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Thursday, November 2, 2023

Mr. Snow SAL - Block 1 Snowballs

 Pull out the sled and grab your mittens!!! It is that time of the year!  Nah, it's not winter yet, but it is time for my 3rd annual snowman embroidery SAL .  Now I ask you - Can you ever have too many snowmen quilts? Naaaah not this ole' gal!  I have never met a snowman that I didn't like. Have you? 

   In 2021 , I shared my Frosty McChill SAL where I shared 12 simple snowmen over 12 weeks.  I stitched Mr. Frosty using DMC 498.  He was a very active guy sledding , sweeping ,   making snowballs  and such. You know all of the winter fun! 

The Frosty McChill blocks are still available on my blog; you just have to follow the links to each design. 

In 2022 , I shared the Flurry & Flakes SAL which was a series of 5 blocks that followed the adventures of  the Flurry family. The blocks were a little more detailed than the Frosty McChill blocks, but  loads of winter fun to work on .  DMC 310 was the floss color that I used for these blocks. 

This year I am creating another simple snowman quilt called MR. SNOW . 12 blocks over 12 weeks . The designs will be shared on Thursdays - that is if the Lord is willing and the creek doesn't rise. 🤗

                     Cute Snowman Image Retro

 I would be as happy as a snowgal in the middle of a blizzard if you would join me .

 You decide what floss color you would like to use and whether you would like to use the  stemstitch or backstitch and also how you want to set your blocks.  You may want to stitch one or all of the blocks- whatever your  sweet heart desires.  I do not have the particulars worked out on how I will set mine, but  I will certainly share that in the future. 

The block sizes will be the same as Frosty McChill so you may want to pull some of those blocks to include in the quilt as well. Mr. Snow will be in the same style as Frosty McChill . 

Crabapple Hill Studio has a lot of nifty tips on embroidery, color tinting and such. I always like to refer  back to this site before I begin  such a project. 

So let me introduce the 1st block . 

Snowballs! 

I used a white and red crayon to color tint the bucket

Coloring in small circular motions , I first added a layer of white crayon over the area that I was going to color red  Next I added the red color over the white. Some areas I colored a little darker like around the edges, and I  used lighter pressure as I moved to the center of the bucket. 

 Since I will be working my blocks in all redwork, I will be adding just a bit of red tinting to  each block.  If you decide to stitch them, you certainly do not have to color yours. 

INSTRUCTION TIME !   Now remember , I am no expert, but am just sharing how I embroider mine. Please prepare your fabric, embroider in whatever manner that  makes you happy. The number one rule is to always have FUN FUN FUN!!!  

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut your fabric to 8 1/2 "x 11 1/2" . This will  be trimmed later.  

2.  Place the pattern between a light box or a window and center the design as best as possible. Trace the design onto your fabric using your favorite transfer fabric pen or pencil . 

3. Embroider the design .  I used a backstitch using 2 strands of DMC 498  on most of the design. A stemstitch would look  quite lovely if you prefer.  

4.   I used a French Knot on Mr. Snow's eyes. You do not have to include the French Knot;  you may want to add  teeny beads for eyes . How cute would that be!!!

5. Press and trim to block size 7 1/2 x 10 1/2". If you color tint your blocks, remember to place a paper towel over the tinted area and heat set with the iron.   The finished  block size in the  quilt will by 7" x 10" .

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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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                      My little doodles are hand drawn so they are never perfect. 

 Just a few days ago , I had the air conditioner on  and now it has turned plumb chilly in the holler.  Oh well , it is perfect stitching weather . Don't you think? 
Thank you for dropping by ,  sweeties.  I am off to work on a new snowman.    
Oh before I leave-  Do you have any suggestions for adventures for  Mr. Snow? 

As always...

Happy  Stitching and Quilting, y'all

Melisa
Be a jolly happy soul
Hugs and Stitches!!!
Dedicated to my sweet Baby sister, Amy . I love you, Amo.  ❤


hand drawn snowflake illustration


Sweeping Snowman Trifle   I created this little cross stitch for a scissor fob or ornament. 






31 comments:

  1. Oh, Mr Snow SAL is gonna be fun to do with y’all. Something to look forward to. Those are awful stinkin cute snowballs in that pail. Thanks for sharing this with us. I love snowmen…have a great stitchy Thursday. 🤗

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    1. Patti, I can not tell you how exciting it is to share this new snowman designs. It is something for me to look forward to as well especially as winter approaches. I hope you have a wonderful day. Hugs.

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  2. What a cute SAL, I'm afraid my disappearing pen lining would disappear before I could finish it🤣 I've never tried the coloring technique,does the iron permanently set it?

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    1. LOL , Helen I have had a few projects like that where I had to go back and trace it in. Hee! Hee! Color tinting is a lot of fun. It does set it, but lightens it as well. I try not to wash my quilts with crayons. I just spot clean them very carefully using a soft detergent like Woolite . I hope you try the technique sometime. A small project would be a great piece to work on . Happy Thursday.

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  3. Oh, Melisa, another fun post! Thank you for the colouring tips - I never think to actually use colouring! I look forward to seeing Mr Snow’s progress. 😁👍🙋‍♀️ Hugs, Barbara (@flashinscissors) xxx Have a super stitchy day! 🤗👋

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    1. Oh thank you so much, dear Barbara. I have always enjoyed my color tinted quilts and it has been awhile since I have created a larger one. I think this will be a fun project. Hope your day is a fun filled one. Hugs.

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  4. Looks like another fun SAL! We had a chilly night here in FL - 52 degrees! Had to turn the heater on! :-O!!!!! What kind of fabric do you use for the embroidery? I heard muslin was the best but wanted your take before I bought any. Blessngs!

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    1. Our temps dropped to the 20's last night but it is back into the 50's today. It is supposed to be back in the 70's this weekend ; thank goodness. LOL. I am just using 100% plain white cotton this time. On the Frosty quilt I used a white on white print. I have used muslin before on some of my Halloween color tinted quilts and they looked fabulous too. I hope you have a wonderful and blessed day, dear Donna . Thank you for the sweet visit. Hugs.

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  5. Oh let the fun begin with a new SAL!!

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    1. Lol I just love SAL's Vicki. I am still currently working on several older SAL 's of other quilters ' well. Sew much fun and sew little time. Hee! hee! Enjoy your day. Happy quilting.

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  6. Mr Snow SAL will be fun for all the friends!
    Unfortunately I have very little time to embroider but who knows if in the future..... Thanks for sharing
    Hugs

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    1. Aah thank you so much, Isabel. I am so happy that you dropped by to see my little snowman. I hope you enjoy your day sweet friend. Hugs.

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  7. What a fun new SAL, Melisa! Thanks for sharing your coloring tips!

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    1. Oh thank you so much, Robin. I am enjoying this little embroidery project .It has been awhile since I have color tinted so it was a lot of fun to pull out the old crayons. Hee! Hee! Have a super day. Hugs.

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  8. Your embroidery designs are so cute, Melisa. Perhaps Mr. Snow would like to go ice fishing, gaze at a winter "snowman face" full moon, look through a telescope at a snowflake constellation, or make a snowman angel in the meadow. He could feed the birds, check his country mailbox, or meet a friend for iced tea and icebox cookies... a cup of cocoa might be too hot! I'll look forward to seeing what adventures or mischief Mr. Snow gets into. As always, thanks for being so generous and sharing your imagination and patterns with us. Kris

    P.S. When I looked at the pail of snowballs, my first thought was, " Ouch! That isn't a good idea." Then I noticed the worried look on the faces! Oh, you got that expression just right!

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    1. Oh Kris, so many wonderful ideas!!! Thank you so much, you certainly got my creative juices flowing. I can not wait to see what I can create with your wonderful suggestions. You could certainly keep Mr. Snow on the go! Lol I love creating the expressions on the snowmen's faces. I didn't want the little fellows to be too distressed. Hee! Hee! Hugs and blessings.

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  9. Thank you Melisa for making your cross stitch and embroidery patterns available for us to enjoy. I look forward to your posts each week. I attempted to download the snow ball pail and can not get it to download. Can you help? I never have problems with the counted cross stitch patterns to download and print. Thank you again. Bonita

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    1. Hi Bonita. I just tried to make some adjustments on my end and made the image larger. I hope this will help. I also left some a tips that some other sweet stitchers have left me. I have been using the screenshot as well to capture the image. I hope that this helps a bit. I wish I was more tech savvy so I could be of better help. Thank you so much for letting me know. Have a blessed day. Hugs.

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    2. Hello Melisa, Just wanted to let you know I was able to print the Snow Ball Pail. I don't think it was operator error (LOL) but an uncooperative computer. Thank you again for giving to freely of your great ideas and patterns. Have a great weekend with lots of stitching.

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  10. More snowmen, that sounds like fun!

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    1. I am so excited to work on this these little blocks , Jenny. I have a deep affection for snowmen. Lol. Have a great weekend and thank you for the sweet visit. Hugs.

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  11. Oh no!! I am a little late today!! Cute, cute snowballs!! I think I am going to follow your lead and do some color tinting on this SAL, so much fun. Thank you so much !! Hugs from sunny Arizona.

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    1. Oh I am so glad you are joining along, dear Mary. I am having a ball color tinting mine. I hope you enjoy each and every stitch and of course the coloring too. Enjoy your weekend . Hugs and Blessings.

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  12. Your snowballs block is cute as can be, Melisa! I definitely want to join in, but I need to finish a certain black cat in a Halloween Jar first, lol! Thanks for sharing your sweet designs!

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    1. Aaah thank you so much, Diann. I bet you will have Halloween Jar complete in no time! I hope you do join in the snowman fun! Hee! Hee! Have a fabulous weekend. Hugs.

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  13. Never met a snowman I didn't like either...mainly because we don't get to make many of them!! This first block is sew cute, Melisa!! Thanks for another SAL!! Not sure I can keep up but I love playing with crayons and colors, so I will definitely give it a go! Have a great weekend, my friend! Hugs.

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    1. Lol that's exactly how I feel about snowmen. I welcome each and every one; if we would just have some snow! Hee! Hee! I am so touched and honored that you will be playing along with me, Brenda. The blocks are going to be quick stitches. Hugs.

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  14. Your blog post about Mr. Snow SAL Block 1 Snowballs is absolutely charming! Your quilting work is truly impressive, and the intricate designs and patterns you create are a testament to your creativity and craftsmanship.
    https://www.promocodehq.com/blog/

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    1. Oh thank you so much, Barbara. I enjoyed working on this little block and look forward to sharing more. Have a blessed day .

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  15. A fun start to Mr. Snow SAL. Ideas for more blocks? Maybe, building a snow fort or building a pet/friend, like a snow dog or cat or chicken or.....?

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    1. Oooh those are great ideas, Ginny. I am going to put them down for a future block or stitch. Thank you so much, you have given me some inspiration. Hugs.

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