A Visit with the Heifers

 Put on your farm boots and let's head to the farm! 

It has been awhile since we have been out to the farm.  Hasn't it?  

We will go through the gate which is just  off from the yard at the old homestead. 

Don't mind this gal. She is gentle. 

A few  cows are up on the hill  near the barn. 

Bev is doing fine and dandy . She is grazing away. 

Oh , gosh. This heifer is giving us the evil eye. "What's up , girl? Everything is ok. We are just moseying along. "  

Hmmm.. she does not look too happy does she. 

Hi , Gertie!  She is a cutie . Isn't she?

Hanging out with all of the heifers is reminding me that I have not shown you  my progress on Little House Needleworks' " Farm Life " lately. 

The last time you saw it, I had stitched the farm lady who I am  affectionately calling "Nanny".  

"Why?" you ask.  Well, this farm stitch reminds me of my Nanny and Papa's farm.  

Progress March 19, 2026

"Farm Life" has been my ball game stitch this week. As I have been watching the grandsons play ball, I have been stitching away. 

Lookie! I added the heifers.   Rather than making all of the cows Holsteins as charted, I opted to stitch them like some of our favorite cows- like Bev, Gertie and Milky who is no longer with us. 

The corn patch was planted too. Papa always had a grand garden . Corn and green beans were a staple in his garden.  Soon I will be moving up to the barn. Eeeh I am so excited!!

I am using mystery flosses on this stitch- that is flosses that no longer have their labels or off brands. 

I am stitching "Farm Life" on 14 count coffee/ tea dyed Aida that I baked which is why you see some "dark splotches " on the fabric.

 

Progress on Farm Life as of April 23, 2026

Looks like Bev is on the move.

I guess we should make our way back to the  house for a big glass of iced tea. Don't ya' think? 

When we get there, I will show you the fabrics that I have pulled for a new project. Oh wait, I have them here! 

Mmmm, yummy, scrumptious yellows. I am thinking bee skep blocks are in my future.  

Now let's get to that tea . Shall we? 

Little Spring houses on display for April 

As Always...

Happy  Stitching and Quilting, y'all

Melisa 

"Farm Life, where hearts and herds roam free.  "- unknown

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy who loved the farm so much. She had many adventures on the farm. It is not the same without you, Amo. 

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

🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷

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Welcome to the Hen House - Summer Hutch Tour

 Cock- a Doodle Doo!!! Good Tuesday morning, sweet Chicks ! Welcome!!! 

It wasn't a  week ago that I shared my  country clutter, but here I go again.  More clutter to share.  It's time for another summer  hutch tour    .  This time the little hutch is all a flutter with feathered friends and a few heifers to boot. 

So grab you a cup of tea or coffee and come on in and join me for a tour of the Hen House Hutch. 

I kept the red gingham buffalo checked shelf runners , but changed out my plates. I wanted to use some of my blues so I pulled out my blue enamelware plates  to use as a backdrop. I find these all the time at the thrift stores, and I pick them up if they are a dollar or less. 

🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔

We will start the tour on the top shelf. 

Why look! There is ole' Daisy, the dehorned holstein cow, sitting front and center. . She is a ceramic bank that I bought years ago at Big Lots. Over the years, she lost a horn, but she is a good sport . Daisy is always ready to join in any country clutter fun. 

An old blue cookie jar sits in the corner.  I turned the lid upside down so I could place one of my wool applique pillows. It is called Chicken Scratch. I made it about 9 years ago, and I still love it. 

Lots of little treasures from my stitchy friends  are displayed too- like my metal milk can from Sue and the John Deere tractor from Gwen, and of course I always have the mini glass milk advertisement bottle from my sis. 

Summer Pasture  is one of the three stitches that I created based on my Nanny and PaPa's farm. I shared it in 2021.  It has a country garden, calves and a pond of ducks. Such sweet memories. 

Hanging just off the side of the top shelf is a little chicken stitch that I always get the sweetest compliments on. I stitched it years ago . It was a freebie that I found on Pinterest , but I am not sure who the designer is. If you know, I would love to give them credit for such a darling hen. If you are interested in it , you can find it on my Pinterest page. I think in my Chicken Stitching board. 

In the opposite corner is "Hen Party" by Little House Needleworks. It is another one of my favorite farm stitches that I enjoy bringing out each summer. 

 Sitting in the vintage jello mold is a vintage chicken salt shaker that I found in NC last year.   

I kept my wire basket of eggs hanging off the side of the hutch. I am still loving it. 

Below the wire basket is Heart in Hand Designs piece called "Summer Whirligig" which was finished in 2019. 

🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔

Let's strut on down to the 2nd shelf shall we. 

Center stage on the 2nd shelf is Summer Farmhouse. It depicts my Nanny's white house with dad's red truck in the front drive and the old clothesline in the backyard with a quilt on it. Every evening we would sit on the porch and watch the cars drive by and come dusk we would catch fireflies- more sweet summertime childhood memories

Lori Holt's tractor stitch is by the blue splatterware ceramic milk jug. Gotta love a red tractor.  For as long as I can remember, dad has always had a red tractor. 

In the corner is a blue pitcher of flowers. . Lots of little salt and pepper shakers  are scattered about including the little red hen in the vintage mason jar lid  which I found in the creek. 

I tucked Bent Creek's  "Chicken Flatbed "in the milk jug. 

 Lazing about in the blue splatterware bowl is another heifer. She just had to join the hen party. 

🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔

There is still more country clutter packed on the bottom shelf, and you may find a hen or two clucking about. 

One of my favorite summer quilts is this teeny chicken quilt that I embroidered a couple of years ago. 

I kept the large rooster in the corner on the hutch and moved the vintage juicer. In front of it is Summer Chicks a freebie that I shared awhile back.  

Now I ask you. Who can resist a stack of chickens? Lol Not me that is for sure.  

I am in love with this chippy blue frame that I thrifted a few years ago. In it is  my "Hen House "which I stitched in 2020, but only finished it last year. It is placed willy nilly in the frame. It may be a future Farmhouse Friday freebie soon . 

In the small blue bowl is Lizzie Kate's "Farm Sampler - Flora McSample" . I  believe it is still available  for purchase at 123 Stitch. It is  downright farm cuteness!!! 

Finished in the Dollar Tree tray is the 3rd of the Summer on the Farm stitches. Guess what is called? Lol  Summer on the Farm 😀  I hope to create a Fall on the Farm series soon which would be based on Nanny's farm.  I have already shared the Spring on the Farm series. 

The little red truck is a Walmart Christmas ornament.  I always have something Christmas out somewhere in the house. 

The vintage scales has layers of bowls and doiles on top as well as a painted watermelon slice. 

When a tree is cut down, I always grab any wedges of wood that resemble a watermelon. They are quick, cheap, easy crafts to create. 

Well ya'll that's all she wrote!  

Wheww! I bet you can see why Mr. Pinker thinks I am a bit chicken crazy! In my defense I say " Cluck Cluck!" 🐔🐔🐔😁

.  Ya'll have seen so much of this clutter and the stitches in previous posts, but I always enjoy changing it up a bit.  I can not tell you how much it means to me that you take the time to drop by to visit me.  Ya'll are the sweetest and I feel so blessed. 

Have a beautiful day and ...

As always...

Happy  Stitching and Quilting, ya'll

Melisa

Life is better with chickens!

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy who was a crazy chicken lover too. . Love and miss you. 

       🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔

Previous Summer Hutch Tours are below. If you are interested , please pop in to see all of that clutter too. 😀

2021 Summer Farm Hutch was a Down on the Farm / Cow themed hutch. 

2021 Summer Hutch 

2022's Chicken Lickin' Watermelon Hutch

Who Left The Gate Open? Spring Farm Hutch Tour

Rise and Shine!!!!  Happy Tuesday, ya'll and welcome.

 Grab ya' a cup of tea and come on in . Let's head to the kitchen for I have another episode of Country Clutter to show you. Yep! It's the Spring Hutch tour. 

A couple of weeks ago, all of the Easter bunnies hopped off my hutch and headed back to their bins. 

 2023 Hip Hopping Easter Hutch 

Oh bother! What to do!  Well that left me a bare hutch when all of a sudden I had a stampede of livestock and poultry rushing into the kitchen! 🐄🐄🐄🐔🐤🐖🐖

Well someone left the barn gate open and all of the farm animals dispersed onto my hutch shelves.  I would love for you to join me as I round up the critters. 

Now you have seen all of this country clutter before. I just change out the colors, move things around and such . I do have one new piece but all of the rest is what was in my stash. 

I kept the battenburg and lace valances which I use as shelf liners. I have a string of white Christmas lights that I strung from shelf to shelf for low lighting. I then added my red Dollar Tree plates.   I promise you they are in there behind all of the clutter. 😁❤

The theme was The Farm in the colors of Red and Yellow. 

Let's start the tour on the top shelf where I placed my Pioneer Woman easel plaque in the corner.   I perched the ceramic chick on the  1869 Chick Crock.  

My newest piece is the Daisy Farms platter that I bought at the Goodwill for just $2.00. Couldn't pass that up. 

In the opposite corner is a Pioneer Woman bowl with Henry the candy jar in it. 

I hung the wire basket on the side of the shelf and added a vintage crocheted potholder and eggs. I was going to add a chicken to it, but I need to find a light weight one. 

Sliding on down to the 2nd shelf. 

I left the vintage juicer in the corner, but did not put a bowl in it. Instead I added the Pioneer Woman cow plaque. On top of it is a darling metal milk can gifted to me by dear Sue. It stays on the hutch year round.  

 A farm would not be complete without a tractor; sweet Gwen gifted me the little John Deere tractor. Mr. Pinker loves John Deere . In fact we have another hutch all decked out in John Deere pieces downstairs. I am surprised he has not tried to grab this piece. Lol. 

I love pulling out the Spring on the Farm series.

 These stitches are based on the farm life at my Nanny's who lived just a hop , skip and jump down the road from me .Spring Pasture , Spring on the Farm   Spring Farmhouse   bring back fond memories of sitting on the porch at her house and roaming around the farm.  🐄🐄🐄🐄🐄   I still need to create an Autumn and Winter on the Farm.  I finished each of these in a Dollar Tree tray that I painted white. They are precariously stacked on top of one another.

 In the opposite corner is "Bessie" by Little House Needleworks. I stitched it years ago.  

Well there is more farmyard critters on the bottom shelf to round up.

 Ole' Daisy the Cow has been dehorned on one side. Lol. That's ok. Maybe I will glue a small sunflower or something where the horn should be. 

In the corner is one of my favorite thrifted pitchers. I placed the small vase of yellow flowers that was on my Easter hutch in the pitcher. Behind Daisy is Little House Needlework's "Hen Party".  

A little hen is sitting in a vintage Jello mold which is nestled in a vintage mason jar lid. 

Behind the Farm Fresh milk bottle is "Bless Our Home" by Little House Needleworks. 

 The small Farm Fresh sign is from the Dollar General. The Dollar General has all kinds of cute pieces like this .  Farm Sweet Farm is finished on a Dollar Tree easeled chalkboard. It stays out year round. 

On my scales are 2 vintage bowls nestled together. They were gifts from my sister. I layered some vintage doiles  , added a chick and the Summer Chicks . 

Well , that's it. A lot of barnyard country clutter. I sure packed it in. Didn't I? 😂😀

If you would like to see the previous Spring hutch tours, just click on the links below.   I have to admit the 2022 Spring Hutch is my favorite. 

 Spring Farm Hutch Tour 2021

BERRY SPRING HUTCH 2022

Lots of reds and anything berry related. 

 Next week , I will change out my hutch again to patriotic. I am already dreaming up the next display. 

Ya'll I am so grateful and delighted that you stopped by for a gander at my Farmyard Hutch. Have the most beautiful day and don't forget- LIVE LIKE SOMEONE LEFT THE BARN GATE OPEN!!!!

Happy  Stitching and Quilting, ya'll

Melisa

Every day is a good day to be on the farm. 

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy who loved the farm so much. Love and miss you. 

Spring header photo