“Snowman for Hire” is my first completed wool applique piece for 2024. When I saw this pattern by Primitive Gatherings, I knew that I would have to stitch it. The pattern was meant to be a table runner with the snowman scene on each end, but I chose to make a wallhanging instead.
All of the wool came from my stash. The snowman is two layers thick to avoid shadowing from the black background underneath. It also made for a ‘puffier’ snowman.
The embellishments used enhance the piece. The pattern called for making wool cardinals, but I found these cardinal buttons on Etsy. It turns out that there are lots of folks making/selling cardinal buttons, but these from PiecefulDesigns were just what I was looking for.
The pattern also called for a zillion colonial knots to create a snow effect. Well, I don’t mind stitching french knots and colonial knots, but I decided again to search Etsy for snowflakes. Though I already had some snowflake buttons on hand, the scale wasn’t right. Luckily, I found just the perfect teenie snowflakes at BritchesNBowsShop on Etsy. If you click on the photo, you will see just how perfect these snowflakes are. I used a dab of fabric glue to adhere each one.
Are you a fan of cooking contest on TV? If so, you might enjoy The Cooking Front by Jennifer Ryan. This novel is set in England during WWII, and the premise is that a radio program on the BBC is holding a cooking contest to inspire housewives dealing with the hardships of food rationing. The winner of the contest would become the program’s first female co-host. The recipes created by each of the contestants are included at the end of each chapter though I’m pretty sure they are not recipes you will be serving to your family and friends . . . especially the one with whale meat as the main ingredient. (Yes, you read that right. At the height of the food shortages, desperate housewives were encouraged to use many things which we might find appalling.)
Halfway through the book, I wasn’t sure that I would be recommending this novel, but it built gradually and I ultimately found it a pleasant, informative read.
To learn about rationing in our country, go to nps.gov and search for “Food Rationing on the Homefront.” While rationing in our country ended by 1945, rationing in Great Britain didn’t end until 1954.
That’s all for now. Keep warm.
Your puffy snowman wall hanging is beautiful. Those cardinal buttons are super cute! I enjoyed reading "The Kitchen Front." Did you realize that food rationing started in 1940 and lasted until 1954? That fact shocked me! I've made a few recipes from the book, Audrey's mushroom soup is delicious.--TerryK@OnGoingProjects
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