Love is an ever growing wonder.
Author Archives: Melanie (Melly) Testa
Somewhat Obsessed
Oh my goodness, I love stash busting. I am using my own hand printed cloth as well as commercially bought goods. I love using stuff up!
Of friends, jelly roll quilting and embracing long unused skills.
This last year I have been in deep and total immersion into multicolor printing using Procion MX dyes. I have printed about 50 yards of cloth, believe it or not. And when you print that much cloth, it goes to say that you should also try to use as much cloth! At the same time,Continue reading “Of friends, jelly roll quilting and embracing long unused skills.”
Big Sigh.
Hello. I have been a long time gone. Welcome. I am back. I did it. Heave a sigh. Please! One day, in the very near future (May!), there will be a line of fabrics with my name on the selvedge. This is a dream come true. I am romantic about this step, I haveContinue reading “Big Sigh.”
Facing my fear
I started quilting when I was nineteen years old. I had taken a class at a local art center, it was great. I was still living at home and there was a great local quilt shop in my home town. I would go there and pull bolts off the shelf, think about how to mixContinue reading “Facing my fear”
Learning to quilt again
I have finally gotten to the point where I am using the cloth I have been printing all year long. I am very excited about this for several reasons. The most surprising of which is, I forgot how very much I like piecing and quilting. For years I have been ‘art quilting’, using thickened dyeContinue reading “Learning to quilt again”
Relaxing
David and I are on vacation. We have rented a house, on a lake, surrounded by woods and trees, we have packed our bags with great things to do and we brought the beautiful Peach. We got meds for Peach, fearing she would get riddled with anxiety from travel. She did really well, was quietContinue reading “Relaxing”
Dots, Patterns, Quilts and Inspiration
I have been seeing pattern and dots everywhere. I love them. It started because I bought a copy of Victoria Findlay Wolfe‘s book 15 minutes of Play, and I fell in love with one of the quilts displayed in her book. The quilt is called Dot Calm, and was made by Karen Griska. I have beenContinue reading “Dots, Patterns, Quilts and Inspiration”
A little of this, some of that.
I have been happily printing away over here. I am now even piecing a simple quite made of the printed samples like you see above. I adore printing in repeat, creating repeats, seeing the pieces of cloth come to life. And now, they are becoming a quilt! I am simply sewing these squares together, photosContinue reading “A little of this, some of that.”
Love and Happiness, filling the well.
My creative efforts are paying off in more than just the physical manifestation of cloth piling up and asking to be pieced. Making stuff calms and centers me. It helps me to remain true to myself, and it gives back in numerous and often, immeasurable ways. Having been diagnosed with cancer, going to doctors appointments,Continue reading “Love and Happiness, filling the well.”
Melanie Testa 