And a very lovely afternoon to you, sweet friends. How are you doing on this fine sunny Friday? Are you gearing up for a fun filled weekend? I sure hope so. Me? Well, I am sure I can find something to get into. I will probably be out and about with Mr. Pinker , but one thing is for sure - whether I go out adventuring with Mr. Pinker or not, I will have a stitching project in hand to work on today. 😀🛻
Dear Melva at Melva Loves Scraps recently found out that she was in the top 100 quilting- blogs! Wow! What an honor and so well deserved. Congratulations , sweet friend. In order to recognize other bloggers, Melva began the "Outstanding Blogger for 2025" challenge. You can click on Melva's link to read more about that. I was so touched that she nominated little ole' me.
Melva asked five different questions for me to stew over in respect to my quilting history. So here we go....
MELVA: " Have you ever had any major quilting / sewing success that you would like to share?
No, not really. One year my quilting guild participated in the American Quilting Society's guild challenge and was accepted- that was an honor indeed for the whole group. Our theme was based on influential and distinctive American women. I created an art quilt called "Harriet Tubman Follow the Drinking Gourd" . I was touched when it was awarded 1st place in our guild challenge . 
This quilt is made up of various types of fabrics, strings, strips, stars, trinkets , buttons and gourd seeds. The stars even glow in the dark for the "Follow the Drinking Gourd" theme. ⭐⭐⭐ Harriet's story is amazing.
MELVA: " Are / were you influenced by family members to get into quilting and have you passed on the love of quilting to the next generation?
Many of you may remember that my Great Grandma Annie was a quilter. I have showed you one of her quilts in several posts. Unfortunately, I never knew my Great Grandma. I know that she was very thrifty . With 6 children, you had to be.
My Nanny was a doll maker. I spent many hours in her sewing room ooohing and aaahing over the dolls she made. She sold them at craft shows back in the day . Her Raggedy Anns were the best!
But I did not learn to sew from my Nanny. Nope not one little stitch! I taught myself when my oldest daughter was born.
My first quilts were small baby quilts. I cannot find the first one, it is somewhere deep in the depths of the quilt armoires . I began quilting because I wanted to make quilts for my daughter and tell her story. In my younger days, I was really into folk art quilts. When I was in college, I had a strong desire to study art, but alas that did not happen. 
When my girls were growing up, they always attended the quilt guild meetings with me. I tried to get them to sew, but they both had other interests. They are just as passionate about their hobbies as I am mine . Though they did not pick up the needle and thread , I am thrilled that they each have a passion that brings them joy. ❤❤❤MELVA: How do you learn best?
I am wild and woolly gal and just learn by doing. That may make for loads of mistakes, but I am ok with that.
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| A small art quilt called "The Purse". |
Making folk art quilts in my younger days gave me the freedom and abandon to do whatever made my heart leap!
Nowadays I prefer traditional designs.
Often I prefer to look at photos and then read the directions. If I still cannot figure it out, then I will refer to a video.
I do not hand quilt like many quilters do. I do not use a thimble . I nestle the needle in the crook of my thumbnail and rock the needle forward away from me. Underneath the quilt, I use the tips of my fingers to feel the needle as it comes through the layers. Yes, my fingers are as tough as nails.
When I would visit Nanny years ago, she would hold my hands and say "Your hands are as rough as corn cobs".
I would look down at them and smile. "Thanks, Nanny". Hee! Hee! ( You would love my Nanny . She was a jokster and a hoot indeed) .
MELVA: Are you an early bird or a night owl?
Hoot Hoot! You guessed it I am a Night Owl. I always have been . You will find me often sitting on the couch watching Midsomer Murders, Matlock , or Murder She Wrote as I stitch the night away. I usually go to bed anywhere from 2- 4 a.m. I average about 5 -6 hours asleep on a good night, and then I am "Up and Adam and ready to roll.
MELVA: What quilt are you most proud of and why?
I am not sure if I am really proud of any of my quilts, but I am happy with them.
The quilts that I am most "guarded over" are my mourning quilts- those are the quilts I would grab if the house caught on fire that is after my photos . ( God forbid.) They are also the quilts that I wish I did not have to make. They are filled with love, sorrow, tears, and many memories.
Many of y'all have followed me on my quilting journey with Amo's quilts such as Flaming Butterflies .
Granny's Stars was pieced and quilted in 1999 while sitting with my sweet Granny.
The quilt that I am most happy with in respect to the quilting is a Dresdan Fan Quilt.
I bought the quilt top years ago and hand quilted it. This quilt hangs in my hall on a door. My stitches used to be teeny weeny that is before I broke my hand.
Well Sweeties, that is my quilting story and I am sticking to it. Thank you so much for joining me today and thank you, Melva for all that you do.
Happy Stitching and Quilting, y'all
Melisa
"A quilt will warm your body and comfort your soul. "
Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤
Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy. I love and miss you so much.. Love you , Amo.
🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻
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🌞Time to Dye- 2024 post on how I tea/ Coffee Dye my fabric.
🌞Pin Pillow Tutorial - 2023 post on how I finish my pin pillows with chenille trim.
God Bless Charlie Kirk, his family and our great country. RIP CK.
I love it so much!!
ReplyDeleteIt's been a pleasure to explore these quilts while also getting to know yours, Melisa.
Hugs
Aww thank you so much, Isabel. I enjoyed looking back at some of the small quilts I have made in the past. Lots of memories stitched up in these pieces. Have a blessed day. Hugs.
DeleteThank you Melisa for sharing these quilting memories.
ReplyDeleteAaw you are so welcome, Jenny and thank you for dropping by to visit me today. I wish you a wonderful weekend. Hugs and Blessings.
DeleteI'm glad your daughters enjoy their hobbies as much as you enjoy quilting and stitching! It is important to have a hobby you really enjoy! I liked getting to know that you had a folk art period! I think you still do as I see a resemblance of folk art in your stitchery patterns!--TerryK@OnGoingProjects
ReplyDeleteI am very grateful that my girls enjoy their hobbies too and who knows maybe one day they will decide to pick up needle and thread. Those folky/artsy quilts were lots of fun to make. As I was looking back at them, I remembered all of the joy I had working on them- sweet memories. Thank you for the sweet visit, Terry.Hugs
Deletegood afternoon quilt maker Melisa.
ReplyDeletei love your quilts. the quilt you made early on of Harrit Tubman is beautiful. i love that quilt. i'm not creative in putting fabric down on a background. i don't have much of an imagination to put a fabric down and go from there. i like to have a pattern - or a photo and my quilties help me figure it out - and go from there. i can, and do, make color changes, but that's about as far as i go. ha. you do amazing work. your butterfly kisses quilt always makes me happy when i see it. so colorful and bright. i love butterflies. they are free and happy and they come in so many different colors/varieties.
all of your quilts are so pretty. i really like them. so many different styles. churn dash, butterfly, dresdan fan, owl, and stars. i know you have a lot more. there is no end to your creativity.
i hope you have an awesome evening. the weekend is here. hooray!!! saturday and sunday with no plans other than a lunch date with my daughter on sunday. i can't wait to see her. she is my oldest daughter, Angela, and she lives about 10 minutes from me. she's always such a busy lady it feels like a reunion when i get to see her.
blessings and love are on the way to you Melisa. a great big squeezy hug is coming along with it. stay safe. stay sweet!
Debra Broyles
Good evening, sweet Debra. Oh yes! Hip Hip Hooray! The weekend is here! LOL. Sunday lunch with your daughter sounds wonderful. I know you are looking forward to it. Do you get to see her every weekend? My oldest should be here on Sunday with the grandsons too- well I hope so. LOL. Otherwise I will see them at the youngin's ballgames on Monday. Thank you so much for the sweet compliments on my quilts. I am not great at quilting, but I do love the whole process and enjoyment is what it is all about . Right? I bet your quilts are stunning. You are fortunate to have quilty friends nearby to bounce ideas off of. I bet y'all have a great time together. I used to belong to a quilt group but it is no longer in existence. Well sweet friend, I will let you go. Have a fabulous weekend . Big hugs from the holler!
DeleteI know and understand your story and I'm so glad you shared it with all of us. Melva has definitely been honored, and she honored you and your incredible talent when she nominated you.
ReplyDeleteI'm a late-night stitcher/quilter, as well. In my much younger days I'd watch Letterman expected him to say "Hi, Darlene, nice to see you tonight." LOL Now that it's just me, myself and I stitching and quilting are my primary entertainment.
You and your wonderful blog have been honored by Melva and I'm honored to call you my friend. Big, big hugs, DarleneJ
Good evening, sweet friend. I hope your day has been a lovely one .Guess what? I spent mine quilting away! LOL. I decided to stay home and not roam the roads today. It felt so good to sit back and quilt on my bow tie quilt. I also found an old quilt to work on. I had to giggle when you said you used to sit back and watch Letterman while quilting. Yep, I did too. Now it is just me and watching reruns. Aaww Darlene I must say that I am the blessed one to have you as a friend. You are the best! Big, ole' bear hugs
DeleteYour blog today made me smile - as usual. Your story telling is as creative as your projects. Your family history with fabric projects was so interesting and inspired me to think about my family’s history and it brought back some special memories. Both of my grandmothers, my mother, and both of her sisters made beautiful quilts, crochet items and embroidery projects. My great aunt began teaching me to piece blocks when I was 9 and we spent most of a summer together working on a small project. Both grandmothers taught me to crochet. One Christmas my Aunt Mabel (who had 3 sons) made a quilt purse for each of her four nieces - my purse was a lovely pink, cream and brown design. My Aunt Mabel, my youngest daughter, Anna and I went on a quilt retreat when Anna was just 6. It was the first of many great times quilting together. Aunt Mabel also made porcelain dolls and sewed their clothing - we each have several. My sister and I have quilts made by both grandmothers and Aunt Mabel. My Aunt Shirley (2 sons) crocheted beautiful afghans for my sister, our daughters and me. My daughters and I cross stitch together even though we live in different cities. After reading your post, my daughters, sister and I had a wonderful discussions sharing memories Thank you. Alicia
ReplyDeleteHow lovely to read a little bit about your quilting journey. Although I initially took a quilting class, like you I mostly learn by doing or watching a video. I was surprised to learn you are a night owl and that you had broken your hand! The quilt you bought and quilted is beautiful, and of course I so love the butterfly quilt for your sister.
ReplyDeleteYes indeed, God bless the amazing Charlie Kirk and his family, and may our nation somehow work through all the turmoil to find common ground.
I didn't know you started out as an art quilter. That's really fun. Isn't it funny what we pick up from our families versus what we decide to teach ourselves. Lots of very fun stuff in this post. When did you pick up embroidery and cross stitch? Did that also come out of your art quilts?
ReplyDeleteYour quilts are beautiful. Thank you for sharing your quilting journey!
ReplyDeleteMelisa, I loved reading all about you and how you got started as a quilter! Your quilts and quilting are always some of my favorites to see - the mourning quilts are especially meaningful and beautiful. Although I am the opposite of a night owl, I'm sure we would be friends if we met in real life!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to you, too, Melisa, for also being in that list of 100 best bloggers! Wow! We found out a few things about you that we never knew before and saw some quilts I don't think you shared in the past. Goodness, it's no wonder you get so much done if you stay up half the night. I am not that girl. The older I get the more I enjoy my rest. The little girl quilts - are they your girls or are they you and your sister, Amy?
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your answers to Melva's questions. Great quilting story, Melisa.
ReplyDelete