A Bit of This and That

 Eeeeh! Blogger started working properly !

  Good morning, Sweet Peas and Happy Saturday! 

Yep, last night I was able to reply back to sweet messages on my blogs. Thank you so much for all of the tips and for making me feel better when I was frustrated.  And thank you for all of the ideas for the Summer SAL . Y'all came up with so many fabulous ideas!  I was so excited that I could not sleep last night thinking about them.  Hee! Hee! Hopefully , I can start creating soon.  

Yesterday , was a day of errands. Mr. Pinker and I  had our taxes done, and then we went shopping. I came home with 2 thrifty finds. - A small brown transferware plate made in Japan.  And....

... an enamelware coffeepot and bowl. I was doing the happy dance. 

The other day , Mr. Pinker placed the galvanized raised beds in the area where he will eventually stabilize them. We do not have any flat ground here in the holler except way down at the bottom of the driveway so these beds are on a hill  where wooden beds were placed in a terraced fashion.  

Mr. Pinker purchased these  Utopia Home Raised galvanized bed kits  from Amazon. They measure 4 ft x 2 ft x 1 ft though  various sizes are available.  Soon Mr. Pinker will position them exactly like he wants them and fill them with a mixture of farm soil and potting soil. 

I am still working on yellow blocks! How about you? 

Earlier this month , I pieced the yellow blocks for the "Around My Garden" quilt.  I appliqued colorful tulips in each block. 

I cannot wait to see what color Angela chooses for next month's challenge. 

Do you have any suggestions for future "Flowers " for the centers? 

I changed out the quilt above the buffet. A thrifted hexi flower quilt brightens up the room for spring.  

The large scales stay on the buffet. They were my Great Aunt Dot's and were always on this buffet when she owned it.  I filled the scales with Dollar Tree Spring plates. 

Have I talked your ears off?  I sure hope not. Well, I guess I better get off here.  I know you have places to go and things to stitch. I am sure I will get into something myself. 😀

I  will talk to you tomorrow that is if the sun shines and the creek don't rise. 

Have a beautiful day, dear friends...

 As Always, 

Happy  Stitching and Quilting, y'all

Melisa

Thank you for the sweet visit. 

"Create your own sunshine!   " - unknown.

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

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

 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. 

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

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

Frederique at   Quilting Patchwork Applique for Patchwork & Quilts - Saturday

Angela of  So Scrappy  for Scrap Happy Saturday

Joy at Days Filled with Joy for Home Matters

A Question or Two

 Good Friday morning , Sweet friends. Are you ready for the weekend? I sure am.   But first I have to tackle a problem- 

I need some tech help!  

Yesterday , I got on my computer to read and reply to all of the lovely messages sent to me on my posts when all of a sudden I realized I could not   reply back to the  comments on my blog. 😲

I pushed buttons, stamped my feet and said a few naughty words, but no -nothing would work. I even tried to go to the settings ( like I know what I am doing- which I don't 😕😏) 

 Are any of my blogging friends having the same issues? When I click "Reply", it does not do anything. 

In addition there are some blogs that I  can no longer  comment on because my messages will not go through .Please know that I am still visiting, but am having tech troubles.  ( Many of y'all know that I am plumb tech dumb and am fortunate to have gotten this far.😏😀😜 )

I do want to  thank everyone for the sweet comments on yesterday's blog post. I really enjoyed hearing what you are working on. It sounds like a lot of pretties are in the works, and everyone is keeping busy , busy, busy.  

I have another question. 

🌻🌻Do you have any suggestions for stamps for a Summer Stamp SAL? 🌻🌻

Well Sweeties, I will let you go. I may or may not be able to fix this issue on not being able to reply- hopefully it is just a "Blogger " glitch.

Please know that I appreciate and love ya'! 

I will talk to ya' later! 

 As Always, 

Happy  Stitching and Quilting, y'all

Melisa

Thank you for the sweet visit. 

"Curiosity is the key to problem solving " - Galileo .

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

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

Piecing the Spring Jar Quilt

I have a finish! My "Spring Jar" embroidery is all stitched and ready to be pieced into a small wall hanging. .

Well yesterday, I pulled out some fabrics and went to town on doing just that.

I shared the Spring Jar Doodle a couple of weeks ago.

The unfinished size of my embroidered block is 10 1/2" x 10 1/2".

If you are interested, here is a short tutorial. 🤗🫙

SPRING JAR QUILT:

FINISHED SIZE: 20 " x 20" UNFINISHED SIZE: 20 1/2 " x 20 1/2"

RECIPE FOR FINISHING

FABRIC and CUTTING:

10 1/2" x 10 1/2" Embroidered block 🧵CUT 2 - 1 1/2" x 10 1/2" strips of blue ( inner border)

🧵CUT 2 - 1 1/2" x 12 1/2" strips of blue ( inner border)

🧵CUT 2 - 2 1/2" x 16 1/2" strips of blue ( outer border)

🧵CUT 2 - 2 1/2" x 20 1/2" strips of blue ( outer border)

🧵CUT 28- 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" Scrappy squares

DIRECTIONS: ( USE 1/4" SEAM ALLOWANCE)

🧵1. Sew 1 1/2" x 10 1/2" blue strip to the top of the embroidered block. Press . Repeat for the bottom of the block.

Sew  1 1/2" strips to each side of the embroidered blocks. 

🧵2. Sew 1 1/2" x 12 1/2" blue strip to the right side of the embroidered block. Press . Repeat for the left side of the block.

🧵3. Arrange the 28- 2 1/2" Scrappy squares around the embroidered block in a pleasing layout.

2 1/2" squares are arranged in a pleasing manner. 

4. From the 2 1/2" Scrappy squares , sew 6 blocks together for the top border. Repeat for bottom border.

5. Sew the Scrappy strips to the top and bottom of the embroidered block.

Six 2 1/2" squares are pieced together for the top border. Do the same for the bottom. 

6. From the 2 1/2" Scrappy squares , sew 8 blocks together for the right border. Repeat for the left border.

7. Sew the Scrappy strips to the right and left of the embroidered blocks.

Sew the Scrappy strips made in Step 6 to the right and left sides of the embroidered block. 

8. Sew the 2 1/2" x 16 1/2" blue border to the top of the quilt for the outer border. Press. Repeat for the bottom border.

Sew 2 1/2" strips to the top and bottom . 

9. Sew the 2 1/2" x 20 1/2" blue border to the right side of the quilt for the outer border. Press. Repeat for the left border.

10. Wahlah! The Spring Jar quilt top is complete.😀

Spring Jar is ready to be marked and quilted. 

This small quilt will be going into the hoop here soon- perhaps today.

Before you leave , I must show you my Spring Banner stitch. I stitched like the wind to finish this little design which I posted on Tuesday.   It is stitched on a scrap piece of coffee dyed 14 count aida.

Spring Banner is completely stitched. 

I back stitched the banner in DMC 503.  

The banner was outlined in DMC 503.

Fabrics are being auditioned for a pillow finish. Fingers crossed I will have a finish by the weekend.   

If you are interested , I used the following floss colors:   352, 503, 610,  745, 3346, 3371, Blanc. I posted an update on the floss colors in the March, 18, 2025   Spring Banner  post. 

So tell me. What are you working on today?

Thank you for joining me today.

 As Always, 

Happy  Stitching and Quilting, y'all

Melisa

Thank you for the sweet visit. 

"Your smile is a reason for many others to smile.    " - Winnie the Pooh

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

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

Wordless Wednesday Early Spring on the Farm

 Good morning, Sweet Peas. Is it Wednesday already? By golly it is! I thought I would post a Not So Wordless Wednesday post with photos of early spring on the  farm. It was a cloudy day, but warm- a good day to be out and about. I hope you enjoy . 

Rodster keeping watch . 

A bee trap has been put up. 

Papa's old fence. 

Up on the hill. 

The last of the hay that will be put out . 

A bush hog waiting to be used. 

Keep the gate closed to the other fields. 

Soon the farm will be greening up , calves will be frolicking and bees will be buzzing about.  It is always a good day on the farm. Thank you for dropping by. 

May your day be filled  sprinkled with sunshine! 

As Always, 

Happy  Stitching and Quilting, y'all

Melisa

Thank you for the sweet visit. 

"Faith, Family and the farm! "

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

Dedicated to my baby sister, Amy who loved the farm.  Love and miss you, Amo. 

Blow and make a wish! 

SPRING BANNER- A Spring Freebie

Hello, Sunshine! Welcome!

Oreo looks awful sweet and sassy today! She is another "barn cat" who decided not to live at the barn.Now tell me- How can one resist that sweet face? I sure can't. 

I  have a confession- I have not been doing a whole lot of Spring stitching. 😏😲

Since the last few days have been warm, I have been spending my time outside,  cleaning up the porches and patios. There are lots of chores to be done outdoors so stitching has gone to the wayside. 

The other night I sat down and designed a little piece though. I do hope to work on it soon.  It is a simple design with 2 bunnies holding a "Spring " banner. I have not settled on the colors for SPRING BANNER, but they will come to me soon. So I am posting this as a "CHOOSE YOUR OWN COLORS " Chart.   The colors in the chart may not represent the colors that I will use. But I  will post the flosses that I use in the future. 

🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵

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. 

🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵 🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵

UPDATE: March 18, 2025 The stitching of Spring Banner is complete .  I back stitched around the banner with DMC 503 which I did not chart this. I used the following floss colors:    

SYMBOL:               DMC FLOSS COLORS:

V                     3346

X                     610

U                     352

•                     3371

W                     Blanc

L                     503

O                     745

A little bit of country clutter. 

I will keep it short and sweet today. I will be spending most of the day outside bustling about. Perhaps this evening, I will pick up the needle and thread.  Have a beautiful day! 

As Always, 

Happy  Stitching and Quilting, y'all

Melisa

Thank you for the sweet visit. 

A day in the garden is a good day! 

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

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

Mr. Pinker bought 4 galvanized raised beds. He is putting them together and then we will move them and fill with dirt.  Eeeh! Let the gardening begin! 

Leprechauns, Cabbages, and Sheep- St. Patrick's Day Hutch Tour

                         Top of the morning to you, Sweet Peas.  

Sheep Trifle 

I missed decorating the hutch last year for St. Patrick's Day. Easter was early so I jumped right on in with the bunnies. But since Easter is in late April this year, it gave me the perfect opportunity to pull out my greens and decorate for  St.  Patrick's Day. 

"Erin Ewe", Truckin Along in the Luck Truck  and a darling sheep from dear Robin. ❤ 

So grab you a cup of coffee and let's head to the kitchen for a look at all of those precious ewes that have taken up residence on my hutch. Shall we? 

My hutch  is filled to the brim with all things green! 

  There is really nothing new on the hutch. I usually decorate with the same old things  for St. Patrick's Day.  I  normally pull out my few cabbage pieces, anything green and the few stitches that I have for the holiday.

Luck Basket

 

Vintage thrifted  transferware plates were used as a backdrop. 

Sheep Jar and Truckin Along in the Luck Truck  

Being a plate- acholic , I always have to add plates, plates, and more plates. 

More plates are stacked in the corner. 

Lots of thrifty finds on each shelf.

Basket for Ewe

Here and there are cross stitch pieces that have been stitched over the years. 

Lucky Stamp 

Some were made by me and others were sweet gifts. 

A gift from sweet Robin. She knows I adore sheep. Thank you, Robin. 😘

I left my enamelware pans hanging on the edge of the hutch. Fake eggs are stacked in one.

Soon all of this will come down and bunnies will hop , hop , hop down Bunny Lane  shooing the sheep off of the hutch shelves. 

 

Puttin on the Green and Shamrocks, Gold and Chickens

But for a few more hours,  I will enjoy my St. Patrick's Day decor. 

 Clover Basket Pinkeep and Shamrock Blessings

 If you would like to see my foyer decorated for the month, check out the posts called Changing Out the Quilts and Stitches, Quilts, and Shamrocks- Foyer Decor

Hmmm, I wonder if I could squeeze one more thing on these overflowing, filled to the brim shelves. Hee! Hee!  - Probably not.

 Thank you so much for the sweet visit. I know it was a lot to take in and not for all, but it is just my style. 💚💛🤗

Be  happy and Be Ewe is what I always say - don't you agree. 

 As Always, 

Happy  Stitching and Quilting, y'all

Melisa

Thank you for the sweet visit. 

"Collectors are happy people.  " - Johann Wolfgang von Goathe.

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

Dedicated to my baby sister, Amy who loved to thrift as much as I do . I treasure our sweet thrifting adventures.I  Love and miss you, Amo. 

Other Links That May Strike Your Fancy

🧵2025 St. Patrick's Day Parade - A Parade of Previous Freebies

🧵2024 A Blooming Parade- A Look at Previous Easter and Spring Freebies

🧵

 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. 

Joy at Days Filled with Joy for Home Matters