Tidbits of Memorial Day

Every year there are a fair number of people that try to "educate" others about the varying differences of the Military Recognition Holidays, including Armed Forces, Memorial Day, and Veteran's Day.  

I found this info on Memorial Day interesting.  I knew Memorial Day was to remember the soldiers that never returned home  - primarily after WWI or WWII, is what I thought.  Perhaps even Korea and Vietnam.  I had no clue that it originated with the Civil War! 

Here are a few surprising things you probably didn’t know about Memorial Day:

1. It commemorates the end of the Civil War. Freed slaves and Union troops held the earliest Memorial Day celebrations in May 1865 – just a few weeks after the fighting ended.

2. Memorial Day was first celebrated on May 1 or May Day. The first recorded Memorial Day observance occurred on May 1, 1865, when U.S. Troops and freed slaves celebrated in Charleston, South Carolina. Charleston was the city where the Civil War started with the bombardment of Fort Sumter in 1861.

3. Memorial Day is also about prisoners of war (POWs). The first Memorial Day celebration in Charleston on May 1, 1865, was held to consecrate the graves of 250 Union prisoners who died while in prison. The prisoners were called the “Martyrs of the Race Course” because the camp where the prisoners were kept was constructed at the site of a former horserace track.

4. Memorial Day is a Christian holiday. The original Memorial Day in 1865 was marked by the singing of hymns, and readings from the Bible.

5. Memorial Day has been celebrated historically May 30, not the last Monday in May.

6. Memorial Day became an official holiday in 1868. Union war hero General John A. Logan organized the first Memorial Day and designated May 30, 1868, as the first official celebration.

7. Logan chose the date because no Civil War battles were fought on the day. He was hoping to promote peace by not reviving wartime hatreds.

8. General Logan was the head of the first modern veterans’ organization; the Grand Army of the Republic, which represented Union veterans. Logan Street in Denver and Logan Circle in Washington D.C. have been named after the General.

9. Memorial Day was first celebrated by African Americans. Most of the participants in the first Memorial Day celebration in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1865 were freed slaves. They wanted to thank the Union soldiers who had liberated them as well as celebrate their freedom.

10. Memorial Day is a celebration of freedom. The first Memorial Day was organized by former slaves who also wanted to give thanks to God and to the fallen Union soldiers for their freedom.

11. Memorial Day was originally called “Declaration Day” by General Logan. The term Memorial Day was adopted by ex-Confederates in the South who did not want to celebrate a holiday they felt was confined to the Union.

12. Memorial Day did not become a federal holiday until 1971. An act of Congress in that year created the modern Memorial Day by designating the last Monday in May as a national holiday.

13. Southerners did not start celebrating Memorial Day until 1886 when the Ladies Memorial Association of Columbus, Georgia, held a service to commemorate the Confederate War Dead.

14. Some states hold separate “Memorial Days,” nine Southern States still recognize Confederate Memorial Day; which falls either on the birthday of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, or the day General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson died.

15. Ironically enough, Stonewall Jackson was shot by his own Confederate troops. On May 2, 1863, Confederate infantry mistook Jackson and his staff for Union Calvary and opened fire on them after the battle of Chancellorsville. Jackson was hit and died eight days later from the wounds and other complications.

16. Even though the first celebration was held in 1865 in Charleston, South Carolina. Waterloo, New York, was recognized as the official birthplace of Memorial Day by federal legislation in 1966. Waterloo was one of the first towns to close businesses to honor the war dead in 1866.

17. Over 20 towns around the United States claim to be the “birthplace of Memorial Day.” Communities that claim to have held the first Memorial Day festivities include; Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, Columbus, Georgia, Columbus, Mississippi, and Carbondale Illinois.

18. Americans are supposed to pause for a “National Moment of Remembrance” at 3 p.m. on Memorial Day. Congress passed a resolution encouraging such a moment in 2000.

19. The Lincoln Memorial was dedicated on Memorial Day (May 30) 1922.

Be blessed and Remember...

Melva

Fabulously Branded

After my previous pathetic, whiney post I am happy to report that the Brand Quilt is D. O. N. E. DONE!

I did fuss and muddle my way through the border with the rope, and with all of the support and suggestions I got it done. Sarah's comment "Tell your husband to quilt it if he wants the #@$ $#*&! Rope." made laugh so hard.  It was a great release of tension!  But... at the same time, I made the decision to limit the rope design to only two sections of the borders.  It would never win any awards, other than one for "finished is better than perfect", and I learned a lot!  The fact that I switched the thread to a color to match to help "hide" the imperfections was a saving grace!

The braid fills the wider border nicely.  Kelvin may think that there is more quilting in that section than the wanted, but I felt it was important to secure the batting on the edges a little more than elsewhere.  The instructions on the package recommended quilting up to 3" apart and I think I am pretty close to that with the outline of the brands and the frames around them, and then the outer frame of each block.  And I was pleasantly surprised to see that the wool batting did actually offer a higher loft that the 80/20 batting that I typically use.  I think he will be pleased with it.  You'll notice that I returned to the corral area for this photo shoot... It was the perfect back drop. 😍

With this quilt D.O.N.E. I can return my attention to the Santa Fe Trail quilt which is ready to sandwich and quilt.  After reviewing some of my reference books for heirloom style quilting and vintage quilts, I know how it will be quilted.  Here's a sneak peek at the sashing strips, cornerstones and borders...

The backing is prepped and ready to go.  I went with a pieced backing...

Guess what I will be doing this weekend????  You know where to find me... 😉

What are YOUR plans for the weekend?  Do they involve any quilting?  Maybe some travel?  Time with family?

Leave a comment... I'd love to hear what you will be doing.  

And on this Memorial Day Weekend, keep the Gold Star Families in mind... All gave some, and some gave ALL.  I think some soldiers return from their time in the Military, and bring back ghosts and memories that haunt them and in the end, see no way out, so they choose what they feel is their only choice... Suicide.  So, even those soldiers end up giving ALL.  I wish there was a better answer for them... Won't you join me in prayer for these men and women?  And their families?

Blessings,
Melva

Linking with:

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

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

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework

Sunday Stash at QuiltPaintCreate

Patchwork & Quilts at The Quilting Patch

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

Favorite Finishes Monthly Linkup at Meadow Mist

Tuesday's Check-in

 I knew it had to happen eventually.  I had been on a good roll with a good attitude, and things going better than planned... and then today came.  

Last week I had hoped that I would have a Friday finish with the brand quilt...  I realize that was wishful thinking, but, hey, a girl can dream. Right?

After sending off the Cowboy quilt I pulled out the Brand quilt.  After outlining the appliqued brands I framed each block and then had the crazy idea that I should learn to quilt in a rope design in the borders.  I found a sample of the quilting and I watched some how-to videos and then started practicing with the jig that Dave made me a few months ago.

It has been really handy!  After feeling comfortable I moved to a piece that I could practice on.  After several attempts, with disgust and frustration, I set it aside and pulled out my Santa Fe Sew Along blocks and the fabric I had selected for cornerstones and sashing strips.  This is the best of my practice...

I soon found myself smiling again in finding a way to use the leftovers of the fat quarters I had used for the 12 blocks in a border for the quilt.  I have my top assembled!  Fabric requirements and cutting instructions are a visual on the horizon... like an early morning dawn on the prairie and the sun slowly rising.

✔At least I can mark that off of my To-Do list.  

Back to the Brands... **sigh**  I found several other distractions outside of the studio to pass time and avoid the ropes...  Eventually, I returned to the rope design again, after seeing where I had made the flaws that prevented it from actually looking like a rope.  Only my feeble attempts weren't really any better.  Probably because I was still greatly annoyed.  And then even more so after telling my husband that I had changed my mind about the ropes and would do something different... he responded with "So, you're going to do something easier?"  

Now I am even MORE annoyed!  I explained my fear of trying it on the quilt, not being happy with it so much that I HAVE to rip it out... so yes.  Yes, I plan to do something easier.  He quickly retreated to his shop, as he muttered something about how the rope is still the best option.

Fine...  (we all know what that means)  I'll go find something else to do until I feel like going back to the ropes.  That's where this whiney, pathetic post comes from.  

I still want to give up and do a simple braid, but Noooooo!  I have another annoyance picking at me and telling me to get back into the studio and try the rope again... again, aaaand yet again, until I am beyond the fear of needing to spend time with Jack.  

I know he's right... It really is the best option.  Yes, I will tell him that.  But not until this annoyance of a quilt is done and delivered.

So the word of the day is "annoyed".   

I promise... the next time I am here, I will have a better attitude.  

Any tips in turning this stinky attitude around?  

Leave a comment... I could use your help!  Maybe I need to go clean... the kitchen floor is in need of a mopping.  😣

Keep Quilting,

Melva 

Linking with:

To Do Tuesday at Chris Knits & Sews

Checking the List and Checking Items Off

Another quilt DONE!  Again, the week went so smoothly, that I was able to out do my To-Do List.  The Papa Ray quilt has been mailed (not in the original plans, but sometimes life happens), the TOPS quilt has been labeled, washed and photographed, and as I type this, the Cowboy quilt has been washed and photo shoot done.  We walked up the lane in our little neighborhood to a semi-abandoned corral area.  A storm is moving in, so it was a little windy, but I have a few shots I am pleased with.

❧  This means that I will be returning to my brother's Brand Quilt.  I have a loose plan on how to quilt it... remember, he doesn't want it to be heavily quilted, so I will outline the brands and then do some stitch in the ditch around the squares and then maybe some sort of echo "frame" around the brands.  So, in all reality, despite the large size of 90 inches square, it shouldn't take too long.  

One of the things that has helped me find so much time in the studio is the fact that I replenished my supply of No Guilt::Go Quilt crockpot freezer meals.  One new recipe I have added to our favorites is Dijon Chicken...  It is quick and easy to make, even without the use of a crockpot.  (I think the oven is set to 350 degrees)  It  is so easy to prep for the crockpot and it cooks up just fine.  Note:  You can chicken breasts or tenders as well.  And, I skip the rosemary, just because I don't have fresh on hand.  Serve over a bed of rice along with a side of your favorite vegetables... I like roasted asparagus and tomatoes seasoned with just a touch of salt, pepper and garlic and dinner is ready.  YUM!

What else will occupy my time for the week?  

❧  Sashing strips, corner stones and borders for the Santa Fe Trail sew along quilt!  I am anxious to get it done and get some photos at a nearby wagon tracks location while the grass is still green and there is a chance of having some wild flowers in the area.

Block #3 of the sew along will be released on Thursday... Here's a sneak peek of the memoir shared.

"I remember so clearly the beauty of the earth, and how, as we bore westward, the deer and the antelope bounded away from us.  There were miles and miles of buffalo grass, blue lagoons and blood-red sunsets and, once in a while, a little sod house on the lonely prairie - home of some hunter or trapper.

Minute impressions flash before me; the sun-bonneted women, the woolen-trousered men, little mother in her flounced gingham, brother Will walking in long strides by our driver, voices of the lonely and homeless singing around blazing campfires."

I will continue on with the Shutterfly book of my Pieces From The Past sew along letters and stories. :)

Maybe I will have another Friday Finish this week!  But I suppose I should get going.  Time to do a quick swipe over the furniture with a rag and run the vacuum and so that I can get that Brand quilt sandwiched. Sometimes you just have to break the rules.  😜

Do you have a house cleaning routine or tips that saves time?  I'd love to hear your ideas and suggestions.  

Leave a comment...

Quilt Happy!

Melva

Linking with:

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

To Do Tuesday at Chris Knits & Sews

Mid-week Makers at Quilt Fabrication

Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter

Stitch Sew & Show at Life in the Scrap Patch

Fabulous Friday Finish(es)!

It has been a busy, busy week.  But I don't mind being so busy when things just seem to fall into place, better than planned, and significant forward movement is achieved.  

The TOPS quilt for my friend is done and ready for delivery!  I was questioning the sensibility of incorporating Red/White/Blue and her favorite color purple... But I am pleased with the result.  All sashing and borders are of a Patriotic theme.  The border is a red background with a few blue stars and white script of the Pledge of Allegiance.  How much better can this be???  

I used a lavender backing and a maroon-ish thread for quilting.  It blends well with the deep reds as well as the purples.  A striped blue and white binding finished it all off well.

And since I used Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 cotton/poly fusible batting the sandwiching was super fast and I just love the squishy, cuddly and well-loved look after just one washing.  

Once that was done I did a pattern test for Jen, fellow quilter/blogger over at Patterns by Jen.  She had sent the pattern a few months ago.  And, while I have had it sitting on the table in my studio staring at me for weeks now, I still didn't know what color-way or fabrics I wanted to use for it.

I kept being drawn to red and black, but it is soooooo far out of my "normal" I kept pushing it aside and questioning myself... That is, until I spotted a fat quarter of fabric that my friend Susan had purchased at the gift shop of the International Quilt Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska and sent to me.  That red fabric with the museum's logo printed on it along with the swirly grey/black fabric I recently used on a custom t-shirt quilt were exactly what was needed!  I can't wait to show you the finished quilt.  Though, honestly, I'm not sure when it will be officially "finished" because I am planning on hand-quilting it.  It will be my travel/camping work in progress.  I cannot tell you just how badly I am itching to get back to camping!

I have been revisiting the Pieces From The Past Sew Along Series and am compiling a book (via Shutterfly) to get all all of the letters, stories, recipes and photos in one place.  It has been fun... like visiting with an old friend.

Enough of celebrating my finishes and day-dreaming of camping... I need to go sandwich my customer's cowboy quilt and spend some time on the computer.  

I hope that your week has been as fabulous as mine.  

Have you had any finishes to celebrate this week?

Leave a comment... I'd love to hear about what you have done.

Happy Friday!

Melva

Linking with:

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

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework

Sunday Stash at QuiltPaintCreate

Patchwork & Quilts at The Quilting Patch

There's a New Kid in Town

You may recall that I have been waiting somewhat patiently for our sweet Hanna to arrive.  Her projected date of arrival was May 6th.  Her Daddy's birthday is May 8th and he had hoped that she might be willing to share his day.  I had secretly hoped that she might arrive a little early... like April 29th to share the day with MY Dad, even though he has been celebrating his birthday in heaven for the past 8 years.

Well... Hanna, I believe, is going to be the child that will keep Heather (and the rest of the family) on her/their toes.  She made her appearance on April 28th... a full week early.  Grandpa Dave laughed and stated to Heather "You do realize that this is the only thing you have ever done early!"  She laughed along with us and strongly agreed.  Heather was not feeling any sort of labor pains at 9:30 a.m. when she left her weekly scheduled appointment and yet Hanna was in their hands just a few hours later at 2:23 p.m.

Why have I not mentioned her grand arrival???  How could it possibly slip my mind???  All I can say is I have NO idea, other than it seems that every waking moment of my time at home has been devoted to quilting.  

Which is exactly what I had on my agenda for yesterday afternoon... Mother's Day.  Dave and I took a walk after I sandwiched and marked the custom t-shirt quilt for my friend Sue.  Upon our return we saw a car full of kids running toward us from the driveway.  Heather and the entire crew made the 1-1/2 hour drive to surprise me.  My heart was absolutely bursting with joy!

I continue to move forward, though it may seem slow at times because I am bouncing back and forth on quilts.  I keep reminding myself that I really am moving forward, on multiple projects, not just one!

Do you see that t-shirt quilt with the Marines block on it?  That's the Remembering Papa Ray quilt... My custom labels arrived on Friday and it is ready to be washed and delivered to a baby shower on Saturday... of course, I will be passing through Pueblo so another visit with Heather and the grands will be necessary. 

My friend Sue will be at that same shower and that is why my goal for the week is finishing the TOPS quilt.  During The Inquiring Quilter's Saturday Sew-in I was able to get the sashing strips done and border on.  If you haven't joined her virtual sew-in sessions, you are missing out.  Each week she encourages interaction by offering questions for people to answer.  The topics range from seasonal quilts, to family; from favorite techniques to holiday celebrations.  Participants from around the world join in.  Check it out!

If there is any time left after finishing this one I will quilt the little cowboy quilt for my customer.

One reader questioned what was in the alternating blocks... those are cowboy boots with a hat resting on top of them. 👢

How did you spend your Mother's Day?

Some of the most recent Mother's Days have been some of the hardest for me.  Dave and I (nor my parents) have never really celebrated "hallmark holidays" and I certainly don't go out of the way to make the day special in celebrating my own Mom on just one day.  I won't go into detail about all of this because I don't want to dwell on them or bring anyone down.  I But THIS one?  This one almost made up for the roughest ones I have had and sent them running into the shadows.

Be Blessed and Piece Happy!  I know I am...

Melva

 

Linking with:

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework

Sunday Stash at QuiltPaintCreate

Patchwork & Quilts at The Quilting Patch

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

To Do Tuesday at Chris Knits & Sews

Mid-week Makers at Quilt Fabrication

Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter

Stitch Sew & Show at Life in the Scrap Patch

Put Your Foot Down at For the Love of Geese

Needle & Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation

Inspiration and Creativity

Just this morning I saw something about how taking a break from your normal quilting practices can actually spur on creativity and new inspiration and ideas.

I have experienced this very thing!  I have also found that by doing quilting for others and trying to incorporate their "thing" into a quilt or quilting expands my comfort zone.  Blocks of the Month and Sew Alongs are also a good way to stretch your inspiration as well as try new techniques on for size. 😉

I have been blessed to be able to have my comfort zone stretch in the past month with several custom quilt orders as well as quilting for customers.  I have loved the results and firmly believe the statement "You can't use up creativity." 

It may very well be the reason that I am rockin' and rollin' through the quilt orders that I have had recently.

The Brand quilt top is done and the wool batting is on order.

So I have moved on to the last of the original custom orders... another t-shirt quilt.  This one is for a friend that has been involved in TOPS (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly) for many years.  Sue was among my friends that made the magnetic prayer boards.

She loves the color purple and anything Red/White/Blue .  I'm not sure what focus fabric I will use for the sashing strips and borders, but I'm sure an idea will come together that will seem just perfect for her. 

Those magnetic prayer boards were inspiration for another project that I led the Women's Ministry group in at our church.  We are getting ready to begin a new study and so we made personal prayer journals that will be utilized with the study when we start next week. Our journals are as varied as our personalities...

Which reminds me of how each of the blocks that have been shared from the Santa Fe Trail Sew along are equally as diverse and different.

Wendy Tuma shared on her blog about her blocks... You should check it out! She lives not far from the land mark Maiden Rock in Wisconsin.  Marion Russell made mention of this point of interest in her memoirs so Wendy took inspiration from the scenery for her Double Nine block and then took a "field trip" to do a photo shoot.  

So all of this inspiration and creativity has actually kept me from doing some of the computer tasks that I really need to to get to.  

I have patterns to write out for the Sew Along in addition to the TOPS quilt to assemble... oh, and I have another baby cowboy quilt that arrived recently. 

My customer, once again, created each of the cowboys to represent individuals in the family.  Those great-grandbabies are so lucky!

It is time to get back to my To Do List!  I am list maker... A friend recently shared that she has discovered that it helps her to make lists as well.  And she has adapted the idea of tackling the task that she most dreads FIRST... Because after that everything else is easy.  Seems like a good idea, and sometimes I will do that.  

But I tend to prioritize by how long a task will take, compared to how much time I might have available.   I hate leaving things half-done.  But, of course, if there is a deadline that item gets more attention, well in advance, because I hate working under pressure!

What is your strategy for tackling you To-do's?

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

Piece Out,

Melva

Linking with:

To Do Tuesday at Chris Knits & Sews

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

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