Santa's Hens- A Christmas Freebie

Good morning, Sunshine and happy Saturday.Oh, I am so delighted you stopped in for a visit. Question:  Where has this month gone? It just flew by in a blink of an eye for me.  How about for you?   Well to say farewell to a wonderful month, I wanted to share another Christmas stitch with you.

Let me introduce "Santa's Hens".    Santa not only loves his reindeer but he loves his chickens too. 😀🐔   Well, they are not actually his. Do you recognize these gals? 

                           

Yep, it is Edna, Dorothy Mae and Alma who are usually hanging out with Annie in another series like in Snowflakes , Sledding and Chickens . 

These gals have picked up one extra hen when they went to visit , Santa. Her name is Ruth; she's Edna's best friend.  Aren't they the cutest? 

                                

 If you are wondering, Edna is sitting on the tree( she is pretty fiesty ) and Ruth is on Santa's  extended arm.  lol 

This is a small with a design size of  42 x 42  . I stitched mine on 14 count aida that I tea/coffee dyed. So the measurement on 14 count aida is about  3" x 3"  .  

I finished mine on a piece of batting wrapped foam board and added a black and white gingham ruffle from a thrifted bed sheet. The red finishing fabric is from an old shirt. I added a bit of greenery and a bow made from Dollar Tree ribbon. I may add an embellishment to the center of the bow once Christmas items come out  in the stores . 

It looks pretty cute paired with Mooey X-mas. 

If you would like to stitch, Santa and the gang, I invite you to check out the pdfs below. 

Many of you know , but I always like to leave this little disclaimer.  

I stitch my little designs for fun and to decorate my home. I feel very blessed by this community and love sharing my little charts, but I am not a professional designer. And I do not have professional software. Thank you for understanding that I  have to put each page on separate pdf downloads because of the devices I use. I apologize for that.  And I am always grateful for your kind encouragement , your visits, and stitching my little designs. 

Click here for the instruction page

Click here for the colored chart.

Click here for the black and white chart.

These sweet little hens would look so cute stitched in other colors too. I seem to be smitten with stitching black chickens for some reason . 

I would like to tell you that  I am so grateful that you stopped by for a sweet visit. I hope you have a lovely day, and if it is a scorcher in your area, stay cool and dream of winter. Lol. As always...

Happy Stitching, ya'll

Melisa

It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air. 

Hugs and Stitches! 

A Sun Shiny Day!

 Good evening, ya'll! It's another Fabulous Friday and that means it is  Finish it or Not Friday with Alycia at Alycia's Quilts. This week's little quilt is a sunflower/ summer themed quilt .

 It all started with 2  strips of fabric sewn together in my scrap bin. Time to use them in something. I was able to construct 7 four patches. 

  I decided to take four of them and make a little quilt using what I had on hand.  Three four patches are left over . I think they would look cute in a teeny table mat or rug mugs. Hmmm! My  mind is " a brewing" .

 As an afterthought, I think a basket needs to be appliqued in the center of this quilt. What do you think?

                   

I was able to add some blue scraps in this quilt for the RSC challenge and ...

  I have been working on a little blue chicken to add my RSC brood of chickens.

 I am piecing little nine patches to go with them, but have yet determine where this quilt is going as far as layout. 

I thought I would leave you with a little Sunflower freebie. This is a small simply called " Sunflowers " and only uses 3 flosses. I used DMC 3371, 898, and 972. 

I stitched mine on 14 count aida. It has a design size of 26 x 100 which on 14 count that brought it to about 1 7/8" x 7 1/8". 

I found this arrow  on an easel at the Dollar Tree in the frame section. I knew immediately that I wanted to stitch Sunflowers for it. The little bow is just pinned on. I have this piece attached by magnets so I can remove it and put another design on it. 

 

If you would like to stitch it, please check out the pdfs below. 

Many of you know , but I always like to leave this little disclaimer.  

I stitch my little designs for fun and to decorate my home. I feel very blessed by this community and love sharing my little charts, but I am not a professional designer. And I do not have professional software. Thank you for understanding that I  have to put each page on separate pdf downloads because of the devices I use. I apologize for that.  And I am always grateful for your kind encouragement , your visits, and stitching my little designs. 

Click here for the instruction page. 

Click here for the colored chart. 

Click here for the black and white chart. 

Today is a bright sun shiny day with the temperature hovering around 100; so no outside stitching until maybe this evening. It is a perfect time to head to the Quilt Nest ,turn on the AC ,and  work on some piecing. I hope you are staying cool and enjoying your day and thank you so much for visiting me today. 

As always...

Happy Quilting and Stitching, ya'll

Melisa

I am joining these lovely ladies' link parties. I hope you check them out; they always have so many wonderful projects going on and provide the opportunity for other needleworkers to meet. 

Angela of  So Scrappy  for Scrap Happy Saturday

Alycia's of Alycia Quilts for Finished of Not Friday

Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict  for Can I Get a Whoop Whoop

Michelle  at From Bolt to Beauty for Beauty Pageant 139

Wendy at Wendy's Quilts for Peacock Party 

Frederique at  Applique Patchwork Quilting for Patchwork & Quilts #61

There is sunshine in my soul today!

Hugs and Stitches! 

Miss Emma Jean

Hello, dear friends. Welcome! Grab yourself a cup of coffee and let me tell you about my latest thrifty find. 

 Last week hubby and I got to go on a little camping trip. During the days, we  spent our time  thrift store shopping, and boy did I find some thrifty treasures. But the one that I wanted to share with you is this sweet quilt.

 When I go thrifting, I always make a bee line straight to the linens in hopes of finding a quilt , pieces of embroidery, crocheted items or aprons. Of course the linens are always in the back . As I made my way through the store , I checked out the prices and yikes😜 they were a little pricey . Hubby soon turned around and went back to the truck - to high for him too. ( We like anything between the quarter to  $5.00 range- lol Now you know I am a cheapskate.😃)   Well anywhoo, I was rounding the aisle, when, I saw it! A little purple quilt . I sprinted over just knowing it was going to be pricey too ( This store was asking like $200.00 for thrifted items- that is antique store prices - not thrift store prices).  I could not believe my eyes ! $4.98 . "You are mine!"  I silently screamed in glee! 

                     

After scanning the racks for my treasures which I found none, I paid and skipped out of the store exhilarated by my find. I got in the truck and looked over this beauty that I had purchased. It had teeny hand stitching. 

So beautiful! I turned it over and saw that it was signed - " Emma Jean  2001". The name of the quilt is "Nine Patch"  Oh how exciting, but then I felt a bit sad.  How did Miss Emma's quilt find its way to the thrift store?  

                       

I looked on the internet immediately and found Miss Emma Jean. She had passed away just 2 weeks ago and already her hand made quilt had made its way to the thrift store.  I read her obituary in  interest and  with an aching heart .

 I learned that Miss Emma Jean was born in 1928 in Alabama and worked for many years in the banking industry. She had a love for gardening,  quilting, and baking. She particularly had a fondness for sour dough bread. Just looking at the colors in this quilt I could tell her love for flowers and gardening.  She completed this quilt when she was 73- just 20 years ago. 

                       

Learning all of this made this quilt mean even more to me. Miss Emma and I enjoyed a lot of the same things and though I didn't personally know her, I felt a connection to Miss Emma.  This little quilt  has found its forever home with me. 

                         

I already have it displayed in the foyer hanging from a pip berry wreath on the door. 

 I plan to make a tag and add Miss Emma Jean's history onto the quilt as well how I obtained it.  So in memory of Miss Emma, I wanted to share a couple of flowers from my garden that reminded me of her quilt. 

    

My favorite flowers to grow are zinnias. I can imagine Miss Emma Jean puttering around the garden as I do. I am sure her garden looked a  lot better than mine does now. Lol. 

Thank you so much for the sweet visit and allowing me to share this little story with you. Have a very blessed day and as always...

 Happy quilting and Stitching, ya'll

Melisa

We do not remember days; we remember memories. 

Hugs and Stitches!  

Edna Viola's Saltbox- Happy Tomato Tuesday

Good morning, happy Tomato Tuesday, ya'll. I have to admit our tomato vines are not doing great. I have gotten one tomato so far, but there are lots of green ones; I am hoping they will ripen soon. 

  Yesterday, I worked on finishing this new little salt box into a pillow.

 My village of saltboxes are growing, and I am still obsessed with stitching them. I hope I do not need an intervention . 😆 

I have been dreaming of a sewing themed saltbox for awhile and finally decided to stitch one up. Let me introduce " Edna Viola's Saltbox". 

Little spools of thread flank each side of the house ,and one has a tomato vine which is full of teeny maters. I had to add a teeny crow only because it is one of my favorite birds, but it could easily be left off.   The other spool of thread has a pair of scissors ready for use to snip threads or cut fabrics.  (Oh, don't get me going on my scissor obsession. Lol). A big tomato pincushion is at the bottom. 

 This one is named after my grandmother who was a doll maker. She had a humble sewing room which was the spare bedroom ( She called it the junk room, but I thought is was a magical place. ) Her sewing machine sat on a little dresser and she would create beautiful Raggedy Anns ,and Andys. I always loved peeking in just to see what precious little dolls might be coming my way. I always marveled at the pretty calicoes and crisp white cotton fabrics that would be used for Annie's apron and bloomers. Such sweet memories.  

This is a small with a design size of 60 x 60 ; on 14 count aida that would measure about 4 1/4" x 4 1/4". I used 11 floss colors - all DMC. They include 3371, 816, 838, 3345, 3346, 783 310, 798, 931, 535, 738. 

 If you would like to stitch this little saltbox , please check out the little pdfs below. 

Many of you know , but I always like to leave this little disclaimer.  

I stitch my little designs for fun and to decorate my home. I feel very blessed by this community and love sharing my little charts, but I am not a professional designer. And I do not have professional software. Thank you for understanding that I  have to put each page on separate pdf downloads because of the devices I use. I apologize for that.  And I am always grateful for your kind encouragement , your visits, and stitching my little designs. 

Click here for the instruction page.

Click here for the colored chart. 

Click here for the black and white chart. 

I think this would look great with the little pincushion called, Needle and Thread that I shared on Sunday. 

     

 Another Tomato freebie I have shared is  Tommy Toe Snatcher. 

If you have not  seen my other saltboxes or homes, I invite you to visit them in a previous post. Just click on the names and you will be directed right back to the post. 

They include   Crow Creek Saltbox, Ophelia Manor on Punkin Holler Lane ,  Willowisp Manor of Holler Lane  ,  Turkey Creek Manor ,  Winter Saltbox  , and Dorothy Mae's Spring House   ,  Spring Green Saltbox  ,  Katie Anne's Saltbox , Sarah Jane's 1776 Saltbox , Aunt Bea's Summer Home  , and Christmas Eve Saltbox   .

Well I am off to the Quilt Nest to do a little piecing - a little blue quilt is calling.  No Tuesday thrift store visits this week, but look out next week ! Lol. Here I come! Have a wonderful day and thank you for visiting me today.  As always...

Happy stitching, ya'll

Melisa

When I make with my hands, I give with my heart.

Hugs and Stitches! 

Happy Needle to Thread Day and a Little Freebie !

 Good morning and "Happy Thread the Needle Day" . Oh what a grand day to celebrate with some slow stitching!  So what do you have on the agenda? Something fun I hope. 

This little quilt is going into the hoop today for some hand quilting.  I pieced this quilt last week but did not get a chance to quilt on it.

                

And this little fall cross stitch project is going to be my cross stitch project today. I shared it yesterday on IG ,but I  hope to have it completed here soon. 

Hubby and I went on an impromptu camping trip this past week. It had been rainy earlier this week,  and we had our own personal pond behind the camper.😆 .

 I was a bit surprised we were put in this spot, but three sweet ducks entertained us daily with their antics. 

We did a little kayaking  in the tributary to the Tennessee River. 

           

The current on the the main river was pretty strong. 

 I  enjoyed bird watching and saw a few birdies as I floated along. Hubby of course fished. 

  

 I got a kick out of these ole' gals. They did not want to be disturbed at all.  

 Not much quilting or stitching took place, but the day before we left,  I pieced this little humble quilt. I saw a similar one on Lori Brechlin's  Notforgotten Farms blog. 

 I think it would be cute on a table or draped from a basket. Paxton likes the quilt and would like to snuggle with it in his rocker.

                  

 Or it could take a ride in my patriotic truck.

 I believe I will make a blue one here soon. 

In celebration of Needle to Thread Day I would love to share this little stitch with you.  I stitched it up in a couple of hours.

           

 A simple pincushion sits on a spool of thread, and of course there is a needle and a pair of scissors. 

I finished it into a teeny pin pillow and used a bit of beautiful vintage lace, gifted to me recently by my dear friend, Pat . Thank you, Miss Pat. It was just the right touch for this piece. 

 If you would like to stitch it , I invite you to check out the little charts below. 

Many of you know , but I always like to leave this little disclaimer.  

I stitch my little designs for fun and to decorate my home. I feel very blessed by this community and love sharing my little charts, but I am not a professional designer. And I do not have professional software. Thank you for understanding that I  have to put each page on separate pdf downloads because of the devices I use. I apologize for that.  And I am always grateful for your kind encouragement , your visits, and stitching my little designs. 

Click here for the instruction page. 

Click here for the charts. 

Before you leave, I want to tell you how delighted I am that you stopped by for a Sunday visit. You know I love visitors and our little chats. Remember I would love to see your stitches and projects. You can always tag me on Instagram and use #pinkernpunkinquilting or Direct Message or Email me.  Have a blessed day, my sweet friends and keep those needles busy. As always...

Happy stitching, ya'll

Melisa

I am joining these lovely ladies' link parties. I hope you check them out; they always have so many wonderful projects going on and provide the opportunity for other needle workers to meet.  

      Kathy at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Stitching Sunday

Cynthia at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework for Oh Scrap

Beth at Love Laugh Quilt  for Monday Making

Judy at Small Quilts Doll Quilts for Design Wall Monday

Lynette at What a Hoot! for BOMs Away Monday

I can not count my day complete , till needle, thread and fabric meet. 

Hugs and Stitches!