Studio Hop

Recently a picture of a sewing studio/space showed up in my facebook memories...

A brief "conversation" had taken place with a couple friends about the reality (or lack there of) of why it was not an "real" sewing space or staged by a non-sewer.  The chair was too short, the fan placement would never work there, etc.  

This got my mind going.  And then I thought, "How do other quilters have their studio or sewing space set up?"   "What works for them?"

I used to receive by a gifted subscription American Patchwork & Quilting. They would occasionally feature the studios of various quilters and share some of their storage and layout ideas.... I then came up with the idea that that I should add a tab to my my blog page so that others could see my "happy place".  

So THEN I thought...

Why not have a "linky" party?

And let others join in on the fun of sharing some of their unique storage ideas, design wall suggestions or personal favorites for whatever!

So Here we are!  The "linky" will be open Sunday, August 28th (6 a.m. Mountain Time) through September 3 (Midnight, Mountain Time).

Oh, and be sure to stop by for a tour of my Studio and make sure that you stop by everyone else's too.  Invite your friends to join in as well!  You know what they say, "The more the merrier."

Happy Hopping!

Melva

An InLinkz Link-up

Five Things Friday - #3

It is time for Five Things Friday!  An opportunity to look back over the week and share just five things that made me smile and feel joy and happiness!



A long bike ride with my guy! Actually, several this week... As a late anniversary gift to each other we purchased a couple bikes and helmets (safety first!) and have started enjoying the trails at Trinidad Lake














Giggles and wagon rides!

Patches of sunshine... And naps!

With the temperatures being a little cooler, there is no doubt that fall is just around the corner.  I have been taking advantage of the cooler weather and there is just nothing that beats the smell of fresh baked bread and cookies.... well, maybe the taste of fresh baked goodies. Mmm Mmm!









And finally, this block pattern - Gertie Goat - has been laying around on my cutting table for months and while I should have been working on items to sell at the Farmer's Market on September 3, I chose to work on this.  It reminds me of our friends with the Lazy J Goat Farm and the goat with a patchwork of colors marking her face that was named for me!














Life can get pretty busy... Life can get pretty crazy...  Life can get you down sometimes.  But I have found that in purposefully looking for the good things, those things that make you smile, you slow down a little and enjoy the moments. I challenge you... look for just five things - that's all, five things - that make you smile.  I'd be willing to bet that you will discover many more than five and find it difficult to narrow them down to the top five!  I'd love to hear what they are... just leave a comment below.  And then stop and visit Amanda at Gypsy Moon Quilt Co. to see what she smiled about. :)


Happy Weekend!

PS - Be sure to come back on Sunday.  I will be holding a "Linky Party" that offers others an opportunity to share photos of their Studio/Sewing Space.  You can see mine by clicking on the new tab at the top of my page or by going here. You can upload your links until September 3.  Be sure to join in on the fun!

Melva

Stop by Quilter Blogs to see what other quilters are doing.

Five Things Friday - #2

It is "Five Things Friday" again, which means that another week has passed by!  I cannot believe it is mid-August already and fall is just around the corner.

#1)  Getting a phone call at 8 a.m. and hearing from the other end "Hi Gamma!"

#2)  Taking the dog for a walk and swim at the park.

#3)  The e-mail announcing that I had a block accepted into Quiltmaker's 100 Block, volume 14 - I've Been Accepted!

#4)  My crockpot and the ability to have tasty, healthy meals without having to spend hours in the kitchen.

#5)  Need I say more???  A little piece of heaven...

So, what makes you happy?  Share in the comments below and head over to Gypsy Moon Quilt Co. to see what happy moments others had this week.

Happy Friday!

Melva

I've Been Accepted!

It isn't often that I have an original idea for a block that I want to submit for publication... but last year I had been asked to make a quilted wall hanging that was to be a gift for a wedding anniversary.

The customer had very specific ideas about how he wanted it to look, and in the end we agreed that our thoughts about the project were not meshing and the project was abandoned.  

He had wanted a cupid - or other symbol of enduring love - appliqued on the quilt...  I went to the drawing board!  It took several attempts to get just the right size, angle and colors.  But I did not quit...

I really wish I could give you a shot of the block, but that will have to wait until the Blog Hop in November.  But I will give you a sneak peek...

So be sure to visit again so that you can see the final block!

Happy Quilting!

Melva

Head over to Quilter Blogs to visit other quilters and see what they are doing!

On Point - Getting It Right

Shelby,


Along with your memory quilt, the message your Mom & Dad want to sent to you is to remember that "Amazing People do amazing things!"

Below you will find my thoughts and ideas as I made your quilt.  Be blessed and be amazing! ~ Melva


I recently delivered a new t-shirt memory quilt for a young lady that will soon be headed off to discover the world on her own.  Now I have done many of these type of quilts, but this one came with the special request that the squares be placed on point...

At first I was intrigued and excited by the idea.  As soon as I started pulling shirts out to be cut I realized that the top point would end up flat... 

Below you can see (at the arrow) where the neck line falls...

and that there was just no way I could cut some of them on point and not lose a large part of the graphic on the shirt...

Like this one...

So I made the best out of the situation, accepted that the "top" of many of the on point squares would be supplemented with fabric and moved forward.

Figuring out the layout was a bit mind boggling for me... since typically the blocks are laid out in rows - across & down - but these needed to be in rows diagonally and my mind and eyes kept trying to "square" them up!  Perhaps it was just the end of the day... none the less, I needed to just pick them all up and call it a day.

Once I was happy with the arrangement (the next day)

I needed to figure out what size filler half-square triangle was needed to fill in...

My 12-1/2 inch ruler filled the space perfectly to I went to my cutting table and laid the square on point, determined how wide I needed to cut it so that I would not have a biased edge on the outside edge of the quilt.  

(I added and extra 1/2 inch to allow for error, and trimmed off the excess.)

I had three blocks extra that just didn't make it to the front.  So I pieced the back, showcasing these blocks in the center of the back.

The finished quilt... Front

Back...

and Label...

You may notice that the label has a QRC on it. It is from Story Patches. I am awaiting a special message to be written to Shelby from her parents... What sort of message would you want to be included with a memory quilt for a young person headed off to college for the first time?

Be blessed!

Melva

You should stop by Quilter Blogs to see what other quilters are up to!

Five Things Friday - #1

I am jumping onto the Five Things Friday bandwagon!  Amanda over at Gypsy Moon Quilt Co. had a great idea of sharing 5 "best moments" of the week... 

It is really pretty simple. Share five things (a list or pictures) that made you happy during the week... Even in the worst of weeks, there is always something to be thankful for and I can so appreciate the positive outlook on life!

This week's Five Things

1) Hearing stories from our oldest daughter of the things our two year-old grand-daughter is doing and saying - like she was talking on her toy phone and called "Kampa".  She said "Come here. You pick me up. Play, Shelby, pool!"

She had such a fun time a few weeks ago with us, obviously... and she wants to do it again!


2) Relaxing in the mornings for a few moments as I enjoyed a large cup of Chai tea.

3) Remembering the enjoyable time with my youngest daughter as I repaired a quilt that we made when she was 4 years old and a pre-school drop out.

 Using fabric crayons I drew and she colored one picture for each letter of the alphabet.  I then ironed them onto the fabric.  Our budget was extremely tight so this quilt was made with two sheets (second hand) and an extra blanket for the batting.  I had used an old bed ruffle instead of binding (the ruffle was short about 6 inches on one side - it was always on the wallside of the bed so it didn't show.)  I did a proper finish with binding this time! and since the quilt was originally made in 1995 it only seemed only right that the binding was "Lisa Frank Style" with brightly colored hearts. :)

4) Making a table-topper with hand-dyed (painted?) fabric from Africa, sent to me by one of my husband's customers while on a safari hunt.

5) Celebrating 31 years of living life as a married couple, facing the challenges we have faced as well as the many joyous occasions... basically living life together as a team!

So, what are your five things? Please share! I'd love to hear from you.

Blessings,

Melva

Head on over to Quilter Blogs to see what other quilters are talking about.

Blog Hop Announcement

As a participant of the 2016 New Quilters Blog Hop group I was invited to participate in another Blog Hop hosted by Cloud9 Fabrics featuring their Cirrus Solids.

What exactly does this mean?  Well... it means that I agreed to design an original block and publish a tutorial on how to make the block here on my blog!  

No pressure or any thing... I mean I have "designed" numerous blocks, but for my own, personal use.  

And you may remember that this blog actually got "revamped" because a block design I submitted to Quilt Maker magazine had been accepted for publication in their "100 Blocks", volume 8.  However, they were the ones that "wrote" the pattern.  

I awaited the arrival of the fabric and was excited when I felt it!  However, my mind was blank as to what to do with it... for days!

And then over the weekend inspiration hit me!  Woohoo! But you will simply have to wait a few more weeks before I reveal what my block is and how to make it...

Y'all come back now, ya hear? Monday, September 12th is when I will publish the tutorial post.

Melva

Stop by Quilter Blogs to see what other quilters are talking about. =D

Cloud 9

As the New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop wrapped up we were invited to participate in another upcoming Blog Hop - 2016 Cloud 9 New Block Blog Hop

I had been awaiting the arrival of the fat-quarters... and also awaiting some divinely inspired original block to create from them.

Yesterday they arrived in our little mail box!  They are as luscious in texture as they are in color! 

Yet, I still have no inspiration... I hope it happens soon!  Because I have to have a block created and a tutorial of making the block ready to go by September 12th! 

In the meantime, I have been finishing the crayon wall hangings for the Grands...

Speaking of Grands... Our newest little grand-daughter arrived early Saturday morning!  We are on "Cloud 9" (get the pun? haha...)

And since Mom & Dad were a bit busy with little Maggie, Gamma & Kampa (not a mis-spelling) got to spend some very special time with Big Sister Emma! 

 It was time cherished by all!

Big Brother Tyshan was with his Mom but had a special time meeting and bonding baby sister (but we didn't get any pictures)... But I have to say, he was IN LOVE with Maggie!  This 7 year-old noticed the small dimples of her knuckles and the shape of her nose and ears and melted when Maggie held his finger and had a little smile.

Ok, enough gushing over the Grand-kids...  Back to being inspired...  As I finished Emma's wall hanging the Butterfly fabric I used for the backing inspired me... 

I'm not exactly sure what will transpire, but I do believe the Cloud 9 fabric will somehow become a butterfly... Stay tuned!

Where do you find inspiration?  What do you do to turn on your creativity?

May your day be blessed!

Melva

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