A Spiritual Gift

"If you are a craftsman…only look at your tools, your needle, your thimble…your scales, your measures, and you will find this saying written on them… 'My dear, use me toward your neighbor, as you would want him to act towards you with that which is his.'"   Martin Luther

When our family first joined Rejoice Lutheran Church, new members were encouraged to assess their "spiritual gifts" and apply them to various church ministries. As a quilt maker, I was naturally drawn to liturgical art and spent many years crafting banners for worship.

Even though my "making" days are over, it doesn't mean I can't make things happen! A persistent calling to contribute one more banner to Rejoice, I commissioned one. 

It's the work of my friend, Wanda Hanson, who's a prodigious quilt maker and genius when it comes to using color and design. She blends hundreds of fabrics from her extensive collection into extraordinary one-of-a-kind works of art. After seeing her latest colorwash quilts, I knew one would look great in the sanctuary at Rejoice!

The first time I approached Wanda about making a banner, she declined. But at some point, my calling became her calling too. Eventually, she embraced the project as a creative challenge and opportunity to inspire others through her God-given skills.

The Creation Story became our theme. "Let there be light" is a sort of Bible/Big Bang mashup which includes both scriptural and scientific rationale for the origin of the universe. 

Wanda sorted, cut, arranged, and sewed hundreds of luminous batiks, each a different color and print, to create “Let there be Light.” Here are just a few samples of the 356 3"x 6” pieces she used.

And here is Wanda with her 69" x 93” creation.

What better backdrop for worship could there be than this glorious riot of color?

double click to enlarge

Visit Wanda's blog, Exuberant Color, to see more of her exquisite work!

Reality Check!

It’s been a long, lazy, uneventful summer. I’ve been sleeping a lot, reading too little, not writing at all, and taking way too much comfort in my complacency. 

I forgot that MS can pull the rug out from under me at a moment’s notice, which it did a couple weeks ago. I haven’t had an exacerbation in years, so didn’t recognize the symptoms of a flare-up (severe pain in hands, wrists, and arms), until my left hand (my only functional appendage) suddenly stopped working. That got my attention!

Three days in the hospital on IV steroids restored function to my left hand. I can scratch my nose now, give a feeble wave, feed myself finger foods, type o-n-e  l-e-t-t-e-r  a-t  a  t-i-m-e with a pointing device, use the TV remote, and even hold a cup of coffee, if I’m lucky enough to get one. 

I've also been assigned a series of hand exercises to practice daily. Hopefully, they’ll make me strong enough to erase “complacency” from my vocabulary, and live each day with more purpose and intention.

Take good care of yourselves, everyone!

A Perfect Morning Pick-me-up!

I love a good cup of coffee in the morning. Brew it strong and serve it hot with a splash of milk and spoonful of sugar. What could improve on that?

How about the addition of a colorful mug rug? This one features a vibrant array of half inch (finished) squares. Isn't it fun?

My friend, Mary, made it for me using her endless supply of scraps. 

What a perfect way to "perk up" my morning coffee! Thank you Mary. XO

What Goes Around, Comes Around

I’ve reached an age where the only thing I want for my birthday is not to be reminded of it, unless, of course, it’s with a birthday quilt from, Barb. For that, I’ll admit to each and every one of my advancing years!

Imagine my surprise when I opened Barb's package this year and found a block I’d given her a few years earlier. “Wait... What?” It took me a while to process that this was the very same block, only beautifully finished and back in my own hands!

The pattern is from Applique with Folded Cutwork by Anita Shackelford. My original plan was to make four different paper-cut designs from her book. Unfortunately, my hands gave out halfway through stitching the first one. Barb may not know this, but our friend Kathy Smith finished the applique for me. It's her perfect stitches that Barb so admired. 

Barb finished the block with echo quilting, a traditional Hawaiian technique which outlines the applique design in concentric rows of stitching. Her use of silk thread adds a touch of elegance, don't you think? 

Let’s see what fabric Barb chose for the back. It’s a nod to her old New York City stomping ground.

Thank you, dear friend. As re-gifts go, this one's a keeper! XO

A Tisket, A Tasket

This time of year, I think about making a living Easter basket. The problem is I filled mine with ceramic figures and colorful candies like the scenes inside those sugar eggs we had as kids. 

Three weeks before Easter we planted grass seed in an old wicker basket. Within days, the tender shoots sprout and continued flourishing with sunshine and watering. In fact, by Easter it was ready for a trim!

Isn't it sweet? 

Instructions HERE.

This basket quilt was made using blocks I won in a guild raffle. The pattern is from Fons and Porter’s Classic Basket Patterns, 1984 (out of print).

In any sort of block exchange, sizes can vary. I used the smaller ones to make a pillow...

 

and label for the back of the quilt.

Raffle Baskets

36" x 51”

Stover Quality Quilting

April Fool

I’m Back!

Hello everyone! Bet you didn’t expect to see me again, not after almost two year’s absence from Persnickety Quilts. I’m as surprised as you are. Once I lost my blogging mojo, I didn’t expect to get it back.

During my hiatus, I lost interest in quilting too. Weird, huh, after 35 years. Worse yet, I didn’t even care that my passion had waned. 

I hadn’t stopped creating all together--just changed my focus to a decades old project of collecting, restoring, and archiving family photos. While I was at it, I rejoined ancestry.com and developed several new branches of our family tree.

A few friends have encouraged me to revive my blog and even offered to help. Since photos are my biggest hurdle, Linda will be taking pictures and Sherry will focus more on official quilt portraits. I'm so lucky to have their help and support!

Most of all, I want to assuage any concerns about my health. I’m still here, not necessarily "kicking" but relieved to say my Multiple Sclerosis seems to have slowed its progression. As long as my left hand works, I can use the computer and reconnect with you!

It’s good to be back!