Good morning, Sweetie Pies and Happy Thursday to you!
Last month Mr. Pinker and I spent 10 days camping in Quartzsite, AZ. We had a wonderful camping spot . On the very day that we arrived, I saw my first butterfly of the year, and I just knew that was a sign from my sister that I should begin working on appliqueing the bodies of the butterfly blocks that I had brought along.
Some of you may remember that last year I completed Butterfly Kisses which was in memory of my sis.
I am thinking of calling this quilt- Flaming Butterflies. My Papa nicknamed my sister , Flaming Amy when she was just a toddler because she was a spitfire always on the move. God Bless her. ❤🦋
Years ago I bought a bag of butterfly bodies from the Goodwill. There must be 100's of butterfly bodies in the bag so I will be making butterfly quilts for years to come. 🦋🦋🦋🦋
In the evenings as Mr. Pinker explored the desert, I would sit by the truck camper stitching away.
A nearby saguaro cactus made a great "design wall".
Don't the blocks looks so lovely delicately hanging from this majestic plant?
The butterfly blocks certainly added more color to the desert landscape.
Look at all of those needles.
I was very careful not to get pricked or to damage the cactus.
I wonder how old this saguaro is? Did you know that the saguaro has a lifespan of 150-175 years. If this grand saguaro could only talk- Hmmm, I wonder what tales it would tell.
We saw many saguaros that were dying which was sad to see.
Little critters gnaw at the bottom of the saguaro which can cause damage.
I am not sure what happened to this one.
The dried spine of a long gone saguaro.
I was able to complete the applique of the bodies on a number of butterflies before it was time to move on to the next camping spot.
I was expecting to work on embroidery as I camped, but alas that did not happen. So over the last week I have been catching up on my embroidery projects.
Over the weekend, I was able to finish Block 2 Country Mail Delivery in the "A Year of Hearts " SAL. I will be posting a little heart block close to the 1st of the month throughout the year.
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| Thank you dear Robin and Barbara for the beautiful cards. Love ya'😘❤ |
I debated on how to embroider the blocks , but I finally decided to color tint the blocks and then embroider in matching colors. I think all of my hearts will be different in colors.
This time I color tinted using crayons and pencils- just flying by the seat of my pants. Hee! Hee!
Yesterday, while waiting on Mr. Pinker at the doctor's office, I sat in the parking lot doodling away on March's block. I will be working on it today.
Well , sweet friends. It is time for me to grab my needle and thread and get to work before the grandbabes get here. I am sure we will be traipsing in the holler and into the woods when they come over. They do love to explore and look for slimy and slithering critters. Hee! Hee! Have a beautiful day and..
As always...
Happy quilting and stitching, y'all
Melisa
"In a grey desert, dare to be a butterfly. "- Granthana Sinha
Hugs and Stitches !!!🤗❤🧵
Dedicated to my dear loving sister Amy . I love and miss you with all my heart.❤🦋 ❤🦋 Two years six months - how can that be? 😢
A sneak peek at the newest house I am working on . Look for it in the next few days if all goes well. Next to it is Mary's Basket Strawberry Pinkeep which I shared last year. I am curious . Is this a palo verde bush/ tree that the butterfly block landed on?
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.
Nina at Creations, Quilts, Art , Whatever by Nina for Off the Wall Friday
Good Morning My Friend! Mike and I chuckled when we saw your design wall - loved it! - we stayed at a campground in Congress AZ that had a saguaro that was close to 150 years I think. Anyway, I love your embroidery and tinting. Reminds me of when I embroidered a little bird and my grandson tinted it for me - he was 3 at the time - he's now 15 and learning to drive! :-O I think I'll continue the tradition with the other grand kids! Have a blessed day - glad you enjoyed your trip to Quartzsite!
ReplyDeleteLol thank you so much, Donna. Those saguaros came in handy for my design wall. Hee Hee! Aren't they fascinating? They have so much personality. Embroidery work with the grandchildren is fantastic. My how time flies. If your grandson is like my nephew , he is always wanting to get behind the wheel if he can drive. . Have a great weekend. Hugs.
DeleteLove seeing photos from your trip, Quartzsite looks like a beautiful place. How fun to decorate the saguaros with those pretty blocks! They are so appropriate for "Flaming Amy". :)
ReplyDeleteOh thank you so much, Linda. My sister would have loved to have visited this area. She would get a kick out of seeing these blocks in memory of her. I hope you have a great weekend . Hugs.
DeleteYour butterfly blocks are so pretty, Melisa. Your heart with the embroidery and color tinting is darling. Thank you for sharing more pictures of your trip.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed working on these blocks . They were relaxing to work on and I felt like I accomplished something by the end of the day. I have to admit , I was missing my sewing machine though. Lol. Have a great weekend and thank you for the sweet visit. Hugs.
DeleteYAY, Another butterfly quilt! Love the red background you are using! It is perfect for "Flaming Amy!" Good to see more of your vacay photos! Have a great weekend, my friend. Hugs!
ReplyDeleteI am always looking for butterflies now and after finishing the last quilt, I was still in the mood for another. Hee! Hee! Have a great weekend , Brenda and thank you for dropping by. Hugs.
DeleteSo many lovely stitches as usual! Love the new butterfly quilt you are making. I suppose if you have a bag of bodies you will indeed be making them for a long time. I smile at that thought because making the blocks keeps your sister so close. Your heart block is so sweet! What a great idea for a stitch along. Thanks for sharing on my weekly show and tell, Wednesday Wait Loss. https://www.inquiringquilter.com/questions/2024/02/21/wednesday-wait-loss-368
ReplyDeleteI believe your right, Jennifer. When I work on the butterfly blocks, I think about the precious times I enjoyed with my sis. I still feel she is with me . I wish you a wonderful and productive weekend. Thank you for stopping by. Hugs.
DeleteIt is sad to see the dead/dying cacti but did you see any young sprouts? Surely there were some or so I'm hoping. I loved your beautiful "design wall". The butterfly blocks shone!! Your soon-to-be strawberry stitchery looks so pretty already. I'll be waiting to see how that finishes up, for sure.
ReplyDeleteIt was sad to see dying cacti, but fortunately we saw so small ones growing too. In Quartzsite, we also so some propped up with boards which was so interesting. I guess that is to help stablilize them or recover . The saguaro are very fascinating to me. Thank you for the sweet visit, Susie. Have a wonderful day. Hugs.
DeleteWhat a 'use what is available' design wall!! I love butterflies too and often stop to watch them and sometimes I can even talk one into sitting still long enough for me to photo it!!
ReplyDeleteI just started my heart for Feb yesterday--things are very tense here with this 'food' plan of increases plus I have had cell phone issues for over a week and that has taken alot of my stitching time and patience--still no phone -- they get it working for a few hours then nothing!!! So I am off to do some designing of my own--on the Library quilt I am doing--
enjoy your stitching--hugs, di
The saguaro was not only beautiful but a big help for me as I worked on my quilts. LOL. I know you have been very stressed by the food plan. It is good that you have been staying on top of what is going on though; hopefully that will have an impact on what is going on. I hope you had a lovely day working on your Library quilt. I can not wait to see your progress. Hugs
DeleteYour butterflies are beautiful on their red backgrounds, Melisa! I love the saguaro, too. My mom owned a home in Arizona for many years and we always were looking for the first saguaro we could see on the drive down there. Your February heart is lovely! I like how you colored it - I need to do that, too!
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to working on these butterfly blocks. The red just speaks to me. I think the saguaro along with the cholla are my favorite cacti. My heart always leaps when I see the 1st sign of either too. Lol. Enjoy your weekend, Diann and thank you for the sweet visit. Hugs.
DeleteSuch a lovely photo of the butterfly blocks resting on the giant cactus. Hope they didnt land on any of those sharp spikes.
ReplyDeleteThose spikes were super sharp, Jenny. I gingerly placed the blocks on the saguaro in hopes not to snag the fabric. They just seemed to shine with the bright blue sky. Thank you for the sweet Thursday visit. Hugs.
DeleteNow that was a unique design wall! LOL No issues with things sticking, I'm sure! The new butterflies are looking good. This month's heart is just adorable. Thank you so much. I know very little about deserts and their plant life. That saguaro was a very stately example. Very impressive! I've heard that the branching is an indicator of their age but that's about all I know.
ReplyDeleteI was so fascinated by the saguaro, Ginny. They are all so unique and different- almost like giant people . Lol. Thankfully, I did not snag my fabric as I placed my blocks on the spikes. It is amazing how tall these cacti get. Thank you for the sweet visit. Enjoy your weekend. Hugs.
DeleteLove your "quilt blocks in the wild" photos, Melisa!!!
ReplyDeleteAah thank you so much, Nancy. I enjoyed taking photos of these blocks in such a beautiful area. Hugs and Blessings.
DeleteI already love the new house!!!! Can’t wait!!!
ReplyDeleteAaah thank you so much, dear. I am excited to be working on a new home for the neighborhood. Hope you have a lovely day. Hugs.
DeleteSuch a lovely way to display those butterfly blocks. It is good to know the cactus was unscathed in the process! Every time you write about the butterfly bodies. . .I conjure up all sorts of images in my head. . .my little squirrel, Gertie, has shared some of her images too! What an amazing find!--TerryK@OnGoingProjects
ReplyDeleteThese cacti are amazing , Terry. I can never get enough of looking at them and photographing them. I am going to have to take a photo of my bag of butterflies. LOL. I can not imagine sitting and drawing out so many butterflies- not to mention cutting them out. They were a steal. Lol. Thank you for the sweet Thursday visit. Hugs.
DeleteWOW!!! You camped in an awesome spot !you win for the MOST unique Design wall ever haha!! Those blocks look amazing set up on the cactus!!!
ReplyDeleteWe had an awesome time, Alycia. It was so relaxing and to get in some quilting time - well that was a bonus! Love the saguaros- they came in quite handy. Hee! Hee! Have a great weekend.
Deletegreat butterfly blocks!
ReplyDeleteThose butterfly blocks are bold and beautiful! Enjoy your stitching time this week.
ReplyDelete