Can I give you a big ole' hug? 🤗
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Good morning, sweet friends and welcome. Gosh , I am uplifted by all of the love and words of sweet encouragement to persevere. Thank you from the bottom of my pea pickin' heart for lifting me up when I was feeling down. 🤗😘
You are all the best! You are a ray of sunshine! And you are right. I should pick myself up, do what I love and just be me! And that is what I am going to do. Thank you, friends. 🙏🫶
You are my Blooms of Sunshine!
So sorry this looks crooked. 😏
Soooo... what did I do this weekend? Well a little messin' and gommin' as my Nanny would say. LOL. 😀
I was watching some videos of several textile artists who were dying fabrics for dresses , dolls and quilts using "pickings from nature". So I moseyed outside and picked a few muscadine leaves and decided to see what would happen if I dyed some 14 count Aida.
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| Gathering muscadine leaves for dyeing. |
Out came the big red pot. I added the leaves, a smidge of salt - again I was just messin' and gommin'.
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| Adding the muscadine leaves, water, and salt to the big pot. |
The fabric soon went into the pot as well. I brought it to a boil and then turned it down to a simmer . It brewed for quite a while.
Oh yes, I worked with all of the kitchen stuff on my stove. I was right there with it so no danger. 😀😁
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| Fabric added to the pot to brew. |
The fabric turned out nice- just a soft antique look to it. I am not sure what to I will stitch on it yet.
Have you ever dyed fabric with "pickins' from nature"?
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| Muscadine leaf dyed aida and white aida |
I fully finished "Tiny Blackbird from Blackbird designs. This was a gift from ,dear Barbara that I started last year. I used scraps of thrifted fabric to finish it. I look forward to using it in a fall display come autumn. Thank you , Barbara. 🤗
And I pieced more Kitchen Sink aka Paper Chain blocks
Well, Sweeties that was my weekend in a nutshell.
Again, I must say, you are a blessing in my life. Love ya'!
As Always,
Happy Stitching and Quilting, y'all
Melisa
Thank you for the sweet visit.
"The best happiness in life is friendship. "- unknown
Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤
Dedicated to my baby sister, Amy . I love and miss you, Amo.
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| Rusty crusty garden farm equipment. |
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 needle workers to meet.
Brenda at Songbird Designs for Monday Musings
Judy at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts for Design Wall Monday
Merry Christmas is my Merry Monday stitch. I will be sharing it soon.
Woohooo, I think you did the right decision. I am happy to read this new post. Don't give nasty people a chance. My Mom once gave me this sentence: " That what doesn't kill you makes you stronger!" (I hope I translated it correct).
ReplyDeleteI look forward to see how the fabric will look .
Wish you a happy, happy day,
Gabi
Oh thank you so much, dear Gabi. Your mom was so right. I feel good about my decision and feel renewed. I wish you a lovely day. Hugs.
DeleteVery well!! You made the right decision, dear Melisa!
ReplyDeleteIf you don't like it, don't look, as they say in Spain.
I love the soft, aged tone of the fabric. I've only dyed it with tea, but I can see why it's a good idea to use leaves too.
Hugs to start the week.
Aaw thank you so much, Isabel. You are so kind. It was fun to try something a little different in dyeing . I may try some other things in the future- just to play around. But I do love the look of coffee and tea dyed fabric. Enjoy your day. Hugs.
DeleteWell done Melisa! I look forward to reading your posts every day, don’t stop my friend. Hugs, Barbara @flashinscissors xxxxx☺️🙋♀️👋👍💜
ReplyDeleteAaaw thank you so much, dear Barbara; you are the sweetest. I feel so blessed and looking forward to a good week of posting. Warm Hugs.
DeleteGood morning Melissa. Was so happy to be able to read your blog today. Love the fabric dying,it turned out nice.Have a GREAT day.
ReplyDeleteAaah , Trish . I cannot tell you how much that means to me. I am so grateful. I was thrilled to pieces how the fabric worked out this time. It is always a hit or miss with me. LOL. But I like it a little dark. I wish you a lovely day. Hugs.
DeleteGood morning from Maine ☀️ I'm so glad you'll continue to do what you enjoy! I know I sound like a broken record but I LOVE YOUR BLOG! 🥰🤗
ReplyDeleteI've never dyed my own Aida...but always wanted to try. What a great idea to use your garden for help!
-Alex
Oh Alex, you always brighten my day ; thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am so very humbled. I hope you try dyeing your fabric sometime. I am a bit of a messy dyer, but I have fun. Hee! Hee! It is always a hit or miss for me on how it comes out. Sending you warm hugs.
DeleteWe love you!!! I’ve only coffee dyed fabric, but I’m always fascinated by nature dyes. Fun! Cute stitch pattern, too!
ReplyDeleteAaah I love you too, Penny and appreciate you so much. I was fascinated by the ladies that I watched who were dyeing their fabrics. I am going to experiment a little more and see what I can come up with. Never hurts to try. LOL. Have a blessed day. Hugs.
DeleteSo happy you are back 🌻
ReplyDeleteAaaw shucks, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are a blessing. I wish you a wonderful start to your week. Hugs.
DeleteYour fabric looks lovely that you dyed, Melisa. Well done! Nope, I haven't dyed any fabric with natural or not natural fixings. Your Blooms of Sunshine piece is so pretty. Thank you for the chart. Your quilt blocks are looking good. Happy Monday, my friend!
ReplyDeleteOh thank you so much, Robin. I had a fun time messin' and gommin' . I think I will do a little more in the next coming weeks just to see what I can do. I hope you are having a great day Robin . Were you able to go to NFF's this weekend? Warm Hugs.
DeleteI've never dyed fabric with things from nature (on purpose). Ha ha. I have done mud dyes, grass stain dyes, and fossil fuel dyes. LOL. My husband's newest nature die is concrete stain. (He's a construction worker on the roads.). I need to try it on a little stichery sometime. I just happen to know my favorite blog that has the CUTEST little stitching patterns (wink wink). I think you know her-- she has the sweetest pea picking heart.
ReplyDeleteLOL, Kathy I had to giggle. I have been known to do all kinds of not on purpose dyeing too, but hubbies are the best at it aren't they? LOL. Aaaw you have me grinning from ear to ear. Thank you for making my day. Hugs.
DeleteSo very happy you have made the decision to continue on sharing with us. Thank you for the new cross stitch pattern. Thank you for giving us more to look forward to.
ReplyDeleteAaaw you are so very welcome and thank you for making the decision to continue that much easier. You are a blessing.Warm hugs from the holler. And have a fabulous day.
DeleteSelfishly, I'm glad you are sticking around. :) Your muscadine-dyed fabric looks so delicate and pretty. Hope you have the best week ever!
ReplyDeleteAaah Linda, thank you so much. With all of the outpouring of love and support, I was just moved to tears. I am very blessed and grateful. I was a little surprised by the color the leaves dyed the fabric, but it was a pleasant surprise. I wish you a fabulous start to your week. Hugs.
DeleteSo happy you decided to continue, Melisa--I just so enjoy you and your blog posts..;)))
ReplyDeleteWhat a pretty "Blooms of Sunshine" block!! Your Paper Chains piece is really so cheerful--nice works in progress.
I've only ever used tea/coffee to dye my fabric scraps for my little embroidery fabric books. And then just dunk, sit and rinse--no boiling...your fabric turned out such a nice, soft color--
Hugs, julierose
Aaaw thank you so much, Julierose. I cannot tell you how appreciative I am of you and your words of encouragement. Oh I just love your fabric books and journals. Are you working on a new one currently? I am always fascinated by yours. I have my supplies out to finish my cut and paste one, but have not done that yet. Perhaps soon. Have a blessed day . Hugs.
DeleteYou made my day, Melisa! Thank you for not leaving us and thanks for the lovely new stitch. I really really like this one and have saved it to my to-do list! I love muscadines but never thought of dyeing fabric with them. I love how that experiment with nature gave you such a soft antique look to the Aida. I love your new finished stitch and those Kitchen Sink blocks are sew very cute! Thanks so much for hanging with us and thanks for sharing with us at Monday Musings. Have a wonderful week dear friend! Hugs. B
ReplyDeletePS: I've never nature-dyed anything, but the guild I used to belong to had a class where we used a Clorox mixture to splatter the fabric over leaves as a mask. If I can find it (?!) I will share in a blog post soon. Toodles!
DeleteHappy Monday, dear Brenda. You just brought a smile to my day; thank you from the bottom of my heart:) I had a ball experimenting. I was fascinated by the ladies I was watching. They were using all sorts of things. I would love to see the Clorox mix. I do hope you find it. It sounds very interesting. I can imagine recreating fabric for fall with that method. Hope you are having a great day. Warm hugs.
DeleteI am sitting in the dark after a storm knocked our power out last night, but I am smiling after seeing your post. I am so happy that you have decided to continue your blog. The Blooms of Sunshine perfectly reflects how I feel today - I can’t wait to stitch it. I haven’t dyed any fabrics since high school - a very long time ago. I love scrappy quilts. The colors in Kitchen Sink are so colorful. I am adding to my quilt list. Thank you. Alicia
ReplyDeleteGood afternoon, Alicia. I sure hope that the electricity comes on very soon and that there was no damage in your area. Gosh , I hope it is not too hot as well. It warms my heart to heart to hear that you like this little stitch and I hope you enjoy every stitch. The Kitchen Sink quilt blocks are working up fast.Hopefully, soon I will be piecing them into rows. Have a blessed day, dear and thank you . Hugs.
DeleteMy mom always sang that song to me and my daughters, You are my Sunshine! I'm so so happy that you have decided to do what you love!! THANK YOU!! You are our Sunshine!!
ReplyDeleteAaah I am so glad that song brought back fond memories of your dear Mom. I bet that little song will ring in your head today; it has mine. LOL. And thank you for the sweetest compliment; I cannot tell you how much you mean to me. You have me beaming! Hugs and Blessings.
DeleteSuch joy to my heart to see your new post this morning! Truly a ray of sunshine and I love the new stitch piece to remind me always share joy with others. Thanks for filling my bucket this morning.
ReplyDeleteOh how sweet; thank you dear friend. I am so uplifted by all of the kindness and love. I truly feel blessed and humbled. I hope you enjoy this little stitch. It stitched up pretty quickly. Hugs and Blessings.
DeleteThank you for not leaving us! You are the ray of sunshine. I enjoy your posts and your wonderful designs. You are very generious and talented. I'm sorry someone made you feel bad. Hopefully they are feeling ashamed.
ReplyDeleteHow interesting dying fabric with leaves. It came out nice. Thank you for sharing.
Aaah and thank you for being here for me, and lifting me up when I was feeling down. It truly means the world to me. I found the videos on dying fabric very interesting; I hope to try it again soon. I wish you a blessed day. Hugs.
DeleteCan't keep a good woman down! So happy to hear that you're getting the encouragement needed to continue despite the trolls. : ) I'm not one to persuade, having never been a blogger, and all but giving up on IG posting over the last few years, but you certainly have my admiration (among many others, clearly!), and I hope you keep going for just as long as you enjoy it! Your posts and your sweet designs are always a bright spot in the week for me.
ReplyDeleteLOL y'all certainly picked me up by my shirt tail and uplifted me. I am so very grateful for all of the support and encouragement. In fact, I was moved to tears. Everyone was so right about focusing on my friends and not letting it get to me. Your kindness just warms my heart something good. I truly appreciate that you take time to visit me. It means the world. Hugs and Blessings.
DeleteWell, I am relieved that you made the decision to keep blessing us with your posts. I've only coffee-tea dyed lugana, never with anything from nature. Your fabric turned out pretty. The blackbird pillow is going to make a great addition to your fall decor. I love the progress on your quilt, too.
ReplyDeleteOh thank you so much, Jeanna. After taking a few days to reflect and with all of the warm outpouring of love and support, I gave away the moment of sadness and am ready to move forward. I am happy. The fabric dyeing was a fun experiment. I thought it might turn out a little darker, but I like it. I cannot wait to display the little BB pillow for fall. I wish you a lovely day. Hugs.
DeleteWooHoo - I'm thrilled, excited, happy, etc that you've decided to stick around. Even though I'd try to understand I would have understood. Big, Big Hugs, DarleneJ
ReplyDeleteOh thank you so much, Darlene. I feel so good about my decision and feel blessed beyond measure by all of my sweet friends. I hope you are having a good day. It has been a rainy day here so I have been piecing away. LOL Big Hugs from the Holler.
DeleteI was so glad to see your post this morning, Melisa! You have lots of friends out here in blogland. Thank you for the delightful new design to stitch, too. I love it, and it's going on my list! Have a wonderful Monday!
ReplyDeleteOh thank you so much, Diann. I am glad I jumped right back in with both feet surrounded by all of my sweet friends with love and support. What a lucky gal I am . I hope you enjoy this little stitch. I worked on it last night and it stitched up pretty quickly. Have a beautiful day. Hugs.
DeleteYeah! I am so glad you decided to keep blogging. It seemed to me that you got as much joy posting as we did reading. I like the soft color of the muscadine leaf dye. I have only ever used coffee/tea or rit dye. I remember watching Little House on the Prairie and they used onion skins to dye some wool. Thank you for the sweet cross stitch. Anne
ReplyDeleteOh you are so right, Anne. I do get immense joy from blogging and being able to connect with kindred spirits. It is nice to be able to chat with others who "gets " the crafting pleasures. Aah I loved Little House. Hmmm, I just might try onion skins next- that would be interesting wouldn't it. Thank you for bringing a warm smile to my day. I wish you a lovely evening. Hugs.
DeleteI'm glad things are looking brighter now, Melisa! It's sad when one bad comment overshadows all the good. Hang in there and know that you are loved :) I've never tried dyeing anything except with coffee or tea. Will have to think about giving it a try! Enjoy your new week ♥
ReplyDeleteOh thank you so much, Carol. I do feel brighter and lighter . All of the love and support took the burden off my heart that is for sure. The fabric dyeing was a fun experiment; maybe I will try more in the future. Have a blessed day. Hugs.
DeleteI am so happy to be reading your blog post :)
ReplyDeleteOh Maureen, I truly appreciate all of the kind support you gave me right when I needed it. It really means the world to me. You are a blessing. I wish you a wonderful week. Warm hugs from the holler.
DeleteYou Melisa are my Sunshine!! I always look forward to your posts. I do not always comment but I enjoy you so much, you make my heart sing!! Warm hugs from sunny Arizona.
ReplyDeleteOh Miz Mary, you make my heart sing too. It always warms my heart to see a message from you. Your kindness and warmth means the world to me. I am so honored that you spend just a few minutes of the day with me. Hugs and love from the holler.
DeleteI guess since I was on vacation am not sure was went on!!!!!! I love your pics and post!!!!!
ReplyDelete