Howdy doo, Sweet friends and a very lovely Monday to you!!!!
I am still on a "camping high" after returning from our vacation , so I sure hope you do not mind if I show more photos of our trip and what I worked on.
Before Mr. Pinker and I left, I eagerly packed a bag of fabric scraps, a cutting mat, rotary cutter and ruler. I just knew I could find some time to work on a project or two.
One evening, while Mr. Pinker was out exploring the desert near our favorite campsite north of Lake Havasu, I pulled out the perfect project to work on- Heart blocks!!❤💙💚💛💜
My camping table was all set for a day of work. Binoculars for sightseeing , rocks to hold down my blocks, thread , scissors, a darling sewing project bag made by dear Vicki and my new sewing basket that I bought at an Arizona Goodwill. You know I had to go thrifting. Hee! Hee! 😁💙
Last year, I oohed and aaahed over all of Di's heart blocks of Quilting Is Blissful blogspot . Click here to see what Di was working on in May of last year.
In fact, I have to admit that I always need a handkerchief in hand when I visit her blog because I start drooling over all of the fabulous projects she works on. Di is very prolific and is multi-talented. She embroiders, crochets, appliques and works on cross stitch- so talented. So I do hope you , hop over to visit her, but I forewarn you - you will be enabled into a project or two. 😀❤😍
Anywhoo, 2024 was the year to start my own scrappy heart quilt. So with scraps in hand I began working on my own blocks. Thank you , sweet Di for the inspiration! 😘💓
Soon my nimble fingers were whipping out scrappy hearts. The block size is 6 1/2" unfinished.
After awhile of stitching, I decided to take a stroll and explore the desert .
Down the embankment , I went into the desert wash.
Oh, what would I see on this adventure?
I found several small gourds that were cracked open. Do any of my Arizona friends know what kind of gourd it is? I wondered if it was a buffalo gourd and perhaps was cracked open by a critter.
Near the embankment , were small holes where critters lived or nested.
The desert floor also was the home for lots of critters. Hmmm I wonder who lives here. Perhaps a pack rat?
Do you see the squiggly tracks in the sand? I wonder if that is from a snake.
I saw lots of tracks My imagination would run wild as I wondered what critter made them.
Maybe a jack rabbit for these?
We heard coyotes howl at night. I thought this might be a coyote track.
Oh I do love the desert!!!
Lookie! I found another heart shaped rock. I believe my late beloved sister would guide me to these desert treasure for I found several "heart rocks " while exploring .
Soon I found my way back to my heart quilt project.
33 blocks were completed! I think I did pretty good , don't you?
Isn't this such a beautiful area? It certainly was a treat to camp here. Mr. Pinker made his way way beyond those hills. I just went to a nearby fence and then back to camp I went.
By the time arrived home , I had completed 56 blocks. My plan? - Well , create a quilt with 12 blocks across and 13 down which would make the quilt measure 72"x 78". That means I need 156 blocks total so 100 more blocks to go!!! Hmm unless I decide to go bigger- ya' never know! LOL.
As always...
Happy Stitching and Quilting, y'all
Morning Melisa. 👋👋👋 loved seeing more of your trip. The desert is full of so many things to check out. Your heart quilt is going to be awesome. That’s a lot of squares to do….cant wait to see it all finished. You have a great day and I will see ya a little later. ❤️🤗.
ReplyDeleteHappy Monday, dear Patti. You are so right about the desert. It is a wonderland for me; I was just mesmerized. The heart blocks have been such a joy to work on. I still have a lot more to go. Lol. Have a beautiful day, dear. Hugs.
DeleteGood Morning! Loving your pics! Especially the rocks - my little grand girls love to find "pretty" rocks for Didi (that's me). They also collect them to paint them for potted plants. Anyway, please let us know how you make the heart blocks! Do you turn them under and sew? Use some kind of adhesive? You probably told us once before but I forget - sorry. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteHappy Monday, dear Donna. I am so glad to hear that I am not the only one who loves rocks. I picked up several bags for my grandsons. How precious that your sweet granddaughters gift you pretty rocks. I know you treasure them and I bet the painted ones are darling. I bet my grandsons would love to do that too. Oh I will share my heart pattern here soon; thank you for the suggestion. I am using the needleturn method. The blocks whip up pretty quickly too. Hugs and Blessings.
DeleteYour scrappy heart blocks look awesome, Melisa. Thank you for sharing more pictures from your trip and I thank you for not sharing any snakes. Beautiful heart rock! Happy Monday!
ReplyDeleteLol I would been screaming and running like a wild woman if I had spotted a snake. One gentleman told us that if we saw a certain rattler to go the opposite direction because they are aggressive and move towards you. Fortunately, no snake sighting this time. Thank you for the sweet visit, Robin.
DeleteLoving your scrappy hearts, Melisa;))) You could be thought to join Di in the "enabling" category!! ;))) I have one heart I made for Valentines day that I sewed into my Junque Journal
ReplyDeleteand I just love it...soooo when my hands are better I think a little heart wall hanging may be in my future...
Great photos near your campsite...what a super trip you've had [with the exception of possible snakes--yikes] ;0000
hugs, Julierose
Aaah that is a sweet compliment, Julierose. A heart wall hanging would be a great project to enjoy once you are healed. Have you watched Janet Nash on Youtube? She creates junk journals and enjoys fabric projects too. I love watching her ; she is so relaxing to listen too. Have a blessed day and thank you for the sweet visit. Hugs.
DeleteMelissa,
ReplyDeletebeautiful pictures!! Happy that you found those heart rocks in the dessert...I am sure that was a message for you... And your heart quilt is lovely!! Glad to see you are enjoying yourself!! Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and for your sweet comments!!
Hugs,
Deb
Debbie-Dabble Blog
Oh thank you so much, Deb. I look for signs from my sister each day. I still feel like she is here with me. I am hoping to make more progress on the heart blocks this week. Thank you for the sweet visit. Hugs.
DeleteGreat pictures of your campsite and I love rock hunting for the unusal ones. You had a great camping vacation and I am a little tiny bit jealous, but so happy for you. I bet everyone was happy to see you come home though. Gourd could be a Buffalo Gourd, but not sure. Some times they are called Stink Gourd but are good for eating by humans and animals (they (?) say lot of protein and oil). Love your new Heart Quilt, it is going to be wonderful, but alot hearts at 6 1/2 inches. But you work quickly, so it willl be done soon and then ready for the quitling. Sending many warm hugs from sunny Arizona.
ReplyDeleteThere was not a soul around at this campsite; we stayed there several days. I didn't see any critters , but I know they were around. I will have to look up more about Stink Gourds. During the summer I have seen gourds at the national parks in NM so I did not know if this one was a buffalo gourd or not. Oh , yes still a lot more heart blocks to go, but they are a joy to work on. Have a beautiful day , sweet friend. Hugs.
DeleteI am so happy you had such a great time away but even happier that you found your way home! Sounds like it was a great time and always amazed at all the stitching you got done (and I'm sure there is even more you haven't shared yet!)
ReplyDeleteOh thank you so much, Shelly. We had a ball and I can not tell you how relaxing it was for me. Can you believe it ? I did not stitch a lick while on vacation , but I did work on quilt blocks - does that count? Lol. I told hubby I have got to figure out my "stitching workspace" in the little truck camper. Hee! Hee! Have a wonderful evening, dear and thank you for dropping by for a visit. Hugs.
DeleteLooks like you both enjoyed exploring the desert! It made a beautiful design wall for your pretty heart blocks, too. They're going to make an amazing quilt!
ReplyDeleteWe loved every minute of it, Diann. The landscape was so fascinating. I could not get enough of looking at the saguaros and the rocks. I was surprised that I was able to get so many heart blocks completed. It was a good trip. Thank you for the sweet Monday visit. Hugs.
DeleteI was excited by the heart-shaped rocks that you find on your way.
ReplyDeleteThe blocks are ideal.
Kisses
I could not believe how many of them that I found, Isabel. They were a treasure to search for and became my daily challenge. It was perfect to find them while working on the heart blocks too. Thank you for dropping by for a visit. Hugs and Blessings.
DeleteOh what a fun adventure! Thanks for letting us tag along. Blessings to you always sweet friend. ((hugs))
ReplyDeleteAaah thank you so much, Sweetie. I am so honored that you dropped by to read my rambles about my adventure. We had a fabulous time and I am so happy I was able to squeeze in a little time with the needle and thread while relaxing. Have a great evening. Hugs.
DeleteDi , I just love your blog! You always have the cutest projects going on and you always inspire me to pull out my needleturn applique . This will be my first big heart quilt. I appliqued several Christmas hearts while I was camping. I can not wait to add to them. This was the 1st time that I ever found a heart shaped rocks. Now I am going to keep my eyes open for them. Thank you so much , Di . I hope you have a blessed day. Hugs.
ReplyDeleteMelissa your heart blocks are definitely sweet, filled with love blocks. Your desert vacation sounds wonderful! When DH was able to travel we used to enjoy heading down that way. One of my bucket list items is to one day see a desert bloom. Thank you for linking with To Do Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteThe "Heart" blocks were quick and easy blocks to work on especially while traveling. We had a wonderful time; it is a beautiful area to visit . Isn't it? I hope you able to go visit the desert in bloom very soon. We go every year during the summer- though it is hot it is my favorite time to visit. Thank you for the sweet visit. Enjoy your day. Hugs.
DeleteVery interesting views while you are stitching. What was the avg high and low temps while you were there? The heart blocks are really sweet. Di does have some very fun projects in the works, she is amazingly prolific!
ReplyDeleteThere was not a soul to be seen at this campsite. We stayed there for a few days. The highs got into the low 70's and the lows probably in the 40's - not too bad and definitely nicer than the temps. we were having back home. Oh yes, I am amazed how much Di gets done. Of course I am in awe at all that you get accomplished as well. You always inspire me to spend more time at the sewing machine. Hugs!
DeleteInvestigating dens of who-knows-what gives me the shivers. You are a braver man than I, Gunga Din. The tracks were interesting, though. Love the Heart quilt beginning! Did you bring home all the heart rocks? That one was even pink!
ReplyDeleteLol I looked all around before I got to close to those dens. Hubby is always warning me that I am going to get bit by a snake. LOL. I did bring back 90% of the rocks. There were a couple that were too big, but I wish I had . The quartzite rocks were so pretty. I ended up bringing 3 gallon bags of rocks home. LOL. Have a wonderful day, dear Ginny . Hugs from the holler.
DeleteWinter trip, part 2, was a fun revisit, also, Melisa!!! Thanks for sharing all the unusual sites!!!
ReplyDeleteOh thank you so much, Nancy. This was a lovely spot to camp. There was not a soul there and was very peaceful . A great place to relax and stitch the days away. Hugs.
DeleteHow fun taking all of those pics, esp the blocks, in the desert! Looks like a lovely time!
ReplyDeleteIt was such a wonderful vacation, Cheree. I was happy to get a bit of applique completed while visiting as well. Thank you for the sweet visit. Hugs.
DeleteI have never been to a desert... it seems eerie in the photos. But then a lovely fabric mirage appeared - the gorgeous stitchy hearts! LOVE!
ReplyDeleteI have fallen in love with the desert. The first time that we camped alone out in the desert it was a bit eerie, but now I am used to being out alone. We could hear the coyotes at night, but otherwise there was not anyone around. It was relaxing to sit and work on the blocks during the day. Thank you for the sweet visit, Kathy. Hugs.
Delete