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Hello Friends!
Before I get started on this post today I just want to thank all of you that left comments on my blog post last month; the one that was written by my grand-daughter Rosetta. If you all could have heard her excitement about the comments. It just made her week! Thank you so much.
is a certified farmgirl at heart. She’s happily married to her beach bum Yankee husband of 20 years. She went from career gal to being a creative homeschooling mom for two of her biggest blessings and hasn’t looked back since. Debbie left her lifelong home in the high desert of Northern Nevada 10 years ago and washed up on the shore of America’s hometown, Plymouth, MA, where she and her family are now firmly planted. They spend part of each summer in a tiny, off–grid beach cottage named “The Sea Horse.”
“I found a piece of my farmgirl heart when I discovered MaryJanesFarm. Suddenly, everything I loved just made more sense! I enjoy unwinding at the beach, writing, gardening, and turning yard-sale furniture into ‘Painted Ladies’ I’m passionate about living a creative life and encouraging others to ‘make each day their masterpiece.’”
is a “MaryJane Farmgirl” who lives in a large metropolitan area. She is a lawyer who has worked in both criminal defense and prosecution. She has been a judge, a business woman and a stay-at-home mom. In addition to her law degree, she has a Masters of Theological Studies.
“Mustering up the courage to do the things you dream about,” she says, “is the essence of being a MaryJane Farmgirl.” Learning to live more organically and closer to nature is Rebekah’s current pursuit. She finds strength and encouragement through MaryJane’s writings, life, and products. And MaryJane’s Farmgirl Connection provides her a wealth of knowledge from true-blue farmgirls.
an old-fashioned farmgirl with a pioneer spirit, lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. As a “lifelong learner” in the “Live-Free-or-Die” state, she fiercely values self-reliance, independence, freedom, and fresh mountain air. Married to her childhood sweetheart of 40+ years (a few of them “uphill climbs”), she’s had plenty of time to reinvent herself. From museum curator, restaurant owner, homeschool mom/conference speaker, to post-and-beam house builder and entrepreneur, she’s also a multi-media artist, with an obsession for off-grid living and alternative housing. Cathi owns and operates a 32-room mountain lodge. Her specialty has evolved to include “hermit hospitality” at her rustic cabin in the mountains, where she offers weekend workshops of special interest to women.
“Mountains speak to my soul, and farming is an important part of my heritage. I want to pass on my love of these things to others through my writing. Living in the mountains has its own particular challenges, but I delight in turning them into opportunities from which we can all learn and grow.”
Dori Troutman is the daughter of second generation cattle ranchers in New Mexico. She grew up working and playing on the ranch that her grandparents homesteaded in 1928. That ranch, with the old adobe home, is still in the family today. Dori and her husband always yearned for a ranch of their own. That dream came true when they retired to the beautiful green rolling hills of Tennessee. Truly a cattleman’s paradise!
Dori loves all things farmgirl and actually has known no other life but that. She loves to cook, craft, garden, and help with any and all things on their cattle farm.
describes herself as a goat charmer, chicken whisperer, bee maven, and farmers’ market baker renovating an 1864 farmhouse on an Ohio farm. With a degree in Design, Mary says small-town auctions and country road barn sales "always make my heart skip a beat thinking about what I could create or design out of what I’ve seen.”
Rooted in the countryside, she likes simple things and old ways … gardening, preserving the harvest, cooking, baking, and all things home. While you might find her selling baked goods from the farm’s milkhouse, teaching herself to play the fiddle, or sprucing up a vintage camper named Maizy, you will always find her in an apron!
Mary says, “I’m happiest with the simple country pleasures … an old farmhouse, too many animals, a crackling fire, books to read, and the sound of laughter … these make life just perfect.”
is a budding rural farmgirl living in Palmer, the agricultural seat of Alaska. Alex is a graduate student at Alaska Pacific University pursuing an M.S. in Outdoor and Environmental Education. She lives and works on the university’s 700 acre environmental education center, Spring Creek Farm. When Alex has time outside of school, she loves to rock climb, repurpose found objects, cross-country ski on the hay fields, travel, practice yoga, and cook with new-fangled ingredients.
Alex grew up near the Twin Cities and went to college in Madison, Wisconsin—both places where perfectly painted barns and rolling green farmland are just a short drive away. After college, she taught at a rural middle school in South Korea where she biked past verdant rice paddies and old women selling home-grown produce from sidewalk stoops. She was introduced to MaryJanesFarm after returning, and found in it what she’d been searching for—a group of incredible women living their lives in ways that benefit their families, their communities, and the greater environment. What an amazing group of farmgirls to be a part of!
Suburban Farmgirl Nicole Christensen calls herself a “vintage enthusiast”. Born and raised in Texas, she has lived most of her life in the picturesque New England suburbs of Connecticut, just a stone’s throw from New York State. An Advanced Master Gardener, she has gardened since childhood, in several states and across numerous planting zones. In addition, she teaches knitting classes, loves to preserve, and raises backyard chickens.
Married over thirty years to her Danish-born sweetheart, Nicole has worked in various fields, been a world-traveler, an entrepreneur and a homemaker, but considers being mom to her now-adult daughter her greatest accomplishment. Loving all things creative, Nicole considers her life’s motto to be “Bloom where you are planted”.
That is very nice. Good combo of colors and textures. I gave done fabric art but nothing I’d put on line. Still working on it.
I love this Dori! I can not wait to try my hand at it.
Thank you so much.
Debbie
I love your fabric art…you are soo creative!! I very much enjoy your blog and always look forward to it. I am 76 yrs old and have done many different crafts in my years, but not this fabric art, I just may have to give it a whirl! Thanks for the inspiration, Dori! Keep up the good work and see ya next month! Laurel
Beautiful and so creative. It is truly a work of art.
I love this Dori! It’s really pretty, and looks so fun!
I love the colors you used and your work is fabulous!
Smiles, Cyndi
I love this idea, thanks for the suggestion. I am wanting to make some crazy quilt pillows and think I will need to do this also.
What a great project! I Thinkinc I could actually pull that off! Thank you
Beautiful
I love this fabric work you did! Such a great idea that is better than a card for any occasion. You have inspired me to try one. I can’t get enough of anything connected to MaryJane Farm magazine. Thank you for all your wonderful ideas and information.
I so love the sharing of your grand daughter’s art talent. Your sharing of your finished ( heart felt) embroidery , and creative uses of old lace make your project a treasure! Thank you for sharing!!! Luck friend!!
I have used this embroidery process to cover stains and small holes, on my favourite denim skirts. Sew much fun! Great project!!
I love the project and inspiration. It has been years since I have done any creative handwork. I love things vintage and could see many options with this technique!
My focus has been on my writing. It also reflects a creative side of many of my characters in A SIMPLE STITCH, a yarn shop on Main Street in hometown USA!
I recently retired and have time to pick up new projects and get my creative side back on track!
Thanks for sharing! My wheels are turning!
Kindly,
DebO
Hoyleton Illinois
I live on a farm!
I love this! It’s whimsical and so very happy! Thank you. I can’t wait to get started.
Diane
What a creative idea! I am working on a grandmother’s garden quilt and some side crochet projects right now. I’m still working full-time so I have to catch time here and there. I enjoy your blog. Keep up the good work!
Love this! Can’t wait to try my hand at this!
Great way to use up scrap fabric and vintage pieces; a creative, fun project. It turned out great. Thanks for sharing, you have inspired me to look into some of my stash and create!
Oh I love this!!! I’ve been looking for a project to do on these cold days!!! Thank you!!
Beautiful! What a great idea to get others to help. Gave me an idea to get my granddaughters to each draw a design and I do the fabric art ( to the best of my ability – lol!) Thank you
That’s so beautiful!!
Beautiful. I believe sometimes we get, or should I say I, caught up in perfect seams, borders that we forget the joy of just creating. Even if we don’t display or give away, someday, someone will go through our treasures and smile and think of us.
This is a lovely Spring fabric . I want to get back to embroidering. I have done it since childhood. I also want to get back to my knitting. I received some pretty wool last Christmas. I just have to make the time.
Marilyn
Love this project. I can see putting this on a baby quilt or an apron. I must try this soon.
Oh how fun! I do something similar only on cardstock and make little getting cards. Love making flowery crafts on these cold winter days.
It’s so pretty.. I bet fabric scraps from family outgrown clothes would be special in creating a piece.. Each fabric would evoke a memory…
I’ve never tried that but it is very pretty! Great job!
Very cute designs – and clear instructions! I think I might use some fabric art like this on my quilts. Thanks for sharing.
Love this project and another great way to use ones scrap pile!
Beautiful! I have wanted to try this and your post has renewed my interest. Thank you for sharing
Ohhhh, I’ve been wanting to get serious about doing this for a while! I’ve dabbled in tiny stuff for atc’s but I’d love to do an art quilt someday!
Dori, this is so beautiful and vibrant and happy! How inspirational!! Thanks for showing all the skills of your talented family! I’d say you ARE an ‘artist for sure!! Happy Spring!!