Monday, October 20, 2025

Out of the Dark Blog Hop


BOO!  
Oh, I hope I didn't scare you.  
Welcome to Melva Loves Scraps and the Out of the Dark Halloween Blog Hop.  

Halloween has never been my favorite holiday... I'm more of a fall season girl with a love for cinnamon and spices and all of the nice-ness and the warmth that come with them... from late August to the end of November... with apples and pumpkins and the delicious goodies that can come from them.


I have seen the book The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt for a few years and have considered buying it for the granddaughters, but it was always too late.  This year I started doing some early Christmas shopping and grabbed it.  No... it is NOT Christmas, but I decided to send it to them for Halloween. 


As I read through the book, I thought it would be fun to make some placemats that matched the book... something they could use all month leading up to Halloween.

I pulled out my scrap bins (Unmade Quilt bins) I started pulling fabrics that were similar to those used in the quilt that was a ghost.  I used the inside of the book as inspiration.

With one laid out, Dave suggested that each of the placemats be a different color.  I selected three other colors.  We have a grandson as well as the 3 girls, but he is a 16-year old now and probably not really interested in the book, but he can have a placemat, so he is included. ;)  I used 2-1/2" squares, BTW, making the placemats finish at 12x18.  A perfect size for a placemat!



I sewed the blocks together to make rows and then used quilt as you go to join the rows together... I quilted the vertical lines and then added the faces.

Here's the book description...

Ghosts are supposed to be sheets, light as air and able to whirl and twirl and float and soar. But the little ghost who is a quilt can't whirl or twirl at all, and when he flies, he gets very hot.

He doesn't know why he's a quilt. His parents are both sheets, and so are all of his friends. (His great-grandmother was a lace curtain, but that doesn't really help cheer him up.) He feels sad and left out when his friends are zooming around and he can't keep up.

But one Halloween, everything changes. The little ghost who was a quilt has an experience that no other ghost could have, an experience that only happens because he's a quilt . . . and he realizes that it's OK to be different.


The author has a new book about the little ghost quilt... The Little Ghost Quilt's Winter Surprise.  Yep!  I bought it too.  The youngest of the girls will be receiving a book collection as her Christmas gift and this will be in her gift, along with the Woman Who Swallowed a Fly.  I love the classic children's books, and I have made certain that the grands have a good collection of them.

If I had to choose a completely different career... I'd like to be a librarian in the children's department.  I loved taking my own girls to Storytime at the library and the fun crafts and activities that went along with the stories.  Ok... now I am getting weepy and nostalgic, so I better go.

But before you go... Tell me...

Do you have a favorite Halloween storybook?
What is your favorite children's story?

I'd love to hear from you!

Be sure to visit the rest of the bloggers that hopping with me.  The full list is below.

Keep Piecing & Happy Fall Y'all!

Melva

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Sunday, October 19, 2025

Applique & Quilting ~ Sew & Tell - 10/20/25

Welcome back to the weekly Sew & Tell party... where you can share your progress, projects and thoughts and be inspired by others... find encouragement and encourage others. This week we have Gretchen from Gretchen's Little Corner as she shared her progress on the Rhapsody in Blue.

Gretchen is a pro at her applique and hand quilting and addresses the blank spaces of a quilt.  

"I always cringe when I view a quilt that has a pretty quilting design, but the background is left unquilted. To me (this is my opinion, you don't have to share it) the quilt looks unfinished, it's baggy and spoiled. That is why diagonal background lines are added to my quilts."

I tend to agree with her... I used this same technique on the borders of the first quilt I made.  You can see the pictures here.  In all honesty the cross-stitched blocks of the quilt could have use some background help. ;)  I'm not fixing it now, though!

I achieved all of my (unwritten) goals early in the week.  I offered a mid-week update that you can read here.  But the progress continued!

The Color Wash Quilt was sandwiched after piecing some lots of batting pieces together.  In order to create a border to the piece, I cut 2-1/2" strips of fabric and slipped them underneath the outer hexies.  The use of the Hobbs Fusible batting made the process very easy for me.  I added a few pins to help hold everything in place as I began handling it to quilt (applique) them into place.

I'm making this process up as I go and am certain that there are others out there that would challenge my decisions and choices... but I'm too far in to change direction now! LOL. (Besides... there are no quilt police.)   I have the outside hexagon edges all secured and it is ready to be a "travel project" without any concern of the border pieces slipping out of place.  

The backing is a large print tulip print that came from some deep stash.  It is a very pale yellow with some light green and grey.  (I'll show you when finished) and I will use a grey print as the binding.  I had originally thought that I would use some rainbow stripe as the binding... but the quilt told me "no."

This week begins the "Out of the Dark" blog hop.  I have my piece ready to go for Tuesday.  I do hope you'll stop by again and join the hop.  Let's go to the hop! Let's go to the hop! (Did you sing that? 🎤 I did!)

The inspiration for my hop project












While I was sandwiching, I continued the process with the Paper Lanterns Quilt.  I am nearly done with the quilting.


I changed up my plan for quilting... I decided that I wasn't up for feathers in the "white space" and I wasn't all that thrilled with the FMQ that I had done in the lanterns and wanted to do something a little more geometric... My reasoning?  Well, this fabric has a modern look to it (more so than my original PL - you can see what I mean by following the link above.) and it seemed to be asking for something straight and modern.

Here's what I have so far.  I need a few more lines of quilting in the lanterns and then I can trim and bind it.

As I worked on this quilt I was listening to Little House in the Big Woods.  

In the story Laura told about her Ma and Pa making cheese.  It occurred to me that in all of the stories I heard from my Dad about his parents... butchering chickens, making sausage, crock pickles, butter and homemade beer I never heard about them making cheese.  

I asked Mom if she had ever heard about them making cheese.   She said "No, but your Dad knew how to make cheese."  

It is at little times like this that I realize how much I miss him. :(  I am fortunate blessed that I still have my Mom (she will be 85 soon!) and that she is still living independently.  Her move last year opened up a whole new realm for her.  She let me know the other day that she was going for a ride with several other ladies from the building to see what few yellow aspen leaves remained and to have lunch to celebrate the landlady's 70th birthday.  I LOVE it!  Karen, the landlady, is also a quilter, so we have an extra special bond. :)

Dave and I will be going for a "ride" to meet up with our friends in Red River.  It was one of the reasons I wanted to get the Color Wash quilt to a point that it was ready for travel.  

Let's get the party started!

But before you go... tell me...

What sort of questions would you have for your parents (or grandparents) if you could sit down with them?

Leave a comment... I'd love to hear from you!

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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Wednesday, October 15, 2025

Wordy Wednesday ~ The Tale of Three Quilts

It is a blustery Wednesday here and I'd love to sit and visit with you, but I have two custom memory quilts to start... and I've been on a roll!

My original title for this post was going to be Wordless Wednesday... but I just can't do it!  LOL.  I've got to "narrate" the photos. ;)

Paper Lanterns is in fine flimsy form, and I am waiting on the backing fabric to be delivered. 





The final Little House block is done.  Listening to the audio book of Little Town on the Prairie as I pieced Paper Lanterns was all I needed for the inspiration.  The center block is a portion of the Kit in the Corner block from the Pieces of the Santa Fe Trail quilt.  I now need to decide if I want sashing strips... or not.  I'm leaning toward "not."  What do you think?  No sashing strips... Narrow neutral border and finished with a "scrappy" wider border like on the Sticks & Stones quilt.  Sneak a peek at that border and let me know your thoughts. ;)


Feeling completely satisfied with all that I had done, I sat down with my Color Wash Hexagons.  Dave was in the house Tuesday afternoon because of an allergic reaction to something that caused hives ALL OVER his body.  I stitched... he talked as we both considered what could have caused it.  My finger finally said, "no more!" and I set it aside.  But this morning, I picked it up and finished it!  All of the pieces fit together just as I had planned.

I need to fix up some franken-batting, select a backing fabric and get it sandwiched.  It will be a great travel project as I quilt with black thread around the hexies.  

I have lingered here long enough... Time to start the memory quilts!  

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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m


PS... whatever it was that was spiking the views on my blog, it is done.  LOL!



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Sunday, October 12, 2025

Art Haus Paper Lanterns ~ Sew & Tell - 10/13/25


Another week... gone!  I could go on and on about how time seems to be flying by... but that is an old record that needs to be put to rest. ;)

This week's Sew & Tell feature is not one that needs to be set aside.  Rather, it is one that needs to be kept in the forefront as the weather transitions to a new season.

Preeti at Sew Preeti Quilts showed off one of her Island Batik projects - Milo.  Preeti has a knack for selecting patterns and fabrics and colors that work well together.  The simple quilting of this quilt allows the two blocks/designs to be the star of the show.  Her color placement creates the subtle change and flow of color.

Head over to Preeti's blog by following the link above and you will see where the pattern is available.

Thank you to all of you that participate in Sew & Tell each week.  If you have never joined the party... well, what are you waiting for?  Everyone is friendly and supportive, and I can always learn/find something new to spark some creativity.  

I have been dipping my toe into the water as a Connecting Threads Ambassador... I am a little surprised at how difficult this has actually been. I'm feeling like my biggest hurdle is that I don't have a ton of CT fabrics in my stash.  This means that I have had to purchase a few things.  Retail therapy is always fun, but I realize now that I do a lot of "window shopping."  Hahaha.


I started new project! This jelly roll from CT and will become a fun "Paper Lanterns" quilt.  


Head over to the Connecting Threads website to take a look at some of the items available in their clearance sale. That's where I found this pre-cut Art Haus jelly roll. (Who doesn't love a bargain?) You can get a 15% discount by using the special code CTAMelvaLovesScraps on most purchases.

But before I could start piecing, my machine needed a little mani-pedi. It's been 6 weeks since the last one. Oh my! I really thought it was just a month. 🤦‍♀️

While the piecing of Paper Lanterns is super easy and the layout seems straightforward... I had two extra pieces remaining after I had it on the design wall.  I thought that I had simply miscounted. NOPE!  I had to carefully examine the columns and eventually found where they belonged. 

Then as I started sewing them together, I realized two more mistakes in the layout... Back to the design wall.  

The third time's the charm!  Here's my progress...


I have put the Little House quilt blocks to the side for now.  Eight out of nine complete.  And, I have the audio book of Little Town on the Prairie on loan.  I'll be listening as I finish Paper Lanterns with the intent of finding inspiration for the final block.  I know it's there... I just have to intentional and find it.


What you seek with all your heart, you will find!  

Late last year I had settled on a "word of the year"... It was Trust.  I've haven't done too well with trusting the Lord through all the challenges and changes we have faced in our family this year.  As I wrapped up my third-quarter review I was reflecting on trust...

Do I trust the Lord in all that is happening.  Yes. Yes, I do.  Am I happy about it?  No, not at all.  I am frustrated and reminded that trust isn't something earned easily.  God has never failed me before... though the end result is quite different than I would have chosen.  

In previous years I have chosen more positive words... Like growth and peace... those were a couple of pleasant years!  Trust seems positive, right? But for trust to grow and develop, of course there has to be difficulties and opportunities to exercise that trust/faith muscle.  It's like asking for patience... you can guarantee that you will have plenty of opportunity to exercise that!  LOL.  

I joined a ladies Bible study a few weeks ago and it is on the book of Proverbs... simple study... Ha!  Proverbs... a book of wisdom with some interesting sayings.  Ugh.  It has been one of the most difficult studies I have ever participated.  The other day, I was feeling down about how I have fallen short in so many of my relationships... and then I was reminded that God does not condemn!  God will gently convict and steer you in the correction direction.  

So... like my searching for and finding the mistakes in the Paper Lanterns quilt layout, it takes time and it CAN be corrected... without much distress or drama. (No need for a date with "Jack.")

I will be intentional in my week... If things go well, I will finish Paper Lanterns completely.  I have a quilting plan and will be doing a scrappy binding.  With any luck, I'll be back next week with block number 9 of the Little House quilt (or at least a plan).  I know what sort of border and binding will be on that quilt too!

The color wash hexagons are coming together.  I have been spending a little time in the evenings sewing rows together and I am down to the "stragglers" to stitch together. I will then join the two large sections.  I'm not in a big rush... I definitely am appreciating the slower pace.

I can appreciate a good plan and purpose... but I can also appreciate spontaneity.  Our friends from the Lazy J Goat Farm have tentative plans and opportunity to borrow a small home in Red River and we may be joining them.  She said it may be last minute but asked if we were up for it.  We responded with a resounding "absolutely!"

Do you need/prefer well-planned excursions?

Or are you open to last minute surprises?

Leave a comment... I'd love to hear from you.

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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m


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Sunday, October 5, 2025

Sew & Tell - 10/6/25


Where did the week go??? I woke up this morning thinking this thought.  As I reviewed all that took place... Hot tub delivery, Bible Study, 3rd Quarter Review and time in my studio... I realized that even in a relaxed state/pace of life, time marches on.  It feels good that there have not been any emergencies or crisis that has popped up in life!  (I hope I didn't just jinx that... ;) ) Maybe it is the fact that we have enjoyed the hydrotherapy sessions multiple times a day and we are simply calmer and sleeping better!  It has been heavenly!

I'll start off with this week's feature from the party...

Deb over at Quilt Chatter shared a super scrap-buster quilt that is nearing the final stages...  She showed us the auditions for sashing strips... like Goldi Locks, too light, too dark, not enough...  Head over to her blog to see what did not make the cut...

As I said, this is a great choice for scraps. You could adjust the size of the units based on what size pieces you have available.

Nice job Deb!







If you visited my quarterly review, you know that I completed all of the hexies needed for the Color Wash Hexagon piece.  It is now time to join everything together.  I have three rows/columns joined together... 5 more and a few stragglers left to go.

I was growing really antsy to get back in the studio... 

A Walk on the prairie by RBD

I pulled out the Walk on the Prairie FQ bundle that has been hanging out in the closet since June.  When I made the video of the studio tour, I mentioned that my cutting table doubles as a workstation or desk.  If you looked closely, you would have seen that I had my most favorite set of childhood books on the table... I'm not ready to reveal the series yet, but I will show you a few of the blocks I have made.


I am still in the designing and pattern writing stage, but eventually, it will be a sew along that will not only represent one of my favorite childhood book series but will focus on quilt math lessons.

Any guesses about which book series I chose?

I know that not everyone will be interested in the math lessons, but I have recently heard some negative things about "gatekeeping."  Gatekeepers tend to be a little stingy with information, not wanting to give away "secrets" or the "magic".  

I have always been willing to share my knowledge and experience with others... and I want a portion of the next sew along to be able to help others learn about enlarging or reducing patterns for different sized blocks and calculating the unit sizes within a block.  Quilt math does not need to be intimidating or scary.  However, it is not as simple as just divide the cutting sizes by two to reduce the size of the block.

The blocks are 6-inch blocks surrounded by a log cabin and the finished size will be 16-inches square.  There will be nine blocks in total.  Most of the blocks have been used in a previous sew along but resized... for example the Maple Leaf block from Pieces From the Past was a 9-inch block.  The Shoo-Fly block was a 12-inch block from Pieces of the Santa Fe Trail.  You get the idea ;)

I've had fun selecting blocks to reflect the title or a particular scene from the stories.  I'm stumped on one in particular and waiting for a creative twist or inspiration to hit me... I've even started reading the book again.

When will this sew along start?  I am so glad you asked! Not until 2026.  Since I am still in the "design" phase and a busy holiday season around the corner, I think it is best to wait so that I can get all of my ducks in a row.  

I am curious about how frequently you would like the blocks released.  Weekly? Twice a month?  Once a month?  Do you lose steam if they are spread out too far?  Do you feel overwhelmed if they are too frequent?  Leave a comment... I'd love your feedback. 

I have plans for a few things this week... I'll be working with a jellyroll for a quick quilt.  I'm trying to decide between Paper Lanterns or Sticks & Stones.  I also have a box of clothing for a custom Memory Quilt... TWO actually... so I'll be selecting a block/design for those quilts.

I'm a little giddy at the fact that I have several projects going now!  It's been a while!

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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Thursday, October 2, 2025

Quarter 3 Quilting Check-in


The other day I saw a mention that Christmas was X weeks away.  I don't remember the number, but it was alarmingly close and for a moment... I had a bit of panic.  And then put it out of my mind... thus the reason I cannot remember the number stated. ;) Hahaha.  

Do I care?  Yes... From a business standpoint, so that I am not dealing with last minute orders.  I would appreciate my customers to be well prepared and plan ahead.  

From a personal standpoint?  Not really.  It does seem that the summer zipped by.  And suddenly, here we are firmly in the fall season, and I am loving the days.  I have been relishing the moderate temperatures of the days, the cooler temps of early morning and evening, and I cannot forget the brilliant colors that those cool temps bring. I am making every effort to be fully present in every day/moment/conversation so that I am not missing the small blessings that are sprinkled into the ordinary of life.


As I turned the page of the calendar, I realized we are now in the 4th quarter and that it was time to review my list of goals I had...

❧ Taking my Story Telling Quilts program on the road.  Two new quilts on the "Art Wall" at the local library in March to celebrate World Quilting Month.


Again, I have not pursued this as aggressively as I could... I have my excuses... reasons... Basically, I don't want to travel alone and Dave's commitment to the water system that serves our community has not allowed for travel plans.  BUT!

I am still open to offering my Storytelling Quilts program to quilters - whether just a group or a formal guild. I'd like to keep the travel to within a 3-4 hour drive but could happily try to work out something via the web.  I am in southeastern Colorado and would consider travel to the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles, New Mexico, Kansas and the Denver-metro area, possibly southern Wyoming or western Nebraska.  We I will simply make it work.  Hit me up!

I am on the schedule at the library to have a display of quilts on the "Art Wall" next year in March.  Plans for what quilts to display is still mulling in my mind, but I'm thinking of "Table Scraps" or "Table Talk."  Use your imagination to guess what it might include.


❧ Continue with my custom quilting and t-shirt quilts... I will also continue leaving a trail of love from my quilted hearts.

I've not had many custom orders this year... but it hasn't kept me from quilting and creating.  A small trail of quilted hearts has been made as we have traveled with our 5th wheel camper.    

❧ Continue my weekly Sew & Tell party

Sew & Tell is going strong and offers inspiration and creativity continually and I have enjoyed developing friendships with many participants and readers.

The Christmas in July blog hop was a fun event with 7 quilters joining the fun.  I had plans to host the Virtual Cookie Exchange hop, but the original hosts are bringing that, and the Halloween hop, back.  I've joined the list of bloggers for the "Out of the Dark" hop. I have my project ready to go and am excited to share with everyone!  Stop by on Tuesday, October 21st.

❧ With our Camping Journal Quilt complete, I am thinking of taking up a hexie project for some of my hand-stitching.  I've printed and cut 3" tall hexies.  These large hexies could easily become a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project.  But I haven't settled on that yet.  TBD

My color wash hexagon project is completely laid out!  

Now begins the task of getting them stitched together.  I will do this by columns, starting at the far left (above - below it is the bottom row), getting about 1/3 of the total unit together and then piece in the stragglers.


❧ Compile the stories from our camping adventures into a book.

DONE! I ended up have it printed at the local copy store and placed the pages in plastic protector sleeves.

Compile patterns and memory book pages from the Pieces of My Life quilt and get them in a published format as well.  

 NOT DONE... Maybe in the 3rd 4th quarter. ;)

 ❧ Above all, I want to make certain that I am creating and finding joy in life through my quilting projects.


I continue to embrace the shortage of custom quilt/ quilting orders and joined the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  I completed 15 or 16 quilts from my scrap bin (also known as the unmade quilt bin).  

Each month of the RSC I made four or five 6" blocks that I am calling Korner Kabin blocks.  When I started this project, I was unsure how I would place them all together in one quilt... the quilt is finished and will soon be gifted to a dear friend! 

I was recently chosen to become a Connecting Threads Ambassador.  Connecting Threads is the place that I purchase the Hobbs Heirloom Fusible Batting. It is my preferred batting to use.  I choose the fusible batting over spray basting every time!  They often have sales and if you want to make a purchase from them you can use the code ACTMelvaLovesScraps which is valid for 15% off sitewide.

Given the speed of which three-quarters of 2025 has passed by, I have started making a list of goals for 2026.  I'll let them gel for a while... I have time. ;)  

Self-assessment is a good way to review goals and priorities, and I feel comfortable with what I have accomplished.  As I learned years ago... that which you spend your time, money and thoughts are your priorities.  I also learned that if you really want to do it, you WILL make time for it.  So, I'll leave you with something to consider...

Do YOU set your priorities?
Or do you allow others or the world set them for you?

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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