Nine Patch Saturday

Good morning, ya'll. Last week , Kathy of Kathy's Quilts , shared her start on Primitive Gatherings "Oh Say Can You Sew" Mystery Quilt. Seeing how much fun she was having , I had to join in. If you have not seen this, Kathy provides a link to Clue 1 , but you better hurry because  today is the last day.  Each month of the mystery a clue will be given the 1st Monday of the month so Clue 2 will be given Monday May 2nd .  You can also watch Lisa Bongean's Youtube channel , Stitch with Lisa Bongean in which she explains all about it and where you will also find a link to Clue #1. 

Yesterday , I began  piecing strips for my nine patches. 

 Soon I had 31 cute teeny nine patches. 

Clue 2 will be using reds and whites. Eeeh! 

April came and went and I only got in a few pink blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

 Last night , I did get this block pieced.  It measures 16 1/2" unfinished. 

 

Boy, do these need to be pressed . 

Two wee four patches to add to a future quilt. 

I recently had a request to see this little cross stitch.  In a previous post, you may have seen a tad of it. I stitched this piece called Amy Lou the Bunny Keeper last year . 

At the time I was celebrating , my sister's love for animals. Little did I know that we would only have her for a few months longer.  

Many of ya'll know that a lot of my stitches are about my family, but this was the first one that I have done of a living family member at the time. I have vowed that I will never stitch a piece about a living person again. I guess that is the superstitious nature in me.  I will probably share this one in the future, but I will have to wait until my heart finds a bit more peace and my sweet sister whispers in my ear to do so. 

Well, that's my quilting adventure for the day. Have a beautiful day.  Now go create something AMAZING!  Thank you for the sweet visit and as always...

Happy quilting and stitching, ya'll

Melisa

The universe is still a place of mystery and wonder.  

Hugs and Stitches!!! 🤗❤🧵

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. 

Alycia's of  Alycia's Quilts for Finished of Not Friday

Michelle  at From Bolt to Beauty for Beauty Pageant  - Friday

Wendy at Wendy's Quilts for Peacock Party - Friday 

Frederique at  Applique Patchwork Quilting   for Patchwork & Quilts     - Saturday

Angela of  So Scrappy  for Scrap Happy Saturday

Pat at  Life in  the Scrapatch for Stitch , Sew and Show- Wednesday

Jennifer at Inquiring Quilter for Wednesday  Wait Loss- Wednesday

Denise at For the Love of Geese for Put Your Foot Down- Thursday

Kelly at My Quilt Infatuation for Needle and Thread Thursday- Thursday

Dedicated to my baby sister, Amy. Love and miss you. 

Strawberry Saltbox - A Spring Freebie

A very berry good morning to you , Cupcakes!  I am feeling Fridaylicous! How about you?  

I could not say goodbye to April without sharing a saltbox stitch with you.  

 If ya'll saw my Strawberry Hutch Tour earlier this week , ya'll  know that strawberry season is upon us here in the South.  

Lots of reds and anything berry related. 

So I just had to stitch myself a Berry House.  Eeeh I hope you like it!!

 You know me and reds. This one makes my heart go thumpity thump. 

 I debated and debated on whether or not to frame this one or to make it into a pillow like the others. Well the simple pillow finish won out. 

      

If you are interested in Strawberry Saltbox , please check out the links below where you will find the jpgs. 

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 links because of the devices I use. I apologize for that.  These are images of the chart  or JPG s and not downloads.   I am always grateful for your kind encouragement , your visits, and for stitching my little designs. 

Click here for the instruction jpg. 

Click here for the Colored chart in jpg form. 

Click here for the Black / White chart in jpg form. 

If you would like to include your initials  like I did . I have included an alphabet from a previous chart or you can create your own.  You can see that I used a different "V" than what was charted. 

Click here for the alphabet/ numbers chart. 

With fresh strawberries ripening on  the farm, you would think that I would prepare something yummy , but I haven't had the opportunity yet. But I did find a recipe  in our monthly CO OP magazine that sounds rather interesting, and I thought I would share it with you. 

NO BAKE STRAWBERRY TORTE 

PREP TIME: 20 minutes   CHILL TIME: 8 hours

INGREDIENTS: 

11 ounce ( 1 box ) of vanilla wafers

2 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips, divided

1/2 cup of strong coffee

1/2 cup of cream , divided

2 cups of whipped cream

2 cups of strawberries thinly sliced

1/2 cup whole strawberries for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Line a 8 x 5 inch loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving extra on the sides to fold over the top. 

2. In a microwave safe bowl, combine 1 cup of chocolate chips, coffee, and 1/4 cup of the cream. Microwave on high until the chocolate is completely melted . Stir until smooth. 

3. Cover the bottom of the pan with a single layer of vanilla wafers. Lightly drizzle some of the chocolate over the wafers. place sliced strawberries in a single layer over the chocolate. Repeat layers as many times as needed to fill the pan. Fold the plastic wrap over the top and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. 

4. Turn torte out onto a cake plate and spread whipped cream over the entire torte. 

5.Melt the remaining chocolate chips and mix with the remaining 1/4 cup of cream until smooth. Drizzle chocolate over the torte. 

6. Garnish with whole strawberries . Serve immediately. 

Doesn't that sound yummy?

Well, I am off to see what the day allows. I hope your Friday is  like a Bowl of Strawberries- filled with sweetness!!!! As always...

Happy quilting and stitching, ya'll

Melisa

Stand out like a strawberry in a bowl of peas !  

Hugs and Stitches!!! 🤗❤🧵

If you have missed any of the other saltboxes, just click on the names below and you will be whisked back to a previous posts for your reading pleasure, and you will also find links to the charts there as well. 

      

 Candy Cane Cottage , Thanksgiving House,  Autumn's Saltbox , Susan's Summer Saltbox ,    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  ,  Christmas Eve Saltbox  , Edna Viola's Saltbox ,  Winter Manor  ,  Elizabeth Hartline's Saltbox  and The Tulip House .  

Stay sweet!

 Dedicated to my dear baby sister, Amy. The strawberry field looks mighty lonely without my dear sweet sister walking the rows and picking, I love you , Amo . 

Summer Days Block 11- Home Tweet Home

It is another beautiful Thursday. I wanted to apologize that I did not post a Thursday Embroidery post last week. I was still down about having tech troubles, but on a happy note. I think I am back on track. 

Today is going to be filled with lots of playtime. The youngest grandbaby is out of school because it is Pre-K sign up day . So I see army men and legos creeping into my day. But come lunch time I will slip in a few embroidery stitches. 

One of my favorite activities is watching birds.

           

 I could sit on the porch for hours and watch the birdies visit the feeders or flutter back and forth from the birdhouses. I have a birdie right now that has built a nest on the column of my porch. I did not have the heart to tear it down. 

                           

Some of my favorite birds to watch are hummingbirds.  Do you have a favorite bird that you enjoy watching? 

           

My dear friend, Patricia sent me The  Needl'  Love Company  pamphlet which includes "Bird Watcher" . I tea dyed my fabric just before I left on my camping trip so I could start it.  This will be a good stitch to work on while relaxing on the porch. 

Today's embroidery doodle is Home Tweet Home

Click here for the doodle. 

One more doodle for the Summer Days blocks to go and then I am going to have to figure out how I am going to set mine. Have you thought about setting your blocks yet? 

I am going to work on my  Sunflower Basket block too. Remember I made 2 of them . This one I am going to make into a pillow. 

            

 If you have missed any of the previous blocks, check out the links below to go back to the previous posts for the jpgs. 

Previous blocks include:  Little Blue Birdie  ,Time to Plant  ,   A Bowl of Berries ,  A Basket of Blooms , Buzz Buzz  ,  Red , White, and Ewe , Summertime Treat  , Lemonade  , Sunflower Basket  and A Jar of Coneflowers . 

              

This is one of my  favorite birdie stitches, Blackbird Designs freebie called First Offering. 

Thank you so much for stopping by, ya'll. I hope your day is filled with a little playtime as well. Have a blessed day and as always...

Happy quilting and stitching, ya'll

Melisa

Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will appear.  

Hugs and Stitches!!! 🤗❤🧵

    

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy. I miss you so much. Love ya. 

Today is Thankful Thursday. I think I will pull out a Thanksgiving piece and put in a few stitches. Every stitch counts. 

Truckin' On Home

Happy , Happy Wednesday. Have you had a glorious week thus far? I sure hope so . Today Mr. Pinker and I will be packing up and truckin on home.  It has been a fabulous but short camping trip. We camped at Normandy Lake. I hope to return to this campsite again for it was nice, quiet and very relaxing.  

We were right on the lake. Fabulous site. 

 We enjoyed  a bit of kayaking . 

Mr. Pinker fished, but I paddled around the shoreline looking for photo opportunities. 

         

The sky looked amazing with the rolling clouds. 

Oh yes,! I did find a shady spot and put in a few stitches on Notforgotten Farms Peaceful Sunflower, but the with a slight breeze I did not stay still long.   

 

In the woods, there were some free primitive camping spots. Of course, you would have to walk into those spots. 

I did not see any wildlife while paddling around except for 2 butterflies which reminded me that I need to work on my butterfly applique blocks.

 

Now if ya'll are ever in a drought situation just invite Mr. Pinker and me to camp in your area for it is certain that rain will follow us. You know, I have never been on a camping trip yet where it did not rain even in the dead heat of the summer in the desert. ( Ask Mr. Pinker . We spent 2 weeks in the desert last year and it rained every day- we were like drowned  desert rats- 😂🐀🐀)  But rain never puts a damper on my fun.  

As Mr. Pinker and I were kayaking ,the storm clouds moved in ,and we high tailed it back to the shore.  When the rain hit that meant - shopping time.!  Whoo hoo! Thrift stores here I come. Lol. 

On Tuesday , Mr. Pinker and I woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed and hit the shops. I found a few finds which I will share with you when I get home.  When we got back to the campground , Mr. Pinker lite the  firepit and grill.  It was getting down right chilly. 

Two little birdies stopped by for a visit. Is this a House Sparrow?  

A steely eyed Grackle. 

Being a great cook that he is Mr. Pinker began supper while I  rared back and pulled out my stitching supplies . Oh what a view. 

I worked on my A Tisket A Tasket  A Little Yellow Basket quilt. 

            

I also finished my Truckin Tuesday piece called Freedom Truck. Sneaky Peek . 

      

I then began working on Lori Brechlin's of Notforgotten Farms' freebie Peaceful Sunflower. 

Oh , I forgot to tell you . While kayaking, I  paddled over to a willow tree and took a moment to craft a little wreath. Lol. I couldn't let a crafting opportunity go to waste. Doesn't every kayaker craft while they are on the water? 😄😀 

I will put the little wreath in a display when I get home.  Every year,  I weave  teeny honeysuckle  wreaths come spring time. This will be a great addition to those wreaths. 

Mr. Pinker and I wrapped up the night with a steak and then some time by the firepit. 

All in all it was a great get away.  Now I am refreshed and pumped and hope to be on track with posting some fun designs soon. 

Soooo ! Tell me what have you been up to.  Thank you so much , sweetie pies for dropping by for a hump day visit. Hope to get to chat with you tomorrow.  Tomorrow is embroidery Thursday.  As always...

Happy quilting and stitching, ya'll

Melisa

Good friends are like stars. You do not always seem them but you know they are there.  

Hugs and Stitches!!! 🤗❤🧵

Do you know how much I appreciate each and every one of you? I truly do.  You make this ole' gal feel very blessed and I love ya from the bottom of my heart. Thank you so much, my friends for the sweet visits, the kind words, the likes ,  for stitching my humble designs  and for reading through my ramblings. Big hugs. 

Today is Witchy Wednesday. When I get home I will pull out a Halloween stitch to work on for a few minutes. Do you have a Halloween piece going on? 

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy. I miss and love you so much. 

A Berry Spring Hutch Tour

Well a berry good mornin' to you, sweet peas. Before I left on my camping trip, I began Operation Easter Take Down.   I bet many of ya'll have already wrangled up those fluffy tailed bunnies and all of the colorful Easter eggs and put them  away into the bins until  they are ready to hop out next year.  This ole' gal is still at it though. 

Some of ya'll may remember that I went plumb wild with the carrot decor earlier this month in my Carrot Pickin Country Hutch tour.  

     

I really wish you could have seen it in person; all of the orange  made my heart leap. 

Well, it was time for a change up , and since here in my southern neck of the woods it is strawberry season, I pulled out my thrifted strawberry decor. 

So come on in grab you a handful of freshly picked berries and eeeh! let me show you what I came up with. 

(Remember: These photos are clutter heavy - that's just my style. Oh and please excuse any dust bunnies that you may see.  As a disclaimer - I must say-  No Dust Bunnies were harmed in the  creating of the vignette or the making of these photos. 😂🐰🐇) 

If you would like to see any of the stitches close up or get the jpg charts, just click on the colored text. 

Lots of reds and anything berry related. 

    

I pulled off the lace valance curtains that I was using for shelf runners and replaced them with red and white buffalo plaid fabric from Walmart. I bought a yard and cut it in thirds.  The plates are all from the thrift store . The red polka dot ones are some of my newest finds. 

I always start the tour off with the top shelf which is filled to the brim. 

In one corner is a stack of plates with Nanny's old coffee canister (probably dates back to the 50's) . On top of it,  I put two  strawberry toothpick containers. 

A few years ago I purchased the red ceramic truck candle from the Dollar General. In it is  one of Lori Holt's Stitch Card designs which my dear friend, Joan, let me borrow . Next to it is my Farm Sweet Farm which I finished on a Dollar Tree blackboard. 

In the opposite corner is a Mrs. Buttersworth Syrup jar that my Mom painted in 1979 . She was painting these when my Grandpa past away and from that day forward she never painted another. It is missing a little gingham hat she had sewn for it. 

Last year I created a trio of stitches called Spring on the Farm based on my family farm life at my Nanny's. This is Spring Pasture. 

Hopping down to the 2nd shelf which is just as packed with sweet country goodness. 

The Blessed Barn was a Walmart find a couple of years ago which was available in their fall decor. In the stack of strawberry mugs, I placed a doily and a bird sitting on a strawberry. 

I strung white Christmas lights between the shelves.  The little cross stitch is Spring Farmhouse   which is modeled after my Nanny's home.  The darling metal milk can was a gift from , my friend Sue. I am going to place a little berry sign in it. 

I added a Pioneer Woman barn salt and pepper shaker and a vintage teeny milk bottle gifted from my baby sister. 

I pulled out my old strawberry teapot which has not seen the light of day in ages and it is sitting on a wooden strawberry stand. 

Sliding on down to the bottom shelf. 

In the vintage red juicer, I placed a red Dollar Tree bowl with faux berries. Next to it is an egg holder with a strawberry and a Dollar General toothpick truck found last Christmas with a berry in it. 

 Spring on the Farm is one of the trio of spring stitches that I created last year.  

( Sorry for the blurry photo- 📷  Wait till I get my hand's on that camera lady- Hey that's me ! Never mind. 😂📸) 

This is all three of the Spring on the Farm stitches displayed together last year. I really have enjoyed them. 

In the center of the bottom shelf are some strawberry creamers stacked with a Pioneer Woman salt shaker , a scrap of wood that I painted "Farm " and Little House Needleworks Hen Party. 

I placed a rooster with a doily in a stack of strawberry mugs  and in a teeny votive candle. I was packing all of the reds and berries that I could on this shelf. Lol. 

 Strawberry  Picker is next to the vintage strawberry coasters. It is a teeny stitch. 

I made    Life is Better on the Farm    into a little quilt. It pretty much stays out year round somewhere in the house. 

On my vintage scale, I placed this old Farm sweet Farm sign. I have always loved the colors of it. 

Last year I shared some strawberry doodles with you in which I created  Fresh Berries Redwork Quilt. 

I folded it and hung it off the bottom of the shelf. Oh goodness, it looks a bit wonky there. 😳😜

That's the end of my berry hutch tour. Operation Easter Take Down will resume when I get back home. 

If you would like to see last year' s Spring Farm Hutch Tour , just click on the name and you can see the hutch decorated in some of the same things but with more yellows and chicks in it. 

I am so very grateful that you took the time out of your busy day to visit me . It will not be long before we are decorating in patriotic colors. Eeeh ! I cannot  wait. Thank you again , my friends and I hope your day is filled with blessings, joy and loads of sweetness. As always...

Happy quilting and stitching, ya'll

Melisa

To have enough to share-

To know the joy of giving-

To thrill the all with sweets of life- is living!  

Hugs and Stitches!!! 🤗❤🧵

 

Dedicated to the sweetest strawberry picker- my sweet sister, Amy. I know you are pickin berries in heaven's berry patch. I love you, Amo. 

Don't forget today is Truckin' Tuesday so pull out a truck related project to work on and have loads of fun!1

 Hugs and Love!!