A bit of March Rambling and OMG

 Hello, dear friends and Happy March! Can you believe it is already March? This year seems like it is flying by. Doesn't it?  

This stitch is a freebie called the "Lion and the Lamb"and was designed by Linda Stolz of Erica Michaels . It can be found on Rainbow Gallery's website. Click here  . 

Have you seen Helen D.'s sweet St. Patty's Day freebie that she so generously shared on her Flosstube # 76 ?  Hope you will pop over to see her lovely stitches and get this little freebie. Thank you, Helen. It was a delight to stitch.  I finished mine into a little pin pillow and added a ripped strip of gingham around the seam which I tied into a bow. I would like to add a little charm or button to the bow but will have to wait till I find the perfect piece. 

 I started my day off with a little quilting. I have been working on my bee skep blocks that I started last week.

 I plan to work more on those tonight. I just need to cut out  more skeps. 

What is this mess of scraps you ask? Well  a tray full of quilt block possibilities. I have a design drawn on paper, and so another applique project is going to be worked on to go along with  Angela's green challenge of So Scrappy. Hopefully, I can have some progress on that later this week.

For the last 2 months I have participated in Elm Street Quilts  One Monthly Goal quilt challenge. This is where you set one goal to complete during the month. It is a great motivator to get some things done that you might not have completed as quickly. Well this month I am going to work on hand quilting my Easter Quilt again. My goal is to get at least 1 quilt hoop completed. I am hand quilting it in the Baptist Fan pattern.

Quilts are being pulled out for spring decorating. The house is a mess as I pull out bins of spring. 

A bit of Spring has sprung on the buffet with Waxing Moon Designs "Easter Trio". 

So what is on my agenda for the rest of the evening? Well I have bee skeps to applique and a cross stitch house to start.  Hopefully, I can make some good progress and update you later this week. 

Before I leave, can I tell you how much you brighten my day with your visits ? You really do. I truly feel blessed. Have a beautiful first week of March and as always..

Happy Quilting and Stitching, ya'll

Melisa

I am joining these lovely ladies for their blog link ups . I sure hope you will check them out. 

Judy at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts for Design Wall Monday

Beth at Love Laugh Quilt for Monday Making

I have enjoyed seeing so many wonderful quilting and stitching projects on IG and the blogs that I visit. I wish I could comment and tell you all how much joy it brings me. You bring me a lot of motivation to get into gear and be productive. Thank you so much. 

 

 

Long Winded

 Happy Sunday. Can you believe it is already the 7th of the month? January seemed to inch by , but already February is off to a running start. 

  I started out the week with making a change in my  decor and monthly stitches which included Country Cottage Needleworks, February Cottage. I stitched this a couple of years ago.  I have it displayed on a wreath that stays up year round on my china cabinet door. In the center of the wreath is a Dollar Tree sign. I added a little burlap ribbon to the sign and each month I pin the cottage to the sign with a simple straight pin through the ruffle along with a little bow. It is a quick changeover which always makes me happy. 

Country Cottage Needleworks February Cottage

Our local groundhog, Chuck saw his shadow on Groundhog's Day. So that means 6 more weeks of winter and judging by our weather this week I would believe him. Schools were out for two days for Snow Days though we did not see any snow in the valley.  I did spend the day watching the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray; it is a favorite and sometimes I feel like I am living it right now. Lol Do you feel that way?

I had to pull out this little stitch which  was designed by Erica Michaels and is a freebie available on Rainbow Gallery's website. Click here  to see this series. I still have to finish the series. 

I am making a little progress on "April- An Easter Garden" in the series.  This is my car stitch.

I am going to put a little more love into my Easter quilt tonight which is below "April". 

I have received the sweetest happy mail  lately which includes this darling Annie and Andy pillow from my  dear friend Joan. We both love our Raggedy Anns and Andys. I paired it with an Annie and Andy that my Nanny made me. I love it! Of course it will stay out year round . 

I also received several charts from sweet Stacy. I immediately started With Thy Needle and Thread's Holiday Hoopla- Valentine's Day. I used most of the called for colors. 

                      

Carol of Stitching Dreams posted her finish this week on Instagram  which I loved.She had a round finish placed in a square frame with cording around the stitched piece. So cute.  

 

Last night I braved the cold and went out to the she shed to see if I had a frame in order to copycat Carol. Lol. No frame, but I found something else.   I hope to FFO this piece today.

I hope to begin another chart Stacy sent me this week.  I am thinking "Home for the Holidays" would be a great "Santa Sunday" start though it doesn't have a Santa in it. 

At the beginning of the week I posted Annie and the gals in Roses, Hearts and Chickens I enjoyed stitching this so much. I also posted my Cupid Stamp which was on my hutch. 

 With Thy Needle and Thread's May Day Basket got a little love too. I put in a few stitches into the border. I am stitching it on 14 count aida that I dyed with Pearl Gray Rit dye.  This is a freebie on Brenda's blog , With Thy Needle and Thread , in the April  26, 2009 post. 

My sweet friend, Sharon, dropped me a line on a Niky's Creation freebie called "Valentine which can be found here  in her Jan. 12, 2013 post. I just had to start it. I rummaged through my  flosses, and after some contemplation, I  chose DMC 841, 221, 782, 315, ,938 and 520. I am debating on how to finish it. Maybe a bag or a round finish. I don't know yet. It will come to me. 

I did not make much progress on the quilting front this week. 

Two yellow chickens were appliqued . Angela of So Scrappy has chosen yellow as the February monthly color.  I am linking up to her Scrap Happy Saturday link party. I hope you check her out. She always has a lot of fun things going on there.  

I also pieced some 3 1/2"  rail fence blocks and 3 1/2" nine patches. Gotta a little quilt in mind which I plan to work on more this coming week. 

For Sunday Slow Stitching, I plan to work on binding on a couple of little heart quilts and work on a little stitching. I got a slow start on the red/white heart quilt yesterday. 

I am going to link up to these wonderful ladies as their link parties come available. They always have beautiful quilts and projects going on and are great places to visit for inspiration. 

             Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Can I get a Whoop Whoop?

                                Kathy  at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Stitching Sunday

Beth at

Love Laugh Quilt  for Monday Making

Cynthia at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework  for Oh Scrap

Judy at  Small Quilts and Doll Quilts  for Design Wall Monday

Why I sure was long winded  today. Lol. You have a fantastic week and go create something beautiful and thank you sweet friends for visiting and making my day. As always...

Happy Stitching and Quilting...

Melisa