Shields Up!

Devotion for the week...

I've said for years that my mind makes the oddest connections between things in my everyday life and the Bible. This week's devotion is the perfect example of that! To set the scene, you should know that I love reading fantasy books. They've been my favourite since I read The Sword of Shannara, by Terry Brooks, when I was in grade 7, and they make up probably 2/3 of what I read now. A lot of fantasy revolves around the battle between good and evil, often set in an era where the fighting is done with swords, daggers, and bows and arrows. Last week I read the Ember in the Ashes series, by Sabaa Tahir (highly recommend everything by her!).

Also last week, I read the section in Ephesians on the armor of God:

Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:10-17).

I got as far as 'hold up the shield of faith' and in my mind I was instantly in a scene from my book, where Helene and her group of soldiers were about to be attacked by a force of enemy archers who appeared on a ridge above them, and Helene shouted out, "Shields up!" Sitting there in my kitchen, I could almost hear the flurry of movement as the soldiers raised their shields so the arrows would sink into the wood rather than into their bodies.

Then I looked more closely at the verse. Do you see what serves as our shield? It's not the Bible, or God's love, or even His strength. It is our faith that will stop the fiery arrows of the devil.

Why, I wondered? Why would our protection from the enemy's arrows hinge on our faith? As I thought about it, though, I realized it makes perfect sense.

Without faith, we don't believe that God loves us, so we believe the lie that we are unlovable. 

Without faith, we don't believe Jesus died for us, so we believe the lie that our sins are unforgiveable.

Without faith, we don't believe God has a purpose for us, so we believe the lie that we are useless.

Without faith, we are wide open to his lies and they sink into our minds just like a physical arrow can pierce a body. 

It is our belief in God, in His salvation, and in His love for us that is the shield we raise to stop the lies our enemy shoots at us. It is our faith that catches those fiery arrows before they can hurt us.

Do you feel like your faith is weak, like maybe it isn't thick enough to stop those arrows? That's okay. Mark records the story of a father who brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus. The father said to Jesus, "Have mercy on us and help us, if you can" (Mark 9:22). You can hear his doubt in that 'if you can,' can't you? He wanted to believe Jesus could save his son, but it felt unbelievable.

"What do you mean, 'If I can'?' Jesus asked. 'Anything is possible if a person believes'" (v. 23).

Confronted with the possibility that Jesus could help his son, but only if he believed, this desperate father didn't lie about his faith. Instead, he cried out for more faith. "I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!" (v. 24). When the enemy's arrows threaten to find their way past our shield, we, too, can cry out to God to strengthen our faith. 

And next time we feel tempted to believe a lie, we can remember, "Shields up!" and counter the lie with our faith in the truth.

TGIFF - Prairie Points Pinwheel Pattern Release

Welcome back for another TGIFF party! I don't have a finished quilt to share this week, but I do have a finally-finished new pattern I can share 😊

A couple of years ago, I was a guest blogger on Amy Smart's Diary of a Quilter blog, and I shared the free pattern for a Prairie Points Pinwheel baby quilt. Ever since then, I've wanted to expand the pattern to include other sizes and get it put in my shop. Thanks to an abundance of time working on my computer last week, I can finally say it's done!

Prairie Points Pinwheel adds some 3D pizzaz by using prairie points for the pinwheels (did you figure that out??), which gives the quilt such a different look! Can't you see some toddler or child playing with those floppy pinwheels (or adult, let's be honest)?

In addition to the baby size I made, the pattern includes instructions to make a mini quilt and a throw quilt. I kind of want to make myself a throw size now. Not that I need another throw quilt, but you understand I'm sure.

If you've never made prairie points before, you might think they're complicated, but they're not at all. It only takes a couple of folds to get a prairie point ready to sew into your block. In fact, it's probably faster to make a pinwheel with prairie points than with HSTs!

Prairie Points Pinwheel uses fat eighths, or you can use fat quarters or scraps. Add yardage for the background and you're ready to start making some 3D pinwheels!

I had a bit of fun playing with other colour choices for a Prairie Points Pinwheel baby quilt. Rainbow would be fun.

Or maybe black, grey, and pink.

Or maybe an ombre look. Of course I tried the ombre look with blues!

You can get the Prairie Points Pinwheel pattern in my shop! Will you make the mini, baby, or throw size first?

That's my finally-finished project for this week. What's yours? Link it up below, then be sure to visit some of the other links to celebrate their finishes, too.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

How to Sew Bulky Seams With a Hump Jumper

I have a quick tip post today, featuring a little tool you may already own and, if you're like I was, you have no idea what it is or what it's for! Allow me to introduce you to the hump jumper, also known as a seam jumper.

Did one come with your sewing machine? One was included with the various notions with my Janome 6700, but I had no idea what it was, so it sat in the box untouched for years. I can't remember where I finally discovered its use, but now it is one of my favourite things and I hope you'll find it useful, too. If you don't have one, you can buy one or just fold a piece of cardboard to achieve the same effect.

A hump jumper is designed to help your sewing machine deal with thick seams by raising the back of the presser foot so the foot is level. I've been using it this week while sewing the blocks for a Burst quilt top, and I snapped a couple of pictures to show you how it works. First, here's the thick seam at the corner where I need to start sewing.

As you can see, there are quite a few layers there, and my sewing machine struggles to start pulling it through without a bit of help. To give it that help, I place the hump jumper behind the needle and lower the presser foot onto it, with my blocks right in front of the needle, ready to be sewn. The hump jumper has two ends, one thick and one thin, so choose whichever one matches the thickness of your seam best. I'm using the thinner end for these blocks.

Then I just start sewing. The feed dogs move the hump jumper back as they pull the fabric through; you don't have to move it out of the way. The front of the presser foot isn't pressing onto the blocks quite as hard as usual, so you'll want to pay extra attention to keeping the block straight, but other than that, just sew as normal.

After a few seconds, the hump jumper will be pushed out from under the presser foot and will likely fall off the back of your sewing machine. Try not to jump when that happens 😂 I definitely jumped the first few times, startled by the sound of it hitting the table behind the machine.

The hump jumper works just as well if the bulky part is in the middle of the seam. Just stop before you get to it, raise the presser foot to put the hump jumper behind the needle, and keep sewing the seam.

That's all there is to it! The hump jumper is a nifty little notion, and I'm glad I learned how to use it 😊Is the hump jumper new to you?