Making Plans and Little Patriot- A Patriotic Freebie

Howdy do! And a very lovely Sunday to you! I hope your day is off to a delightful start. Do come in and sit for a spell. Bring some stitching to work on as we sit and chat.

 Can you believe that we are wrapping up May? Wheww ! Where did the month go?  

Goodbye May!          May Berry Basket 

The rains have continued throughout the week. Earlier this week the winds blew a few trees down and thus we were without electricity and cable for a few days, but all is well now , though the cable line is still laying on the ground.😕🙄

Rainy day on the farm. 

I have tried to keep busy . The strawberry decor has been gathered up and put away. I am still stitching berry related items though. 

Most of the strawberry decor was put away this week. 

Patriotic decor is slowly but surely coming out. I am a little late this year . 

I began decorating with patriotic quilts , stitching and lots of dishes. 

One of my favorite decorators on Youtube posted her kitchen patriotic tour the other day. Have you watched Jean E. ? Her video posts always bring a smile to my day.  This year's patriotic kitchen tour was a delight for the eyes.  So if you have a chance pop over to visit her.  Jean is precious.  😀

This week's finish was "Every Heart Beat True" from Annie Beez Folkart. This chart was a darling gift from my friend Robin. I began stitching it while in Quartzsite earlier this year. Lots of fond memories are wrapped up in this stitch. Thank you , sweet friend. 

With a finish under my belt, that means I want to start something new. Well to be honest, I am always ready for a new start. Hee! Hee!

 Anywhoo... These are the designs that I want to begin this week--  USA Banner Spool by Crafty Bluebonnet,  a gift from my sweet friend, PJ . We both love patriotic designs. The 2nd design I want to start is  Lizzie Kate's "Let Freedom Ring" a darling gift from dear Susan who is a prolific stitcher and loves all things vintage just like me. Thank you , sweet friends. 😘❤ I miss both of you on Instagram. I do need to visit IG more often. 

 

Now onto the plans for the week. 

Hmm.... What Should I do This Week? 

🌞1. Post new Summer Stamp

🌞2. Work on Bunny Harvest Roundabout

🌞3. Post update on new quilt project. 

🌞4. Continue working on my sweet friend,  Dianet's  beautiful Christmas design called"Ho Ho Ho" Photo coming soon. 

🌞5.Work on Strawberry Sampler

Hmmm... that's a good list for now 

Did I Get'r Done...Well Last Week's Goals were.. 

✅🌞1.Continue working in the gardens.  I did work on transplanting seedlings and pulling weeds. 

✅🌞2. Work on Bee Haven Cottage . I stitched the roof. I am nearing a finish. 

❌🌞3.  Work on stitching a new Strawberry Sampler

✅🌞4.  Piece more Four Patch Fun blocks. 

✅🌞5.  Whatever other mischief I can get into. The grandsons and I went shopping. We had a good day out and about.

I give myself a grade of an 80 on this week's accomplishments. Not too bad. 😁

Hand quilting Tumbleweeds. 

Alrighty, Sweeties, I guess better let you get back to stitching. I will continue working on my Tumbleweeds quilt until the grandchildren arrive.  

Ooops, I almost forgot. I have a little patriotic freebie to share with you. I haven't stitched it yet so I do need to put it on this week's To Do List. It is called "Little Patriot". It is a CHOOSE YOUR OWN COLORS chart. I  am not sure  what floss colors I will use, but I will certainly update this post as I work on it. 

UPDATE: JUNE 21, 2026 . Little Patriot is all finished into a little pin pillow

⭐I used the following flosses for Little Patriot :  DMC  407 (symbol U) , 435 ( T) , 610 ( ▲),  730  (O)  , 731 (V) , 815 (  R) , 926 (B),   3371( •)  , 3750 ( B)  , 3830 (X)  , and   Blanc ( W) .⭐

        🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵

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. 

        🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵

Have a beautiful day, Sweeties! 

As Always, 

Happy  Stitching and Quilting, y'all

Melisa

Thank you for the sweet visit. 

"Give every day the chance to become the most beautiful day of your life.    "- Mark Twain 

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 

🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓

🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷

 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

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. 

Berries and Butterflies 

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? 

🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋

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. 

🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵

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. 

🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵

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. 

🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓

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

🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓

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 

🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓

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.