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… 'Use me toward your neighbor, as you would want him to act towards you with that which is his.'"   Martin Luther

As new members of our church, we were asked to assess our "spiritual gifts and passions" and consider applying then to various church ministries. As a longtime quilt maker, naturally I was drawn to liturgical art and spent several years crafting banners for worship.

Even though my "making" days are over, that didn't stop me from occasionally "making things happen"!  After 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 a flare-up in years so didn’t recognize the symptoms (severe pain in hands, wrists, and arms) until my left hand (my only functional appendage) stopped working altogether. You can bet that got my attention!

Three days in the hospital on IV steroids has 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 the word “complacency” from my vocabulary and live each day with more purpose and intention.

Take good care of yourselves, everyone. I promise there will be more quilty content ahead!

What Goes Around, Comes Around

I've finally reached an age where all I want for my birthday is not to be reminded of it, unless of course, it’s with a birthday quilt from my friend, Barb Vedder. For that, I’ll own up to each and every one of my advancing years!

Imagine my surprise when I opened this year's package only to find a block I’d given Barb a few years earlier. “Wait... What?” It took me a moment to realize she’d transformed it into this stunning quilt! 

The pattern is from Applique with Folded Cutwork by Anita Shackelford. Since I'd taken a workshop with her, I was eager to tackle something more advanced like a four block appliquéd wallhanging. Unfortunately, my hands got the better of me partway through the first block (MS), and I had to ask for help. Our friend, Kathy Smith, was kind enough to complete the block in time for me to send it to Barb for her birthday.

Notice Barb's use of echo quilting, a traditional Hawaiian technique that outlines the appliqué with concentric rows of stitching. Machine quilting with silk thread also adds a subtle elegance to the overall design.

On the back is a tribute to Barb's former stomping ground, New York City.

Thank you for this tremendous surprise Barb! I imagine it was as hard for you to part with as it originally was for me. The best gifts always are! ❤️

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!

Hi everyone. After a two year hiatus from this space, I bet you didn't expect to hear from me again! Somewhere along the line, I lost my mojo for blogging and wasn't sure it would return. 

In the meantime, I switched to genealogy, in particular, the collecting, restoring, and archiving of old family photos. While I was at it, I rejoined ancestry.com and developed several new branches of our family tree.

What I came to realize is how similar these two hobbies are. Each requires focus, attention to detail, photos, research, and telling a story to share with others. The problem is I don't have the energy for both, at least not at the same time.and preserving something for

A few friends have encouraged me to revive my blog and are even willing to help out. Since taking photos, my friend, Linda, has volunteered for the task. Sherry Simonetti will focus more on quilt portraits and glamor shots. I'm 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 still use the computer to reconnect with you.

It’s good to be back!

A Good Day

Any day spent with friends is a really good day!

Quilt friends, Sheila, Kathy and Mary.