Sunday, August 24, 2025

Mountainside Sewing - Sew & Tell - 8/25/25


There wasn't a whole lot of sewing going on last week... the mountains were calling and we responded.  Bright and early on Sunday morning, we jumped in the truck with camper in-tow and headed about two hours north-west of our home to one of our most favorite locations to camp - The Alvarado campground located in the San Isabel National Forest near Westcliffe, CO.

As we did in June, we attended worship in town and then settled into our campsite.  We were blessed to be able to claim a spot next to a creek.  




Dave had hopes of hiking one of the trails on Monday morning.  I consented to his crazy idea, thinking "it's 3 miles (one way)... I can do that.  We ate breakfast and packed lunch and headed out of the campsite at 7:35 a.m.


We went up, up and up... there were switchbacks... and some long, gentle inclines along the side of the mountain and more switchbacks.  We hiked a long, long ways... like 3 miles UP with a 2,600ish feet increase in elevation.  More than once I thought I was going to die! Our original destination was Commanche Lake. 

We did not make it. We went up, and up and up for 4 hours 15 minutes. When I could go no further, we sat and had lunch as we looked at the backside of this mountain where the arrow points... 

By Dave's calculation after returning home, we had another mile to go before getting to the lake. 

This was about 1/2 way back down... 
It doesn't show the actual fatigue and pain I felt

It took 2 hours to get back down. I slipped on rocks and landed on my bum in the last 1/2 mile. (I'm fine other than a bruise... that I will not show you. ;) )  When we got back to our site, we grabbed our water sandals and a couple glasses of water and sat in the cold mountain creek until our feet went numb.  We eventually took showers to wash all the dust and sweat away and then had a simple dinner.


I sewed and worked on hexies the next day.  My legs hurt so bad that I didn't want to do anything else... End of story. 🤣

We did take a few short walks around the campground and headed to town to see if Dave's phone problems could be resolved with better service.  

No such luck... though it did begin working again long enough to get caught up with family messages and he even answered a phone call... twenty minutes later he had no service of any sort and it remained that way until we got home and he was able to purchase a new sim card.  Technology!

Anyway... Here's what I did with my little hexie flower.

I did a simple running stitch in black embroidery thread to applique it onto the shirt. 

I want to pull out some 30s reproduction fabrics to make a pink and green flower for a pastel pink shirt that I have.

And the teal hexies... they have been added to the main project...


I'm feeling a little anxious about how I am going to get this all filled out and complete... I guess time will tell.  I have tried to not duplicate fabrics, though it has happened a few times, I will not go back and replace them.  Live and let live... 


Last week's party was a fun one!  So many pretty projects.  Gretchen shared the progress of her Stonefield's Blocks.  Her applique is just lovely! Head over to Gretchen's Little Corner to see all of the blocks that she featured.  

She was supposed to make two blocks like this but felt that all of those points on the stars were just too much for her... make a visit to see what she chose to do instead.  It is still just as lovely!

I look forward to seeing how her quilt will layout.

I have slowly recovered from the strenuous hike and am over the trauma of it all... The laundry has been managed, and I am ready to return to the studio.  What will I make???  I have no idea!

Since there is one more week remaining August, I will probably pull out my teal/aqua scraps and see what I can create.  I'll likely pull up the folder on my phone for design ideas and see what strikes my fancy.

Do you have a folder or source of inspiration that you turn to?

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

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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Sunday, August 17, 2025

Back to School Season ~ Sew & Tell - 8/18/25


Welcome back to Melva Loves Scraps and Back-to-School season... Families across the US are getting children ready to go back to school... teachers are ready to welcome them back (mostly with open arms and excitement) with their plans in place and hopes to make a difference in the lives of those they teach... not just in school topics, but in life lessons and examples shown to them.  Remember!  Actions speak louder than words.

My stock photo of the file holders

With classes resuming at the local college, I have been in my studio making the tool holders/rolls that I make each semester.  I had a limited amount of denim and have only been able to make six this time.  I'll be ordering another bolt of denim soon and get more made.

I'll take a look at my local fabric option - walmart - to see if I can find anything... maybe a "bargain bin" find.

I'm afraid I will need to increase the price again, as the cost of the denim continues to increase. :(  Thus is the situation for everything lately, right?



Last week, if you missed it, I had two finishes - The aqua Viridian's Chain quilt (with pieced back see that backing here!) had her photo shoot and looked lovely with some of my morning glories.

Scrappy Hawaiian

I also finished the hand quilting on the scrappy red quilt that I made in April.  This quilt has a fun corn on the cob backing and would be a fun addition to a Labor Day picnic table.



With a connection to my childhood, the back-to-school season also meant it was time for the Colorado State Fair (which runs through Labor Day Weekend).  As a member of a 4-H club, I had several projects qualify for state fair at the local fair.  It was quite a big deal!  We always made the special trip to Pueblo to be able to see whatever project it may have been, on display.  I had a few knitting and crochet projects earn the trip there and actually did quite well.  I remember a Reserve Grand Champion ribbon and a Grand Champion ribbon.  I had them proudly on display on a bulletin board in my bedroom.

Just the other day, I was looking up information about some of the State Fair events and was pleased to see our littlest grand daughter on their website.

This photo is now 3 years old, and she is still just as darling!  

I have rambled enough... I need to get packing.  Yep!  We are heading out with our 5th-wheel camper.  At least 2 nights, maybe 3 and if we are lucky, we'll get our favorite little spot next to the creek.  

  






Thanks for stopping by!  I hope that you will join the Sew & Tell party.

It's open for social media posts as well as blogs.

But before you go... Tell me about a random act of kindness you have extended or been on the receiving end of.  How did it impact you?  

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

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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Thursday, August 14, 2025

On a Roll With TWO Finishes

It's been a productive week again!  I tidied up after my SIL left Monday morning and I settled in with the aqua Viridian's Chain quilt under the needle on my Babylock Jazz.

I had a brief detour as the machine became sluggish and the motor was straining.  I've experienced this twice before and both times I gave a small drop of oil in a few key spots.  It didn't seem to help this time.  Hmmmm.... 

I moved to my piecing machine - the Babylock Lyric - and quilted a few lines.  It was working out just fine, but I kept thinking of my Jazz.  That's when I decided I needed to get the case opened up.

It is not the first time that I have done this... but I didn't really want to...  But since Dave and I have done this together a few times, I was confident about where the issue was.  Also, since the Jazz is a fully mechanical machine with no computer to be concerned about, I reasoned that it was no different than working on my mechanical Kenmore that I had for 20+ years.

I found the issue, cleaned up some ugliness from excess lubrication from a previous cleaning/oiling session, and carefully/sparingly oiled the problem area.  I put her back together and we were back in business with her humming quietly as I quilted and the motor was not straining.  

Woohoo!  By the end of the day I not only had the quilting complete, but the binding as well!


This quilt, sans the orange "confetti" that I had auditioned, is calming and reminds me of an ocean breeze. Follow the link to learn about the orange. 

I was on my way out the door to do some much needed grocery shopping on Wednesday, when I noticed that I had morning glories in bloom.  I ran back in the house to grab the quilt and snap a few pictures while the morning sun was "glowing" on the flower bed.  Sadly, that glow was caused by the heavy amount of smoke in the air. :(  The smoke is from wildfires burning in the western portion of Colorado and some in New Mexico

It was well worth the pause in the start to my day, even if I did happen to get three mosquito bites as I accomplished the task that took less than 5 minutes!  I was quickly off to my morning errands.

After shopping I returned to the morning glories to snap a few more shots, specifically, the pieced backing.


Back in April, I was confused about the "color of the month" and had started with teal.  Mid-month, I switched to Red and this is what I made...  Since it has aqua in the Hawaiian fabric, I'll count it for August as well. ;)


I finished the hand-quilting as I enjoyed a slow-moving morning... sipping and savoring my tea as I stitched down the scrappy binding.

You can see the smokey haze in the air.  For those of us with allergies the smoke is aggravating!  I don't have asthma, but I feel for those that are struggling with the air quality.

One last close up of my hand quilting...



I got three more mosquito bites while taking photos again!  I'm ready for a heavy freeze to take care of those buggers.  You may think I am making a big deal about the mosquito bites... well, I am.  I have always suffered from the mosquito bites with severe itching and swelling and they bother me for weeks.  Yes!  WEEKS!  They weep and itch and make me weep.

Earlier this summer, Dave was working with and listening to a friend about how his wife suffers from mosquito bites but found a laser light that zaps them and she no longer suffers for weeks.  

Dave didn't immediately tell the guy that I experience the same thing, but did eventually get the info on the light "thingy."  We ordered one and it has been a game changer for me.  If you suffer like me... get this thing!  You will not regret it.

That's all I have for now...

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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Monday, August 11, 2025

Viridian's Chain in Aqua - Part II

Part I & the Sew & Tell party are HERE...

Part II::


After I pulled my main fabrics... and tried to sprinkle in a few colors of pop or "confetti". The confetti colors were based on some of the scrappy fabrics I had pulled... I wanted to include yellow, purple and orange.  I then started to layout on the design wall...

Those orange blocks were disruptive
and HAD to go...















After pulling the orange out, everyone was content with those that joined the confetti party.  As I pieced the blocks together, I added in the sashing strips and cornerstones.  It asked for a border, so I obliged...

It also asked for a pieced backing... again, I obliged. :)

I will be quilting it with an all-over grid on point.


Round#2 of guests, (Dave's sister) left this morning.  We had to make an urgent visit to my cousin's cabin after seeing/hearing of large hail causing damage not far from where the family cabin is.  Thankfully, there was no damage, aside from pine needles knocked from the pine trees.  

Barring any other interruptions... check back with me for the finish of this quilt by the end of the week.

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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Sunday, August 10, 2025

Viridian's Chain in Aqua ~ Sew & Tell - 8/11/25

Welcome back to Melva Loves Scraps and the weekly Sew & Tell party where friends gather to share progress on projects, finishes and perhaps even some thoughtful words of wisdom.

This week was a warm one as we prepared for our second guest - Dave's sister, Sharon.  This is her first trip as a widow.  She had several stops before reaching us and has stated that she is feeling pampered and well cared for at each stop.  She has visited here before, so we didn't need to pack in as many tourist-y things for her.  

I continue with the RSC color - Teal or Aqua - I pulled out some bigger chunks of scrap fabric and decided I would try to make a quilt using Viridian's Chain Block.  Viridian shared her unique block several weeks ago and with a little encouragement from some of us, she offered a tutorial for us! Thanks Viridian! 💖

I pulled my main fabrics... and tried to sprinkle in a few colors of pop or "confetti".

Hold that thought...

Part II (the rest of the story) is HERE

I have not managed my time well. 😏

We are celebrating our 40th anniversary today (Sunday, Aug 10)...

I'll be back Monday morning to finish this story...  In the mean time... here's my Aqua Viridian's Chain Block! 



Let's start the party...

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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Wednesday, August 6, 2025

Madam Butterfly Finish

Hey there!  I am making a quick stop with a mid-week check-in and to say that Madam Butterfly is ready to take flight to her new home.  This project was the result of finding a list of "Creative Quilting" ideas... you can find that list here.

Here are a few glamor shots from her photo session...  (I used a new location - the beautiful garden at my Mom's apartment complex.  


At the beginning of the summer the landlords/owners invited the other residents to purchase a few plants/flowers to fill the garden beds.  I love that they invited them to do this... allowing them to take a bit of "ownership" of the project.

My Mom selected a few plants like she had at her house... a rosebush with a deep red-ish-maroon color, a few rose moss plants and 2 tomato plants.  She has been sharing the fruits of the tomato plants with others and all are enjoying them.  She likes to spend some time sitting out in the garden area.  She told me that she enjoys being outside, thought it felt strange to not have to be weeding or "working" in the yard.  

Have I mentioned that I am SO happy that she no longer has the burden of the house and yard? ;)




Madam Butterfly finishes at 40-inches square.

The all-over medium stippling was all free-motion quilted with no templates and I am pleased with how it looks.

close up of texture


I didn't experience thread breakage and only a few skipped stitches.  

It is a win that I will celebrate.  I have narrowed down the issues of thread breakage and skipped stitches to what sort of thread I am using.  

My machine is happiest with Aurifil 50 wt. thread.

The general sewing thread I have been using is 30 wt.  I have the worst problem with it... even in straight line quilting.  

I have some connecting threads spools that are 50 wt. and plan to try them on my machine for FMQ.

What brand and weight of thread do you use?

I'm feeling brave after this quilt!  I may consider feathers again! Oh, and here's a peek at the pieced backing ;)


Keep Piecing,

Melva

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Sunday, August 3, 2025

Stirring Creativity & Sew & Tell - 8/4/2025


August... 31 new opportunities to add to your story.  Make it a good one!

As I waited for the last days of July to slip by, I prepared for our "parade" of guests to arrive... we had a few days of perfect weather (temps in the upper 70s & low 80s) to do some baking.  Cinnamon rolls and GF biscuits were on the menu, and I had two easy to prepare dinners planned to have with our first guests.  It was even better that they would hold in the crockpot on warm until we were ready to sit and enjoy... Shredded BBQ chicken and White Chili.

We had a little bit of fun and plenty of laughs

First up, our friends from the Lazy J Goat Farm that we make regular visits to as we make our travels with our 5th-wheel to wherever our destination may be. ;)  We packed in as much tourist-y stuff into the short time they were with us.  We all enjoyed the time together and they promise that they will be back soon.  I now have a few days to get ready for our next guest, planning to arrive on Friday.


As I straightened my sewing room, I found a list of "30 days of creative quiltmaking"... it is something I printed out, perhaps in a creative slump... it originally comes from AQSblog.com. (I did try to find a link to share, but was unsuccessful.)

As I looked over the list I was considering whether or not I had done any of them... 

With the RSC, item number one was completed... As well as #2.  #3 was easy as I have used disappearing 9-patch and 4-patch blocks in a few of the RSC quilts.

That was as far as I got when I pulled out a few purple orphan blocks.  I set one aside to add to another shirt or sweatshirt and set aside the other four that would become another small quilt suitable for a baby quilt, wall hanging or table topper.  In my cleaning, I found a Quiltmaker magazine and flipped through it and found a pattern that I wanted to use for one final purple RSC quilt.  It was called Chop Suey and one of the suggestions was to use orphan blocks as the foundation for the larger block.  

Here's where I ended up.  I'll get this top sandwiched and quilted this week and add it to my stash of finished quilts. :)  (I sent one home with our friends who are expecting a new grand this month)  I plan to use this one as a skill builder/refresher by doing some all over medium stippling.

I encourage you to pick one item from this "30 days" list and give it a try... it will stir your creative juices and may inspire your next project!  Leave a comment and let me know which item you'll try.  I'd love to hear from you!




As soon as I read that Teal was the new color for August, I pulled out the teal blocks that I "accidentally" made in April and took a look.  They all appeared to be more of a blue-ish Teal, so I pulled out an assortment of green-ish Teal scraps and made four Korner Kabin Blocks.

That's all I have this week for Sew & Tell... Let's take a look at the randomly selected feature...

Nancy at Grace and Peace Quilting shared her most recent finish - The "Ursala Quilt", the 7th quilt in the Stripology Quickies Club.  I think it is a lovely finish.  I was surprised to read that she wasn't completely happy with it... Nancy stated, "I could've dispersed the colors better. The darks ended up in a row together and the lights ended up in a row together."   




You can follow the link to her blog to read all of her thoughts...nothing overly critical, and I understand her reasoning for leaving it as it was because she didn't want to rip out the sewing...  but how often do we point out the errors?  How many times do we view our errors as glaring errors when others overlook them without hesitation?

Something to consider.

Be kind to yourself!  And your quilts ;)

Don't forget to leave a comment telling me which item you want to try from the 30-day list.

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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Thursday, July 31, 2025

July RSC Wrap Up & Favorite Finish

As July fades away, I thought I would "review" the projects I created with the July "Color of the month", Purple.


The month began with the Crown Royal quilt.  It was a stunning piece and quickly found its new home.  It was an interesting process to determine what size squares I could get from the varying sizes of bags, which then helped to select the block pattern and layout.  I opted out of a border (I didn't want to try to match the purple AND it was large enough already.) and went with a two-color binding that helped to frame the entire quilt.  You can learn further details here.


When I gathered the purple "scraps" I discovered that I didn't have many... Rather, I had larger chunks in the stash and worked with those, which made more "scraps"...

I pulled the final few Hawaiian purple blocks and partnered them with some other purples from the stash... this lovely "lavender patchwork" was the result.  It also quickly found its new home!

The batik print with the little pops of color add a special sparkle and the gold centers of the little "blossoms" (9-patch) offered my eye (and brain) a place to relax... does that make sense?  

As I auditioned other purple fabrics for the 9-patch blocks it just felt dark... too dark.  That was when I tried the gold and my entire body relaxed because there was "light" to see.


Another small (very small) project (and probably my favorite of the month) was the use of an orphan block (that had a touch of purple in it).  Using reverse applique, I embellished a plain sweatshirt... making it fun!  The tutorial for how I made it is here.

A sampling of what I created

Finally, I dug into my actual scraps and played.  I had considered sewing string blocks to make a throw, as I did with the green and blue scraps.  It just didn't quite feel "right."  

As I think about it now... it may be more popular than I thought, given the speed in which both purple quilts were snagged. LOL

I played with some orphan blocks that had been left over from my purple Pieces of My Life quilt and "jazzed" them up.  

The simple 9-patch was cut into 4 sections.  I rotated two of them and make the disappearing 9-patch block. (lower left)


Next up was revamping a pinwheel block... I cut it into thirds each direction and rotated pieces until I found a look that I liked. (upper right)

Finally, I responded to the call of the strings... My experiments with making hearts weren't a total fail, but not as successful as I had hoped... top left is my favorite. 💜  

I may continue to play with purple since the August color is teal... I love teal, but I messed up in April and started with teal, when the actual color was red.  Oh, well.

The revamped pinwheel block will probably become a medallion center for another small quilt. ;)

And finally.... here is my hexagon project!

We have four more months in the rainbow scrap challenge. I *believe* there are a total of 10 colors with the last 2 months of the year for assembling and finishing...

I will need to plan accordingly to get this hexagon shaped hexie project filled out... I think I need to expand on the orange, green and teal areas.  I may need to just prepare the hexies and wait until I know the final two colors before sewing everything together.  I'll be pondering that... 🤔

Are brown and grey typically part of the RSC?

Thanks for hanging with me as I offered a review of the month,

Which project is your favorite?

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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