Pinker n Punkin Quilting & Stitching

Friday, April 24, 2026

A Visit with the Heifers

Put on your farm boots and let's head to the farm!

It has been awhile since we have been out to the farm. Hasn't it?

We will go through the gate which is just off from the yard at the old homestead.

Don't mind this gal. She is gentle.

A few cows are up on the hill near the barn.

Bev is doing fine and dandy . She is grazing away.

Oh , gosh. This heifer is giving us the evil eye. "What's up , girl? Everything is ok. We are just moseying along. "

Hmmm.. she does not look too happy does she.

Hi , Gertie! She is a cutie . Isn't she?

Hanging out with all of the heifers is reminding me that I have not shown you my progress on Little House Needleworks' " Farm Life " lately.

The last time you saw it, I had stitched the farm lady who I am affectionately calling "Nanny".

"Why?" you ask. Well, this farm stitch reminds me of my Nanny and Papa's farm.

Progress March 19, 2026

"Farm Life" has been my ball game stitch this week. As I have been watching the grandsons play ball, I have been stitching away.

Lookie! I added the heifers. Rather than making all of the cows Holsteins as charted, I opted to stitch them like some of our favorite cows- like Bev, Gertie and Milky who is no longer with us.

The corn patch was planted too. Papa always had a grand garden . Corn and green beans were a staple in his garden. Soon I will be moving up to the barn. Eeeh I am so excited!!

I am using mystery flosses on this stitch- that is flosses that no longer have their labels or off brands.

I am stitching "Farm Life" on 14 count coffee/ tea dyed Aida that I baked which is why you see some "dark splotches " on the fabric.

Progress on Farm Life as of April 23, 2026

Looks like Bev is on the move.

I guess we should make our way back to the house for a big glass of iced tea. Don't ya' think?

When we get there, I will show you the fabrics that I have pulled for a new project. Oh wait, I have them here!

Mmmm, yummy, scrumptious yellows. I am thinking bee skep blocks are in my future.

Now let's get to that tea . Shall we?

Little Spring houses on display for April
As Always...
Happy Stitching and Quilting, y'all
Melisa
"Farm Life, where hearts and herds roam free. "- unknown
Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤
Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy who loved the farm so much. She had many adventures on the farm. It is not the same without you, Amo.
I love and miss you so much.. Love you , Amo.

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Tuesday, April 21, 2026

Summer Stamp SAL - " And the Garden Grows" Stamp 1 Freebie

I think I got my "gardening bug" from my Granny.

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Welcome, Sweet friends and a very lovely Tuesday to you.

Last year's tansy blooming

My Granny lived in a little log cabin "on the mountain". I think I have told you about her before. She had electricity , but had to draw her water from a well. Granny loved to grow flowers. Back then there were no "gardening stores," and Granny did not have much money to spend on plants and seeds anyway. Granny just used what she had. She would look at what grew around her in the woods and transplant it into her small flower pots and log trimmed flower beds. Granny would plant in just about anything whether it be an old kettle , tin cans or whatever she had at hand . And goodness, did she have a green thumb. She could make anything grow.

2025 Wild and Woolly garden in bloom.

Though she never showed me how she grew the "wild plants " that she foraged, her enthusiasm and quaint small gardens inspired me in my own endeavors at gardening.

Over the last few weeks, I have been talking about the Summer Stamp Stitch Along. In fact, I showed you a sneak peek of all of the stamps in previous posts.

As I have been working on my larger sampler, I have been debating on which stamp goes where. Well, I decided why not start off with "And the Garden Grows" as the first stamp. Of course if you are stitching the large sampler, you can place the stamps wherever you like.

As with each stamp, I am stitching them twice. Once as a pin pillow and 2nd in the large sampler . The sampler is stitched on 14 count Aida which will fit in an 8 x 10 frame .

I trimmed the little pin pillow with thrifted white chenille yarn that I doubled and twisted. I simply tacked it down along the seams.

"And the Garden Grows" was stitched with the following DMC floss colors: 223 , 356, 722, 782, 815, 898, 926, 930 (border), 3345, 3346, and Blanc.

Again I used what colors I had at the time so please use whatever floss colors you like if you decide to stitch this little stamp.

If you notice in the directions , I list how many times the floss is used in this particular chart. Some are used in only a few stitches so you may want to substitute them out. I stitched "And The Garden Grows" while on vacation, and at the time, I had a limited floss palette to choose from.

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If you are interested in stitching this piece, just grab , the images. For printing tips, refer to the post Tips for Printing which has loads of tips from my sweet friends.

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If you missed any of the previous posts in respect to the Summer Stamp SAL , below is a schedule with links back to the appropriate posts.

SUMMER STAMP SCHEDULE

April 2nd Summer Stamp Introduction

April 7th Stamp Stamp Border

April 14th Summer Stamp Header

April 21st Summer Stamp 1

April 28th Summer Stamp 2

May 5th Summer Stamp 3

May 12th Summer Stamp 4

May 19th Summer Stamp 5

May 26th Summer Stamp 6

June 2nd Summer Stamp 7

June 9th Summer Stamp 8

June 16th Summer Stamp 9

June 23rd Bonus Summer Stamp 10

June 27th Final Reveal

Flower garden from years past . Flowers are planted in all kinds of containers. There is my grandbaby in the corner. Of course his toys are strewn . He is having a fun day at his Mae Mae's ( That's what he calls me. )

Sometime this week, I will be posting how I dye my fabric in small batches using Rit dye and next week I will share Stamp 2 as the Summer Stamp SAL continues on.

I truly appreciate you taking the time to join me on this lovely Spring day. Keep your face to the sun and enjoy your day.

As Always...

Happy Stitching and Quilting, y'all

Melisa

"I hope you are a wildflower in a world of roses. "- unknown

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy who was our little wildflower. She beautiful and free spirited.💮💮. I love and miss you so much.. Love you , Amo.

🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉

Other Posts That Might Strike Your Fancy!

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🌞 Root A Toot Toot Patriotic Parade Early 2024 patriotic freebies.

🌞A Berry Nice Parade- A Look at Past Berry Freebies 2025- Early 2025 berry Freebies.

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🌞A Sunny Sunflower Parade for 2025 A parade of sunflower freebies up to July 24, 2025

🌞Pumpkin, Leaves and Autumn Please- A Fall Parade 2025 A parade of Fall themed stitches and doodles up to September 8, 2025.

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🌞Time to Dye- 2024 post on how I tea/ Coffee Dye my fabric.

🌞Pin Pillow Tutorial - 2023 post on how I finish my pin pillows with chenille trim.

🌞A Spooky Parade - Halloween freebies up to October 4, 2025. More Halloween pieces followed this date.

🌞Turkey Struttin' Thanksgiving Parade 2025- Thanksgiving freebies up to the date of November 3, 2025. More Thanksgiving freebies followed this date.

🌞Ho! Ho! Ho! Christmas Parade Of Previous Freebies- 2025- A Parade of Christmas Freebies up to the date of November 15, 2025. More Christmas Freebies followed this date.

🌞A Chilly Parade of Winter Stitches 2025- A parade of Winter themed freebies up to the date of Dec. 21, 2025

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I will be making half square triangles today for Melva's Little House on the Prairie Sew Along.

Monday, April 20, 2026

A Basket for Lois - A Spring Freebie

Hello, Sunshine!

Can I interest you in a little basket of blooms?

I have been stitching away on a little pink basket for a sweet girl that I never personally knew. Her name was Lois Ann.

Lois Ann was a beautiful girl with long flowing brown hair, bright eyes and the sweetest smile. How do I know? Well I have seen photos of her.

Actually, Lois Ann was my aunt, but she went to Heaven as a child way before my time.

A Basket for Lois is a small stitch with a design size of 42 x 41.

Little Lois Ann was stricken with polio when she was just 3 years old and was paralyzed. Most of her time was spent in hospitals and in an iron lung. But from what I have been told, she was always full of cheer.

Little Lois Ann loved to sketch the most beautiful drawings . All one had to do was help her by putting a pencil in her mouth, and then she would create magical creations on paper. Bless her sweet heart.

I stitched A Basket for Lois on 14 count Aida that has been coffee/ tea dyed.

Movie stars and singers from long ago would visit her. She was a special little girl and still is in our family's eyes.

I would like to think that little Lois Ann is skipping in Heaven, gathering flowers and putting them in her own little basket and drawing until her heart is content.

The frame was from the Dollar Tree.

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If you are interested in stitching this piece, just grab , the images. For printing tips, refer to the post Tips for Printing which has loads of tips from my sweet friends.

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Did you know that most of my charts have some form of a "nod" to my family members? Sometimes I name a chart after a family member or I create a design based on a family story. When I am slow stitching , I like to think about my family , our history and such. It brings me peace and relaxation. Do you do the same?

Well Sweet Friends, I will let you go. Thank you so much for taking the time to visit me and for listening to the story of little Lois Ann.

Have a beautiful day!

As Always,

Happy Stitching and Quilting, y'all

Melisa

Thank you for the sweet visit.

"Smiles are free but they are worth a lot . " - unknown.

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

Dedicated to my baby sister, Amy, Aunt Lois Ann and Great Aunt Alma. They were gone too soon. Love and miss you, Amo.

Sunday, April 19, 2026

Slow Sunday Porch Stitching

Happy Slow Stitching Sunday. Please do join me on the porch as we enjoy some spicy talk and a bit of stitching. 🤗

There is enough room for us all on the front porch swing. I will just scooch over, and we will have a grand ole' time.

Please forgive me . I forgot to offer you a cup of coffee or perhaps some tea.

So what are you working on today? Me? Well, my needle and thread are weaving in and out of my Tumbleweeds quilt that I began quilting in January.

Do you want to see my progress? I would love to show you.

I have moved down to the 2nd row. One block complete and time to move the hoop to the next one.

Quilting wavy lines in the 1" sashings.

Oh, and let me show you what else I am working on . Bent Creek's freebie Surrounded By Joy. The border is complete and now onto the letters. This is my "Santa Sunday" stitch. I will continue working on it as we sit and chat.

Hmmm... I don't think I showed you my peg rack on the door all dressed for Easter . Did I? Last year, I was inspired to pull out an old peg rack and hang it on the door after seeing a Youtuber do the same. For Easter , I filled it with baskets, vintage children dresses and of course quilted stockings waiting to be filled by the Easter bunny. I even hung up one of my girl's baby shoes. I am still looking for the mate. I have seen several of my favorite Youtube decorators use children's shoes in their decor so I thought I would do the same. Lots of warm memories are hanging from the peg rack.

I certainly wasn't ready to take down my peg rack yet. But I did want to change it for the month. Sooo...down came the stockings and a new bunch of "clutter " took their place. The theme: Strawberries! 🍓🍓🍓🍓

The peg rack has aprons, a bonnet and vintage treasures.

The vintage scale is my newest find.

On Friday, I shared the strawberry themed quilts that I am decorating the small foyer with.

More strawberries are coming out.

The foyer shelf is being filled to the brim with strawberry goodness.

Hmmm ... What else? Well I have a finish! Hip Hip Hooray! I finished Blackbird Designs' "Bird in Hand". This darling chart was sent to me from dear Sonja. Thank you Sonja I have loved every stitch . ❤ I will be making it into a pin pillow similar to the one shown.

Later this evening, I hope to work more on my gardens. Late yesterday , I posted a garden update showing it in transition.

Well, Sweeties, I guess we have some stitching and quilting to do . Don't we? So let's get started. Thank you for joining me on the porch today.

As Always...

Happy Stitching and Quilting,

y'all

Melisa

"I return to my front porch to find a place where the air smells sweeter and the sun feels warmer than at any other bend in life's long road. "- John Sarris

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy. You are always on my mind and forever in my heart.

I love and miss you so much.. Love you , Amo.

I spy "heart " leaves. My redbuds are wakening up.

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A Basket for Lois is in the works.