May's Favorite Finish & June's OMG

The quilt that was my favorite finish for the month of May was the Ribbon & Lace quilt that was pieced by Mary Margaret Smith in 1985.  I was trusted with the privilege and honor to finish the fancy sampler quilt by Mary's daughter.  You can see more details about it here and here...

Oh. My. Goodness!  How is that the calendar has turned to the sixth (6th!) month? We keep a fairly low-key schedule with a few trips planned here and there, but... WOW!  June is going to have us hopping.

Activities are planned and on the calendar, and I am fearful that the various events and activities will limit my time in the studio.

Dave is participating in a fundraiser golf tournament, I have a book signing event planned at our local library and a trip to a Santa Fe Trail stop in Oklahoma to present and promote the Pieces from the Santa Fe Trail Quilt book.  We will have the two older grand-daughters for a week of Vacation Bible School and will lead a worship session for a local tent meeting twice ... and then on the 19th we will hit the road for an excursion to Illinois for a family reunion.  And that's just June.  So far, July doesn't look to be quite so crazy. 😜

I have two quilts that I'd like to get finished this month, but with all of the happenings I will be lucky to get only one done... I'll keep the (unseen) pressure off of myself and state that I hope to finish the Rail Fence quilt DONE.  My Mom is not wanting a lot of fancy quilting stitches on it so, I think it will be a reasonable goal.

Should our schedules allow for it... I'd like to get this Red Dresden quilt done and returned to my customer...

Gotta run! I have a few days before the grands visit.  

I need to take advantage of the time in the studio as much as possible.  But before you go, tell me...

Do you have any special plans for the summer?

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

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:

Favorite Finish

One Month Goal

Needle & Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation

Free-Motion Mavericks at Quilting & Learning

Off The Wall Friday with Nina Marie

Brag About Your Beauties at From Bolt to Beauty

Peacock Party at Wendy’s Quilts and More

Friday Foto Fun at Powered by Quilting

Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts

Scrap Happy Saturday at Super Scrappy

Patchwork & Quilts at The Quilting Patch

November One Month Goal & Favorite Finish

November seems to have slowed just a bit for me... perhaps it was the fact that I was recovering from shingles and then caught a chest cold.  

Despite less than perfect health, I did meet November's One Month Goal of quilting and finishing my Pieces in the Garden Row Quilt.  Woot, woot!

Since this quilt is based on the story of a "Bride's Quilt" I would use the small chapel/storage shed that is down the road from our house for the backdrop.

I chose 5" clamshells as the quilting design... a little larger than traditional, but it offeres a nod toward heritage style quilting.

Each row of blocks tells a portion of the lives of my Maternal Grandparents, Forrest & Tressie Teegarden.  

“Bride’s Quilt”

Once upon a time, there was a little girl, who wore a bow in her hair. When she grew up, she began a friendship with a young bachelor. As the hours and days passed, they began to look at each other with stars in their eyes, and as their love grew, they thought about taking steps to the altar. So, the young girl got out her spools of thread and made clothes to get ready for their wedding ring day.

After they are married, some of their times together will be bright as noon and others will be dark as night.  But they will try to share their happiness, their miseries and their chores – she grabbing a wrench to help with household repairs and he grabbing a towel to help with the dishes.  Sometimes they will have broken dishes, but they will try to remember that “things” can be replaced, whereas harsh words, possibly spoken about the broken dishes, could chip away love.  They will try to follow the Golden Rule as they are learning to communicate openly with each other.

They will also try to keep in mind the symbolism of Jacob’s ladder – “steps of communication” between themselves on earth and God in heaven.

In keeping with the "wedding/bridal" theme... I used a pre-printed Double Wedding Ring panel for the back.

Here are a few more photos... just because. 😊

Challenge faced and overcome!  This quilt has been nearly a year in the making and it feels good to have it displayed on the back of our couch.  I have one last pattern to be released on December 8th.  You can find all of these patterns in my payhip store.

I am so happy that I had my grandparents share their memories.  I have a free document ~ Priceless Conversations ~ in the store that will help you record your memories, or use it as a springboard for asking your parents or grandparents about their lives... 

Who do you want to sit and have a priceless conversation with?

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

Keep piecing,

Melva

Linking with:

One Month Goal at Elm Street Quilts

Favorite Finish at Meadow Mist

Mid-week Makers at Quilt Fabrication

Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter

Needle & Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation

Free Motion Maverick at Quilting & Learning

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

Off The Wall Friday with Nina Marie

Brag About Your Beauties at From Bolt to Beauty

Peacock Party at Wendy’s Quilts and More

Friday Foto Fun at Powered by Quilting

Thank Goodness It’s Finished Friday

Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework

Sunday Stash at QuiltPaintCreate

Scrap Happy Saturday at Super Scrappy

Patchwork & Quilts at The Quilting Patch

August One Month Goal

Just a really quick stop in to share what my August One Month Goal is...

It will be a Baby's First Year quilt for our grand-daughter, Hanna.  It will contain all of the monthly outfits and various holiday outfits she wore as she watched, learned, grew and changed as the pages of the calendar were turned.

From the shirt she wore home from the hospital to the special little outfit she wore for her first party... and everything in between.  Heather also gave me two blankets with her name on it. She used the pink one as the background for the monthly photos.  One I will use as sashing strips, the other will be incorporated into the backing.

Her birthday was in April, so I am excited to finally get started!

I love that she made sure she photographed each one of the girls throughout their first year with the special monthly shirts allowing me to make a special quilt for them.  And big sister, Emma, made sure she reminded Heather that they (and the holiday outfits) needed to be saved.  Thanks for the help Emma! 

I, personally, did save a few very special pieces of clothing and some blankets, from our children, but nothing like this. :)  I'm glad to have the opportunity to make this special memory quilt for Hanna Heather.  Haha!  

Like so many of the HS graduation quilts I have made, the Mom's have loved the quilts as much as the grad.

Did you hold onto any special items from your children?

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

Keep Piecing!

Melva

Linking with:

One Month Goal at Elm Street Quilts

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework

Sunday Stash at QuiltPaintCreate

Sew & Tell - July 4th

It is Independence Day for those of us in the United States... I could tell a story of my mother-in-law who, when her divorce was finalized, she purchased herself two rings to replace the wedding set she took off... She called them her "firecracker" rings... Freedom & Independence.  

Or I could go into a long thing about freedom and rant about a something I read by one of my "friends" on facebook.  But since last Thursday's post was a vent pity party of sorts, I will not drag my soapbox out.

Instead, I will simply refer you to what I shared in 2020.  Or... Forrest Teegarden's memory that I shared in March... We would celebrate Independence Day each year.  We didn't have much money to spend on fireworks, but we would buy some lady fingers.  We would put carbide under a coffee can, pour a little water in the can.  We would light the carbide and it would blow the can about 15 feet in the air.  Nobody ever got hurt that I knew of.  

This week for Sew & Tell there were four quilters that shared their progress...  If you missed it click here!

I finally made some steps forward!  After our quick get away for a quiet time of refreshment and worship on the mountain, I purchased the fabric for my next project... that I shared in that Thursday post.  Yay!  I found a renewed joy in life... sometimes you just have to pet the fabric to feel better!  I know I have a cartoon about that, but I am running short in time to do a thorough "search and find".

❧  Getting that fabric sandwiched and marked for quilting, along with getting some of the quilting done is on the radar for this week!  It will be July's One Month Goal. 

I finished the last five blocks needed in our camping journal quilt (before adding borders)...  I was short one block to complete the row so I decided to make it the "official" label.  I will need to go back and put another year... but that is just fine. :)  I had originally thought I would use a magnifying glass (instead of the mountains) for the night with our grand-daughter, but for the sake of time and ease, I opted to use a block I had already made.  But "mountains" were on the scavenger hunt list. 😏

I'll be adding sets of two blocks to each side and then another row to the top & bottom of the quilt... And THEN it will be a completed top!  Woohoo!  We have had such fun creating the memories in this piece, and I have enjoyed making each of the blocks so that we can recall those memories. 💓

That's all that I have... Now, it is YOUR turn!

But before you go... I made mention to Dave the other day that I could feel much cooler in my studio if I didn't have to wear socks and shoes.  He asked me why I couldn't just wear my flipflops or sandles... My response was I have either dropped the rotary cutter or knocked it off of my cutting table just one too many times to consider it "safe".  

Granted, I DO NOT always wear jeans... it just happened to be a cooler day when I snapped this picture!

Do you quilt WITH shoes?  

Or are you a barefoot quilter?

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

Time for me to go make pizza for dinner!  Happy 4th!

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:

One Month Goal at Elm Street Quilts

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

This & That at Days Filled with Joy

To Do Tuesday at Texas Quilt Gal

Mid-week Makers at Quilt Fabrication

Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter

Needle & Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation

Off The Wall Friday with Nina Marie

Brag About Your Beauties at From Bolt to Beauty

Peacock Party at Wendy’s Quilts and More

Friday Foto Fun at Powered by Quilting

Thank Goodness It’s Finished Friday

Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts

Pieces From the Past ~ Revisited - May's OMG

Recently, I have been revisiting the stories and patterns of the Pieces From the Past Sew Along by designing a quilt layout to feature two particular blocks from the series...  Our Country and the Dragon Fly blocks.

This was at the request of wonderful person that I know through one of my cousins in the Schleich family.  My cousin, Glenda, has a half-sister (they share the same Mom), so, in a sense, Kendra is my cousin... well, maybe half-cousin.. is that a thing?  We first met when she was 16 and I was 14.  Kendra was spending the summer of 1979 with Glenda as she waited for the arrival of her second child.  Glenda's husband was working out of town during the week and they were in need of someone to stay with their firstborn and/or drive Glenda to the hospital if Don wasn't home.

We spent many afternoons and evenings together.  We had marathon Monopoly games, as well as Clue and other games.  And I will add that my brother Kelvin cheated at most of the games and could be a sore loser.

Thanks to technology and social media, Kendra and I have been in touch with each other for the past 9 years.

Kendra purchased two copies of my Pieces From the Past book and stated that she thoroughly enjoyed it and had plans to meet up with Glenda to surprise her with a copy of the book.

Kendra and I had a wonderful conversation and she shared with me about her first visit to La Junta...

I remember my first visit to La Junta and I think we were at Bill and June's and I got out of the car to see her killing a chicken for supper. Or at least I think it was her.. maybe it was your Aunt Clara.  Freaked me out.  I was only 10. It was after mama died.

What a memory!  Though, it was really just another day on the farm.  

Well, that was a rabbit trail!  So, back to the quilt...

The Our Country block pattern needed to be resized (the original makes an odd size of 15-3/4" square), or the Dragon Fly block needed to be enlarged from the 12" block to match the larger size... or I needed some creative layout that left the two blocks their original sizes.

As I played with a layout of the same size blocks, I really liked the look with the angles and points coming together in the corners.  

The royal blue & purple together are rich and deep with just enough contrast in value and the off-white is a nice background, without being to stark.  The Dragon Fly block was originally a two-color block, but adapted to be a three-color block by making the "crossing canoes" in the off-white.

The completion of this quilt is my One Monthly Goal for May.  

I am unsure of what sort of quilting I do... I'm thinking some straight line, sort of dot-to-dot stitching to create an interesting pattern.  Or would some all-over meandering help to soften the points and lines? 

Do you have a suggestion for a quilting design?

Leave a comment... I'd love to hear your ideas!

If you missed out on this series, the letters, stories and patterns are still available!  Just click on the tab above to find the links for all of them. 

Keep Piecing!

Melva

Linking with:

One Month Goal at Elm Street Quilts

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

To Do Tuesday at Texas Quilt Gal

Mid-week Makers at Quilt Fabrication

Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter

Stitch Sew & Show at Life in the Scrap Patch

March OMG and IGQuiltFest2022

Have you heard the news?  March is National Quilting Month!  This event is being celebrated all over Instagram in the #IGQuiltFest2022 hosted by Amy Ellis at @Amyscreativeside.  Quilters from around the world kicked off the event with introductions yesterday and "First Quilt" today.

Each day features a prompt and quilters are encouraged to be creative (yet honest) in their responses.

It is sure to be a good time!  you can follow me by clicking on the highlighted word above or follow the entire event by clicking on the hashtag above.

❧ I will be working on scheduling most of the daily prompts since we will be on the road for a good portion of that time... 

⦿ Which brings me to my March One Month Goal...  FINISH the quilt!

❧ In the next week I'll be getting my Orphan Quilt sandwiched and machine quilt the hanging diamond grid 4" apart as well as a scrappy binding.  I will do the hand-quilting (Big Stitches with variegated thread) in between the 4" lines while on the road.

Since we now have a target day for the departure of trip, I'll be focused on making sure I have quick and easy meals planned (crockpot meals pre-cooked and frozen with the proper serving amounts), getting the camper's pantry refilled and getting enough "activities" to keep me occupied as we drive.  This will include snacks, audio books, a design/sketch book and colored pencils as well as the afore mentioned hand quilting. 

What do you do to pass the time as you travel?

Leave a comment...  I'd love to hear from you.  Maybe you have some audio book suggestions. 😏

Keep Piecing!

Melva

P.S.

Since I am releasing the pattern for Row 2 of the Pieces in the Garden Sew Along, I'm going to cover my Thankful Thursday items here...

The chance to spend a day with our granddaughters as they did some on-line schooling since the heating system at their school was being repaired.  

This is Emma... Maggie was still at the kitchen table doing schoolwork.  When she was finished, Grandpa took the big girls to the park and for ice cream.  

Baby snuggles and watching as Hanna played, giggled and laughed with Grandpa.

It has been waaaaaaaaaay too long since we had last seen these kiddos and it was refreshing to have a day off and spend time with them.  💗

Linking with:

One Month Goal at Elm Street Quilts

 

Orphans Found a Forever Home

“I will not leave you orphaned. I’m coming back. In just a little while the world will no longer see me, but you’re going to see me because I am alive and you’re about to come alive. ~ John 14:18-19

The month of February has zipped by in the blink of an eye and spring is just around the corner!  We have dealt with an abundance of challenges that we either worked our way through or around, overcame and conquered or decided to ignore because it just didn't matter.

As we get ready to turn another page of the calendar, I am happy (and a bit surprised, if I'm honest) to share the flimsy quilt top of Orphans No More (it includes a few additional orphans from a fellow quilter).  shown below :)

These additional blocks were picked apart or cut down to be used on the sides and top...

Here are a few close-up shots. As I dug through my scrap bin for the pineapple blocks, I found more orphans!  Again, just what this top needed. 

The top measures 60" x 82" and it is ready to be sandwiched and quilted.  As I mentioned earlier this month, my plan for the quilting is a hanging star grid with lines 4" apart, machine quilted and then big-stitch hand quilting with variegated thread in between, making the quilting lines 2" apart.  The hand quilting part will be a road-trip activity for me when we head to the Gulf Coast in March. 

Rebecca Grace had asked if I just made it up as I went along... Why, yes!  That is exactly what I did.  A bit of improv and creativity to get it all to work out, but fun and rewarding to see it ready for quilting.

As I celebrate the finish of this top, I celebrate with our friends living in Romania as the adoption of a little girl they have raised since birth, was finalized just last week.  

Tim & Caroline have been working with orphanages in their area for years.  They had been told by doctors that they would likely never be able to have children of their own.  Anna came to live with them as soon as she was released from the hospital.  And, surprise, surprise... not long after receiving Anna, they learned that she was expecting a child!  The adoption process for Anna has taken over 6 years.  But, at long last sweet little Anna is finally, officially a Bailey!  💗 I will forever associate this quilt with Tim, Caroline and Anna.

If you would like to learn more of their story you can follow the highlighted link above and sign up to get newsletters and updates.

We know several families that have adopted children and they often celebrate "Gotcha Day"... the day that the adoption was finalized... much like the celebration of a birthday.  

Though each family has special traditions to celebrate a birthday... 

What sort of Birthday traditions are in your family?  

How would you celebrate "Gotcha" day?  

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

Piece in love,

Melva

Linking with:  

One Month Goal at Elm Street Quilts

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

This & That at Days Filled with Joy

To Do Tuesday at Texas Quilt Gal

Orphans No More

Winter has finally arrived in southern Colorado...  Though it only seems to appear for a day or so and then it thaws and leaves a mucky, miry, muddy mess that requires additional efforts to take our usual walks... but the view from the top of the hill is beautiful!

Dave and I use this walk to process and talk through the many things and situations that take place in life... and any exercise benefits we may get from it is bonus!

It is almost as vital to me as my creative time in the studio!

In recent months we have been sensing that there has been a shift or a change of purpose in our lives... a changing of seasons, so to speak.

For the past 18+ months we held the role of worship leaders at our church... and a few months after assuming that role, the church suddenly needed an interim pastor.  Dave bravely stepped in and filled that need until a new pastor was selected and hired.  

As I said, in recent months as we have talked and thought (and maybe even complained or grumbled) we have wondered what the next season looks like...  After much deliberation and conversation with the Pastor, his wife and another leader, we announced that we will be taking a sabbatical.  We don't know what it look like nor how long it will be, but we are open to whatever it might be...

All this to say that my time in the studio with my orphan blocks has been therapeutic... 

✔  These left over, sometimes imperfect, blocks have found their place in this odd, misfit of a quilt top.  

John 14:18... I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you came to mind one day.  All of us have a place and purpose in life and as we search for our new purpose , this quilt will remind me that we too will have a place... very soon!

I have just a few small slivers of space to fill in, but I am not far from having all of the orphans and a few scraps fully assembled and ready for a border.  

I filled a few of the gaps with the double flying geese (FPP) blocks.  I have printed them in a variety of sizes... 2", 3" and 4" wide.  And those bow tie blocks were pieced recently when I was trying to figure out patterns from the Pieces in the Garden row quilt. 

If you are a bit intimidated with the 4" bow block that I chose (shown above), this would be a great alternative.  It is an easy block with just six pieces:  2 blocks of the main fabric cut to 2-1/2" square and 2 blocks of background fabric, also 2-1/2" square.  You'll need two more 1-1/2" square of the main fabric.

Lay the smaller block on the background block (as shown in the center section of the photo at the right) and stitch on the center line, trim and press open.  

Easy, Peasy!

I had a question about the flying geese units in for the bow block... from an anonymous reader.  I would have happily answered via a private email, but since the reader prefers to be anonymous, here you go.

"having trouble figuring where the flying geese are placed.

can't tell from the picture provided... all pieces look to be half squares"

Well... that's because the photo shown above does not have any flying geese in them.  This was one of the first blocks I made and then modified the pattern... Good eye!

Here is a photo of the block made WITH flying geese units. :)  You can see that they are on all four sides of the block as well as two in the center of the block.  It offers the same look to the block with few seams/pieces.  

✔I have the pattern for row 2 ready for March 3rd and all 16 of my blocks pieced, and photographed... You'll have to come back to see which one it is. 

✔And I prepared the various step examples for the BOM event with the quilt shop in Raton, but it was postponed because of a scheduling conflict with the owner of the shop.  I'll be meet with the quilters on Wednesday.

So... what will I be working on for the coming week???

❧  I'll continue with the Orphan Block Quilt... I think I want to make it wider.  Probably some sort of scrappy border.  

But, I already have a plan for the quilting... The hanging star grid with lines 4" apart, machine quilted and then big-stitch hand quilting with variegated thread in between, making the quilting lines 2" apart.  The hand quilting part will be a road-trip activity for me when we head to the Gulf Coast in March. 

I am already dreaming of warmer temps, walks on the beach and the sound of surf... Ahhhhh!  We want to tour the Space Center in Houston, spend a few days in Galveston again and then head to Louisiana and maybe Alabama.  

Do you have any tips or suggestions for us?  

Places that are a MUST see, or places we could camp in our truck camper?

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

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

Mid-week Makers at Quilt Fabrication

Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter

Love Grows Here

 My September One Month Goal was to finish the wedding quilt for our niece Janna. 

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."  1 Corinthians 13:4-7

It takes the effort of both individuals to foster, nurture and grow a marriage with these attributes.  And I believe that Janna and Justin are just the perfect couple to do this.  

When I began considering a design for their quilt I chose a heart... the symbol of love.  Janna and Justin had dated for a period of time, had gone their separate ways but continued to see each other within their circle of friends.  Eventually they were a couple again... with a stronger relationship with the Lord and with each other.

One of my favorite memories of Janna is from when she was just a toddler.  It was in the summer of 1995 when we had been in Illinois to assist with the cleaning out of my mother-in-law's condo after her passing away a few month earlier.

We were outside and there were some flower pots along their driveway. Janna found a green caterpillar.  She was excitedly telling us about how she found this "geen worm".  We asked "what did you do with the geen worm?"  She replied in her little toddler voice "I pud id in da pants."  With wide eyes we responded with "you put in your pants?  Why did you put the worm in your pants?"  

She emphatically stated "not my pants... the pants!" pointing to a flower pot sitting on the edge of the driveway.  "Oh!  The plants!"    

She is now a beautiful young woman, a follower of Christ and a student of law... ready to become a loving wife.

The words of wisdom I offer is "Do not view the wedding ceremony as the finish line of the relationship.  It is the just the beginning!"  

I had my fair share of challenges as I tried to finish this gift, though I pressed on despite them.  This quilt has my blood, sweat, tears and prayers stitched into every square inch!  (Don't worry... the blood washed out!)  I forgot to switch thread colors, not just once, but twice!  But it didn't really matter in the end...  

I went in search of a flower garden for the photo shoot and am in love with what I got.  This particular shot captured the detail of the feathers as well as the vines and leaves...

What words of wisdom would you offer to a couple about to marry?

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

Stay Pieceful,

Melva

Linking with:

One Month Goal at Elm Street Quilts

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

Mid-week Makers at Quilt Fabrication

Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter

Stitch Sew & Show at Life in the Scrap Patch

Put Your Foot Down at For the Love of Geese

Needle & Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation

Favorite Finish at Meadow Mist Designs