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Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Persimmon Seeds and Aunt Ruth's Autumn Farmhouse- A House Freebie

 The wild American persimmons are getting ripe! Do grab one! They are sweet as candy. The catch is  you have to pick them when they are ooey, gooey,  mushy ripe!  Otherwise the high amounts of tannins in the unripe persimmons will cause your mouth to pucker and your  mouth to become bitterly dry. Ugh.   So ripe ones it is! 


Little Mr. F. , the youngest grandson , was excited to see the persimmons seeds that were being dried out. 

I am going to plant a few and try my hand at growing some for the farm. 

Anywhoo... he quickly grabbed a couple and took them to his pappy to have them cut open.

A couple of persimmon seeds are cut to see the design in the center of the seed. 

Hmmm... Is it a knife or a spoon?  It looks like the persimmon seeds are predicting a cold snowy winter if I am not mistaken.  Brrr! 

PERSIMMON SEED PREDICTIONS:
Knife:  A bitter , freezing winter with biting, cutting winds
Fork:  A gentle mild winter with little snow
Spoon:  Heavy snow that will require a shovel




Thanksgiving

Yesterday, I worked my fingers to the bone decorating for Thanksgiving. The countdown is on. 
Shall we take look! 

THE COUNTDOWN

23 days until   Thanksgiving
51 days until Christmas AND...
 59 days until 2027

2022- Three Year IG Anniversary Chart and Priscilla Ewe


Gingered Fruit Salad
Gingered Fruit Salad must be made at least 1 day ahead for flavors to meld. 
SERVINGS :8 
INGREDIENTS:
1 can ( 20 )ounce pineapple chunks , drained 
1 package of frozen unsweetened peach slices, thawed ( 16 oz)
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh pear ( 1 medium pear)  
1 medium apple coarsely chopped
1/4 cup of honey
2 Tablespoons orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 teaspoons ground ginger
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, combine first four ingredients. Ina small bowl, stir together remaining ingredients. Pour over fruit; toss until well blended. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Serve chilled. 


Later in the evening , I fully finished a new house for my neighborhood. It is called Aunt Ruth's Autumn Farmhouse.


 I cannot tell you how much fun I had stitching this one. And it actually stitched up pretty quickly. 😀

It has all the things I love- a quilt , pumpkins and a quirky struttin' gobbler! 


 This little house joins the other Thanksgiving houses that I have made over the years. 

Next up I will be working on a Christmas house.

I am curious. 
Are you stitching for Thanksgiving? 
I always like to add one or two pieces each year. I do love Thanksgiving. I have so many fond memories of celebrating the holiday with my family. 




Anywhoo.... Aunt Ruth's Autumn Farmhouse was inspired by hubby's Aunt Ruth who lived in a quaint little farmhouse built in the early 1900's  on the family tobacco farm .  It was a warm and cozy farmhouse filled with joy and love. The walls were decorated with family photos and like my Granny-  in her older days, Aunt Ruth moved a bed into the living room come winter time to stay warm by the fireside. 

 I have only visited a few times, but it is a home filled with so much charm. 


Aunt Ruth's  Autumn Farmhouse was stitched on 14 count coffee/ tea dyed Aida, and I only used 9 DMC  floss colors to stitch the farmhouse which includes: 
DMC 301, 610, 739, 829, 830, 833, 919, 922, and 950. 

OUTLINING THE HOUSE: 
To make the house stand out on the 14 count coffee/ tea dyed Aida, I outlined the sides of the house with 2 strands of DMC 610.

Each side of the house is outlined with DMC 610. 

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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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Well Sweeties, I guess I have carried on long enough . I am so very grateful that you dropped by to see my new house today and to listen to my rambles. I am not sure what I will get into this afternoon.  I know that I do want to work on a new Christmas house so maybe that should be on the agenda.
Have a lovely day and...

As Always...

Happy  Stitching and Quilting, y'all

Melisa 

"Any day spent with you is my favorite day. So today is my new favorite day.  "- Winnie the Pooh

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy 
 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 Buzzy Bee Parade An early 2025 bee freebie parade.
🌞A Sunny Sunflower Parade- 2026 A parade of sunflower freebies up to September 3, 2026
🌞Autumn Parade March- 2026 Fall Parade A parade of Fall themed stitches and doodles up to September 10, 2026.
🌞 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. 
🌞Ghosts, Goblins and Jacks Galore - 2026 Halloween Parade - Halloween freebies up to September 16, 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
🌞Color Tinting Embroidery Designs - Explanation on how I use crayons to color my designs for hand embroidery. - July 9, 2026


This old Baker's Table came off of Aunt Ruth's Farmhouse side porch off from the kitchen. Here it is all decorated for Spring in 2021


The handles on the baker's table is made of old spools. Aunt Ruth had clothes pins stored in the drawer and mason jars stored underneath. 
The drawer now houses tapered candles . 

Tuesday, September 29, 2026

Oh My Stars and Pumpkins

"Whatcha' working on? " asked Little Mrs. S., my youngest daughter.

"I am quilting up a storm, " I replied. 


Little Mrs. S. smiled and went back to work as I quilted away .

 Mr. Pinker and I  have been visiting Little Mrs. S. for the last few days, but after a long and delightful visit we have made our way home. 

Little Mrs. S. has decorated her side table with pumpkins for the fall season. 

" One row  quilted and two more to go!" I shouted as Little Mrs. S. retreated to her home office. She gave me a thumbs up and disappeared.


This  darling quilt  was sent to me from sweet Cheryle. Thank you , dear friend . I am enjoying it so much. ❤🤗

I think I will call it "Oh My Stars and Pumpkins!" 

I am quilting swirls in the pumpkins using a taupe thread.

 

Time to move the hoop and tackle another row. 

Autumn Patchwork  is all stitched up. I shared this little design a few weeks  ago inspired by the sweet quilt Cheryle sent me. 


Autumn Patchwork  was a CHOOSE YOUR OWN COLORS chart. If you are interested, here are the floss colors I used. 

FLOSS  : SYMBOL  MOTIF:
DMC 301 ( C) Rail Blocks
DMC 437 (W) Nine Patch blocks, Center block 
DMC 601( X) Pumpkin  Stem
DMC 730 ( V) Border
DMC 921(B) Corner blocks, Pumpkin
DMC 3371 ( • )  Border, Nine Patch blocks , Rail blocks


Pretty fabrics from Hobby Lobby. 



Little Mrs. S. and I spent a few days shopping. I picked up some yummy fabrics. 
And...
This fall plaque at Hobby Lobby which was 40 % off. 
 A small piece from Hobby Lobby . 

I thought the backside would make a good finishing piece for a small piece of cross stitch.

I may take the sticker off the backside and use it as a cross stitch finishing piece. 

AND...
I picked up a few skeins of floss. 



Alrighty, I still need to unpack and work on the dreaded laundry pile and then-- maybe then I can squeeze in some stitching  time. 😁

Have a wonderful evening. 

As Always...

Happy  Stitching and Quilting, y'all

Melisa 

"family where life begins and love never ends.  "- 

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy 
 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 Buzzy Bee Parade An early 2025 bee freebie parade.
🌞A Sunny Sunflower Parade- 2026 A parade of sunflower freebies up to September 3, 2026
🌞Autumn Parade March- 2026 Fall Parade A parade of Fall themed stitches and doodles up to September 10, 2026.
🌞 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. 
🌞Ghosts, Goblins and Jacks Galore - 2026 Halloween Parade - Halloween freebies up to September 16, 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
🌞Color Tinting Embroidery Designs - Explanation on how I use crayons to color my designs for hand embroidery. - July 9, 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 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

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 
Donna at Modern on Monticello- Home Matters



Thursday, August 27, 2026

Blessings and Berries- Blooms of the Heart 2026 Berry Freebie

Hey, there Sunshine! How are you doing on this lovely Summer's Day?  I sure hope you are feeling as fit as a fiddle and as fine as dandy!

It has been a good week in the holler thus far. As my Nanny would say- "I've been keeping the roads hot "which means I have been out and about for the last few days.  Not doing anything special but visiting family and dipping in and out of thrift stores. So you know I am one happy gal! 😀

This bright sunshiny yellow afghan is my latest thrifty find for only $1.99. 😲 Eeeh what a steal! I have already draped it onto my stitching chair . It will be nice to throw over my legs during the chilly evenings. 

 I will show you some of my other  finds in the next coming days. 

Sweet Gail, sent me a Blessing Box with a couple of advertising tins to add to my collection. 💛💙

But wait. What makes them extra special is they were from her collection . AND...

They are musical tins. 😀 Just turn the little key and sweet melodies delight the ears. 

The Morton's Salt tin plays "Singin' in the Rain." If you would like to enjoy a little "ear worm" just click the colored link to listen to Gene Kelly singing "Singin' in the Rain" on Youtube. Such a delight. 


Right now I have the sweet musical tins sitting on my "mitten table" ( The table where I store the boy's winter mittens and tobaggans). But I am already dreaming of moving the Morton's Salt to the blue hutch and the Old Dutch Cleaner will be incorporated into my fall display with my brown crocks. 

Oh, what fun I will have weaving them in and out of displays throughout the year. Thank you so much, Gail for blessing me with your treasures and kindness. 🤗 You brought me such joy. 

Hmmm... what  else is going on?🤔 

Well, I have a special berry stitch to share with you. It is hot off the presses. In fact, I just finished it last night.  It is called "Blooms of the Heart" and is in memory of my sweet sis, Amy. ❤


Of course, if you decided to stitch this simple stitch, you do not have to finish it as a berry. You could finish it any way your sweet heart desires.  I just have an affection for berries. 


Blooms of the Heart was stitched on 14 count coffee/ tea dyed Aida. 


Have you ever made a berry? A couple of  years ago, 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. 

The Berry Sampler (Amy's 2026 berry sampler) which I have not shared, Blooms of the Heart Berry and Berry Bouquet- A Sampler for Amy


Usually , I stuff my berries with a combination of polyfil and  sawdust from Mr. Pinker's workshop . But this year, I decided to fill it with something different- oodles and oodles of fabric scraps that I have collected.  I will show you the project that these scraps are from later this week. I simply cut the little scraps to wee pieces and stuffed them into the berry. 

Scraps from a quilting project were used to fill "Blooms of Heart" 

I made my berry oversized and stitched wonky "X's" along the seam line . I always do this on my berries. 

 Usually, I like to add bits of lace and all kinds of things to my strawberry caps. But I really did not frou-frou the strawberry cap up much this year; I just kept it simple. 

 I cut a strawberry cap from a gray wool skirt. I tacked it down over the top of the strawberry using blanket stitches. I then cut strips of silk from a jacket . I created loops from the strips and secured them with 2 overlapping buttons on top! Wahlah! My strawberry cap was complete! Easy Peasy! 

Amy's 2023 berry which I have not shared, In My Heart She Blooms 2024 berry, and Berries for Amy the 2025 berry

FLOSS  : SYMBOL  MOTIF:
       DMC 221 ( X) Flowers
DMC  223 ( C) Flowers
DMC 730 ( G) Stem , Leaves
DMC 830 ( • )  Date and center of flowers
DMC 869 ( V) Doohickeys and small heart
DMC 924 (H) Basket
DMC  926 ( U) Basket

The basket was stitched in blues . My sweet sis had beautiful gray blue eyes. 

🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓

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.

🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓

NOTE:The drawn berry outline on the chart is NOT a stitching or cutting line,but I used it as a reference line  to visualize the berry while stitching.






NOTE: I use the  berry template as a loose guideline for constructing my berry. I add a generous seam allowance . So my berry is a lot bigger than the template. If you find your berry is too big to your liking , you can always trim the fabric. 



It brings me so much comfort to create the little samplers and berries in memory of Amo. I think she would smile from ear to ear if she saw them. 


The Berry Sampler, Amy's Strawberry Basket Sampler, Berry Bouquet- A Sampler for Amy and Amy's Berry collection. 

Gosh, I do think I have talked your ears off.😁 
I do apologize for being so long winded today. Please, do forgive me. But I am ever so grateful that you joined me.

May your day be a filled with joy and...



As Always...

Happy  Stitching and Quilting, y'all

Melisa 

"Friendship is a blessing that warms the heart and soothes the soul.  "

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

Dedicated to my dear sister  thrifting buddy, and best friend, Amy 
 I love and miss you even more with each passing day. You are my blessing.  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 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 🐔

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Please forgive me on being way behind on answering sweet messages and visiting. I am like a chicken with her head cut off right now. LOL. But I will get it together soon.  Do you ever feel like that? LOL  

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