In The Pink ~ Sew & Tell - January 27, 2025

 

Welcome to Melva Loves Scraps and the weekly Sew & Tell party!

I finished up the Red Skies quilt last week!  I am so very pleased with it.  In case you missed it, you can see some additional glamor shots that I shared HERE.

Since the design wall empty, I returned to my pink scraps.  It was in my dreams (again) that I was quilting... This time I saw that I was using bigger pieces of pink and a stack of fabric squares that were purchased in Hawaii in 2004 when our daughters earned and made a 2-week trip with the Girl Scout Troop they were active with.

First up is this big block baby quilt.  After working with 2-1/2" blocks for Red Skies 6-1/2" seemed huge. ;) The larger blocks and the smaller in size project, helped to make this scrappy "In the Pink" quilt come together super, duper fast - less than 2 days start to finish. The Hawaiian blocks are cut to 6-7/8", perfect for a 6-1/2-inch half-square triangle.  

This quilt will be sent to young woman that was one of the other scouts that made the trip in 2004.  Here's the story:  A few years after the trip (in the fall of 2008), she and her Mom hit a very difficult time in their relationship.  Grace was a good kid and only asked that her Mom be (and act like) a "parent".  At the time, Grace found herself to be more responsible in guiding and caring for her younger sisters.  Grace's Mom had reached a point of frustration and stated that it was just too much for her and they both needed a little "space."

Grace asked if she might be able to come stay with us for a while.  (The timing was interesting because just 6 months prior I heard the Lord telling me I was going to be serving as His hands and feet (arms?) as I held and loved on some children at an orphanage in Romania.  Turns out we didn't need to go anywhere! God delivered the one that needed that attention and love to our front steps.)  We welcomed her with open arms stating that she was welcome for as long as she needed a place. While with us I made her a quilt for Christmas.  I have searched through all of the photo albums and archived photos and cannot find a single picture of her or the quilt I made her... Ack!  It was a quilt made of denim - pockets and all - and fabric with shades of pink printed all over it with large paisley shapes, from pastel to bright.  I called the quilt the Traveling Pants quilt... The books/movies were popular at that time.  And I wanted her to remember that she would always be welcome at our house and that love was tucked into each pocket, wherever she might go... and that her phone could be as well.  She may have lost misplaced her cell phone several times while with us. LOL!

As I pieced this quilt, I had many memories of the time Grace was with us.  One memory in particular... I recalled hearing quiet voices coming from the room Rebecca and Grace were sharing late one night.  I was all prepared to offer a scolding to both of the girls, despite the fact that our Rebecca was in college... When I opened the door, I found them both sitting there with their Bibles open having a conversation about what a particular Scripture passage meant.  Ugh... I hated to bring an end to that, but it was late, and they needed to be up early the next day to get to classes.  

She and her Mom were able to reconcile after a few months.  Grace graduated from HS, went off to college, became an Occupational Therapist and got married. She and her husband will soon welcome a baby girl.  And that little gal can grow up hearing the story of how Grace once visited Hawaii... and so many more stories and adventures that Grace has had in her life.  So... there's my Sew & Tell for the week. 

I'll be found in my studio this week laying out and piecing the other two scrappy pink quilts that I made in my dreams. ;)  But first, let's take a quick look at the randomly selected feature for the week...

Gretchen at Gretchen's Little Corner showed off block #10 of 25 of her Elegant Garden quilt.  Looking lovely, Gretchen!

Be sure to give her a quick visit to see the other nine blocks. :)

Quilters are some of the most generous and kind people out there and often involved in some sort of community outreach.  But tell me...

Have you ever been on a mission trip?

I've not been on an actual mission trip, but that time with Grace was a mission trip brought to me. ;)

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:

m