July 2019 Color Challenge Block - Jade Vine

Jen over at Patterns By Jen chose aqua as the color of the month and a flower called Jade Vine is the inspiration.

The block pattern truly reflects the flower...

Here is what I learned about the Jade Vine...

"Strongylodon macrobotrys, commonly known as jade vine, emerald vine or turquoise jade vine, is a species of leguminous perennial liana (woody vine), a native of the tropical forests of the Philippines, with stems that can reach up to 18 m in length. Its local name is Tayabak. A member of the Fabaceae (the pea and bean family), it is closely related to beans such as kidney bean and runner bean. Strongylodon macrobotrys is pollinated by birds and bats."

Isn't it gorgeous?!?

The moment I saw it I immediately thought of my Grandma Teegarden, the Squash Blossom necklace that she had, crepes and a family reunion.  Now what in the world do these things have in common?  

Come with me as I take a little stroll down memory lane...

This is a photograph that my Grandpa took for a photography show/competition.  (He was active with the Tucson Camera Club for years, as a member and an officer) This photo of Grandma and her Squash Blossom necklace and Concho belt earned him a first place ribbon in A Class in 1975...

As I pulled fabric for this challenge block I was really tempted to use a copper or sepia toned fabric as the background to help make the aqua color pop, but since this challenge is all about shades, value and color family, I decided that I best stick with the one color family.  However, the copper and aqua color combo is currently on my design wall as I complete a pattern test for Jen.  She happens to be the hostess with the most-est of this color challenge...

Not that the "challenge police" would call foul on my fabric selections... but I have been known to bend the rules in quilting to make a pattern or kit original... I considered the two-color temptation and whether or not the block would fail to fit in with the remaining 11 blocks at the end of the year and in a completed quilt.

I do not like "disruptive students" that draw the teacher's attention away from the class... lol!  And had I gone with a two color block, I suspect it would have done exactly that... causing one's eyes to stall on only one block.  I am simply thrilled with the look of the finished block!

Back to my Grandma... she was an artist and earned her BA from the University of Arizona in 1983.  She also had a great interest in family history and traced her family as far back as she could... which was waaaaaaaaay back. She discovered that there were ancestors that came to the US on the Mayflower, along with many other details.  She had notebooks full of family info that nearly  filled a built-in bookcase in her china painting room.  I mean FILLED it... and it was six feet wide and went from floor to ceiling!  She had photographs, family sheets, birth certificates, death certificates, pictures of grave makers (and maps of cemeteries - she once tried to use a map to a cemetery as a map to our first home in IL), and stories from family members sharing what ever details and stories they could remember about Great-Aunt So&So or Great-Great Grandpa...

One time she decided to organized a large family reunion, in 1980... I wasn't really involved or interested in it, other than the fact that I got to spend a weekend with my cousins. :)  Family members came from far and wide...

There was a picnic lunch on Saturday and a brunch on Sunday morning...  She wanted crepes at the brunch... I had a hand in that.

I remember helping to cook the crepes... and filling them.  I think that there was pineapple, orange marmalade and macadamia nuts involved, but that is about the extent of what I remember... Oh, and it took forever to make them!

I don't remember being overly impressed with them, but maybe that is because they were so slow and tedious to make... and we made at least 100, maybe more!  

So you now understand how the challenge block reminded me of my Grandma, her Squash Blossom necklace, a reunion and crepes... it all makes sense... Right?

Dave and I are preparing to spend a weekend away with a few other couples and we will be in charge of making Sunday Brunch.  As I considered options for the meal, and keeping dietary restrictions (mine, as well as others) I think that an English omelet may be in order.  This is an excellent No Guilt::Go Quilt recipe.  It can be cooked in the crock pot (remember the liner for easy clean up!) As an early riser I will get up and get the crock going around 6 a.m. and it will be ready to serve by 10 a.m.... just in time for brunch! Of course, you can do it the traditional way as the recipe states and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. 

As a fancy little extra, I will be making crepes - just not 100!  I have a gluten-free no-roll tortilla recipe that is very much like a crepe.  I will make a simple apple-berry compote for the filling and have some whipped cream and powdered sugar to garnish.  YUM!  I can hardly wait!

What sort of crepe filling would you want?

Leave a comment... I'd love to hear your choice.

Piece Out,
Melva

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

Linking with:

BOMS Away at Katie Mae Quilts
Sunday Stash at QuiltPaintCreate
What I Made Monday at Pretty Piney
Main Crush Monday at Cookin’ Up Quilts
Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt
Moving It Forward Monday at Em's Scrapbag
Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts
Colour & Inspiration at Clever Chameleon Quilting
Mid-week Makers at Quilt Fabrication
WOW at Esther's Quilt Blog
Let's Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts
Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter
Magic Crafts at Ulrikes Smaating (1st Wed of month)
Put Your Foot Down at For the Love of Geese
Needle & Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation
Can I Get A Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Off The Wall Friday with Nina Marie
Finished or Not Friday at Busy Hands Quilts
Brag About Your Beauties at From Bolt to Beauty
July Link-up at Patterns by Jen