Sweet Ramblings Plus Heart & Keys - An Itty Bitty Stitch - A Valentine Freebie

Eeeh ! It is snowing outside! Just a few flurries. 

Welcome ya'll and happy, happy Friday. It is doubtful that the snow will lay here in the valley, but it is always exciting to see a flake or two. 

The mystery is solved !  Kathleen Tracy of Sentimental Quillter has been hosting a Valentine Mini Mystery Quilt Along . I completed the final step yesterday. 

Very few fabrics were used, and it was a quick and easy little quilt. Hop over to her blog for more info if you would like to create one yourself. 

I finished a new itty bitty stitch  called Heart & Keys. It took less than an hour to stitch . I finished it into a simple pin pillow. 

As I was stitching , I thought of my Granny's Log Cabin. She had a door between the kitchen and living room that had a window , porcelain door knobs and used a skeleton key. As a child , I was fascinated to see an old door like that. When Granny  received her angel wings ,  the door came home with me . 🚪❤😊

 Click here for chart. 

I am officially pulling out my Valentine's decor tonight. 

I have an idea for the hutch. I hope I will be able to create what I envision. 

My favorite Valentine stitch is still  Roses, Hearts and Chickens  that I stitched last year.    Next to it is Heart & Home , the companion piece for Heart & Keys. 

I finished the binding on Lizzie Kate's freebie Peace Joy and Love this week. Now this little piece will make its way into the Christmas cross stitch bin. Lol. See you in a few months, sweet stitch. 

Well that is my Friday evening ramble about quilting , stitching and such. Thank you so much for the sweet visit, my friends. 

As always....

Happy stitching and quilting, 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. 

Kelly at My Quilt Infatuation for Needle and Thread Thursday- Thursday

Alycia's of  Alycia's Quilts for Finished of Not Friday

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

Rebecca Grace at Rebecca Grace Quilting for TGIFF- 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

 A very little key will open a very heavy door. 

Hugs and Stitches!!!

Dedicated to my sweet sister , Amy.  Love  and miss you. ❤❤👼

Frosty McChill and Valentine Doodles

 Good Thursday, morning!! I can not believe Frosty is completed!! All the blocks have been wrestled into a top. 

 12 Frosty blocks in no particular order. Now to finish mine.

 I trimmed my blocks to 7 1/2" x 10 1/2" making sure that the embroidery work was not in the  1/4" seam allowance. The way that I trim mine is I find the center of the block . So for example if I need to remove 1 " from the width of the block , I would trim 1/2" from right and left edge. 

 Now if you find that all of your blocks are the same size and you do not want to trim them , then you certainly do not have to. If you are adding sashings and borders like I am , you would just have to adjust the size of the strips.  

This is the fabrics and measurements that I used to piece mine. 

After trimming, I cut out the fabrics I would need for my sashing and borders

FOR SASHING

For the corner squares : Cut 20 - 2 1/2" x 2 1/2"  ( white fabric)

For bottom/ top sashings : Cut 15 -  2 1/2" x 7 1/2"   ( red fabric)

For side sashings: Cut 16 -  2 1/2" x 10 1/2" ( red fabric) 

Layout blocks and sashing. 

Piece rows together using a 1/4" seam allowance. Press. 

OUTER BORDERS:

 I cut 5 strips of fabric for my outer border though I could have only used 4. The reason I cut 5 was because I was trying to match the design motif in the border fabric as best as possible.  You may want to wait about cutting the 5th strip until you piece together the left and right border to see if you have enough fabric cut already ( lol I'm thrifty like that) . 

For corner blocks- Cut 4 - 4 1/2" x 4 1/2"  ( white fabric) 

For borders- Cut 4 -  4 1/2" x WOF (width of fabric) (red patterned fabric) 

Subcut 2 strips to  4 1/2" x 29 1/2" ( top and bottom border) 

Now we are going to prepare the right and left borders. 

From the leftover fabric from the subcut  of the top/bottom border , piece to the  2 remaining  4 1/2 x WOF  strips . 

Subcut those 2 strips  to  41/2" x 50 1/2"  for the left and right border  .  

Layout corner blocks , border and pieced quilt  ( like photo below)  Piece together. 

And Frosty is now a completed top. On to the quilting!!! Woo Hoo! 

Today  I will be looking for some backing fabric ,and hopefully soon this guy will be going into  a hoop. 

Meanwhile, I plan on working on some embroidered Valentine's today.

 Two have been stitched. I still have to figure out how to complete them. Some ideas are brewing. 

Click here for the Valentine doodles. 

I want to thank all of you who have followed me along on the Frosty journey , for all of the kind words and encouragement and for all of those who stitched Frosty as well. It has been such a joy. 

Have a fantastic day, my friends and as always...

Happy quilting, 

Melisa

Never let a stumble in the road be the end of a journey, 

Hugs and Stitches!!!

Dedicated to my dear sis, Amy . Love ya.

If you have missed any of the previous blocks , just click on the names and you will be transported back to the posts. 

They include: " Let it Snow"  and " Sled Time , The Tree March  and "Just a Sweeping!!!" , " Chasing Snowflakes" , " Learning to Ski " , Mittens for Sale ,   Blown Away ,   Snowball Hunt , The March  ,   Playtime, and Winter Time.  

Winter Hutch Tour and a Valentine freebie - "And Love Grows"

 Hello , my dear friends. Please come on in. It is another episode of Country Clutter.  😀 Let me forewarn you; there is a lot of clutter and this post is photo heavy!📷📸 

Today we are looking at my hutch. Hubby built me this hutch about 22 years ago, and I still love it to this day. For January, it was all decked out in snowmen and many thrifted and gifted treasures from my sister. ☃❄⛄ I started out putting some vintage lace and old valances down on the shelves as shelf runners. I chose transferware plates to place on the shelves as well as old ironstone platters.

  Let's start off on the top shelf. In the corner is Hands on Designs "Year in Chalk- January" . I have stitched a couple of these and always mount this on a thrifted plaque.  

On the snowman mug is a freebie by Balades et Broderies par Carmela  and was on her blog. I provided a link to her blog though I had trouble finding this little snowman. She has so much pretty eye candy and fabulous freebies available.  

The gorgeous snowflake stitch was a gift from my dear friend Nancy. 

Her stitching and finishing is always exquisite and equally as beautiful is the birdie pin keep gifted to me by sweet Patience. I treasure these both. 

The little snowballs embroidery is one of mine from years ago. 

 Bottle brush trees and snowmen are scattered throughout. 

Hoppin' on down to the 2nd shelf.  

I did not put a bowl in my vintage juicer this time, but I did prop up my Lizzie Kate Snowy String that a stitched on Rit dyed aqua marine 14 count aida. I finished it on a scrap piece of wood that I painted. I change out my LK strings on this wood.

 In the jadeite bowl is another freebie called  "Baby Snowmen Trio " By Catherine Reurs of Splendid Detail Ltd.. The chart called for just 2 colors ,but I used a number of colors on my snowmen. I then finished it in the shape of a snowman. I placed a little ripped scarf on him from fabric from Walmart . I do not think it is still available or at least I couldn't find it. 

This sweet little snowbaby is called “Christmas Greetings” from Titan Needlecrafts and came as a kit; I purchased it at the Goodwill and finished it in a simple pillow.  The Triology's "Cheer " is in the corner finished on a rough cut piece of wood that hubby shaped into a hornbook shape. I used my own floss colors for it. 

The bottom shelf sports a new snowman cookie jar that made its way all the way from Arkansas .🚙🧳 I bought it at the Goodwill last summer while traveling . This is his 1st year out. 

 The "Snowflakes" embroidery , I stitched years ago. 

Next to the cookie jar is Country Cottage Needleworks' "Snowmen Trio.  "

Winter Time" is a cross stitch that I completed in 2011 or 2014 before I tried to keep note of my stitches. It was a freebie. Do you know who the designer is? For the life of me ,I can not remember. 😕  

Next to it is my Prim Winter which I finished on a Dollar General wooden tag.  

Finally, on my vintage scale, the  little ceramic dish from my dear sis has a trio of bottle brush trees. 

Underneath is a beautifully knitted dish towel gifted to me by my friend Tracey. Of course it hasn't cleaned a dish. lol .It is so pretty - it frolics among my winter, spring and summer displays. 🤗 

Well that concludes this episode of Country Clutter.  I am not sure when the next  episode will be , but I sure will keep you posted. Lol.

I would like to leave you with a little Valentine stitch.  

It is called "And Love Grows" .I finished mine into a little dough filler pillow using fabric from my stash and vintage lace gifted to me by dear Pat. 

As I was piecing mine into a pillow, I left too much empty space....

 so I ended up going back and stitching mine and hubby's initials in it.

 

I didn't chart the initials but you could refer back to my Let It Snow Sampler for letters if you would like to do the same, just leave you some room to stitch them

Click here for Instruction page. 

Click here for colored chart. 

NOTE: For some reason the letters appear blue but they are charted and stitched in green, but blue would look so lovely.

Click here for the Black / White chart. 

I am so tickled that you stopped by for a visit today. As always...

Happy Stitching yall, 

Melisa

P.s. Have I told you how awesome you are lately?  You are the butter to my biscuit. Love ya!

There is only one happiness in this life so love and be loved. - George Sand

Hugs and Stitches!!!!

                

Dedicated to my sweet sister, Amy . I treasure all of the memories of our thrifting adventures. Love you. 

Mason Jar Monday and Heart & Home- A Itty Bitty Valentine Freebie

Good morning, sweeties. Welcome. Today is going to be another slow day at home. Well I shouldn't say slow. I have plenty to do. Don't we all? Lol. Let's just say, I am not going anywhere or doing anything super exciting.

 For the last few weeks, Mondays have been Mason Jar Monday's for me. I am working on a scrappy mason jar quilt.  These are my first two blocks. 

Using bits and pieces from the scrap bin.  Last week , I finished my sheep jar.

 Today I hope to work on a new one. I have to draw it out first though. 

Do you enjoy a good mystery? Well Kathleen Tracy of  A Sentimental  Quilter is conducting a mystery quilt along. 

A mystery. Lol. I am all in especially since it is a little quilt. . Fabrics are  cut. 

 And in 2 shakes of a lamb's tail hour glass blocks were made. Eeeh ! I'm looking forward to this week's clues. 

Last night I worked on an itty bitty stitch. For me and itty bitty stitch is anything less than a design size of 30 x 30. 

      

It is called Heart &   Home. I finished it on a little box plaque/ frame that I got at the Dollar Tree.

 

Super quick stitch and  finish. 

I am going to work on another today using the same heart  but filling in the center with another motif.   

If you are interested in this itty bitty stitch, just click on the link below, choose you favorite floss colors and go to town on it. 😀

Click here for the chart. 

Linda at Texas Quilt Gal   is hosting  To Do List Tuesdays ; so I thought I would join in. 

Last  week's To Do List : 

🇽1. Finish basket cross stitch

🇽2. Bind Winter Quilt

☑3. Mason Jar block

☑4. Bind Snowman Recipe Quilt

Progress - 5. Stitch Frosty Farms

☑6 . Work on Tablescrap Applique quilt.

☑7. Find lots and lots of quilting and stitching mischief to get into!!!!😀😉😂😂

This  week's To Do List : 

1.  Work on Kathleen Tracy's Valentine Mystery .

2. Quilt Temecula's Box of Chocolate Quilt. 

3. Work on Basket Cross Stitch. 

4. Work on new salt box cross stitch. 

5. Quilt 15 minutes a day on my Rainbow Sherbet Quilt. 

6. Start new Mason Jar block. 

7. Bind Winter Quilt 

So those the the plans for the day and the week. Have you started to plan out your fun time for the week? If so I would love to hear what your plans are. 

Have a fabulous day and thank you from the bottom of my heart for visiting me. You warm this gals heart.  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 needle workers to meet.  

Beth at Love Laugh Quilt  for Monday Making

Judy at Small Quilts Doll Quilts for Design Wall Monday

Lynette at What a Hoot!  for BOMs Away Monday

Linda at Texas Quilt Gal for To Do List Tuesday - Tuesday

A little progress each day adds up to big results

Hugs and Stitches and Warm Winter Wishes!!!

Dedicated to my sweet sister, Amy who loved collecting mason jars as much as I do. Love ya, Amo. ❤😇