Sunday, December 14, 2025

Sew & Tell ~ 12/15/25


Tyshan is at the free-throw line
Quickly, before I jump into the Sew & Tell feature, I want to thank you for the thoughts and prayers for our time with our daughter and the grandchildren.  We had a short (and pleasant) visit with Heather as we transferred Christmas gifts from our car to hers.  We attended the basketball game to watch our grandson.  He was happily surprised to see us and Aunt Rebecca there (as was his mom - Kim) and so appreciative of our attending the game.


On to this week's Sew & Tell feature... Brenda at Songbird Designs showed off a fun little table topper that she made in a demo class at a local Bernina dealer in the Virtual Cookie Exchange blog hop.  

As she had the opportunity to test drive a new machine, she was so impressed with it, it followed her home!

She shared two cookie recipes as well... you can follow the link above to find those.  You just may find a new favorite. ;)

Do you have a favorite cookie?  Is it considered a classic "Christmas/Holiday" only cookie?


Mom and I got her Christmas goodies assembled and ready to give out.  I also made up a few jar mixes that are ready to go in short notice.  Again, you can find the recipes here if interested.

I was ready (I thought) to start my scrapbooking of 2019 photos.  Only to find out that I was nearly out of plastic sleeves for the pages in my book.  I place an order and then pulled out the cut-outs for my quilted cards.  I was pleased to discover that all of the Fishers Peak cards at the local museum had been purchased so I replenished the stock... including a few "Christmas" versions.


The next day... I still could not begin my scrapbooking... I did a prewash on the fabric and flannel I planned to use for armchair covers on Dave's recliner.  He likes the chair and has decided that covers would be suitable to lengthen the life/existence of his chair.  He didn't want them to be quilted with batting, but the regular quilting fabric needed something more to make it not so flimsy.  The flannel was a perfect solution. 

The covers were such a great solution that he sat in the chair for nearly an hour before he noticed them. LOL!

No, the color of fabric is not a perfect match, but it is better than the grubby spots.  We I can continue to shop for a better match...

Still waiting on the delivery of the pages for the scrapbook... I pulled out my Little House quilt and resumed the FMQ of feathers.  I adjusted my approach and position of the quilt as I made the feathers on the right-hand side and found that I had substantially better results and fewer thread breakages. YAY! 


I'm not sure when I'll be sitting down at the machine with "Laura" (that's what I have nicknamed the quilt).  I really desire to get the 2019 photos booked and done and I will be meeting with a few others at the "local quilt shop" in Raton, NM to make some charity quilts on Monday afternoon.  The owner of the shop recently acquired a HUGE stash of fabric from a quilter that was moving to the town and suddenly passed away as the moving truck was being unloaded.  The family reached out to her, and she has chosen to turn the fabric into charitable quilts.  

As my friend wrote to me about her mother's memory quilts and how I shared my God-given talents with her and her sisters... I want to do more of that.  Preserving a family's stories and memories has always been a passion of mine.  The sew along series that I have hosted in the past here at Melva Loves Scraps is an example of that passion.  

I'm beginning to make my annual review of the year and plan for 2026.  This year - 2025 - has been a challenge.  We have been hurt, we have grieved (6 deaths of family, friends and acquaintances) and we have begun the healing process. I'll cover more of that in my review.

What are some of your God-given talents?
How do you them to help others?

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

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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Sunday, December 7, 2025

Small Gifts ~ Sew & Tell - 12/8/25



Hello, hello!  I have been busy over here with two finishes - I shared those on Friday, and you can get all the details of the "His & Hers" Walk About quilts here. And then I turned my attention to some small gifts to share with the grandkids, friends and neighbors.  But before I go into detail about those, let's take a look at Marsha's small gift bags at Marsha's Spot.

As you can see, she has an assortment of colors and prints.  They sew up quickly and I have adjusted the size as needed.  Head over to her blog to find the link for the pattern.

I will be helping my Mom to put together a few things for her neighbors.  She has selected a Chicken & Rice casserole that is easy to prepare by simply adding some water.  She also chose a Grandma's Noodle Soup.  Here are the recipes and preparation instructions.


You can place the can and the bag in a large soup mug/bowl.  Mom is simply using a small gift bag.  We will tie it closed with a ribbon and attach a tag with the instructions:

In a small pan place 1/2 cup water and 1 Tablespoon butter.  Bring to a boil.  Turn off.  Add drained chicken from the can and the casserole mix from the bag.  Mix well and let stand for 5-8 minutes.  Top with shredded cheese.  You can microwave, if needed to melt the cheese.  Enjoy!



Mom chooses to include the fresh chopped veggies with the noodle soup mix so that the recipient only needs to add water. :)

In a separate bag, add 3 diced carrots, 2 chopped celery stalks and 1 chopped onion.  

Place both bags and a large can of chicken in a bag.  Attach a tag with the cooking instructions.

We will be adjusting the recipe to make 1/2 batches of the soup ingredients to be 1 quart because the intended recipients are single; and doubling the casserole recipe since it will be gifted to a couple.

You could use some gift bags like Marsha's for the gifts.  I plan to make some to hold the small goodies that are on my to-do list:

8malted milk balls and 1red sour cherry candy


a small bag of marshmallows

chocolate covered raisins or malted milk balls






hot cocoa mix, marshmallows & peppermint stick


I will be assembling a few cookie jar mixes for friends... You can find the recipes and instructions here.  I have included the recipes for these as "special" and fall into my restrictions - gluten free, corn free, sugar free, soy free and dairy free.  When I make up the mixes, I will use the special recipes so that if we don't gift all of them, I can still mix up myself and enjoy. ;)

Dave and I prefer giving "consumable" items as small gifts for neighbors and friends... who really needs another small knick-knack or gadget.  We saw a towel warmer at walmart the other day... really?  It is large and just doesn't seem practical to us... We live in a society that goes out and purchases an item when they want/need it.  It seems that we have excess everywhere and we live in a disposable world... if something breaks many don't bother trying to repair it.  Nope!  Just dump it and go buy a replacement.  Just one of the reasons we like to give something to be eaten ;)


So sorry... I'll stop the rant there... ;)  
With my list of "gifts/goodies-to-make" done, Dave and I focused on addressing our Christmas cards and getting the shopping done for the grandkids.  Heather has been sending me updates about their Elf on a Shelf, Sugar.  So far, Sugar has "stolen" Mom's phone to take sELFies with each of the girls as they slept, gone bungee jumping from the master bedroom ceiling fan.  Most recently, Sugar left some new Christmas jammies and Elf on a Shelf Cookie Mix.  Heather doesn't go wild with the shenanigans... she has enough shenanigans going on in her house without the help of an Elf! LOL

All of the gifts for them have been wrapped as well as the miscellaneous Christmas Stockings that we do each year.  To remove the temptation from the kids to peek and snoop we wrapped the stockings into the box with the gifts.  Since we haven't actually discussed any chance of seeing them during their holiday break, we are taking the gifts to drop off at Heather's place of work Monday.  Our grandson, 16, made the basketball team and we will be attending his game in the afternoon.  It will be the first time we have a chance to see them since before their baptism in February.  Prayers for a joyful reunion are greatly appreciated!

I have slowly pulled out a few Christmas decorations... our quilted Christmas stockings, the Manger for our Nativity scene and a pinecone/nut wreath that we hang on our porch near the front door.  Our tree will come out in about 10 days.  The next item to come out will be the gold tinsel garland to display all of the Christmas cards on.

When I finish assembling all of the small goody bags I will pull out my scrapbooking supplies and work on the photos from 2019... and then watch for another penny sale to get the photos from 2020 printed. ;)

Are you still working on last minute gifts?
What are some of your favorite neighbor gifts?

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

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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Friday, December 5, 2025

Two Walk Abouts - Two Finishes - His & Hers

It's been a good week in the studio, and I am here to share the two finished Walk About quilts.  Both tops were pieced at the quilt retreat in November.


The Wildlife Walk About is designed more for a man... though, I know a gal or two that would appreciate it as well.  

The teal/yellow quilt is definitely more feminine.

Here's a closer look at the Wildlife quilt...


An all-over lattice grid was quilted over the center of the quilt, out to the borders... stitch in the ditch on either side of the narrow border and a vine & leaves FMQ filled the wider border.  


The backing is pieced - the focus fabric is flanked by some grey/green plaid woven fabric.  And the binding is a brown/green leaf camo print.

The yellow/teal quilt needed borders, and I had to spend a fair amount of time digging in the stash for fabrics that worked.



I modified the border sizes and order from the original pattern because I was limited in the amount of fabric I had available in the stash.  I started the quilting design with a square in a square layout and then started some dot-to-dot lines, allowing the lines to crisscross and create some interesting geometric designs.

The backing is a woven teal fabric with deep green and purple.  

I used a deep purple Aurifil thread in the bobbin and a variety of pastel Aurifil threads as the top thread - pastel teal, light green and a lavender.

The binding is a deep green blender.  I didn't think it would work... I was a skeptic until I auditioned it along with a few others and I was surprised to see that it was the best option.


I have my fingers crossed that they will find their new homes for Christmas... How perfect is this?  His and Hers quilts!


Same pattern... same layout... but so different!

I'll be tidying up my studio and stash this weekend.

Do you have quilting plans for the weekend?
Are you sewing Christmas or Holiday gifts?
Or are you done?

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

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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Sunday, November 30, 2025

Holiday Week(end) Sewing ~ Sew & Tell - 12/1/25


I had a calm and relaxing week as I continued sewing and quilting Memory Keeper III. I explained last week about the request for an additional quilt... 


But first! Let's look at the featured quilter from the party.  Sally at Crafts, Cavies & Cooking shared that her king-sized Winter Stars quilt is OFFICIALLY DONE!  This is no small accomplishment... Congratulations Sally!  She stated that "According to my notes, Winter Stars took roughly 180 hours to complete."  

It is a stunning quilt, and you can catch the entire journey of Sally's making and finishing this quilt by following the link above. 

I have never really tracked the hours it takes to make a quilt... oh, sure, I have made table toppers and baby quilts in a day.  But the larger quilts I just make.  At the retreat there were several quilters that couldn't believe how fast I completed the tops I made... I reasoned that I had to learn how to be faster if I ever wanted to "make money" at this.  This was back when I was creating items for holiday fairs and markets.  It was always challenging to guess what people might want to purchase... and something that I have left in the past.  

I now create for the love of creating and a small hope that someone might love something so much that they purchase it.  I have a good selection of items on hand for last minute gifts, if needed. ;)

Have you ever tracked the time it takes to make a quilt?


Since Memory Keeper III is a commissioned quilt, I did try to keep a faster pace... you know the saying... Time is money!

I pieced and quilted as I listened to audio books.  This week I enjoyed a classic, My Friend Flicka.  I don't remember ever reading it as a child.  In fact, I feel like I missed a bunch of "classics" and am slowly going back to all of them.  So far, I have enjoyed Tuck Everlasting and The Secret Garden.  

I've enjoyed watching Charm About You on Instagram as she has created 9-patch blocks to resemble/reflect the cover the books she has read this year.  She has been collecting them throughout the year, and I look forward to seeing how she lays them out and completes the top.  I'll let you know when I see it happen...  It is inspiration for something I am considering in 2026.  Sorry about the rabbit hole...

I had to supplement some jelly roll strips from the roll I won at the quilt retreat (how convenient and perfect timing!) to have enough variety for this quilt.  I also went with a purple print backing and binding instead of green.  I placed an order with Connecting Threads a few weeks ago, during their big $3/yd sale and I am still waiting on that to arrive.  I chose to use something I had on hand instead, with her approval. <3

It is cold, windy out with some moisture in the air... indoor photo shoot!

I love the soft, crinkly look!




















 





I just need to add the label and it will be sent off to deliver another hug!

Thanksgiving was a pleasant day as we gathered with our youngest daughter, her husband and his family.  It was a fun day, and the food was good.  

We packed a few to-go boxes and returned home.  I quilted the hexagon color wash quilt as we traveled the 90 miles each way.  I am now starting round #5... 7 to go.


As the Memory Keeper III quilt received its gentle wash and dry, I pulled out the teal/yellow Walk About retreat quilt.  Borders were added and a woven/plaid backing was added.  I even have a few markings to begin the quilting.  The quilting will accentuate the angles of the pieced blocks (I hope), helping to define the design/pattern that became a little lost because of the scrappy blocks.  

I need to decide what to do for the backing of the Wildlife Walk About quilt... I was recently given bags of someone's de-stash fabric with several multiple yard-cut options... one or two with some brown.  I'll continue to consider my options until I find the perfect choice.


We have our Christmas cards waiting in the wings and ready for addressing - maybe this week.  In past years (more that 30 years) we have included a family "newsletter" with each of us writing updates about life and what the highlights of the year were.  Dave and I decided that it was time to "retire" the family letter.  I know many loved receiving it and perhaps even looked forward to it.  It was always entertaining... but it just feels like too much to accomplish.  I guess, honestly, how in the world do you share news of a chasm in the family with one son-in-law, that has kept us from seeing our daughter and grandchildren since February???  That's not fun! ;) So, we are doing what our oldest daughter would do... avoid the topic completely by sending only a card with a few photos from our travels throughout the year.  

Have you started your Holiday/Christmas shopping?
Do you decorate for the season?

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

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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Sunday, November 23, 2025

Memory Keeper III ~ Sew & Tell - 11/24/2025


Wow... where did the week go?  I didn't have a lot of time in the studio, but I did get the two memory quilts labeled and shipped.  We had a "day out" and purchased a chair... but before I get caught up in all of that, let's take a look at this week's feature.


LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color shared her inspiration and process for a "watercolor" pumpkin quilt.

It all started with a pumpkin she spotted while on a walk and some scraps.

Since she was unsure of creating the shadow area, she pulled out some other scraps and created a fun needle case.  Be sure to make a visit to her blog to see how she made it as well!

I have made needle cases before and they are so handy to have for travel in the car or in the camper, or even just an extra near my chair. ;)  I have several!  Christmas is just around the corner... they would be a great small gift to tuck in a stocking or for a friendly neighbor.


Since I mentioned my chair I'll share the news of our latest purchase.  My wing-back recliner is 11 years old and being closer to a large picture window than Daves and endures more exposure to the sun and has faded over the years.  He decided that we needed to begin looking for a replacement.  We made a day of it in Pueblo shopping.  We shopped at several thrift shops as well as the furniture store.  We found a few options, but no chairs that needed to find their way to our home.  

We stopped in at the local (Trinidad) furniture store and found better choices at better prices!  We love to shop local, and it helps when the prices are competitive and fair.  We decided to take a day or so to consider it, rather than make a purchase at that time.

We returned a few days later, the chair was still there and still a great "black Friday" deal, and we brought it home.  It didn't take us long to realize that the chair had been sprayed with something heavily perfumed and causing me to become congested and sneezing.  We doused it in baking soda overnight and then sprayed it with some odor neutralizing spray for removing urine stains.  After spraying and vacuuming several times I am able to sit in and enjoy.

It is comfortable to sit and sew and I am able to recline all the way back since it is a wall-hugger.  The wing-back chair was not...


I enjoyed a day of slow-stitching as I added the binding to the Color Wash Hexagon Quilt.  I am working on the 4th round of quilting the hexies.  Will I finish this 2025 Rainbow Scrap Challenge in 2025???  Only time will tell. ;)

While I was enjoying a slow day quilting, I could have, should have been in the studio getting a third Memory Keeper quilt top done.  After sending off the two memory quilts for my customer, she asked if there might be enough left for a third. Really??? Now you ask?  


After assessing the leftover scraps, I decided that there would be, with a little help from the jelly roll strips that I won at the retreat. ;)  I pulled out the Sticks & Stones pattern and started cutting all of the little bits that I had first to utilize them in the best possible way.  I had several other pieces that were much larger to use for all of the stones and some sticks.

The blocks are ready to be joined together and ready for borders in a short time.

The first quilt happened to have been delivered on the birthday of the recipient.  I was told that she opened the box, wrapped herself in her Mom's love and sat on the couch and cried.  I will never grow tired of creating special quilts for others to cherish and embrace as they recall their loved one's life.  I am blessed to have been able to send Carla a birthday hug from beyond! 💗 Paula should have her quilt just in time to be able to spend Thanksgiving with her Mom... ;)

It is hard to fathom that Thanksgiving is upon us this week!  Oh! My! Goodness!!  Just how did we get here???  And so fast???  One day at a time, I guess.  I've been working on being more intentional with each day... to be a blessing to others in small and ordinary ways.  For it is the ordinary days that seem to outnumber the extra-ordinary days, right?

We will be spending Thanksgiving Day with our youngest daughter and her husband.  His family (parents and sister) will be there as well.  We haven't spent a great deal of time with them since the wedding in 2017.  I am "in charge of" cranberry sauce (homemade - and my favorite dish of the Thanksgiving meal), gluten-free dinner rolls and mashed (white) sweet potatoes... and games. We'll be playing the game "Telestrations".  It is an interesting game that combines Pictionary and the telephone game, and it is fun to play in a larger group.  As the description says, "The worse your drawing, the funnier the game—no artistic skill required!"

Will you be gathering with family or friends to celebrate Thanksgiving?

What is your favorite part of a holiday meal?

Leave a comment... I'd love to hear from you!  
Let's get the Sew & Tell party going.  

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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Thursday, November 20, 2025

Walk About Retreat

As promised, here I am with the retreat update.  My arrival on Friday afternoon found me greeting a few familiar faces as well as a few new faces.  As I got settled in, I mingled a bit.  Others arrived shortly after me and I assisted with toting and unloading them.  I was to be borrowing a table from another quilter, and she had not arrived yet. :( I set up a small trimming and pressing station and started marking the sewing lines for my HST units... and continued to help others get moved in.


As it turned out, a sweet gal had a second table that she had planned to use as an organizational space for her pieces.  The coordinator stated that there probably wasn't going to be room since there were 17 quilters. Wow!  What a great group!

Gwen allowed me to claim borrow her extra table, and we were stitching away in no time at all... after figuring out our power situation.  A few extension cords and power strips managed to solve the problem. ;)

By dinner I had all of my half-square triangle units sewn together, pressed and trimmed to size.  I got the rows laid out and sewn and by 8 pm I had the top ready for borders.

I was done for the night and returned to the small area I had set up for trimming and pressing and pulled out my hexagon color wash quilt to hand-quilt.  The location was great as others visited the station for their own pressing and trimming and I was able to talk and laugh with them.  I stitched until I was tired and turned in for the night as others were busily piecing away.

The morning dawn on Saturday was beautiful, and pictures never do the moment justice.

I soaked in the beauty as I did my daily Bible reading and then went to work on the borders of the quilt.  Slowly the other quilters arrived in the common area where all of the machines were set up with coffee in hand.  By breakfast time (9 a.m.) I had my borders complete!  The top measures approximately 62 inches square.



I had to modify the border to create cornerstones since I was limited on the amount of lighter/contrasting fabric I had for it.  It meant that one of the borders has multiple seams, but it looks fine.

A small group of us went for a walk, probably about 2 miles. A snack was needed after the walk and then I settled in for piecing the second quilt that I had.

I took a scrappy approach to the yellow and teal HSTs for this one.  Piecing was interrupted by several activities... gift exchange/grab bag game, a "show & tell" followed by strip poker.  These are some wild & crazy ladies. ;)

Show & Tell

show & tell

Strip poker was a game that included a die and a jelly roll. Each quilter took three strips and took turns rolling the die.  The marking on the die told you what to do... here's a link to the "rules", though our version was slightly modified.  It took a long time to play out with so many quilters, but it was fun.  I thought it was especially fun since I came out as the winner... and winner keeps all!  Hahaha!  

I was challenged to make a quilt with the strips and bring it to the next retreat in the spring.


The gift exchange was fun as well... so many quilty gifts, notions and patterns!  Here's what I ended up with.

Our youngest daughter loves baking and aprons.  She will be getting this one as a part of a gift. 💗🎄

After getting back to my machine I was able to get the yellow/teal quilt top ready for borders...

And then it was time for dinner.


I haven't had the time to get borders added yet, but I'm in no huge rush to get it finished.  Here are a few of the other Walk About quilts made over the weekend.



First, I have a third Memory Keeper quilt to make for my HS classmate.  Her other two were sent out and will soon be wrapping them in love from their Momma.

Here's the progress on Color Wash... I have three full rounds of hexagons quilted.  I need to get the binding on it so that I'm not dealing with fraying edges. 

The retreat coordinator is always on the lookout for fun games and activities... Do you have any suggestions?

Leave a comment... I'd love to hear from you (and share with the coordinator.)  

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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