Quilt Happenings and a Thrifty Find

Happy Saturday, friends. Come on in for a little quilt update. Well let's start outside on this chilly day . I am leaping with joy with this thrifty find that I found at a thrift shop in Georgia this past week. It is a brown, tan and peach full size quilt, and it is hand quilted. Woo Hoo! I happy danced all through the store when I spotted this beauty.  The only thing is that it needs some repair along the binding, but that will be no problem whatsoever. I thought it would be perfect to display in the fall. 

And while we our out in the yard, check this out. Signs of spring with the buttercups fixing to bloom.  If it is not going to snow, then I say bring on spring. How about you? 

To be honest very little has gone on in respect to quilting or cross stitching this week with a little bit of daily life getting in the way, but I did work on my chicken quilt. 

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been working on these nine patch blocks and appliqueing chickens. 

The last chicken block was appliqued Friday. Though the gals still do not have eyes or wings, I have began playing with a layout. I am going for a certain size because it is going to go in the kitchen by the hoosier cabinet.  Hopefully, the constructing will begin today. 

While rummaging around in the Quilt Nest for some yellow fabric, I found this little quilt top made of red and yellow nine patches. I probably began this about 10 years ago, but for some reason put it away. I had began to applique' yellow flowers in the corners. I think I am going to work on this for the rest of February as I join Angela's link at So Scrappy. I need to add a center to the flowers (if I keep them ) and then decide from there. 

First , it needs a good pressing though. 

Wouldn't it look so cute displayed in my little yellow child's chair with Andy?

This week I have been all into this book called Quick Country Quilting by Debbie Mumm. I have always loved Debbie Mumm and was thrilled when I found this book at the Goodwill. It was published in 1992 by Rodale Press and contains 80 sweet country projects with easy to follow directions and applique templates. 

This is the quilt that has my heart a thumping ; it is called "Elsie & Co." and is the sweetest cow quilt.  I can picture this in my kitchen as well. How stinking CUTE!!!

And what a sweet patriotic heart quilt.

There are so many projects  with a wide variety of themes from geese to cats, to apples and even holiday quilts. 

This little quilt is called Checkerboard Crossing. This quilt was another reason I bought the book. I see a house quilt in my future. 

And lol I need a cat quilt too. I tell you what I really need is more hours in the day. There is so much I want to do. Wheww!

Well if I want all of these quilts, I am going to have to put a fire under my heels and get to work and hopefully next week I will have a little more progress. Thank you so much for stopping by for a visit. You always make me smile and bring joy to my heart.  

Have a lovely weekend and as always...

Happy quilting, ya'll

Melisa

I will be joining this sweet ladies in their link parties as they come available. Please hop over and see their wonderful blogs where you will find amazing quilts and needlework and links to other amazing quilters. Throughout the week, I often find myself wandering from blog to blog through their links and I enjoy every minute of it. 

Angela at So Scrappy for Scrap Happy Saturday

Alycia at Alycia Quilts for Finished or Not Friday

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

Have a happy creative day! 

Dorothy Mae's Spring House Freebie

Happy Tuesday, ya'll. Please come on in and visit for awhile. Chocolate chip cookies are warm from the oven( hubby's favorite), and the mason jars are filled with  sweet iced tea.

One of my favorite things to stitch is homes, and I have been busy working on a new one to add to my growing collection. 

This big ole' home is called "Dorothy Mae's Spring House". It is named after my great aunt who loved the color pink. Aunt Dot  who we affectionately called Dot Dot was like another grandmother to me. My sister and I always  loved to go over to her home, and it was always a treat to have the opportunity  to spend the night. The bedrooms were so pretty with lovely linens, glassware and antiques. My favorite bedroom had twin beds painted white, and she had pieces of milk glass sitting on the dresser as well as photos of family members who had long passed.  Her home was so warm, girly and special just as she was. Now Dot Dot did not live in a big pink house like this but a little rancher in a quiet community not far from a little spring that emerged from a cave. Though her home was small, it sure felt grand to us kids. 

                   

Birds and flowers surround this big pink home. Aunt Dot loved roses, but because she never married she did not have time to garden. Her days were spent working and then she would retire to her home for an evening of working through her puzzle books and  watching the nightly game shows while snacking on crackers and cheese with her favorite soda, Tab. I haven't had one of those in awhile. Do your remember Tab in the little pink can? Lol.  But anyway I had to include a small bouquet of her favorite flower displayed in a little basket perched on the roof of the house. 

Dorothy Mae's Spring House

I stitched my home on 14 count tea dyed aida. I am an aida girl . The stitch is 71 x 72 which on 14 count measured to about 5 1/8" squared.  Eight DMC floss colors were used including: 782, 3345, 938, blanc, 221, 223, 3371, and 801.     

 

I would be very honored if you stitched Dorothy Mae's Spring House.Of course it does not have to be pink. Not everybody is  a pink girl like Aunt Dot and me.  

If you are interested, just check out the pdfs below. I am not a professional designer nor do I have the ability to put the pages all on one pdf. So each chart is on a separate page to print.  I have also included an alphabet and number page in case you would like to leave off some motifs and add your initials or the year. 

Click here for the instruction page. 

Click here for the colored chart. 

Click here for the black and white chart. 

Click here for the alphabet/ numbers chart. 

I have stitched several little homes and posted them on my blog for freebies. If you haven't seen them, I invite you to check them out . They include   Crow Creek Saltbox, Ophelia Manor on Punkin Holler Lane ,  Willowisp Manor of Holler Lane.   and Winter Saltbox . 

I have stuffed these little homes into a basket. I think I need a bigger basket. There is one extra home in my basket I have not posted, but I hope to post it in the future.

Thank you so much for the sweet visit today and for allowing me to share memories of my dear Aunt Dot . I hope you have a very blessed day and as always...

Happy stitching, ya'll

Melisa

I would be tickled pink to see your stitches. You can always tag me on Instagram using #pinkernpunkquilting or Direct Message me.     

Today is your day! So go for it! 

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

Cupid Stamp A Valentine Freebie

Happy Saturday.  There is still a few more days until Valentine's, and I am still enjoying stitching up a few smalls for the big day. It has been such a joy to see all of the pretty Valentine stitches on IG, and I have been so inspired by the finishes. I really do not have that many February cross stitch pieces, but it is slowly growing.  I do have to admit that seeing so many stitchers move on to spring stitching is making me want to do the bunny hop and join right in though. 

Yesterday I posted photos of my hutch, and one of the designs displayed was my Cupid Stamp. 

                     

I purchased this white photo stand at the Dollar General last year and knew that I wanted to display stitching on it. 

                       

Last month, I had the Frosty Stamp displayed on it. So this month, Cupid is making an appearance. Cupid has a similar build as Frosty. 

    

This is a small measuring 35 x 35. I stitched mine on 14 count tea dyed aida.  There are only 7 floss colors in this piece which are DMC 783, 223, 801, blanc, 310, 498, and 967. 

I finished mine on foam board that has been covered with batting. Homespun and some dress fabric from my daughter's childhood clothing were used for finishing fabric. 

                      

The ribbon was from the Dollar Tree. I bought every spool my DT had, because it is just so pretty.   Lol I guess I was being a little greedy , but crafty items go pretty fast at my Dollar Tree, and the manager says she never knows what she will get in. 

I would be delighted if you put this little stitch on your future stitch list.  If you are interested, just check out the pdfs below. 

Click here for instruction page. 

Click here for the colored chart. 

 Click here for black and white chart. 

 If you missed Santa Stamp or Frosty Stamp, just click on the names and you can go back to those posts for the pdfs. 

               

My imagination is running wild with some other ideas for this little stand . I think a leprechaun should make an appearance next. Have you noticed how each character has the short legs and the flared out hips?  Lol. 

 I hope that you have a wonderful Valentine's and are able to do something special with someone you love. Thank you so much for dropping by to see me. I always love visitors and enjoy reading your sweet comments. I can not begin to tell you how much your support means to me. I hope to post again tomorrow with a quilt and stitching update if all goes well. 

Happy stitching, ya'll

Melisa

Keep being awesome and stay positive. 

 Hugs

Valentine Decorating and Stitching

Happy happy Friday. Are you ready for a fantastic weekend? I always am though I do not have anything planned other than visiting my parents and seeing the grandkids and nephews. Of course, I am going to squeeze in a little quilting and stitching. 

 My hutch is all decorated for the month in red,  jadeite green, and chickens with a bit of cross stitch.  I thought I would share that and my tiered tray with you, but be forewarned there is lots of country clutter. 

I ended up keeping the lace valances that I used for my winter hutch table runners. I added Dollar Tree red plates in the background as well as Goodwill plates and little green jadeite saucers. 

This little stitch is called " Love you More" from Heart in Hand. I stitched this in 2020 because it reminded me of my oldest grandson. I finished it on a little tin pocket .Since I used a magnet on the back of the stitching, I can change it out. 

On the top shelf is my big jadeite bowl. On top of it is a truck taken from a larger design from Hands on Design in collaboration with Priscilla Blain. 

I finished this on a piece of barnwood from my grandparents' barn and added a little homespun. Next to it is my Cupid Stamp that I finished on my Dollar General stand that I got last year. I finished it on fabric from my daughter's dress and added a little Dollar Tree country ribbon. 

The second shelf holds some chickens in red and one jadeite hen candy dish. It is my newest addition. The little red salt and pepper shakers were Dollar Tree finds. "Love Makes a House a Home" is by Country Cottage Needleworks and is finished on a piece of foam board with red gingham as a finishing fabric. I used my own floss colors in this piece. 

"Always" was a 2020 Heart in Hand Needleart freebie.  I do not know if it is still available or not. I finished mine on a metal butter dish that I painted white. The finishing fabric was from a pair of black and white gingham pants and the ruffle was from a pair of pjs. Love being thrifty in my finishing. Lol. The ribbon was from the Dollar Tree.

My sister found the little glass basket and salt and pepper shakers while thrifting.

The little white drawer was from Dollar General. 

A little Fresh Eggs sign from the Dollar Tree sits on a little thrifted dish on top of the scales.

My vintage juicer stays out year round. I just change out the bowl in it. It always sits on the corner of the hutch. I put a little milk glass nesting hen candy dish in an enamel pot. Behind it is " Farm Sweet Farm " one of my freebies which is mounted on a Dollar Tree chalkboard. I will change out the greenery once that winter time is over with . 

" Be My Valentine " was a freebie from Lizzie Kate that I completed last year. Finished into a little pillow it looks perfect in the little jadeite bowl. 

Lots of country clutter but it makes me so happy. 

 A look at my whole hutch. Some Christmas dishes are stored in the bottom and the top shelves hold Coca Cola crates and tins that always are displayed there. 

Now on to one of my tiered trays. I love to decorate a galvanized tray that is located by my corner kitchen sink. 

My tray is pretty simple for me. Mostly filled with thrifted chickens, Dollar Tree picks, some wooden hearts and salt and pepper shakers. 

The little barn salt and pepper shaker is a Pioneer Woman piece.

A tiny chalkboard from the Dollar Tree sits in the top tier . I folded up bits of wired ribbon and tucked in here and there in the tray. 

The gorgeous pink knitted dish cloth was a Christmas gift from my friend Patience. It stays by my sink ( not to use yet , it is too cute. Lol) . I wrapped some black and white ribbon around a Christmas wax warmer to cover the graphics.  A big ole' rooster rests on top of the warmer. 

 Farm stitches are starting to make their way into my little country dough bowl.  Bent Creek's "Chicken Zippies" , a thrifted "God Bless this Home" stitch and  "Everything will Be Fine" freebie from The Primitive Hare  fill the basket along with a gifted old rooster.  I changed the floss colors in Everything will Be Fine and added the hen to the design. It is a favorite. 

That is a little bit of my Valentine's decor and country clutter for now. I may post more later. I always enjoy seeing all of the lovely posts on Instagram and on different blogs; they provide me so much inspiration in decorating with my pieces. 

Have a lovely weekend and thank you so much for visiting. And as always...

Happy stitching, ya'll

Melisa