Thursday, August 13, 2026

Lala's Irish Chain - Week V

It's week five of Lala's Irish Chain!

We've reached the midpoint of the sew along and are one step closer to the finish of Lala's Irish Chain!

This week we are making another 2-patch set.  Last week was with the background fabric... this week we are pairing your main color with assorted 2-1/2" squares.  Press seams to the scrappy or jelly roll fabrics.


When you are finished with this step you should have some leftover main color squares... One for each 5x5 block you are making - 32 in my case, or 28 if you are making the smaller quilt like the original. 

It's family story time... W.D. and Lala Teegarden lived at 828 Western which was built by Lala's brother, Albert Davis.  The walls were not plastered.  They were just rough lumber with cheese cloth tacked on with nails that had a metal thing over them (so that the cheesecloth would not easily pull off over the nail heads).  

Luna and Viola (the young ladies I told you about last week parading around in their undergarments in the upstairs bedroom) helped Lala hang the wallpaper which then covered the tacks holding up the cheesecloth.
L-R:  Albert Davidson, Luna, W.D., Don and Lala
Forrest (my grandfather) in front

The house did not have indoor plumbing.  Luna and Viola slept in the one room upstairs with a north facing window.  The house had a front room and a dining room with west facing windows.  It was heated with a stove in the front room.

You'll note again in the photos that the Teegarden family is a well-dressed family. The boys, Donovan and Forrest, were born years apart from the girls with an age gap of 8 years between the boys... they were still as dapper and fashionable as the girls were.  Don is in the top hat, his graduation photo from 1922.  

The photo of Forrest was taken in the garden of the family home at 800 Western Avenue.  I'll offer details of that home next week.  If you'd like to learn a little more about Forrest, you can visit the Bachelor block post from Pieces in the Garden from 2022.

I'll let you go now to sew up your two-sies... made up of 2-1/2" squares in the main color and assorted squares.  Remember, you will have some leftover main color squares to make up the patchwork blocks.  I'll offer the instructions for that step next week as well.

Since we're 1/2 way in the sew along, I thought I would check in...

How's the pace?  
Have the instructions been clear?


I'd love to hear some feedback... Thanks for following along!  I had one message from one of you that had overlooked the very brief instructions last week.  It was easy to do since they were so very short.  For this reason, I made them bold and italicized.  Thank you for letting me know!

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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Sunday, August 9, 2026

Sew & Tell - 8/10/26


It's August and time of year that seems to get busy for many.  Families with children are preparing for back to school and/or squeezing in one last family trip, and gardeners are enjoying the fruits of their labor (whether floral or produce... or both!).

August in our house finds both Dave and I enjoying a walk down memory lane as we celebrate our wedding anniversary.  Monday, the 10th, marks our 41st. I found the following info with a quick search on the web...

While there is no traditional anniversary gift, Topaz has been the associated gemstone for the 41st year of marriage.

The contemporary/modern theme of land is associated with the 41st wedding anniversary. A gift with a land motif signifies all the couple has accomplished since they first met. They have conquered the world together, and now, with their life’s landscape laid out before them, they may go into their future happily side by side. 

If you can’t afford the expense of purchasing real estate for the 41st wedding anniversary, maybe consider a travel-themed present. The chance to explore new lands or a different part of your own country, coupled with the thrill of discovery, is reflected in this year’s theme. At the same time, it would be a thrilling and memorable experience for couples to share together, creating lifelong memories of this anniversary year.

We are not big on gifts for each other, but we do enjoy making plans for a small way to celebrate... I may make some special dinner.  TBD ;)

Dave did nicely ask me if I wanted to "help" him as he spreads a final layer of reground asphalt over the road areas that were affected by the water line project last week.  LOL!  I reminded him that I have an appointment with the dentist.  Hahaha!  Aren't we so romantic?!?

We haven't really changed much!  what do you think?

I do however like the idea of making plans for a trip.  We are planning to make a trip to Illinois for his 45th High School reunion in September.  After the reunion we want to go to the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum in Williamsburg, Kentucky.  More on this to come. 


Let's take a look at this week's Sew & Tell feature. Diann at Little Penguin Quilts shared an assortment of projects that she worked on while procrastinating the projects she had on her "Should do" list.  

She visited here "parts" department and pulled out these string blocks.  It has a calm, beachy look and feel to it.  Sand and surf... it makes me want seafood.  LOL!  I must be hungry...


Diann did eventually get to one of her "should" projects.  She's been using the quilt-as-you-go method on her Patchwork Hearts quilt.

Make a visit to her blog by following the highlighted link above to see what other "spare parts" she played with.


My week was filled with studio time since Dave was occupied with the water project.  The valve replacement was scheduled to happen over Tuesday and Wednesday.  But first, Saturday night's sleep was disrupted (10:20 pm) when he had a phone call from a neighbor saying they had no water.  They live on a hill and there was indeed a main line break at the bottom of said hill. *sigh*  A valve was turned off in an attempt to stop the water flow... it slowed it to a trickle.  That repair was made on Monday.  Tuesday and Wednesday went as planned, though Wednesday was a long day for him... 13 hours.

While he was playing in water, I was happily in the studio, I pieced Lala's Scrappy Irish Chain.  I cut the final 100+ 2-1/2" squares of the main color that I needed.  I wrote up several stories for the coming steps of the sew along and I made two scrappy, wonky star blocks to add to my RSC blocks.  I needed to do a "negative" block to add to the collection, but at another time. ;)

I couldn't hold back!  I pieced... and pieced... and pieced... and I recorded several videos with tips and suggestions for the assembly of the patchwork blocks for Lala's quilt.  I knew it was going to happen.  I just couldn't hold back.  As of Friday, I had1/4 of the quilt together... 😏I'll be editing the videos and getting them on insta and fb as we reach the appropriate steps in the coming weeks.

All the while of working with Lala, I was listening to Libby audio books.  

I finished 2 books this week... both stories told as though reading from journals.

One thousand white women, based on an actual historical event but told through fictional diaries, is the story of a remarkable woman who travels west in 1875 and marries the Chief of the Cheyenne Nation.

I considered it rated R for sexual content...  I skipped forward only two times (I think).

The unselected journals of Emma M. Lion, volume 1... Set in 1883 London, it follows a witty 20-year-old named Emma living in the quirky neighborhood of St. Crispian's. Each short book is written as her personal journal covering about two months of her life.

I have a sequel to the first borrowed for a future listen... I will pass on Emma's journal.  Regency romance is not my favorite... I tried Pride & Prejudice several times and had to give up.

On days that I have not been quilting, I have continued my 100-days of creativity challenge.  I sewed a label onto a quilt and sent it off to the preemie baby of the owner of Cornerstone Tea Co, Stephanie.  She graciously collaborated with me in 2022 on the Pieces in the Garden sew along.  Each month sew along participants had the opportunity to link up their blocks for a chance to win a prize package from her. A generous package, I might add.

In her on-line announcement, she had requested scripture verses to pray over him and surround him.  Psalm 189:17-18 came to my mind immediately.  

How precious to me are your thoughts,
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand

And then I went in search of a baby quilt from my inventory.  (limited because so many are on display at the library) As soon as I saw this quilt, which is a much smaller baby quilt and a perfect size for a preemie - I knew that it was meant for Patrick.

And then I was digging for a ribbon to wrap around it to fancy it up a little... God provided this!  

The ribbon is actually silky blanket binding from projects 13 years ago!  A perfect length and perfect colors... I tied the bow and it was perfect!

I looked up and said, "I know that was You, God." And He winked. ;)




Day 68/100 I made granola.  I've shared the recipe before...  Day 63/100 resulted in No Bake Cookies!  The recipe is from a home-ec class or maybe 6th grade?  I modified the original recipe using ingredients with the substitutions I have learned over the years. 

Coconut sugar and maple sugar in place of white sugar (a total of just 1 cup, not 2), almond milk instead of milk, almond butter instead of peanut butter...  I stirred in a handful of chopped walnuts as an extra. They were delicious!  

Time for me to run.  But before you go, tell me...

Do you have a favorite recipe from your school years?
Or a family favorite that has survived generations?

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

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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Thursday, August 6, 2026

Lala's Irish Chain - Week IV

 

Welcome back to Week 4 of Lala's Irish Chain.  This week's step is making a two-patch unit joining your background 2-1/2" squares with assorted 2-1/2" squares from your jelly roll or stash.

Press seams toward the assorted print fabric.  This will help with nesting seams when the patchwork blocks are assembled.

Since Lala was a seamstress, making dresses for several ladies in Trinidad, I am sure she had a good variety of fabrics to choose from, including some feed sack fabrics from flour and sugar bags at the mercantile or store.  
Her paid work as a seamstress gave her some extra spending money.  Possibly to more easily afford the purchase of yardage such as the pink fabric for this quilt.  

The two oldest daughters Luna and Viola were 2 years apart in age. Luna was often sick as a little girl so she did not start school as she should have.  Lala and WD chose to enroll them both in school at the same time and graduated high school together.

As you can see from the photos, they were often dressed alike. 


They were stylish young ladies.  They were not like "cobbler's children who went without shoes".  Their clothing was quite fashionable.  And given the number of photos we have from "back in the day", the family was considered one of the more affluent families in town.  For a family in the early 1900s to have their own camera was quite unusual.

Perhaps Lala presenting her well-dressed family was a sort of a calling card of the day.  

Both Luna and Viola told the story of a time when they were young ladies in the upstairs of the house having fun parading around in their one-piece undergarments. The girls were really having a good time.  A lady had come for a fitting and while she was in the house, the man that came with her waited outside in the front yard.  The man was not bored as he waited patiently.

Isn't that a fun and hilarious story?  Nonetheless... I wonder how many of the fabrics in this quilt came from customer's clothing that Lala made?  Wouldn't it be fun to know?

I'll never know the answer to that... but I did want to know what made the Irish Chain quilts different?  And, what's the difference in the single, double and triple Irish Chain quilts?  In my research I saw two different explanations.

The simple answer had to do with the number of pieces in the patchwork blocks... Single=9-patch or 3x3; Double =5x5 and triple =7x7.

A more detailed and complex answer was offered here.  I'll be honest... I got really confused by their explanation and photos since many of their quilts were with the squares on point or diagonal layout.  But I kept searching...  Several places simplified it by saying that the single Irish Chain was a two-color quilt with the darker contrasting color making a diagonal chain across the quilt.  The double uses three colors in a manner so that there are two chain lines and the triple uses 4 fabrics, making the design more complex. Follow the link above to see more examples of the varying details of a double and triple.

I found most often that single chains were set square.  Many of the double and triple Irish Chain quilts I saw had the blocks on point.  Lala's is unique in the fact that it is set square or straight.  And I decided that technically... it is a Double Irish Chain because it has 25 blocks in the patchwork unit.  But the color placement of the background fabric within the patchwork unit and the cornerstones give some illusion of a more complex layout. 

It is simply Lala's scrappy Irish Chain!  That's my story and I'm sticking to it... LOL.  There you go... you have the next step, so it is time to get busy making two-sies. :)

I've always liked scrappy quilts and still enjoy the occasional "archaeological dig" in the scrap bin and the opportunity to recall where fabrics were used... whether a dress, shorts or pajamas for one of the girls or whose quilt it was purchased for.  Good memories!

Do you like truly scrappy quilts? 
I define this as everything leftover from other projects and you make do... 
Or do you like controlled or organized scrappy?
Which is what I consider this quilt because I used a jelly roll and another collection of fabric that had similar colors and prints.

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

Keep piecing,

Melva

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Sunday, August 2, 2026

The Chain Gang ~ Sew & Tell - 8/3/26


As we bid July farewell and welcome August, I am relieved that the summer monsoon rains have arrived. The fire fighters continue to battle fires across the state of Colorado, Aspen Acres included.  This was the huge fire that had several of our friends evacuated from their homes for 3 weeks... 3 WEEKS!  As well as both our daughters on alert for emergency evacuation.  I know that there were homes lost and property damaged, but none of the people we know personally lost a thing.

The return of the rains now causes a new problem... flash floods.  :(  My mind reels from the many thoughts they must be struggling with.  How does one have such an experience and return home or "regularly scheduled programing" and not have a hard look at what is really important in life?  I don't think you can... and I know that many more, me included, are looking through a new lense.

But enough of the deep philosophical thoughts...  Let's look at this week's Sew & Tell feature!


Viridian shared her recent Hamiton Garden finish.  She said, "In 2025 at the start of my retirement I started on the pattern Hamilton Gardens by Bonnie Hunter." 

I like the chains that allow the blocks to seemingly hang, a little like a beaded curtain.  

Being true to BH style, it is a great scrappy quilt.  Hop over to the blog to see some close-up shots of the 1930s - 40s reproduction fabrics she used.  

The little images of a flower, a girl, or a train add to the charm of the quilt!


The fabrics are reminiscent of Lala's Scrappy Irish Chain quilt... 

I had a request from someone in the "chain gang" ;) for more detail on the colors used in her patchwork blocks.  If anyone else is interested... here you go.

Last week's sew along step was all about framing the "setting squares"... the block that alternates in the layout with the patchwork blocks.

I have 32 blocks with cornerstones ready to go!  How 'bout you?


I spent a fair amount of time in the studio quilting the cross-stitched violets quilt.  I love the delicate lace look it has and I am super excited that all of the markings washed out... unlike the rose quilt from earlier this year.

I made a two-color binding from the floral backing fabric and a dark olive green that matched the darker color of the leaves on the binding.

I'll call her Viola


As I quilted Viola, I listened to Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan.  It was a cute hallmark type story. A refreshing change after several historical fiction books addressing serious topics... yet it had a strong message for women people to not cave to the expectations of others just to make a relationship work.  

I finished a slow read this week too. The story of an immigrant mine worker and the loss, love, and identity of him and his family.  Based on the author's ancestors.  I found the references to the familiar, local landmarks and buildings in the area interesting, but the lifestyle and choices of the dysfunctional family was unfamiliar to me.

I had to dig deep in the stash for that cat in the block. lol.  I had to include the cat... it kept appearing in the story adding a lightness to the story. 

That was pretty much my week... I did a deep clean on my sewing machine on Saturday.  Thread lint sure clogs things up!  Some claim that the higher quality threads aren't as bad... I'm not sure I can attest to that.  All I know is that I was tired of the mechanical error interrupting my sewing time, so I took care of it.

My fabric order from Connecting Threads finally arrived so I'll finish cutting the squares needed for Lala's patchwork blocks and continue writing the stories and instructions for the sew along.  CT is not typically so slow in fulfilling orders, but when they have their $5-$7-$9/yard sale, they get a great backlog.  My guess is that they have picked up customers that used to be lovers of Joann fabrics.  

We have had rains (to those that prayed... thank you!) that have helped to cool things off and we even managed to have two nights of quiet and peaceful sleep. YAY!  Another night was interrupted by the smell of skunk... again.  We had to close the windows and turn on the fans.  Ugh... The previous week we had trapped and exterminated one skunk.  Let me tell you that stench can be stubborn!  It didn't even spray... it was just a stinky ol' thing!  We had the smell mostly eliminated only to realize there seems to be another. :(  But we may have to tolerate it for a few more days... maybe it will be lonely and migrate to some other yard!

Dave's going to be busy with a water system project this week... we will be without water for one day... we are prepared and hopeful that the project goes smoothly and it will be only a few hours that the water is off.  Since he will be busy down the street, I'll be entertaining myself in the studio.  Yellow is the new color of the month in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge and I'll be making scrappy, wonky stars to add to my collection. 💛 It is a bright and cheerful color and was my grandma T's favorite. :)

Enough of my rambling on... Let's get the Sew & Tell party started!

When was the last time you cleaned your machine?

Consider this your reminder... ;)

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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Thursday, July 30, 2026

Lala's Irish Chain - Week III

 

Welcome back to week 3 of Lala's Irish Chain Sew Along.

Were you able to get all of your cornerstone units pieced?  

It was an easy task to be done.  If not... you can easily catch up, I'm certain of it!

How did you do with your scant 1/4" seams?  

I was remiss in noting the importance of it... sorry!  "What do you mean by a scant 1/4" seam?" some may ask.  


A scant 1/4" seam simply means that you will stitch the seam so that the thread is just to the right of the 1/4" line... instead of ON the 1/4" seam line.

Why?  

So that when you press the seams the 1/4" seam line is in the fold.  The scant 1/4" seam helps with the accuracy of the finished block size.

No, I do not mark every seam.  But it is helpful to mark a few so that I can see the position of the pieces in comparison to or in relation to the edge of the presser foot.


This week we will be "framing" the setting blocks by sewing a 2-1/2" x 6-1/2" rectangle to two opposite sides of the 6-1/2" square.  Press seams to the center square.


Sew a cornerstone unit to the two remaining sides.  If you pressed your seams in the direction that I stated, your seams will nest together nicely, and your corners will be aligned perfectly.

Lala and her quilting group would be pleased with the effort, extra attention and accuracy.



Lala married David William Teegarden (known in the family as William David or W.D.) on June 11, 1893, in Lawson, Missouri.  They had five children. Luna, Viola, the third one was stillborn, Donovan and my grandpa, Forrest, was their youngest... with an age gap of 18 years between Luna and Forrest.

William David was a farmer in Missouri.  He was forced to quit farming because the dew on the corn in the early mornings poisoned him.  It was shortly after the loss of the baby that they went to Oklahoma.  It was about the time the Indian Territory was opened up for homesteading.

A cousin of Lala's from Trinidad, CO persuaded W.D. to go to Trinidad to find work.  He was hired by the Santa Fe Railroad.  In November of 1902 they left for Trinidad by Train.  They moved into a new house that was located on the corner of San Juan and Western Ave.  They rented this house for a few months until Lala's brother, Albert Davis, was able to build their new, two-story house across the street.

W.D. went to work for the Santa Fe RR as a freight agent in December 1902.  He worked for the SFRR for 37 years until his retirement on September 30, 1939.

I'll pause the story there... join me next week when I announce the next step of the sew along and share some fun family stories.  But first I want to ask...

Do you know the differences in the Irish Chain quilt designs?
Single? Double?  Triple?

I had to do some reading on it... I found it interesting.  I'll fill you in on some of that next week as well.

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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Sunday, July 26, 2026

Hot Times ~ Sew & Tell - 7/27/26


Welcome back to Sew & Tell!  It's been a cooker here and I have been hanging out with the AC on.  My mind was buzzing with the sound of fans, but I am not uncomfortable because of heat.  "This too shall pass," is what I keep telling myself.  

The constant sound of fans has interrupted my sleep, and I may have been just a little grumpy for a day or two. It was on the second day that I decided that something had to happen...  I pulled out the violet cross-stitch blocks that came from the sister of a friend... similar to the vintage rose blocks from January.  


But first!  Let's take a look at this week's Sew & Tell feature.  Sally at Crafts, Cavies and Cooking shared her Hundred-Acre Wood quilt.

The original ask was for sage green fabrics.  Sage green covers a lot.  At the time my sage bush had mostly silvery-green leaves.  At this time of year, they are far darker green on top - more like the darker greens of the quilt.  My Russian sage still has that silvery color. 

While green is not my favorite color, I do love using green fabrics in quilts... and the varying shades Sally used in this quilt are right up my alley.  The pieced backing is a treat as well!  Make a visit to her blog to see it and learn about how the name of the quilt came about.  I love hearing the stories and "process" of decision making that one goes through from start to finish.  

The landscape in Southern Colorado doesn't have even a hint of green currently... that's how bad the drought is.  The water restrictions have been increased, including no use of a hose in the yard except for watering 3xs a week for just 1 hour each.  No filling pools of any size or spas (good thing our hot tub {set at 90-95 deg f} is good for now!

As I trimmed the violet squares and sandwiched the top, I kept hearing Dave's fears that the restrictions will become even more severe echo in my mind... meaning that any extra-territorial water users (that includes our small water association) can have service cut.  YIKES!  I certainly hope it doesn't get to that, but he is taking steps to be able to utilize the well we have.  We need to upgrade to 200-amp service (whatever that means) to be able to use the pump we have for the well.  While at the same time... we can get central AC installed.  (I am not looking forward to the cost to do this... but I do look forward to having a quieter house.)

While he worked on that with a friend some credit card thief was enjoying the use of the business cc. Grrrr... Thankfully, it was a quick resolution, and we appreciated the cc company's attention to the matter.  


After a few hours of quilting I realized that my frown had turned upside down and my mood was much improved!  To drown out the worries in my head I turned on my audio book.  I finished two this week.

Both of the historical fiction genre.  I enjoyed the story of how Clara Kelly, an Irish maid and how she influenced Andrew Carnegie.  I know it is fiction but still loved Andrew’s transformation from ruthless industrialist into the world’s first true philanthropist.

Our local library bears his name - Trinidad Carnegie Public Library.  Speaking of which... my quilts get to remain on the art wall for a second month! I've not had as many sponsors of the quilts slated to go to the two pregnancy centers I have chosen to support but there's now even more time to gain support for the cause.


A Pair of Aces was a story set in New York City in the 1930s and wove the story of a black, female assistant DA and a well-known Madame who was a Russian immigrant together to bring down a mobster.  I was surprised at the end when the two authors shared the fact that both women's characters were based on real people and actual names.  

I am still waiting for the shipment and delivery of the main fabric for Lala's Irish Chain quilt and sew Along.  I have found a comfortable place in the living room - at the computer - writing up the posts with directions for each step.  I'll be honest... the shortage of fabric has kept me from dashing ahead of everyone.  If not for that I'm not sure I would be able to hold back. And... if I get all of the posts and stories written out before the fabric arrives... look out!  I'll be dashing off in a sprint.  LOL!

Last week we sewed squares to rectangles to create corner stone units.  Are you ready for the next step?  All of the links for this sew along now have a tab at the top of Melva Loves Scraps.


One last quick 100-day thing I created was one final aqua block for the RSC.  A new color will be selected soon.  I'm guessing thinking purple since we haven't used that one yet.  Technically, it could have fallen into the "pastels" realm of the challenge.  I think it will be a good transition block.

I've been keeping with the 100-days of creativity challenge... baking or cooking (breakfast) on the grill has qualified as "creative" a couple times... and I have a crock full of pickles on the kitchen counter currently.  Somedays I consider the time of writing here on the blog as my creative time...  It all keeps me going!

How is YOUR "voice of creativity" expressed?

I just read a thing on-line about how fabric has been used as political statements for centuries.  I learned during the Pieces From the Past sew along that the Double T block was such a statement. It was quite interesting!

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

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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