2018 Color Challenge Finish

Last week we had a road trip planned for my husband's  our business (he does the actual work in the shop, I do the office stuff)... it would be a 10 hour drive on the first day, two days at a trade show in Dallas and then a short 3 hour ride to our next destination in Seymour, TX for a few days and the return home, 6-1/2 hours.

I worked feverishly to have plenty of hand-stitching to pass the time on the road.  I had two quilts to hand sew the binding and another quilt needed six feathered wreaths hand stitched.

And I am pleased to report that I completed all of the hand sewing with the exception of one feathered wreath.  I had time... but my hands just refused to do any more!













Once the binding on the 2018 Color Challenge quilt binding was complete, and thread tails carefully tucked away, I headed out to a fence that holds our friends' goats for a photo shoot.  Our friends in Seymour, TX is home of the Lazy J Goat Farm and was home to my namesake, Melva, the patchwork-faced Nanny.

When I first headed out there the little girls were hopeful that I had some food for them to enjoy... and were quite interested in what I was doing.  

However, I was not quick enough to get a picture with them right by the fence and the quilt.  

I am happy to have this quilt complete and am relieved to know that it didn't become a UFO buried in my closet.  The rainbow striped fabric with a black background was perfect for the binding and has been hanging out in my stash for some time.  It wasn't something I purchased, but like the farm animal backing, was acquired from others cleaning out their personal stash.  The narrow flange of light grey offers a nice break and transition.

It seems just perfect that the farm animal fabric was photographed at Lazy J Goat Farm!

As I pieced the rows with the setting squares on the edge, I had envisioned feathers.  But once the top was sandwiched I could not ignore the call for it to be a more modern, linear type of quilting.

It reminded me of a weather vane and the Scripture from Proverbs 3:5-6 came to mind... Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He'll make your path straight.



I carried similar quilting lines into the borders...

While there were only 12 blocks in the challenge, my layout required 13.  So, an extra block was created, creating a Baker's Dozen.  It is the upper right block in the fence shots above.

If you missed each of the monthly posts, you can find them all under the 2018 Color Challenge tag or, Red, Blue, Yellow, Orange, Green, Purple, Yellow-Green, Red-Orange, Red-Violet, Blue-Violet, Blue-Green and Black & White.  

Finished size of this quilt is 61 inches, square.

Many thanks Patterns By Jen for the fun challenge and exercises in color value.  It has been a fun learning experience and I am looking forward to the 2019 Color Challenge.

We had great fun on our trip.  But... It feels good to be home... There's no place like home... there's no place like home!  However, I will be dealing with all of the laundry today

I stitched my way down the road... and we listened to an audio book that we borrowed from the local library.  Ashes From Beauty  by Win Blevins - a book about a young man that joins up with some mountain men and falls in love with an Crow Indian woman names Meadowlark.  It was a good fit for the two of us to listen to... Mountain man and Indian adventures with a romance story woven in!

What do you do to pass the time?

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

Quilt Happy!

Melva

Melva Loves Scraps - Home of the Quilters Through The Generations series

Linking with:

Main Crush Monday at Cooking Up Quilts 
Linky Tuesday at Freemotion by the River
BOMS Away at What A Hoot Quilts
Movin' it Forward Monday at Em's Scrapbag
Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt
UFO  Bustin' at Tish In Wonderland

2108 Color Challenge - Black & White

The final block in the 2018 Color Challenge from Jen at Patterns by Jen is Black & White.

A few weeks ago my husband and I were watching the Netflix series "The Crown".  More specifically, the episode of Princess Margaret having an official photograph done... and suddenly it brought back a flood of memories from a summer visit to my Grandparent's home in Tucson, AZ... 

My brother must have expressed some interest in photography because I recall tagging along on several photo shoots.  

One particular lesson involved a trip to the zoo.  It was mid-summer and quite warm...even in the morning.  At there was a bear that was enjoying a cool down in a small pool of water.

I remember thinking "I want to do that"... cool off, that is.  I mean, it was summertime... in Tucson!  It was hot...  I was about 12 years old... While I was enjoying the time at the zoo, I was bored with the photography stuff.

When we returned to the house for the afternoon, we headed to the dark room, much cooler than being out in the sun, for a lesson in the developing process.  I don't recall details... other than there were a few shallow trays containing different chemicals... and at some point a red light was turned on so that you could see what you were doing.

Thus, the reason for my inclusion of a splash of red in my block...

I do love to document life's events by snapping pictures and placing the photos in albums so that I can go back and enjoy the moments captured in the photo. There is that saying, "A picture is worth a thousand words".  And there is just something about  a black and white photo that conveys a statement of elegance.  

(These are not photos taken by me... rather, credit goes to the photographer of my daughter's wedding.)


For just a moment... time stands still.  For just a moment... you can "remember when".  For just a moment... you can time travel.

I will soon be using more black and white blocks that had been the start of a project by someone else for a quilt that I will feature in the Black & White blog hop January 21-24 that is hosted by Carla at Creatin' in the Sticks.  Be sure to come back and see what develops!


I hope that there were some moments that you captured in your memory, like snapshots in an album, this year, and that you Christmas season has been blessed.

Quilt Happy!

Melva

Melva Loves Scraps - Home of the Quilters Through The Generations series

Linking with:

2018 Color Challenge at Patterns by Jen
Christmas Linky Party at Freemotion by the River
Let's Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts
Midweek Makers at Quilt Fabrication
Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter
Can I Get A Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

November Color Challenge :: Blue-Green

Jen at Patterns By Jen chose Blue-green as the color of the month for November... one of my favorites.  I mean it is part of the blue family!  Blue!  What's not to love about blue... the various shades, levels and depths of life!  The sky, bodies of water, birds, flowers, etc.  

If you missed it, I recently finished a quilt inspired by Monet... I called it my Monet Mosaic.

Blue-green, or turquoise, is a common color found in the Southwest region of the United States and my Grandparents were all about the history of the Southwest and the Reservations.  They lived for a short time in Santa Fe, NM before moving to Tucson, AZ.



They had numerous "Indian Rugs" in their house and Grandma had a collection of turquoise and coral jewelry. 

And for the amount of jewelry Grandma had and the frequency that she wore her Squash Blossom necklace and Concho belt, you would think that there would be a picture somewhere!  But since once could not be located... you will just have to use your imagination. 

They loved traveling to the many canyons that were home to the Native Americans... places like the Grand Canyon, Canyon de Chelly and Mesa Verde are just a few that come to my mind.  I visited all of these places as a child and was unimpressed and under-whelmed. LOL! I do enjoy exploring similar places and learning about the history of the land and the people that occupied it now as an adult... in limited doses.   While my Grandparents would enjoy two or three days at Mesa Verde, Dave and I were content with one last year.   

I thought my block over this stock photo of the Grand Canyon worked well...   If only I had been able to make the trip myself!  😉

If you have a love for Native American hand-crafted jewelry go check out my cousin's page Silver Sisters Jewelry (Lori and I were close friends in school and then became family when she married a 2nd cousin.)  I am certain that my Grandma would have selected a few items from her inventory.



Some people can rock the turquoise and silver jewelry... I find most of it too big and chunky for my tastes.  But I can appreciate some dainty pieces... or pearls and diamonds. It's just the way I roll. 😉

Are you a fan of Southwest decor, jewelry and history?

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

Quilt Happy!

Melva

Linking with:

Color Challenge Link Up at Patterns By Jen
BOMs Away at What A Hoot Quilts
Can I Get A Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

2018 Monthly Color Challenge :: Blue-Violet

If you happen to be looking for the prize give away it is on the Peek-A-Who hop post.

This month's color challenge of Blue-Violet by Jen at Patterns By Jen, was a tad bit easier than the Red-Violet of last month!  Last month I had to dig deep to find just the right shades of fabric to include...

As I pulled fabric the favorites "floated to the top" quickly...

As I pieced this block I pondered just how fragile life and relationships can be.  A word or statement to another can be misunderstood and cause some great pain.  A month ago my husband and I recently made the decision to leave the worship team that we have been a part of for nearly 17 years because of a "statement" made... an action really, but actions speak louder than words... and that action cut to the core.    

So... after being committed to attending and leading worship for so many Sundays we were a little lost about what to do on that first Sunday "off".  We decided to go for a leisurely Sunday drive on Highway 12 and enjoy the scenery of the Scenic Highway of Legends.  This was an area that was ravaged by the Spring fire this summer.  Many homes were lost, many more threatened... and by the grace of God the tiny villages of LaVeta and Cuchara went unharmed.  

We stopped for a little hike up the face of what used to be Panadero Ski Area.

Dave was a ski instructor there when he was in college...  It was quite the trip down memory lane.  

But as we hiked and talked we sought solace in the presence of God in the midst of His great creation.

The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. ~ Proverbs 18:21



The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit. ~ Proverbs 15:4

Did you notice the blue-violet color of the Colorado skies?

We would be foolish to believe that we have never said or done something that caused damage in the relationship that had seen better days... much better days!  Our families were very close, but over the years, as I said, comments were made and misunderstood (on both our parts) that caused pain.  The pain was never addressed and simply ignored and brushed aside until we suddenly realized there was a pile of hurt much larger than the rug, and the rug could never hide it.

We have had the opportunity to visit, share and discuss some of the hurts with  with ears and hearts that were ready to listen and try to understand the others views, perceptions and interpretations of what has taken place over the years and where the chasm of damage and carnage collected.

It is no easy task to sit and discuss the topic of conflict and hear, receive and acknowledge your part in the whole messy situation.  Was it worth it?  Apologies were offered by all parties present and healing has begun.  

As with all scar tissue... it will take time.  And the reality is that the scars may never fade completely, but it can serve as a reminder of where you have been and lessons learned.

I am so grateful for the therapy time that quilting offers!  And the beauty of the fabric...  Some of the most beautiful quilts and patterns occur when there is contrast... Often the greater the contrast, the more beautiful.  

Of course, they do say that opposites attract.  So there is that...

In quilting, or even home decor or fashion, when there is a clash of colors it is easily corrected by selecting a different option...

If only life and relationships were that easy!

Do you use your quilting time as therapy?  I have also used house cleaning as therapy... crank the 80's rock & roll and clean to my heart's content.  I always feel better after a good therapy session...  How 'bout you?  Leave a comment.  I'd love to hear from you 😁

Sewing is good for your health...

Melva

Melva Loves Scraps - Home of the Quilters Through The Generations series

Linking with:

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Finished or Not Friday at Busy Hands Quilts

BOMs Away at What A Hoot

Color Challenge Link Up at Patterns By Jen

2018 Color Challenge - Red Violet

The 2018 Monthly Color block pattern may have been simple and fast... but the fabric selection was not!

Red-Violet... my selection was limited.  I have used lots of various shades of purple, violet and lavender in the past with several of quilts that I donated to the local Alzheimer fundraising events.  But because of this... my options were limited, but I was sticking to my guns about using only fabric in my stash... I refused to purchase anything.

I had several pieces that were acceptable but were not large enough in size.  I have a fabric storage area in our guest room closet on the main level as well as a cabinet in the basement... and the scrap bin in my sewing room closet.  I must have walked back and forth at least 20 times in the hopes that something new would reveal itself.

In the end I finally settled...

I had to sew two pieces of the mottled red-violet fabric together to make it large enough.  It really isn't horribly noticeable, but it was not an ideal situation...  Sometimes you just have to accept the imperfections of life and move on!

If I were to do a second-chance block, I would make the corner squares four-patch blocks and do a totally scrappy look with the center nine-patch as well... 

This block was particular in "who it wanted to play with".  With scrappy blocks and quilts, the more the merrier!  You can just move a small piece around until it seems happy.  Something like a large group of people or a classroom... You can't seat Jimmy next to Adam because all they will do is fight.  And you can't seat Melody with Samantha because they are too much alike and will just get lost together...  You see, you want contrast as well as blending, but sometimes it takes placing a Billy or a Jennifer in between two "clashers" or two "too much alikes" to bring everything into peaceful a harmony.

In the music world, melody is the lead... harmony is to enhance the sound and offer a depth to the song.  It is meant to support the melody, not overtake it.  And when done properly, it can be a beautiful sound... However, if harmony overtakes the melody it sounds "off" and when someone sings the harmony part alone, well, let me be honest... it can be down right awful.

Finding the balance in music, as well as life, can be a challenge.  And when all is well balanced, it can be beautiful!  But when out of balance... things don't sound well or go well.  This is where I seem to be right now... life seems a little out of tune.

I haven't had any needle and thread action for a number of days because of a class reunion event {{How is it possible that 35 years have passed??}}... It was definitely a good time, but I have MISSED my creative outlet/therapy!!!!  I think I will see if a scrappy version of this block can help to bring things back into balance.  

What do you do when things feel a little off?  

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

Seek Piece and find Peace...

Melva

Melva Loves Scraps - Home of the Quilters Through The Generations  series

Linking with:
2018 Color Challenge at Patterns By Jen
BOMs Away at What a Hoot Quilts
Main Crush Monday at Cookin' Up Quilts
Monday Making at Love, Laugh, Quilt
O Scrap at Quilting is more fun than housework

2018 Color Challenge - Red-Orange

The August block for the 2018 Monthly Color Challenge featured the blended color Red-Orange...

As I pulled my stack of orange fabric out and started selecting the pieces I wanted to use I recalled the numerous sunsets on the lake that we enjoyed when we had our boat.  A sunset cruise with a glass of wine (for me) and beer (for Dave) was a wonderful way to end a hot day... no schedule... no phones (it was the age of "cell phones for emergency only" and as it happened, there was no cell service in the middle of the lake anyway.

It was a time to get away from the noise of world and demands of the jobs...

(photo courtesy of our daughter)

We had our boat for 16 years and enjoyed many morning breakfasts with friends.  We (our entire family... and our friends that we influenced... and their children) have such fond memories of our times on the Lake.  There was one summer that we all could be found there 3-5 days a week.  

We would call each other on occasion frequently and say "Last one on the lake is a rotten egg!"  and then race to the boat launch.  But we had to be fair... there was no head start.  The call had to be made and then breakfast could be packed, children awakened and the boat uncovered and loaded with all of the water skiing stuff.

Most mornings the call would come around 7:30 am... there was never a complaint or whine from any of the kids... all of them were teenagers or pre-teens... it was a minor miracle!

We would launch the boats, head to our favorite morning cove and enjoy our coffee, tea and juice and then break out the bagels and doughnuts.   Okay... may not the most healthy of breakfasts, but they packed easily and traveled well.

As the morning would begin to warm, the water would become completely calm.  Not a ripple or wave to be seen anywhere!  That was when the kids would begin negotiating who would ski first and enjoy the best of the water.  It was another minor miracle that there was never any major fights over this!  This pristine water would last about 45 minutes so there was ample time for everyone that wanted to get a ski run in to do so.

When the morning calm was gone we would all contentedly head to dock and head home to take care of any business that needed to addressed... such as lawn care or gymnastic practices, bill paying, cheerleader camps, etc...

**Sigh** Good times 💓

After my block was pieced I began searching for some of my sunset pictures.  Apparently, we enjoyed the moments so well that there were very few photographs taken of the sunset cruises on the lake....  

But here are two sunsets photos that I did find... though neither of them from the lake.  😕

This amazing shot was taken from our friends home in Seymour, TX a few years ago when we visited them over Thanksgiving.

And this shot was from our first camping trip last year in September.

I did locate many sunrise photos from the view of our front window... I may use those sometime in the future.

As I finished my block and snapped a picture I realized that I had inverted the placement of two colors...

Though I could have left it... and even considered it for a fleeting 1/2 second before my attention to detail tendency kicked in and said "What??? No you are NOT leaving it that way."

I immediately pulled out Mr. Ripper and got to work to correct the problem...  

So there you go... my sunset block.

Are you more of a sunrise person?  Or a sunset person?

Leave a comment for me letting me know... I love to hear from my readers.

Piece Out,

Melva

Melva Loves Scraps - Home of the Quilters Through The Generations series.

Linking with:
Color Challenge Link up at Patterns by Jen
BOMs Away at What a Hoot Quilts
Finished or not Friday at Busy Hands Quilts
TGIF Friday
Can I Get A Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
UFO Busting at Tish's Wonderland

2018 Color Challenge - Yellow Green

This month's challenge block color is a funky one... Yellow Green.

I don't have a lot of this color in my stash, but I managed to find just enough for this block.  The lightest color didn't photograph very well, but it really is a (very pretty, actually) mottled yellow green fabric.

The way my mind works... follow along :)

It makes me want a piece of key lime pie!  Sadly, it is not allowed due to my dietary restrictions. So. Sad...

It also makes me want a margarita!  

How about lemon-lime soda?  Like 7-Up... which brings to mind the game we used to play in grade school to pass some time... Thumbs up, seven up.  I couldn't recall all of the details of the game, so I had to look it up on-line...  

All but seven students put their heads down on their desk, with their thumbs up (👍).  The remaining seven people stand in front.  Each of the seven quietly move about the classroom and push a thumb down... when all have returned to the front of the class, those that had their thumbs pushed down are supposed to guess who of the seven put their thumb down.  And there is to be no cheating by peeking down and watching for the shoes that pass by you.

If you guess correctly you trade places and play again...

Am I the only one who remembers this game???

There really is no "purpose" to the game other than the teacher could have a few quiet moments before the next bell or activity. 

There was always somebody who would "tap" their best friend... or the boy that had a secret crush on a girl and be disappointed that she didn't guess him... 

You know... all that childhood stuff we go through as we try to figure out life and that we are shaped by.

<<< Me...  second grade



Did you play this game or some version of it?  I'd love to hear from you :)  Leave a comment below...

Sew Happy!

Melva

Melva Loves Scraps - Home of the Quilters Through The Generations series

Linking with:
Color Challenge at Patterns By Jen
BOMS away Monday at What a Hoot Quilts
Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation
Let's Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts
Wait Loss Wednesday at The Inquiring Quilter
Color Inspiration at Clever Chameleon

2018 Monthly Color Challenge - Purple

Purple is the color of the month in the 2018 Monthly Color Challenge hosted by Patterns by Jen.  From what I hear from other quilters, it is a color that is loved or a color that is despised.  I am a lover of purple... I think it "plays well with others".

You may have figured out that I am a music lover and as I pulled fabric for the block I had a song stuck... yep - an earworm.  Follow the link below and join in the song!

Who remembers the Purple People Eater?  You know... ♫♬♪the one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people eater! ♫♬♪ One-eyed, one-horned flying purple people eater...Sure looks strange to me...♫♬♪

My Grandma had a pair of sunglasses, that we (my brother and cousins and I) referred to as her Purple People Eaters... I think they were yellow?  (Of course, that was her favorite color) And I have no idea why we called them Purple People Eaters!  Maybe because they looked strange?  Who knows how our childish minds worked.

As state before, I am a lover of purple.  It was one of my favorite colors as a child... I remember participating in a 4-H group and we were learning to knit.  I was making a stocking cap as one of my projects.  I chose purple and I wanted to have a contrasting brim and wanted red.  My idea was shot down by my Mom and the knitting teacher.  They told me the colors did not go together... they clashed.  I had a white brim thanks to them!

And 30 years later the Red Hat groups popped up all over the place... ladies over 50 years of age were wearing purple shirts or dresses and RED hats.  I was just ahead of the times...  Had they actually let me use purple and red together I could have been a trendsetter!

The color purple also brings to mind my Dad... it was one of his favorite colors.  It was after I had married and had our girls that he decided that it was ok for a man to wear purple.  Mom made most of his western-style shirts (with snaps... NO buttons) so she used purple fabric to fulfill his request... she sometimes made a matching dress or shirt for herself.

Purple is also the color used for Alzheimer's Awareness.  After Dad was moved to the nursing home because of his Alzheimer's our family participated in the Walk to Remember events to help raise funds for research.  My mom and I made several quilts and donated them to the event in my Dad's honor...

The first one I called "Jumbled Memories".  It seemed appropriate for the situation... the connections just weren't getting made for him to be able to get the words he wanted to say to come out of his mouth.  It frustrated him... it made me sad.  This quilt was placed on a silent auction at the event.

The next year the quilt below was the quilt that we donated...  We called it Patchwork Memories.  One friend described it like this...

Memory is like a quilt isn't it? It is kind of a patch work of of overlying events and emotions sewed together somehow in our minds. Memories are experiences, each uniquely remembered, yet always connected and shared by others, as a piece of cloth shares it's borders with other pieces of cloth on this quilt.

This quilt was given to the "honored" family at the event.  Art was a gentleman that Dad had made a special connection with as a new resident in the secure unit.  Art suffered from early on-set Alzheimer's and had recently passed away in his early 50's, and it was his family that received the quilt...

Sew... there you have it!  I am a lover of purple.  How about you?

Purple... Do you love it???  

Or do you despise it???

Leave a comment and let me know.  I love to hear what you think.  

Quilt happy!

Melva

Come on now, everyone sing!  ♫♬♪One-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people eater...♫♬♪

Melva Loves Scraps - home of the Quilters Through The Generations series

Linking with:
Color Challenge Link up at Patterns by Jen
BOMS away at What a Hoot Quilts
Midweek Makers at Quilt Fabrication
Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation
Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter