A Little Bit of This and That

It's that time! 

For the kids to pack up  their books, pencils and paper.

Old school books ready to be leafed through. 

For the teachers to dust off the chalkboard. 

Old children's chalkboards

And for Mamas to celebrate!  Yeehaw! 😀😂

My daughter joked that she would be at school with the kids as soon as the doors opened. 😅

It's Back to School Time!!!!

A Sunday quilt stack all ready for school time. 

Well it is for some kiddos. Our grandsons' first day of school was last Friday. The Little One was thrilled to pieces that he got the teacher that he wanted ( She taught his brother a couple of years ago. ) 

Do you remember the excitement of the first day of school? Carrying the latest trendy Trapper Keeper , a school box of crayons, pencils and scissors?   

⭐ "Reach for the stars."   ⭐

2024 Back to School Display. 

🍎"Encouragement is oxygen to the soul."- George M. Adams 🍎

I sure do wish all of the students and teachers a wonderful school year. 🤗

ON TO QUILTY NEWS! 

Buttercream fabric and a plethora of scraps is what I am using on Melva's  free Quilt Along called Lala's Irish Chain SAL. 

Y'all, I will be honest. I am a bit behind not only on my quilting but on my stitching too . Still, I am plugging right along though.  😊

Melva is recreating her great grandma Lala's antique Irish Chain quilt and has invited us to sew along. It is a nine week sew along and like all of Melva's SAL ; it is sure to be loads of fun. In fact, she is sharing stories and photos of her Great Grandma Lala. I do hope you will hop over to visit, Melva. 

Melva's Schedule for Lala's Irish Chain SAL: 

Week 1 Cutting Instructions and Introduction: 

Week 2 Setting Blocks with Cornerstones

Week 3 Frame Setting the Blocks. 

Week 4 Patchwork Set 1

Week 5 Patchwork Set 2

Week 6  5 x 5 Patchwork Blocks

Week 7 Layout and Top

Week 8 Border

Week 9 Sandwich and Quilt

WHAT ABOUT CROSS STITCHING?

 Well, in other news, I fully finished  Tomatoes into a pin pillow with a scrap of fabric and some crocheted lace.  I shared this stitch a few months ago, and it has been waiting in the wings patiently to be finished. 

Now onto the Plans for the Week

This past week I was out of commission due to a fall , but hopefully, I will be moving around better and  will have the strength to do a little more. My mojo has been waning as well. Does that ever happen to you? Anywhooo... I will keep the "To Do List" short and sweet . 

Hmm.... What Should I do This Week? 

🌞1. Work on Melva's QAL

🌞2. Embroider September's Roundabout. 

🌞3. Begin a new saltbox cross stitch.   

🌞4. Quilt on Pretty in Peach Butterfly quilt.

 

As you can see I am not going to overdo it  this week. Hee! Hee! But I am sure more projects will come into play. They often do. 

Thank you for taking the time to join me on this lovely day. 

 

As Always...

Happy  Stitching and Quilting, y'all

Melisa 

"some of the best discoveries are made when we simply try.  "- 

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy  who loved to host "Back to School Bashes" for the kiddos. I do miss those times. 

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

🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

 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 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. 

🌞A Christmas in July Parade of Past Freebies- 2026 A Parade of Christmas Freebies up to the date of July 6, 2026. 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 

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 

Little Red Schoolhouse Mini Sampler Freebie

Lunch box ☑ Pencils✅  Crayons  ☑ Paper ✅ 

Oh my, do I see some of you moms doing the Happy Dance???!!! Hee! Hee!  😅😃😄Lol that's okay ! Break out into a full dance show!  I know my daughter is!

 It is Back to School Day and the kiddos are heading back to school  for their 1st full day.  My daughter said she could not pack those backpacks quick enough! 😂 

I am sure my grandsons will wake up bright eyed and bushy tailed because they are excited to see their friends. ( They are social butterflies . Hmmmm do you call boys social butterflies? Probably not , but they like to socialize. ). My daughter said the teacher of the youngest grandson will have her hands full because most of the little football / baseball players are in the same room. LOL.

  As a kid, I was always excited to return back to school with a new wardrobe as well as sporting a new Trapper Keeper. Do you remember those?  

Do you have any fond Back to School memories?  One of my most memorable was the weekend before my senior year. I was stung in the face by a hornet! YIKES! What a disaster especially since I am allergic to bees. ( Yep, I am allergic, but I still love  my honeybees. )

Lizzy's Prim Pin Keep    a 2021 freebie. 

 Anywhoo , my face swelled up, and I could not see . Mom used all of those home remedies to ease the discomfort and bring down the swelling like applying a baking soda paste.  I just knew I would be mortified showing up on the 1st day with my face as big as a balloon. Fortunately , by Monday morning the swelling had subsided to where I was not too monstrous. 👾👾👾

 I decorated the top of my shelf in the Back to School theme. I will be snapping away when the boys arrive here - that is  taking photos of the boys . 

Do you take Back to School photos of your youngins' or grandchildren?

A school display for the new school year. 

Yesterday , I pulled out the large chalkboards and made each grandson a "Back to School" photo prop. It is a tradition my daughter does every year. 

  The boys  including my nephews had their last Summer sleep over the other night. We made a bonfire, popped popcorn and later watched movies. I have to admit this ole' grandma is going to miss the summer time fun. They all have been very entertaining. 

In celebration of "Back to School" time, I created a little mini sampler  called the Little Red Schoolhouse  Mini Sampler. 

Monday night I worked diligently and finished this little piece in two shakes of a lamb's tail- well actually it was around 2 1/2 hours-- long enough for me to watch the master sleuth ,Columbo on TV. Hee! Hee! 

I finished it into a little pin pillow . Because I am so thrifty, I used yarn that I purchased from the thrift store for the trim. I simply twisted two strands tightly and pinned them in place. 

I am twisting 2 strands of yarn to create a yarn cording trim. I use pins to help me keep it in place. 

I usually work one side at a time . Twisting, and pinning.  I use matching thread to the yarn that I use. I also pay close attention to the direction of the the thread in respect to the twist of the yarn ; I try to make them marry nicely. 

I whip stitch the trim in place using matching thread .  I constantly adjust the coil/ twist of the yarn. 

Soon Little Red House Schoolhouse Mini Sampler was complete and ready to add to my "Back to School" display. 

The little sampler is completed and all ready for school time. 

I had thought about stitching my schoolhouse in white since most of the  old one room schoolhouses around here were white, but at the last minute, chose reds.  I used 8 DMC floss colors including 3857, 3781, 730, 930, 822, 420, 3721, and 3799. The design size is 63 x 38 and is stitched on tea/ coffee dyed  14 count aida which I dyed myself.  (I will be posting a coffee/ tea dye post next week. ) On 14 count aida, the stitch will measure about 4 1/2" x 2 3/4". 

🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵

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. 

🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵 

If you missed any mini samplers, I invite you to check out the links below. 

 Shamrock Mini Sampler   Red Heart Mini Sampler  Mini Apple Sampler,   Mini Sunflower Sampler ,  Mini Bee Sampler , Mini Squirrel Sampler,    Mini Pumpkin Sampler ,  Mini Tulip Sampler,  Mini Bunny Sampler , Mini Strawberry Sampler , Mini Flag Sampler

Gosh, I have been quite a chatterbox today haven't I? I apologize for all of the jawing. I guess it was just one of those days for rambling. Hee! Hee! 

I wish you the most beautiful and blessed day, Sweet friends and remember- I love ya'!!!

Now go out there and do that happy "Back to School " jig . 

As always,

Happy Stitching and Quilting, y'all

Melisa

"Education is the foundation upon which a thriving society is built."- Laura Bush

Hugs and Stitches!!! 🤗🧵

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy who always held the best Back to School bashes for the kiddos. I miss and love you so much.   ❤👼

Do you remember the Critter Sitters? Cute! Cute! Cute!

Sunflowers and Crows- A Summer Freebie

 

Reading , Writing, Arithmetic

Back to school! Take a seat!!!

Pencils , paper, crayons, glue

Here we go!  Let's learn something new!!!

It's that time! Back to School time! 

Welcome , ya'll and a very Happy Tuesday to you! 

 Where has the summer gone for the kiddos? I remember when school started after Labor Day. Aah the good ole' days. 🤗

Yesterday was the 1st day of school in our area . The grandbabes went to bed early and woke up wide eyed and bushy tailed , ready to get back into the mix of things.  No sooner had the kiddos stepped into their classrooms when they received news that school was letting out early.  😲Storms were on the way. They did get a whole day in - that means make it through lunch time and then let out. 

The storm is rolling in. 

Fortunately, the storms side skirted us and there was no damage , just a few fallen limbs here and there , but not much to speak of.  

 The youngins' had a great time at school though. My daughter is very fortunate that they love school. 

I spent the day working on a bit of finishing. I finished a few cross stitch pieces including my newest stitch " Sunflowers and Crows". 

Sunflower and Crows and Sunflower Mason Jar

 A few weeks ago I was working on a saltbox that has these sunflowers in it. However I stopped  work on the saltbox in order to a stitch just a lone row of sunflowers. Of course , I had to add a few cawing crows to the mix. 

After much thought, I decided to finish mine into a drum.  I watched Vonna Pfeiffer's Flosstube video  , Finishing Cross Stitch into a Drum Pinkeep with Vonna of The Twisited Stitcher for a refresher course on how to make a drum. Vonna has excellent tutorial's. 

Sunflower Mini Sampler , Sunflowers and Crows and Green Apple Butter Quilt

I would like to embellish mine further later, maybe with  some specialty stitches or trim along the top seam. Right now , I just added a silk bow and a collection of strung buttons to give it some character until I figure what to do. Wouldn't it look darling with yellow finishing fabric at the top of the drum?  I didn't have any golden fabric that I was satisfied with so I went with green - using what I have on hand.

🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

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.

🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

Sunflowers and Crows is a small. I stitched mine on 14 count tea/coffee dyed aida. The design size is 75 x 68 which on 14 count would be about 5 3/8" x 4 7/8". I  think it would fit nicely in a 5 x 7 frame.   This is a CHOOSE YOUR ON COLORS chart, but if you are interested , I use DMC 469, 3371, 782, 898 and 3858 (for the wording). 

 CROW FACTS

1. Crows and ravens are some of the smartest animals in the world with their intelligence being on par with chimpanzees. 

2. Crow communities can hold a grudge for generations. 

3. Recent research has found that crows hold crow funerals or wakes when they find a deceased crow.  A crow will let out a large distressful call alerting other crows who gather and create a ruckus. 

4. Crows are social and family oriented . They will gather in large flocks to forage at farms or in dumps. 

5. The total breeding population is estimated at 27 million as of now. 

Green Apple Butter Quilt

Well that's it , ya'll. I hope to post the last of the Country Christmas doodles this week. I am woefully behind  since last week was filled with traversing the roads and enjoying all of the yard sales.  I will show some of my thrifty finds in the future. Anywhoo , I hope to catch up this week. 

Have a beautiful summer day and...

Happy  Stitching and Quilting, ya'll

Melisa

Thank you for the sweet visit. 

Work hard, be kind, and amazing things will happen- Conan O'brien

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

Dedicated to my baby sister, Amy. Love and miss you, Amo . I know you would have been cooking up a storm today for a Grand Back to School Bash. 

The Prim Alphabet Pincushion is a freebie from  Appleseed Prims blog.

Back to School Time

Good morning, ya'll. Happy happy Sunday.  Last year, my dear sister, Amy started a new tradition of having a Back to School Bash for the kiddos. 

The Prim Alphabet Pincushion is a freebie from Appleseed Prims blog. 

She joked that we are always looking for a reason to cook and celebrate which she was right. This brings such  fond memories but tears as well. Any way, I will continue her tradition ,and today we are going to have a Back to School cookout for the kiddos. The overwhelming concensus was that the boys wanted hot dogs. So hot dogs it will be.  

Can you believe it is school time already? I remember when school always started after Labor Day. 

Last  week before our camping trip,  I began Buzz by Bent Creek.

 This sweet chart was gifted to me by dear Joan. Eeeh! BUZZZ!  I can not wait to add it to my bee collection. I just need to FFO it which will be on the agenda for the evening. 

 

 Speaking of bees, I tried my hand at making a bee skep. Guess what I used as a form.  A gallon milk jug ! I did however cut the jug down in size.

 Last year dear Pat sent me the most  darling bee skep which was made by her sister. Isn't it precious with the honey and teeny bees?  Mine is not as pretty as this  one. But hey I tried.  Plus I had lots of fun. 

Bee Blessed was a free design by  my dear friend, Vicki at Stitchy McFloss.  blogspot . I smile every time I see those stinkin' cute bees. 

Another finishing project on today's agenda is  October House Fiber Arts Twirl freebie. 

 This freebie was posted on their blog in the June 30, 2022 blogpost. I used DMC 930, 932, 223, 815, 3346. 

As far as quilting goes, I will be working on a long time UFO that has been  banished to the Quilt Nest for years. Every time I went to the quilt nest this little quilt would look at me so lost and forlorn ,and I swear I thought I heard some sniffles coming from it. Well alas this little devil  weaseled itself back into my heart ,and now I am quilting on it again.  It is smiling happily now and we are having a good time. 

I probably pieced this one 7 or 8 years ago .  

This summer I took my grandbabies to the public library to enjoy the Summer Reading Program. We had so much fun especially since the theme was oceans. I am proud to say that the boys met their goal of 100 books each. 

That's my Sunday ramblings. So what are you up to today?   Thank you so much for the sweet visit and as always...

Happy  Stitching and Quilting, ya'll

Melisa

Thank you for the sweet visit. 

School bells are ringing loud and clear; vacation is over, school is here. Winifred  C. Marshall. 

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

Dedicated to my baby sister, Amy. Love and miss you, Amo . I know you would have been cooking up a storm today for a Grand Back to School Bash. 

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