Monday Morning Sew & Tell - August 8, 2022

Good morning! And welcome to this week's Sew & Tell... a chance to show off the progress you made on a project over the weekend.

Last week Jocelyn shared a finish, perhaps a UFO, since it was labeled Dirty Dozen #10.  It is a scrappy project and featured fabric with some Frozen characters.  I, personally, love Olaf. ⛄

We thoroughly enjoyed our time camping.  Our friends, however, were unable to make it.  They had a family situation that kept them from joining us.  Alas, we will do it another time!

We were near Rye, Colorado.  It is a tiny little community near Lake Isabel in the National Forest and Bishop Castle. The campground was a little snug... so much so that we were able to watch the movie our neighbors were enjoying outside their camper!  There were a number of sites vacant in the area we were staying and thought it was ridiculous that they would have needed to "cancel" our reservations (with a fee) and make new reservations.  We stayed put... but still.  Never mind that most of the vacant sites were vacant for the entire time we were there. 🙍

There weren't any trails to hike that left directly from the campground, but we did venture down to Lake Isabel and walked all the way around the lake.  It was interesting... the signage indicated that a handicapped accessible path was available all the way around.  We would beg to differ... not that we needed it but imagine how frustrating it would be to someone really needing it only to discover it was not the case.

We enjoyed the spacious camper.  It rained for much of that afternoon, and we were pleased to discover that the rain sound was not nearly as noisy in the fifth-wheel as it was in the truck camper.  

We enjoyed the down time as we both spent time reading, Dave played his guitar, and I sewed two blocks for the camping journal quilt.  Both of these blocks will represent our July camping trip.

The view as we approached the campground

I don't think I told you this story from that trip... We were sitting there one evening and a young couple came by, looking hesitant about whether or not they were "allowed" to walk up into the equestrian camping area that we were staying in.  Dave assured them that it was ok and that the view of the valley was really worth the short walk.

They continued walking and then suddenly the young lady came rushing back, out of breath and clearly shaken up.    He soon followed behind her (with their dog on leash) and told us that they had seen a bear cross the road in front of them.  So... I made a bear block with an orange sunset.  We were there three nights and I need to work on the last one. :)  It will be an applique block with a truck and camper to represent our last trip (probably) with that camper. 

Back to this trip... After our neighbor's movie was over, we slept well.  We were not disturbed by the overnight visitors that were checking out the nearby dumpsters.  Thankfully, they had been properly latched and they moved on.  The only evidence of them being present were the fresh tracks in the soft dirt.

Guess what sort of block I will make for these?  If you guessed Bear Paw blocks, you are correct!

We made a visit to the castle just up the road - Bishop Castle.  It has been a work in progress for a long, long time (50ish years?).  The owner has battled the government for years... yet people still stop by to see this unique attraction.

The afternoon was another lazy one as we enjoyed the outdoors... again, reading, sewing, playing guitar and singing. :)  Life is good!

Now that we are home and feeling more confident and at peace with the purchase of the camper and all the work we put into it getting it ready, we are ready to return to our regularly scheduled routine.

This week I will be working on a few items...

❧ The first will be my August One Month Goal quilt.  It is a Baby's First Year quilt for our grand-daughter, Hanna

❧ The other item I'll be focused on is a Memory Bear.  A friend of mine has asked that I make several from some pieces of clothing that had belonged to her Mom.  

I thought I had a pattern... In fact, I KNOW I had a pattern because I have made one before, but, for whatever reason, I am unable to find it now.  

What did you do over the weekend?  

Leave a comment telling me what you have been working on... or a link to your blog (even an instagram or facebook link will work!).  I'd love to hear from you. 

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

This & That at Days Filled with Joy

To Do Tuesday at Texas Quilt Gal

Mid-week Makers at Quilt Fabrication

Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter

Stitch Sew & Show at Life in the Scrap Patch

August One Month Goal

Just a really quick stop in to share what my August One Month Goal is...

It will be a Baby's First Year quilt for our grand-daughter, Hanna.  It will contain all of the monthly outfits and various holiday outfits she wore as she watched, learned, grew and changed as the pages of the calendar were turned.

From the shirt she wore home from the hospital to the special little outfit she wore for her first party... and everything in between.  Heather also gave me two blankets with her name on it. She used the pink one as the background for the monthly photos.  One I will use as sashing strips, the other will be incorporated into the backing.

Her birthday was in April, so I am excited to finally get started!

I love that she made sure she photographed each one of the girls throughout their first year with the special monthly shirts allowing me to make a special quilt for them.  And big sister, Emma, made sure she reminded Heather that they (and the holiday outfits) needed to be saved.  Thanks for the help Emma! 

I, personally, did save a few very special pieces of clothing and some blankets, from our children, but nothing like this. :)  I'm glad to have the opportunity to make this special memory quilt for Hanna Heather.  Haha!  

Like so many of the HS graduation quilts I have made, the Mom's have loved the quilts as much as the grad.

Did you hold onto any special items from your children?

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

Keep Piecing!

Melva

Linking with:

One Month Goal at Elm Street Quilts

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework

Sunday Stash at QuiltPaintCreate

Teatime with TT and Rebecca

Welcome to another Teatime with TT... Tressie Teegarden.  Fix yourself a cup of tea and come sit with us!  There is a special discount code for a 15% discount purchase from Cornerstone Tea who is partnering with me for the Pieces in the Garden Sew Along.  The code will be at the bottom of this post.

Rebecca is joining us today.  She is our youngest daughter and the great-granddaughter of TT.  When I asked her what memories first come to mind when she thinks of Grandma T. she shared this...

Her favorite color was yellow.  She let everyone know this when she saw anything in ANY shade of yellow by saying... "Oooh, it's yellow.  That's my favorite color you know."

Rebecca is not exaggerating this.  It didn't matter if it was a single yellow flower, a field of sunflowers, or an envelope.  She didn't meet a shade of yellow that wasn't a favorite!  Fall in Colorado was a favorite season for her because of the foliage in the area... rabbit brush can be prevalent in the area, as well as wild sunflowers.  And let's not forget the groves of aspen trees in the higher country and the cottonwood trees that grow along the Purgatoire River and area creeks.

The other thing that I remember are our "Tuesdays with Grandma."

After moving Grandma to Trinidad following the death of Grandpa, it was the first time in her life that she lived alone.  She had lived at home with her parents and younger siblings until she was married, and then she and Grandpa were together for 67 years.  

TT wasn't one to enjoy cooking much, and as she aged, she may have been known to pop in a few frozen biscuits, bake them off and have two biscuits with some marmalade or jam for dinner.  My Mom became concerned after figuring out that this happened several times a week.  

To help alleviate her burden of responsibility of making certain TT was eating at least one proper meal during the day, we helped out twice a week.  She was promptly signed up for Meals on Wheels and our family would join her on Tuesday evening.  I would prepare a casserole and take it over to her house where the five of us would sit down together.  We managed all of the clean up as well.  All she had to do was sit down.  

TT always enjoyed the company and hearing about the girls' days at school and what their evening activity would be that night.  Following dinner, the girls would head off to their Girl Scout meeting.  On this particular evening we were dressed for a Halloween Party. 👻

Dave and I would pick up lunch and have a short visit with her during Dave's lunch hour on Thursdays.

I remember going to Arizona to visit them a couple times as well and all the fragile items we had to pack when we moved her to Colorado. 

We would travel to visit them when the girls were on either Christmas break or Spring break.  One particular trip was in December 1999.  Both Grandma & Grandpa had fallen ill so we went with my parents with the intention of caring for them until they were well again.  Grandpa refused to go to the doctor and Grandma had a third degree burn on her arm from where she spilled hot milk that she had prepared for Grandpa.  Her sodium levels were dangerously low and she was hallucinating.  While in the ER she saw angels painting on the ceiling.  She went on to explain that they were using a new painting process.

It was evident that they needed someone to stay and care for them longer than we could handle with jobs and the girls still in school, Mom stayed behind.  We drove back to Colorado.

When we were packing to move Tressie to her new home in Trinidad, CO, there seemed to be so many boxes that needed to be marked "FRAGILE", we began marking the other boxes NOT fragile.  LOL!  Kelvin shared more details of that move...

I know we went to the zoo and the campus of the University of Arizona...as well as the library and went looking for the ice cream truck. They had chalk and we would do hopscotch. They had a citrus fruit tree in the yard, but I don't remember if it was oranges or something else.

It was an orange tree in the neighbor's yard that was over hanging the wall.  They were so tasty!  

Pictures from our 1992 album... Either her memory is really good to recall something from when she was just 2-1/2 years old, or she remembers seeing these pictures.  Of course, many of these activities were regular activities that we did when we visited Tucson...  

Thanks for joining us today.  If you need the Spool pattern, you can head over to my Payhip store for the free pattern.  You will need to make 12 blocks to make a complete row. They are very easy to piece and only require 6 different components in each block.  Easy Peasy!  What are you waiting for???

Get your blocks sewn up and come back to link up a photo for the chance to win a fabulous prize package from Cornerstone Tea Co.  This month Stephanie is offering a 15% discount if you place an order and use TRADITIONS as your discount code.  Valid through August 17th.

One of my earliest memories is from when I was 4 years old...  it is of a time of sitting on a porch with the Dad of one of my first childhood friends and having a conversation with him.  Sweet memories...

What is your earliest memory?  

How old were you?

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

Keep Piecing!

Melva

Linking with:

Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter

Stitch Sew & Show at Life in the Scrap Patch

Off The Wall Friday with Nina Marie

Peacock Party at Wendy’s Quilts and More

Friday Foto Fun at Powered by Quilting

Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts

Scrap Happy Saturday at Super Scrappy

Patchwork & Quilts at The Quilting Patch

Sew & Tell - August 1, 2022

 

Another week has passed by and here we are in August!  The summer has zipped by in a flash so fast I can barely believe it!  Children will be returning to school soon which means all of the school supplies are on sale. 

Dave and I have been wanting to purchase some items to fill a shoe box for Operation Christmas Child and now seems like a good time to pick up many of the times we want to include.

One of those items is a set of colored pencils.  And if you have a set of colored pencils, what better way to keep them all wrangled than a pencil roll??  My rolls are loosely based on a tutorial from 2015 by Ellen Russell Create in the Chaos.

As I sharpened some of the pencils from a leftover pencil box from our daughters' school days, I recalled the pencil boxes from my school days.  You may remember them as well... they were similar to cigar boxes.  Which turned my attention to the small box I mentioned last week.  It has a magnetic closure and is the perfect size for a portable sewing box. 

I pulled out a tiny altoid  mint tin that I acquired when I inherited someone's collection of sewing notions and fabrics. It was full of old, dull pins. I pitched them and used a selvage edge of an assorted quilting label panel to cover it. The tiny ricrac was from another person's collection of notions and trims and was perfect for the edge of the lid.  I glued a small magnet in the bottom of the tin so that if it happens to get tipped the pins will remain in the tin. 

The box contains all I need, including the English paper pieced Fiona Sandwich Postcard block patterns that I have been using our Camping Journal Quilt.

I'll be adding a few more blocks to the quilt to record our recent trips in July.  It will include a block for our trip to South Dakota to purchase the new camp trailer.  Vicki from Vicki's Crafts and Quilts requested a tour of the unit.  So here you go!

View from the outside

Standing just inside the door looking to the left (the rear of the trailer)
The freezer alone is larger than the fridge/freezer of the truck camper

This "window seat" is one of my favorite features!
I think I will enjoy lots of quiet morning times in this location

The sleeping area.  
We will probably remove (or move) the door on the small closet area
to the left of the foot of the bed.
We turned the mattress so that one or the other of wouldn't have to crawl over the other

The restroom (window seat to the left)

A "coat closet" next to the door for easy access of a jacket as you go out

The dining area

The view from the window seat

Shelby is quite content with her new camper and looks forward 
to more camping trips with us

I hope that you enjoyed the tour.  Thanks for asking Vicki!  😍

Last week Nancy at Grace & Peace Quilting brought the purple string blocks for her 2022 Rainbow Scrap Quilt to Sew & Tell.  She has done a fabulous job with them!

My to-do list this week will be short since we are going camping with friends... 

❧  I'll be busy getting some writing done before we take off.  There will be should be a new Teatime with TT on Thursday.  Have you been making your spool blocks?  You have until August 17th to get them done and linked for the chance to win one of the amazing prize packages that Stephanie at Cornerstone Tea Company puts together.  

I just placed an order and am taking advantage of 15% off my order by using the discount code that can be found over on the post.  Go check out her store and do the same!

We have had a pleasant reprieve from the hot temperatures for the past week and it has been so welcome!  I'm fairly certain that the heat will return for another stretch... Afterall, that is what August is all about!  

That's all for now!  But before you leave...

Tell me what the weather has been like where you live.

I'd love to hear from you.

Keep piecing,

Melva

Linking with: 

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

This & That at Days Filled with Joy

To Do Tuesday at Texas Quilt Gal

Made in the Shade

It's Friday and I have a Friday Finish!  Woohoo!  This week I successfully completed the second roman shade for the sleeping area of our camper.  😁  

They are both in place so the quilt on the bed will be well protected from the sun.

The hitch has been installed in the bed of our truck and we are in the final stages of "moving in."  We will be making the big shift of items from the truck camper into the fifth-wheel and settling in to make it our "little home away from home" this weekend.

I'm certain I will have a few things that I'll want to share with you in the Monday Morning Sew & Tell.  If you take a peek at Thursday's Thoughts & Thanks you will get a hint of what they might be. 

Any Guesses???  Leave a comment below.

So, for now... 

Piece Out,

Melva

Linking with:

Off The Wall Friday with Nina Marie

Brag About Your Beauties at From Bolt to Beauty

Peacock Party at Wendy’s Quilts and More

Friday Foto Fun at Powered by Quilting

Thank Goodness It’s Finished Friday

Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts

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

Free-Motion Mavericks at Quilting & Learning

Thursday Thoughts & Thanks

Sometimes you come across something on the web that you simply fall in love with.   Recently, as I scrolled through social media, I saw a picture of an adorable portable sewing case...

Now, how cute is this?!?  

I followed the link that took me to Quilting Digest and from there I found the original post from 2011 by Vanessa from A Place to Roost with a complete how-to to make one of you own.  

While this is so adorable, I think that is a little larger than what my practical use calls for.  Though there are a variety of options for a sewing case shown in the Quilting Digest story... Picnic baskets, vintage train cases and beauty cases and such.

I have held onto a small box with a magnetic closure on it for nearly two years and keep thinking "I'll decorate it up and make a cute little box."  But for what???  

(Please tell me that I am not the only one that holds onto such things because they are just too nice to toss. LOL!)

Suddenly, it was like a lightbulb turned on!  Would it be a stretch to say it was Divinely Inspired?  Whatever the case may be... I am thankful for little things and creative ideas. 

As it turns out... it is the perfect size for a portable sewing case!  My small cutting mat (backed with a magnetic sheet to hold needles, pins and my small scissors as I am using them) is tucked in perfectly at the bottom of the box. Along with all of the other necessities including my thimbles, thread and seam ripper.

Now I just need to decide how to cover the lid... Maybe a cute, vintage looking postcard with a fun saying.  Watch for a finish!

As I have been cleaning our new-to-us camper I have been thinking of all the things we need to transfer over out of the truck camper.  I have also been giving great thought to all the extra room and have decided that I will be able to leave a couple morning devotionals, one of my quilt-y covered sketch/notebooks and some colored pencils.  (I will need to make a pencil roll to contain them all - maybe several to donate for Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes.)  I wonder if I can set aside enough time to whip one up before next Tuesday when we take off for the maiden voyage of our camper.

Other things that I'm offering up thanks for this week...

The opportunity to meet up IN PERSON with Tim and Caroline Bailey.  I shared about them in March when I finished the Orphan No More Quilt and again when they passed on the story of the miraculous journey of a child's lovey blanket from Ukraine to Romania. Tim & Caroline and three of their children made it to the US together for the first time in 8 years... B.C. (before children). 

We enjoyed an evening meal, conversation, laughter and memories as Dave and I enjoyed watching their children playing with the very same toys our grands enjoy.  They made themselves right at home... and we LOVED it!  We heard about the challenges they face in assisting the Ukranian refugees (communication barriers) as well as getting food and medical supplies into Ukraine to help those still in Kiev.  And we told them of our Spiritual journey over the past several years.

It was as though 8 years apart never happened... yet SO much has happened!  

I'm thankful for some very special girlfriends and the chance for us to meet for lunch.  There are 5 of us that try to get together several times a year.  Sue and I live the greatest distance apart - 200 miles - and the rest of them all live somewhere in between.  We choose a middle location and have a meal.  And that is exactly what we will be doing today!  I missed out on our last get together so I am super excited to be seeing everyone today. 💗

And fitting in with LeeAnna's weekly theme - Summer Uniform - I am thankful that I am able to wear shorts and tanks most days to stay cool.  If it is a day that I need to run errands in town I may put on a dressier t-shirt, and maybe capri pants.  But since I have been suffering with an occasional "personal heatwave", I find that the sleeveless variety keeps me from having quite so many. 😉  I mentioned a few weeks ago, for safety reasons, I wear socks & shoes while in my studio.

What's your summer attire?  

What do you do to keep cool and comfortable?

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

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:

I Like Thursday at Not Afraid of Color

Lost To Do Lists

Since we have been cleaning and working on the new camper, to-do lists have been floating around...  Dave had started a few with things to order and fix/do.  A new awning is on its way, as are all the necessary items for installing a fifth-wheel hitch in the bed of our truck.

I had a list of miscellaneous items to purchase locally, or order on-line if we couldn't find what we needed in town.  I kept track of my list...  While running errands a few days ago he asked me for his list.  I handed him what I had only for him to discover that neither were his list.  He looked high and low for it... in the house, in the camper, in his shop.  It was not found.

He made a second list.  I saw him do it.  The next day he could not find it... AGAIN!  And again, he looked in the house, in the camper and his shop...  Nevertheless, he is confident that all of the "fixes" are done, and he just needs for a few items to be delivered so that we can actually pull the camper with OUR truck. 

If only the delivery of said items were as speedy as Wile E. Coyote...  Haha!

I shared on Sew & Tell the first of the new roman shades window coverings I am making.  The one shown below was temporarily taped into place for a photo.  

❧  I need to finish doing some hand-sewing on it and I have one more in the sleeping area to get done... this week.  (BTW, head over there now to share with us the progress of whatever project you are working on!)

The double flying geese border at the bottom of the shade has become one of my all-time favorites to make.  It is just so fun reaching into the scrap bin and seeing what comes out!

Dave wasn't completely convinced that he liked the shiney-ness shimmer of the fabric.  I just said "Trust me."  He has changed his mind with the quilting and the pieced border. :)  He may have even said "They're perfect for our camper!"

Now... If only we could locate one of his lost lists so that he could have peace of mind to know that all tasks were completed.  Several years ago I had shared on fb that I lost three items... a friend replied to my statement telling me to pray to St. Anothony, the saint of the lost.  She had a little rhyme... "Tony, Tony, look around, something's lost and must be found."  I giggled, thinking "That is just ridiculous."

But you know what???  I found two of the three items before the end of the day and recalled that I had thrown away the third!  NOW, when I have looked everywhere I can think to look for whatever it is that I misplaced or lost... Yep!  You know it... I call on a little hope from Tony.  

Just a few weeks ago while camping with our friends they dropped a small keeper thing that went on a pair of binoculars.  As we all searched the ground in the area that it was lost, I told them about St. Anthony and the poem.  They also laughed... but guess what they found when they were done laughing about it?!?  Haha!

Maybe Dave just needs to ask Tony for some help!  😂😆😂

Have you ever heard this poem?  

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

Keep Piecing!

Melva

Linking with:

To Do Tuesday at Texas Quilt Gal

Mid-week Makers at Quilt Fabrication

Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter

Put Your Foot Down at For the Love of Geese

Needle & Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation