Give It Away! #SayWhat!

I am participating in an On-line Bible Study and it has been quite interesting. We are using a book, What Happens When Women Say Yes! by Lysa TerKeurst. This week's lesson talked about Radical Obedience. Listening to the voice of God and actually doing it! No matter how crazy it might seem.

This morning I was headed to my sewing room with the intention of working a couple different layouts for my Pieces of My Heart block that will be included in the Quiltmaker 100 Blocks issue coming out in November. 

Or, I thought, I could make a couple more items for the upcoming Farmer's Market and using the ideas I came up with that I feel would be good "sellers". 

As I started pulling fabric for the projects my mind immediately switched to a different mode when I saw the large bag of fleece that was in my closet that I got from my cousin when she cleaned out some of her dad's stuff. (Yes, her dad quilts, or used to before his health declined.) 

These were not just scraps of fleece, but 1 yard cuts of fleece... large enough to make some blankets. Not the typical project that I usually do, but I thought they would make some nice baby blankets. That's when I thought "I could make them and give them away!" "Say What?!?" As I argued briefly with my myself, I thought, "I sew/quilt items to sell and to help supplement our income." Okay, well, maybe also to support my "problem" - my love of fabric and sewing. But I do sell enough stuff to actually help us afford some of the "extras" in life.  

So, I posted on fb to my friends what I was doing. I quickly had a few requests. Now I need to see how many blankets I can actually get out of the fleece... As silly as it may seem, I believe that by my listening to and following through with the simple idea of giving the fleece blankets away I am actually being radically obedient. 

Want one? Let me know. If I have any left, you are welcome to one.  

#1,2&4 have been claimed... the other three need love too. No strings attached... free! Just give me an address to send then to.

My motto is Blessed from Above, Made with love. Exactly what these blankets will be - Blessed. Blessed because of a lesson in radical obedience. 

... Every Story Can Have a Quilt!

Every Quilt has a story... and Every Story can have a quilt.

Every quilt does have a story... who made it, who it was made for, the occasion, when it was made, etc.

But every story can have a quilt as well! Take for example, Tori. A young gal that just graduated from HS and is beginning College. Her teen years are being compiled into a quilt. As I look at the blocks from her collection of T-shirts on my design wall I know that she was a dancer, participated in lots of drama and youth activities.

Or... one of my favorite children's stories is The Tale of Three Trees, a traditional folktale.  Three trees have hopes and dreams and plans for their own lives.  The moral of the story is that God has a plan for you... If you trust in Him, He will give you great gifts.  Not to give the story away, but each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined. 

So, what story would you like to have made into a quilt?  A favorite book? Or you own story of vacation destinations, marathon/running "career", or a past career/job?  Let me know. I am always up to a challenge and/or new ideas.



Every Quilt Has A Story...

Every quilt has a story... 

Since I had posted about the history of quilt blocks and the stories behind them, I thought about many of the quilts that I have made and the stories and inspiration behind them. 

A few I have blogged about, such as Green Pastures and An Oasis in the Desert.  I have lots of others that I haven't told the stories about, like my "Gettysburg trip remembrance quilt,"

and my virtual vacation quilt "Hawaiian Trip"

But I wonder about the story behind some of the old quilts that I have acquired... like the one from my Mother-in-law.  It was nothing fancy, well worn and somewhat tattrered.  I remember when we were cleaning out her place 18 years ago, getting it ready to sell.  One of the sisters said "What about this? It can't be just thrown out out given to some second-hand store."  None of the kids really knew the story of it, but it really did just look like a comfortable blanket that seemed to invite someone needing comfort and warmth.  I took that quilt.  And then one day I found a pattern for the perfect project to repurpose that quilt that still had so much love to give.

Then I found a quilt that my Grandma had.  Her favorite color was yellow and Grandpa's was green. I am sure that is why she had it.  I know that she did not make it herself but I wonder about the story behind it as well.  (Was it a gift from one of her friends?  Who made it?) It too was tattered and worn, but I knew that it still had so much love to give.  The pillows are quite comfortable and look great in our basement sitting room! 

By taking a special keepsake that may have outlived its original purpose, but was just too special to toss I was able to bless several family members with small gifts that serve as a reminder of a loved one.  Blessed from above, made with love... and the story of a loved one gone from this earth can be carried on for another generation.   

Do you have a special keepsake that could be transformed and made new?  I would be more than happy to help!

The acceptance letter...

The day had been a frustrating day... until I opened my e-mail as we waited for friends to arrive for an evening of socializing. There I saw it. A message from the editor of Quiltmaker Magazine. I first thought it might be about an application that I had sent in to be part of a group to make a quilt using one of the block patterns from their recent volume 7 of 100 Blocks. Or a thank you for my recently renewed subscription. Instead I found this...


Dear Melva,

Congratulations! Your block (Pieces of My Heart) has been chosen to be included in 100 Blocks, vol. 8, on sale November 19, 2013.  More information will be coming shortly regarding the blog tour, promotions and more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was so excited! I was, actually, quite shocked. You see the original paperwork had stated that I should be notified within two months of the deadline - that was March 1. When May 1 came and went I figured my two blocks that had been submitted had been passed over.

Not that I am complaining, I mean we had plenty going on in our lives (still do), but I am in a much better frame of mind to fully absorb the experience.

Now, I have the opportunity to create a quilt using my block design to possibly be included in the designer's galler in the magazine and/or to be a part of the gallery exhibit in their office in Golden, CO. 

I have spent much of this summer working along side of my husband, Dave helping him do roofing projects, installing an attic fan, and putting in insulation and drywall in his shop.  And since Dave's shop is nearly done I should have the opportunity to spend a little more time in my sewing room.  I believe my construction work is done! 

I am off to my sewing room...

He Makes Me Lie Down in Green Pastures

Loss has been a large part of our life recently.   I had commented to a friend that I feel like I am living in a bad country song... Dave lost his job, I lost my Dad, I've "lost" some babies that I love dearly because they are moving...  Our daughter, Rebecca, even compared us to Job and all that he lost.  I replied "Well, I certainly hope that I don't lose our children!"  She agreed.  :)

However, we have come through the past several weeks bruised and beaten, but with our faith and our love for God and praising Him for His provision. 

Last week, as we planned my Dad's service to celebrate his life, the Pastor suggested that the 23rd Psalm be read as part of his service.  We followed the suggestion and as the Psalm was read I had a picture of a quilt come to mind - Green strips of fabric - scrappy, of course!  No border - representing God's unending love for us.  And quilted with the words of Psalm 23 written in script lettering.

The idea of using words/script as the quilting has long been an idea of mine for several years, but I was afraid to actually try it.  Since Dave and I seem to be in a "new season" I figure I might as well try to learn something new... thus my sudden interest in free motion quilting.  Much like the "Oasis in the Desert" quilt, the stitching isn't perfect, but it has improved.  And I have learned that my stitches remain much more even if I do not drop the feed dogs as the owner's manual suggests.  Below is a close up of part of the script.

Again, much like the "Oasis" quilt, this "Green Pastures" quilt offered healing for me.  I'm not really sure what I am going to do with these very personal quilts... We certainly don't have a NEED for them, but I don't think that I can sell them.  They are too imperfect and too much of a "bandaid" for me.  Perhaps one day they will offer comfort and/or healing to someone who may need one of them as they journey through a rough time in life, much like we have.  

In the meantime, I will snuggle up under them as Dave and I wander off to "Walton's Mountain" each evening.  (We have found it a safe hideout as we unwind and watch the Walton's on INSP each night.)  Good night, Johnboy.

I happened upon a quilt blog festival and decided to enter.  Here is the link where you can vote starting May 24th.  Follow this link... I am entering the scrap category. 

http://amyscreativeside.com/2013/05/17/bloggers-quilt-festival-scrap-quilts/

An Oasis in the Desert

The past month has been one of the most difficult times in our lives... It has seemed as though Dave and I have been wandering in the desert, much of the time by ourselves.... lost and alone. 

We now find ourselves with the potential for a complete change in direction for our future.  We don't know what the future looks like.  We have yet to see that picture.  I cannot reveal the details that brought us to this point of life, but I can say that the past several weeks have involved lots of waiting.  Waiting as other people did their jobs and made decisions regarding our situation.  The next step has been taken and we now wait... again.

If you really know me you KNOW that I LOVE to spend time in my sewing room creating, sewing, and quilting.  I use the time as therapy.  But the last few weeks rocked me so badly that I could not even muster up the energy to make it into my sewing room, let alone create something in there.

In the past there have been times when I would comment on the amount of discarded pieces of fabric or paper in the trash can in my sewing room.  It has been used as a sort of gauge as to whether it was a "good" week or a "sad" week.  This past Tuesday as Dave and I gathered up the garbage to take out my comment was "Oh, this was a REALLY pathetic week."  (There was one discarded tissue.) He looked me in the eyes and said, "It is time.  Get back in there and create.  You need to make a quilt and it needs to represent something about time in the desert." 

I thought about it... I thought about the past weeks and the amount of time we both have spent in prayer, study and in Scripture.  There were several key scripture verses that we have clung to in this desperate time.  I went to my stash.  I pulled out a fat quarter that had Scriptures of hope printed on them.  I then went and pulled out fabric that represented the mono-chromatic colors of the dessert.  This is what came about...

As I cut and placed the pieces for the top on my design wall I felt my spirit begin to lift.  As I sewed the pieces together and read and focused on each scripture square I found myself beginning to smile and sing along with the praise music I was listening to.  By the time I got to the border I was nearly dancing!

Once the top was complete, I asked Dave his opinion before I started the quilting.  I had thought about possibly doing some applique or some embroidery that would have represented growth in the desert.  After a comment from him about the random placement of the scripture squares, he thought it just needed lots of quilting.  My response to the random-ness of the scripture was "There is no pattern to the color placement or the Scripture. There is no symetry or pattern in the desert/nature."  Okay... 

So I started with some leaf/flower petal type quilting pattern.  Again, with no symetry, rhyme or reason to the placement of it.  (Trust me, Dave commented on the lack of it again.)  Then I took advantage of the remaining open space and decided that I would work on improving my skills of free-motion quilting.  The stitch length is uneven and "jerky" in places.  Because of that, this quilt would never win any kind of award for skill in quilting, but it takes practice to improve. 

This quilt represents much to me.  It represents wandering and growth. It represents time with the Lord and the many people that have been praying for us and with us.  It represents hurt and healing.  It represents our current position in life.  It is an Oasis in the Desert.

I have entered this quilt and blog entry into an on-line bloggers quilt festival.  Follow the link below and vote!  http://amyscreativeside.com/2013/05/17/bloggers-quilt-festival-scrap-quilts/

A History Lesson...

I was asked to compile a brief description of the various blocks and the meaning and history of each block. 

Log cabin (Center squares) quilts have been sewn in the United States since the 1860s. Each square block is a piece of quilt history in itself. The block is a representation of an early log cabin home that was being built on the wide expanses of the prairie. The log cabin quilt pattern history of meanings is: The center block of the quilt is usually red or yellow, this represents the fire in the hearth. The light strips on the log cabin pattern square represent the sun shining on the eastern side of the log cabin. Likewise the dark strips on the log cabin pattern indicate the shady side of the log cabin.

Together these simple fabric strips are stitched in a precise manner to form a complete picture to those who understand what the color and materials represent. Now you know the log cabin quilt pattern history of the exquisite log cabin quilt itself and why it came to be such a cherished part of quilting history and daily life back then. The log cabin quilt still remains a popular quilt pattern today. It represents: Home, Warmth, Love and Security.

The trees are representative of life.  I chose to use include Aspen leaves  represent the changing seasons of life.

A remarkably simple block, a basic Flying Geese block (the border - triangular shape) consists of a larger triangle (the goose) surrounded by two smaller triangles (the sky). Flying Geese blocks are usually made so they are twice as wide as they are tall. Choosing fabrics with enough light-dark contrast is essential to make the geese stand out against the background of sky. If the goose fabric is dark, the sky should be lighter; on the other hand, if the goose fabric is light, the sky should be darker.  

Check out this lesson from Geese. http://www.agiftofinspiration.com.au/stories/inspirational/geese.shtml

The Bears Paws (Corner blocks) - Each paw consists of a square, edged with saw tooth little triangles with a smaller square at the corner. The darker colored triangles in the saw tooth section represent the claws of the bear. Sometimes the paws are set in different directions to give a fresh look to the main block.  What became each claw in the Bear's Paw quilt block had it's beginnings as the sawtooth border used on early American quilts.