Five Things Friday ~ #12 ~ And A Give Away!

Sometimes we need to be reminded to find things to be happy about... it could be an unexpected phone call or text from a friend, or the reminder (from someone whose life ends suddenly and unexpected) that life is short and we need to be sure that those we love know it.  

So this week I stand reminded, again, that we need to enjoy life and look for the happy moments... even in the rough times.

Last weekend I had the opportunity to seek refuge with a small group of very close friends.  We enjoyed time fellow-shipping, enjoying some yummy appetizers and a holiday brunch as well as small gift exchange.  I was blessed to receive this original painting.  It found its home in my sewing room in the perfect space... the wall at the end of my sewing table, right next to my design wall.  

"After another long day at work... THIS is my happy.  I would not trade snuggle time with my Littles for anything in the world.  My heart is full." ~ Heather

I so enjoy watching my daughter in the role of Mommy... It makes my heart smile 
















II have been blessed abundantly by the many comments (more than 120 at last count) and visitors on my To Have and To Hold post.  There is still time to visit and leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Quiltmaker's Volume 14-100 Blocks.  















I had fun whipping up this quick wall hanging... I went with a pop of color and was amazed at how different is was from the first one that I made.  (click on the link in the previous sentence to see the original)

















This was the first week in nearly a month that I have had the opportunity to spend large blocks of time in my sewing room and that always brings a smile to me.  I have been working on this fun quilt for my cousin and his wife.  I searched and searched for a pattern but was unable to find an original source so I started doing some math and jumped in.

Bonus smile that I want to pass on to you...

  
I recently received a tote of fabric and patterns from somebody... who doesn't smile at this???  However, I really don't have a need for all of these patterns, though, so I thought why not pass the blessings on...  If you are interested, follow my blog, and send me a postage paid envelope (a flat-rate envelope with postage paid is $6.45) and I will happily send you 25 patterns (for your own personal use) contact me at davemelvanolan@aol.com and I will give you my mailing address. These would be perfect for someone just getting into quilting.

So Have you received an unexpected blessing recently?  Have you shared with others so that others can smile?

Happy Friday!

Melva

Be sure to head over to see what Amanda and others are smiling about... You can find Amanda at Gypsy Moon Quilts.

Head over to QuilterBlogs to see what other quilters are talking about.

To Have & To Hold

Hi!  And welcome to Melva Loves Scraps!  Thank you so much for stopping by and being part of the Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 15 Blog Hop.  I hope that you will take the time to look around my blog and get to know me.  I also hope that you will become a "follower".  You can sign up to receive notifications via e-mail of my posts or, if you are a bloglovin' fan, you can easily find me there as well - there is a button in the right side of the page.

And, in case you didn't know it... there are prizes to be won!  For a chance to win a copy of 100 Blocks, Volume #14, simply leave a comment about how you would use the block... Would you change the color of the rings?  Use the block in a sampler quilt?  Or perhaps a label? Or even a ring bearer's pillow?  Let me know!  

Now, believe it or not, "To Have and To Hold" is a product of a project gone bad.  A customer had asked for a quilted wall hanging and drew me a sketch of his vision... We had agreed upon wedding rings as they were a symbol of eternal love, rather than the cupid.  The entire story really is not important here, but in the end the customer and I agreed that his vision and my creative style were not meshing and the project was abandoned.  

I "auditioned" several different fabric choices for the rings and the diamond before finding what my mind's eye wanted.

Here they are... 

  

I felt that this one was too neon-like... 

This one was too bronze-like...

This was my very favorite.  It reminded me of a ring with the engraving on it.  Sadly, I appliqued it onto fabric that was far too thin (as a practice) and  it didn't look right... Ugh!   AND even more sad, there was not enough of this fabric remaining for another block... Back into the stash! I Liked the look of this one so much that I considered using some  bridal runner fabric that I use as interfacing that has a similar filigree engraving look, but in the end changed my mind... 

As you can see, I went ahead and used the button-hole stitch to outline the rings and used a zig-zag to mark the diamond cuts to help determine how much more detail was needed. (The diamond looks a little wonky on this one...)

I was finally pleased with my fabric choice (rings, diamond and background) and the amount of stitching that was needed... 

All that was needed then was a border!

Since the original project was abandoned, I have not had the opportunity to use this block in a quilt... yet.  But our youngest daughter's wedding is in April and I have plans to use this block as part of the label for their wedding quilt.  Though I will likely be auditioning fabric again as they are having silver rings, not gold.  Back to the stash!

So tell me what your thoughts are... 

(remember you have a chance to win a copy of Volume #14) Have you thought about it?  How would you use "To Have and To Hold"?  It could be fun as a 40th anniversary gift with a ruby stone instead of a diamond... 

Melva

Five Things Friday ~ #11

Some weeks don't go as planned... heck, some days don't go as planned!  This was one of those weeks filled with days that took an errant turn.  Yet, time and life continued on.  


#1) I was blessed to be able to spend a wonderful weekend with my Grand-daughters while their parents enjoyed a weekend away.  Though I must admit that the time with the girls would not have been possible without the help of my youngest daughter.  You see, Dave was out of town and I was not brave enough to  care for the two of them alone... though a friend pointed out and reminded me that I "used to do it all the time"... my response?  "I am out of practice and smarter now!" Haha!

Rebecca and tag-teamed the demands of these two quite well and we enjoyed the Mother-Daughter time together as well.

R

#2)  Is this not the most precious picture??? That look... melts my heart EVERY TIME.  Maggie Kay is now three months old... **sigh**

















#3) I enjoyed time back in my sewing room and finished the "Psalm 23" wall hanging... It was so peaceful and calming... (you can read about the details of this project at the above link)



And then we received the news that a very dear friend's health was declining quickly (after a short illness that had been progressing, but was expected to turn around) and that he had been removed from dialysis and a ventilator would be removed the following day.  We quickly rushed to his wife's side to offer support and to say good bye to Dave.  






#4) As we recall our memories of 16+ years of friendship we can't help but smile...

He was a quiet guy... (unlike my husband - also in this picture) but his smile spoke volumes.  He knew how to have a good time, he had a compassionate heart and loved his God and his family.  We were blessed by his friendship... and we will miss him very much.

#5)  A special thank you gift arrived!  How exciting to see my block in the calendar... for the month of June, of course, because that is one of the more popular months for weddings.  I'll be part of the blog hop in a few weeks.  Watch for the post about my block "To Have and To Hold" on November 15 =D

Some weeks don't go as planned...   But even when the events of the week are unexpected or unwanted you can always lift your face to the sky and know that somehow God can make you smile... It is all about an attitude of gratitude.

Be Blessed,

Melva

Head over to Gypsy Moon Quilt Co. and see what has her smiling =D

The Lord is My Shepherd

In my recent acquisition of fabric I found several pre-printed panels  that featured the 23rd Psalm and a beautiful waterfall scene.  A total of six! As well as a matching pillow...

I was excited on Friday to pull one out and begin the sandwiching process... until I noticed that the scene was not printed straight.  

After a quick assessment, I decided that the easiest fix was to cut the border off, square up the center and do my best to get the border sewn back on as straight and square as possible without taking too much away from the stained glass look.

I feel as though I was successful, with the exception of the "sway" in the corners.

But once it was quilted and binding was done, it was not noticeable.

This one will hang in our church.   

Here is a close up of some of the detailed quilting that I did...

Would you have done something differently?  I have five more panels... and I am always open to other ideas and suggestions for fixing a problem.  Please share... 

Blessings,

Melva

See what other quilters are doing at Quilter Blogs

Five Things Friday

It has been very busy the last few weeks and something just had to be skipped on the "To Do" list and the Five-Things-Friday posts with Amanda over at Gypsy Moon Quilt Co. are the things that didn't get done. While I didn't share the snapshots of things that made me smile, I was taking note and offering some words of thanks for each one.

So here's a quick look at some of the items this week that brought me the most joy...

I love my chai tea and when Solar Roast in Pueblo, CO had a sale I quickly got my order in! 

I had the help and support of Dave as we emptied the guest room closet of the games and craft stuff left from when the girls still lived at home and made room for the large collection of fabric that my friend recently passed on to me.  I have one more cabinet to go through and then all of my fabric will be in one place!  Woo hoo!

I had the blessing of spending an entire weekend with some special ladies as we served our Lord... this is just one picture of some "down time" between the busy times of getting things in place and completing our assigned tasks.

After four busy days of walking more than 62,000 steps I was welcomed home by our little gal, Shelby... who, obviously did not sleep well while I was gone.  She wanted to be by my side as I got caught up on laundry and other chores but just could not keep her eyes open any longer. 

I haven't had much time in my sewing room this week but I did sneak in there to make up these cute little tea cup pin cushions that will be part of my inventory for next years Farmer's Market days.  The cups and saucers were part of the every-day dishes that my Grandparents had.  I had made several for my mom and for the girls a few years ago for Christmas... It was during the purging of items and moving items from the closet to the basement that I decided it was time to part with the remainder of the set, but kept these final items.  Somethings are just hard to let go of... but I still have the memories 

Be sure you head over to see what brought Amanda (and others) some smiles...

Happy Friday!

Melva

Head over to Quilter Blogs to see what other quilters are blogging about...

Majestic Mountains

When asked to make a quilt for Jeanne Graber, Lay Director of the Emmaus of the Rockies Walk #168 I envisioned Mountains... She lives in the Greenhorn Valley of Colorado and is a lover of the outdoors - riding her bike, hiking or any other outdoor activity.  

I had considered trying to design my own block or scene or using the Delectable Mountains block.  But when I found the pattern for Majestic Mountains, by Amy Ellis at Amy's Creative Side, I knew that I could quit looking.  And, considering that the Walk is being held in the mountains of Colorado... in the fall... I chose to have a fall setting in the meadow.

As I worked on this quilt the scripture that kept coming to my mind was 

I lift my eyes to the hills -- where does my help come from?  
My help comes from the Lord, Maker of heaven and earth.

~ Psalm 121:1-2 ~

Life is full of ups and downs... times in the valley and mountain top experiences.  It is just a part of life.  And we all know that it is the time in the valley where most of our spiritual growth occurs.  We also understand that we are "easy targets" when on the top of the mountain.  I know that it has been and will continue to be the prayer of many that the ladies that attend Walk 168 walk ever closer with the Lord... whether in the valley times or atop a mountain.

What a blessing it has been to serve our Lord with you, Jeanne!

DeColores!

Melva

Restoration? Recovery? Salvage? Repair... Yes, Repair!

How would you define the work that this quilt needs?

A restoration? That would indicate that something old will look brand new again. A recovery?  That, to me, means that something was lost. A salvage job?  That brings to my mind a sense of "re-purposing".  A repair?  Yes, a repair - to fix that which is broken or mangled and return to a usable state.   

I would consider this quilt in DIRE need of repair... 

This quilt was delivered to me in desperate need of help...  Its 12 inch blocks were tied in the center as well as ties in the sashing strips - making the ties 6-7 inches apart, allowing it to easily be pulled apart. The "batting was a blanket... actually two blankets joined to make it long enough... I can truly appreciate the thrifty-ness of the quilt maker... I used an old blanket on the ABC Crayon Quilt that I made with my daughter years ago.

This quilt was well loved for 30+ years and the owner was not willing to put it on a closet shelf, allow it to become a "pet blanket" or toss it.  I believe it was made by his Grandma. And I can understand his desire to have it fixed and I understand it.

As I looked at it I knew immediately that it needed some quilting to stabilize it and prevent further damage.  I started with the sashing strips... One of them had a tear nearly the entire width of the quilt. (You can see this in the first picture, between the 2nd & 3rd rows)  

I simply did a wavy stitch to hold down each side of the tear and then did a straight stitch just outside of the waves to secure the fabric.  I repeated the decorative waves on all of the sashings to make all of the strips match.

I then moved onto the stars.  

I used the waves to outline the stars since some of the seams had pulled apart. This secured the seams, preventing further tears.  I started with the blocks that needed the least "help" and progressed to the others that were in dire need of repair.

The final block to receive help was this one...

The printed fabric was cotton and completely worn through... I placed the quilt on my table and made sure it laid flat.  I then traced the star point and made a template.  I dove into my stash in search of some 1980's calicos and found the perfect mate for the block!

After making sure the template was somewhat symmetrical, I proceeded to cut fabric to the proper size and pressed in the edges 1/4". 

 I pinned the points into place I hand-stitched the points over the worn points...

It all took a little patience, but it was soooooo worth it.  

I finished up with making sure the missing ties were replaced... the owner of this quilt was thrilled with the fix and ready to snuggle into bed wrapped with his Grandmother's love.

Lesson for the day?  Even when you think something is beyond repair, there is always a way to restore it... and most of the time it takes lots of patience.

Something that I noticed as I repaired this quilt was that the cotton fabrics were more worn and in worse shape than the poly-cotton blends. So, this begs the question... why do quilters prefer the cotton fabrics over the blended fabrics if the blended fabrics have a longer life?  

I realize that tradition probably plays a large part in it, as poly-cotton blends did not exist until 50's or 60's (I am far from an expert here, but taking an educated guess, based on clothing styles, etc.).

Do you have a preference for cotton?  

Do you steer clear of poly-cotton blends?  

I would love to hear from you!  Would you have tried to "save" this quilt? What approach would you have taken?  Something similar, or some other plan?  

Happy Quilting!

Melva

Watch for details about the upcoming Quiltmakers 100 Blocks Volume #14 Blog Hop!