Sunday Morning

"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."   Philippians 1:21

These very profound words had such an impact. As our Pastor was preaching from this passage one Sunday he began to cry. He said that as he studied this passage, the realization of his mortality grabbed him. He wrestled with the fact that he really wanted to see his children grow up. He wanted to be here with his family. And yet, the scripture teaches that to die is gain.

Day by day, as we each walk the pathway we are to go, life just seems to keep going. Until we are stopped in our tracks with the loss of a loved one or friend. It is then that we start thinking of the "other side".

9 years ago, on a Sunday morning, during the middle of a raging hurricane, my BFF lost her battle with cancer and walked into the arms of Jesus. I have missed my sweet friend all these years, but on that Sunday the Pastor's message brought a sense of peace to my heart. You see, Diana was such a special friend. She walked beside me for almost 20 years, encouraging me, always with love and a smile. It is selfish of me to want her to be here, when she has gained so much more. As she reached out her hand that Sunday morning, she left behind her tired body to walk with Jesus. I can almost picture her in my minds eye, looking back at all of us and saying, "It's all right, I'm whole now."

Mark 8:35 states: “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it” (ESV).

Jesus Christ offers you the greatest freedom - in learning how to die, we learn how to live.

As we enter a new month

It's so hard to believe that October is just a few days away.  This year has certainly flown by.

My wish for you is that you enjoy the season you are in.

Wordless Wednesday

Now this is how Fall really is in Florida :-)  

Happy Quilting!

Saturday Sparks Linky

Thread, thread, thread..........

I am not a thread purist, although I have quite a LOT of thread in my sewing room.

However, I have come to love Superior's The Bottom Line bobbin thread for my machine quilting.

Every time I use this thread in my bobbin, I feel like the Energizer Bunny! It just goes, and goes.

When I use regular thread, I always run out of bobbin thread before I am finished quilting.  Which means I have to take my quilt out of my machine, change the bobbin and find the place to start quilting again. I kind of lose my momentum. 

I'm sure the newer threads are very nice, but they are quite pricey, and you see, one of my biggest challenges in sewing with this expensive thread is a lot of times it ends up in the trash.

Have a Happy Quilting day!

And now you know the end of the story

I finally got the last stitch in the binding, and delivered this quilt to my friend.

The very first thing she said when she opened it was, "did someone tell you my colors?"  Well no, I did not know her colors, but thought this was a good neutral.  When I looked around her house, the first thing I noticed were the black and white Toile curtains in her living room.  I was pretty happy that these colors worked well with her decor.

Thursday Threads Link Party

Finish it up Friday

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?
Quilting Readers Garden

Leaf Garland

With Fall just around the corner, I thought I would re-run a post I did a couple of years ago.  It would be a great little project for using up some of that fall fabric :-)
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I love using my Shape Cut slotted ruler. It makes cutting much more accurate (at least for me) plus I can make several cuts at one time. So I decided to make a  Leaf Garland. And thought I'd share with you how I made it.

The first thing I did was cut two WOF by 4" to make my own binding type string.

I sewed the two pieces together then ironed them in half, folded them onto themselves...

and fold again to sew. Sewing it down with a zig zag stitch.

And the winner is.............

Thanks to all of you who entered my giveaway.  I wish I could send each one of you a prize, but alas, there is just one winner today.  And the winner is.......

Dora the Quilter!

Dora, send me your mailing address within 72 hours and your little package will be on it's way.  I hope it gives you some inspiration :-)

Happy Quilting!

Black and white

I recently found out a friend had surgery, so I thought I would make up a little lap quilt for her.  I wanted to use fabric from my stash, but was not really sure what colors she has in her home.  So having just made a black and white quilt, there was plenty left over to make this second quilt.

Tell me what you think?  Does it read too busy??  Is it neutral enough?

The borders are a solid color but with a white on white and black on black design in the fabric.

I've got two quilts to finish for next week.  So my machine is going to be buzzing :-)

Finish it up Friday
Sew Darn Crafty

Anything Goes Monday

Strings

Whenever I trim the backing from my quilts, I always have these strips of fabric left over.

I used white for the last quilt I finished, so I thought it would be great to use these for the foundation for a String quilt.

I found an average size and cut up squares.

And before you know it, I've got a stack ready for stringing.

I just have to dig through my scrap drawer and start stringing.

:-)  Happy Quilting!

Let's add a label!

Over the years I have bought several types of labels to add to my quilts.

They always look so fun and interesting.

But adding a label to the back of my quilt has turned out to be quite challenging.  I find it hard to turn the edges and stitch the label onto the back.  Sometimes the edges are wonky, or the label ends up being crooked. :-(  I figured there had to be a better way to use these cute labels.

I trimmed the label to 1/4 inch of the design.

Cutting a 2 inch strip of coordinating fabric, I added it to all sides. I then cut a piece of scrap fabric to back it.............

place fabric right sides together and sew all around, leaving an opening to turn.

 Turn the label right side out, and press well.

 Now I have a label that I can just whip stitch to the back of the quilt.

SO much easier and turns out much neater.

Now, doesn't that feel better :-)

The Pink Scarf

Making pom-poms with a pom-pom maker was fun and a bit challenging.  I probably should have used a larger size, but I was already well on the way.

The unfinished gift

This is the quilt I was working on before I had my wrist surgery.

I was making it for a friend as Christmas present.

The quilting was all done. Just needed to bind it and ship it off.

Well that was all put on hold when I had my fall in early December.  But today I am digging around for the binding to finish it up.  I hope to see my friend next week.  I guess it will be an early Christmas present for this year :-)

What are you working on today??

National Sewing Month and giveaway

Did you know that September is National Sewing month??  You can read about it at the Sewing & Craft Alliance.

During our travels all the way to Minnesota and Wisconsin this summer, I had the opportunity to visit several fabulous quilt shops.  And when I was there, I found a little bit of fabric that I wanted to share with one of my readers.  Because we as quilters love to sew, this seemed like the perfect time to host a giveaway.

I couldn't resist these pretty aqua fat quarters. The coordinating yellow Art Gallery fabric is a 1/6th yard cut, but I thought it matched very nicely. I'm including some Connecting Threads Essential thread in light gray.  I like that color as it blends in with almost everything.  And a package of the Clover Wonder Clips.

So to enter this giveaway, please leave a comment and tell me where you live.  Sometimes I look at the stats and am amazed at how many places are highlighted.  

And for double the fun, if you are a follower of my blog, old or new, please comment a second time letting me know how you follow me!

Remember I must have a way to contact you, either by email or from your profile.  Check to see if you are a No Reply Blogger.  If I cannot contact you, I will choose another winner. The giveaway will close on September 14th.

Happy Quilting!

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Sunday Morning