The sun is shining and the birds are singing. It is going to be another beautiful day. Would you like to go out to the pig barn with me as I go check the bees? Aaw come on. I sure would love the company plus I will bring a new quilt that we can sit on afterwards.
Let's go! 😀
Eeeh! Look who is here to greet us. Right at the gate! "Scooch over kiddos we are coming through."
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| These calves are as thick as thieves and are always together. |
"Now don't give us the evil eye, little fellas and gals". Aren't they the cutest? They are as gentle as lambs.
Oooh, before we head up on the hill. Let me show you #49. Her light brown eyes are amazing!
Alright we will visit with the bovines later , lets see what the buzzers are doing.
It is pretty hot . Isn't it? The bees think so too. Look they are bearding which means they are gathering on the outside of the hive in order to keep the hive ventilated.
Right now we have 9 hives - all have been captured in the wild.
Now let me show you my newest thrifty find that Mr. Pinker bought for me while we were out camping.
I am calling it Big Red or Feedsack 81 Patch. Swoon! 🤗❤❤❤You know me and my love affair with the color red.
It is composed of eighteen-81 patches alternated with large red square blocks.
The fabrics are feedsacks and are so colorful and whimsical. Each patch or square measures around 1 1/2" finished.
Some 81 patches contain a modge podge of feedsack and shirting fabrics.
And some 81 patches are simply composed of 2 different fabrics.
The quilt is hand pieced and hand quilted in 1/2 inch to 1 inch rows.
Oh so pretty! I can just imagine a grandmother sitting on the back porch quilting away on this beauty.
And look at the backing! Just gorgeous- well at least in my eyes.
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| The backing print. |
So what do you think? A pretty good find. Right? I think this would be a fun one to reproduce.
Let's spread it out in the shade , relax and watch the gals graze for a minute. Shall we?
Ooops I see where a little repair work was done. 🤗
I find it endearing. ❤
There is sweet Ginger.
Don't mind Edna today. She is not a morning gal. Hee! Hee!
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| Edna did not want to socialize today. Bless her heart. |
Thank you so much for keeping me company at the farm today and for taking the time to see my latest thrifty find.
Ginger and many of the calves will be moved to another section of the farm soon. But Edna will still be in this section with a cow or two. Soon it will be time to bale hay here.
Have a sun shiny day, Sweetness.
Yesterday's new start is Heart in Hand Needleart's Imprints Love and Heart, in memory of my sis. This darling chart and the gorgeous needleminder was sent to me from my sweet friend, Karen. I will be working on it throughout the week. Thank you , dear Karen. ❤🤗😘
As Always...
Happy Stitching and Quilting, y'all
Melisa
"Live like someone left the gate wide open. "- unknown
Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤
Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy who loved the farm and all of the animals.
I love and miss you so much.. Love you , Amo.
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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.
🌞 Root A Toot Toot Patriotic Parade Early 2024 patriotic freebies. 🌞A Buzzy Bee Parade An early 2025 bee freebie parade.
🌞A Sunny Sunflower Parade for 2025 A parade of sunflower freebies up to July 24, 2025
🌞Pumpkin, Leaves and Autumn Please- A Fall Parade 2025 A parade of Fall themed stitches and doodles up to September 8, 2025.
🌞 A Stomping Stamp Parade 2026 A parade of stamp cross stitch design freebies up to June 2, 2026
🌞Time to Dye- 2024 post on how I tea/ Coffee Dye my fabric.
🌞Pin Pillow Tutorial - 2023 post on how I finish my pin pillows with chenille trim.
🌞A Spooky Parade - Halloween freebies up to October 4, 2025. More Halloween pieces followed this date.
🌞Turkey Struttin' Thanksgiving Parade 2025- Thanksgiving freebies up to the date of November 3, 2025. More Thanksgiving freebies followed this date.
🌞Ho! Ho! Ho! Christmas Parade Of Previous Freebies- 2025- A Parade of Christmas Freebies up to the date of November 15, 2025. More Christmas Freebies followed this date.
🌞A Chilly Parade of Winter Stitches 2025- A parade of Winter themed freebies up to the date of Dec. 21, 2025
🌞Let's Dye Some Fabric- A tutorial on my process of dyeing Aida
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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
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
Joy at Days Filled with Joy for Home Matters
What sweet pictures of the farm animals. Love your quilt find. It has the perfect colors to celebrate America 250. ❤️🤍💙 Enjoy your day. K from NY
ReplyDeleteOh thank you so much, K. I was drawn to it immediately. It is perfect for our 250th isn't? I cannot wait to put it on display. Have a beautiful day. Hugs.
DeleteWhat a great day - and that quilt! Wow - such hard and loving work went into that.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit I learn a lot from you about bees. Bearding - who knew?
Thanks for a lovely day on the farm. Blessings!
Oh, Donna, I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it. I wish you could see it in person . There are so many fun fabrics and the quilting is so pretty. I am fascinated with the bees; I am still learning too. Thank you for the sweet visit. Safe travels . Hugs.
DeleteWhat a fun find! The backing is almost as fun as the quilt top is. Looks like you've got a good start on summer.
ReplyDeleteOh it was a great find. It has been awhile since I have found a quilt . I agree ; the quilt is reversible with that fun fabric. I hope you have had a very lovely day. Hugs.
Deletegood morning lovely Melisa.
ReplyDeleteyippee!!! today is my quilting day with my quilties. i am sooooo excited. i haven't been to a quilty get-together in such a long time. back surgery, knee surgery, knee infection, physical therapy, knee infection, and on and on life goes. the infection has finally turned around after 34 days on a strong antibiotic. the dr says no more antibiotics - your body will take care of the rest. whew!!!
i may have been silent, but i have been reading your every post, printing my patterns and keeping up with the summer stamp printing. i love it. your yellow background is the perfect color to mark our "soon-to-be" summer. yeah, right. it's so hot right now - Lord please help us when summer rolls around.
i love seeing all of your gorgeous cows this morning. your light-eyed cow is beautiful. are all the cows yours from mama to birth? can you answer a question for me - do cows sleep standing up? or do they somehow many to lay down? i know horses can lay down and they are taller than the cows. Edna is quite the beauty. she is very selective with her moods, doesn't she? gotta love her. are you going to get another donkey to keep Edna company? i think she thinks she is one of the cows. moooooo
girl you have Mr. Pinker trained and he is definitely a keeper. purchasing a quilt for you, in exactly your favorite color, - score!!!!! i love the name you have chosen Big Red or Feedsack 81 Patch!!! perfect.
Melisa have you got a color selection for "Little Patriot"? i have it in my "hold" file and am waiting to obtain the color chart. thank you. in no way am i pushing you. you have got a lot going on and i would drop every thing at the shake of a tail to go travelling in my "big old red" truck and camper. i would love to be with you. your experiences are wonderful and i love when you share them with us.
how is the family? grandbabies? they should be out of school at this time. are they coming to gramma's and grampa's daily? that is wonderful that you get to see the grands so often. i miss my grandsons so much. Gavin turned 24 on May 30 and my youngest grandbaby, Aidan, will be 21 on September 9th. woohoo - let the fun begin. i so wish i was there to celebrate his upcoming birthday with him.
i have chatted your ear off long enough and you are probably thinking are you done yet? heehee
I hope you have a wonderful, blessed day sweet lady. you are so kind to share all of your creations with us. every blog post i think "is there another freebie i can drool over"? i welcome them so much.
Bonnie Hunter is posting her latest quilt today on her blog. make sure you take a looksie. i can't wait to print this pattern. i have waited and loved this quilt since she finished it and shared with us the reveal. this quilt is gorgeous. i know you'll have it cut out and sewed up in no time.
blessings and love are on the way to amazing lady Melisa.
stay safe.
hugs.
Debra Broyles
Good evening, sweet Debra and Happy Wednesday. It is so good to hear from you. Goodness, you have had a long and bumpy road to recover. I am so sorry you had such a rough time, but it sounds like your doctor has been on top of it and you are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. .Are you still having to take PT? I am sure you probably have the exercises memorized by heart. Right? I know you are super excited to get to visit with your quilty friends. I hope you had a grand time. Have you felt like working on any projects? I am so grateful that you have been visiting with me through this time. It really means the world to me. Oh yes, I did finish Little Patriot. I will try to post her this weekend. I need to get her ready for her photo shoot. Hee! Hee! As far as the cows, they do lay down to sleep though they do not require a lot of sleep. I love this time of the year when the babies are born. Edna is a hoot isn't she. She has a companion in the other section of the farm named Elmer, but Edna does not want to be around him . LOL They both are characters. I think you are right Edna thinks she is a cow. A lot of the farms around here have donkies to keep the coyotes away from the calves. ( Well that is the theory) The grandsons are out of school and have been visiting almost every day. They love being outside - fishing, exploring and finishing. They grow up way too fast don't they.It seems like yesterday that mine were babies. Thank you so much for telling me about Bonnie's quilt. She is an inspiration. Have a great evening, sweet friend. I am so glad you are feeling better. Love and Hugs.
DeleteLove the look on those calves' faces - they made me smile! The bees are fascinating to me. Are you getting honey yet? Your thrifty quilt find is gorgeous, Melisa - 81 patches - amazing! Enjoy that pretty heart stitch, too.
ReplyDeleteThe calves are my favorite, Diann. These 4 are so gentle and are not spooked easily which I like. We are getting honey. We haven't harvested it this year, but we will soon. They certainly are staying busy. Thank you for the sweet visit and Happy Wednesday. Hugs.
DeleteIt is always fun to check-in on Edna and friends. Bees are amazing insects cooling the hive. Big Red is beautiful. The amount of time and effort to complete it by hand is incredible. I know you will treasure it. Thanks for sharing. Have a great day. Alicia
ReplyDeleteAaw thank you so much, Alicia for joining me at the farm today. We were lucky that Edna and the bovine crew were nearby. Sometimes they are in different fields. I wish you could see the quilt in person. It is a beauty and I am sure it was a labor of love. Have a blessed and wonderful evening. Hugs.
DeleteMan, that quilt is right up your alley, girl! Scrappy and RED! I certainly enjoyed our walk through the fields visiting with the cows and Edna. What a great walk. Let's enjoy a glass of lemonade now, ok?
ReplyDeleteSounds good to me! I will get the glasses. Hee! Hee! Thank you so much for taking a stroll on the farm with me today. You are so right ; I fell head over heels when I saw the quilt. I still cannot stop looking at it. LOL. Thank you for the sweet visit, Susie and for bringing a smile to my day. Hugs.
DeleteAlways enjoy a farm visit. Aaaah, the babies are so sweet. Their eyelashes always get me. I don't think I have ever seen eyes like that. Is there a vision issue with the eyes like that? What a fun quilt. An 81 patch takes some extra effort and it was meant for you to find. Love it! Is the backing pieced? If so, that is a lot of matching feedsacks to have the backing all one fabric. Bees are a well organized society, for sure. They know exactly how to keep their environment the way it should be.
ReplyDeleteAaw thank you so much, Ginny. It was a good day to go out to the farm- not too hot and the animals were nearby. #49 has the most beautiful eyes. I have never seen a cow with eyes like hers. She doesn't seem to have any vision problems. I will have to ask hubby. I was over the moon to find the quilt. The backing is pieced and the quilter was meticulous about matching the flowers so that it looked seamless. This quilt just spoke to me. Oh yes, the bees are organized and each one has a job. They are majestic little creatures. Have a wonderful evening. Hugs.
DeleteIt is always fun catching up with all the fun things you have going on. I love your thrifted quilt. It is quite the find. I am trying to catch up on all your blog posts. My Mom passed at the end of May so I am behind. The piece you are stitching for your sister is so sweet. I need to find a piece to stitch for my Mom for her birthday in July.
ReplyDeleteAaw Lisa, I am so very sorry for the loss of your dear Mom. I know your heart is heavy. I will keep you and your family in my thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. I am sure you will find the perfect piece to stitch in memory of your dear Mom and I hope the stitching time brings you much comfort. I have been working on 2 cross stitches and quilts for my sis. I still feel here with me as I am sure you do your Mom. Warm gentle hugs and blessings. Thank you for the sweet visit.
DeleteI absolutely love all your photos! The quilts, the farm animals....oh, yes! Beautiful, very heartwarming!
ReplyDeleteAaw thank you from the bottom of my heart Linda. It was a good day to go out to the farm. The weather was nice and the animals were happy. Have a beautiful day. Hugs.
DeleteMelisa, as a city gal, I am fascinated to see what life is like in the country. You have such an interesting home life and I appreciate you sharing it with us. Your vintage quilt is a treasure. I recognize the back fabric as some popular back in the 1920-30’s. I had a dear friend who was in love with anything from that era or fieldsack.
ReplyDeleteAaw I cannot tell you how much your kind words mean to me, Gail. Country life is all that I have known. I guess sometimes I take it for granted, but we do enjoy living out in the country. Oh how interesting on the backing fabric. The quilter pieced the backing and made sure that the flowers aligned so it seemed seamless. She did a beautiful job. I am fascinated by all of the fabrics. I love the feedsack and shirting fabrics. The quilter certainly had an eye for color. Thank you for the sweet visit and for making my day special Hugs and Blessings.
DeleteI just loved the tour of your farm! Those calves are the sweetest. Great find at the thrift store. Thanks for sharing on my weekly show and tell, Wednesday Wait Loss.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.inquiringquilter.com/questions/2026/06/17/wednesday-wait-loss-489
Aaaw thank you so much, Jennifer . It was a great day to go out to the beeyard and it was a treat that Edna and her bovine crew were nearby. Usually they are in search for the shade trees at this time. LOL. Have a wonderful evening. Hugs.
DeleteIf I had planned ahead, I would have seen if we could have lunch together while I've been in the very top northeast corner of Alabama the past two days. Maybe next time! - Angela
ReplyDeleteOh how fun, Angela. I hope you had a great visit in Alabama. Did you do any shopping? There are lots of great thrift stores and antique stores throughout. When I head down that way, I always have to do a little shopping or at least look around. We used to camp there a lot too though that has been awhile. Thank you for the sweet visit . Have a very lovely evening. Hugs.
DeleteWhat a beautiful shell...it's so delicate and shows so much work in that spectacular hand-quilting!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing another glimpse of life on your farm.
Hugs
I was over the moon when hubby bought this quilt for me. The quilting and vintage fabrics tugged at my heart. Thank you so much for visiting me at the farm today. Hugs.
DeleteI loved the visit to your farm, and would love to sit down on that gorgeous quilt with you. What a treasure! I've not heard of an 81-patch, but wow, what a great job someone did on it, and I love that backing too. I'm so glad it is in your hands now. Can you imagine giving that up?
ReplyDeleteAaw I am so delighted you joined me , Linda. I had never heard of an 81 patch either. I found a crib quilt that was an 81 patch online. The quilter had an eye for color. If only the quilt could talk- the stories it could tell. No I cannot imagine giving up such a beauty. Thank you for the sweet visit, Linda. Hugs.
DeleteYour pictures of the farm make me miss our farm while I was growing up and our little hobby fruit farm. That quilt is such a treasure! Your husband has a good eye! Yes, it would be a great quilt to reproduce.
ReplyDeleteAaaw I am so glad the farm brings back such warm memories. What kind of fruit did y'all grow? There is nothing like homegrown fruits and vegetables . I am thrilled to pieces over the quilt. Oh yes, hubby does a good job of picking out quilts for me. He has bought me several quilts and tops over the years. Thank you for the sweet Thursday visit. I hope you had a lovely day. Hugs.
DeleteAnother great quilt to add to your ever growing collection. Maybe you could applique' a heart over the pre-mended hole? I love seeing old quilts get second chances.
ReplyDeleteOh Sandra, I was jumping for joy when hubby gifted me the quilt. I still am oohing and aahing over it. A little heart would be perfect. I thought about adding a label to the back with the purchase information. It is hard for me to pass by a quilt that is hand quilted especially when it is vintage. Thank you so much for the sweet visit. Have a blessed evening. Hugs
DeleteI grew up on a farm too, therefore I love 'meeting' your farm animals. The highlight was getting the calves out in the spring, they were so fun to watch and I'm sure they had fun too! What a treasure that quilt is! Actually I'm doing some 81-patches for a new quilt (that squirrel moment, you know!)!
ReplyDeleteI think the calves is my favorite part of the farm as well. The are a hoot to watch. Oh how fun that you are working on an 81 patch, Astrid. Those squirrels can lead us down the most fabulous paths . Right? Hee! Hee! I look forward to seeing your progress. Hugs.
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