On Point - Getting It Right

Shelby,


Along with your memory quilt, the message your Mom & Dad want to sent to you is to remember that "Amazing People do amazing things!"

Below you will find my thoughts and ideas as I made your quilt.  Be blessed and be amazing! ~ Melva


I recently delivered a new t-shirt memory quilt for a young lady that will soon be headed off to discover the world on her own.  Now I have done many of these type of quilts, but this one came with the special request that the squares be placed on point...

At first I was intrigued and excited by the idea.  As soon as I started pulling shirts out to be cut I realized that the top point would end up flat... 

Below you can see (at the arrow) where the neck line falls...

and that there was just no way I could cut some of them on point and not lose a large part of the graphic on the shirt...

Like this one...

So I made the best out of the situation, accepted that the "top" of many of the on point squares would be supplemented with fabric and moved forward.

Figuring out the layout was a bit mind boggling for me... since typically the blocks are laid out in rows - across & down - but these needed to be in rows diagonally and my mind and eyes kept trying to "square" them up!  Perhaps it was just the end of the day... none the less, I needed to just pick them all up and call it a day.

Once I was happy with the arrangement (the next day)

I needed to figure out what size filler half-square triangle was needed to fill in...

My 12-1/2 inch ruler filled the space perfectly to I went to my cutting table and laid the square on point, determined how wide I needed to cut it so that I would not have a biased edge on the outside edge of the quilt.  

(I added and extra 1/2 inch to allow for error, and trimmed off the excess.)

I had three blocks extra that just didn't make it to the front.  So I pieced the back, showcasing these blocks in the center of the back.

The finished quilt... Front

Back...

and Label...

You may notice that the label has a QRC on it. It is from Story Patches. I am awaiting a special message to be written to Shelby from her parents... What sort of message would you want to be included with a memory quilt for a young person headed off to college for the first time?

Be blessed!

Melva

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Five Things Friday - #1

I am jumping onto the Five Things Friday bandwagon!  Amanda over at Gypsy Moon Quilt Co. had a great idea of sharing 5 "best moments" of the week... 

It is really pretty simple. Share five things (a list or pictures) that made you happy during the week... Even in the worst of weeks, there is always something to be thankful for and I can so appreciate the positive outlook on life!

This week's Five Things

1) Hearing stories from our oldest daughter of the things our two year-old grand-daughter is doing and saying - like she was talking on her toy phone and called "Kampa".  She said "Come here. You pick me up. Play, Shelby, pool!"

She had such a fun time a few weeks ago with us, obviously... and she wants to do it again!


2) Relaxing in the mornings for a few moments as I enjoyed a large cup of Chai tea.

3) Remembering the enjoyable time with my youngest daughter as I repaired a quilt that we made when she was 4 years old and a pre-school drop out.

 Using fabric crayons I drew and she colored one picture for each letter of the alphabet.  I then ironed them onto the fabric.  Our budget was extremely tight so this quilt was made with two sheets (second hand) and an extra blanket for the batting.  I had used an old bed ruffle instead of binding (the ruffle was short about 6 inches on one side - it was always on the wallside of the bed so it didn't show.)  I did a proper finish with binding this time! and since the quilt was originally made in 1995 it only seemed only right that the binding was "Lisa Frank Style" with brightly colored hearts. :)

4) Making a table-topper with hand-dyed (painted?) fabric from Africa, sent to me by one of my husband's customers while on a safari hunt.

5) Celebrating 31 years of living life as a married couple, facing the challenges we have faced as well as the many joyous occasions... basically living life together as a team!

So, what are your five things? Please share! I'd love to hear from you.

Blessings,

Melva

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Blog Hop Announcement

As a participant of the 2016 New Quilters Blog Hop group I was invited to participate in another Blog Hop hosted by Cloud9 Fabrics featuring their Cirrus Solids.

What exactly does this mean?  Well... it means that I agreed to design an original block and publish a tutorial on how to make the block here on my blog!  

No pressure or any thing... I mean I have "designed" numerous blocks, but for my own, personal use.  

And you may remember that this blog actually got "revamped" because a block design I submitted to Quilt Maker magazine had been accepted for publication in their "100 Blocks", volume 8.  However, they were the ones that "wrote" the pattern.  

I awaited the arrival of the fabric and was excited when I felt it!  However, my mind was blank as to what to do with it... for days!

And then over the weekend inspiration hit me!  Woohoo! But you will simply have to wait a few more weeks before I reveal what my block is and how to make it...

Y'all come back now, ya hear? Monday, September 12th is when I will publish the tutorial post.

Melva

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Cloud 9

As the New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop wrapped up we were invited to participate in another upcoming Blog Hop - 2016 Cloud 9 New Block Blog Hop

I had been awaiting the arrival of the fat-quarters... and also awaiting some divinely inspired original block to create from them.

Yesterday they arrived in our little mail box!  They are as luscious in texture as they are in color! 

Yet, I still have no inspiration... I hope it happens soon!  Because I have to have a block created and a tutorial of making the block ready to go by September 12th! 

In the meantime, I have been finishing the crayon wall hangings for the Grands...

Speaking of Grands... Our newest little grand-daughter arrived early Saturday morning!  We are on "Cloud 9" (get the pun? haha...)

And since Mom & Dad were a bit busy with little Maggie, Gamma & Kampa (not a mis-spelling) got to spend some very special time with Big Sister Emma! 

 It was time cherished by all!

Big Brother Tyshan was with his Mom but had a special time meeting and bonding baby sister (but we didn't get any pictures)... But I have to say, he was IN LOVE with Maggie!  This 7 year-old noticed the small dimples of her knuckles and the shape of her nose and ears and melted when Maggie held his finger and had a little smile.

Ok, enough gushing over the Grand-kids...  Back to being inspired...  As I finished Emma's wall hanging the Butterfly fabric I used for the backing inspired me... 

I'm not exactly sure what will transpire, but I do believe the Cloud 9 fabric will somehow become a butterfly... Stay tuned!

Where do you find inspiration?  What do you do to turn on your creativity?

May your day be blessed!

Melva

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I'm Baaaa-ack

It has been weeks since I last posted... what happened???

It seems that ever since May when I was updating Dave's website and then making improvements on this blog I have spend an atrocious amount of time on the computer and using technology.  A few weeks ago I had scrolled past several articles about the need for a "digital detox" and "internet fasting"...  I thought to myself "That sounds nice, but a bit unrealistic.  Our business relies upon technology for advertising, billing and... just about everything."

I felt like I was on technology overload... My mind was tired of trying to fix, trouble-shoot and improve...  And then I had to travel to an appointment on the other end of the state.  Not only did I have limited time to be on the computer, but I had limited wi-fi and cell service. I then forgot my cell phone in my car when I joined some friends for a girls night out at a concert as well as the charging cord for my tablet.

It seems as thought it was time for a digital detoxing!  Upon my return home I was wrapped up with catching up on laundry and house cleaning.

BUT, I am now back, all caught up and I have resumed my regular routine.  This also means I am back in my sewing room!  YAY!!!

As I was resuming my routine I did have some playtime in my studio... I had been working on some crayon blocks, planning to make a throw quilt with them...

Here are some mock-up layouts I was considering...

  

As they hung out on the design wall my mind kept going back to the original idea of a wall hanging using just one large block with a name on it... I asked my oldest daughter (who is expecting her second baby) what her thoughts were.  She was thrilled with the idea. 

I quickly modified one of the blocks to have less pink/purple and 

more blue for a boy...

And I am certain that my Sweet Tater will love hers in her 

new "Big Girl Room"...

  

And I think this will be the perfect addition to the nursery...

I am just itchin' to get back to these fun projects, but I have a t-shirt quilt that must be finished for a young lady about to fly from the nest of her parent's home and is ready to discover the world while at college.  I think it is wonderful that her Mom wants to send her off with some special memories of her young life and a reminder of how much she is loved.

What is it about quilts that you love the most?  

For me it is that fact that I am making something that evokes emotion, can comfort and embrace a loved one as well as help someone recall memories and create new ones.  Most of all I want my quilts to represent love!  Which is why my quilt labels always include "Blessed from above, Made with Love."

Be Blessed!

Melva

  

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To Quilt???? Or To Not Quilt????

I think most quilters have seen the t-shirts or mugs with the saying "To quilt? Or To NOT Quilt???? What a silly question!"  Because for quilters the most popular answer is "To Quilt!"  Without a doubt!

But this week I was truly faced with the question about whether or not to quilt a Crazy  Quilt...

It's a terrible pickle to be in!  My friend asked me to quilt the Crazy Quilt that came from her Mother-in-law.  

In researching vintage crazy quilts I learned that they are not typically quilted. They were tied... and no batting.  

 "These type of quilts were used as a coverlets to showcase the embroidery skills of the maker and to us up bits of the luxury fabrics that were perhaps traded with friends."

There are several interesting things I have discovered about this crazy quilt...

A name patch of some sort???  

Euls Ells Srs

Pierce City

When I did a quick search for Pierce City it came up with it being in Missouri.

Other interesting things I found in the Crazy Quilt patches...

  

Are these initials of individuals that created the blocks and did the embroidery?

Many of the satins and linens were very fragile.  Even prior to me spreading it out to work on there were some areas that the fabric had just  disintegrated and the muslin backing was the exposed.  This must have been the case for several areas of the quilt and someone spent a great deal of time making repairs...

You can see that the brown (polyester) patch below covered other satin-like fabric...

... and here you can see that this small, thin patch covers a hole... 

Likewise, below you can see that there was another repair...

When I asked about quilting it in a vintage quilting group many were strongly opposed to it and suggested holding to tradition and simply tie it. Yet others were okay with it and suggested a Baptist Fan pattern for it...  The "purists" also recommended that regardless of how I finished it, "it should not be used"...  when obviously it HAD been used by another...

Right, wrong or indifferent, I decided to fulfill my customer's request to quilt it. This decision was made mainly since she was not trying to preserve any authenticity of it or avoid losing any value of the quilt.

I did an all over grid with nylon thread so that it would not detract from the hand embroidery, yet stabilize the top.  

So, was I crazy to quilt a Crazy Quilt?  

Maybe so, but I know that my friend will fall in love with it and hopefully her son will be gentle with it, should he choose to use it.

To Quilt?  Or Not???  Silly question!

Happy Quilting!

Melva

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Go Ahead... Break the Rules!

Last week I was building up my inventory for the Farmer's Market.  Since it was the July 4th weekend and the City of Trinidad had lots of activities planned for the weekend I decided to create a few scrappy Patriotic items... 

This was a quick table runner that came together quickly.

One of the most popular items that spurred interest (both on at the market and on social media) was this square table topper. 

It was being shared and commented on by friends and friends of friends.  It was really the closest thing I have had to something going viral.  LOL!

I first created the center by creating a "wonky" star and appliqueing it to and 8-1/2" square, added the border and then I started my log cabin blocks.

I started with four center squares of two different fabrics for the log cabins and then I grabbed my scrap bin and started pulling strips that were long enough to build the log cabins.  Width didn't matter... which was nice!  And it didn't matter if it was 2" on one end and only 1-5/8" on the other end... It is what adds to its character and charm. 

In the "proper" quilting world where precision cutting and sewing seams are so important, sometimes it is nice to throw all rules out the window!  I just kept making the log cabin rounds until the squares reached 12-1/2"+ squares so that they could be trimmed down to the appropriate size.

Now, in life, I am not one who is comfortable bending or breaking the rules... My parents just didn't raise me that way!  But in quilting every once in a while when you bend or break the rules you end up with something quite spectacular!  So go ahead, break the rules!

What quilting "rules" have you broken?  Were you happily surprised at the outcome?

 

Happy Independence Day!
Melva

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