Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Faith, Hope and Creativity

I had shared last week over on facebook and instagram...

"Hey everybody! I had been thinking all week that I was 'broken' because creativity was just NOT happening... I was in a funk. 

The tide finally turned  after finishing a baker's dozen face masks for a friend's medical office.

Woohoo!" 

The creative ideas started to flow...  I started jotting down ideas and pulling fabric out for some small projects and sketched out some block ideas for my camping journal quilt...

And then I had decided that the pieced backing I had attempted for my Pieces From The Past quilt had spent long enough in "time out" so Jack (the ripper) and I sat down and had some good long talks about how sometimes you just have to try something and if it doesn't work, you try again. It doesn't mean you failed... it doesn't mean you give up... You just try again!

I quit fighting what the quilt wanted all along and set aside my own desires for a pieced backing and went with a unbleached muslin backing.  I also knew that the quilt wanted some sort of traditional 1930s style quilting... but I wanted more than just cross-hatch stitching or outline stitching in each block...  I wanted something fancier...  As I prepped the sandwich I considered options... and then I googled vintage 1930s quilts and studied the quilting of them.  

A few things I noticed... vintage sampler quilts did not have sashing strips...  vintage quilts often had no borders... and the vintage utilitarian quilts had simple all over quilting designs.  I liked the Baptist Fan pattern and decided on that.  Except as I sat and pondered the size of the fans and the distance between the arcs of the fan I groaned... I whined... because even an inch apart they would take fooooooorevvvvvvvver!

I reasoned and rationalized that the quilt already has a modern spin to it because of the sashing strips and borders... I decided I would make jumbo fans.

It was exactly what the quilt wanted!  With each arc that was stitched I felt hope grow... like that little mustard seed of faith.

















In the current times of the Corona Virus and stay at home orders and the fear of "what ifs" and statistics that are delivered to us via news stations and social media we have to work extra hard to hear what the message of the mustard seed is... it is faith!  It is hope! 


It is okay if faith starts small... It is okay if sometimes it falters and fear steps in again... Just like the conversation that Jack and I had... get yourself up brush yourself off and try again!

I will be finishing the binding on my Pieces From The Past quilt with another bit of a modern twist... but I'll save that for another time.


If you have been struggling with creativity and joy in quilting (or other hobby), have you "turned the tide"?  Where do you go for inspiration?

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

That is all... carry on!

Melva
Melva Loves Scraps - Home of the Pieces From The Past Sew Along
that features vintage Kansas City Star quilt blocks!


Linking with:

Sunday Stash at QuiltPaintCreate
What I Made Monday at Pretty Piney
Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt
Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts
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

Creative Compulsions at Bijou Bead Boutique


Saturday, March 21, 2020

Therapy Needed

This week has been... well, challenging.  In many ways life for these two self-employed individuals didn't change at all!

While we watched others worry, and concern and panic escalate we sat here being reassured with our faith in our God who is bigger than all that is occurring in our country and around the world.

We have continued our news fast that began before our Texas Trip with the exception of a few Presidential announcements and the local health department updates via social media.  We are continue to try to reassure our daughters when they call with concerns... like "What am I going to do with the kids not being in school (now through 4/17) and both of us considered essential personnel?"  Umm.... "You're 80 miles away... they can come here for a few days."  {{She has it figured out, btw...  local in-law family to the rescue!}} 

Like I said... life was pretty normal/unchanged until we tried to go to the grocery store... Oh, and the whole TP thing is pretty crazy and ridiculous.  

We have tried our very best... and then we got the news from our Pastor about worship.  Never did I think that there would be a day that we American's would be told we cannot go to church.  Thankfully, with the help of modern technology, we have many options for worship on-line.

Still so sad... 


So I did what most quilters have done... sought refuge in our sewing  rooms/spaces or studios.  However, with the Pieces From The Past Sew Along in process I haven't had much time for creating and playing.  And I miss quilting... I have been busily working on pattern writing, photographing the blocks, scanning letters and putting thoughts to "paper" as all this unfolds before us.

Just a few weeks ago in the Lost Goslin' post I was feeling grateful that I would likely never know the feelings that come with a need for rationing, the fear of the unknown future or the hope that I might find what we were looking for at the grocery store.

So many times I have sought solace in my studio and found it... I have even turned some tears into joy like when I made my Oasis in the Desert quilt... and the Green Pastures quilt shortly after my Dad died.  


That has not been the case for this week.  I tried, I really, really tried to do something productive...  I managed to turn a simple table runner that I'd had in my inventory for years into a trash bag for our car.  It took about 15 minutes.  That was all, though the idea and how to make it work had kept me awake for well over an hour the night before.

It includes a quart-sized storage bag so that wet or messy items don't soak through.





That went well so I decided that I would pull the orphan blocks from the testing and creating of the patterns for the sew along and do a pieced back for the quilt.  I had a vision in my mind and I proceeded forward... only to discover that after 80% assembled... I hated it.  It wasn't anywhere close to what I had envisioned.  So I will soon have a date with Jack to take it apart.

I found that there was unbleached muslin left in the fabric department at the local Wallyworld on my last journey out in search of TP  (6 rolls in the closet... I think we are safe.  But then again... who knows how long this will go???)  **UPDATE** Our sweet daughter is sending four rolls with her sister when she comes for a visit this week with our Grands. 💗 Ten rolls in storage!  Woohoo!  We're living high on the hog now. ;)

So... Here we sit in uncertain times... and for an undetermined length of time.  I relate to the former POWs that returned to their homeland and uncertainty that they faced in finding their families, their homes, new jobs... a new life in their war-torn land.

I thoroughly enjoy receiving comments regarding the letters to my Grandparents from these men.

One that stands out in particular was from Susan the Farm Quilter.  She stated...

"I so enjoy reading the letters from the German prisoners back to the American farmer who obviously won his respect and friendship. They offer something the history books leave out...the human connection!  You are providing the threads that make history and the people who lived it three-dimensional and real.  They've gone from being cardboard cutouts to 3D real people, with hopes, dreams, fears and hearts that connected during a very trying time for the world."


So, as we wait out this challenging event you could fill some of your time with leaving a legacy for your own children or grandchildren... record the stories of your childhood... of your grandparents... of your favorite holiday traditions and recipes...  I have a free document entitled "Priceless Conversations" over on Payhip - the same place you can find the block patterns for the sew along. (Feel free to grab the patterns while there 😉)

Also, have you seen the requests for face masks??? I think that my orphan blocks need to sit in time out for a bit longer because I believe that have found something productive the get my mojo moving in the right direction.


How are you passing the time in this current state of social distancing?  

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

Sew Happy!

Melva 




Melva Loves Scraps - Home of the Pieces From The Past Sew Along
that features vintage Kansas City Star quilt blocks!

Linking with:

Sunday Stash at QuiltPaintCreate
What I Made Monday at Pretty Piney
Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt
Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts
Colour & Inspiration at Clever Chameleon Quilting
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

Creative Compulsions at Bijou Bead Boutique





Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Texas-sized Trip - II

I think many can relate to, perhaps even said, the statement "I need a vacation to recover from my vacation."  

Our trip was not overly stressful or overly busy (especially after I rolled my ankle) but Dave and I were both struggling to get "back into routine" last week.  Probably because we were so relaxed.  I mean two weeks of no hard and fast schedules... to deadlines to meet.  We were still early to rise (we saw the sunrise on most days) and early to bed (especially while camping - like 8 p.m. on most nights!).

After a week of being home, playing catch up with bills, phone calls, email messages, and re-stocking our pantry and freezer, we are finally ready.

{{Edit:  I started writing this post on Monday morning (3/9)... and here I finalize on Wednesday afternoon (3/11)... maybe we weren't really ready to resume a higher productivity level  LOL!}}



I will pick up where I left off with the first post of our trip - After a quick stop in Houston to visit a former student of Dave's and to see where he leads a gunsmithing team for a high-end retail store we arrived in Galveston and navigated our way through town to the ferry that would take us across the bay to Bolivar Point.



It was a completely new experience for us!  We were like little kids.  Once on the ferry and moving across the bay (about a 20 minute trip) we went to the upper level to enjoy the view.  Dave is a lover of all things on the water and he had to wander the entire deck... front, back and both sides.  




The view really wasn't any different, but we noticed that the seagulls followed the ferry and other barges and ships.  Swarms of them! 

It reminded us of the scene from 'the birds'.



We arrived on the Bolivar Peninsula and found our way to the house... 

Our view for the next few days...




After another seafood dinner (seafood tacos this time) and a seafood breakfast burrito the next morning we were ready to explore Galveston.  We started with the visitor's center and asked a few questions about the point of arrival for passenger ships in the early 1900s... more specifically, "My grandparents immigrated to the US through Galveston in 1907 and 1912.  Where would the ship have arrived?" and "Where can I get additional info or photos about this?" 

We were directed to a museum that had just reopened in the County Courthouse (turns out that was about the 1900 hurricane.  Interesting, but not what I was looking for.)

We then visited the history/research department of the Rosenburg Library... After explaining what I was looking for and the info I desired, we were told that the immigrants would have arrived on Pelican Island where they would have had to pass another physical/health check, pass through registration and customs and then board smaller boats to be transported to Galveston.  From there my grandparents' families would have journeyed to the train depot to board the train for Kansas.

I was allowed to search photo collections to see what the wharf and life as an immigrant looked like...

All photos shared here are from the Galveston and Texas History Center; Galveston Photographic Subject Files: Immigrants. Rosenberg Library, Galveston, Texas.

I found info on the quarantine and life-saving stations, learned of meals being served in a cafeteria as passengers waited for their turn for customs inspections, transport boats and registration... I felt as though I was transported back in time... 


Forshey Postcard Collection. U.S. LIFE SAVING STATION AND FEDERAL IMMIGRATION STATION, GALVESTON, TEX., circa 1915





Below is an Aerial view of the quarantine station on Pelican Island. 1927


"The examination of the customs officials whose duty it is to look into every piece of baggage and trunk, or box and thoroughly examine every item of the contents. This is a tedious process and as so few of the inspectors and speak any European language it is necessarily a slow procedure. At the present no one is allowed in the Customs' Department. The government is very strict and properly so."




Left, 'Alice', a Quarantine Boat, Galveston, Tex. circa 1915.

Registration below...



Right, Immigrants on a boat used to transport them from steamships to the mainland, Galveston, Texas. circa 1910
The next day we visited Pelican Island..


It was a surreal experience for me... Imagine 100+ years prior I stood where my grandpa stood as a 9 year old boy and my grandma, a mere teen, probably helping to keep track of her younger brothers as the customs process and registration occurred.





As I soaked in all the information and locations in the evening I enjoyed some hand sewing of the National Park Postcard blocks.  I continued to ice my still sore and very bruised ankle/foot and Dave and I enjoyed the view... as he offered me action filled reports of what was happening in the bay.
There was a helicopter across the bay that he figured was doing some sort of water rescue training...  There was a man descending from the helicopter... now he is in the water... he's going back up... oops, he's in the water again... now he has a basket...  


It had been a very windy day, so some rough water rescue training sounds plausible... It was a good day!

We had one last day and we wanted to make the best of it!  We loaded the bikes on the back of the truck and made the ferry crossing.  We road all over the town... from the quaint, eclectic shops in downtown to the seawall and beach.  I don't know how many miles we covered, but we enjoyed seeing tree carvings and historic houses.  We perused a few antique shops, a gift shop on the beach and the shore.



As we wrapped up our ride and headed for the truck I saw a sign for a local farmers market.  

So we headed over there after loading the bikes.

Dave found a decadent piece of chocolate cake, and I found some really yummy, perfectly sweetened GF chai spice cookies.

We were actually in search of some more fresh seafood.  When we inquired about it we were told that a fish market like that doesn't exist in Galveston.  Well...

We went on our way and did a quick google search... Guess what?!?  Katie's Seafood Market DOES exist in Galveston... Off we went!

The little gal that helped us was just as excited as we were that we found this hidden gem!

We brought home 5 lbs of seafood.  Talk about excited!!!  





The next morning I made certain I was up early enough to enjoy the sunrise from the view of the kitchen...

It was time to pack up our clean laundry and food and my entertainment bag and head toward Beaumont to visit friends for the day and one night.

Dwight and Angie were the first of Dave's customers nearly seven years ago when we started up his business.  Over the years they have become good friends.  We see them every one to two years.  

They always have stories to share about their travels and most recent (and upcoming) safari hunts in Africa.  

Our time in Texas was quickly drawing to a close... yet we were ready to return home to our familiar surroundings.

We had two long days of driving ahead of us... but we still had not reached the bottom of the entertainment bag!

The return trip produced a completed test block (an alternate block) for my Pieces From The Past Sew Along... a pattern collected and saved by my Grandma Schleich... the one I traced the footsteps of while in Galveston.

And... now YOU probably need a day or two to rest up from OUR vacation.  Thanks for tagging along.

I have many thoughts and stories that are still spilling out from me... like "I should have asked about the train station."  I have searched through some of the on-line collections from the Rosenburg Library, but now I wish I had seen it in person...

And I wish that we had checked the schedule of Pier 21 Theater and had the opportunity to see their movie Galveston - Gateway on the Gulf a film about the more that 200,00 immigrants from all over the world that entered the US via Galveston, TX.

It would seem that this trip was all about heritage for me... from the quilts and quilt blocks that I saw at the Institute of Texan Cultures in (San Antonio) and the Naturalization ceremony that was taking place while we were there, to walking on the ground that my grandparents would have walked as new arrivals to the US, to working on blocks for the sew along that focuses on them and their farm and their connection to the prisoners held at Camp Trinidad.  

I am moved with deep emotion at how life can come full circle...  I only hope that I can carry on a legacy of kindness and care extended to others as they did.  They didn't have much to share, but they treated the men working on their farm well and generously shared what food they had.  



It is suggested in some of the letters that that was not the situation at all the farms... I guess maybe it may have been more than just Grandma's talents as a cook that had the men proud to say they had worked on the Schleich Farm for the day {wink, wink}.  The men only desired to be respected as humans.  Of course,  having the same native language of German to assist in the communication probably went a long ways.   

I have rambled enough...  In recap - "What we did on our vacation."  We went to Texas for two weeks.  We ate lots of fresh seafood.  We rode our bikes on the beach.  We listened to an audio recording of The Story.  I did lots of hand sewing.  I injured my ankle.  We rode bikes in Galveston.  We ate more seafood.  We visited with friends and customers.  We brought seafood home with us.


So, tell me... Are you a seafood lover???  What is your favorite seafood recipe?

Leave a comment...I'd love to give it a try with some of the seafood we have hoarded away in our freezer!

Quilt Happy!
Melva

Linking with:

Colour & Inspiration at Clever Chameleon Quilting
Mid-week Makers at Quilt Fabrication
Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter
Put Your Foot Down at For the Love of Geese
Creative Compulsions at Bijou Bead Boutique
Can I Get A Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Off The Wall Friday with Nina Marie
Peacock Party at Wendy’s Quilts and More
Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts
Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework
UFO Busting at Tish’s Wonderland
Sunday Stash at QuiltPaintCreate
What I Made Monday at Pretty Piney
Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt
Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts



Wednesday, March 4, 2020

A Texas-sized Trip - I

You may have noticed that I have been a little more quiet than normal here and on social media in the past few weeks. Well, you see, there is a reason for it...  We were traveling!

January and February here in Southern Colorado had been unusually cooler and snowy than the norm and we were READY to be in some warmer temps.  This was not a last minute trip that we made, but, rather, one that began working its way into our minds and hearts last summer...  but it was much needed.

We prepped and loaded up the camper, I packed my "entertainment bag" and we headed not only for warmer temps, but for a beach.  What was in my entertainment bag???  Lots of hand sewing projects.

❂I had 15 National Park Postcard blocks kitted up and ready to go.  These are EPP and finish at 5-inches square.  I completed 13 of them.  The last two involved curves and flat-back stitching and since I needed masking tape and a flat surface to have the best success, I left them to be finished at home.

Most of these blocks have been designed by Rachel over at Fiona Sandwich, but true to my nature, I tweak as I need.  















Like the lower right of the set of four... the original design was to be the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, but by changing some of color/fabric choices I was able to create a highway that winds its way up a mountain pass... like Red Mountain pass from Ouray to Silverton.

The crescent moon and fox are my own designs and the tent is a modified tepee block. 






❂I had recently agreed to pattern test a mini pinnie (pincushion) pattern for Shannon at Shannon Fraser Designs.  

I did big-stitch quilting on it while enjoying the shore at the National Seashore... Ahhhh!  
It took a long time... but only because I was so easily distracted by the surf and activity on the beach as people and cars passed by, as well as the seagulls and pelicans.


❂I had two embroidered blocks that will be offered as an alternative for one of the English Paper Pieced blocks in the Pieces From The Past Sew Along.  

These were the project that I worked on as we came home...  Texas is a BIG state and it takes a long time to get from Beaumont to near Wichita Falls.
As you can see the block with four flowers is incomplete...






❂The bag also contained books for our reading pleasure as we would nod off to sleep at the end of the day, music selections and a couple audio books.  Though we only finished one.  The Story - The Bible as one continuing story of God and His People... it is a chronological reading of the Bible in story format... no chapters and verses to distract you. 











Our ultimate goal was to camp on the beach... so Mustang Island State Park near Corpus Christi was our initial destination.  But it was too long of a drive to make in one day so we made a stop at our favorite goat farm - Lazy J Goats to visit with friends for the night.  We then went on to San Antonio after we had a "pit stop" in Fredricksburg for some lunch and wine tasting.  

We had been in Fredricksburg in 1996 and I had purchased a few bottles of a rose' wine that I really enjoyed and wanted to see if they still had it...  Score!  What a deal... wine tasting for $10 to try any five wines (and a bonus wine) and you keep the glass!  I actually got to try six plus the bonus because the guy giving samples pulled and poured a wrong one.  Who am I to complain??? 

Once we arrived in San Antonio the weather was warm and comfortable when arrived (77°F) but then turned cloudy the next day and we needed jackets to tour the Alamo, the Riverwalk and the Institute of Texan Cultures (there was a quilt show there created by the African American Quilt Circle of San Antonio.  Telling Our Story uses narrative quilts to give voice to San Antonio’s African American history).  

While viewing the exhibits of the various cultures that make up the population of the state (including Jews and Germans - where they discussed the immigrants arriving in Galveston), there was a naturalization ceremony that was to begin soon.  As we enjoyed the museum and the quilts we could sense the excitement of the soon to be US Citizens and their families grow.





Our original plan was to be at the Alamo KOA for two nights.  And then we looked at the forecast and they were predicting light rain all day the following day... when we were supposed to be headed to the beach.

Well... shoot. The beach would be no fun in the rain so we stayed one more day and did the Mission Tour via the public bus... in the rain... with a high of 50°.  The history of the Missions was interesting and worth the time.  We were able to warm up on the bus between stops and enjoyed some hot beverages with our lunch when we finished.

The next day we headed farther south!  We arrived at Mustang Island State Park only to learn that there were no open spaces available.  And while they allowed camping on the beach, it was only tent camping.  We headed to Padre Island National Seashore and found that the campgrounds (on Friday afternoon) were full as well.  BUT they had 60 miles of beach where camping (for free) was permitted!  

And then we were warned of the high tide... Something we had not even considered!  We were a bit timid and stayed close to the entrance of the beach area (The first picture is our view from the back door of our camper).  But after walking along the shore that night and the next morning we had a better understanding of high tide and low tide and just how high the high tide would typically go so we ventured further down the beach after a quick trip to Corpus Christi to visit the HEB Plus for seafood.  We then settled in for two nights. 

Thus began the seafood marathon... How many different ways can we enjoy shrimp, scallops and crab?  Oh, let me count the ways...

✔Crab salad sandwiches
✔Seafood Alfredo
✔Seafood Alfredo pizza (yep!  Pizza... while camping!)
✔Lemon Dill Orzo salad with seafood
✔Seafood Greek Pasta Salad
✔Seafood Tacos
✔Seafood Breakfast Burritos

They were all amazing!  But the breakfast burritos were the standout...  probably because they were just so unique.



We saw a gorgeous sunset the first evening (no camera) and an absolutely amazing sunrise the first morning.  We strolled the beach and even enjoyed a long bike ride along the surf.  We did some beach combing and found some interesting shells and jelly fish.

After three nights at the National Seashore we sought quiet calm at Lake Corpus Christi State Park after enjoying a tour of the USS Lexington in Corpus Christi.  The sound of the surf was LOUD! It wasn't a gentle ebb and flow like we had anticipated... rather it was like a constant roar and it wasn't until we left the shore that I realized I was a mentally tired from the sound and having to tune it out to even think.  


The quiet at the state park was a welcome respite and we looked forward to a bike ride... until I rolled my ankle as I was unloading stuff from the cab of the truck.

I am fortunate that our youngest child is a PTA and had advised me a few years ago about what to do for a sprained ankle.  I.C.E. - Ice, compression and elevation... along with an anti-inflammatory and massage.  While there was no bike ride that evening I was able to walk to and from the shower house on my own the next morning.

That was the end of our camping but the trip wasn't over.  I'll leave the second week of the trip for another post that will include my re-tracing the steps of my Grandparents' arrivals to the US via Galveston.

So... tell me what do YOU include in your "entertainment bag"?

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

Quilt Happy!

Melva

Melva Loves Scraps - Home of the Pieces From The Past Sew Along
that features vintage Kansas City Star quilt blocks!

Linking with:

What I Made Monday at Pretty Piney
Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt
Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts
Colour & Inspiration at Clever Chameleon Quilting
Mid-week Makers at Quilt Fabrication
Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter
Can I Get A Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
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
Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts
Scrap Happy Saturday at Super Scrappy

UFO Busting at Tish’s Wonderland