May the depth of God’s love bless your heart this Christmas Day!

Rough week but there is Light . . .

This has been a difficult week. On Friday the 11th, my sister's grandson, Kyle was in a snowboarding accident. The news came as "pray for a miracle" so for days, that is what we were doing. My earliest memory was him standing and bouncing on my knees at church ... for an hour! He was always happy and fell in love with Jesus, a very special young man.

Here is a copy of the message that came on the 16th:

To all our family, friends, and those who loved Kyle,

Kyle went to be with Lord today, December 15, 2020. He went peacefully and without any pain, surrounded by his family. He was prayed for, worshipped with, and heard many scriptures. We sang his favourite songs and held his hand as he walked into Jesus’ arms. We rejoice that Kyle is truly home, and that he will not experience the pain of this world. Kyle is now praising his Saviour for all eternity, and we can imagine him now with his hands raised in worship. We are hurting and we are raw, but we do not mourn as the world mourns, because we have hope, like 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 says:

“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.”

 We know that we have a promise to see him again, and we look forward to that day.

Kyle’s life was full of joy, as he was always looking to get people to laugh, and also to meet their needs in life. Very recently, Kyle had been discussing eternity with his mentor, and we know that Kyle believed what Revelation 21:4 says: “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

 Thank you all for being a part of this journey with us. We know you will support us as we grieve his loss. We appreciate every one of your prayers, calls, and texts. Please continue to pray. God promises us a peace that transcends all understanding, and while we do not understand all of this, there are so many things to be thankful for still.

Kyle, until we all meet again. We love you! __________________________________ 

Kyle was 22, and even though he has passed from death to life (John 5:24) the grief has been shattering. I've had many tears. His parents, (my sister's middle boy and his wife and who were her caregivers), are remarkable in their faith yet this is a devastating loss. Kyle's organs went to several people. He would be overjoyed that his leaving would mean extra life for others.

We are in a city with huge lock-down - no Christmas gatherings allowed - all in attempts to flatten the curve, but Covid is rampant anyway. Some major protests over mask wearing. We ordered those made in Israel with zinc in the fabric and able to block the virus. Remarkable. The air smells fresh when we put them on. I cannot imagine why people are refusing to distance/wear masks. Our grandson/wife/three-year old came down with it last week even obeying all the rules, but didn't tell us until two days ago. They are recovering. 

My quilting is almost not interesting, yet pressing on with something creative is helpful. I'm working on two small items and will try to post once a week. 

May all the craziness of 2020 not mess with the joy of celebrating that Jesus came to earth to be the Savior and Light of the World!

Dachsunds and a New Pattern

So slow. With this isolation I have time to quilt more, but lots of other things come along. Anyway, I can post three photos today... the first is the front end of the purple dog in "Who Let the Dogs Out?" which has been fun but the quilting is challenging. It is a panto but not wanting dog prints on the dogs gave me 'paws' as how to do it... (Sorry, shadows on this photo and fuzzy, a better one when it is finished.)

To be able to sew the background quilting around the dogs, I made two stencils that can be flipped and repositioned on the pantograph so I know where not to stitch. SLOW but it is working. This is the back end of that purple dog that is not in the shade, so you can see the paw prints. There are four more dogs, a red, blue, yellow and green. I see that the tension in the green one was not right, so may have to rip/redo that one. Otherwise, just a couple more rows and that part will be done.

This is the other project taking time. My nativity pattern on Etsy has sold well, both hard copy and digital. However, the hard copies are nearly all gone. They are expensive to print in small batches and I am not sure a large batch would eventually sell. SO I decided to let them run out and just keep the digital version available. 

Then, through a misunderstanding about my copyright (both on my part and the copyright holder) I am able to do another Nativity pattern, like the first only different. It is easier in some ways and has lots of room for creative variety in fabric choices. It is mostly a stained glass look but there are sections that are not. My sample will be about 40" wide. I'm still tracing the pattern on fusible and cutting out the pieces. The background will be medium/dark gray. Here is a shot of the template to show where the pieces go. I'll keep posting progress on this one.

I hope all are staying safe and sound. Here in Alberta we are in lockdown except for gas, groceries, most other shopping, and church (now deemed an essential service here). No social gatherings and no home dinners/parties except with the people who already live in your house. Masks are mandatory everywhere public with fines for not wearing them. We ordered some of those made in Israel from a USA company. They were here in 4-5 days and we noticed immediately that the air when wearing them seems like we are in the mountains -- fresh! They are NOT cheap though!

Keep quilting and it also helps isolation to be thankful and pray about the needs of others, giving them a call now and then!

Oh, it has been nearly a month since my last post. I'm quilting - three on the go right now, one flimsy waiting for a backing, and a zillion ideas. Also made a bunch of pillowcases for homeless folks in our city. Sorry, no pictures of them but they were so much fun and so easy using the burrito method. 

Hubby and I are safe and healthy - Covid is on the rise here. We believe it will be a threat for a long time. We just ordered some of those incredible masks made in Israel. They are 99.something % effective with this virus. 

Hopefully a photo soon. Progress is being made!

Pretty Pink Papilionini

 

I may have the Latin name wrong, but it sounds good and begins with P --- and this one is finally finished, labeled and ready to go to a good home. I'd thought I'd keep it but have nothing pink in my house except a small bit of leftover scraps. Also, when

I realized I liked the label as much as the quilt, that seemed a good reason to find a lover of pink. It is 58.5" x 64" and quilted with a Panto called "Fanciful Flyers" in the middle. I made up the border which doesn't show up with the pink variegated thread, but it was fun. Now on to the next one...

Plaid Squares in Squares

 This quilt top was done last year but finally made it to the longarm. I'm not sure I like the pantograph I used, but the best part is that it is finished. It is 55.5" x 71" so about a twin or a large lap quilt. It will go to a charity in town.

 Even though the colors in the binding are not a perfect match, all those colors are in the various plaids. Stripes make the most attractive edge for some quilts. I really like it on this one.

 This week has been a stressful, up and down week so far. A friend tells us his wife is leaving him. Another friend's sister (only 41) had a massive stroke and without the quick thinking of her young daughter may have died. We just got word last night that a dear one who is 91 also had a stroke and cannot move. She is ready to meet Jesus, but I love her so much and cry that she is suffering. Also a family issue with news that helps us with some questions. Good news but emotional. Besides all of this, several prayer requests, some quite stressful for those who asked for support. I feel their pain and have them on my mind continually. Making quilts is certainly therapy and helps me as life happens.  

I have a nice pink backing draped over the longarm waiting for me to get the batting trimmed to size. It goes on a pink top made from scraps. Pink is not my fav color, but love this one. I also have two more tops that need quilting, and at least six baby quilts with fabric stacked up ready to sew, several boxes of scraps that will make several fun scrappy projects, and project boxes here and there that keep calling my name. Will I live long enough? Have to... and get all those quilts finished!

Purple Heart - finished!

A bit of dismay that I've not posted for nearly a month. However, I have quilted nearly every day. Just slow.

This one is finished. I used up almost all the purple I had in a scrap bin plus a bit of yardage. As you can see, some of that went on the back. For those who don't like slab quilts, this one is nicer in person. I quilted it with a panto called "Featheration" seen in the lower picture.

It is 61 x 77" and will go to Quilts of Valour (the u means the Canadian version).

I've also made another from the scraps leftover from the larger pink one (see last post) that is not quilted yet. It is smaller, roughly log cabin/slab squares at 6" plus an odd layout. Instead of a binding, I'm facing it, so no photo yet. It is nearly finished. 

We had a heat wave here for a few days, 31C which broke records in our part of the world. So glad for AC! We also looked at show homes for the fun of it including a hospital lottery grand prize. Lovely. Every year there are several of them used as fund-raisers for local hospitals, one for sports. They each bring in about two million or more above all the prizes. This house is large and well-designed. This one has large rooms but it isn't as pretty on the outside as the first one. A few more have already had their draws. When we walk through, I'm always thinking, "Where would I put my longarm?" Winning would certainly make life complicated. They have restrictions on win/sell right away, and the taxes on these big houses is insane.

Back to the sewing machine...

Pink Scraps flimsy

The top is done. Now I need to find the backing. I used almost all the pink scraps but there are still more. Do they multiply in the dark like coat hangers?! I think so. Anyway, my plan for quilting this is just wavy lines but since I've not made anything like this before, do I need to stabilize it first? Will the squares go wonky if I don't?

Now I must get something on the longarm before anxiety hits that there are too many tops and not enough 'dones' in the closet.

BTW, we are having storms like I've never seen storms in our part of the world. Here is one picture. Scary! These storms, with tornado warnings, are happening at least once a week this month, sometimes more. They are over our two largest cities and along the route in between.

Pink scraps

That red bin of scraps had pinks only left so decided to whack them into strips where possible to make these nine-patch blocks. What was too small for at least a 5" strip was cut into 2 1/2" squares. Lots of sewing, but easy and my points match. After making about 60 blocks, I fiddled and fiddled with them on the design and this is the result. The two left vertical rows are sewn together, next three still in single rows with blocks sewn together and the rest of it is just up there waiting to be stitched.

I'm not a fan of pink but am happy with this one. The blocks finish to 6" so the quilt will be 48 x 56 plus borders. There are a few long strips left, some solids and some are prints. They hang up there on the left, but need to be more creative than that. Also have a few 4" squares that will likely wind up in the borders and on the back.

Yesterday I picked up the backing for the Brown Scrappy queen-size and my skinny Dachshunds and felt a bit overwhelmed that there are three more flimsies to quilt (two or three in the closet) so I felt more like napping this afternoon! Also, we had a very stressful storm in our city last night. Flooding and lots of lightning, some hail. Actually, it came down in two storms, less than an hour apart and the kind that makes a lot of people want to hide in the basement. Not fun! I'm not on Twitter, but #ABStorms shows some of the pictures others took if anyone is interested.

Scrap Busting

My box of red scraps should be nearly empty but has a bunch of pink in it. This week it lured me from another baby quilt on the longarm to a cutting spree. I have enough 2 1/2" strips to make oodles of 6" nine-patch blocks, plus a few square cuts from the bigger pieces to add to the mix. I'll likely make a few four-patch and some fillers with single squares sewn in a row. About 10 more scraps to cut and I'll start sewing. A picture next time of all this pink stuff.

The box (12" x 12" x 15") is still 1/3 full. We should call scraps 'rabbits' or 'bunnies' because they seem to multiply like crazy. I've eleven of them and want them all to get used up!

It has been raining here and our city is starting to look jungle-like, so green with lots of blooming flowers and trees. The rain is wonderful even if some bellyache about it. We put out containers so have rain water for the pots that are protected by overhanging eves. They love it.

Btw, health is good. My cardiologist is happy. I have a few aches and try not to gripe since most of them are from exercise rather than anything that needs a doctor. So thankful!!