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

Linking with:

m

Sunday, July 27, 2025

Quilty Reverse Applique ~ Sew & Tell - 7/28/25


Welcome back to this week's edition of Sew & Tell.  It was a slow week... It was a busy week.  Kinda like "It was the best of times and the worst of times".  LOL  What does that even mean?

I didn't do a lot of quilting, but I got a lot done! 

I finished the Lavender Patchwork quilt... Here are a few of her glamor shots.





It was late in the day and I *thought* I was done for the day... I mean, it was after 4 p.m. ;)  I turned off all the lights and machines and walked out of the studio, headed for a few minutes of hand-quilting.  I sat down and then promptly went back to my studio.


I quickly pulled out the orphan block that I uncovered while searching for purple scraps and my thrifted sweatshirt ($3) that happened to match quite nicely.  
You may have seen the post on my Instagram page... I was so excited that I just couldn't wait for the next Sew & Tell session!

Thanks to the inspiration from Nicole at @modernhandcraft in 2024...

Though my process for making it was very different than Nicole's, I give her all the credit for this one. 🩷 I L❤️VE it.

Here's what I did...


First, I quilted the little block and trimmed it so that it was slightly larger than the block itself.

I used fusible batting... after quilting the block I added a piece of white fabric to cover the batting.

I marked the 1/4" seam allowance and basted around the block.  This step not only covered up the batting, but it also showed me exactly where the stitching line was on the back of the piece. (This is an important step!)

 

I found the center of the front and marked it on the inside of the shirt.  Making sure your block is straight, pin into place and sew.

I used a stretch stitch so there will be just a little "give", rather than having stitches pull and break.

I used a contrasting thread to stitch a frame around the block.  This second line of stitching not only adds an accent, it also helps to hold the edges of the block down and will help to prevent any fraying that may happen with wear and washing.


The next step was a bit scary... Turn the shirt right-side out and make a small snip with sharp scissors to be able to trim away the fabric covering the block.

Carefully, trim away the fabric...  The jersey fabric doesn't require any sort of finishing... It will just roll out of the way and won't ravel.

Ta-da!  

I've never done reverse applique, but this is something I will probably repeat in the future.


Now I need some fall weather to be able to wear it, enjoy it and show it off!


On a different topic.  Did you celebrate Christmas in July with me?  The blog hop was a success with 6 quilters sharing various projects, progress on projects, recipes, tutorials, patterns and prizes!  It was great fun.  If you missed out on it, you can still find all the links for the participants here.  

Here's a little detail of the quilting

I did eventually find my way to my Red Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilt and hand-quilting project... 


As most of you can relate and understand... Summer is not the best time for a hand quilting project, so the quilting is going slow.  It is much more enjoyable when the warmth of the quilt covering you doesn't cause you to melt. I can get one log cabin block done in the evening before I have to toss it aside.  LOL.  

We finally caved on Saturday and put one AC unit in the living room window.  Had I not been having a live Pampered Chef cooking demo, we would have survived a few of the warmest days this summer over the weekend.  After getting it into place I told it, "Don't get too comfortable there.  You're not staying long!"  (BTW, if you would like to order anything from PC, my party order will be open for a week.  You can place the order on-line and have your purchase shipped directly to you. :) Easy-peasy! I'd be happy to share the link to order.)

We have some guests arriving from TX at the end of the week and the temperatures are going to be mid 70s.  We could not ask for better planning. ;) It's always nice to have guests come... it pushes us to clean just a little deeper than the normal.  


Time for this week's Sew & Tell feature.  Gwyned Trefethen has shared over the last few weeks how she is slowly becoming familiar with her new Bernina 990 sewing machine.

I can relate to her struggles with the "learning curve" and her desire for perfection.  

You can visit her blog to get the whole story.

I personally have found a freedom in wonky and more "organic" quilt blocks.  

Precision and perfection are lovely to look at, but I find the freeform projects much more fun.

I plan to be playing with more purple scraps this week.  I won't have much in the way of housework to do since I cleaned for the PC demo, a light cleaning on Friday morning will suffice.  I have an idea for another string pieced project. Be sure you come back in a few days to see what I end up with.  If all goes well, I will have my heart all a flutter with excitement.


In March, over on Instagram, Amy's Ellis @Amyscreativeside hosts "Quilt Fest".  One of the prompts for the month is "Why do you quilt?"  This statement is one of my "Why's".

Why do YOU quilt?

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

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:

m




Friday, July 25, 2025

Christmas in July - Pieces from the Past Christmas

 

The Christmas in July blog hop continues!  
You can find a complete list of participants at the bottom of the page
(and my day 1 project here)


What follows is an excerpt from the Pieces from the Past Sew Along series that I hosted 5 years ago... and a bonus share for the Christmas in July blog hop.  It is a sweet little ornament that I designed by modifying the Corner Star pattern.

The series features letters from former German POWs that were held at a prison camp near Trinidad, CO.  Several of the prisoners were allowed to work on local farms.  After the first men worked on my Grandparents' farm east of Camp Trinidad, they discovered that my grandparents were fluent in German (as Germans from Russia that moved to the US as children).  

You can learn more about the series by following the link above.

*********************************

I read an accounting of a Christmas celebration at Camp Trinidad for the German POWs and how the tables were decorated with small wooden stars that held candles.  I wondered about the humble celebration the men had here in Trinidad, as well as how they may have celebrated after their return home.

Written in 1943... "First Christmas day as POW.  We spent Christmas evening with beer and wine, coffee, tea and cookies.  We met in groups, and games, conversation and when available, the music heard on the radio helped us overcome our melancholic mood, as well as longing and nostalgia.  We had a small Christmas tree in our room.  A truck took us to a forest and under the supervision of a forest official we were able to cut down a few trees and take them with us. . .   We also gave presents to each other."

"The Führer sent $9,000 to Camp Trinidad, with $2,250 for each section of the camp, and the Pope gave 2 Swiss francs per POW.  We have not been forgotten."

The population of Camp Trinidad never reached more than 3,900, though it had been built to hold up to 5,000 men.  The Führer's gift was approximately $2.30 for each prisoner.  Adjusted for inflation, $2.30 in 1943 is equal to $34.97 in 2020.  That is a nice little gift.

And the Pope's 2 francs equaled about .47 cents (US dollars) which is equal to $7.07 in today's US dollar values.

Indeed, these men were not forgotten while at Camp Trinidad!    



In the Mini Corner Star pattern you will find two sizes of the block - 3 inches and 4 inches.  Be sure that when you print the pattern pages, you are printing at 100% and that the 1 inch test square is accurate.  When making the 4" block you will want to trim the seam allowance after it is pieced to 1/4" (as indicated by the arrows in the picture).




Also, please note that the side (rectangular) pieces will be a little long.  Piece #4 on both rectangular sections with the star points will overhang the square body of the block. (shown in picture)


Press open and trim to the appropriate size - 3-1/2" or 4-1/2".









If you happen to make any of the mini blocks I'd love to see them!  Use the hashtag #piecesfromthepastsewalong or tag me on instagram @melvalovesscraps or post on my facebook page.

Merry Christmas! (in July) ;)

Keep Piecing,

Melva
July 24
Melva at Melva Loves Scraps ~ hostess
Carol Andrews at Quilt Schmilt

July 25
Vivian at Bronx Quilter
Gail at Quilting Gail
Linda at Texas Quilt Gal

Thursday, July 24, 2025

Christmas in July Blog Hop

 
Welcome to Melva Loves Scraps and the Christmas in July blog hop!

It would seem that we are never really happy about what season of the year it its... in the winter, many long for the warm summer and all that goes with it... gardening, vacations, playing in or near a body of water.... a time that many layers of clothing are not required to be comfortable outside and windows can be open wide, allowing the scents of outside waft in.

And in the summer, many long for winter and cooler temps... because the summer heat (and humidity) can be unbearable.  There is just something so comforting when there is a warm, cozy fire in the fireplace.  Winter is also a season of many holidays and family gatherings... such as Christmas!

So, in the midst of the summer heat, as Dave and I were longing for the 90+ degree temperatures to drop, we pulled out one of our favorite "winter time" movies - New in Town.  It is a story that takes place mostly during a Minnesota winter.  It stars Renee Zellweger and Harry Conick, Jr. and we find it hilarious.  We have most of the lines memorized, but that just adds to the humor. 

There is a Christmas scene in New in Town when all of the residents go gather for caroling around the town tree.  It's a time that the two lead characters begin to acknowledge their attraction to each other.  It's very sweet...

As I pondered a small project for this blog hop, I wanted to have something "Christmas", but not overly Christmas... something that could be used throughout the year.

Since I have been playing with scraps lately, particularly "strings", I stitched up four trees using some Christmas scraps.  They offer a small pop of red, but not too much for my taste.

In my Christmas scraps I found a neutral print that featured the gifts from the song Twelve Days of Christmas.  I was excited to discover that there was enough for a narrow sashing strip between the tree blocks.

The scrappy piano key border was made 2-1/2" wide with HST cornerstones and offers a nice frame for the mini.

I've written up a pattern for these trees... you can find the link near the bottom of this story.

The quilting is simple straight lines, a chevron pattern, following the shape of the trees.  I didn't stress over having them perfectly spaced, most are 1/2-inch apart, some a little closer, others a tad bit more like 3/4".


I auditioned several different border options, but the piano keys were all that those little trees wanted.  My original plan was to treat it as a round robin quilt with each border making it a little larger.  Try as I may, this mini quilt did not want to grow larger!  The trees as the center of the star isn't bad... but they were just too small to be the focal point.  The "star" wanted to be the STAR!  The angled strip border simply screamed NO to me. 


On the back of my mini quilt I used a portion of a panel that features gingerbread folks... which inspired me to make some gingersnap cookies to be included in my photos. :)  
The recipe is gluten free and quite yummy and comes from Homestead on the Hill's Holiday Treats book.  I did a big-stitch binding finish which is printed with holly leaves and red cardinals... I included one of my personalized tags.

I'm not very good at doing cut-out sugar cookies... the dough always gives me fits when I am rolling it out... the ginger snaps were a snap to make, and more my style. ;)

I've taken up enough of your time.  There are several other bloggers that have joined me for this Christmas in July hop.  Be sure to visit them!  There are a few prizes available!  BUT, consider it a scavenger hunt to discover which quilters are doing them. 😉 Here's the link for my String Christmas Trees Pattern.
The pattern/tutorial is listed for $2.00 but you can get it for FREE by using the Code: XMASNJULYFREEThe code is only valid for the duration of this blog hop ~ July 24-27, 2025. 

Before you go... 

What are your favorite holiday cookies to make?

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

Merry Christmas (in July) & Keep Piecing,

Melva



July 24
Melva at Melva Loves Scraps ~ hostess
Carol Andrews at Quilt Schmilt

July 25
Melva at Melva Loves Scraps ~ hostess
Vivian at Bronx Quilter
Linda at Texas Quilt Gal






Sunday, July 20, 2025

Time Out ~ Sew & Tell - 7/21/25



I'm baaaaa-ack. :)  We had a wonderful time away in Red River last week.  Four days and three nights in the Carson National Forest with daily visits into town.  We enjoyed the 1-mile ride from the Junebug campground to town.  The first stop was a winery where I enjoyed a glass of wine and Dave had a beer.

We visited a few shops and inquired about the chair lift ride to the top of the mountain.  

We had checked with the weather forecast and decided that it would be best to do that Wednesday morning, before the afternoon monsoon rains started.  We followed up the ride to the top with lunch at the Red River Brewery.

On the way to the top



It was a 25-minute trip, one way so we had plenty of time to take in the views.  I wouldn't recommend this if you have a fear of heights... ;) 


After lunch we make the ride back to camp and enjoyed a quiet afternoon relaxing... talking, quilting, playing the guitar, reading and watching the activities of chipmunks and squirrels. 

I got all of the purple hexagons sewn together.  They are now ready to add to the main body of the piece.

It worked out well for my portable hexie project!
A few weeks ago, I had shared with a close friend about a dream that I had.  I woke up frustrated and very angry about several situations and circumstances that I have been praying for and about for years.  


A few days later she stopped by with this little "cosmetic" bag.  She knows that I don't wear makeup and gave me permission to use it for whatever I desired. Hahaha.  She makes me laugh.



Thursday morning we had a walk about in town... we drove this time since they were predicting rain... and my legs just weren't ready for another ride to town and back.  We enjoyed a stop for a cup of coffee and tea, and Dave savored a cinnamon roll.

The rain did indeed come in the afternoon.  It was a steady rain, that sounded much heavier than it was because that's what campers do... it sounds like the floods are coming. ;) 


We entertained ourselves and passed the time assembling a Norman Rockwell "Saturday Evening Post" puzzle.  You know the picture... the doctor preparing to give a shot to a young boy.  

And then on Friday we returned home.  Just as we finished getting everything put away and in the proper place the skies opened up and the rains really did come down!  It rained/hailed for less than 15 minutes.  I don't know how much rain we got, but it dumped on us!  The water was flowing across our yard like a river...  We ended up with about 2 inches of hail on our front porch against the door - and our front porch is covered!  As my daughter said, "Mother Nature was a little aggressive."



The laundry is all clean and I am ready to start a new week.  I'll be quilting the Lavender Patchwork quilt with hanging diamonds and writing a pattern/tutorial for my Christmas in July blog hop quilt.  The hoppin' will begin on Thursday, July 24th with 4 quilters and 25th with 3 more.  Any freebies and give aways that are offered will be available through Sunday, July 27th.  Be sure you come back to find the complete list of participants.


This week's Sew & Tell feature is Kathy S at Kathy's Quilting Blog... she shared her "waiting project", Dicey Quilt.  Head over to her blog to see where she waits and why.  It was Kathy's first time joining Sew & Tell and I enjoyed learning a little about her.  I think you will too. :)

Kathy mentioned that her son loves to "magnet fish."  I've never heard this term before, but I think it would be a kind of fishing I would enjoy. ;)  

How 'bout you?  

Regular Fishing? 
Magnet Fishing?
"No Thanks, I don't like fishing."

Let's kick off this week's party.  🎉

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:

m






Sunday, July 13, 2025

Lavender Patchwork ~ Sew & Tell - 7/14/25


Half of July is in the rearview mirror!  Whoa... slow down there, bubba-looey!  We are in or near the beginning (depending on the source) of the "dog days of summer."  

The term “Dog Days” traditionally refers to a period of particularly hot and humid weather occurring during the summer months of July and August in the Northern Hemisphere... the hottest days of the summer... causing dogs to be especially lazy. ;)

We still do not have any AC units blocking our windows and our "creative solution" on the one night it was especially hot in the house - 83 degrees F - we utilized the AC in our camper.  It was a brilliant idea, if I say so myself... and I do say so. LOL


We slept like babies and even needed a quilt!  The following days were much cooler with highs in the mid 80s and overnight temps in the 60s.  It has been beautiful! 💗

If you missed it, I finished the Crown Royal quilt.  You can see all of the photos and details here.  I wrote about my summer "stay cool" drinks and gave a quick tutorial on how to finish a quilt with a flange binding.  I posted the quilt photos of the quilt on fb and the quilt was snatched up and had a new home within a few hours.  I may have celebrated with a refreshing glass of wine. ;)


As I quilted the Crown Royal quilt, I had been considering the purple scrap bin and what I might want to create.  I knew I wanted to use the final 9 purple tropical pre-cut squares that I got from my daughters when the traveled to Hawaii with their Girl Scout Troop.  I had used some smaller scraps for the korner foundation of my RSC Korner Kabin blocks...

The varying shades of purple running from red violet to blue violet in these blocks made it easy to choose accompanying fabrics... 

Here's what I ended up with!


I plan to get the Patchwork top complete before we (finally) respond to the call of the mountains... this time we will retreat to the Red River area for three nights.  I'll be taking along my RSC hexagon project... I had to really work dig search my scraps and stash to find the right fabrics to help with the transitions as colors come together.  But I really didn't mind at all. ;)  Petting the fabric is a form of therapy, after all.  LOL!

This shows how they will blend together










Below is a view of my growing hexie project!



This week's randomly selected feature is Deb from A Scrappy Quilter.  She was getting ready to participate in a strip block race.  The blocks for the race are to be 10 inches and the time limit was 2 hours.  You can check out all of the details on her blog... click the link above.

It sounds like a fun and interesting challenge!  Deb stated that she has never sewn for speed... neither have I!  I'm not sure how I would handle the pressure.  Hmmmm...

But the fact that all blocks are string pieced, it would remove the risk of blocks being slightly different sizes.  It sounds like a good plan and could make for some very interesting quilts. 

I'm gonna run now because I have a few things to do before we leave on Tuesday... like the Lavender Patchwork quilt!  I'll check back in at the end of the week.  

But before you go, tell me...

Have you ever participated in a "Sew for speed" event?
What sort of blocks or quilt did you make?
Are there prizes?

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

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:


m