Bird In The Hand Primitives

Primitive Folk Art Designs and Finished Items
By: Robin Leuschen

" Who you are is God's gift to you........ What you do, is your gift to God !"

Monday, April 3, 2023

I'm working on many different things....

I've had people ask me why I jump from one thing to another all the time....Well, the answer is simple...

I have ADHD ...I get bored with things so easily, or lets say " distracted "..... But it's also fun and I learn alot......So here, I did a little design that I had drawn up a design to use as a note pad for myself....

I stitched it up using extra teensy balls of Valdani threads ......

Here is the original drawing and what I had done with it......



I also had a few drawings from awhile ago I wanted to make little note cards out of...I re-drew the design in fountain pen and used a damp brush to " bleed" the edges,,,, I have 6 in all and I'm going to call them Birds and Blooms .... here are 2 of them

And lastly,,,,still playing with my Apple pencil and Ipad in Procreate,,,,did a few more designs and one new fabric for Spoonflower....



Sooooo...What this Monday will bring I dont know,,,,,But I'll bet it's going to be a few different things...
The ADHD can be a blessing and a curse, I like to use it for good....lol



 

Friday, March 24, 2023

I finished my rug binding and all, and got my fabric.....


 My rug is all done.... I knew if I didn't bind it immediately, it would be sitting in a a pile of UFO'S....

It is available for purchase if you or anyone you know is interested......

   I also received my fabrics from Spoonflower...I'm so pleased with how they loook....


Now, the problem is , not wanting to cut into them....lol
I also added a few more designs to my Spoonflower shop as well, but I have yet to order my swatches.....



Ok, so rug is done, Its time for me to move on to something new.......
Hope everyone is having a blessed day !!




Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Wow...I cant believe I finished a rug ....

Well, I totally surprised myself...I finished this small rug I started on Sunday...Yes its small , only 10 1/2" x 13", but between cutting strips from colors I reverse hooked, changed my mind and was undecided several times...I actually did it...Of course, I need to bind it now ( why does that feel like a dirty word ?....lol )

   I was revisiting some older watercolor paintings I did and was thinking of turning some into Punch Needle Patterns......


And lastly..... Here is a watercolor I found that I did when I was first playing with watercolor...Going for a super whimsical look...I like the colors and the actual theme....It's not as "cringeworthy' as alot of my old paintings.....lol

 
                                               Hope Everyone is having a great Wednesday !!





 

Saturday, March 18, 2023

It's Always A Long time Between Posts...... And a **FREEBIE** Bunny Doodle




Well, I've been just going between projects here and there,,,, I love keeping myself busy , and learning new things....I recently got myself a cheap iPad and apple pencil..... Its alot of fun, but so much to learn.

                             Here are a few designs I did , from a drawing....testing to see how patterns would look as a repeat.....



      I've always wanted to learn how to do stamp carving ....Again, alot of fun, but so much to learn and practice..... 

                                                   I've also been quite busy working on some " Secret " projects...

I have 2 more to finish, then on to the next. Im itching to do some water color, so I may pull my paints out today. But first, here you go, I'm offering a freebie bunny doodle to hook, punch, stitch or Wool Applique.

I hope you are all having a great and creative Saturday.....



                                 

Saturday, December 3, 2022

Small start decorating my tiny home for Christmas.


 Living temporarily, in a 5 th wheel rv trailer has its ups and downs …. But decorating , or at least making a start , is still fun, albeit challenging. 

Also, I’ve got another freebie for anyone interested…. Feel free to stitch, punch, rug hook or wool appliqué.


 

Hope you all are having a great weekend so far. 

Sunday, November 27, 2022

Let’s make a Stitch Book




 Hello friends. I’ve been a busy bee here and there. I made a little stitch book and a few folks expressed a desire to see a tutorial. DISCLAIMER : Mine is not perfect , there may be an easier , more professional looking way, and I’m not the greatest seamstress in my sewing machine. But here it is anyways. You may choose and fabrics any added touches , better materials etc. this is really just a “ show and tell “… lol

Ok. Here goes. I started with a cereal box. My needle on my sewing machine goes through the thickness of this cardboard along with fabric really well. 



Take it apart , and figure how big you want your book. 

Turn it so that the “ extra flap will be on your right side. Keep that in mind as you go along. 





I used a “ bone folder to make a crease down the middle of the piece of cardboard. This just allows it fold up better especially once you add fabric to the outside and inside. “ you can use any narrow blunt object to make your crease “





Cut the extra tabs off on the bottom of the cardboard. Remember you want to keep the extra flap tab on the right side , and cut your cardboard to desired height. I want my stitches pages to fit with just a scant 1/4” at top and bottom. 
I made mine 16 3/4” x 6 1/2”. 





Choose your outside cover fabric. Cut it the size you need , adding 2” to all sides. Run glue around the sides and fold over onto the cardboard. You only need the glue to temporarily hold the fabric in place. You’ll be sewing  the fabric onto the cardboard with your sewing machine. 





Note : my pictures aren’t loading in order but I hope you get the jist. 

Cut your inside fabric of choice , and mine is not the greatest. I was having troubles with my fabric scissors I need a new pair. 

Tack it down slightly with glue and I used the fancy stitches and white thread on this one , and sew through the fabric and cardboard all the way around. 

I did do an extra straight stitch on my sewing machine all the way around. I like it cause it really stabilizes the fabric onto the cardboard and gives a more finished look. 










Like I said , I can’t seem to get my photos to load in order….

But download and save the two drawn images to your computer if you want to use them. Here is a quickie tutorial on printing from your computer and printer into fabric. 

I used weavers cloth rather than plain muslin. It seems to have a tighter weave and it’s thicker/ more stabile. 

Cut a piece of fabric and freezer paper larger than a piece of regular computer paper. 

Iron the fabric into the shiny side of the freezer paper. Trace your printing paper/ computer paper onto the freezer paper. Cut it out. This gives you nice trim edges with no fraying. 

For my printer, I stuck it in the paper drawer cloth side  down. 

I resized the image to 4” x 6”  ….

Hit print  …. Voila  

I used the  Holly image , cut out , for my template to trace onto the printed image on the cloth , and cut it out  I had to tweak it to make it even…. You can cut in an oval or how much or how little you like , just so it fits into the front and is not covered up when you fold the flap over on the right.   ….. peel it off the freezer paper  …..

Next ….. I ironed it onto some fabric stabilizer just to give it a little “ heft “ and dimension  ….

This next step you might want to skip , unless you are using a specific print on fabric that can be purchased at JoAnns or online  …. Regular fabric printed in will NOT hold the ink  , so don’t dunk in coffee or tea  this is what it will end up looking like  



Trim off excess stabilizer and I dunked it into a cup of instant coffee ….**** only do this if you are using crafter printing fabric ****…. Squeeze out excess fluid with paper towels and iron it some more  … the image will fade slightly , but most ink will not run but will fade slightly  ….

Take your image and center on front cover but make sure the image isn’t covered by the flap on the right  

Stitch into the fabric using whatever thread you desire  I used some off white coats and Clark all purpose thread  


Now  print off this drawing of the Holly and berry  …..

Trace into freezer paper. Iron onto green wool for Holly and red for berry. Trim excess paper and peel off. I fold the Holly and berry in half and use tiny scissors to cut small narrow area out to make the hollow inside of each. Place into the top of the cover design and just stitch into place as shown. 

You can now attach a rusty bell if you wish … thread through the top of the bell a few times and stitch through the fabric cover. Make a small knot in thread, and hide your knot by stitching through the fabric till you hear the pop. 
Now the button. Choose a nice size button and I used Valdani perle cotton thread. Use a nice sturdy long needle. Poke up through the inside of the flap first , make sure your string or thread is long enough to wrap around the book at least twice long ways. Stitch through the fabric and cardboard a few times bringing the needle inside the flap. Pull the needle out. Leave the long piece to wrap around the book and the button to hold it closed. Tie a few knots and trim excess from short end of thread. 



Close the book , put the flap over , wind you long thread over the book long ways then around the button once and it holds the book closed ….
Here is another design along with the Holly if you choose to use it to stitch up to get you started on your own Christmas stitch book. 


You can leave your edges raw on the cloth pages , I chose to sew 2 pieces all the way around and turn inside out , then sew very close to the edges just to give it a finished look. 
I recommend doing you stitching of your designs first . I made the mistake of stitching the Holly on the front of mine after I stitched it together , and had to be careful to only go through the top layer of fabric. I did catch the bottom design a few times. Lol 
Lay your finished pages flat on the inside of your book. 
Stitch right into the book on your sewing machine. 



****** PLEASE LEARN FROM MY MISTAKE ****
I inadvertently stitched through my one holly leaf. 
That’s what I get for being in a hurry. 
Make sure your holly leaves are out of the way. Lol. 
Please also , excuse my typo’s , photos not being in order / sequence. 
If you do this little project , I’d love to see your finished item 😉💕💕💕
ENJOY !!!