Melanie Testa

Apartment

Breast Cancer Awareness?

Today begins Breast Cancer Awareness month. 

This is a small work, I am stitching on currently. I am learning needle turn. I am not very good yet, but I bit off a large portion and am getting better at it, as a result. I am moving into our tiny apartment, looking for space solutions that fit our favorite activities and furniture. Now it has come down to specifics. I love space organization, so you might hear the glee in my voice as I type these words.

Anyway. Breast cancer awareness.

You may know that there is a challenge out there, in the ethers…

A Quilting Arts Readers Challenge, to be exact.  

I am going to begin a discussion on Going Flat. Much of my discussion will revolve around creating breast pockets and embroidering these small feminine works, as you see above. I hope you will join me, in discussion within the comments section of each post (check back, OK?)

OR join me in a Gather your Sew-plies, Sew a-Long!

Or both.

Please help me get back in the swing of blogging and investing in my virtual community, you! 

Jelly Roll gives Soul.

We bought a couch. For years we have had chairs, or more recently a sofa and none of them were flat out comfy or inviting. After I was diagnosed I started thinking about the ‘nesting habit’, and I began thinking how very important having a comfortable, let it all hang out, home is. Then I started thinking about what I like in hanging out with my Man. And the bottom line is Snuggle Time. At night we watch rented movies and TV shows and we love nothing better than putting our heads in each others laps and getting strokes and attention as we watch. 

With Jelly Roll peeking.

So when I walked over to a furniture store near us, I had criteria for a smaller couch, one that could be laid-on with a flat surface, one that could take a flop and a nuggle. You know, you see couches in the movies and they look so lush and comfortable. This ‘couch’ is really two chairs-I think it is actually supposed to be a ‘sectional’, we could have bought them in a single color, the delivery guys were quite confused, but why not have a multicolor couch? The pillows are fabulous too, they are sturdy and they act as arm rests that are more comfortable than the back rest pillows. And the open end? Fabulous for a small apartment.

Back of Jelly Roll Quilt showing.

When I gathered up the fabric for my Jelly Roll Quilt, I was super happy that it pulled all the colors in our living room together. This is the first time in my life where I feel like our home matches our intentions. And it is so good to have a throw that ups the Nuggle Ante. I had enough fabrics to piece a back, so our Jelly Roll is two sided, I am not sure which I like better! In less than 3 week, I made the top, sandwiched, quilted and bound this easy and fun quilt. It made me fall in love with quilting again. In fact, I love this brainless project so much, I think we might need another throw. A pile of them.

But, Mom gets one first.