Sew & Tell ~ February 6, 2023

Can you believe that we have turned a page to a new month???  It was a very cold week and all that snow we had two weeks ago remains (as I prepare this story on Friday afternoon).  Could it be that that is the reason for February being the shortest month?  Because we all just want to get past the winter and welcome spring???  Though the temps have finally warmed enough that we have started melting it and once it started it melted quickly.  

It's been so cold I haven't been doing much walking and I have a very difficult time trying to make myself do some simple exercises in the house.  *sigh*  I guess that my beach-ready body (haha!) will not be fully ready for when we head south with some friends for camping on the beaches near Galveston... less than 3 weeks until we pull out.  Woohoo!

It was during the recent unusual deep freeze of weather with frigid temps and some higher content of moisture than is typical...  (Seriously! We had this hoar frost for almost three days!) that I created a mini quilt which reflected my feelings. 

Last week I had a misspelling on one of the minis that I made... I failed to write the "e" in the word believe... making the word belive.  I recalled a picture/devotion from October of last year...  I COULD have left it alone... instead I picked out the stitches and fixed it.  Just to clarify this week... I did put Son rather than sun on this one to remind myself that even though the sun may not be shining The Son should always shine through me. :)  This mini quilt ~ #5 of 52 ~ is 4"x6" with a buttonhole stitch to finish the edges.

I am enjoying the creative process of making the minis which is helping me to explore techniques and styles that are outside my comfort zone.  Applique is not a favorite of mine, but I didn't mind including it on the Colorado wall hanging that I shared in my Friday Finish post...

My assistant helped me over the fence and turned the quilt around so that I could capture Fishers Peak...

 

The second of two commissioned wall hangings required an extra spark of creativity.  It was requested that I include a local landmark, Simpsons Rest... a tall sandstone bluff that overlooks the town of Trinidad.  My great-grandfather led the crew that installed the first Trinidad sign that was lit and dedicated in 1915.

I got past my mental block about how to create the sandstone bluff... thanks to the advice from my creative consultant and assistant, Dave, as well as a sudden burst of brilliance in how to enlarge the photo to the size I needed.  Using some technology and photo editing, I was able to enlarge the picture to the proper size, print it out in sections and tape it all together to make my pattern.  Ta-dah!

The final border is a fabric of Trinidad bricks that I had printed by Spoonflower a few years back.  The square stippling on the bluff mimics the nooks and crannies and shadows in the sandstone.

My customer was beyond pleased with both wall hangings and when I shared my pictures with her, she asked if they were ready to be picked up.  She arrived a very short time later. 😍  

I told them they would have a new home and would be properly loved and cared for and bid them farewell.  

I returned to my studio to begin quilting quilt top #1 of 8... While sandwiching this top I realized that it was very wonky but pressed it out the best I could as I sandwiched it using Hobbs Heirloom Fusible batting. 

Remember that these were all tops completed by a woman advanced in her age with decreased vision... Keeping this in mind, they are precious treasures for the family, and they deserve the best finishing possible, just as a quilt made to be entered into a national quilt contest.
 

There are many mis-matched corners, a few folds and wrinkles in it, but once it is washed a dried, they will disappear into the natural wrinkles that occur when the 80% cotton batting shrinks just a tad.

It is an ideal size for a baby quilt... and any baby that might be wrapped in this will not mind one bit that there are a few imperfections... all stitched with persistence and love.

This week I'll pull out another "1 of 8 tops" and get going on it.  It will likely be a mid-sized one.  I'll also make mini quilt #6/52. 

Time for Sew & Tell...  what have you done this week?  There has been a steady increase of entries.  I offer many thanks to everyone that has spread the word and joined the weekly parade. 

You might say I had stars in my eyes this week! 🤩Two entries that caught my ever-lovin' scrappy attention... 

Bonnie In Stitches had some bright scrappy stars. 

and Sew Sunshine showed off another beautiful scrappy star.

Keep Piecing, 

Melva

Linking with:

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework

Sunday Stash at QuiltPaintCreate

Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

Monday Musings at Songbird Designs

This & That at Days Filled with Joy

To Do Tuesday at Quilt Schmilt

Mid-week Makers at Quilt Fabrication

Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter

m