Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Piecing Life Together

Life can get overwhelming... even in the midst of good times... yes, even the good times can be overwhelming.

That's where I have been lately.  Our 15 days of spring travels were wonderful... despite the news of the passing of our brother-in-law.  We had planned and prepared for the possibility of taking a "detour."  As it worked out, we were able to continue on with our trip as planned... Ron's celebration of life will be on the 26th.

I have so many details and stories (including the challenges we encountered) I want to share about the trip... I simply have not had the time (nor desire or creativity) to write them up.  For those that live vicariously through my stories... I am sincerely sorry.

We arrived home on the 16th... relaxed, yet somehow, not really rested.  There was no time for us to slowly resume our normal routines because we had only 7 days to prepare for our upcoming trip to Illinois to be with family.  

This meant that we could not dilly-dally in all that needed to be "caught up" with.  Mail, bills, laundry, household chores (inside and out)... grocery shopping and making plans for what was needed for our next road trip.  

In the midst of all that necessary "stuff" I was able to sneak into the studio for a few short sessions of piecing...


While on our spring travels I hand-pieced 4-patch units (below)...

while getting my friend's sewing machine set up, I pieced some 9-patch units (also below) and my RSC Korner Kabin blocks...

In between tackling the mountain of laundry from the 15-day trip, I added the 21-year-old Hawaiian squares, and a border.

I had misunderstood the color choice for the April Rainbow Scrap Challenge and that is why I was working with teal.  Oh well...  After reading a few other comments on Angela's post I do feel better knowing I was not the only one who did this.  ;)


Once the teal quilt was sandwiched and ready for quilting, (and now that I was back home with my stash and scraps) I pulled out a small assortment of red scraps. 

Since the Hawaiian squares have red flowers in them, they remained on the cutting table.  

I found an ample supply of cut-off HSTs that I made snowball blocks with and then chose to make log cabin blocks for the alternating blocks.  I've added a 1-inch neutral border with scrappy piano keys as a border with cornerstones from the tropical print.

We have a 17-ish hour drive (one way) to our destination and a plan to hand-quilt these two small quilts.  They have been marked, pinned and ready to go!  And so am I...

I've baked bread and muffins, made granola and have the various "travel foods" that I take along with us in cases like this.  I do have to say that at a lower altitude I have a much higher tolerance for foods I typically avoid.  It opens up opportunities to dine out without much physical discomfort and pain.  Though I do still notice it can still affect my sleep and emotions.  

It is interesting how colors can also affect your mood... As I scrolled through pictures to insert into this story, the teal quilt brought me a sense of calm, while the red quilt (as vibrant and cheerful as it is) made me feel tense.  Maybe energized is a better word???

Could it be because the teal quilt reminds me of the relaxing time we had on our trip? And the red quilt was made in a time of frenzy and busy-ness?    Or maybe I'm the only one that experiences this...

What are your thoughts?

I'll be back with the Sew & Tell party and share the progress of my hand-quilting and probably a bunch of pictures of family.  I need to continue packing...

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:
m

Sunday, April 20, 2025

Sew & Tell ~ Easter - 4/21/25

While we are home, it is Resurrection Sunday... I'll open the party link without much fanfare.


The cross is empty... so is the tomb!
He is risen! 
He is risen indeed!

I'll get back to writing and sharing things of my quilty world soon!

Keep Piecing,

Melva




Thursday, April 17, 2025

Patchwork of Love ~ TGIFF Party


I am happy to be here as hostess for this week's TGIFF party.


The quilt I am sharing today is a bit bitter-sweet... I always love the joyous opportunity to choose a pattern for a quilt to celebrate a marriage.  Our niece announced her engagement on March 6th... she and her boyfriend of almost 6 years were wed just 10 days later.  

The reason for the rushed wedding was that the Bride's father was near the end of his life and 4-year battle with cancer.  One of the things he had stated that he was particularly sad about missing out on was the opportunity to walk their youngest daughter down the aisle.  

It was a frigid and snowy wedding day, but it was a beautiful day at the family home as the immediate families celebrated Bonnie & Andrew.


 


 
And now... without further delay!  Here is the Patchwork of Love...





You can see (mostly) the variety of quilting that I included in this quilt... FMQ feathers, twisted ribbons, crosshatch stitching and stippling.


We will be delivering this quilt next week when we join the family to celebrate the life of Bonnie's Dad.

On a bit of a happier note... Friday is my 60th birthday!  🥳🎉 I am celebrating with all of you by giving away a collection of vintage wooden spools.  For a chance to win, simply leave a comment... making sure that I have a way to reach you (anonymous comments need to include an email address).  US mailing address required. 

It is time to party!  I hope that you enjoy the celebration.

Keep piecing,

Melva





Sunday, April 13, 2025

Sew & Tell ~ April 14, 2025

 



I'm still off galivanting around... we've had a few challenges along the way, but we are still enjoying our time exploring together ❤️ 

We finally made it to our destination and thought our time was going to be cut short due to a death in the family. Turns out the service will not take place until after Easter.  While saddened to hear the news of our brother-in-law's passing, he had fought a long battle with cancer (3 years), and he is now pain free.  It is a little unfair that we are left here grieving the absence of his presence... but, we meet again, dear brother.

We have continued our adventures...  I'll pick up where I left off.















It's been fun... but it is time to head home. I'll catch up with everyone soon.

Keep piecing,

Melva







Sunday, April 6, 2025

Memories Being Made... Sew & Tell ~ April 7, 2024

 




We are on the road...

You'll need to party unsupervised. But I know that everyone will mingle nicely while I am otherwise occupied. 


Here's a small glimpse into what we have done...









Keep Piecing,

Melva








Sunday, March 30, 2025

Patchwork of Love Progress~ Sew & Tell - March 31, 2024


We are on the verge of turning the calendar pages to a new month and send March off with its marching orders. Most of us have watched the seasons begin to turn from winter to spring (in the northern hemisphere)... flowers are beginning to stretch their arms up out of the ground, trees are budding (and my allergies are well aware of that!), grass is greening, birds are singing, and the bees are buzzing.  Our large maple in our front yard is filled with small buds that the bees LOVE!  You can hear them from the front steps!

Yes, spring is in the air.  Spring is often associated with love... which brings me to the wedding quilt... Patchwork of Love.

I am nearly done!



When I selected the thread color, I knew I would be short for getting the entire quilt complete (top thread)... I was okay with that, so I planned for a color change with the completion of each section.  First up were the FMQ feathers in the shape of two hearts, outlined by twisted ribbons.  Not a worry in the world!  I then filled the center of the hearts with the crosshatch stitching.  I then quilted a twisted ribbon to outline the big heart... The next step of filling the space between the ribbons was where I probably should have changed the thread...

BUT, I didn't.  I realized Saturday morning, about 1/2 done with the crosshatch stitching, that I would likely run out... my back-up plan was to change to a lighter version of the yellow-green thread, if I needed to.  As I began stitching the crosshatch grid, I whispered a prayer...

"Lord, like you provided oil for the widow, may this small amount of thread be enough to finish this section of quilting." (2 Kings, chapter 4)

I also recalled the miracle of Hanukkah and the small amount of oil that was enough for just 1 night, lasting 8 for the Festival of Lights.

YES! I DO believe in miracles.  YES! I DO believe that God does quilting... and that what I do matters.  It may not matter to the great big picture in the world and bring world peace... but it DOES matter to my small corner.  


I needed this little message from Him... I've been feeling a little dry and uninspired.  This very little amount of top thread (lower right corner) is all that remains after completing ALL of the quilting between the twisted ribbons.

Stippling on the outside of the large, twisted ribbon heart will help to set it off.  And as you can see from the big photo above, I have one corner section remaining.  I have a scrappy binding prepared and ready to sew on. I am soooo close!

On to this week's Sew & Tell feature - Kim at the Purring Cottage. :)  Kim has struggled with time and inspiration to do much blogging but shared several hand-stitching projects.  Her mug wall hanging is a cheerful piece that is sure to brighten whatever space it may reside.  She also shared that she recently had attended an herbal tea tasting and made a notebook to use for her blends and to jot ideas for her tea names.   Since I am a tea lover myself, I thought her idea was clever and useful.  Head over to her blog to see what will provide the inspiration for the naming her tea blends.

Alrighty, then... time to get this week's party started!

Before you go... 

Tell me what you might use as inspiration for naming a tea (or coffee) blend/flavor

I'd love to hear from you!

I've recently discovered Sip Herbals which is the herbal coffee alternative of 100% chicory root, carob, and dandelion root to keep the coffee feels, without the flaws. No Caffeine. No Gluten. Probiotics to help with digestion.  They have a wide variety of flavors available in sample packs and offer discounts on a regular basis.  This is not a sponsored anything... just a recommendation and something I enjoy in the afternoon.

Keep Piecing!

Melva

Linking with:

m


Friday, March 28, 2025

#RSC March Finishes

Technically, there are still a few days left of the month, but I am putting the yellow scrap bin away so that I can focus on quilting the Patchwork of Love wedding quilt.  The bin is much emptier than when I started... as it should be!  Here's what I accomplished in March!

Sunflower table runner and placemats...


A Sun-shiney yellow and 21-year-old Hawaiian fabric squares that I played with improv piecing from the scrap bin...  



I created rays of sunshine in the quilting, used some tropical print in the pieced backing and finished it with a scrappy yellow binding... and a fun little tag that says "Sew all the things" in the format of an eye chart. ;)

It seems appropriate since Mom has been asked to read such charts many times this month.  LOL.

The next RSC finish is what I call "Mirage".  

I was going for a sort of star layout created by the neutral HST in the string pieced blocks, but it all just sorta blurred together... 



I finished it off with a neutral border, a pieced flannel backing (made with receiving blankets that my daughter had purchased for creating baby quilts back when she actually had time) and scrappy binding and another fun tag - this one says "I stinkin' love you."  

The wedding quilt has a fair amount of yellow included in it as well... but I'll leave that for my Sew & Tell party reveal on Monday.  Will you be attending my party?  I'd love to have you join me!  

I, for one, am awaiting the reveal of the color for April so that I can get some fabric sorted and plan for some hand sewing projects... we'll be on the road.  Yes!  We will soon be taking off... but first I need to get our Camping Journal quilt off of the display wall at the local library.

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:

m