It's still hay baling season here on the farm!! The 2nd round of baling has commenced.
Happy Saturday, y'all and welcome! Today is all about the farm and showing you a farmhouse project that I have been working which is my quilt. 😀🧵
I finished piecing "Hey Day " which is a design from Villa Rose Designs.
Don't the blocks look like square hay bales? It was such a quick and fabulous quilt to piece.
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| Lots of 2 1/2" strips and squares. |
As a child, one of my favorite summer activities was when Papa and Dad would bale hay. Back then, we square baled it. Papa would drive the tractor . Behind the tractor was the old square baler followed by the hay wagon.
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| Papa's New Holland Square Baler with my Hey Day quilt top. |
As Papa checked the baler and greased up certain points, Dad was on his old International tractor pulling the rake going around and around piling the hay into rows.
Afterwards, dad would jump on the back on the wagon, and Papa would soon be chuggin' along on his Alias Chambers tractor with baler and wagon in tow. Oh and 4 rowdy youngins' including me!👧👧👧👨 ( The other 3 little ones were too young to be out and about on the hay wagon)
It was such a treat to climb onto the wagon and stack the square bales. Dad would pull the bales out of the baler and hand me and my cousin the bales. My little more delicate sister and other cousin just sorta hung off of the back of the wagon , chit chatted and manned the milk jugs which were filled with frozen water that melted in the summer heat .
Soon there would be a large stack of hay on the back of the wagon and my sister , cousins, and I would climb to the top as we enjoyed the hay ride . We would often pull a twigs of hay from a bale , place them in our mouths and admire our stacking handiwork as we sucked on the sweet freshly bale twigs of hay. Meanwhile, dad finished stacking the bales until they reached the front of the wagon.
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| My Hey Day quilt measures 50"x 60" . |
Once the wagon was stacked sky high, Papa slowly chugged to one of the barns as dad walked along the side of the wagon . When we arrived at the barn, us kiddos would sling the hay bales down to dad as he stacked them in the barn. We always kept our eyes peeled for a snake that may have unfortunately been baled in the hay. Every now and then one might slither out. Yikes! Sometimes we might encounter one that was not so lucky.
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| Barn side shed waiting for pallets to be put down and hay to be stored. |
By the days end , the barn was packed with hay bales, and we youngins' were rewarded by going to the old swimming hole where there was a rope swing. Guess who had to be the first one to jump in to scare any fish away? Yep! You guessed it! Me!!! Hip Hip Hooray! I would grab the wooden stick on the swing and jump off the bank and as soon as I reached the center of the river , Plop! Splash ! Into the water I went!!! Soon my cousins and sister would follow ,and there we would stay until Dad came down the embankment and said it was time to head home.
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| 30 blocks were used in the making of this top. I ran out of the yellow fabrics otherwise it would have been larger. |
See that steep hill behind the quilt . Well one time the hay wagon turned over. My sister and I was on the top of the hay stack and instinctively we dove off the opposite side unscathed. To say the least dad would not let us ride the rest of the trip once the wagon was flipped back over and the hay was restacked. Bummer we had to hang out on the porch and watch all of the action take place without us. Thankfully , we had Nanny there who was a hoot and always kept us entertained with a tall tale or joke.
Today, we mostly round bale which makes the process quicker, but dad always square bales one field for my nephew. Ever since my nephew was a baby he has loved to see the square baler humming and clicking along ,and now he enjoys manning the hay wagon. It warms my heart to see a youngin' enjoy the simple life like we once did.
Well, Sweeties. I am so very grateful that you dropped by for a visit and listened as I rambled about days gone by. I hope I didn't bore you to tears. Lol.
Have a beautiful day and ...
As Always...
Happy quilting and stitching, ya'll
Melisa
Hugs and Stitches!!! 🤗❤🧵
Farming - this is how we roll!
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Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy .I miss you , Amo . I wish you were out in the hay field with us. Love ya.
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.
Susan at Quilt Fabrication for Midweek Makers Wednesday
Jennifer at Inquiring Quilter for Wednesday Wait Loss- Wednesday
Denise at For the Love of Geese for Put Your Foot Down- Thursday
Nina at Creations, Quilts, Art , Whatever by Nina for Off the Wall Friday
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
Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Whoop! Whoop! - Friday
Frederique at Quilting Patchwork Applique for Patchwork & Quilts - Saturday
Angela of So Scrappy for Scrap Happy Saturday
Melisa I do so enjoying reading about your childhood on the farm. It sounds like something out of a storybook….although I realize what a LOT of hard work, long hours and worry goes on for our farmers. God bless ‘em!
ReplyDeleteOh, Maureen that means so much to me. Farm life is all I have ever known. Out of all of the farming activities hay baleing was my favorite. I think because it was a big family affair and all of the kids would gather around. I feel very blessed to have grown up on our humble farm. Thank you for the sweetest compliment and for dropping by for a visit . Hugs.
DeleteTime to bale hay was one of my favorite times growing up on the farm. The hay smelled so sweet when it was cut and dried. Dad would have some of the neighbors come help and some of the high school boys. The boys were the most fun to watch, farm kids in such good shape. Mom would fix "ham salad" sandwiches for lunch which were really bologna, boiled eggs, sweet pickles and Miricle Whip ground and mixed up. They tasted so good sitting in the shady yard with chips and iced tea. Thanks for the wonderful memories. I'm now 73 but remember the summer fun so well!
ReplyDeleteAaah what a sweet childhood memory. Lol and I had to giggle at watching the farm boys who would come and help. Oh yes they have to be in shape to pull and tug on those bales. Didn't they? I can just imagine - the family and neighbors gathering in the shade for lunch. Mmmm your Mom's ham salad sounds yummy! I bet it was quite a treat after being out in the hay field for the day. I am so glad this brought such fond memoires, Marsha.
DeleteWhat great memories you have of farm life, except for tipping over part!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful quilt, I love the colours.
Aah I do have so many fond memories of baleing hay on the farm from my childhood till even today. Though as a child, it was a lot more fun especially when the family was all about. I have always wondered how Dad got the wagon uprighted the wagon when it tipped. He had sent my sister and I back to the house while they worked on the wagon , but before I knew it they were back to baleing. Lol. Thank you for the sweet visit . Hugs.
DeleteWhat a fun and interesting post, Melisa! I love your stories of growing up on the farm. That is a beautiful quilt design, too - I just love the colors!
ReplyDeleteAaah thank you so much, Diann. We were always busy on the farm and still are. Though as a child it seemed a lot more exciting. Lol. I had a great time making this quilt. I just wished I had not run out of the yellow. I am looking forward to putting it in the hoop soon. Have a great weekend.
DeleteSuch happy memories Melisa of your early life on the farm, thanks so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteOh they certainly were very happy days. It was such a joy to reminisce over the days and I am so touched that you stopped by to read about them. Thank you so much, Jenny. Hugs.
DeleteLoved reading about your "days gone by" - such sweet memories. When we were in VA, we watched a hay bailer on the hill behind the campground. So interesting how it all comes together. Love that quilt. Saved it to my Pinterest. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteAah , thank you so much, Donna. It was fun for me to reminisce as I shared my little quilt too. Hay bailing is fascinating; it is always nice when it goes off without a hitch. Lol. Have an awesome week . Hugs.
DeleteYour Hey Day quilt top is a beauty, Melisa. Love the fabrics you used for the blocks.Thanks for sharing the hay baling tales from your childhood. Round 2 of baling is just about finished here. There might be one more in September, but who knows. Happy Sunday!
ReplyDeleteAaw thank you so much, Robin. Hey Day was a fun fast quilt to work on. I am looking forward to quilting it, but it will be awhile since I have a few quilt already in hoops. I hope the farmers in your area have had a great harvest of hay for the year. Fingers crossed they may get a 3rd round. Hugs.
DeleteI remember hay baling days as well, Melisa. However with three girls, my dad would hire the boy cousins to come and help. We girls were in charge of keeping water carried out to the field.
ReplyDeleteMy dad also had an Allis Chalmers tractor! Happy Memories for sure...my brother in law does the round baling as well these days and he got some quite nice ones for his cattle for the winter. Summer is winding down...as I type this I am seeing lots of leaves on the ground in the back yard after last nights wind and rain.
What a sweet memory, Arlene. It must have been nice to have boy cousins to help out during hay season. So glad to hear that your brother in law has had a good harvest of hay this year. It will be so nice come winter time. I expect we will see more leaves fall to the ground as the month progresses. I do love summer time though. Thank you for the sweet visit . Hugs.
DeleteMon père avait aussi une ferme ,je me souviens aussi des bottes de foin que nous étions aller chercher avec le tracteur et la remorque dans les champs .J'aime tes histoires de ferme ça m'a fait penser mon enfance.
ReplyDeleteTrès jolie ta couette ,bravo Melisa .
Aaw that warms my heart to hear that this brings back such fond memories of your dad's farm, Monique. Hay season was certainly busy wasn't it? Thank you so much for the kind compliment on my quilt as well. Have a very lovely week. Hugs.
DeleteIt's been a discombobulated week in my corner of the world. Things have settled down and everything is "normal" again. LOL I remember baling days on my grandparent's ranch and fitting in the other chores that had to be done. Enjoy your Sunday, Melisa.
ReplyDeleteOh goodness, Darlene. I hate it when we have those kinds of weeks. Don't you? I am so glad that things are getting back to normal again. Hopefully this will be a better week and you can get back on schedule. Aah I bet you have so many fond memories of your grandparent's ranch; I imagine you learned a lot from them as well . Thank you for the sweet visit. Hugs.
DeleteWhat wonderful memories! Farmers and ranchers are w-a-y underappreciated these days! While I grew up in the suburbs, I am so proud of the farmers and ranchers in my family: wheat farmers in Kansas, dairy farmers in Missouri, cattle ranchers in Montana, and peanut farmers in Texas. I love to visit their places, and have many wonderful memories: riding the baler on the peanut farm (after the peanut harvest, the plants were baled up and they'd run cattle on the acreage before planting the next crop); watching the milking and riding on the milk route e-a-r-l-y in the morning (my cousin had dairy cows and did 2 runs a day picking up milk from other farmers), and generally just enjoying the country life when we visited family. God bless all of you that work to keep us fed!!
ReplyDeleteAaah what fabulous memories that you have visiting the family farms and wow you have a variety of farmers in your family. I have never seen peanuts harvested- how interesting that the plants are baled afterwards. One year dad grew a small patch of peanuts , but of course we just hand picked them since there were so few. Thank you so much for sharing such heart warming memories on the farm. I know you cherish those times dearly. Hugs.
DeleteI can smell those hay fields. Those are great memories you shared. Your Hey Day quilt is a beauty! You got that one together quickly!
ReplyDeleteOh I love the smell of freshly baled hay. Thank you so much, Ginny. I had a great time reminiscing over the good old days and the quilt was a fun project to work on . Hugs.
DeletePretty quilt. What wonderful memories. Thank you for sharing with us.
ReplyDeleteAaah thank you so much , dear for the sweet compliment and for dropping by for a visit. I wish you a wonderful week. Hugs.
DeleteWhat a wholesome post. I can almost smell the bales of hay clear over here! Ha! Great quilt too. Those Villa Rose patterns fly off the shelves around here. I almost see one or more being made when I go on quilt retreats too. Hope you're having a great day!
ReplyDeleteAaah thank you so much, Susie. I do love when it is time to bale hay. This was the 1st Villa Rose pattern I had pieced and loved it. I see more in my future. Lol. Have a wonderful week . Hugs.
DeleteI enjoyed reading your sweet story, Melisa. And your Hey Day quilt is pretty. You got some really nice photos of it.
ReplyDeleteAaah thank you so Jeanna. I have lots of fond memories of hay season throughout the years and Hey Day was a fun quilt. Hope you have a lovely week. Hugs.
DeleteBeing a city gal, it's so much fun to hear about life on a farm! What sweet days you passed. Sounds dreamy. Thanks for sharing on my weekly show and tell, Wednesday Wait Loss.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.inquiringquilter.com/questions/2023/08/02/wednesday-wait-loss-339
Aaw thank you so much, Jennifer. I guess I am the same way about the city and town life. Whenever we go to the city , I always enjoy seeing the hustle and bustle and how people live or when we drive through small towns, I love looking at the old houses .Lol. I hope you have a wonderful week and thank you for the sweet visit. Happy quilting.
DeleteLoved reading about your farm day memories, Melisa. I grew up in a small town surrounded by farms and spent some time on farms owned by friends. There was always so much going on--still have fond memories of the sweet smell of hay and the barn cats :)
ReplyDeleteOh , thank you so much, Carol. I enjoyed reminiscing about the golden days. Lol. I am so glad that you have fond memories of your friend's farms as well. Love the farm cats, don't you ? Lol . I hope you are having great week . Thank you for the sweet visit. Hugs.
DeleteHi Melisa! I really enjoy reading your stories about farm life (and the stories from your readers too). We live very close to a Common and have watched the machines cutting the grass ready for hay making, your hay making sounds more fun though! Your quilt looks lovely, such pretty colours! I look forward to seeing how you quilt it. Barbara, The Flashing Scissors. Hugs xxx 😘
ReplyDeleteHello, sweet Barbara. Oh how fun that you are able to watch the farmers at work. I wonder if their equipment is similar to ours? I bet you can smell the sweet hay when they are cutting it as well. Summer time is a busy time on the farm that is for sure. Thank you for the sweet visit . Hugs.
DeleteWhat a great memory post. Nice to see the generations carry on, too. That's a pretty quilt, and one I saw on Brenda's Conquering Mount Scrapmore a while back on YouTube. It's on my list of things to do!
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy reminiscing about my childhood on the farm and it is even more heartwarming to see the grandchildren and nephews on the farm. They go from one activity to the next ; they are never bored, that is for sure. Susan, I bet you could whip this quilt up in no time. It was a quick one. Thank you for the sweet visit. Hugs.
DeleteWhat a treat to learn about summers on the farm from your eyes. Although I don't know about those snakes slithering out of the hay bales. :) I'm not even phobic about snakes, but that still gave me shivers.
ReplyDeleteOh Gwyned, I do not like snakes. I have a few tales of them slithering out of the hay bales, but goodness, I did not enjoy seeing that at all. Lol. Thank you so much for dropping by for a sweet visit . Hope you are having a very lovely day. Hugs.
DeleteGreat memories from the farm! And your Hey Day quilt is lovely, bright and cheerful.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this great post, and linking up!
Oh thank you so much Frederique. The farm is an important part of our whole family's life. The Hey Day quilt was a fast fun quilt to work on . Have a Blessed day and thank you again for the sweet visit.
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