Learning to do Needle Felting

Felting, simply put, is a process that joins wool fibers together and makes them feel like felt. If you knit an object from wool yarn and then wash and dry that item, it shrinks and the fibers felt so that the knited piece can then be cut with a scissors. After felting, the knitted piece will not unravel when cut and handled. The small purses that I made earlier in this blog were constructed from felted wool that I had obtained thru washing 100% wool sweaters. These two sweaters have been washed also and they are about 1/3 the size that they originally were.Their stitches are so tight,they are almost impossible to distinguish and the feel of the sweater is that of very thick felt. I can now cut them apart and use them to construct somthing different.
This piece of wool, however, did not felt when washed and dried. I am not sure why this is, but it does not have the same thick texture and will be hard to use for a purse. The stitches remain visible, so I fear that cutting it apart would lead to unravelling.

I am also trying the technique of needle felting for embellishing my bags. With needle felting, you use a special barbed needle to repeatedly stab unspun wool into a piece of felt on which you wish to create a picture or shape. You can see on this piece of white felt I am creating a flower out of wool. I had hoped to use this flower on a purse made from the above wool, but now I don't think that that piece of wool is thick enough to hold a shape. Perhaps I will try washing it yet another time.

This piece is from a chartreuse cardigan that I felted and then needle felted two oak leaves for embellishment.

Hostess Apron

Last week, while investigating a local antique market, I came upon a pair of never-used Battenburg Lace curtains. Today I took one of the curtains, turned it on the bias and used one bottom corner for the hem of this hostess apron. The top of the apron I trimmed with the lace from the opposite corner. The neck straps were tie-backs and the pocket is trimmed with more of the lace from the hem. I still have enough fabric left from the curtain to make another half apron. AND....I have one more curtain left untouched. I love this apron...it is so feminine and perfect for entertaining.....possibly for Christmas dinner. The color is not the most practical for working in the kitchen....but great to use after the cooking is done.

The Start of a Quilt

Yoyos......fun little pinwheels of color and texture that help to use up even the tiniest of fabric scraps. Hours of handstitching later and you have an heirloom quilt for pennies. I started these yoyo's this past summer and showed them to my Mom (who immediately wrestled me for the yoyo maker) and she asked to finish using up my fabric scraps for me. I must add that she works at lightening speed! So, with most of the yoyo's finished, I have begun the task of quilt construction. This is the beginning of what will eventually be a gift for one of the kids.



Yesterday's rust cardigan became today's felted bag! It is lined, has a snap closure and a felted wool flower to embellish. Too Cute!!

If It's Wool, It's Felted!!!

If it is 100% wool, most likely it is scratchy....and in that case it is going to be re-purposed! I am all for recycling and wool recycling is my project for the winter. A wonderful batch of Pendleton plaid in rusts and browns will become fall leaves and pumpkins. A chartreuse cardigan was reborn this afternoon as a purse...

And so the sleeves became a pair of matching mittens...

I am contemplating a warm pair of mittens from a lovely lambswool pullover (it started out a Misses medium and would now fit only a 2 year old....the result of hot water and hot dryer).

Great Dane Apron

A few weeks ago, a friend asked me if I could make an apron for a Great Dane lover. After an indepth internet search, I came upon a website that offered fabric for any dog breed. So, I ordered this fabric and found a companion print and constructed this reversible apron for her. So....here it is Deb, I hope you like it!!

The Last Bee Project for the Season

Well, after heating and filtering all of the beeswax collected from our hives this summer, the end result was 4 candles....and that was all of the wax from 7 hives...and two honey harvests. I can only imagine how many hives we would need to go into the beeswax candle business. Here are 3 of the 4 candles that I poured from our wax. We will burn them very sparingly and appreciate the warm glow that each gives off....and be ever grateful to our wonderful honeybees!

Chapter Apron

I have had this fabric staring at me for weeks now. Today I finally decided to make my Farmgirl Chapter Apron. I am part of a Farmgirl Chapter thru MaryJane's Farm called "Bees Without Borders". We are a group of women, most of whom love to sew, from all over the country who have united to form a cyber chapter of "farmgirls". We are in the process of organizing our group at the present moment with such activities as journaling, blogging and creating a chapter apron (from matching fabric) in the works. Here is my apron. When I wear this apron I will be reminded of all my "Bee Sisters" from all over the country.

Finished Wool Purse

Here is the finished product.....


I just listed this for sale on my Etsy at www.honeybeez.etsy.com. The most time-consuming part of this purse was the hand appliqued leaves and embroidery. I always take my handwork to the farm to finish....so this was the project of this weekend.

A New Old Washing Machine

Check out this amazing find. On Saturday, while strolling through an antique market, I came upon this wonderful antique washing machine. It is in perfect condition and still works like a charm. The tub is filled with hot water by bucket, soap added and the washing is done by pumping the handle. The handle powers a gear that turns another gear that causes the agitator to raise and lower. The handle has two potential positions, so that the elbow grease can be applied either standing or sitting. Of all my antiques, this just may be my favorite (with the exception of my old treadle sewing machine!)


I did not get any sewing done this weekend, but concentrated instead on handwork....finishing the stitching on a wool tote project...

Fabulous Wool!!!

I have fallen in love with felted wool projects like wool totes, pillows and penny rugs. My recent trips to the local fabric outlet have yielded lots of yummy wool to use for these fun appliqued projects. This purse is for sale in my Online store and I am currently working on one just like it with Autumn leaves.


Here are my first attempts. I think I will turn these into throw pillows...

Facelift for the Sewing Room

I decided yesterday to re-organize the sewing room and give it a facelift. I gathered my collection of sewing related antiques and began the task of redecorating. Come take a look......

The treadle machine in this picture is a Singer Sphynx model. It still works and is in beautiful condition. The ladder behind the treadle is an old barn ladder. It is quite handy for displaying quilts and other linens.

The garland of mini aprons draped across the ladder is from my friends at MaryJane's Farm. We usually have at least one swap happening at any given time.....this month it was Halloween Mini Aprons. They are so adorable and brighten up my sewing room as well as my mood! I love my girls!!!!

Step back In Time.....

Because of unforseen circumstances, my trip to the Ohio Renaissance Faire was cancelled and my weekend was a typical farm weekend. For my friends whose company I missed....I am posting this picture for you!


It was a good weekend, though. I picked apples and baked apple pies, harvested brussels sprouts, processed our beeswax, played with the goats and walked the dogs....as well as cleaned pastures and worked around the farmhouse. Amazingly warm, beautiful Autumn weather made the weekend a wonderful gift!

After the Honey Harvest.....

Mike harvested another 70 lbs of honey last week. It has been a great summer for honey production and we should get one last harvest next month. Some of the partially cleaned honey combs were left outside as a sweet treat for the bees to enjoy. These sticky trays attracted bees, wasps, hornets and yellowjackets of all varieties.



Once spun from the honeycomb, the honey is filtered to remove insect and wax particles. The wax can be processed or refined to make solid cakes of beeswax. Having never done this before, I consulted the internet and found several great resources with instructions for rendering the wax. I got out my pots and pans and started the process. A few hours later.....this is the end result. Now to find some candle molds and pour some natural beeswax candles.....

Ready for Rennaissance Faire

In order to take a step back in time,it is wise to look the part. Here is my costume...discount upholstery fabric from the fabric outlet.....

Bees......and more bees....

My summer has been a full one....full of garden harvesting and food preservation, sewing aprons, and various stitchery projects. I have had a little time to dabble in photography and with the help of a great macro lens have had fun capturing the tiniest of creatures. I had hoped to capture one of our busy farm bees at work. We are just about to bring in another honey harvest and I was able to photograph one of our workers gathering the last of this year's nectar.

Apple Harvest

This year we began an orchard revitalization project. We pruned our trees at the end of winter. We used organic copper to spray for apple scab. The end result was the best apple harvest we have had to date. Our apples are still a little ugly, but they taste delicious. The pies, cobblers, breads and applesauce are a wonderful treat and will help to get us through the winter on those nights when our sweet tooth calls for a little treat.

From this.....


To this......

Sweet Nectar....

I spent a little time in the flower garden just observing how many different insects thrive as a result of the nectar from our beautiful gardens. Sitting there perfectly still I was surrounded by bees, hummingbirds, butterflies, and hummingbird moths. Each insect was carefully dipping it's proboscus into each blossom and drinking its fill of nectar and then moving to the next blossom, all the while seemingly oblivious to my presence.....

Living in Perfect Harmony.....or is it just Detente??

Anyone who has lived on a farm knows that it is usually a struggle for harmony. There are periods of time when predators lurk. There are plagues of insects to manage. Every day presents a challenge to keep nature at bay and maintain peace and harmony amongst the living creatures. Every once in a while, though, you have a day when all seems to be right with the world.... This summer has been challenging. We have been under attack by foxes, possums, hawks, tent caterpillars, Japanese beetles and of late, drought. But amazingly, through all of this we seem to have reached a period of peaceful harmony....or at least detente. The farm animals all seem to be happy. The horses have worked out their dominance issues and are all healthy. The goats(always the happiest animals) are growing and . The Guinea hens and our four remaining chickens are holding their own. The ducks are happy with their newly repaired pond and new duck condo. The garden is exploding with produce and the apple trees are brimming with fruit.

All in all it has been an amazingly good summer. These are the days that we live for....the incredible peaceful moments when all seems to be right with the world. We smile, thank God, and hope that it lasts. But then, it never does.....afterall, this is a farm. And we are surrounded by nature....and Mother Nature always has the last laugh. The best we can hope for is to be able to laugh along with her.

Check This Out

I thought I would share with you my very first article to be published. I was asked by an E-zine called Small Town Living to write an article about our fainting goats. Small Town Living is an E-zine that is trying to increase their readership in order to be picked up for print as a hard copy magazine on news stands. Every two months they publish a magazine chock-full of information about "living a simpler life in Small Town America." They touch on such subjects as architecture, historical preservations, animals, farming, home and garden, herbs, along with a variety of other equally interesting subjects. You can read this magazine at Small Town Living

Please note that the article entitled Bee Haven Daylily Farm is about yet another Bee Haven!

Meet "Mo"

Well, it may be love.....this feeling that's come over me. This past Saturday I had the chance to meet Amos Esh. Amos is a local Amishman who raises Haflinger Ponies. We had the most amazing visit to Amo's farm. This farm was beautiful...first of all, it was enormous..with pastures all over just filled with Haflingers.

The stable was one of the nicest I have ever seen....with stalls filled with mares and colts and stallions....all sweet as pie. So, after I got over the excitement of just being there, I had a chance to ride a couple of his horses. Amos raises, trains and sells Haflinger ponies primarily for driving. But, because he also has a large family, the ponies get ridden by all of the kids. And the kids range in age from 4 to about 14. I watched the kids tack up the horses and then all of the kids took turn crawling on their backs and riding them around the ring. And then I had the chance to ride. There was no question about it, the smoothest ride came from a horse called Moonbeam. Moonbeam is a 6 or 7 year old gelding that was previously a driving champion.

And best of all, Moonbeam rides like a dream. Now, to me, at 50, the most important feature of a horse are the brakes. If a horse does not have solid brakes, I don't want him. I have spent the past year frustratingly trying to get my quarterhorse arena-worthy. In the process, I have suffered broken ribs and a dislocated pelvis. At my age, I have to have a solid, dependable mount....these bones are too old to be falling on from 5 feet up while going 20 miles an hour.

I have decided to bring Moonbeam home on a trial basis. I will ride him at home on our trails and in our arena. If he continues to be a solid mount with no bad manners.......then he's a keeper!! I am so excited. They call the Haflinger the "Golden Retriever" of the equine world. We'll see if that holds true.

Amazing Transformations

How far the farm has come in 2 summers! As I sit here and count my blessings, I am truly amazed.

From this:
to thisto this


And this:
to this

Our chicks grew into chickens and happily give us eggs(as long as we can keep them alive). Our strawberries flourished and we were able to make jam this year. Our garden is maturing and should have a high yield. Raspberries, blackberries and blueberries are ripening. We found new surprises on the land....a currant bush and a mulberry tree. The apple orchard survived a tent caterpillar attack and has gone on to produce hundreds of apples that are maturing with each passing week.

Our horses have been fairly healthy and are back in the swing of working in the arena. The goats seem to be used to their new habitat. The ducks and chickens are few in numbers however due to the apparent skill of the local predators. This remains a problem for which we are still researching and trying solutions.

All in all we have seen many blessings. How wonderful to now be able to enjoy the fruits of our labors! My thanks to all who help to make this dream a reality!

What I did with all those strawberries....

This morning's picking produced 8 more quarts of strawberries. After cleaning and hulling them I turned them into:


I had an earlier unsuccessful try at making Jam last week which ended up becoming strawberry syrup.....and to think I followed the recipe. So today I threw caution to the wind and concocted my own recipe....so far, so good...it seems to be jelling nicely. I believe I may have found the solution, and the bonus is: my recipe has less than half the sugar as the other recipe.

A Perfect Weekend

This was perhaps one of the most beautiful weekends at the farm yet this year. The weather was perfect (only interrupted by an intense display of lightening during a magnificent thunder storm Friday evening). The farm is still so very green and lush. The animals are all healthy and happy. The long awaited arena is finally finished and the riding surface is perfect! Briggs and I have much work ahead of us...but we have a perfect place for long hours of practice!



This weekend marked the true beginning of our BeeHaven Acres Farm harvest. Our strawberries are producing a very high yield. A couple of minutes' picking Friday night and Saturday morning quickly yielded 15 quarts of strawberries.


Our meals included a salad of fresh-picked lettuce, spinach, onions, broccoli and radishes topped off with a dessert of fresh strawberry pound cake with ice cream and fresh strawberries. We consumed as many of the berries as was humanly possible and froze the rest. If time allows, I will make homemade jam. Last weeks' jam-making fiasco produced strawberry syrup instead (which, by the way was great on our pancakes Sunday morning).

Finally, I had a bit of time for some goat bonding. Here is a picture of our little Princess.....O'Malley. What a sweet soul she is.