Quilters Through The Generations - Terry Carney

Today Terry Carney joins me.  Terry found her way to me with a little help from Tish Stemple (featured in this series a few weeks ago) and Tish's Adventures in Wonderland and the most recent New Quilt Blogger's Group.  Terry and Gail reside in the same family tree and share a Grandmother, Edith Pearl...


Terry Carney (nee McMullen) has only been quilting since 2016 but has a passion for quilting that will not be put out anytime soon.  You can read her entire bio on her about page at her blog, TLC Quilts...

Have you ever made a quilt?  

Yes - I just finished my 23rd quilt

If so, who got you started quilting?  

Me, myself, and I.  I was inspired by my cousin, Gail, who had made several quilts for the family (I received one of her quilts as a wedding present too!)

Who taught you to sew? 

My home economics teacher, I suppose. My mother was a prolific sewer - always at the machine - however, she passed away before I got past the stage where I liked pressing the buttons and moving the levers on her sewing machine.

Tell me a story about your first quilt.

Well, my first quilt actually was one I made when I was expecting my first child. It was a printed panel of fabric, sandwiched with polyester batting and a backing of some kind - I’m not even sure if the backing was cotton or not. I knew NOTHING about quilting. I hand stitched the outline of the picture on the panel. I can’t even remember how I finished the edges. I’m absolutely positive I did not actually bind it!

But my first true quilt after that stage was during the summer of 2017 when I found out my daughter was expecting. I pieced the top - I can’t remember the pattern, but it was mostly 5” squares with a couple rectangles thrown in - and used yarn to tie it. I cut every one of the pieces for the top individually. I did use a rotary cutter, but didn’t know about cuts and sub-cutting.

What did you do with your first quilt or do you still have it?  

I gave it to my grandson, Kolten, and he still has it. He has two others I’ve made for him also - one at the babysitter’s, and one at my home.  

Did your mother quilt? 

No, but my Paternal Grandmother quilted.  I didn’t learn that until I was an adult, though.  Her name was Edith Pearl.  

I remember one warm summer day and Grandma and I were on her front lawn. I was about 10. Grandma lost both her legs due to diabetes so she was sitting in her wheelchair and I was sitting on the lawn. In the grass there were small, white, daisy-like flowers. She asked me to pick several - down low, close to the ground. She taught me how to make a daisy chain. It is a simple memory, but I felt transported back to a gentler time in history.

When I was young, I didn't know Grandma made quilts.  My father isn't much of a talker and didn't share his memories unless prompted.  (Even then, he still keeps it to the simplest of details.)  I did have a quilt on my bed as child which had 1/4 Dresdens all over it.  I remember looking at, no - studying it - but not ever understanding what a quilt actually was, nor how it was made - let alone, who made it.  It wasn't until I was an adult that I was opened to the world of quilts...just one more thing I wish I had understood better as a child.    

I feel that my cousin Gail was far more fortunate that I was.  She had the advantage of her mother (and possibly her father) making a point of teaching her about her Ontario family.  Ironically, she likely knew more about Grandma than I did, even though she lived across the country from Grandma, and I lived 2 hours away from her. 

Gail received her Grandma's fabric "stash" in 2016 and proceeded to make 13 scrappy quilts - one for each of her 11 cousins, her sister and herself - between June 2016 and January 2017.  When she learned that her a cousin's daughter had been diagnosed with cancer she made one more quilt.  You can read the rest about Gail and her quilts on the Quilters Through The Generations tab.





As a thank you to Gail, Terry made a quilt that was signed by each of the quilt recipients...

Funny story - Grandma didn't actually want Dad to marry Mommy. It wasn't that Grandma didn't like Mommy, it was because both my Grandma and my Mommy were diabetic. So, when my Dad had a job interview booked in Kitchener (2 hours from where Mommy and Dad lived), they drove to the interview then afterwards, met up with two of their friends and eloped. They were married in a little chapel in downtown Kitchener. My Mom's family knew about it - Mommy made the outfit she is wearing in the picture - but Grandma didn't find out until they returned later that day. I think that's the most rebellious my Dad has ever been!

Have you taught someone to quilt?  

Not yet, but I have been approached by a few people - some of my second cousins and several friends.  Here’s hoping someday at least one f them will follow through on my invitation  ;)

How many quilts have you made? 

I have made 23 since June 2017; Most have been gifted to friends and family; but some I have kept.

Do you have a favorite block?  

No I don't. I get jazzed about a block or a pattern, and NEED to make it. Once I’ve made it I try not to repeat it - so that I can try another block.

Do you have a favorite quilt?  

Year One - It is a quilt that I made using scraps from my first year of quilting, and I took a lot of liberties with the FMQ as well. It is a sample of some of my best quilting.

Do you participate in any quilt groups?  

There is one guild in my town but they don’t have room for new members. I have been considering starting my own, but haven’t figured out some of the logistics.

Have you entered any quilt competitions?   

No. That’s like playing cards for money. It would take the fun out of it.

Have you sold any quilts? For how much?  

I was asked to make a quilt for a friend’s granddaughter, and now I’ve been asked to make a quilt for another baby in the same family.  I’m not a big fan of selling my quilts - I could never live with myself if I charged what they are worth.  However...this latest baby quilt (it will actually be single/twin sized) is an example of my brilliance!!  IMHO  LOL...  I am renovating my kitchen and I bartered with my friend’s brother (who asked me to make a quilt for his new grandson).  He will be doing my tiling, and I will make the quilt he wants.  That works for me!! 

Where do you get your inspiration from?  

Have you ever see the movie “August Rush”? The short answer is: Everywhere.

What is your favorite part of quilting?  

When I’m in the middle of FMQ, I’m anxious to get to the piecing. When I’m piecing, I’m dying to get to the FMQ part! When I’m doing the binding, I’m excited to hand stitch on the label. I love every step! The challenges, the finish, the start, the planning, the sharing, the fabric, the thread, the sound of my sewing machine. It’s a little taste of heaven.

Have you ever "bartered" with your quilts?  

I have, in a sense.  My brother-in-law designed my QTTG logo and in turn I am making a custom table covering and seat cushions for him and his family... I think it is a brilliant idea, Terry.  

What about you?  Leave a comment and let Terry and I know what sort of items or services you have traded...

Quilt happy!

Melva

A Reconstructed Quilt Story

Zia Miller, one of the quilters I have featured on my blog series, Quilters Through The Generations, recently shared a Dresden quilt that she reconstructed...

"My aunt made the blocks years ago as you can tell by the vintage fabrics. Thirty something years ago I carefully ripped the plates off the old block fabric, carefully washed each one and then used new cotton domestic to redo the plates. Using the same method my aunt Maggie used - some were hand appliqued and others sewed on with fine machine stitching.

All was reassembled and then hand quilted by me. It was displayed at few shows and entered in a few judged shows.


I received some interesting comments about the sewing. If the judge read the information about the old redone quilt, the comments where positive and usually received a blue ribbon.


On the other hand, it was really counted off for the mixed method of work...and most obvious they never read about the project. Just thought you might like to see some of my work. And yes, I used a higher-loft batting.


I love the quilt it’s on a bed where I see it everyday. I loved and admired my Aunt Maggie who did some of the most amazing handwork of all sorts. "

I have such a great appreciation for projects like this.

Have you ever "Re-constructed" a vintage quilt?

Tell me your story by leaving a comment below... I would love to hear from you!

Quilt Happy!

Melva

Melva Loves Scraps - Home of the Quilters Through The Generations Series

2018 Monthly Color Challenge - Purple

Purple is the color of the month in the 2018 Monthly Color Challenge hosted by Patterns by Jen.  From what I hear from other quilters, it is a color that is loved or a color that is despised.  I am a lover of purple... I think it "plays well with others".

You may have figured out that I am a music lover and as I pulled fabric for the block I had a song stuck... yep - an earworm.  Follow the link below and join in the song!

Who remembers the Purple People Eater?  You know... ♫♬♪the one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people eater! ♫♬♪ One-eyed, one-horned flying purple people eater...Sure looks strange to me...♫♬♪

My Grandma had a pair of sunglasses, that we (my brother and cousins and I) referred to as her Purple People Eaters... I think they were yellow?  (Of course, that was her favorite color) And I have no idea why we called them Purple People Eaters!  Maybe because they looked strange?  Who knows how our childish minds worked.

As state before, I am a lover of purple.  It was one of my favorite colors as a child... I remember participating in a 4-H group and we were learning to knit.  I was making a stocking cap as one of my projects.  I chose purple and I wanted to have a contrasting brim and wanted red.  My idea was shot down by my Mom and the knitting teacher.  They told me the colors did not go together... they clashed.  I had a white brim thanks to them!

And 30 years later the Red Hat groups popped up all over the place... ladies over 50 years of age were wearing purple shirts or dresses and RED hats.  I was just ahead of the times...  Had they actually let me use purple and red together I could have been a trendsetter!

The color purple also brings to mind my Dad... it was one of his favorite colors.  It was after I had married and had our girls that he decided that it was ok for a man to wear purple.  Mom made most of his western-style shirts (with snaps... NO buttons) so she used purple fabric to fulfill his request... she sometimes made a matching dress or shirt for herself.

Purple is also the color used for Alzheimer's Awareness.  After Dad was moved to the nursing home because of his Alzheimer's our family participated in the Walk to Remember events to help raise funds for research.  My mom and I made several quilts and donated them to the event in my Dad's honor...

The first one I called "Jumbled Memories".  It seemed appropriate for the situation... the connections just weren't getting made for him to be able to get the words he wanted to say to come out of his mouth.  It frustrated him... it made me sad.  This quilt was placed on a silent auction at the event.

The next year the quilt below was the quilt that we donated...  We called it Patchwork Memories.  One friend described it like this...

Memory is like a quilt isn't it? It is kind of a patch work of of overlying events and emotions sewed together somehow in our minds. Memories are experiences, each uniquely remembered, yet always connected and shared by others, as a piece of cloth shares it's borders with other pieces of cloth on this quilt.

This quilt was given to the "honored" family at the event.  Art was a gentleman that Dad had made a special connection with as a new resident in the secure unit.  Art suffered from early on-set Alzheimer's and had recently passed away in his early 50's, and it was his family that received the quilt...

Sew... there you have it!  I am a lover of purple.  How about you?

Purple... Do you love it???  

Or do you despise it???

Leave a comment and let me know.  I love to hear what you think.  

Quilt happy!

Melva

Come on now, everyone sing!  ♫♬♪One-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people eater...♫♬♪

Melva Loves Scraps - home of the Quilters Through The Generations series

Linking with:
Color Challenge Link up at Patterns by Jen
BOMS away at What a Hoot Quilts
Midweek Makers at Quilt Fabrication
Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation
Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter

Quilters Through The Generations - Gail Sheppard

Gail Sheppard lives in the lower mainland of British Columbia, is a retired nurse educator, and her passion is quilting!!  She says that teaching quilting is great fun and she loves doing trunk shows. She is part of 2018 New Quilt Blogger group and bravely stepped forward when my message of recruiting quilters to be featured in my Quilters Through The Generations series was shared with the bloggers.  She has a lovely story of making quilts for family members using her grandmother's fabric... Enjoy!

Have YOU ever made a quilt?  

Yes. I have. My mother didn't quilt, but she taught me to sew – simple clothes, blouses with buttons, skirts with zippers. My grandma, Edith Pearl, lived in Ontario, I lived in BC. We rarely saw each other, but she was my inspiration!

My Grandma was a seamstress as well as a quilter.  Apparently she even went to textile school to learn how to be a seamstress.  She made all of her own clothes.








Tell us about your first quilt...

I made my first quilt when I was 17.  I used cereal box cut-outs and designed my own pattern. I had no idea about what I was doing, I just went ahead and made the top with my mother’s scraps of fabric.   On the phone my paternal grandma, Edith, told me to “tie” it since it would be too hard to quilt it without knowing what to do.

I used my first quilt for 3 years (living in a dorm-like setting) then after I got married, it became the dog’s blanket and was either buried with the dog or burned (it was falling apart by the time the dog got it).  Regretfully, there is no picture.

In the spring of 2016, I was in Ontario visiting my aunt and she asked me if I’d like to have my grandma’s fabric.  Well, that was a question that was easily answered.  My grandma was a sewer and a quilter.  She died in 1978, so the fabrics were at least 39 years old.

Once I got home, I spent several days cutting up her fabric into 3 ½″, 2 ½″ and 2″ strips and squares.  Some of the fabric was obviously from dress making and some of it has some polyester in it.  I used it all.  I decided to make 13 quilts.  They were a lot of fun to make.  

Why 13, you ask?  Well, I have 11 cousins and a sister from my Grandma’s side of the family.  I thought it would be nice if each cousin and my sister & I each got a quilt made with Grandma’s fabrics.  

I made 13 of them between June 2016 and January 2017.
Five of the quilts were gifted Christmas 2016, so I didn't have all of them to take a picture of them all. The rest of them were gifted Christmas 2017.

When I found out that one of my cousin's daughter had cancer, I made the 14th one for her.  It is the only one (using Grandma's fabrics) that was made for a specific person, with only 2 fabrics (the rest are scrappy) and it is the only one with a flannel back. It was started in June 2017 and finished in July. 

In the end, I made 14 quilts with my grandma’s fabrics - you can see pictures of each quilt on my blog (Link given above).

Below is a photo of a quilt that Grandma started and I finished after she passed away in 1978... I completed it in the 1990s.

   

We would visit my grandma only about every four years.  But I remember that every time we visited she would have a chocolate cake that she made.  It was my favorite, still is.  But none have ever tasted as good as hers.

Have YOU taught someone to quilt?  

I have taught some friends and guild members how to quilt.

How many quilts have you made? 

I have no idea! Probably 200 or more … most have been given away.

Do you have a favorite quilt?  

Yes, several … depends on my mood

Do you participate in any quilt groups?  

I am a member of the Boundary Bay Guild (Ladner BC).   Our guild aims to provide opportunities which encourage our members in their love of quilting through workshops, demonstrations, guest speakers and small groups. We hope to inspire creativity, learning and friendships among our members; also to provide outreach where help is needed in the community.  

I have two different groups of friends that quilt together.  My Retreat group made up of friends from California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia meet for a week each spring. 

Where do you get your inspiration from?  

Mostly the internet.  I love scrappy and have done many Bonnie Hunter mysteries.(You can see these on her blog as well...)  

My favorite part of quilting is choosing the colours/fabrics, cutting, piecing, quilting, binding … I like all of them! When I was working full time – quilting was a stress reliever. Now, it's still a stress reliever, but I enjoy the process and the creativity.

Gail did an amazing job making the 14 quilts...  And what a treasure for each recipient!  

Have you ever received a fabric collection from a family member?  

Yes?  What have you done with your collection?

Leave a comment... I would love to hear about a special quilt or project that you made.

Quilt Happy!

Melva

Let's Go Camping :: Stir The Pot

Pat Sloan's Let's Go Camping Sew Along block for June is Stir the Pot - and all about camping food...

There is just something about camping food.  I don't know if it is the fresh air or the cooking over a camp stove or open fire... but food just tastes better when you are camping.  Or maybe it is the fact you are usually more active with the hikes and outdoor activities that cause you to burn more calories and you are just plain hungry!  Yeah, I think that is it!

I have mentioned camping as a child many times... and one of the places that we would go is now just 45 minutes away in a canyon located West of Trinidad.  My Uncle has some property there and we would all congregate at "the property" for holiday weekends.  There is a large meadow that has a beautiful view of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range and we kids would play ball for hours in that meadow... 

or hike up the hill that was across the road where there was a unique rock formation that we referred to as "the castle"... 

Oh, and the hours of playing cards and Uno in the tent!  

My aunt was a Girl Scout leader and was all about cooking over an open fire.  My Mom however preferred to prepare our meals in the truck camper with the stove top and small oven... 

I was a picky eater as a kid and don't really recall much about meals while camping other than breakfast!  Again, I am a morning person... reference my recent It's A Wild Life post...

Breakfast with bacon, eggs and toast.  Oh man!  There is nothing better... 

And at the end of the day... S'mores... who doesn't love S'mores???  But of course, with my current dietary restrictions I am a limited to what I can have...




A few weeks ago Dave and I made a "trial run" of camping at Pueblo Lake State Park.  Both of our daughters live in Pueblo so we had invited both families to visit for an evening of a campfire and S'mores.  I had purchased some marshmallows that I could have... YAY!  I took along some of my Enjoy Life chocolate chunks for me so that I could have chocolate stuffed marshmallows while everyone else enjoyed the traditional s'mores.  Mmmmmm.....

As for dinners while camping hamburgers and brats or hot dogs are always easy go-to meals.  And "campfire stews" or the foil-packet meals are good too.  You can "customize" them for each person.  Mine has sweet potatoes and Dave's has the russet potatoes.  both have chicken.  This makes for easy clean up as well!

My sister-in-law and brother-in-law taught us one of their campfire favorites... doughboys.  You carefully stretch and wrap a canned biscuit on the end of a bark-bare stick (we use dowel rods) and slowly cook it over the coals of a campfire.  When cooked properly you can gently twist it off of the stick.  You then fill the vessel with your favorite jam or jelly... or pudding. Or you can stuff it with a breakfast sausage or hotdog... or scrambled eggs... or anything you want really.  How about a some pepperoni wrapped around a cheese stick and dipped in pizza sauce???  

And, while this block name is Stir The Pot, it really reminds me of how everyone would sit around the campfire at my Uncle's property...

What are some of your favorite things to cook while camping?  

Leave a comment... I love to hear from my readers.

Quilt Happy!

Melva

Melva Loves Scraps - Home of the Quilters Through The Generations series

Linking with:

Pat Sloan's 2018 Mystery BOM

Some Days... are hard

Some days... Well, what can I say?  Some days I feel fairly confident with my tech knowledge.  And some days... Not!

Today would be one of those "NOT" days...

I was trying to update our business website.  It is a daunting task to me because there is just some sort of mysterious thing on the host end that "points" the directory to the correct place.  

I always plan to do such a task on a day that I feel especially patient.  I thought today was one of those days... 

However...

After my temper tantrum (it was NOT pretty), a phone call to tech support (that, BTW, was not very supportive) and starting over from the start to get the files uploaded correctly, I was finally successful.  Whew...

On to my blog...  I participated in the "Where Flowers Bloom" blog hop this week.  I offered a give away... 

In recent history, my readers have been leaving more comments.  I enjoyed responding privately via e-mail... and then a "thing" happened (another one of those mysterious things) that updated blogger so that I was no longer being notified of comments being made.  

Just prior to the hop I changed my settings so that all comments needed moderation... thinking I would receive an email telling me so.  I was not seeing ANY comments... and I was not getting any emails telling me there were comments to be moderated...

In my post tantrum pity party, my heart sank... and then I dug around in my blogger dashboard I found a section for comments awaiting moderation.  OH MY!  I found all of the recent "missing" comments.  

I have read all of the comments {and feel loved again ;) } and collected contact info for those wanting a chance to win my 1/2 Hexie Template.  I will be responding to the comments this weekend.  Thanks for your patience with me... though I haven't been very patient with myself. :/

I hope that all of the Techy Challenges are done for the day!

I will be headed to my sewing room to make progress on my "Farm Land" quilt.

Remember, you still have time to enter to win the 1/2 Hexie Template on the Where Flowers Bloom post (link provided above).  Just comment on that post before June 18th.

Piece Out...

Melva

Melva Loves Scraps - home of the Quilters Through The Generations series