Berries, Butterflies and a Doodle- Spring Doodle Freebie

 It is another  beautiful Slow Stitching Sunday.  Yesterday I spent much of the day pulling weeds and working in the garden before the rains came.  I gave myself a good pat on the back for what I accomplished.    

Another peek at Melva's Heart block. I just adore it! 

Once I went inside,  I cut out more background squares for my Berries and Butterflies quilt. 

I need 25 butterflies total and I think I need 40 berries, but I will have to refer back to my notes just to make sure. 

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Dollar General has little faux wooden strawberries for a dollar. I thought this would make a good finishing piece later on for a stitch. 

The background fabric that I chose for the next batch of butterflies is more of a bubblegum pink. Oooh so pretty. 

So that is what I will be working on today- bookoos of butterflies. Well to be honest , I will be happy to get 1 or 2 butterfly bodies appliqued before I flutter to the next project which will be the   beautiful Hankie Butterfly quilt. 

This quilt top was a gift from dear Susan and  it went into the hoop earlier this month.  I am just in love with this quilt. ❤

This hankie butterfly is so elegant! 

Thank you, sweet Susan for such a precious gift. 🤗

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A couple of weeks ago , Mom gave me her strawberry apron that she wore while selling strawberries on the farm.  The berries would be sold by 12:00 each day. Many customers would call and preorder just to make sure they could pick up fresh berries. Those were the good old days. I hung Mom's apron on the vintage Hoosier top for the season, but I will be changing out  this apron soon.

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The other day I bought a vintage apron at the antique shop for $4.00.

 Isn't the vintage fabric so pretty? ❤💚💛

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Hmm.... What Should I do This Week? 

🌞1.Continue working in the gardens. There is plenty  of weeds to pull and I need to transplant some polka dot plants. ( My new favorite. )

🌞2. Work on Bee Haven Cottage

🌞3.  Work on stitching a new Strawberry Sampler

🌞4.  Piece more Four Patch Fun blocks. 

As I pieced Melva's Heart block earlier this past week , I also worked on Four Patch Fun. 

Two more Four Patch Fun blocks  to add to my growing bath. 

🌞5.  Whatever other mischief I can get into. Now that will not be too hard. Hee!Hee!

 

Yesterday , I shared Bunny's Harvest Roundabout. Well I am still playing catch up on posting the little doodles . So today I wanted to share May Flowers Roundabout.  Over the next few weeks, I will be working on these embroideries, and I will update the posts with photos as I make progress. 

My doodles are hand drawn and are never perfect. ❤

Graphic from Pinterest: Sara Kay artwork

UPDATE: June 15, 2026 May Flowers Roundabout is all embroidered.

 I used 2 strands of floss and used the backstitch, lazy daisy stitch for the leaves and French knots for the delicate flowers. 

I  used the following floss colors:

 

🌺DMC 3802 ( coneflower petals),

🌺  DMC 3687( coneflower center) 

🌺 DMC 469( coneflower stem and leaves)

🌺DMC 470 ( Cup shaped flower stems and leaves)  

🌺DMC 961 (Cup flower #1) 

🌺 931 ( Cup flower # 2) 

🌺 DMC 986 ( Delicate vine)  

🌺 DMC 783 ( small flowers on vine ; stitched in French knots  and French knots at end of Cup Flower's  Stamens )

🌺 DMC 312 ( scalloped border)

The Roundabout was stitched on 8 1/2" x 8 1/2"  (unfinished) white fabric. 

It is framed with 20 -  2 1/2" squares (unfinished) 

The Roundabout Block  with Scrappy Borders Measures:  12 1/2" x 12 1/2" ( unfinished)

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That is what is going on in the holler on this lovely day. What are your slow stitching plans for the day? 

As Always, 

Happy  Stitching and Quilting, y'all

Melisa

Thank you for the sweet visit. 

"A day with needle and thread in hand is a good day.   " 

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 needle workers to meet.

Frederique at   Quilting Patchwork Applique for Patchwork & Quilts - Saturday

Kathy at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Stitching Sunday

Kate at Life in Pieces for  Stitching Stuff ( 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

Judy at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts for Design Wall Monday

Carol at Quilt Schmilt  for To Do List Tuesday 

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Amy Lou the Berry Picker 

Quilting up a Flutter

I am all a Flutter! 🦋🦋🦋

 Welcome, Sweet Peas and Happy Monday . 

I am calling this the "Hankie Butterfly" quilt. 

My heart is overflowing with love and happiness. 

"Why?" you ask.

 Well shucks, for all kinds of reasons, but I am bursting over this  gorgeous hand appliqued quilt top that was sent to me from dear Susan. ❤🤗

Aaw Swoon!!! Flutter ! Flutter!  

Is it not stunning?  It is composed of 20 butterfly blocks made from ladies handkerchiefs. 

Knowing how I have been working on butterfly quilts for the last 4 1/2 years in memory of my sister, sweet Susan gifted me this beauty. 

Would you like to take a look at some of the beautiful blocks ?

Each little butterfly is so unique . The handkerchiefs are so intricate and colorful and were carefully folded to create the most perfect butterflies. . 

This one reminds me of my Granny with the muted earth tone colors. 

Isn't this one striking? 

The original quiltmaker embroidered a little head and antennas on each butterfly using matching floss. 

This butterfly is a dazzling. 

Have you ever made a handkerchief butterfly block? 

Immediately when Susan sent me the quilt, I purchased the batting and found some backing fabric. Then I thought about how I wanted to quilt each block.  Well, I began the other day and may I say that I am in love!!!!!

The first butterfly is quilted. I am hand quilting a flower, vines, and leaves in each block.  I have high hopes to quilt at least 1 block a week. 

Sorry for the bad lighting on all of the photos. It gets dark early in the holler. 😏

The first block is hand quilted. 

When I quilt and stitch , I think of my family , friends and tales of long ago.  Do you do that? 

As I was quilting this butterfly block, I thought about my sister and how she and her friends loved the TV show "The Golden Girls".  I think they saw each and every episode more than once. My sister  and her crew each called one another the name of one of the characters based on their personality. This butterfly reminded me of my cousin who my sister  and their friend Miss C.  nicknamed  Rose.  This memory brought a smile to my day.

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"Thank you for being a friend

Traveled down the road and back again

Your heart is true 

You're a pal and a confidant

And if you threw a party 

Invited everyone you knew

You would see the biggest gift would be from me

And the card attached would say

Thank you for being a friend. "

The Golden Girls theme song

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Is that little diddy going to ring in your head all day? Hee! Hee! It will mine. 

Thank you so much, dear Susan for the most precious gift and for the warm memories that  this quilt is bringing back to me. You brought tears to my eyes  and filled my heart with more love and hope.

Yesterday I finished "Hot Cocoa" , a darling freebie from my sweet friend, Dianet at Parchesdeamor blogspot.

 The little marshmallow snowmen are the cutest!  I will stitch the next 2 in the series before I fully finish this one. Thank you so much, dear Dianet.  I will begin Ho Ho Ho  today. 

Today is errand day. That means going to get groceries and some soil for the garden  and just maybe , mind you ,  I will find myself at the thrift store. Hee! Hee!  Fingers crossed I can find some thrifty goodies. I am looking for cross stitch finishing pieces and vintage lace on this trip. 

Have a Marvelous Monday, Sweeties!

 As Always...

Happy  Stitching and Quilting, y'all

Melisa 

"Friendship is the golden thread that ties the heart of all the world.  "-John  Evelyn

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy who loved the farm so much.  

 I love and miss you so much.. Love you , Amo. 

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Chalk art from my grandson

 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 Berry Nice Parade- A Look at Past Berry Freebies 2025- Early 2025 berry 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 Parade of Stamps 2025  A parade of stamp cross stitch design freebies up to August 14, 2025

🌞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

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A Berry Slow Stitching Sunday and Berries - A Freebie

  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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

So today, I wanted to share a Berries  stitch that I created a couple of years ago. 

As I stitched Berries, I thought about strawberries, but really it could be any kind of berry- such as blueberries if stitched  in blues.  The berries are sort of nondescript in the basket.

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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Later today I will be working on "Pieced Strawberry Pin Cushion" from Buttermilk Basin. This is a kit that I bought a few years ago. 

Then I will make my way back out to the garden. Unless.... I find myself stitching away on another berry related project.

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!!!!🤗🧵❤

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy who loved the farm so much.  

 I love and miss you so much.. Love you , Amo. 

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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.  

🌞 Root A Toot Toot Patriotic Parade Early 2024 patriotic freebies. 

🌞A Berry Nice Parade- A Look at Past Berry Freebies 2025- Early 2025 berry 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 Parade of Stamps 2025  A parade of stamp cross stitch design freebies up to August 14, 2025

🌞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

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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 needle workers to meet.

Frederique at   Quilting Patchwork Applique for Patchwork & Quilts - Saturday

Kathy at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Stitching Sunday

Kate at Life in Pieces for  Stitching Stuff ( 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

Judy at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts for Design Wall Monday

Carol at Quilt Schmilt  for To Do List Tuesday 

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If all goes well, I hope to post the following this week,

🌞A Garden tour

🌞 A new quilt in the hoop

🌞Summer Stamp SAL stitch 

🌞A new Salt Box House 

🌞 Stamp Parade

But we shall see. You know how life and chores sometimes get in the way of all of the fun. But I do hope you will drop by when you have the chance. You know how I love visitors.