Melanie (Melly) Testa

Genderless Fairies 1

Genderless Fairies 120159×7”Printed Cotton and Organza, Procion MX dye, Batting These pieces are meant to be framed, none are completely square, and when flipped over to view the back, batting can be seen. Un-embroidered, these pieces are 125$, embroidered and stitched 200$, plus shipping. If you see an un-embroidered piece, selling for 125$, and youContinue reading “Genderless Fairies 1”

Genderless Fairies 2

Genderless Fairies 220158.5×7”Printed Cotton and Organza, Procion MX dye, Batting These pieces are meant to be framed, none are completely square, and when flipped over to view the back, batting can be seen. Un-embroidered, these pieces are 125$, embroidered and stitched 200$, plus shipping. If you see an un-embroidered piece, selling for 125$, and youContinue reading “Genderless Fairies 2”

TV taping and Gathering your Sew-plies!!

Check out the blog post related to this video: https://melanietesta.com/2015/10/tv-taping-and-gathering-your-sew-plies/ A video posted by Melanie Testa (@mellytesta) on Oct 10, 2015 at 7:40am PDT //platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js This week, I found myself in the unique position of needing to Gather my Sew-plies!! on the quick! I was asked to tape a video segment for a majorContinue reading “TV taping and Gathering your Sew-plies!!”

The Cat Walk, Flattopper Pride and Play Out underwear

This week has been such a fantastic experience. Emily Jensen, of FlatTopper Pride, came to town to walk the cat walk wearing Play Out underwear. FlatTopper Pride is a supportive space where gender presentation and cancer intersect. If you are queer, or an ally of the queer community and you have had breast cancer and wantContinue reading “The Cat Walk, Flattopper Pride and Play Out underwear”

Wow, a whirlwind.

These last few weeks have been amazing. Hectic crazy, fun, well worth it. My creative stand still came to an end, thank goodness. I went to quilt market while visiting my Bestie. I learned a lot. And the Play Out (click this link to see a sexy, hip commercial for the undies) and Flattopper Pride underwear photoshootContinue reading “Wow, a whirlwind.”

Thermofax 101, Screen Printing Made Easy by Lyric Kinard, dvd review

I first met Lyric Kinard at a QATV taping in Ohio. I was immediately taken by her presence and we have remained friends through the years. I own a copy of Lyric’s book, Art+Quilt, which is very detailed with artistic concepts and approaches, and illustrates how these can be applied to work in the quiltContinue reading “Thermofax 101, Screen Printing Made Easy by Lyric Kinard, dvd review”

Everything in between

This chair, with its lovely patina, can be found at Rex, a coffee shop on 10th street between 56 and 57 in Manhattan. It is not the most comfortable chair. But it sure is pretty. I have a thing for chairs, if you have not noticed. Artistically speaking, chairs equate to nudes forContinue reading “Everything in between”

allow, welcome, be present

I have been sewing on the subway and beyond. It is interesting to sew in public, it is not done very often, I regularly see knitters, I know I have seen crocheters, I have seen people drawing. Of all of these activities, knitting happens most often. But even still, not as often as youContinue reading “allow, welcome, be present”

Listening to quiet.

Stitching is a quiet and soothing activity. It is meditative in nature, the world becomes each stitch. The needle emerges, gets a small tug, and then is pushed back through, again and again. It is a slow and steady activity. Expressing ideas with needle and thread is rewarding. Lines become images, small stitches becomeContinue reading “Listening to quiet. “

sewing wherever I go.

I have been preparing myself to be able to sew wherever I go. A few years back, I began to make the Gather your Sew-plies purses, in the hope of being able to keep all essentials at the ready, in a neat and tidy package. (In case you are wondering, a pattern was publishedContinue reading “sewing wherever I go.”