These last couple of days the weather has dipped back down into the 60's. It has been nice, but a bit on the chilly side.
Welcome, Y'all and Happy Slow Stitching Sunday. Have you pulled out a project or two to work on today. Well, how about joining me for a bit of chit chat as we work on our projects together.
Like I said , the weather has been nice these last few days. I have been spending them outside when I can. Planting flowers and cleaning flower beds has kept me a busy bee.
Mr. Pinker added some metal raised beds to the hillside behind the house. He has dug them in place in the poor chert soil. I have been filling them with broken limbs and small logs before we add the soil.
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Oh, excuse me . I forgot to show you what I am stitching on today. I am working on appliqueing a body for a butterfly block.
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| I need to Embroider the antennas and finish appliqueing the blue butterfly. |
Berries and Butterflies is fluttering right along.🦋🦋🦋
I still have more strawberries and butterflies to applique though.
Recently, dear Susan sent me a "Blessing box" . From that box, were 2 scrumptious fabrics that I will be including in "Berries and Butterflies". Aren't they so pretty? Thank you , sweet friend. 🤗
I was tickled pink when dear Melva at Melva Loves Scraps messaged me that I had won a fat quarter for participating in the Little House on the Prairie SAL. My heart fluttered when not only I saw the beautiful orange fabric , but when I saw the name of the fabric as well- "Butterfly Sonata " by Connecting Threads . I knew that a piece of this will have to go in Berries and Butterflies. Thank you so much, sweet Melva . 🤗
Oooh ... What are you working on today? I know you are stitching on something that is fabulous. Will you be working on several projects today?
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Yesterday, Mr. Pinker and I laid the plastic down in the garden. Soon we will be planting tomatoes , peppers, and mounding up small hills for cucumbers, squash and zucchini.
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| We are getting the vegetable garden ready with plastic and irrigation. |
As Mr. Pinker stretched out the plastic , I sat down on the ground. A sweet butterfly fluttered to my side. " I love you" I whispered ; knowing that the orange butterfly would send the message to my sis.
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| This butterfly stayed near me as we worked on the vegetable garden at my sister's house. |
Later I moseyed back home and dug up some of my hostas from the wild and woolly garden and transplanted them to the edge of the English Ivy garden. Fingers crossed they will make it and the deer will let them be.
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| I transplanted hostas in the garden. |
I am curious. What kind of shade plants do you like to grow? I am thinking of adding coral bells to this area too.
On the hill , we have a good number of blueberry plants. They love the poor chert soil and do quite well here in the holler.
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| The blueberry bushes are loaded with berries |
The blueberry bushes are putting on the berries already. I say by next month we will be enjoying a yummy blueberry pie.
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Speaking of berries. Yesterday , I posted my 1st country clutter hutch tour entitled Berries, Berries and More Berries . My country hutch was filled to the brim with berry related knick knacks and stitched items.
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| I layered 2 ribbons on top of one another and embroidered x's on them along the seam. |
Berries sat in the "NEED TO BE FINISHED BASKET " for a couple of years. Last year, I finally finished it. I added a bit of fabric and then layered 2 Dollar tree ribbons along the seam and tacked the ribbons down with some wonky black X's. Berries is now complete and on display for the 1st time.
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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.
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| And Where the Strawberries Grow is in the works. |
Alrighty, I better stop all of this yammering, and we get to work. Right? Let's get to stitchin' !
As Always...
Happy Stitching and Quilting, y'all
Melisa
"Life is what you make it. Make it sweet . "
Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤
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| Is this a Lizzie Kate piece? My memory fails me. |
Other Posts That Might Strike Your Fancy!
🌞Parade of Homes 2026- Early 2026 parade of home freebies.
🌞2026 Love Parade- A Parade of Previous Valentine Freebies- Valentine themed stitches up to Feb. 4, 2026.
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.
Frederique at Quilting Patchwork Applique for Patchwork & Quilts - Saturday
Kathy at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Stitching Sunday
Cynthia at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework for Oh Scrap - Sunday
Melva at Melva Loves Scraps for Sew & Tell- Sunday
Brenda at Songbird Designs for Monday Musings
So many wonderful things under your needle. You're like the lovely butterflies - fluttering from project to project. That's what I've been doing. LOL X-stitching, little quilts, and a new applique project. Way too much fun. Happy Sunday with lots of hugs, DarleneJ
ReplyDeleteLOL isn't it wonderful to flutter between projects, Miss Darlene! Hee! Hee! You wouldn't believe the mess I have surrounding me with all kinds of crafting going on. Yep, I think we are having way too much fun, but we deserve it. Right? I hope you have a fabulous week . It sounds like you have plenty to keep you busy. Big Bear Hugs.
DeleteGood Morning! Here in FL, our soil is mostly sand with a little bit of everything else thrown in. So, we grow what we can and sometimes we even have to buy dirt - I know - almost unheard of! LOL! We have no shade plants growing unless you consider those awful fan palms that seem to sprout from nowhere. The rest of our shade comes from pine trees. Your butterflies and berries blocks are coming along beautifully! Love following the progress! Blessings!
ReplyDeleteOh, I can feel your gardening pain on having to buy dirt, Donna. Wheww! I have a compost bin that I have been making my own for years, but that is the "precious stuff". LOL. I will be picking up a few bags of Top Soil tomorrow. We do what we have to do in gardening don't we. Thank you for the sweet Sunday visit. I hope you are enjoying some nice weather. Hugs.
DeleteYour butterfly and strawberry blocks are looking good, Melisa. Good for you and Mr. Pinker on beginning the prep work for the veggie garden! I hope your transplanted Hosta survive the deer. We haven't planted anything in the yard for several years now due to the deer and the moles (or are they voles). I will be working on a Christmas ornament today and hoping to finish the stitching part before the day ends. Happy Sunday!
ReplyDeleteGosh , the wildlife can wreak havoc on gardens and shrubbery can't they. I don't blame you for taking a break from planting. We had moles a few years ago. They just tore up our yard . Thankfully , the have moved on . I saw a groundhog the other day in my compost bin which was an unusual sighting. LOL. I hope you had a wonderful day working on your Christmas ornie. That is what I did as well. Warm hugs.
DeleteYou're truly surrounded by wonderful projects to keep you busy, Melisa!
ReplyDeleteWe're celebrating Mother's Day in Spain this Sunday.
Hugs
Aaw Happy Mother's Day, dear Isabel. I hope you had a delightful day and did something special. We celebrate next week though I am not sure what I will do. Thank you so much for dropping by to see me today. Hugs and Blessings.
DeleteYou've been busy inside and outside. It's been nice to have a bit of cooler weather for the end of the week. You have some fun projects to keep you busy inside. Happy stitching.
ReplyDeleteOh it has been nice, Kate especially since I have been moving plants around. I have to admit that I have been awfully tired at night from all the gardening, but it is worth it in the end. I wish you a wonderful week and thank you for dropping by. Hugs.
DeleteWhat plants will you put in the metal raised beds? You cut holes in the plastic and then plant your tomato etc?
ReplyDeleteI think we will put more tomato and pepper plants in the metal beds . We ran drip tape under the plastic which is hooked up to the water hose for watering . We then just cut the plastic and plant. We left an open area for the mounds of squash and zucchini but rain the irrigation to them today. Fingers crossed the garden will do well. It is a hit or a miss with me. LOL. Thank you for the sweet visit, Vicki. I hope your day was a delightful one. Hugs.
DeleteCooler weather makes it more pleasant to fill the tubs with the sticks and dirt. Congratulations on being a winner of Melva's. The fabric she sent you was perfect for your project! --TerryK@OnGoingProjects
ReplyDeleteOh it has been nice for the temps. to be a little lower since we have been working outside. I hope to fill those tubs with dirt very soon. Thank you so much for the sweet visit, Terry. I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Hugs.
DeleteHappy Sunday Melisa! It’s pouring here in Maine 🌧️ and 42F. Not really good for working in the garden 😅 But great for organizing my stitch stash 😄
ReplyDeleteWe have a lot of shady spots in our yard because we live in the forest...so we have tons of different kinds of hostas which love it here and I planted some hydrangeas. There's also lots of ferns.
We built a new garden last year that I'm slowly filling with purple, pink and white perennials. I also have 4 raised beds and this year I'll be growing garlic and onions and I don't know yet what else. 🤔
Thank you as always for your freebie, it's cute and on my to-stitch list. 🍓
Last night I finally finished appliquéing all the chickens for my Hen House quilt by Lori Holt. Now I just have a LOT of piecing to do.
Enjoy the nice weather! Hugs from Maine!
-Alex 💕
Oh gosh, it is still cold there. Sounds like good quilting and stitching weather though. I bet your Lori Holt chickens are the cutest! Do you have chickens ? It sounds like your gardens are gorgeous, Alex. Have you ever transplanted any of your ferns. We have a lot growing in the holler , but I have never tried digging one up to pick in the shade garden. Hmmm its a thought though. I am hoping to add more perennials too. Keep me posted on how your garden does and on your quilt too. Have a fabulous week, sweet friend. Hugs.
DeleteYou have boundless energy and I am always impressed. So many pertties, inside and out. I have a bleeding heart that prefers mostly shade.
ReplyDeleteAaw thank you so much, Ginny. I try to stay busy. It is hard to stay still when I know there is so much to do. Oooh a Bleeding Heart would be a great addition. Thank you for the suggestion. Warm hugs and blessings.
DeleteI would say that things are "berry" delightful at your house right now, Melisa! Fresh blueberries right off the bush - yum! And that Berry design finished up nicely. Pretty butterflies and berries applique blocks, too. Enjoy your slow stitching today!
ReplyDeleteLOL I am in full berry mode, Diann. Hee! Hee! Oh my grandson picks the blueberries as soon as they begin the ripen.He loves them so. Thank you for the sweet Sunday visit. I hope you have a wonderful week and enjoy your vacation. Hugs.
DeleteSuch a gorgeous post over spilling with joy. Quilts where strawberries grow bountifully always make me smile. As does your colourful display of all things strawberry. It sounds as if you've been as busy as a bee preparing your garden beds. Everything is looking great, Melisa.
ReplyDeleteAaw thank you so much, Kim. You are so very kind. I was pleasantly surprised how many blocks I had completed once that I began to arrange them. I still have a good amount more to applique though. I have my fingers crossed that my gardens will do good this year. We shall see. Have a beautiful week. Hugs
DeleteMr. Pinker is so handy around there, making those raised beds and all. You're so blessed to have blueberry bushes. We had them in our yard in Tokyo and they did fabulously. Butterflies and strawberries are my two favorite quilt themes, so you know I'm lovin' your quilt, Melisa!
ReplyDeleteOh yes, I am very grateful Mr. Pinker is willing to tackle different projects. He has been busy all weekend helping me in the garden. I bet your blueberry bushes in Tokyo were magnificent. It warms my heart that this post brought back fond memories. I wish you a lovely week , Nancy and thank you for dropping by. Hugs
DeleteYou are so busy. The Berries and Butterflies quilt is coming along nicely - the variety of fabric is wonderful. I have also been cleaning up the garden. I have lots of hostas and a few ferns under an ornamental peach tree. Thank you for the cute “Berries” pattern - I will add it to my summer stitching. I hope you had a great day. Alicia
ReplyDeleteI do need to add ferns to my shade garden. I bet your ornamental peach tree is so pretty. I would love to add small fruit trees to our lower yard -maybe someday that will happen. It sounds like you have been staying very busy, Alicia with all of the clean up. Are you as tired as I am in the evenings? LOL. But it is worth it . I wish you a lovely week . Now don't work too hard. Warm hugs.
DeleteI'm excited for your garden! When we lived down in south Texas, many yards had morning sun and deep shade the rest of the day, and people planted impatiens. They were so pretty! I was never able to grow them quite like my neighbors, but I sure enjoyed theirs. I like your hillside planters and your blueberry bushes. I would just stay outside and admire everything if I came to visit. ;)
ReplyDeleteI look forward to watching your garden grow, Melisa. I hope you share :) The Butterflies and Berries quilt is looking great. You received some pretty fabric from Melva. Congratulations on your win. Love the Berries cross stitch, too.
ReplyDeleteWow - your garden will be a busy place for you. The butterflies and strawberries are so cute!
ReplyDeleteGreat to see your garden, Melisa. I love the strawberries and butterflies quilt. ou are one busy lady! Thanks for the new stitch. Thanks for sharing with us at Monday Musings. Hugs!
ReplyDelete