My Farmgirl Sisterhood Chapter and I recently spent an afternoon learning a new skill and making some very beautiful Christmas gifts for friends and family! Grab a cup of tea, your sewing machine, and some girlfriends for an afternoon of creativity and fun!
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”.
What fun day Nicole! It’s such a charge to learn new skills isn’t it? Your table runner turned out great and the pillow is adorable! I’ve been painting mason jars, and I made a Christmas tree out of chicken wire to display vintage postcards on for my booth downtown. As for gifts, this year we are giving gifts that keep the creativity going all year long. A new photo printer for my hubby and I, a digital keyboard for our daughter, and a beat-maker keyboard for our son. We’ll be ready for a year of making music and beautiful photographs together! Love your posts!
Merry Christmas Nicole!
Hugs from the shorelines!
Deb
Hi Deb! Thanks! Isn’t it fun to make something new? I am now on my fourth or fifth runner and each one gets a little better.
I bet that chicken wire Christmas tree is adorable! I need to mosey on over to your blog and check it out! I will catch up on my reading in my next sewing break.;)
Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Farmgirl hugs,
Nicole
What a wonderful way to spend the afternoon and the runners are beautiful. Thank you for the clear instructions. I plan to try one of my own and I have the perfect fabric to use. Nice Christmas-y prints. Merry Christmas to you and to your family.
Hi Rebecca! Thanks for stopping by! Have fun making your tablerunner! I’d love to see a pic when it is all done. Merry Christmas and Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
What creativity emanates from your home! I’m also going to try the guacamole and hummus combo. I like both separately but together sounds yummy. Thanks for the ideas!
Hi Adrienne, Those two dips are absolutely divine together! Enjoy! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Great job, Nicole! I just love to get lost in a creative project…I am still working on decorating my front porch, as the weather is up to a balmy 27 degrees today after it’s visit to below zero wind chills. I FINALLY got out my childhood sleds and decorated them with bows and swags. One is by the fireplace and one will go on the front porch.
My last sewing project was curtains for my vintage travel trailer. I even lined some of them! Now you’ve got me thinking about my own patch work quilt for the bed…Hmmm..
A couple of years ago I took a class called ‘Viking Knit’ which is the process of ‘knitting’ wire around a wooden dowel to make cable like bracelets, etc. You can even incorporate beads in your weaving and make multicolored pieces. I think that it is therapeutic to get lost in your crafting!
P.S. Your dog is adorable…
Hi Jan! Your temps are about the same as ours. I’m glad I got my porch all decorated before the snow, but still have a few lights to put out front. I decorated a sled this year, too…check back next blog and I will post a pic. 🙂
Sounds like you are a busy farmgirl creating, too! How fun to have a vintage trailer. We have been looking about for something like that…maybe someday I can be an official Glamper! Hope so!
Thanks for stopping by!
Farmgirl hugs,
Nicole
What a fun day. I am glad you are hooked and ready to find our next project. What a great group of women. Thank you once again for having us in your home.
Barb, I want to add that you have unleashed a sewing monster! I am hooked for sure. I just finished my fourth runner tonight and am starting a fifth one. Thanks so much for such a fun day and inspiration to try something I have wanted to do forever. Love you! – Nicole
What a fun day. I am glad you are hooked and ready to find our next project. What a great group of women. Thank you once again for having us in your home.
Barb, Oh My Goodness! Thank YOU for your patience and inspiration. You are such a talented lady and I am so glad we met. Thank you for all you do. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
PS Several of the girls that had to miss have requested we do another tablerunner day. Would you be up to teaching us again? 😉
Wish I could have attended this. I can only imagine what a great teacher and inspiration Barb would be to people wanting to learn the basics and more of quilting!
Hi Heather, Barb was an awesome, creative teacher, for sure! If you are local and would like to join our group, just let me know. You can reach me through the blog (mark the message as a whisper) or it sounds as if you know Barb, and she has my contact info. We are always doing something fun! Thanks for commenting! Farmgirl hugs, Nicole
What a fun day! I’m jealous that you guys have Barb as a teacher! She’s great!
Isn’t she awesome? And our daughters are two peas in a pod, too, so the "farmerettes" have fun, too! When I count my blessings, Barb is one of them! Farmgirl hugs, Nicole
Barb is da bomb!
I agree! – Nicole
I bought that same vintage look Christmas fabric, not sure what I will use it for yet. I think I need more vintage look fabric for some table runners! Love how yours all turned out.
Thanks, Brenda! I also considered making a Christmas apron from that fabric. Saw another pretty vintage-looking one last time I went to the fabric store. I love the colors that are out this year, too! Happy sewing! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
I am not a quilter but I have wanted to try to make a table runner for some time now. The directions here make it sound so easy I am going to pick up some material and batting tomorrow. This article was very inspiring. Thank you, Barb and Nicole.
Thank you Anne! Happy Sewing! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Nicole,
it looks like you all had a fun day! Quilting is a great hobby!
The Table runner looks great! I love the vintage look pillow also.
I agree with you – a homemade quilt table runner would make a perfect Holiday or Burthday gift!
Rose
Dearest Sweet Rose, do I detect a hint? Hmmmm….Hugs! Nicole
The quilting is beautiful. What fun to learn this wonderful skill. I do not quilt myself but admire these beautiful creations. My mom and grandma quilted and so I have quilts in my closets from their creative efforts. You are lucky to have wonderful friends to share this with you. Happy Holidays.
Thank you! What wonderful treasures you have! Happiest of Holidays to you! Farmgirl hugs, Nicole