Five Things Friday ~ #5

All kinds of things can rob us of our joy. Sometimes it’s our health, sometimes it’s our attitude, other times it’s a lack of sleep, or a feeling that we’re not appreciated and loved. Regardless of what situation we’re in, we have the ability to stop right where we are, give thanks to God, and find a reason to smile.

This week my allergies flared up and I wasn't feeling 100%, but I still smiled!  And here are the top 5 items that made me smile =D



1)  Home-made salsa - made with the fresh produce that we bought at the Farmer's Market.  It has been a number of years since we made salsa.  But, oh, the delicious smell as the tomatoes, chilies, onions and garlic all simmer together to develop the flavors. MMMM mmm mmm!

 

2)  My first attempt at fabric dyeing - though it is really tie-dye, the plan is to turn into a quilt top with a 24-inch peace appliqued on it.  The irony of this is that it is the same customer with whom I worked with a year ago on a different project and our ideas and designs for the finished project were so far apart the project was abandoned after I had spent two days working on it. It was from the first project that the block I submitted to Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, volume 14 came about.  And now we both at "At Peace" with this second project.

3)  The time spent together with Dave at the Farmer's Market last Saturday.  I just love hanging out with him and so appreciate the fact that he quickly and easily agreed to another day at the market just one week later.  He even made the call to make arrangements to borrow a small canopy for the event. Tomorrow is the Artocade Parade in Trinidad that will be bringing lots and lots of out-of-towners for the event - the perfect audience for my items.










4)  The leaves on our maple trees are just beginning to turn. I love the fall colors.  They are so vibrant and brilliant.  While I grew up in Colorado and have lived here for the bulk of my life, the fall season has always been a highlight of the year.  However, in the 9+ years of living in the Mid-west I learned to appreciate even more the brilliance of colors bursting.  Colorado has some beautiful yellows and golds, but there is just something about the bright reds and oranges that I missed.  Therefore, when we were considering what kind of trees to plant in the front yard I insisted that we have something that turned red in the fall!  I just love them...







5)  The Studio Tour linky party was so fun!  Thanks to everyone that participated.  If you haven't had an opportunity to see all the link-ups - there are 15 of them - be sure to check them out.  The link button has expired, but you can still participate by leaving a link to your Studio Tour in the comments. =D

Be sure to stop by Gypsy Moon Quilt Co. to see what others are smiling about.

Blessings,

Melva

Five Things Friday ~ #4

It is Friday!  And that means it is time for Five Things Friday... It's simple five things that made me smile...


#1) celebrating the marriage of this young couple in a tiny little Mountain town called Redstone.

#2) Enjoying our "souvenirs" from the weekend
















#3) This little giraffe... how can you not smile?  This a a Patchwork Pal pattern from Quiltmaker Magazine, May/June 2016

#4)  This little doll who is now one month old... 


and her big sister is rockin' the style!

#5)  When you are trying to decide what to have for dinner and discover that there is no kind of meat in the freezer and you really don't want to go to the store, you begin digging in the fridge for anything that will top a pizza... I found some sausage that was left over from a breakfast, some grilled chicken, a small amount of bell pepper and onion... and lots of cheese!  Yes, very worthy of a smile =D








So, there are my Five Things... What made you smile??? Have you stopped and really taken the time to savor the moments that do make you smile?  




Many thanks to Amanda for hosting "Five Things Friday" link up... head on over to Gypsy Moon Quilt Co. to see what she smiled about.














Have a great weekend!  And don't forget... Smile!

Melva

Stop in at Quilter Blogs to see what other quilters are talking about.

Studio Hop

Recently a picture of a sewing studio/space showed up in my facebook memories...

A brief "conversation" had taken place with a couple friends about the reality (or lack there of) of why it was not an "real" sewing space or staged by a non-sewer.  The chair was too short, the fan placement would never work there, etc.  

This got my mind going.  And then I thought, "How do other quilters have their studio or sewing space set up?"   "What works for them?"

I used to receive by a gifted subscription American Patchwork & Quilting. They would occasionally feature the studios of various quilters and share some of their storage and layout ideas.... I then came up with the idea that that I should add a tab to my my blog page so that others could see my "happy place".  

So THEN I thought...

Why not have a "linky" party?

And let others join in on the fun of sharing some of their unique storage ideas, design wall suggestions or personal favorites for whatever!

So Here we are!  The "linky" will be open Sunday, August 28th (6 a.m. Mountain Time) through September 3 (Midnight, Mountain Time).

Oh, and be sure to stop by for a tour of my Studio and make sure that you stop by everyone else's too.  Invite your friends to join in as well!  You know what they say, "The more the merrier."

Happy Hopping!

Melva

An InLinkz Link-up

Five Things Friday - #3

It is time for Five Things Friday!  An opportunity to look back over the week and share just five things that made me smile and feel joy and happiness!



A long bike ride with my guy! Actually, several this week... As a late anniversary gift to each other we purchased a couple bikes and helmets (safety first!) and have started enjoying the trails at Trinidad Lake














Giggles and wagon rides!

Patches of sunshine... And naps!

With the temperatures being a little cooler, there is no doubt that fall is just around the corner.  I have been taking advantage of the cooler weather and there is just nothing that beats the smell of fresh baked bread and cookies.... well, maybe the taste of fresh baked goodies. Mmm Mmm!









And finally, this block pattern - Gertie Goat - has been laying around on my cutting table for months and while I should have been working on items to sell at the Farmer's Market on September 3, I chose to work on this.  It reminds me of our friends with the Lazy J Goat Farm and the goat with a patchwork of colors marking her face that was named for me!














Life can get pretty busy... Life can get pretty crazy...  Life can get you down sometimes.  But I have found that in purposefully looking for the good things, those things that make you smile, you slow down a little and enjoy the moments. I challenge you... look for just five things - that's all, five things - that make you smile.  I'd be willing to bet that you will discover many more than five and find it difficult to narrow them down to the top five!  I'd love to hear what they are... just leave a comment below.  And then stop and visit Amanda at Gypsy Moon Quilt Co. to see what she smiled about. :)


Happy Weekend!

PS - Be sure to come back on Sunday.  I will be holding a "Linky Party" that offers others an opportunity to share photos of their Studio/Sewing Space.  You can see mine by clicking on the new tab at the top of my page or by going here. You can upload your links until September 3.  Be sure to join in on the fun!

Melva

Stop by Quilter Blogs to see what other quilters are doing.

Five Things Friday - #2

It is "Five Things Friday" again, which means that another week has passed by!  I cannot believe it is mid-August already and fall is just around the corner.

#1)  Getting a phone call at 8 a.m. and hearing from the other end "Hi Gamma!"

#2)  Taking the dog for a walk and swim at the park.

#3)  The e-mail announcing that I had a block accepted into Quiltmaker's 100 Block, volume 14 - I've Been Accepted!

#4)  My crockpot and the ability to have tasty, healthy meals without having to spend hours in the kitchen.

#5)  Need I say more???  A little piece of heaven...

So, what makes you happy?  Share in the comments below and head over to Gypsy Moon Quilt Co. to see what happy moments others had this week.

Happy Friday!

Melva

I've Been Accepted!

It isn't often that I have an original idea for a block that I want to submit for publication... but last year I had been asked to make a quilted wall hanging that was to be a gift for a wedding anniversary.

The customer had very specific ideas about how he wanted it to look, and in the end we agreed that our thoughts about the project were not meshing and the project was abandoned.  

He had wanted a cupid - or other symbol of enduring love - appliqued on the quilt...  I went to the drawing board!  It took several attempts to get just the right size, angle and colors.  But I did not quit...

I really wish I could give you a shot of the block, but that will have to wait until the Blog Hop in November.  But I will give you a sneak peek...

So be sure to visit again so that you can see the final block!

Happy Quilting!

Melva

Head over to Quilter Blogs to visit other quilters and see what they are doing!

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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