Sew & Tell Anniversary Celebration & Give Away~ 7/31/2023

The anniversary of hosting the Monday Morning Sew & Tell party slipped by recently, but I am ready to celebrate with a giveaway!

I have eight nine mini quilts that are ready to be loved, appreciated and used in whatever manner you see fit.  They are a handy size for a mug rug, but I'm certain that each one of you could find a great and unique use for one. Leave a comment letting me know which one you would prefer to have.  I'll do a random drawing and if you are lucky, you'll get the one you desire.

I also have three of the portable sewing tables that I'll include in the anniversary celebration.  Thanks to some loyalty rewards, I'm able to ship via USPS flat-rate at no cost to me.  Sadly, though, only US addresses are accepted.  One tray is all outfitted with the cutting mat and magnetic sheets (shown here), the other two are still naked.  Let me know if you want one of these.  Most likely, because there will be extra room in the box, I'll include a bag of scraps from my scrap bin.

For both give aways, please make sure you leave an email address if you are not logged in to comment.  If I have no way of contacting you, I cannot notify you if chosen as a winner.

How's that for celebrating???  

On to the rest of my Sew & Tell for the week...

1)  What's black & white & red all over?  Using scraps from the black and white t-shirt quilt, I created a new mini quilt for the challenge... 

Quilted with red thread, that gives a little pop.  I staged it with fabric I am using for the backing and binding of the off-white/cream t-shirt (quilt #2/3) for my customer, which is a print that features old fashioned newsprint.  Thus, my question above. 😂

Actually, as, I have reflected on my choice of the red thread, I see it as a choice that is tied to my Bible readings of recent.  

I have been in the book of Isaiah lately and the prophesy Scriptures of Jesus as the Messiah have stood out to me... "why are your robes so red, your clothes dyed red like those who tread grapes?" (Isaiah 63)... 

Many years ago I heard a message about how there is a golden thread and a scarlet thread woven into the Bible. The golden thread points to God and the scarlet points to Jesus... 

So, what is black & white with red all through it???  The Holy Bible.  It offers instructions for life.  It is very black and white... no grey areas there... and the scarlet thread writings throughout the Old Testament that points to Jesus, and the red-letter writings (Jesus' words) of the New Testament.

2) Our granddaughters have birthdays to celebrate so I decided I could not wait for a craft day with them to try out the reverse tie-dye.

I looked back at the pictures so that I could try the same styles that they had chosen.

I'm still not fully satisfied with the results of the pieces for the grands... I'll be giving them another try.  I had them too densely folded for the bleach formula to saturate into the deep crevices.  I will saturate the fabric with water before applying the bleach formula.  I think that them being wet will allow the "dying process" to soak in with more prominent results.

The navy fabric was bunched up and sprayed with the "dye".  I am pleased with the results!  Now I need to decide what I'll be using it for. 

3) The off-white/cream quilt is under the needle!

I have strained a muscle in my back somehow so, sadly, sitting for extended periods of time to get it fully quilted was not possible. 

We are headed out for a little adventure with Shelby and her camper this week and whether quilted or not, it will still be here when we return later in the week.

Maybe I'll be sharing a Friday finish!

This week's feature is Alycia, the Quilty Girl.  She shared a finish from the Dakota Inspired Mystery Quilt.  Alyicia has a new mystery quilt starting soon.  You can catch all of the details on her blog.

If you've made it this far in reading, now is the time to link up your most recent project and then leave a comment about your choice of the mini quilt and portable sewing table.  Have a great week!

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework

Sunday Stash at QuiltPaintCreate

Slow Stitching Sunday at Kathy’s Quilts

Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

Monday Musings at Songbird Designs

Craftastic Monday at Sew Can Do

To Do Tuesday at Quilt Schmilt

Mid-week Makers at Quilt Fabrication

Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter

Put Your Foot Down at For the Love of Geese 

Needle & Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation

Free-Motion Mavericks at Quilting & Learning

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Creativity Beyond the Studio

It has felt like I have lacked creativity in life.  Oh, sure, I've been cranking out a mini-quilt each week and I am loving the variety of colors, techniques and textures that have resulted.  But I've been unmotivated to have creative ideas in the kitchen/cooking area.  I did not prep the freezer to crockpot meals as I have in the past... our freezer has not had ample space for me to do 30 or so meals.  I could have done a smaller amount but instead, opted for one or two at a time as I found great deals on the proteins included in some of them.

The good that has come from this situation is that I have been able to figure out some uses for our "instapot".  I like that the liner of it is stainless steel and I can place frozen meat in there without concern that the liner will crack from it.  I am able to use the sauté setting to brown chicken breasts or thighs or even cook ground beef with onions and garlic and then choose a different setting such as a custom pressure cook, or slow cook (or a combo of them) and walk away.

I have been pleased with the shredded barbeque chicken, chicken and rice pilaf and am getting ready to try out a version of fajitas with a skirt steak as well as Italian shredded beef.  It's only taken me 2 years... The use of the Pampered Chef quick/slow cooker has kept our kitchen (and the rest of the house) much cooler.  You may remember that in the past I would place our crockpot in our laundry room (with door shut) as our "summer kitchen".  

The spaghetti that I tried out recently passed the taste test.  Though I would probably cook the marinara sauce on the slow cooker setting for 2 hours and then add the pasta and extra water for the 8 minutes of pressure cooking.  Here's the recipe I (basically) followed: I used one 15 oz. can diced tomatoes and one 15 oz. can sauce, no chicken broth and 1-1/2 cups water when I added the pasta.  I also browned Italian seasoned ground turkey, onion & garlic, but meatballs could be added too.

Spaghetti & Sauce

2 tbsp (10 mL) olive oil

6   garlic cloves, pressed

1 tsp (5 mL) Italian seasoning

½ tsp (2 mL) red pepper flakes (optional)

4 cups (1 L) chicken broth

1 can (28 oz./794 mL) crushed tomatoes, undrained

1 large carrot, peeled and grated

¼ tsp (1 mL) salt

1 lb. (450 g) spaghetti noodles, broken into thirds

½ cup (125 mL) water

After browning the meat and adding the rest of the ingredients, I pressure cooked it for 15 minutes to really infuse the flavors throughout.  I added 1-1/2 cups water and the pasta and pressure cooked it for 8 minutes. 

Fewer dishes, less mess, less cooking time and heat that is generated during the process... it is all a win-win!

My daughter gave the reverse tie-dye a try and had great results with chlorine bleach.  I've been itching to give it a try!  Instead, I exercised a few creative muscles by turning this small wooden tray with dividers into a small travel sewing table.  

This tray had some magnetic puzzles in them, and they were pulled for packing in Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes.  The trays were too good to toss... they are actually made of wood!

I cut down an old cutting mat to fit in one of the spaces.  I also recycled some magnetic advertising sheets by cutting them down to fit into a few compartments to hold needles, pins, scissors, or anything else that you might need.  I have three of the wooden trays... if you are interested in having one (in the raw, no cutting mat or magnets), let me know.  I'd be happy to share... I'll even throw in a few fabric scraps. 😍 Leave a comment or send me an email if you want one (US mailing addresses only).

I've got memory quilt #2/3 on the design wall and ready for sashing strips and borders.  This one is being done in off-white and cream fabrics.  The backing will be an old-fashioned newsprint fabric.  

If all goes well, If no other distractions come up, I'll be quilting this over the weekend and have another finish to share with you at the Monday morning Sew & Tell party.

How have you exercised your creative muscles lately?

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

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:

Put Your Foot Down at For the Love of Geese 

Free-Motion Mavericks 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

Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts

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Mini Quilt #30/52 ~ Summer Fun Kawandi

With the dog-days of summer upon us, people across the northern hemisphere are seeking relief from the high temperatures.

What exactly are the dog days of summer?  The “Dog Days” of summer last from July 3 to August 11. In ancient Greece and Rome, the Dog Days were believed to be a time of drought, bad luck, and unrest, when dogs and men alike would be driven mad by the extreme heat! Today, the phrase doesn’t conjure up such bad imagery. Instead, the Dog Days are associated purely with the time of summer’s peak temperatures and humidity.

This week's mini quilt challenge found me pulling a small assortment of teals to give Kawandi quilting a try. After reading skimming a few articles that were the result of an on-line search, I learned that Kawandi quilting has a specific technique where you start the quilt at one corner of the sari; then, the fabric patches are worked towards the center with running or back stitches in a spiral manner.  New patches are laid on top as needed, with edges turned under.  (I skipped the turned edges part.)

Kawandi quilting is a traditional craft in western India, brought to that region via African slaves. 

Using fusible batting for this little project was ideal since the fabric didn't require pinning to hold it in place...  That is until I reached the center.

I finished the mini with the backing folded over (raw edge again) and stitched down.

The colors and texture, especially the back of it) remind me of a swimming pool and takes me back to my childhood of spending days at the pool.  I would have morning swim lessons and then I'd be there again in the afternoons with friends as we splashed and played, keeping cool during the dog days of summer.

Those thoughts of the pool bring back vivid memories that involve all of my senses.  The cool temperature of water and the warmth of the sun and concrete as we giggled during the rest periods that took place every hour for 10 minutes.  The texture of wrinkly fingertips from being in the water for such a long period of time.  The smell of chlorine mixed with the smell of dill pickles that came from the pickle plant that was located across the highway. Weird, I know... but I am not alone in recalling that odd scent.  If you grew up in LaJunta, CO, you just know... LOL!  The look of the bronze Coppertone tanned skin of the lifeguards and the sun-bleached hair of the fair-haired people that spent hours at the pool.  And I cannot skip over the taste of a twist cone from Reid's Drive-in or a float from the A&W Root Beer stand that was across the street from the pool to hold me over until dinner time.  So many memories!

What are some of your favorite summer-time memories?

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

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:

Monday Musings at Songbird Designs

Craftastic Monday at Sew Can Do

Free-Motion Mavericks at Quilting & Learning

Thankful Thursday at Brian's Home

Mid-week Makers at Quilt Fabrication

Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter

Needle & Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation

Little Things Thursday at Good Random Fun

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Sew & Tell ~ Black & White Finish

Hip-hip-hooray!  The Black & White t-shirt quilt is finished.  It is the first of three for a customer.  My impatience paid off for refusing to wait for the fusible interfacing (which finally arrived on Saturday).  This finish is going to be the focus of this week's Sew & Tell.

She finished at 60" x 80", utilized a variety of black/white fabrics as sashing strips and borders, and was quilted with grey thread with an elongated crosshatch layout spaced at 4" intervals.

A few of my favorite blocks are the ones that include pockets ~ one on the front and back each... and the "Cheers" blocks.  Dave and I watched Cheers when it was on prime tv and then again in syndication, and most recently we streamed it on Netflix until it was no longer available.  

"Friends" will always be our favorite, but, I digress...

As I was marking lines for quilting, I wondered about the recommendation given on the package stating "quilt up to 4" apart...

My elongated crosshatch measures 6-1/4" in length and 4-3/4" wide, while the parallel lines are 4" apart.  I'm not worried about it much, but just curious...  

I understand that the quilting is to hold the batting in place, and that it keeps the batting from sagging with time and use.

Have you ever had a problem with batting because the quilting was not dense enough?

Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment... I'd love to hear from you!

This week's Sew & Tell feature is Gretchen at Gretchen's Little Corner.  She is approaching the last of the hand quilting of her Lady Jane Quilt... and it is beautiful!  Here's a closeup, but if you want to see more, hop over to her blog by following the link above.

Time to join the party!  Since the anniversary of Sew & Tell came and went somewhat unnoticed, I feel that it deserves some celebrating.

Next week, I'll be giving away my collection of mini-quilts ~ I currently have 8 of them.  So that means there will be 8 winners! Be sure to come back for your chance to win from a random drawing. 😊

Keep Piecing!

Melva

Linking with:

Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

Monday Musings at Songbird Designs

Craftastic Monday at Sew Can Do

Mid-week Makers at Quilt Fabrication

Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter

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Basket Weave Mini Quilt

This week's mini quilt challenge, #28/52, utilizes leftover, narrow scraps from my friend, Pat. 

Leaving the raw edges, they are woven together (reflecting the fabric on the back of it) and quilted into place.  

I then added a small touch of embroidery to enhance each square.

Summer temps finally arrived last week and the AC window units have been installed.  I dislike the constant sound of them and additional fans to move the the cooler air around.  But, on the other hand, I am not melting into a puddle of mush and feeling unmotivated to work in the studio.

I am very motivated... so motivated that I refuse to wait for the delivery of the interfacing that tracking info indicates will be delivered by the 21st.  That is still days away... 

That said, I am making it a goal to have a sandwiched quilt ready to go under the needle by Friday when the interfacing is due to arrive. 

I guess that shows a bit of my impatience... I think I have grown in the patience area over the years.  Maybe it is just that our children grew up and flew the nest so my patience isn't tested at the level that it used to be.  LOL!  Or, maybe it is true that I have become more tolerant and patient.  

I have heard many times, "never pray for patience... you'll be given plenty of opportunities to practice it!"

Patience was required as we awaited the results of the reverse tie-dying activity at our family camp weekend.  

Turns out we didn't have chlorine bleach... we had a splash guard clorox that had no chlorine.  So sad... we will try again in a few weeks when we get together for a special craft day with the grands.

There were card games and clue games that took place, a water fight, coloring, scavenger hunts, archery and pellet gun shooting... walks, fort building, food prep and eating, snacks, s'mores and doughboys, fire building lessons and campfires as we enjoyed the sunsets.  Memories made for all four generations of Nolan Family Camp weekend. 

Is patience something that comes naturally to you?  

Leave a comment... I'd love to hear from you about how you handle situations that require patience. 

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:

To Do Tuesday at Quilt Schmilt

Mid-week Makers at Quilt Fabrication

Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter

Put Your Foot Down at For the Love of Geese 

Needle & Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation

Free-Motion Mavericks at Quilting & Learning

Little Things Thursday at Good Random Fun

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

Slow Stitching Sunday at Kathy’s Quilts

Scrap Happy Saturday at Super Scrappy

Patchwork & Quilts at The Quilting Patch

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Sew & Tell ~ July 17, 2023

Last week I suddenly realized that I have been hosting the weekly Sew & Tell party for more than a year!  It's been great fun and extend my deepest gratitude for each one of you that have joined the party and invited to come along.

Also last week I was about to go stir-crazy while in a holding pattern of waiting for fusible interfacing... I should be able to move forward with my customer's quilts very soon!

In the meantime, I entertained myself as I worked to make a quilt from the collection of crazy quilt blocks that came with 8 other tops from a customer earlier this year.  

Here she is all wild and crazy in the wild!

Family Camp was a blast... Pictures will be shared soon.  

This week's feature is Jocelyn at Canadian Needle Nana with her Solidarity Sampler... 

Your turn... share your projects. :)

Keep Piecing!

Melva

Linking with:

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework

Sunday Stash at QuiltPaintCreate

Slow Stitching Sunday at Kathy’s Quilts

Off The Wall Friday with Nina Marie

Brag About Your Beauties at From Bolt to Beauty

Friday Foto Fun at Powered by Quilting

Scrap Happy Saturday at Super Scrappy

Patchwork & Quilts at The Quilting Patch

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Wild & Crazy Quilt Finish

Last week, you may remember, I was in a holding pattern as I waited for fusible interfacing to arrive so that I could move forward with my customer's t-shirt quilt... The "Ask Me Anything" episode was fun.  To those that asked questions, thank you!  

I am still in that same holding pattern but grew bored with all of the other small things I filled my time with (household chores)... and it has finally reached the point of summer that we HAD to install the window AC unit in the living room... which means it was too hot for any kind of cooking or baking...

For my own sanity, I needed something to sew.  I dug out the box of assorted quilt blocks that came from my customer earlier this year (recall the 8 quilts, including the fancy ribbon & lace quilt?).  I had played with a layout several months ago, so it was a quick task to sort them into the rows and join them together.  Once I located a piece for the backing, I press-fused and pin basted the sandwich and started quilting.

I used a hanging diamond pattern, with 1-1/2" spacing and plan to hand sew the binding this weekend.  

We are headed to my uncle's property for a long weekend of "cabin camping" with our girls and grands.  Dave and I will be in our camper, along with our youngest daughter, while our oldest daughter with 4 children will occupy the cabin.

Lots of camp-like activities are in the plans.  In previous years, the kids enjoyed  tie-dye projects.  This year, Rebecca will be leading us all in reverse tie-dye.  I have purchased some solid fabrics for them to dye... one 3 yard cut I want to use in a quilting project, maybe as a backing, but maybe as a whole cloth.

The 1-yard cuts are for the kiddos... The two older girls have birthdays coming up very soon, and I will make something for them with the fabric they dye.   Maybe some summer dresses, or maybe pillowcases.  I'm not sure.

I am open to suggestions... Leave a comment telling me how you would choose to use the fabric.  I'd love to hear from you!

I have got to run to get the binding on the Wild & Crazy quilt.

Keep Piecing!

Melva

Linking with:

Needle & Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation