Candy Cane Sprinkles -A Christmas Freebie

Good afternoon ,ya'll. I am enjoying a day at the campground in southern Illinois.

 Mr. Pinker and I made our way here last night. No camping in a "parking lot campground "this trip. Wheew! We are in a state park.  Nice, quiet and lots of trees to see. 

Hubby is out scouting for a deer, and what have I been up to? Well, I brought my sewing machine , fabric and a little bit of stitching. I even brought some finishing supplies . I think I am all set for the weekend. Oh, there is only one problem. Squeak Squeak .🐭😲😬🐁 We have a mouse in the camper. 

                      

That little southern sucker  has hitched a ride with us. Boy is he going to have go.  Hopefully ,he will not make an appearance though. I would hate to run out of this camper screaming like a mad woman. 😄🏃 

This morning I woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed ready to do a little finishing work. Candy Cane Sprinkles is what I have been working on. 

Jolly  ole' St. Nick and his trusty little reindeer, Donner, are getting showered with candy canes and snowflakes, but that is not going to stop him from giving a big "Ho Ho Ho" !     

                

                   

                 

Ten floss colors were used in the making of Candy Cane Sprinkles. They included DMC 321, 356, 407, 838, 782, 840, 921, 895, white, and black.   I stitched mine on 14 count aida that I dyed with Rit Aqua Marine dye.  

      

If you would like to stitch Candy Cane Sprinkles , please check out the pdfs below. 

Many of you know , but I always like to leave this little disclaimer.  

I stitch my little designs for fun and to decorate my home. I feel very blessed by this community and love sharing my little charts, but I am not a professional designer. And I do not have professional software. Thank you for understanding that I  have to put each page on separate pdf downloads because of the devices I use. I apologize for that.  And I am always grateful for your kind encouragement , your visits, and stitching my little designs. 

OOPS MISTAKE ON INSTRUCTION PAGE: I am so sorry. On the instruction page, I said I stitched this piece on tea/ coffee dyed aida. It was actually stitched on  Rit Aqua Marine dyed aida. 

Click here for Instruction page. 

                  

Click here for colored chart. 

        

Click here for the black/white chart. 

      

 I included the enlarged charts as well. I am so sorry that I have to put them on individual pdfs. 

Click here for page 1 of enlarged colored chart. 

      

Click here for page 2 of enlarged colored chart. 

       

Click here for page 1 of enlarged black/white chart. 

       

Click here for page 2 of enlarged black / white chart. 

Well , Squeaky ,the mouse, and I  just wanted to pop and in to wish you a wonderful weekend.

 I hope that you have some fabulous fun plans made and are ready for a productive or relaxing weekend whichever you choose. 

Before you leave , let me say "You are awesome!" Thank you so much for the sweet visits , my friends. You are my inspiration. Big hugs... and as always...

Happy stitching, ya'll

Melisa

A friend is someone who overlooks your broken fence and admires the flowers in your garden. 

May your holidays be sweet! 

Hugs and Stitches!!!

Dedicated to my sweet sister , Amy. I love you, Amo. You are always in my heart. ❤❤❤

Frosty McChill Quilt Along - Block 2 Sled Time

Good morning sweet, snowbunnies. No it is not snowing here, but I am working on a frosty winter embroidery project on Thursdays so why not we be "snowbunnies". Welcome, please come on in and join me . You can certainly help me baby sit my grandbabies and in between playtime we can get in a few stitches on a project like Frosty McChill - my Thursday's embroidery project.

Last Thursday , I shared block 1 called " Let It Snow " . There will be 12 blocks which will be shared on Thursday since that is my embroidery day. 

Today I will be sharing block 2 "Sled Time". 

                   

Ole' Frosty McChill has plopped down on his sled and sweet little Rae Rae , a little birdie from my Coopie quilt,  has joined him on the sled.  

                 

Boy, would I have liked a sled like that when I was a child. Growing up on the farm can you imagine what we had?  An old rusty  metal sign with a board nailed to the front . Dangerous- Yes! Fun oh yes!  Lol we made do . Later we graduated to a boat pulled by the four wheeler. Lol. Ok now I am rambling again. Back to the stitch.  

INSTRUCTION TIME !   Now remember , I am no expert, but am just sharing how I embroider mine. Please prepare your fabric, embroider in whatever manner that  makes you happy. The number one rule is to always have FUN FUN FUN!!!  

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut your fabric to 8 1/2 "x 11 1/2" . This will  be trimmed later.  

2.  Place the pattern between a light box or a window and center the design as best as possible. Trace the design onto your fabric using your favorite transfer fabric pen or pencil . 

3. Embroider the design .  I used a back stitch using 2 strands of DMC 498  on most of the design. A stem stitch would look  quite lovely if you prefer.  I used 1 strand of 498 for the details in the snowman's face.   

4. On the snowflakes , I used a French Knot at the end of 4 of the points . You do not have to include the French Knot or you may want to add a teeny bead at each point . How cute would that be!!!

5. Press and trim to block size 7 1/2 x 10 1/2".

Click here for Block 2 

I hope Frosty McChill on the sled brought back some fond memories for you. I will see you next Thursday for the 3rd block.

 As always... 

Happy Stitching, ya'll

Melisa

The world changes when it snows!!!

Hugs and Snowflake Stitches!!!!

Dedicated to my sweet sister, Amy. We had some fun times sledding down the hill on the rare occasion that we got snow. 

Turkey Tracks, Red Trucks and a Christmas Tree- A Barnyard Christmas Freebie

 It is a beautiful day in my neck of the woods. The trees look glorious in all of their fall colors.

The vibrant red in the Burning Bush looks amazing. 

    

 The air is crisp and sometimes quite downright chilly. But my impatiens are still looking fabulous. Well maybe not fabulous but still blooming and bringing me  big ole' smiles. 

               

 I dread when the frost nips these sweet beauties. These are the impatiens from the seed that I purchased from the Dollar Tree and boy, did they produce. I am  very happy with them. 

Well where's my manners. I started rambling before I said welcome.  Happy Friday,  sweetie pies. How are you doing?  Ready for the 1st weekend in November?  Oh, let me tell you . Today is National Doughnut Day!!! 🍩 Saturday is National Nachos Day and National Play Outside Day and Sunday -  National Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day!!!!  🍫  Don't you think we need to get our snacks ready in celebration?  Also  on Sunday, Daylight Savings Time ends. 🕰 Time to turn back those clocks. 

Today I wanted to share with you my Thanksgiving quilt. 

                

It all started with some gifted scraps. 

                   

I embroidered 4 blocks with black floss . I just drew out some prim little Thanksgiving figures. 

                    

I used a simple cross hatch quilt design across the whole quilt and Wa-lah ! It's complete!

Last night, my fingers were nimble, and in just 2 hours I had a cross stitch finish too. Eeeeh ! I am doing a happy dance!  Do you want to see it? 

 Last year, I stitched 15 ornaments in my Barnyard Christmas series. Soooo I decided to add another. This little stitch is called "Bringing Home the Tree"  . There was a red truck in the series last year too. 

                   

 A cute little snowman is riding in the back of the pickup making sure the tree is secure.  I do not know if I will finish it the same way as the other ornaments or try something different. I am still stewing over that.  

                

 If you are interested to add this to your stitching list, please check out the pdfs below. I would love for you to stitch it. Oh and feel free to  change it up how ever you please. It would look so cute to change the truck color. Question : Does every farm have a red truck? Lol. Well, I know we do and so does dad. 😃  We affectionately call our 25 year old truck the pig truck since we haul pigs in it.  Clever name. Right?😆

Many of you know , but I always like to leave this little disclaimer.  

I stitch my little designs for fun and to decorate my home. I feel very blessed by this community and love sharing my little charts, but I am not a professional designer. And I do not have professional software. Thank you for understanding that I  have to put each page on separate pdf downloads because of the devices I use. I apologize for that.  And I am always grateful for your kind encouragement , your visits, and stitching my little designs. 

Click here for the instruction page. 

Click here for the colored chart. 

                                   

Click here for the black/white chart. 

                                  

I have been a chatterbox today.  I appreciate you dropping by for my daily ramblings . I wish you a very blessed weekend, and I hope it is full of joy and pure quilting and stitching pleasures . Oh! And don't forget those snacks.   As always....

Happy Quilting and Stitching, ya'll

Melisa

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. 

Alycia's of Alycia Quilts for Finished of Not Friday

Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict  for Can I Get a Whoop Whoop-Friday

Michelle  at From Bolt to Beauty for Beauty Pageant  - Friday

Wendy at Wendy's Quilts for Peacock Party - Friday 

Frederique at  Applique Patchwork Quilting for Patchwork & Quilts     - Saturday

Angela of  So Scrappy  for Scrap Happy Saturday

Enjoy the little things in life ... for one day you will look back and realize they were the big things. Robert Brault

Hugs and Stitches!!!

Dedicated to my sweet sister, Amy who loved Christmas just as much as I do. I miss and love you.

Frosty McChill - Snowman Quilt Along - Block 1 "Let it Snow!"

Happy Happy Thursday, ya'll. What a fabulous day it is. There is a chill in the air, and it is making me dream of a new project. Something simple mind you. 

                   

 So I have grabbed a bit of fabric and  some floss and have begun a new embroidery project.  

Thursdays are my baby sitting day so embroidery makes  for a quick grab and go project with little thinking.

           

 On Thursday, I always dream that I will be able to put in a few stitches between playing with Legos or Fisher Price toys with the grandbabies.  And sometimes I actually do. 😂😄 You know play time comes first. But anywhoooo I digress.  

         

 Now on with my project. Last year  on my blog and IG, I shared a photo my Coopie the Snowman quilt  that I embroidered in blackwork years ago for my nephew. 

          

I had drawn out these little snowmen for him to color.  I later decided to make them into a quilt. 

 The other day I was thinking about this quilt and thought it was time for another embroidered snowman quilt. 🤔⛄  I have already drawn out several snowmen, and one is block completed.   Since I enjoy having someone to stitch with, I thought why not share these little blocks on Thursdays- maybe some of you just might want to join me if not stitching the snowmen then at least maybe inspire you to pull out some embroidery work of your own. Hmmm. Embroidery Work Thursdays . 

        

 I will be sharing 12 snowmen in my Frosty McChill Quilt Along.  Since this is  a work in progress, I have not planned out the final look of the quilt , but I am pretty sure mine will have a similar layout to my Coopie the Snowman Quilt. Simple but cute. 

 The first block is called  "Let it Snow" . Now I am not as steady or as good at embroidery as I used to be, but I still love it . Of course, for me it is all about having fun. 

INSTRUCTION TIME !   Now remember , I am no expert, but am just sharing how I embroider mine. Please prepare your fabric, embroider in whatever manner that  makes you happy. The number one rule is to always have FUN FUN FUN!!!  

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut your fabric to 8 1/2 "x 11 1/2" . This will  be trimmed later.  

2.  Place the pattern between a light box or a window and center the design as best as possible. Trace the design onto your fabric using your favorite transfer fabric pen or pencil . 

3. Embroider the design .  I used a back stitch using 2 strands of DMC 498  on most of the design. A stem stitch would look  quite lovely if you prefer.  I used 1 strand of 498 for the details in the snowman's face.   

4. On the snowflakes , I used a French Knot at the end of 4 of the points . You do not have to include the French Knot, or you may want to add a teeny bead at each point . How cute would that be!!!

5. Press and trim to block size 7 1/2 x 10 1/2".

Click here for "Let It Snow". 

I hope that you will check back in with me for the next block. There may be times where you get ahead of me-😀☃❄I might get too wrapped up in lego time, but I think it is going to be a nice winter embroidery project nonetheless. 

Before I leave, I just want you to know how grateful I am for the sweet visits and kind support. You always brighten my day.  Love ya!

As always...

Happy Stitching, ya'll

Melisa

Snowfall rouses the inner child to dream and play once more. Angie Welland Crosby

Hugs and Snowflake Stitches!!!!

Dedicated to my sweet snowloving sister. Miss you , Amo. 

                 

Mr. McGobble - A Thanksgiving Freebie

Happy November, ya'll and welcome.  Halloween decor  is coming down and Thanksgiving decor is going up. Well at least in the kitchen it is. The rest of the house will be getting a good ole' cleaning, and I am going to start putting up Christmas very soon.  

I thought I would share the last of my Thanksgiving freebies for the season. EEEh or should I say Gooooble!

 I am so excited to introduce to you Mr. McGobble. Oh I think he is the cutest!!!! 

 I had such a fun time stitching this little guy . Of course , he is sporting his Pilgrim attire . He is hoping to be a guest  at the feast and not on the menu of course.  

I stitched Mr. McGobble on 14 count aida that tea/coffee dyed. I then whipped this little guy into a pillow. I used yarn I got from Walmart years ago and twisted it into a cording for trim. 

I did make a slight change that is not on the chart.  CHANGE : I added 1 extra stitch to the brim of Mr. McGobble's hat on the right side so the brim would extend 2 stitches from his precious little head. 

          

If you would like to  stitch this handsome gobbler, I invite you to check out the pdfs below. 

Many of you know , but I always like to leave this little disclaimer.  

I stitch my little designs for fun and to decorate my home. I feel very blessed by this community and love sharing my little charts, but I am not a professional designer. And I do not have professional software. Thank you for understanding that I  have to put each page on separate pdf downloads because of the devices I use. I apologize for that.  And I am always grateful for your kind encouragement , your visits, and stitching my little designs. 

Click here for the instruction page. 

Click here for colored and symbol chart. 

Click here for page 1 of the Enlarged Colored Chart. 

Click here for page 2 of the Enlarged Colored Chart. 

Click here for page 1 of the Black / White Enlarged Chart. 

Click here  for page 2 of the Black / White Enlarged Chart. 

Mr. McGobble has found his way on my hutch  for Thanksgiving. I have been bustling around all day working on the kitchen.  My sweet friend Shelly gifted me the darling  orange basket and Be Thankful towel. I was so excited to add it to this year's decor.  I can envision the orange basket being used in  my Spring decor too.  Thank you , Shelly. 

 

Do you decorate for Thanksgiving? It certainly is one of my favorite holidays. Family , friends, good food- what is there not to love.

Thank you again, my sweet friends for the afternoon  visit.   I hope that you have a very lovely evening and your November is filled with many blessings. As always...

Happy stitching, ya'll

Melisa

What if today we were thankful for everything? - Charlie Brown

Hugs and Stitches !!!

Love ya!!!

22 days until Thanksgiving ! 

Dedicated to my sweet sister, Amy. I love and miss you , Amo.  You always made the best potato salad for the holidays. ❤❤🦃