Wednesday, February 26, 2025

Mid-week Check-in ~ Hanna-Land

As I tucked away my remaining blue scraps, I took an inventory of my "To-do List". 

T-shirt quilt for our daughter
T-shirt quilt for a friend 
Sunflower Table Runner/Placemats
Bowl Cozies
Hanna-Land

None of these items have pressing deadlines and a couple require special supplies to be ordered ~ The table runner/placemats & bowl cozies...  And I really didn't have a desire to delve into either of the t-shirt quilts...


Hanna-Land it is!  This was an idea I had in my dreams a few weeks ago... imagine a quilt similar to a Candyland board game.  Several years ago, I made a playmat for a nephew to play with his matchbox cars.  I am using some of the same ideas from it for Hanna-Land.

This game board quilt will be a birthday gift for our grand-daughter, Hanna... thus the name "Hanna-land".

Hanna will be turning 4 in April, and her older sisters have the fun, Paper Doll Quilts.  I thought she needed something fun as well...  And they can play the game with her.

The path of colored squares has a long way to go, as well as a lot of fussing, fusing and trimming... the "short cut", the rainbow trail, is from some cute rainbow fabric and intentionally bridges the water section.  


Here's the progress I have made on my journey to Hanna-Land.

Applique is not one of my favorite techniques, but it is amazing what one will do for a loved one!  

The small characters are trimmed from a scrap of novelty fabric.

As I have made this quilt, I have thought of the fun memories I have of playing Candyland as a child, and then again as Mom of toddlers.

It is an easy game that doesn't require reading... only color recognition.

Just the other day, I saw a picture of a "scrabble" or crossword puzzle quilt.  The maker included the names of family members in the patchwork.  It would be a great gift for a lover of crosswords or the game scrabble.  I have seen Monopoly quilts and even a Clue quilt.

I've considered making a hop-scotch quilt.  But then my daughter who is a Physical Therapist Assistant cautioned me about the quilt being used on a hard floor and the increased risk for a fall/injury.  She encouraged me to place some non-skid shelf liner on the back to avoid that. I wasn't ready to try to tackle that...

Have you made any gameboard quilts?
What did you make?

If you haven't made one, what game board would you make?

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

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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Sunday, February 23, 2025

Stringing Me Along ~ Sew & Tell - 2/24/2025


Last week drug on and on... and on.  Not necessarily in a bad way... There was much that took place, yet the time seemed to almost stand still. The house closing went smoothly and on time - YAY!  That burden has been removed from my plate.  I swung by for a quick stop before the closing to double check that all was still fine and secure, told the house "Thanks for taking care of Mom and Dad for 28 years" and then moved on... closing out that chapter/season of life.


A great deal of time was spent at the computer working on the layout for the accompanying book of the Camping Journal Quilt.  The quilt has been placed on the camper bed until I need to take it to the library for another storytelling quilt exhibit on the art wall during the month of March... National Quilting Month.

Our camping Journal Quilt in its "natural habitat"

The camper reno is nearly complete.  We only need to install the new radio and do a final clean up.  Pictures coming soon!


For a change in view/activity, I spent my "breaks" in the studio joining the string blocks together and getting a border on it. 

As I plucked the strings for the border I thought of the song "Counting my Blessings"... You can read all of my thoughts and the news that I shared here.

I selected a striped blue/white fabric for the binding and added a couple fun, little labels...

The blue scrap bin decreased in volume a little, but it is time to close that bin and do something else.




I love these fun little labels
The quilting was quick and easy with wavy lines creating a grid of squares, on point.  The backing is pieced with some large chunks of blues from the stash - nothing fancy here, but I like the look from the back with the sun shining through.



On Friday we drove to my childhood hometown for the funeral service of my friend's dad.  It is an 80-mile drive (each way), and I passed the time doing paper embroidery on one of the Christmas cards I am recycling "repurposing".

I made the french knots varying sizes by changing up the number of wraps on the needle as well as how many strands of thread I used.

I got a lot accomplished in the week!  As I look forward to this week, I need to turn my attention to a custom table runner and set of placemats... they are to feature sunflowers.  I'll be looking at making some dresden blocks and shopping (stash first) for sunflower fabric.  I had some... once-upon-a-time... Do I still have any???


This week's Sew & Tell feature is Jocelyn at the Happy Cottage Quilter.  She shared her plan for making simple lap quilts. "They don't take a lot of thinking, which is sometimes a good thing. Kind of therapeutic."  

I especially like the pastel, watercolor effect she has with this one.  

Her plan is to make one each month this year.  Head over there and cheer her on!

Before we get started with the party, tell me...

Do you make donation quilts?

Who do you donate them to?

What size do you make?

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

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Blessings of the Ordinary Kind

The last 10 days or so have been difficult... Oh, let me be honest... 2024 did not end on a very good note.  It was challenging for our children as well as us.  My Mom's house was a nuisance (but has finally been sold), our family has been facing loss at an uncanny rate... Cousins and cousins' children (both my side of the family as well as Dave's) have passed away.  

Just this year... 6-7 weeks in, we have attended three funeral/memorial services.  The father of a close childhood friend just passed away on Friday... news of a good Christian brother joining his wife in heaven on Saturday... and Dave's brother-in-law placed in hospice care after fighting cancer for 3 years.


As 2024 faded away I was hopeful for a joy-filled year.  It doesn't seem to be the case... however... In the first few days of January, I saw this idea/suggestion in social media.  

I grabbed a jar and some small pieces scraps (because Melva Loves SCRAPS) of paper and placed it on a shelf in my studio.  

Rather than adding a note each week, I am adding one nearly on a daily basis.  Especially on the challenging days.

I may need to find a larger jar. ;)


Some days are SO ordinary... and I need to really examine closely the events of the day to find one moment, person or event that made me smile or feel good... a smile from a stranger or a conversation with a stranger while in line at the grocery store... a phone call from a friend who wanted to check in with me... praying friends!

The feeling of fabric in my hands as I piece or press... the memories of those leftover bits and pieces from a special quilt I made for a customer of loved one.

The sunrise or sunset... the artistry of my God and Creator... the miracle of how a human body functions... just the fact that we have breath in our lungs and the blood that the heart pumps throughout the body...

The blessing of seeming to continually need to do laundry or dishes... for this means that I have clothing to wear and food to prepare and eat...

Email messages from fellow quilters and readers of MLS always brighten my day!  The other day (a day that I was especially struggling) I had a message offering congratulations that I had been included in the list of Top 100 Quilt Blogs.  WHAT???  It may be a bit "spammy", but sure enough... somewhere out there in cyberspace I was listed as #83. 😍


This is not an accomplishment done on my own... I extend many, many thanks to each of you... my cyber friends make it possible!


You encourage me and support me through all of the ups and downs of life, and you help to make the weekly Sew & Tell parties fun and inspirational. 

As I pieced this string quilt, I counted each one of you as a blessing!  And it was with each string that I plucked as I made this quilt, I offered up thanks for YOU!

Thank you!!!!!

What are some of the blessings that you see in an ordinary day?

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

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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Sunday, February 16, 2025

Still Singin' the Blues ~ Sew & Tell - 2/17/2025


 I spent the week finishing playing the "Blues".


I finished this "Baby Blues" with some large stippling, with the help of my acrylic template.  The backing is the same batik as the border, a remnant of some quilt that I made last year.  

It is interesting as I dig through the bin... as a sort of archeological dig of my quilt making career.  LOL... Bits from dresses I made for our daughters when they were much younger, roman shades that were for our youngest daughter's room, fabrics that reminded me of the western style shirts my Mom used to make for my Dad... and so many more.

As I finished up Baby Blues, I started thinking about the many long strips of blue fabrics that I had.  I decided I would make string blocks.  Taking inspiration from Emily Dennis, I offered consistency by making the center strip of each block a contrasting piece.  I chose to use a neutral newsprint fabric... some came from the neutral scrap bin and a little more came from my stash.  


I pulled out some old brightly colored paper from the scrapbooking supplies and started making 8-1/2 inch squares.  I also followed the advice from Emily gave for sewing them... only sew through the paper foundation with the first seam.  This made the removal of the paper so easy but still was available for reference for size.  

So many layout options! I will be using the lower right layout.  It is the friendliest on the eyes.  It was also the favorite of those that tossed out an opinion on social media.

I stopped with 24 blocks and plan to have a 1-inch border of the same neutral fabric followed by a scrappy strip border... maybe 3-1/2" inches???  I'll have to play with it to find the right balance.  

With February 1/2 gone (where did it go?) I realized that I need to pull my head and hands out of the blue scrap bin (back away from the cookie jar!) and get things in line for the display of a few more quilts at our local library.  I had gathered up all of the stories for our Camping Journal Quilt and placed them in a MS word document in January.  I needed to resize pictures, edit a few unnecessary items out of the stories and get it in a proper layout that could be printed and placed in a notebook.


I really did not want to do it... I kept thinking, "I'd rather be quilting!"  But once I got started, it wasn't so bad.  I did enjoy the trip down memory lane as I recalled the memories.  The good news is that I was able to get it finished and it is ready for printing.

The other item left to do for the exhibit is to get the Camping Journal Quilt ready for hanging.  Do I really want to put a hanging sleeve on this quilt that I plan to use in the camper?  No, not really.  Will making some temporary hanging strips to pin into place with large safety pins be the best thing?  Probably not.  The quilt is LARGE and heavy... Do I want that pulling on the quilt with safety pins for a full month???  No, not really.

Any ideas or suggestions for remedying this problem are welcome!  

Leave a comment...


This brings us to the time for the weekly feature... This week it is Diann at Little Penguin Quilts.

Diann (and many others) have also been digging into blue scraps.  Her Quarter-Star blocks are lovely!  

Head over to her blog to see what other scrappy blues she has made.

It is time to get the party started.  Link up your recent finishes or progress on projects.  I want to see what you've been sewing.

My studio has been a refuge this week as we face struggles in life.  Rest assured, I have leaned in (hard) to the comfort of the Lord and those that have reached out to me.  Between sewing and singing along with the music, I have found peace.

Life continues with more challenges... Mom will be having cataract surgery in March.  Sadly, this means that Dave and I will not be taking a long spring trip. :(  But I have my eyes on the days between surgeries and appointments in hopes of some shorter trips south.  On a good note, (!) the closing for her house is on Wednesday.  It will feel good to get that burden off the plate.  YAY!

That's all I have for now.  Remember, if you have a suggestion for a way to hang a large quilt with temporary hangers, give me a comment!

Keep piecing,

Melva

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Sunday, February 9, 2025

Singing the Blues ~ Sew & Tell - February 10, 2025


After a strange turn of events leading up to the baptism service for our granddaughters, I am singing the blues.

Because of a choice (ridiculous) demand by the SIL, we were only able to drop off the special dresses and gifts.  I have so many words that I want to say! I am practicing restraint and will simply pour my feelings into this month's RSC color ~ blue.  I refuse to let my joy be stolen... 'Nuf said.  


After a rousing session of house cleaning, I pulled out the blue scrap bin and started with some of the bigger chunks for my 3" hexagons.  

And then I started my Korner Kabin blocks. This time, I chose to use a fun novelty fabric featuring Kats... Yes, Kats in the Korner ;) 


In the spirit of the season of love, I pulled out another vintage quilt for the guest bed.  This Hearts and Flowers quilt was made by my Great-Grandmother, Lala Teegarden.  She was part of a quilting group comprised of ladies from the First Christian Church in Trinidad.  You can read her story from my Quilters Through the Generations series here... and a related story about a quilt that found its way to me for a repair here.  It was moving to think that I not only held something that had been made by my Great-grandmother, but that I had the honor to repair it... my stitches, right alongside hers.


Because of the mild weather and 60- and 70-degree temperatures (the first false spring), we made great progress in our camper reno.  Each afternoon we stopped at 2 p.m. to accomplish a little more... By the week's end we had the flooring and trim installed throughout.  We have only two stairs left to finish.  Dave will be building drawers for a little extra storage.  


Leanna at Not Afraid of Color showed off her Stay At Home Round Robin progress.  Her most recent addition included production feed sack fabric pinwheels.  So sweet!  

I wish was in a more cheerful, joy-filled mood, but I continue to remind myself... This too shall pass... and "cast your cares on the Lord... for his yoke is easy and burden is light".  Did you know that your spirit is lifted by singing?  You cannot be angry when you sing... just give it a try ;)

I will be found in my studio in every extra moment I have this week doing just that... lifting my spirit by singing praises to the Lord... probably with the music just a little louder to encourage me to sing along.

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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Friday, February 7, 2025

A Dress Maker's Finish

What a busy week it has been! If you visited this week's Sew & Tell party, you will recall that I was making dresses for our Granddaughters.  They will be baptized on Sunday.  We have had some beautiful weather all week and wanted to take advantage of it to work in the camper... but we both had work to get accomplished.  So... we devised a plan to work in the shop and studio until 2 pm, and then head to the camper. (I'll give a full update on the camper reno in a few days with the next Sew & Tell party.)

I started with three wedding dresses... my intention was to make three smaller dresses using pieces, parts and leftover fabric so that each baptism dress included a portion of all three dresses.

After a quick fitting session on Sunday, I got right to work. Each of the girls had a special request. Thankfully, I was able to fulfill each request.

Here's a look at each dress as they were originally made...

Here's a look at the three dresses ready for Sunday...



Our daughter Rebecca suggested that I make some special keepsake ornaments with scraps. Mom came to help and it seemed right that I include fabric from her wedding dress as well.  She made her dress in 1960... and remade it a few years later to make a dress for me in 1967.

Each dress could be included in a 4-patch with the back of the keepsake made from "their dress". The backing for the grands came from their Momma's wedding dress.


The good news is that there was enough leftover fabric from making Heather's dress in 2014 that I didn't need to actually cut into the dress. Should one of her daughters choose to wear the dress at her wedding, it is available.

I do love it when a plan comes together as I had hoped! Though, the waiting for the package that contained one of the dresses was excruciating,  that time of waiting helped me to be fully prepared with the dresses for the fitting session... That fitting session removed any questions and doubt that I had in how they would look and if they would, in fact, fit.

Here are the bonus dresses they get... each unique, yet similar. 

I didn't often dress our daughters in matching outfits, but the few times I did... this was pretty much the reaction I got... Hahaha!

Did you dress your children to match? 
As a child, did you get dressed to match siblings?

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

Keep Piecing, 

Melva

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Sunday, February 2, 2025

Dress Maker - Sew & Tell ~ February 3, 2025

Welcome to Melva Loves Scraps & The weekly Sew & Tell party!  Also... welcome to February... the shortest month of the year.  Blink and it will be gone in a flash!


I did a variety of little things this week. Among them I wrapped up the use of my pink scraps and finished a second pink scraps baby quilt.  I shared a few thoughts of The Great Scrap Bin Phenomenon here.

Head over there to read my correlation of the never-ending scrap bin to doing laundry (naked). 😂

We had a blustery and snowy, cold day that I passed as I did some baking and adding labels to the four quilts that I completed in January.  I added hanging sleeves to two of the three quilts that will be on display at the local library again in March - celebrating National (World) Quilting Day on the third Saturday (March 15th).



And then, for something completely different... I started transforming a dress that I wore in 1998 when Dave and I renewed our vows into a dress for our 10-year-old granddaughter to wear for her baptism. It needs a second ruffle, but I was waiting for her to try it on to see what length I need to make it.

The skirt is from fabric that was used in her Momma's wedding dress.  The ruffle will include some lace from my/Rebecca's wedding dress.

I waited ALL WEEK for this box to arrive...

I have one week to get three dresses finished.  A visit is planned so that some fittings can take place this afternoon (it is Sunday morning as I write).  Since the box with the dress and lace that I wanted to use arrived late, I made up two dresses for the younger girls to try on.


 I anticipate needing to make a third pink dress for the oldest... because, you know, little sisters can get something without big sis being included;) but that can happen after the baptisms next week.  

How was your week?

Time for the weekly feature.  Nann at With Strings Attached shared some scrappy placemats.  Here's what she had to say about them.  

The parts department had two 80" lengths of neutral-squares-neutral (6.5" wide) intended for a border that I didn't use.  I added another strip of squares, then sewed the lengths together, and cut into four 20" pieces.   

I'm using the serpentine stitch to quilt these placemats.   The photo shows the borders sewn on but not yet sewn down. 

I giggled about the "parts department"... Is that what we're calling it now?  LOL.  She showed off her RSC pink stars too.  Head over to her blog to take a look.

It is now time to kick off the party 🥳 The more, the merrier. 

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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