More on the way . . .

Now that March madness is winding down and now that the weather is getting a little bit warmer, my thoughts have turned to gardening.  I think about planting things and growing things.  I have been able to work in my mother's orchard.  It is mostly apple trees with a couple of pear trees, plum trees, and peach trees mixed in.  I've been raking the pruned branches and leaves and old fallen fruit-- basically cleaning it up for this new spring/summer season. 
So, because my mind has literally been in the apple orchard, it makes sense that the newest project I'm developing has to do with apples!

At first I had planned to make this pattern as another motif (design only) pattern, but I loved it so much that I had to make myself something with this apple design on it. 
To make a long story short, I will be doing a design/motif only pattern with this and a project (tablecloth) pattern with this fun apple design.
I can't wait to show it to you, but I will have to wait because it is not ready for photographing yet!

Well, watch out for Friday, and don't let anyone do any April Fool's day jokes on you!

Finally moving forward :)

Well, yes, it has been awhile, and a lot has transpired. 

So much was happening in my family that I had to put all else on hold.  The holidays came and immediately after Christmas we moved to a wonderful small town that I adore.  This meant not just putting Christmas stuff away, but packing our whole house and Ivy Stitching business too.  It also meant changing schools for my kids and all kinds of fun stuff (not really fun, but actually rather exasperating stuff).

Now that some of the dust has settled, I've been able to do two new patterns!  These are patterns for a specific design that can then be turned into whatever kind of project you choose. 

I'm really excited about this idea.  I have had several requests for certain designs from guitars to bibles to basketballs etc.  Now I have finally decided I'd do it.  The first motif or design is a heart and a home.  I have entitled it "Home is Where the Heart Is" in honor of a dear friend of mine.  The newest motif/design pattern is for Easter eggs (just in the knick of time).

I will still be working on my normal Ivy Stitching patterns for a specific project.  In fact, I'm still working on the neighborhood afghan.  It is just taking so much longer than I thought it would.  Oh my goodness, I love it though.

Oh, I just remembered, it is St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Latest Swedish Weaving project . . .

After lots of changes and un-doing and re-doing and un-stitching and re-stitching, I now have the next row figured out to my liking.

This photo shows the work in progress with lots of dangling sections of yarn.  I have used several different colors for this project that you may want to limit to 2 or three.  I just have a weakness for lots of colors.

So far the colors I've used are:  2 shades of brown, 2 shades of green, pink, lavendar, smoky blue, yellow, and tangerine.  Yes that is 9 colors!  Like I said most people will probably limit this to between 2-4.

I think this will be so adorable when it is all done!!!

The Newest Project

Always something new.  This new project will be taking Swedish weaving to places it's never been before.  But, I guess that's nothing new for Ivy Stitching patterns.
What is absolutely new with this new project is that I will be blogging about it throughout the process.   I will keep you posted on the progress, joy, and work (and many headaches and redo's) of creating Swedish weave designs and patterns.

The new project already has a name even though it is still very much -- in the works.  It is "Home is Where the Heart Is".  The pattern is dedicated to an amazing Swedish weaving friend of mine who lives in Maine.

I'm really excited about this project.  Even though it doesn't look like much yet, it will be loads of fun to do.
So, here is your first glimpse:

The green piece of monks cloth is my designing scrap.  It gets stitched and then the stitches get pulled out over and over and over again.  This process of figuring out a design is not pretty and it is repeated countless numbers or times.  Then, of course, there are many little sketches on paper of ideas and such before the scrap stitching.  So the white monks cloth is what I will be working the final draft on.

Here is the beginning border of the afghan or blanket.  I'll tell you right now, it took 10 lengths of yarn (yes 10!!!) for the row that you can see that I'm working on.  That will be fixed for the pattern, because just pulling and pulling yarn through the floats is not my idea of a good time!

I love the look of checker board.  My love for it came from the artist Mary Engelbreit (ME).  I love her stuff.  I usually receive a Mary Engelbreit calendar each year for Christmas and they are my favorite ones!

Okay, check back and see the progress on this exciting "Home" project.

'Til then, happy weaving!

Needs Some Love and Attention

It's time for some change. I have a website called Ivy Stitching that I have put an occasional blog type entry on. I also have a blog with a variety of fun stuff on it called Mom of 5 Daughters and then last of all I have this blog that has been totally neglected and is in need of my attention. So, here goes, a new look, a new post, and a new link from my website. This will take the place of the occasional website entry that I have done in the past.

Hopefully, my technology skills are up to snuff enough to have this all work correctly ;-)

I may be just having some good intentions at the moment, but I hope to include pictures and links and all kinds of good stuff in this blog, which will be quite a change for this blog and the one on my website.

Okay, I'm going to go check this out and see if it works!!!

Time to do resolutions

I need to re-learn how to use this "blogspot." I'm old enough to need the help of my children when it comes to computer technology. So I will have to wait and get some help to make this blog page what I'd like it to be. Hopefully, it will be a page with all the passion of needlework and crafts and Swedish weaving that is possible. I love home arts!!!
We will see how far I get with my New Year's resolution to work on this page!

A blank page

You know how sometimes a blank white piece of paper can seem so full of possibilities and how sometimes it can also loomingly stare back at you?

"What do I put on that blank page?" is the question. Now, instead of a blank page it is an empty box on the computer screen.

I'm very new to this whole blogging concept and very intrigued by it at the same time.

Just as an intro, my name is Alyssa Ruplinger and I am passionate about Swedish weaving. It has consumed my life for the last 20 years. My mom got me started on it and I soon found out there were no new Swedish weave designs anywhere. All I found were geometric shapes and "tree" and "heart" designs.

So, what is a gal to do? I had to come up with my own designs. My projects became popular with others and so the designs evolved into patterns. Let me tell you, putting a design into a pattern is EXTREMELY time consuming and harrowing. But with the help of complicated software it is possible.

I love knitting, crocheting, and quilting, so you will see some similarities in my Swedish weaving patterns and designs to these three needlecrafts. My favorite "Star" pattern came from a much used quilting star design.

Here is a picture of it!

This fun little pattern took 3 years to develop and turn into a completed pattern. Yes, it is time consuming, but when it is a passion . . . what can I say?

Actually, maybe I've said enough for this post. Because it is like what Mr. Wonka said from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory:

"So much time, and so little to do. Strike that and reverse it!"