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January 12, 2026
Scraps & Bits ~ Sew & Tell - 1/12/26 from Melva Loves Scraps


It's been a calm and productive week in the studio of Melva Loves Scraps and I am relishing the quieter routine of winter and the presence and prevalence of Shalom. 
 But before I get into that let's take a look at this week's randomly selected feature... Alycia at Alycia Quilts showed off her January Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks.  She calls them Chunky Churndashes.  They're fun and bright!  And I am guessing that they will be paired with some red blocks to become a Quilt of Valor.  I mean, Alycia is the QUEEN of QOV, at least ...

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How to Set Quilting Goals You’ll Actually Stick With (And Enjoy Along the Way) from Patchwork Posse

Ever start the year with a giant list of quilts you’re totally going to finish… only to blink and it’s October and you’re wondering where the time (and half your projects) went?

Yep. Same here.

That’s why around here we’ve ditched the idea of having one big overwhelming list and instead, we’ve built a better way to actually follow through—step-by-step—with the Patchwork Planner and our 90 Sews program inside Patchworkers Plus.

You don’t need to be more productive. You just need a plan that works the way you work—and maybe ...

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Italian Lemon Ricotta Cookies from Lovin' Life At The End Of The Dirt Road

I make a lot of cookies so I want to know where these have been all my life. This is one of the things our girl made and brought at Christmas. They are SO good, and very lemon-y, but she wasn't happy with the result as they spread a lot and the video showed them looking like little balls. So she mixed up another batch on one side of the kitchenWhile I made chicken quesadillas on the

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Het nieuwe jaar from Quilting Mathilda


Het nieuwe jaar is weer begonnen, de kerstboom weer opgeruimd en de sneeuw is ook bijna weg.

De afgelopen tijd heb ik veel geborduurd, altijd een ontspannen werkje.

 

De advent SAL van  Simone is ook af, nu nog wachten op het frame om in te lijsten.


 Foto is niet heel mooi, alles van mijn mobiel, heb een beetje problemen tussen google en mijn  fotoshop-programma.

 


 Ook het sneeuwpopje van Stacy Nash is af, alleen nog afwerken en voorzien van een sjaal en muts.

 


 

Ben ook begonnen met een Irish quaker sampler, maar sat is een groot werk, dus af en toe ...

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Stardust PDF Pattern Gift-Away! from Quiltville's Quips & Snips!


It's MONDAY!  

The start of a new week with so many quilty plans in place -

It's also the PDF pattern release day of Stardust!

I have had so many inquiries as to when I was going to FINALLY put this one out there - 

Now.  It's Now!
Click to Read the Whole Story!

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Turning Quilting Sampler Blocks into Finished Small Projects from Sewing Under the Little Mushroom Cap

A Great Start to 2026: Cleaning Up, Finishing Up & Just Getting It Done

One of the best ways I’ve learned to start a new year is not by starting something new, but by finishing what’s already been started.

As I eased into 2026, I decided to look through my basket of nearly-there projects. You know the ones like sampler pieces, practice blocks, things that were made with intention but never quite crossed the finish line. This time, I made a simple decision: they deserved to be finished.

I grabbed a handful of leftover bindings from my scrap basket ...

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Today from contemporary embroidery

My plans for today.A little patchwork....octagons.More work on my current design project. 

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Machine Knitting from Becca's Crazy Projects

I picked up some of these Red Heart yarns at a discount store. 
I grabbed this bright yellow to make up a hat on the LK150.
While this yarn is a worsted, the content makes it a really stiff yarn. I think I knitted it at too small a gauge. 
I mean, it looks fin here, but this is definitely sized for a baby. I'll give it another go with some adjusted settings. I want it to work. And if it doesn't work? Well, I can always crochet a hat. 

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):

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Welcome to the Starry Seas Blog Hop! from The Inquiring Quilter

Welcome to the Starry Seas blog hop!

My fourth Island Batik collection is finally here and to celebrate the release of Starry Seas, I’m hosting a blog hop!

For the hop I’ve gathered top quilt designers to make a quilt using my new collection, so prepare to be inspired! Each day of the hop, a new designer’s quilt will be featured. In all, there will be nine days filled with eye-popping quilt candy!

Isn’t Starry Seas gorgeous? The mix of deep navy, turquoise, yellow-orange ...

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Staying on Track, Mostly from Life In Pieces

My quilt making strategy for 2026 was to focus on just a few projects  and make progress on those.  After the first full week of the new year, I can say that I've not done too badly with that approach.  




Kate's Choice came out of the project box and row two is assembled.  I'm trying to quilt a couple of days a week.  Normally I go to the quilt shop for my "social sewing" on Tuesdays and Fridays.  That means I'm unthreading the machine anyway. So when I set the machine up after Late Night Sew ...

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Weekly update: goal met, onto the next + reading from With Strings Attached


The last batch of placemats!  The units and blocks are from the orphan box/parts department.   Some are recent (the three at the lower right); some are middle-aged (the green/blue hourglasses are from Indigo Way (which itself is blocks-in-a-box); some are elderly (the hard-to-see scrappy trips that are the background for the two feathers in the upper right).  

Choosing layouts and coordinating fabrics was a great design exercise.

Each is approximately 13 x 20.


All 121 in the bin.   Each placemat averages 3/8 yard, so 45 yards.  (With thanks to QuiltDiva Julie who sent a set of four ...

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Design Wall Monday - January 12 from My Sewing Room

This weekend was the kick off to a brand new Saturday Sampler program at The Pin Cushion (local shop) and it is always fun to start something new.  Our program this year is Anthologie (by Southern Charm Quilts) and the ladies talked about what that word means, and how it applies to our quilting.  An anthology is a collection and this pattern pulls together a collection of traditional blocks (flying geese, Dresden, strip piecing, etc.) and different techniques, but pushes us to interpret them in a new way. 


After the intro, I began to rethink my background choice. This first ...

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Cutting For Charity from Wedding Dress Blue

I learned about Many Hands and Many Hearts from Quilting JetGirl. She recently featured their current project: Black and White Framed Charity Blocks.

Yep, I’m on board. And cutting scraps. And gathering squares. I hope to have a good number (maybe between 20-30) to send in by the deadline (end of February).

If you have scraps, why don’t you join us? It is fun to have fun, but you have to know how…

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New versus Classic! from Crazy Quilter on a Bike!

Regarding the headphone issue, I am using a pair of Shokz—they are also referred to as open-ear buds. I LOVE them, but while I can hear things around me, they do NOT block out the noise of the sewing machine or the long arm. So as I'm cutting and ironing, they are amazing, but the minute I start to sew, the machine's noise overrules the audiobook! And the long arm is even worse!

I'll try the old headphones one more time, and then if I can't jiggle that connection, I'll ditch them and get ...

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Pillowcases and cookies from Happy Cottage Quilter

 Not much sewing going on over the holidays. But when I need a creative boost, I always start making pillowcases for Ryans Case for Smiles. 

 A good way to work down my stash.

You remember yummy Girl Scout cookies? Its that time again. If you have any interest in purchasing Girl Scout cookies, please leave a comment and I will send you the Girl Scout link. They can be shipped anywhere in the continental US. This helps my little granddaughter reach her goal.


Thanks! And Happy Quilting.

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Project planning from Just Sew Sue

 

I have started prepping my Paris, Je T'Aime by Verushka Karate as my fabric arrived during the week along with the starch. I have started by printing out the instructions and putting them in a folder. I printed out the foundation papers on speciality paper which I have grouped in the folder by section.

I tried the starch powder for the first time and made a BIG mess! The fabric was as stiff as cardboard, so I had to wash the fabrics and use spray starch. I have labelled all of the fabrics and have started sewing section 4 ...

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Taking inventory..................... from Exuberant Color









After posting the photo of the red quilt with embroidered squares, I decided to take inventory of my 1930 reproduction fabrics.  The 4 quilts in this photo are some that I have made in the last 18 years.  The one on the left and the top middle were the first quilts chosen when I showed a prospective new owner a group of baby quilts.  The one on the right is twin size and I still have that one.


The first box has yellows and blues and 2 pieces large enough for quilt backs.  This box is about 10" x 15 ...

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Design Wall Monday - January 12, 2026 from Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

 Good Morning Quilters!

There won’t be much to my post this morning, as I am recovering from knee surgery.  It has been five days of resting with these activities:  one leg up high, walking with a walker, taking pain pills, doing PT exercises and sleeping.  Every day I feel a little bit better, and yesterday I only required two pain pills.  Progress is being made.

Picture today is of our “extra great grandson” Roman, who was born this December to Ben and Destiny, who are family to us…….Roman has my reaction when someone tells me to bend my ...

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What I’m Working On: January 12, 2026 from Jo's Country Junction

Miracle of miracles, I worked on the longarm this week. Longarming isn’t something that I have jumped into after surgery. There is a lot of upper body and back work that goes into it, plus I have to stand the entire time. I’m still building up my stamina. I finally decided I have some back …

What I’m Working On: January 12, 2026 Read More »

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Finding God in the Psalms: Psalm 2, Fiber Fun, Literary Living, Finding Joy from Faith, Trust and Breast Cancer



 

Hello There,
Thank you for stopping by!    I've enjoyed visiting your blogs and catching up with your lives.  
This week we've been in quarantine as a few family members have COVID.  Thankfully, by the grace of God, I'm healthy.  We've sectioned off the house and I've actually enjoyed living in my bedroom by creating a mini office, a small library and a hand sewing area. Thankfully, my family members have turned the corner and are slowly improving.  

As I shared last week, the post- holiday grief very much surprised me as I mourned my precious ...

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