Lala, RSC & Books.... Oh My! ~ S&T - 9/7/26

The saying goes... "Don't pray for patience... for you will be given ample opportunity to practice it!"  

Waiting for... anything can be frustrating... I won't bore you with many details, but we were excited to see the workers for the HVAC system arrive Monday morning.  They and Dave worked all day getting ductwork in place.  It was a dirty, messy job in the crawlspace and I was certainly glad that I didn't need to be up there.  And the fact that there were 3 men in the space that in some areas is only 15-18" deep, I know it was cramped.  Though from what I heard through the living room floor, there was no grumbling or complaint!  Just three men working together sharing tools and equipment in order to get the ducts installed.  Whoop! Whoop!

After lunch the workspace was in the basement and a much more comfortable space.  By the end of the day, we had the furnace tested successfully!  

And then we waited... for 3 full days.  We have lives!  We had to pass on a social event/brunch to reunite with friends that were in town for a visit because we were afraid to miss the workers or ask them to wait for our return.

As we waited (impatiently) I was in the studio.  I have to ask you to be patient to see the fruits of my labor after the Sew & Tell feature...  

Jeanna at Slammin' the Screen Door joined the Sew & Tell party for the first time and shared her table runner.  "Freshly Picked is a project from a Fat Quarter Shop Sew Sampler Box. I was a subscriber many years ago. Most of the Sew Sampler projects that I knew I would never make were sold on a destash FB page a long time ago. I saved a few favorites for myself and charitable donations." 

Be sure to visit her blog to see details of the quilting and to learn a little about her!  I feel like I have a new friend! :)

Thanks for being patient. :D  Patience is a virtue, they say.  LOL!  Since work was actually being done on Monday, my plans to drive over the pass to Raton, NM for Aurifil thread were postponed.  Instead, I worked with my Rainbow Scrap Wonky Star blocks.  I put them up on the design wall and fiddled with them until I was happy with the flow of color and a sort of ombre look with most of the "negative" blocks at the outer edges.  

As I sewed the blocks together, I started considering a border.  I wanted something to reflect the patchwork blocks, but I wanted a light border so that the binding I have will stand out... This is what I ended up with!  I'm not sure if I want a striped binding or if I'll use the "other side" of the binding.  I don't need to make the decision now... TBD.  

Binding for the RSC Quilt!

I finally gave up waiting around and headed out Tuesday afternoon, leaving Dave in charge of the homefront, to get my thread.  I really, really needed to get quilting on Lala's Scrappy Irish Chain.  This week I will be offering the final step - the finishing step - of the quilt and a final family story.  There will be a linky party for those that wish to link up for a chance to win a little prize box.  Erin D. shared her finished quilt.  Isn't it lovely! 😍 I've seen some progress from others as well!

I will never tire of seeing how individuals choose to make their quilts so unique all while following the same patterns.  It's a little like sending the kids off to college to figure out who they really are. 💗

As I've been at my machine I have enjoyed several books... 

Finding Our Forever was an adoption story... the main character hired help to locate her birth mother.  She applies for a job at the ranch that her mother owns and falls in love... but will her secret ruin her future when she finally shares the secret with her fiancée and mother?  

The Women of Pearl Island was a fantasy type story set on a secluded island off the British coast.  It was described as a moving and evocative story of family secrets, natural wonders and a mystery spanning decades.  Not one of my favorite styles, but I did enjoy the historical setting.

My last book was Virgin River.  I enjoyed the series several years ago when we had Netflix so I knew that I would enjoy the book.  

It was easy listening entertainment (and familiar story) as I made the diagonal stair-step quilting across Lala's Quilt.  Will I be able to have the quilting done by the end of Wednesday so that I can share it in the final post of the sew along???  Fingers crossed!  You know where you can find me.  LOL!

Seventy-two books and 72 blocks... and nearly 4 months to go.  Does anyone want to guess how many I might end up with by the end of the year?  Should I start a pool? ;)

FINALLLLLLY!  The person certified in connecting the AC unit arrived on Friday!!!  We are fully operating and cooling but there is still a little more work to be done in exhausting the furnace to the chimney... and then getting the piles and piles of "stuff" put back in the proper places.  

I have several books in queue for the coming week... but only one task to be accomplished in the studio.  After mid-week, finished quilt or not, I'll be focused on getting ready for a road trip.  We haven't traveled since July!  It's been too long... and we are more than ready for it.

We will be headed to the Chicagoland area for Dave's 45th HS reunion.  We are allowing ourselves three days to get there, spend the weekend with his classmates and a few family members and then return with a couple stops along the way.  We changed our minds on making the trip to visit the Ark and Creation Museum and will make that on another trip.  We'll stop at Kansas City - Missouri or Kansas has not been determined - and then on to Little Jerusalem State Park in western Kansas.

Are there any stops we need to make along the way???

Do you know of any "must see" attractions?

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

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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Lala's Irish Chain - Week VIII

Week 8 of this sew along!

Are you ready for the border?  The original quilt was made with 4" wide strips.  

If you are a quilter that likes to have borders cut to a precise size that's great.  

I'll help you figure out the length of the borders you need.  Here's the quilt math lesson...

Each block is 10" finished.

Number of blocks in a row _____ x 10 equals ____ + 1/2". 

My quilt is 8 blocks wide, 8 rows long.  8x10 = 80+ 1/2"

I need two 4" strips for the side borders cut at 80-1/2" long.

The top & bottom borders calculation is as follows:

number of rows _____ x 10 equals _____ 

Add in width of border x2 (4x2=8) minus 1/2" (because there are two 1/4" seams) 

8x10= 80 + 8 equals 88 minus 1/2" = 87-1/2"

OR... You can be like me and forget about the precision of the exact measurements and make sure the border pieces are a little longer than the sides, sew it into place and call it good.

I have found that if your (scant) 1/4" seams are imperfect, you can cause the borders to be a little wavy if you force the length too much.  Watch a video here to hear my explanation...

It's family story time!  

June 11, 1943... Mr. & Mrs. W.D. Teegarden were featured in one of the local newspapers announcing their 50th anniversary with all of their children attending.

The Teegardens will preside over a family dinner at their home at noon today, and this afternoon will have open house during which their friends will call.

The open house will be under the direction of the Ladies Aid of the Christian Church, in which Mrs. Teegarden is a most active member.  She is always a member of the Rebekahs and the Royal Neighbors.  Mr. Teegarden is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America.

Many friends of the pioneer couple are expected to call and pay their respects this afternoon.

The article continued on with details of their marriage in Missouri in 1893 and their move west to Colorado in 1902 and W.D.'s employment with The Santa Fe Railway and their lovely flower garden. 

The reporter stated that "Variety is the theme in the Teegarden yard and included in the collection of plants is a big rose bush, the root of which came from the Teegarden farm home place in Missouri."

My descendants were not necessarily hoarders... they did keep articles, letters, cards and documents.  I am the current holder of such items and discovered, much to my surprise, photos from the celebration. This is W.D., Lala and their children.

I also found the guest book from the day's celebration along with some poems to commemorate the special day.

Gone are the days of "community news" being available to the public via the "social column" of local papers... a place where news of engagements, weddings and anniversaries, even birthday celebrations were shared so that others could share in the joy of the event even in not included on the guest lists.

This article, 17 years later, noted the 92nd birthday of W.D., with the author's memory of his visit to W.D.'s flower garden in 1940.

I guess social media now fills that role... though it is just not the same! LOL.  Even (many) newspapers have stopped printing their news and gone digital.  

In the collection of "important documents" I found the deed of trust and promissory note for their house at 800 Western Avenue, as well as the record of payments.  The loan was $1500 with 8% interest, signed on September 25, 1922... it was paid in full December 8, 1925.  This paperwork and assorted keys from the house are now in the hands of the current owner of the house. (Who happens to be our realtor whenever we have a need for one.) 

That was a deep rabbit hole!  Thanks for hanging with me.  I will let you go now... but, of course, I need to ask a question... ;)

Have you ever taken flowers, plants or even a tree from a previous residence or a "family farm"?

We have... we brought a collection of iris roots from the family farm in Illinois.  

Several years before we moved to Colorado I dug up all the different varieties and mailed them to my Mom & Dad.  Dad cared for them for a couple years until we were settled into our home.  Dad helped me to start several flower garden spaces.  The iris multiplied and became overgrown.  After thinning them and separating them they didn't do as well.  I still have a few, though between the drought and the deer munching on them, I had only 2 small flowers.

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:

Monday Musings at Songbird Designs

Handmade Monday at Sum of Their Stories

Thursday Favorite Things at Esme Salon

To Do Tuesday at Quilt Schmilt

Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter

Creatively Crafty at Creatively Beth & Artsy Fartsy

Share Your Style at French Ethereal

I Quilted This! at Quilting & Learning

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Little Lala ~ Sew & Tell - 8/31/26

We stand at the cusp on the end of another month!  The "ber" months are around the corner, and it seems that many in the northern hemisphere are ready for the change in the calendar and the change of the seasons... a new chapter of sorts.

Which brings to my mind my Bookish Journal Quilt.  While I've continued enjoying the audio books, the disruption in life had prevented me from spending much time in the studio... and the precious time spent there was focused on finishing my Little Lala Irish Chain Quilt.  But I'll hold those thoughts until after this week's randomly Sew & Tell feature...

Vicki at Vicki's Crafts and Quilting shared two scrappy finishes but this one in particular captured my attention.

The scrappy plaids in a non-traditionally sized block offset with the ivory background is very appealing to me.  

I get a masculine vibe as I look at it, and I imagine that it will have a very soft feel to it.

Some quilters may get hung up on the challenge of having the plaids appear perfectly straight and square... I, however, am not intimidated. ;)  It adds to the charm.  I have added this quilt design to my file of "to be made" quilts and already think that a flannel backing would be ideal!

It would be a good pattern for another jelly roll project. ;)  Be sure to stop over to see the other finish that Vicki shared. 

Life in the house with a basement in chaos... continued.  We had two guys show up on Tuesday and Wednesday for a few hours each day.  They were here "in between" jobs as they waited for parts to arrive for the other jobs.  

We have the condenser unit in place outside and the wiring ready to hook up.  The furnace is in place with the cold air return attached and one major trunk of the duct work in place.  We anticipate their return next week... though we have no idea when. :(  But when they do return it shouldn't take much longer to have the job completed.  Woohoo!

As I stated earlier, I finished my Little Lala Irish Chain Quilt and am so happy with it.  I am glad that I made it so that I could practice the quilting design on it.  The outlining of the patchwork was straight-line quilting, but without the walking foot.  I treated it as ruler work... without the ruler.  FMQ the short distances from corner to corner was easy.  Follow the link above to see the video that shows how I did it.

I did figure out that I should have quilted the outline of the setting squares first.  Not a major problem, but after examining Lala's original quilt, I saw that quilting of the patchwork blocks never touched the stitches of the setting squares.  I needed to do a little bit of removing stitches to achieve the same look as the original.  The latest post of the sew along can be found here... this week we are sewing the blocks together to assemble the top, ready for borders.

I am now ready to begin quilting my larger quilt when I get some Aurifil thread... I tried some others, but it just was not working out to.my satisfaction. :)  So, before starting that I thought I would catch up on the 9-patch blocks for the Booking Journal Quilt.

I listened to seven books throughout the month:

One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus

The Unselected Journals of Emm M. Lion by Beth Brower

The Star Garden by Nancy E. Turner

Sunflower Sisters by Martha Hall Kelly

Between Your Heart and Mine by Buck Turner

The Vengeance of Mothers by Jim Fergus

Finding Our Forever by Brenda Novak

I didn't offer a summary on all of them yet... Link provided for those I did summarize.

The Star Garden was the third of a series.  I've not read or listened to the previous two and don't feel as though I missed anything important to this book.  The diary entries of a pioneer woman tell of Sarah's story as she struggles to make a home in the Arizona Territory during the early 1900s.  I particularly enjoyed it because I am familiar with the location and the college campus in Tucson where Sarah was able to pursue a higher education.

Between Your Heart and Mine was a short romance of two people that loved, lost and then found love again.  I enjoyed the evidence of healing that occurred in the story.  I'm a hopeless romantic, what can I say? ;)  I would consider borrowing more books by Buck Turner.

The Vengeance of Mothers was the sequel to One Thousand White Women.  The story continued with a new group of women that arrived to be married to the Indians.  In all honesty, I didn't find it drawing my attention and I didn't make it all the way to the end of the story before my loan period was up... I had less than 90 minutes left.  I'll call it done anyway.

Finding Our Forever by Brenda Novak is a harlequin romance.  I've read two other books by her and enjoy her storylines that include adoptions in some manner or another.  I skip the Rated R sections... they really don't offer anything to the story.

Now that I'm "caught up" I can offer more attention to Lala's Irish Chain and the final stories to be included with the sew along.  I so deeply appreciate each one of you as you embrace the stories I share.  I feel like each of you could be an honorary member of the Teegarden family!  I've loved the questions and the interest in both the sew along AND the stories.  Thanks for the encouragement and support!

Encouragement is so easy to offer and give... It can be a simple smile, a quick phone call or text message or email to someone that has been on your mind or a hand-written note.  Snail mail is one of my favorite ways to receive encouragement.

When was the last time you received a meaningful piece of mail?

Have you mailed anything lately?

Goodness, the cost of postage is crazy, but I still like sending postcards and notes in the mail.

The most recent item I've had in the mail was a Roxanne thimble that was sent by a fellow quilter in a fb group.  She had been given a collection of fabric and notions that included the thimble.  It didn't fit her and she gave it away.  After a few questions, I thought it might fit me... turns out it did not.  However!!!! I discovered that Colonial Needle Company now manages the sales of these thimbles and offered free exchange for the proper fitting thimble. I received the new thimble and am just waiting to find the perfect project to hand-quilt and try it out!

That's all for now...

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:

Off The Wall Friday with Nina Marie

Brag About Your Beauties at From Bolt to Beauty

Thank Goodness It’s Finished Friday

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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Lala's Irish Chain - Week VII

It's week 7 of Lala's Scrappy Irish Chain Sew along!

I could very nearly hear that your machine was humming along last week.  Assembling the patchwork blocks was a big task!

I was beginning to question myself in making Lala's quilt so large... and then I remembered that it was supposed to be fun!!!  

I took a break and went for a walk and then had a popsicle because it was still hot the day I pieced all of them all a few weeks ago.  

I was refreshed and ready to go again after 30 minutes.

This week shouldn't require quite as much time at the machine.  This week's assignment is to layout the blocks and sew them together.

My design wall is not quite large enough to hold all of them, but I made do and improvised and enlisted some help from some pins.

I worked in 4 sections, labeling the position (upper/lower-R/L) and top rows.

This method allowed me to get the upper and lower right off the wall and removed my concern that the fan or AC would blow a few blocks off.  

I thought that I had meticulously paid attention to the cornerstone fabrics to ensure that two didn't end up diagonally to each other.  I was wrong...  I grumbled to myself and set on the guest bed... where Lala's quilt resides currently... and then I noticed it!  She had two cornerstones of the same fabric as well!

I'm in good company!  If it was good enough for Lala... it's good enough for me!  It stays. ;)

Story time!  When W.D. retired in 1939 he took up gardening.  From the article that appeared in a local paper in 1940 he said:

It all started 15 years ago with 25 tulips - the lovely flower garden that today brings so much joy, pleasure and health.

When Mr. Teegarden had stepped up to a clerk and bought those 25 tulip bulbs, he was a sick man; a man whose body was wracked by pain and whose outlook on life, at the moment wasn't very bright.

At that time, he was suffering from sciatica, which is plenty painful to say the least.  Treatments were giving him scant if any, relief.  He had been so afflicted for 18 months.

On the particular day he had been downtown for a treatment.  He felt his home lacked the beauty of flowers and by some unknown urge was attracted by the tulips, made the purchase.  

"When I got home," he relates, "I went out to set out the bulbs.  It was just about all I could do to get down on the ground and when I had finished setting them in the soil it was a painful job getting up and into the house.

My son suggested I accompany him on a trip into the country that afternoon.  I didn't want to go but was finally persuaded.  As we were returning home the pain that had wracked my body for more than a year suddenly left me.  It's never returned.

They tell me that getting down onto the ground, or in getting back up, I adjusted the nerve that had been giving me the trouble.  If I hadn't bought those tulips - well, I don't know if I'd be telling you any kind of story today."

From that start with tulip, Mr. Teegarden's flower patch expanded bit by bit.  Today it's a treat to view and inspect the array of blossoms and blooms of so many gorgeous colorings and variety.  He has made the utmost of his space.  His plants start blooming early in the spring and continue until frost, so diversified is his selections.

That's quite the green thumb!  I have never had that sort of passion for gardening.  Oh, sure... I enjoy a beautiful flower garden, but I am not willing to devote the time needed to achieve one.  I did, at one time, devote a great amount of time to a vegetable garden.  It was decades ago and it was easy with the rich black soil of the Midwest... I've bemoaned the difficult ground conditions in southern Colorado and short growing season of the area and never even tried. 

Short of a few herbs and hardy flowers that survive without my assistance, I am ok with leaving me with more time to quilt... Like Lala. ;)  You'll notice that she was not mentioned in the article. 

It's time to let you go work on your layout!  But before you go...

What is your favorite flower?

I love roses... the scent of them is intoxicating and transports me back in time to my childhood as I watched my Grandma T, as she would say, "get gussied up" and put on the tiniest bit of makeup... but wild roses capture my heart! 

Leave a comment 'cuz you know I want to hear from you. 

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:

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Twists & Turns ~ Sew & Tell - 8/24/26

This week had a super slow start... and then it took off like a tornado.  For this reason, I am extending grace to myself and skipping the weekly feature.  I just don't have the energy to put into it, and I certainly hope that you'll understand...

I started writing my thoughts for a post for later in the week on Monday... explaining that I was in the market for some new quilting rulers - 12-1/2" and 6-1/2"... and asking for personal recommendations.  I plan to use some of my credit from Connecting Threads for the purchase... therefore, my options are Omnigrid and Creative Grids.  What are your thoughts?  Leave a comment with your preference and why.  Thanks! 

The rest is explained by what I wrote on Wednesday as I sat with no power... the upgrade in power service is happening today (as I type on my phone). We are using the camper fridge and freezer as a backup as it operates on propane.

Taking advantage of the vacancy of food in the refrigerator I have cleaned it as it probably hasn't been cleaned in years!

What do I do next? I had a few eggs that were loose and difficult to store/move so I am cooking those up and when those are done, I will be making gf sourdough pancakes on the griddle on the grill.

Yesterday was a warm one and I am thankful that today is cooler. Especially since I can't have any fans to offer any relief.

The basement is in chaos. We have moved everything out of the way in preparation for the installation of a new furnace. We asked for 3 years to get a quote for a new HVAC system... they finally "worked us into their schedule" and now want to start next week. 😵‍💫

I'm feeling overwhelmed and keep reminding myself to take one day at a time and trust the Lord's timing. 

So, I soothe my emotions with creativity... my 100-day challenge as I cook.... since I can't quilt... as I enjoy the book Sunflower Sisters by Martha Hall Kelly. I enjoyed two other books by her and this one was just as good.

I selected fabrics for the 9-patch block that represent this book in my Bookish Journal Quilt. 

And it has only been 2 hours??? How much longer? What's next? Why not pull out a few cards for paper embroidery?  

The paper embroidery never happened... I went for a walk and then it was time to make lunch.  The power was back on by noon!  Whoop! Whoop!

As soon as the electrician was gone, we removed ductwork and drug the furnace out of the way until a friend could help to haul it out of the basement.  What a dirty, messy job!  The work continued on Thursday as we poured concrete in a small area of the basement... it was under the furnace and when we moved it out of the way we discovered raw dirt!  UGH... 

It was better that WE discovered it and were able to remedy the situation rather than the professionals.  The days all blurred together, and I won't bore you with more details of the entire thing but say that I am bone tired.  However, the hard labor on our part is DONE!  We are ready for the pros and hope to be pleasantly surprised to find that several thousand dollars were saved by our doing the demolition work when the final bill is delivered, in comparison to the quote we received. Praying for God's favor!

Thankfully, I was well prepared with Lala's Irish Chain steps, photos and stories!  If you're following along, you should be getting the patchwork blocks together. Of course, last week I made the suggestion of making a much smaller quilt such as a baby quilt and heard from many that they were going to join in!  I loved hearing that!  The breakdown of the number of pieces needed for each unit can be found here.

I did manage sometime early in the week to get my second Lala's Irish Chain quilt basted and partially quilted... all of the patchwork is outlined.  I'll have a video on Instagram at some point showing how I did it.

That's all I have the energy for... It is naptime!  As I was reminded at church this morning... so I will rest. 💗 Matthew 11:28-30 ~ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:

Scrap Happy Saturday at Super Scrappy

Patchwork & Quilts at The Quilting Patch 

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework

Sunday Stash at QuiltPaintCreate

Slow Stitching Sunday at Kathy’s Quilts

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

Home Matters at Days Filled with Joy

Handmade Monday at Sum of Their Stories

Senior Salon Pit Stop at Esme Salon

To Do Tuesday at Quilt Schmilt

Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter

Creatively Crafty at Creatively Beth

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Lala's Irish Chain - Week VI

Welcome back to week 6 of Lala's Scrappy Irish Chain Sew Along! 

We are chugging right along and on the downhill side of the steps.

This week, now that all of your 2-patch units are ready - one set with the background fabric and the second set with the main color - we will be making your 5x5 patchwork blocks.

Start out by adding one of the remaining main color squares to a scrappy/white two-patch unit.  You will need 32 units (or 28 if making the smaller quilt).  Press seam toward the middle square.

make 1 for each patchwork block you are making

Then layout as shown below... pressing the seams as indicated by the arrows.

Sew 4-patch units 1-4.  Add the final 2-patch unit to each row and to row 5.  Press seams in the direction that the arrows indicate so that seams nest for a crisp corner.

Sew the units together to form rows and press seams as indicated by the arrows...

Join the rows together.  The seam between rows 2 and 3 can be pressed either up or down.  Press the seam between rows 4 and 5 to the top of the block... again, so that the seams will nest together and make nice crisp corners.

This is a big step!  If possible... prep a no guilt:: go quilt recipe and hang out a do not disturb sign so that your family leaves you to the task. ;)

But before you go, I need to tell you the story of 800 Western Avenue and W.D.'s railroad pass...

As I told earlier, W.D. moved his family to Trinidad and he got a job with the Santa Fe Railroad in 1902.  He had the house at 800 Western Avenue built in 1922 after the death of his parents, Samuel (Dec 12, 1919) and Sarah (Jan 21, 1920), just 40 days apart.  W.D. used the money from his parents' estate in Missouri.  I'm told that they could have received more money but W.D.'s younger brother Jim contested the estate, so the lawyers got most of the money.

This house was built by Ed Stanton.  The electric wiring was done by Ralph Werden, Sr.  (my grandma's father) It had a front room, a dining room with built in China cabinet along one wall, windows on the north and east side, with French doors into the front room.  It was in the dining room where the quilt frame was always set up, along the east windows.  The kitchen had an old black cook stove until 1956.  There were three bedrooms, a bath and a basement.

When they moved into the house, since it was in the same block, they used a wheelbarrow and a 2-wheel truck from the Santa Fe Warehouse.  The piano was pushed down the street.

Along San Juan Avenue, W.D. had a row of pine trees with black walnut trees in between.  The black walnut trees came from the farm of Lala's dad, John Davis.  Lala would use the nuts in cakes.  Grandpa said that she made the best black walnut cakes.

Mom told me about when she and her brother, Forrie, were young, Grandpa would walk up the street to the old house with his hands behind him.  Forrie and I would walk behind him with our hands behind us.  He would tell us about the old house and then we would follow him back to the house, all of with our hands behind our backs.  He liked to tell us about the early days of Trinidad and about the floods.

Since W.D. worked for the SFRR, he got a pass for him and his family to ride the train for free.  They often traveled by train to visit family in Missouri.

One story Forrest (my grandpa) told... Mother (Lala) would take the train to Kansas City, Kansas and from there on to Arkansas.  He was about 5 years old and on the train from Kansas to Arkansas.  The seats were too narrow for him to lie down and sleep.  He talked about chiggers which were common in that area and had to be washed off with kerosene.  Also, mosquitos big enough to carry one away.

Forrest would visit his grandfather and grandmother Davis and lots and lots of relatives.  One family was the Dentons.  The children all went swimming in one of the creeks.  Forrest was about 11 years old on this trip.  The girls wore bib overalls.  He had a real, full swimming suit.  For this reason, they thought the Teegarden's were rich.  

W.D. worked for the Santa Fe Freight Office for 37 years.  He was retired longer than he worked.  

They also traveled by train to Arizona, California, Salt Lake City and to visit their son Don in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Because Forrest began traveling at a very young age and had the opportunity to visit many states.  He had a goal of being able to say that he had been to every state.  I don't think he made it before he passed away at age 90.  He traveled internationally as well. 

Well, that seems like a good place to pause and let you get to assembling your patchwork blocks.  But before you go... 

How many states of the US have you been to?

Layovers in airports don't really count... I've been to 28, and counting. :)

I'd love to hear from you!

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:

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Chain Gang II ~ Sew & Tell - 8/17/26

Welcome back to Melva Loves Scraps and the weekly Sew & Tell party! Another week has zipped on!  The old saying is that "time flies when you're having fun".  If that's the case, then I've been having a grand time! ;)

I'll fill you in on what I've been busy with after this week's Sew & Tell feature.  

Gail at Quilting Gail shared a summary.  She has been participating in a variety of BOMs and has shared the links for each of them.  In addition to those updates, she had finished her Tilt-a-Whirl quilt.  Make a visit over to her blog to see the variety of BOMs she shared.  

Did you know that back in 2018 Gail was one of the featured Quilters Through the Generations interviewees?  You can find that story here.

Quilters Through the Generations was a series that celebrated families of quilters... grandmothers, great-grandmothers, uncles, and cousins.  Not just my family but many others.  

I think that was the beginning of a real interest in my family's history and wanting to find a way to preserve the history and stories... a sort of foundation for what has become integral parts of my sew along events. 

The fact that others have joined me in my journey into the past and made quilts alongside me brings me great joy!  I have enjoyed seeing some progress of Lala's Chain gang - these belong to Melisa, Terry and Carolyn.  The choice of fabric colors and style fits each personality.  

We're 1/2 way through the sew along and honestly, I think you could still catch up if you want to join us!  As I assembled my quilt top I did it in sections and thought that this size, just four columns, four rows would be a great baby quilt.  It would finish, without borders, at 40" square.  It really could be done!  YOU can decide how big you want to make it... and going borderless is ok... and many vintage quilts did not have borders.  

Yes, I am going to make a second quilt... Looking at you, Alycia. LOL! ;) 🙈

Here's what you need to cut for each block:

Setting blocks...

1- 6-1/2" squares of background

4- 2-1/2" x 6-1/2" rectangles of background

4- 2-1/2" squares of assorted for cornerstones

Patchwork blocks...

4- 2-1/2" squares of background

9- 2-1/2" squares of main color

12- 2-1/2" squares of assorted for patchwork blocks

I have borders on my large top and ready to sandwich it.  That's been a whole thing of itself. *ugh* I had ordered fabric... I thought I was ordering flannel.  Turns out, it was not. :(  No fear... it will not go to waste.

So, I went my only local source for fabric... (walmart) and purchased several precut flannel pieces to use as the batting - I bought all they had.  It was not enough! 😢 After two attempts, I have accepted the fact that I am not supposed to be using flannel as the batting.  I'll be sticking with my fusible batting from Hobbs.  But I will wait for a few days to sandwich and start quilting it... I feel the strong NEED to make a small Lala's scrappy Irish Chain quilt. 

I have worked on editing several video clips about tips and suggestions that have been shared on social media.  You can catch them on instagram here.  

My 100 days of creating continues.  I pieced another scrappy wonky star in yellow and then put them on the design wall.  I have a small space for 3 purple blocks (will purple be next month?) and then I can join the blocks together.

I purchased some fabric in April in Moab (AGF binding fabric) that will be used on this quilt. You can see what it looks like here.  (scroll down toward the end) I think it is the perfect choice. ;)

I'll be chasing DrEAMI squirrels (drop everything and make it) in the studio as I piece a mini–Lala's Irish Chain and listen to more books.

Are you chasing any squirrels?

Will a small Lala's Irish Chain quilt be your squirrel?

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:

Scrap Happy Saturday at Super Scrappy

Patchwork & Quilts at The Quilting Patch 

Saturday Sparks at Pieced Pastimes

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework

Sunday Stash at QuiltPaintCreate

Slow Stitching Sunday at Kathy’s Quilts

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

Home Matters at Days Filled with Joy

Handmade Monday at Sum of Their Stories

Senior Salon Pit Stop at Esme Salon

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