"Hey , What are you doing?" as my sweet baby sister would ask when she would call to check in. I can still hear her melodic voice ringing in my ears.
"Aww not much . What are you doing?", I would reply. Then she would go about telling me all of the "goings on" for the day. I have to admit I would be grinning ear to ear . Soon she would have me rolling in laughter as her voice rose higher and higher with tales of her daily adventures.
Sigh, What can I say? It has been 4 long years since my dear sis received her angel wings. I know I talk about her a lot, but she was near and dear to my heart, and she is always on my mind.
For the last couple of years, I have been creating little berry stitches in honor of Amy who was like a wildflower reaching high to the sky! I shared my first "berry shaped stitch" for her last year with In My Heart She Blooms .
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| Amy's 2023 berry which I have not shared, In My Heart She Blooms 2024 berry and Berries for Amy the 2025 berry |
BERRIES FOR AMY is my 2025 Memory Berry.
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| The basket is all stitched up. |
As some of you may remember, Amo loved the farm and would often wake up early in the mornings on her days off of work to pick strawberries.
This new stitch has a little blue basket filled to the brim with strawberries growing without bounds. Why a blue basket? Well Amy had the prettiest pale blue eyes.
As are all of my humble designs, this is a simple stitch. In fact, I only used 7 DMC floss colors including: DMC 221, 730, 782, 869, 844, 924, and 3722. I stitched Berries for Amy on 14 count tea/ coffee dyed Aida.
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| The strawberry cap is made of wool, vintage lace from sweet Pat, homespun and a large button |
Have you ever made a berry? Last year I posted a Berry Making Tutorial. My advice when making a berry is to cut your fabrics large. You can trim down as you go if you decide the berry or cap needs to be smaller.
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| Berry Bouquet- A Sampler for Amy,Amy's Strawberry Basket Sampler and Berries for Amy 2025 Memory Berry |
I have created several berries over the years and each time it seems it gets easier and easier. I stuff mine with a combination of polyfill, batting scraps and lots of sawdust from Mr. Pinker's workshop.
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| Bee Berry ,Mary's Basket Strawberry Pinkeep , 2023 Berry,In My Heart She Blooms and Berries for Amy. |
Well Sweeties, I better get off here. I do believe some butterflies are calling my name. I do need to decide what I am going to do with my Pretty in Peach butterfly blocks that I am piecing for Amo.
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| Pretty in Peach Butterflies appliqued while in Quartzsite. |
"See ya' later! " as Amo would say. "Love ya!"
As Always...
Happy Stitching and Quilting, y'all
Melisa
" A sister is not just a sibling ; she's a forever friend who knows your soul. " - Unknown
Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤
Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy. Forever in my heart Always. . I love and miss you so much.. Love you , Amo.
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Oh Melissa... I just want to give you a very big hug... ❤️❤️❤️
ReplyDeleteOh sweet Melisa, my heart feels heavy while reading your post because I know exactly how much you miss your dear sister! I think it's so wonderful that you design a stitch for her every year, what a beautiful way to honor her ❤️ I'm sure she loves it!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing it with us, I will definitely stitch it and think of you and Amy. Who knows, maybe our sweet sisters have met up there in heaven and giggle about their sisters down here with their giant stashes of quilting and stitching supplies we will never be able to use up 😅 And I'm sure they check in on us daily and are happy that we found happiness again after our tragic losses. ❤️🩹
I think of you often and am thankful for the sunshine you add to my life! Thank you 🤗
Hugs and love from Maine,
Alex
Beautiful tributes to Amy. Please, please continue to speak about your beautiful sister as often as you want and/or need. She will always occupy a special place in your heart. Just do everything you can to continue to honor her and everything about her. Big, big hugs, dear friend, DarleneJ
ReplyDeleteSuch a special stitch and keep talking about her. That is so important. Many hugs !!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful tribute to your sister. The designs are beautiful. I am sure Amy would have loved them.
ReplyDeleteWell tragic loss is terrible, we had this some weeks ago. My dear SiL took his life. So you can image how my daughter and the family feels. He was such a lovable one but the demons of his depression were stronger.
I give you big hug from far,
Gabi
Beautiful Berry stitcheries in memory of your sister, Amy, Melisa;))) And the butterfly is really neat, too. Hope your day is filled with some great stitching time...hugs, Julierose
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful berry and beautiful memories. Keep talking about her. It keeps her close to you. Have a blessed day.
ReplyDeleteWha t a special relationship you and Amy had. Not all sisters are that close. The strawberries are so cute, Amy would love them, just like she would love the butterfly quilt. Perhaps someday you can give the butterfly quilt to one of her children. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry for your loss,I truly feel your pain,I lost my only sister 4 yrs sgo, it always amazed me how she could cross stitch,pit it down & go right back where she left off,me I was always counting the little x's 😄 your stitchiere is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteSweet Amy! I know you miss her so much. Sweet little stitchery. ❤️
ReplyDeleteMy dear Melisa, this is a love song to Amy!
ReplyDeleteIt's a beautiful tribute and a wonderful way to remember her.
Thank you for sharing it with all of us.
Kisses
We're blessed to know Amy through you. Your pieces are a sweet tribute to her. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteI never had a sister. You have a special bond with your dear Amy. I fell honored that you share that relationship here. Love the berries and as someone else said,will think of you and Amy as I stitch this one. Hugs dear Melissa
ReplyDeleteYour butterfly blocks are looking fabulous, Melisa. What a pretty berry you have created and stitched in Amy's memory!
ReplyDeleteDear Melisa,a very big hug for you...you made a lovely tribute for Amy! Next tuesday we will go on a trip to Bornholm to visit our grandchildren..it has been six months so we can't wait to see them!Lots of love,Marianne
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely design in honor of Amy! I love your stories about Amy - thank you for sharing about her. I know you miss her so terribly.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet design to honor your lovely sis! --TerryK@OnGoingProjects
ReplyDeletegood morning lovely Melisa.
ReplyDeletethank you for the beautiful post of berries this morning. your memories of your sweet, sweet sister are so unique. she must have been a very wonderful woman. your special, special times with your sister are forever in your heart and mind and they will forever be remembered.
in my heart she blooms is a gorgeous berry. i love it. i did print it. my stack is getting super huge. you should see it. i think i would be thought of as a hoarder if the paper stack ever falls over. it occupies quilt patterns, recipes, cross stitch patterns, and whatever else i felt i needed a copy of at the time. a lot of times i print poems that i think are very amazing. have you ever read the poem "Trees" by Joyce Kilmer? it is so beautiful. my mom and i were looking at the poem last night. i did print a copy of the words for her and then ordered a decorative plaque that she can hang in her kitchen. it is such a "deep thinking" poem. at least i think so. look it up Melisa - i think you will really enjoy reading it.
today i am going to the market for my mom and i need to pickup some jalapeno and cheddar cheese bagels that i ordered from the bakery. then i need to get pieces cut on a quilt. i have another "quilty" day with my quilties on Tuesday and i better get all the pieces and parts cut. there is a sad story about this quilt. i am making an American flag quilt and the pattern calls for a whole lotta flying geese. i got them all done and then when i was sewing them into stars the geese were really short. i reread the pattern and the blue pieces for the flying geese should have been 1 7/8", mine, of course only i could screw up, were 1 1/2". all the geese were sewn and ready - nope - time for a do over. oh well - i am getting amazingly proficient in flying geese making. that dear lady is my quilting news for the day. can you pass a tissue? - i'm still in tears. ugh!!!
praying for your cooler weather. we are in a heat advisory right now. i think the weather from the north has now moved to the west. ick!!! not liking it one bit.
i hope you have an awesome Friday. it is going to be a fantastic day whatever pops up. we are strong, we are invincible, we are women!!! woohoo!!!! the more dominant of the sexes i may add. now don't worry men - we love you just as you are. you're all terrific at getting those giant spiders we won't dare touch. hehehehehehehe
make some magical memories Melisa. blessings and love are coming your way. a great, big squeezy bear hug is coming, too.
Debra Broyles
What a pretty design in memory of your sister 🍓 Hugs to you. K from NY
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