberries are tapering off, the Strawberries and Raspberries are giving a go at their second crop. I love the non-stop-ness of Oregon berry season.

The trail cam caught our kitties down in the woods, hunting in the middle of the night.

Which made me fear for their lives, since these other kitties have been frequenting the very same path.

Not to mention Wile E. Coyote.

And... I've been working on reproducing this Victorian pin cushion...

Watch for the pattern to become available by the end of the week!