He Is Risen!

When I saw the picture of this quilt I just knew that I had to make it!

I didn't know who I would be making it for... I figured I would make it and then sell it since there was great interest expressed in it when I shared on Facebook. 




And then a very dear lady approached me about making a wall hanging for her. She actually reminded me of the conversation that we had had several years before. she wanted purple (she LOVES purple of any shade), green and a little yellow. I immediately knew that this was the perfect wall hanging for her!

So I sat down to figure out what size squares were needed to create a wall hanging no larger that 30-ish inches wide.  I printed out the picture, drew grid lines on it (much like a cross-stitch pattern) and did some math.  Using two inch squares, i would need to make it a little narrower than the original quilt picture.

I pulled out a large tote of fabric that had been given to me with lots and lots of fabric that had been pre-cut for some quilt-as-you-go quilts and an assortment of left over 2-1/2" jelly roll strips.  But among all of that there was a small snack sized baggie that had an assortment of purple(!!!) 2" blocks!  Perfect for the cross... this is where I began ~

You may notice three squares with red hearts... intentionally placed to represent the nail placement from Jesus' crucifixion.

I then moved on to the background...

As I searched for the perfect squares in my bin of scraps, I found that I needed a greater variety of yellows and of a much lighter shade.  I could have gone and dug out another bin of fabric, but I was stubborn (or lazy) and refused to do so because, by accident, I discovered that the back of some of the yellows were just what was needed!  

You can only notice the difference on the back of the top and yes, it was a bit alarming when piecing them together to see the "front" of the fabric on the back, but had to keep reminding myself that it was intentional!

Jesus Has Risen from Matthew 28:1-10 (NIV)

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

May you have a happy and blessed Easter... HE IS RISEN!

Melva

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What is Normal?

The past month was really busy and I am SOOOOOOO glad that I am back to my "normal".  Erma Bombeck once asked the question, "what is normal?" and answered that question with "It is a setting on the dryer!"  What a great sense of humor. :)

However, MY normal typically involves most of the day spent at home either in my sewing room or doing the routine cleaning/chores, and an occasional trip to the grocery store or the bank. Pretty boring, but I'm okay with that.

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to travel to Fort Collins for an allergy testing/clearing treatment.  I was simply seeking relief from the seasonal allergies that have plagued my life every spring and fall with more sinus infections than I care to remember. Over the past six years or so I have learned how to manage the symptoms and prevent the infections by having facials and other natural therapies offered at the Massage Therapy program at Trinidad State Junior College.

Like I stated, I was simply seeking relief from seasonal allergies... But it was suggested that I follow an anti-inflammatory diet that includes being soy free and dairy free.  :P Throw in on top of that, I was also told to avoid corn, white sugar, white potatoes, pork and shell fish!

ugh!  "I'm fine... I don't really have these food allergies. Pffft... Ridiculous." And then I recalled waking one Thursday morning with such pain and stiffness in my shoulders and recalled all that I had eaten the day before.  I had consumed a banana, fresh pineapple, yogurt and cheese & peanut butter crackers... all foods I should avoid. :(  Okay, maybe it is worse than I thought...

I have since been on the hunt for soy free foods.  That is tough!  I have had some success, and I do feel much better.  My shoulders don't ache near as bad as they had.  This is progress!

But the no sugar thing got to me yesterday.  I was really, really wanting something sweet... chocolate chip cookies, specifically!  I pulled out my bag of chips and they are packed with soy! Not good!  I began searching for alternatives.  Using my favorite recipe I altered it by cutting out the white sugar and used 1/2 the amount of maple syrup.  I added baking soda to cut the acidity of it allowing the cookies rise and increased the flour by 1/4 cup.  I mixed in dried cranberries and almond slivers, and reduced the baking temperature by 25 degrees

SUCCESS!

My craving was satisfied and I don't have suffer!

Here's my recipe...

3/4 cup butter

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/3 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

2-3/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

Bake at 325 for 9-10 minutes

Oh yes, my allergies are so much better!  There are still a few things that are bothering me, but over all, I am actually enjoying this spring.  A few weeks ago we were enjoying a day of antique window shopping with trees in full bloom lining the streets.  My eyes did not itch, I didn't have a runny nose, or constant sneezing and wheezing.  Woohoo! 

Changes can be hard!  But I have a new normal... and I am loving it!  Now that I can satisfy my sweet tooth. ;)  Carry on with your normal!

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Put A Song In Your Heart

I am a quilter... And I am a woman... therefore, I piece and quilt with a strong tendency to the feminine side.... You know, "pretty" and sometimes "frilly".  

Quilting for children is easy because you can still use bright colors, kittens and puppies and such.  But I recently had the challenge of creating a couple quilts for some young men - the grandsons of a dear friend.  Both play guitar.  But they had begun their music lessons on the piano.  I needed something masculine for them and really didn't know where to start - other than I felt that nothing small or intricate.  After all men, like Tim Allen, like all thing bigger and faster, right?

I purchased "music" fabric just estimating how much I might need for the queen sized quilts.

Then I began searching for some "big blocks"... I ended up settling on two quick to assemble blocks, which made the quilt tops go together very quickly.

When they were ready for borders, I knew that the piano key fabric was needed. I felt it needed mitered corners for the best look... Mitered corners are not something that I do often, in fact, if completely honest, I avoid them!  I pulled out my reference that offered detailed instructions for them and moved forward.

I was pleased with result!

I chose an overall cross-hatch for the quilting... nothing fancy... remember, these are for male teens!  The final results...

It was a great compliment from my husband when he said, "I really like the look of these."  While they may not be among my personal favorites, I feel good that they are the best "masculine" quilts I have made.  Not once did I hear the word "pretty" to describe them... Funky, trippy and different were among the descriptions, but NOT pretty.  And I consider that successful!

Put a song in your heart and have a great day!

Blessings,

Melva

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