Tuesday, October 28, 2025

Adventures in Red River

We arrived home on Sunday afternoon and I quickly got the Sew & Tell party link opened and active.  And then got things put back in place and laundry sorted and dinner planned... and then we headed to the hot tub.

As we soaked, we reminisced of the week with our friends... Here's a recap. ;)  

Our arrival to the "cabin" on Monday night was past dinner time for us... A quick meal of leftover chicken & dumplings transformed into a soup with a salad and a few crackers fit the bill.  We got the beds made and proceeded to fall into them for the night.

The "rental-free" use of the cabin came with a few "honey-do" items.  Removing the carpeting on the stairs was the first item that was tackled.  There was not enough room for all four of us to occupy the small space, so I sat it out, took pictures and finished sewing the binding on the Paper Lanterns quilt.  I used a variegated thread for the big stitches to the front of the quilt.  

While I love this quilt, it is not one that will have a permanent home with me.  I am ready to release it to a new forever home.

A stroll around town and lunch at the RR Brewing Company was on the agenda after the work of the stairs was complete.  It was mid-week and "between seasons" and many of the stores and restaurants were closed until mid-November when the "ski season" kicks off.  

New king-sized mattresses were moved in and we had bed frames to assemble... but the frames were the wrong size. :(  We were all sleeping on mattresses on the floor.  Let me tell you... it was a challenge getting out of bed.  The homeowners were contacted and informed of the error and had new ones on the way.

An auto-tour of the Enchanted Circle was slated for the day on Wednesday.  We visited the Wild Rivers Recreation Area first.  It is the location that the Red River and the Rio Grande River converge at the bottom of an 800-foot-deep canyon with steep rocky walls.


From there we drove to the Rio Grande Gorge near Taos.  We discovered as we arrived that they no longer allow people to walk across the bridge.  The access to the rim is also restricted so a really stunning great view is no longer possible.  We heard that the walks across the bridge had recently been restricted because there had been too many jumpers.


Taos was the next stop.  We arrived in the square, and kinda went in all different directions.  Dave was on the hunt for some tylenol or aspirin for his headache (altitude induced and not enough water), Jamie and Jack had their dogs with them and started visiting a few shops... I headed for the quilt store. :)  

I searched through the store but didn't see a single item that insisted that I take it home with me. Our daughter Rebecca sent me this little cartoon... It made me giggle.


I caught up with Dave and Jack (who now had the dogs) and had the chocolate factory in their sight and were discussing what they desired.  Chocolate Peanut butter fudge was their request, and I went to the store to acquire it.  Sadly, they didn't have any, but I selected a large peanut butter cup for them.  They enjoyed one and it (and the aspirin and water) perked Dave up.  Jamie was still strolling through shops, so I caught up with her and left the guys to hold down the bench as the dogs rested.

After leaving Taos we drove to Angel Fire.  There's not a lot to see in Angel Fire, short of the ski area.

Eagle Nest was the next town on the circle... There is a little more to see there than in AF, but we were all tired of the drive and opted to head back to Red River.

Games were played in the evening, laughter ensued and fun was had by all.

Thursday was a workday... A long, hard workday... with plenty of room for me to be involved.  The carpet in the living room was removed, staples from the padding pulled and the whole thing swept, vacuumed and mopped and then furniture put back in place.


Friday was a day to recover... it was even harder getting out of the bed on the floor after the hard day before.  We enjoyed a casual walk in the Carson National Forest in the morning and showed Jamie & Jack the campground and surrounding area that we enjoy.  

It was a cool morning, and steam was rising from the ground as it warmed


Dave and I relaxed in the afternoon as our friends visited a few more RR gift shops that were open since it was Friday.  Dave napped, I quilted on the Color Wash Hexagon Quilt.

Bed frames were delivered that afternoon and we were all excited to be off of the floor that night!

There was a stove that still needed to be moved from the trailer to the house, but we were waiting for the word from the owners if that was a "go" or "no-go" because some electrical work was needed for the installation.

Word came Friday night that it was a no-go, and we were free to play all day on Saturday.


A 4-person ATV was rented, and we headed up the trail to Greenie Mountain.  Rain on Friday afternoon turned to snow and the higher in elevation we climbed, the more snow we found.  We didn't grow cold since we had an enclosed, heated cab.  good choice guys! 

We descended the mountain and grabbed a quick lunch and headed out again.  

This time, to Goose Lake.  The road was much rougher and rockier.  It was a slower trek up, though once we got to the lake... it was worth it!



Dave and I imagine that we would have had a similar experience/view had we made it to Comanche Lake in West Cliffe, CO in August... had I been able to make it.

We had about 1-1/2 hours before the rental needed to be returned and the sun was headed down below the mountain and temperatures were dropping... we descended the rocky, bumpy, rough road and arrived at the rental shop with a just a few minutes to spare. LOL.

A homemade pizza was for dinner followed by a rousing game of Korean Checkers.  It is a game board that my Dad made 60+ years ago.  It is similar to "Sorry".  Uno came back out, and we all had laughed and laughed again. ;)  Mexican Train Dominos was enjoyed at some point during the week... I'm not sure when.  LOL

Sunday morning started early as we had to get the towels laundered and put away, vacuum and clean bathrooms... and our friends had a long drive ahead of them.

The owners had received pictures of all that we got done and stated that they needed to comp us all another week next year.  Whoop! Whoop!


Dave stated last night... Yes, we were away for almost a week.  But I don't feel like I had a vacation.  LOL!  We may need to load up our camper and head south in a few weeks for a resting vacation. ;)

I am looking forward to returning to my studio to work on the custom memory quilts for a HS classmate.  I have all of the pieces cut and the fusible interfacing should be delivered very soon.  Until then... I'll keep quilting my Color Wash Quilt.

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:

m








Sunday, October 26, 2025

Returning from Red River ~ Sew & Tell - 10/27/25


 Let's get the party started!  

We are just getting settled back in at home after a week away in Red River, NM...






I will update everyone on another day since time is running out before the scheduled party kick off.

Keep Piecing!

Melva


Monday, October 20, 2025

Out of the Dark Blog Hop


BOO!  
Oh, I hope I didn't scare you.  
Welcome to Melva Loves Scraps and the Out of the Dark Halloween Blog Hop.  

Halloween has never been my favorite holiday... I'm more of a fall season girl with a love for cinnamon and spices and all of the nice-ness and the warmth that come with them... from late August to the end of November... with apples and pumpkins and the delicious goodies that can come from them.


I have seen the book The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt for a few years and have considered buying it for the granddaughters, but it was always too late.  This year I started doing some early Christmas shopping and grabbed it.  No... it is NOT Christmas, but I decided to send it to them for Halloween. 


As I read through the book, I thought it would be fun to make some placemats that matched the book... something they could use all month leading up to Halloween.

I pulled out my scrap bins (Unmade Quilt bins) I started pulling fabrics that were similar to those used in the quilt that was a ghost.  I used the inside of the book as inspiration.

With one laid out, Dave suggested that each of the placemats be a different color.  I selected three other colors.  We have a grandson as well as the 3 girls, but he is a 16-year old now and probably not really interested in the book, but he can have a placemat, so he is included. ;)  I used 2-1/2" squares, BTW, making the placemats finish at 12x18.  A perfect size for a placemat!



I sewed the blocks together to make rows and then used quilt as you go to join the rows together... I quilted the vertical lines and then added the faces.

Here's the book description...

Ghosts are supposed to be sheets, light as air and able to whirl and twirl and float and soar. But the little ghost who is a quilt can't whirl or twirl at all, and when he flies, he gets very hot.

He doesn't know why he's a quilt. His parents are both sheets, and so are all of his friends. (His great-grandmother was a lace curtain, but that doesn't really help cheer him up.) He feels sad and left out when his friends are zooming around and he can't keep up.

But one Halloween, everything changes. The little ghost who was a quilt has an experience that no other ghost could have, an experience that only happens because he's a quilt . . . and he realizes that it's OK to be different.


The author has a new book about the little ghost quilt... The Little Ghost Quilt's Winter Surprise.  Yep!  I bought it too.  The youngest of the girls will be receiving a book collection as her Christmas gift and this will be in her gift, along with the Woman Who Swallowed a Fly.  I love the classic children's books, and I have made certain that the grands have a good collection of them.

If I had to choose a completely different career... I'd like to be a librarian in the children's department.  I loved taking my own girls to Storytime at the library and the fun crafts and activities that went along with the stories.  Ok... now I am getting weepy and nostalgic, so I better go.

But before you go... Tell me...

Do you have a favorite Halloween storybook?
What is your favorite children's story?

I'd love to hear from you!

Be sure to visit the rest of the bloggers that hopping with me.  The full list is below.

Keep Piecing & Happy Fall Y'all!

Melva

Linking with:

m

Sunday, October 19, 2025

Applique & Quilting ~ Sew & Tell - 10/20/25

Welcome back to the weekly Sew & Tell party... where you can share your progress, projects and thoughts and be inspired by others... find encouragement and encourage others. This week we have Gretchen from Gretchen's Little Corner as she shared her progress on the Rhapsody in Blue.

Gretchen is a pro at her applique and hand quilting and addresses the blank spaces of a quilt.  

"I always cringe when I view a quilt that has a pretty quilting design, but the background is left unquilted. To me (this is my opinion, you don't have to share it) the quilt looks unfinished, it's baggy and spoiled. That is why diagonal background lines are added to my quilts."

I tend to agree with her... I used this same technique on the borders of the first quilt I made.  You can see the pictures here.  In all honesty the cross-stitched blocks of the quilt could have use some background help. ;)  I'm not fixing it now, though!

I achieved all of my (unwritten) goals early in the week.  I offered a mid-week update that you can read here.  But the progress continued!

The Color Wash Quilt was sandwiched after piecing some lots of batting pieces together.  In order to create a border to the piece, I cut 2-1/2" strips of fabric and slipped them underneath the outer hexies.  The use of the Hobbs Fusible batting made the process very easy for me.  I added a few pins to help hold everything in place as I began handling it to quilt (applique) them into place.

I'm making this process up as I go and am certain that there are others out there that would challenge my decisions and choices... but I'm too far in to change direction now! LOL. (Besides... there are no quilt police.)   I have the outside hexagon edges all secured and it is ready to be a "travel project" without any concern of the border pieces slipping out of place.  

The backing is a large print tulip print that came from some deep stash.  It is a very pale yellow with some light green and grey.  (I'll show you when finished) and I will use a grey print as the binding.  I had originally thought that I would use some rainbow stripe as the binding... but the quilt told me "no."

This week begins the "Out of the Dark" blog hop.  I have my piece ready to go for Tuesday.  I do hope you'll stop by again and join the hop.  Let's go to the hop! Let's go to the hop! (Did you sing that? 🎤 I did!)

The inspiration for my hop project












While I was sandwiching, I continued the process with the Paper Lanterns Quilt.  I am nearly done with the quilting.


I changed up my plan for quilting... I decided that I wasn't up for feathers in the "white space" and I wasn't all that thrilled with the FMQ that I had done in the lanterns and wanted to do something a little more geometric... My reasoning?  Well, this fabric has a modern look to it (more so than my original PL - you can see what I mean by following the link above.) and it seemed to be asking for something straight and modern.

Here's what I have so far.  I need a few more lines of quilting in the lanterns and then I can trim and bind it.

As I worked on this quilt I was listening to Little House in the Big Woods.  

In the story Laura told about her Ma and Pa making cheese.  It occurred to me that in all of the stories I heard from my Dad about his parents... butchering chickens, making sausage, crock pickles, butter and homemade beer I never heard about them making cheese.  

I asked Mom if she had ever heard about them making cheese.   She said "No, but your Dad knew how to make cheese."  

It is at little times like this that I realize how much I miss him. :(  I am fortunate blessed that I still have my Mom (she will be 85 soon!) and that she is still living independently.  Her move last year opened up a whole new realm for her.  She let me know the other day that she was going for a ride with several other ladies from the building to see what few yellow aspen leaves remained and to have lunch to celebrate the landlady's 70th birthday.  I LOVE it!  Karen, the landlady, is also a quilter, so we have an extra special bond. :)

Dave and I will be going for a "ride" to meet up with our friends in Red River.  It was one of the reasons I wanted to get the Color Wash quilt to a point that it was ready for travel.  

Let's get the party started!

But before you go... tell me...

What sort of questions would you have for your parents (or grandparents) if you could sit down with them?

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

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:

m




 

Wednesday, October 15, 2025

Wordy Wednesday ~ The Tale of Three Quilts

It is a blustery Wednesday here and I'd love to sit and visit with you, but I have two custom memory quilts to start... and I've been on a roll!

My original title for this post was going to be Wordless Wednesday... but I just can't do it!  LOL.  I've got to "narrate" the photos. ;)

Paper Lanterns is in fine flimsy form, and I am waiting on the backing fabric to be delivered. 





The final Little House block is done.  Listening to the audio book of Little Town on the Prairie as I pieced Paper Lanterns was all I needed for the inspiration.  The center block is a portion of the Kit in the Corner block from the Pieces of the Santa Fe Trail quilt.  I now need to decide if I want sashing strips... or not.  I'm leaning toward "not."  What do you think?  No sashing strips... Narrow neutral border and finished with a "scrappy" wider border like on the Sticks & Stones quilt.  Sneak a peek at that border and let me know your thoughts. ;)


Feeling completely satisfied with all that I had done, I sat down with my Color Wash Hexagons.  Dave was in the house Tuesday afternoon because of an allergic reaction to something that caused hives ALL OVER his body.  I stitched... he talked as we both considered what could have caused it.  My finger finally said, "no more!" and I set it aside.  But this morning, I picked it up and finished it!  All of the pieces fit together just as I had planned.

I need to fix up some franken-batting, select a backing fabric and get it sandwiched.  It will be a great travel project as I quilt with black thread around the hexies.  

I have lingered here long enough... Time to start the memory quilts!  

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:

m


PS... whatever it was that was spiking the views on my blog, it is done.  LOL!



Sunday, October 12, 2025

Art Haus Paper Lanterns ~ Sew & Tell - 10/13/25


Another week... gone!  I could go on and on about how time seems to be flying by... but that is an old record that needs to be put to rest. ;)

This week's Sew & Tell feature is not one that needs to be set aside.  Rather, it is one that needs to be kept in the forefront as the weather transitions to a new season.

Preeti at Sew Preeti Quilts showed off one of her Island Batik projects - Milo.  Preeti has a knack for selecting patterns and fabrics and colors that work well together.  The simple quilting of this quilt allows the two blocks/designs to be the star of the show.  Her color placement creates the subtle change and flow of color.

Head over to Preeti's blog by following the link above and you will see where the pattern is available.

Thank you to all of you that participate in Sew & Tell each week.  If you have never joined the party... well, what are you waiting for?  Everyone is friendly and supportive, and I can always learn/find something new to spark some creativity.  

I have been dipping my toe into the water as a Connecting Threads Ambassador... I am a little surprised at how difficult this has actually been. I'm feeling like my biggest hurdle is that I don't have a ton of CT fabrics in my stash.  This means that I have had to purchase a few things.  Retail therapy is always fun, but I realize now that I do a lot of "window shopping."  Hahaha.


I started new project! This jelly roll from CT and will become a fun "Paper Lanterns" quilt.  


Head over to the Connecting Threads website to take a look at some of the items available in their clearance sale. That's where I found this pre-cut Art Haus jelly roll. (Who doesn't love a bargain?) You can get a 15% discount by using the special code ACTMelvaLovesScraps on most purchases.

But before I could start piecing, my machine needed a little mani-pedi. It's been 6 weeks since the last one. Oh my! I really thought it was just a month. 🤦‍♀️

While the piecing of Paper Lanterns is super easy and the layout seems straightforward... I had two extra pieces remaining after I had it on the design wall.  I thought that I had simply miscounted. NOPE!  I had to carefully examine the columns and eventually found where they belonged. 

Then as I started sewing them together, I realized two more mistakes in the layout... Back to the design wall.  

The third time's the charm!  Here's my progress...


I have put the Little House quilt blocks to the side for now.  Eight out of nine complete.  And, I have the audio book of Little Town on the Prairie on loan.  I'll be listening as I finish Paper Lanterns with the intent of finding inspiration for the final block.  I know it's there... I just have to intentional and find it.


What you seek with all your heart, you will find!  

Late last year I had settled on a "word of the year"... It was Trust.  I've haven't done too well with trusting the Lord through all the challenges and changes we have faced in our family this year.  As I wrapped up my third-quarter review I was reflecting on trust...

Do I trust the Lord in all that is happening.  Yes. Yes, I do.  Am I happy about it?  No, not at all.  I am frustrated and reminded that trust isn't something earned easily.  God has never failed me before... though the end result is quite different than I would have chosen.  

In previous years I have chosen more positive words... Like growth and peace... those were a couple of pleasant years!  Trust seems positive, right? But for trust to grow and develop, of course there has to be difficulties and opportunities to exercise that trust/faith muscle.  It's like asking for patience... you can guarantee that you will have plenty of opportunity to exercise that!  LOL.  

I joined a ladies Bible study a few weeks ago and it is on the book of Proverbs... simple study... Ha!  Proverbs... a book of wisdom with some interesting sayings.  Ugh.  It has been one of the most difficult studies I have ever participated.  The other day, I was feeling down about how I have fallen short in so many of my relationships... and then I was reminded that God does not condemn!  God will gently convict and steer you in the correction direction.  

So... like my searching for and finding the mistakes in the Paper Lanterns quilt layout, it takes time and it CAN be corrected... without much distress or drama. (No need for a date with "Jack.")

I will be intentional in my week... If things go well, I will finish Paper Lanterns completely.  I have a quilting plan and will be doing a scrappy binding.  With any luck, I'll be back next week with block number 9 of the Little House quilt (or at least a plan).  I know what sort of border and binding will be on that quilt too!

The color wash hexagons are coming together.  I have been spending a little time in the evenings sewing rows together and I am down to the "stragglers" to stitch together. I will then join the two large sections.  I'm not in a big rush... I definitely am appreciating the slower pace.

I can appreciate a good plan and purpose... but I can also appreciate spontaneity.  Our friends from the Lazy J Goat Farm have tentative plans and opportunity to borrow a small home in Red River and we may be joining them.  She said it may be last minute but asked if we were up for it.  We responded with a resounding "absolutely!"

Do you need/prefer well-planned excursions?

Or are you open to last minute surprises?

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

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:

m


Sunday, October 5, 2025

Sew & Tell - 10/6/25


Where did the week go??? I woke up this morning thinking this thought.  As I reviewed all that took place... Hot tub delivery, Bible Study, 3rd Quarter Review and time in my studio... I realized that even in a relaxed state/pace of life, time marches on.  It feels good that there have not been any emergencies or crisis that has popped up in life!  (I hope I didn't just jinx that... ;) ) Maybe it is the fact that we have enjoyed the hydrotherapy sessions multiple times a day and we are simply calmer and sleeping better!  It has been heavenly!

I'll start off with this week's feature from the party...

Deb over at Quilt Chatter shared a super scrap-buster quilt that is nearing the final stages...  She showed us the auditions for sashing strips... like Goldi Locks, too light, too dark, not enough...  Head over to her blog to see what did not make the cut...

As I said, this is a great choice for scraps. You could adjust the size of the units based on what size pieces you have available.

Nice job Deb!







If you visited my quarterly review, you know that I completed all of the hexies needed for the Color Wash Hexagon piece.  It is now time to join everything together.  I have three rows/columns joined together... 5 more and a few stragglers left to go.

I was growing really antsy to get back in the studio... 

A Walk on the prairie by RBD

I pulled out the Walk on the Prairie FQ bundle that has been hanging out in the closet since June.  When I made the video of the studio tour, I mentioned that my cutting table doubles as a workstation or desk.  If you looked closely, you would have seen that I had my most favorite set of childhood books on the table... I'm not ready to reveal the series yet, but I will show you a few of the blocks I have made.


I am still in the designing and pattern writing stage, but eventually, it will be a sew along that will not only represent one of my favorite childhood book series but will focus on quilt math lessons.

Any guesses about which book series I chose?

I know that not everyone will be interested in the math lessons, but I have recently heard some negative things about "gatekeeping."  Gatekeepers tend to be a little stingy with information, not wanting to give away "secrets" or the "magic".  

I have always been willing to share my knowledge and experience with others... and I want a portion of the next sew along to be able to help others learn about enlarging or reducing patterns for different sized blocks and calculating the unit sizes within a block.  Quilt math does not need to be intimidating or scary.  However, it is not as simple as just divide the cutting sizes by two to reduce the size of the block.

The blocks are 6-inch blocks surrounded by a log cabin and the finished size will be 16-inches square.  There will be nine blocks in total.  Most of the blocks have been used in a previous sew along but resized... for example the Maple Leaf block from Pieces From the Past was a 9-inch block.  The Shoo-Fly block was a 12-inch block from Pieces of the Santa Fe Trail.  You get the idea ;)

I've had fun selecting blocks to reflect the title or a particular scene from the stories.  I'm stumped on one in particular and waiting for a creative twist or inspiration to hit me... I've even started reading the book again.

When will this sew along start?  I am so glad you asked! Not until 2026.  Since I am still in the "design" phase and a busy holiday season around the corner, I think it is best to wait so that I can get all of my ducks in a row.  

I am curious about how frequently you would like the blocks released.  Weekly? Twice a month?  Once a month?  Do you lose steam if they are spread out too far?  Do you feel overwhelmed if they are too frequent?  Leave a comment... I'd love your feedback. 

I have plans for a few things this week... I'll be working with a jellyroll for a quick quilt.  I'm trying to decide between Paper Lanterns or Sticks & Stones.  I also have a box of clothing for a custom Memory Quilt... TWO actually... so I'll be selecting a block/design for those quilts.

I'm a little giddy at the fact that I have several projects going now!  It's been a while!

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:

m