Sunday, November 15, 2026

Following A Dream ~ Sew & Tell - 11/16/26

Have you ever had a dream about quilting?  And then execute whatever it was you dreamed about?  That is exactly what I did this week... I'll share more in just a bit but let's take a look at this week's Sew & Tell feature.


Carolyn at Quarter-Inch Capers shared her little table runner that was an absolute success AND reduced the waste of fabric.

"I was trying to see if I could make a twister block without the ruler. I like the blocks a lot, but I don’t like all the cutting required with the twister ruler, and I don’t like all the waste. The big twister ruler is designed to use on layer cakes that are sewn together into a grid. The ruler is 8” x 8” which is why there is some wasted fabric.

Be sure to visit her blog to see how she did it.  While you're there you can see the progression of her Lala's Irish Chain blocks that she is using as a leader/ender project.  Thanks for sharing the tip, Carolyn!  It seams 😉to have worked like a dream!  


In my dream I took the patchwork comforter from my collection of Lala's Quilts.  It was not quilted, rather it was tied. 

"The batting has deteriorated badly and has large clumps in the corners and a few other spots where it has collected.

I have considered removing the ties and the damaged edges and "restoring" it to a better condition but in a smaller size."

After my dream I knew that I needed to follow through... The first step was to clip all of the ties and then cut the self-binding off of the piece.  It pained me to cut into it, but I kept repeating to myself, "You're rescuing it and giving it a new, extended life."

Once I made the first cut there was no looking back.  I got the layers separated... what a mess!  The cotton batting was everywhere.  The very reason I chose a nice day outside to do this step!

I then soaked the patchwork and the backing in Retro Clean and then gave it a short bath in the washing machine with a delicate cycle.  To help strengthen the vintage fabric I have used sheer weight fusible interfacing. I've done some of the quilting and will soon be ready for cutting a pattern out and adding the final quilting.  I mean... why waste thread quilting the entire thing? Right???

Have you made a quilted jacket?  
What pattern do you recommend?

I'd love to hear from you!  Leave a comment and then join the party.

I still can't believe I actually cut it apart... Eeeek! 😱

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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Friday, November 13, 2026

Quiet Time

This current season is a quiet one.  I'm not complaining... it is simply an observation.  This week was spent catching up on things around the house.  It felt good to get things put away after the retreat and getting things filed away in their proper place.

As did this, I enjoyed a few audio books. 

The Old Lion, as the cover states, was a novel about Theodore Roosevelt... his life.

It was a long book, and I was not overly engrossed in the story when they reached the Spanish War or his political life but hung with it because there were parts that offered glimpses into his personal family life.

I did enjoy the sections where he was in the badland explorations, though I thought his leaving his family for extended periods of time were inconsiderate.  But appreciate his commitment to preservation of the land.

The Lost Bookshop follows three main characters: Opaline, a young woman in 1920s London who flees an arranged marriage to find freedom in the world of rare books; Martha, a woman escaping an abusive marriage in present-day Dublin, seeking purpose and safety; and Henry, a bookish researcher tracing a lost manuscript that could reshape literary history.  This book tenderly shows how stories, secrets, and hidden courage can guide people toward healing and self-discovery.  The two timelines converge. 

I am not finished with the Bookshop but will be lost in the Bookshop as I work on a secret project over the weekend.

Do you have sewing or quilting in the plans for the weekend?

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

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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Sunday, November 8, 2026

Quilt of Valor & Retreat ~ Sew & Tell - 11/9/26


Welcome back to another Sew & Tell Party!  The party where you can proudly share your progress on quilts or other creative projects.  I spent most of the week preparing for the retreat.  I cleaned my machine in preparation for a full weekend of piecing, and I am pleased that it is happily making beautiful stitches once again.  

I spent time in the kitchen getting my meals ready to go... you can read that as... Make meals for us and save the leftovers for the retreat. =D

The fall temps have turned cooler, even a little chilly, so it was nice to be able to use the oven without the concern of making it too warm.  I'm sure most everyone agrees that use of the oven during the summer is pure misery.  Though... now that we have central air, I might not be as concerned. ;)


Before I share about the retreat, let's take a look at this week's feature.  Nancy at Grace and Peace Quilting shared a lovely winter quilt that she quilted for a customer.  The customer used a winter scene panel that had a horizontal orientation but successfully made it a longer than wide by adding strips of fabric.  The green is a lovely background that still allows the red to pop.

Be sure to visit Nancy's blog to see what they chose as the quilting design.  


On to the retreat...  The quilt selected was a "retired" pattern from Missouri Star Quilt Company - Jack and Jill.  It uses two jellyroll strips - one brightly colored and the second in white.

It was suggested by someone that we precut all of the units before the retreat.  I had joined the strips together and sub-cut the 4-1/2" squares.  Each of the squares were to be cut on the diagonal.  

I wasn't planning on doing that but in the end... I did.  I had not planned on it because everyone gives me a hard time about finishing so quickly.  

I'll try my best to go slow! 

More to come...

Turns out... I didn't need to go slow at all!  I sewed and sewed and sewed some more.  I initially thought I would have all the blocks pieced together by Friday night.  Boy!  Was I wrong.  I sewed for as long as I could before I just needed to head to bed.  (That was at 9 p.m., BTW. LOL!)


Up early on Saturday morning, I returned to my sewing station and was finally adding 140 blocks to the design wall by 10 a.m.  I sought advisory assistance from a few others and finally settled on this layout.

Several others in attendance chose different projects and a few arrived with all or most of the blocks pieced.

Games were played, walks were enjoyed, snacks were aplenty and the conversations often brought laughter.  Troubleshooting a few sewing machine issues was also necessary.  I was happy to be able to get several quilters back to stitching without too much delay or trouble.

By dinner on Saturday, I finally had a completed flimsy... including fabric won in a game as the narrow border.  Whoop! Whoop!

I used red-white-blue fabrics and happily sent this home with one of the quilters to be completed as a Quilt of Valor quilt.

I think this will become a new "tradition" for me when I attend a retreat... Maybe not QOV each time, but I will choose one of the many worthy organizations that the quilters mention and plan to surprise them with a finished quilt top to take home.

What group or organization would you donate to?

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

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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Sunday, November 1, 2026

Thoughts on Quilting ~ Sew & Tell - 11/2/26

I have a folder on my phone that contains "blog topics."  Whenever I stumble across something of interest, I will take a screen shot for future use.  I'll be sharing one of those "screen shot" inspirations today after this week's Sew & Tell feature.


Cheree at The Morning Latte has had life in limbo as they have a new house built and living in limited space as they wait.  Here's what she had to say...

"I'm a Finisher so all of this setting-blocks-aside stuff until I have my
design wall back has been bugging me.  I needed at least a top finish.
In our wee temporary digs, this meant laying everything out
on the floor in a different room, Old-School style."
 
While the end result is beautiful, there was a price to pay for the achievement... physical pain, and she says that she will wait until after the move before finishing any more quilt tops.  She will resume in the making of blocks and setting them aside for finishing... AFTER she has a design wall in place. ;)

Be sure to stop by her blog to see some progress pictures of the build AND what her next project will be.  It looks like a fun one!

I too am a "finisher," so I send Cheree my deepest sympathies as she continues to live in limbo.  Just a little longer, Cheree!  Hang in there...

This week I was happily spending time in my studio listening to books and piecing together my Bookish Journal Quilt.  I have 11 rows together!  There are 88 blocks representing the 88 books that I have either listened to or read in the 10 months of 2026.

By alternating sashing strips on the top/bottom and right/left of the patchwork blocks I have a fun layout that keeps one's eyes moving about the quilt.  It eliminated any worries of having blocks of similar colors too close together or adjacent to one another.  The most recent blocks were for Bridge to Terabithia and To Win Her Heart.

Bridge to Terabithia a "children's book" that addresses an adult problem of losing one's best friend.  I knew of the movie before the book.  An award-winning book that is not just for children.  The audio version I listened to included an interview with the author and her son.

To Win Her Heart is a Christian Fiction book that skillfully incorporates Jesus' parables of the prodigal son and the adulteress' rock-toting accusers into her characters' struggles with redemption, worthiness, and new beginnings.


I spent a fair amount of time cutting units for the upcoming quilt retreat from the self-curated jelly roll strips.  As I did so I recalled where the fabric came to be in my stash.  

That's the reason for my thoughts on quilting as more than just a skill or hobby.  Words come from Tim Carmichael but was from a group on fb that I can no longer locate. 

Tim has a blog where he writes about Appalachian life (link provided above).  It can apply to all quilters... not just those that live in the Appalachia area.






Alllll of this is one of things that keeps me quilting.  The special quilts made for the grandkids... sure they may throw them around and spill drinks or food on them.  I don't mind!  They are adding to the specialness of the quilt that was made blessed from above and made with love.  I hope that each and every recipient of one of my quilts can feel the love and prayers stitched into them.  That is the one thing I would like each person to know...  How about you?


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Wednesday, October 28, 2026

Lala Speaks for Herself


I recently did photos of my finished Lala's Scrappy Irish Chain Quilt...  With the help of my daughter, we captured some sweet photos with a touch of nostalgia. 

You may recognize the house as the home of W.D. & Lala Teegarden.  They lived there from the time it was built in 1922 until 1963 when they passed away.

Enjoy!












Are the rosebushes the same ones that W.D. had in his garden???




Keep Piecing,

Melva

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Sunday, October 25, 2026

Frame of Mind ~ Sew & Tell - 10/26/26

How is it possibly the last week of October???  As my "custom quilts business" has dropped off this year I have slowly embraced a slower paced life with no pressure of deadlines or "time is money" thoughts that I pushed upon myself, I have had some thoughts about definitions of words.  Words/terms like sewing room vs. studio... crafter vs. quilter or artist... blanket vs. quilt.  I'll get delve into some of these thoughts after we take a look at this week's Sew & Tell feature.  I'll warn you now... It's a winding rabbit trail so you may want to grab a cup of coffee or tea and maybe even a snack. ;)

Gwyned at Life of an artist shared some delicate bookmarks that she made for an upcoming, I'll call it a "holiday show." She explains the process... 

"The bookmark on the left has its soluble glue substrate removed and an added ribbon. The twin pair of bookmarks is how they come off of the hoop. It takes a fair amount of time to set up an embroidery design and orient it in the hoop. So, I prefer to “fill” the hoop whenever possible. Also, when I change the thread from white to pink, the white for both bookmarks has been sewn and then the pink for both bookmarks will be sewn, before it is time to change the thread again." 

I enjoy visiting Gwyned's blog each week.  In addition to sharing the projects she's been enjoying, she always asks an insightful or thought-provoking question of her readers.  I enjoy hearing the thoughts of others and the opportunity to share my own thoughts.  Be sure to give her a visit... you won't be disappointed.

She is a great example of the crafter vs. quilter/artist.  A good number of years ago I was actively participating in the various shows and farmers market events selling my products.  At one particular show a woman from a local quilting group was adjacent to my table.  During a slow time of visitors, she perused my table and acted shocked at the prices I asked.  She boldly asked me, "do you sell many items?"

I responded with, "it depends on the show and the audience."  I then spent a little time looking at her items.  The prices were well below my prices... as was the quality... but she sold many items.  Most of her prices would not have even recovered the cost of materials.  

On that particular day I didn't sell a thing. I left frustrated and disappointed.  I came to realize that she was a crafter.  It was just something she enjoyed doing in her retirement and covering the cost of product didn't matter.  The shows gave her an outlet for her to sell her items and an opportunity to see people.  

That was the day I realized that I am an artist.  Is making a profit the sole purpose of my quilting.  No, but it certainly makes life a little more comfortable.  I am forever grateful for all Dave does for us to earn a living and the many opportunities we have to DIY a project and save some money.  I am always looking for bargains... whether at the grocery store, clothing or a fabric store to better stretch those earnings.


It wasn't long after that show that I/we decided it wasn't worth the time and effort to participate in anymore local shows.  I will just say that most of local people would not even entertain the idea of purchasing an Amish quilt at the prices they ask and leave it at that. ;)
Anyway... it wasn't long after that show that my "sewing room" became my studio.  Did I change anything in it???  No.  I changed the way that I viewed not only it, but ME!  Shannon Brinkley put it this way:

A sewing room is where your machine happens to live. A studio is a space you've set up on purpose to make you feel the way you want to feel when you create. You're the resident artist.


I AM an artist!  I am a quilter!  I make quilts!  I make other things as well... I have even made some blankets.  I used to get quite upset when someone would call one of my quilts a blanket.  I would often correct them... I eventually have let go of the pet peeve.  Does it still bother me?  Yessss... Do is correct them?  Only in my mind and I don't linger on it.  Most of the time they are telling how much they appreciate the blanket or that their grandchild loves to snuggle in the blanket... I don't focus on the word blanket for long... I return to the conversation and absorb and appreciate the loving compliment or statement.

I make quilts to be used and loved... not to be stored in a cabinet because it is too good or nice to risk using and having damaged.  I'll never forget that just a week after finishing a quilt with blocks that one of our daughters brought home as a souvenir from Hawaii our cat was napping on one of our laps on top of the newest quilt.  Something startled him and as he leaped off the lap ripped a nice tear into one of the blocks with a back claw.  I was so upset...  I mended it... but it was still noticeable.  Twenty-five years later... it is part of the story of the quilt.  My love for that cat never diminished.


Ok... Thanks for sticking with me in all of those thoughts.  I have learned that when I listen to books, I don't get quite so philosophical and wordy because my attention is turned to the stories in my ears. ;)  Am I the only one that makes up pictures or visuals as the story is read???  Anyway... here's what I was occupied with in the studio this week.  
Historical fictions are my favorite genre



I cut and sewed (the first step) 2-1/2" strips to make up my two jellyrolls needed for the quilt retreat and I made blocks for four audio books.  #1 - The Canary Girls takes place during WWI in England.  Early in the Great War, men left Britain’s factories to enlist and arsenals hired women to replace them. Their recruiting slogan: Be the Girl Behind the Man Behind the Gun.  Thousands of women—cooks, maids, shopgirls, and housewives—answered their nation’s call. These “munitionettes” worked grueling shifts handling explosives with little protective gear. #2 - When We Had Wings is a WWII story from the Philippines.  In this sweeping story based on the true experiences of nurses dubbed the “Angels of Bataan,” three women shift in and out of each other’s lives through the darkest days of the war, buoyed by their unwavering friendship and distant dreams of liberation.  

#3 - Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet In 1986, Henry Lee joins a crowd outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle's Japantown. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has discovered the belongings of Japanese families who were sent to internment camps during World War II. As the owner displays and unfurls a Japanese parasol, Henry, a Chinese American, remembers a young Japanese American girl from his childhood in the 1940s—Keiko Okabe, with whom he forged a bond of friendship and innocent love that transcended the prejudices of their Old-World ancestors.   All three stories told of details that I was unaware of.  Fascinating!

Glamorous Illusions takes place in 1913 and is my current entertainment. It had a slow start, but I am glad that I stuck with it.  I have started joining my bookish journal quilt blocks together with some scrappy sashing strips... With an outer border it will be about 60" wide.


Whew... that was a lot!  I'll take my words/thoughts and bid you farewell.  But before you go was there anything that struck a chord with you?  

Have you had to reframe a thought or approach to a situation?
Was there anything in particular that you found helpful?

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

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework
Sunday Stash at QuiltPaintCreate
Happiness is Homemade at Duck in a Row
Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts
Monday Musings at Songbird Designs
Craftastic Monday at Sew Can Do
Handmade Monday at Sum of Their Stories
Senior Salon Pit Stop at Esme Salon
Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter
Creatively Crafty at Creatively Beth 
Share Your Style at French Ethereal
Put Your Foot Down at The Quiltery 
I Quilted This! at Quilting & Learning
Thankful Thursday at Brian's Home
Off The Wall Friday with Nina Marie
Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts
Create, Bake, Grow & Gather at Shabby Art Boutique
Home Matters at Modern on Monticello

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Sunday, October 18, 2026

A Grand Finish ~ Sew & Tell - 10/19/26


I felt like I was a vinyl record with a scratch that the needle can't move past... still quilting Lala... still quilting Lala... Still quilting Lala... 

And then on Friday I was F I N A L L Y able to say the quilting was done!  

I knew that the amount of fabric I had remaining for the binding was going to be close.  I had a few strips of 2-1/2 leftover from the patchwork blocks but not enough fabric for all of the binding.  I was able to work a little magic to make it all work out.  

Before I get into that magic let's take a look at this week's randomly selected Sew & Tell feature.


Viridian shared her R/W/B version of Limeade.  It is so close to being the size for a Quilt of Valor!  She finished the top and with a border it would be perfect.  Be sure to visit Viridian's blog if you are interested in the source of the pattern.

While thinking of QOV... I have the fall quilt retreat coming up and have plans to use the patriotic - R/W/B fabrics I picked up while thrifting in Illinois last month.  I need to pull a few more pieces and start cutting strips to curate my own jellyrolls from stash in preparation for it. 

Back to the magic of stretching the limited amount of fabric for binding into enough for Lala's Scrappy Irish Chain Quilt.  Using my two color (false flange) binding trick.

I recently tried a two color binding and was very pleased with the finished look...  It allows for the quick Back to Front AND a pop of color... Here's the step by step to help you out.  


Once you determine which two colors you are using for your binding and you decide which color is the "binding" and which is the "flange"... cut the binding color strip 1-1/2" wide (the white) and cut the flange color strip to 1-3/4" (the blue).  Sew strips together... press the seam to the 1-1/2" side of the binding unit.  

Press in half...


Sew binding to the back of the quilt with the narrow piece up (so that when you flip to the front the white is hidden in the binding.)

Ta-dah!  Magic!



















Now... If anyone has a magic trip to managing all the tails of thread... Let me know!  That's where I will be found... under Lala's quilt burying and trimming all of the starts and stop that I made during the quilting. ;)

The final step will be to have a photo shoot. I've got some fun ideas for this one... stay tuned.

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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