A Prairie Year

When I moved I found this very old project of mine in the closet rolled up in a tube and long forgotten! Judging by the date I'd stitched on it, I completed this 13 years ago (!), and just never got around to framing it. Time does fly, doesn't it? Maybe someday I'll figure out exactly what I want to do with it. Decisions, decisions. I just hope it doesn't take another 13 years for me to decide.

Prairie Schooler "A Prairie Year I" 1986 OOP

Quartet of Santas

Back when I used to collect Santa figures (which I don't anymore, as I have around 200 of them and that's more than enough!) I also used to collect the annual Prairie Schooler Santa charts. These four fellows made a nice grouping, I thought. :-) Click on the image for a larger view.

My sister and I both love craft shops and when I visited her we used to frequent The Primitive Sampler, a needlework store in Frederick, MD now long since closed. Sis still sends me patterns she picks up from time to time on her travels, the sweetie. I lost the pattern for the Sunflower Santa in my last move eight years ago though, which is sad as he's out of print now and I've always wanted to stitch another one of him.

Left to right:
1989 Prairie Schooler Santa - Lantern & Wreath Santa
1988 Prairie Schooler Santa - Toys & Gifts Santa
1994 Prairie Schooler Santa - Sunflower & Birdhouse Santa
1993 Prairie Schooler Santa - Poinsettia Gardener Santa

Ornaments 2008

For Christmas 2008 I stitched a variety of small Prairie Schooler patterns on pieces of 14-, 18-, and 22-count scrap Aida cloth and finished them as tree ornaments. All of pillow backs were cut from medium-weight dark green cotton cloth, and I used silky green cording for the hanging loops. I secured the reverse of the stitching and attached cotton batting cut to fit to stabilize the backs. After stitching the little pillows together on the sewing machine I turned and stuffed them with polyfill, ladder-stitching closed the small gap I used for stuffing.

Top, left to right:

Prairie Schooler Book No. 24 "Prairie Birds" Wren
Prairie Schooler Book No. 134 "Christmas Day" Snowman
Prairie Schooler Book No. 124 "Folk Art Christmas" Angel

Center, left to right:
Prairie Schooler Book No. 134 "Christmas Day" Farm Snowman
Prairie Schooler Promotional Minicard "A friend is a gift you give yourself"
Prairie Schooler Book No. 134 "Christmas Day" Santa & Tree

Bottom:
Prairie Schooler Book No. 24 "Prairie Birds" Junco