February 15, 2025

Kitchen Party BOM - Blocks 1 and 2

The beginning of 2025 means the beginning of a new Block of the Month quilt in the Stash Artists membership. Here's the quilt we're making this year.
Stash Artists Kitchen Party BOM | DevotedQuilter.com
I drew a complete blank on naming it, so I asked members for suggestions. Michelle suggested Kitchen Party, saying, "If I was thinking about how to translate that wonderful experience of music and people and laughter and warmth into a visual representation, your quilt would be itπŸ₯³" I love that!

This BOM includes traditional piecing, paper piecing, and machine applique. We started off with that big applique block in the middle. Here's mine. I love how the colours all seem to glow against the rich purple background, which is Northcott's Majestic. All of the fabrics for my Kitchen Party quilt were generously provided by Northcott and are their COLORWORKS solids.
Kitchen Party BOM blocks | DevotedQuilter.com
All the pieces are fused in place, but I haven't stitched around them yet. I can't decide if I want to stitch around them now or wait and do it with the quilting. Whichever I decide to do, I'm going to need to get thread to match the medium pink and the purple.
Kitchen Party BOM blocks | DevotedQuilter.com
I do have the threads to match the lime green, the teal, the light pink, and the dark pink.
Kitchen Party BOM blocks | DevotedQuilter.com
February's block is a paper pieced one, and it has only two seams. It doesn't get much simpler than that!
Kitchen Party BOM blocks | DevotedQuilter.com
As always, I used freezer paper for my paper piecing and I made all eight blocks with just one template. I love that I can reuse templates with freezer paper! In fact, this is the same template I used to make the test block when I was figuring out what size the pieces needed to be cut for the pattern.
Kitchen Party BOM blocks | DevotedQuilter.com
Did you know I have an on-demand workshop teaching how to use freezer paper for paper piecing? This technique is a game-changer for paper piecing!

I've been keeping my Kitchen Party blocks on my design wall, but they're going to have to come down after this weekend. I'm working on the next Stash Artists pattern and need the design wall to figure out block placement. I'm looking forward to putting these back up when I make the March blocks, though!
Kitchen Party BOM blocks | DevotedQuilter.com
Before you go, did you know registration is open for the 2025 QAL and Devotional Journey? This year it's called Roman Adventure and it starts on March 5th. You can get all the details in this post.

February 10, 2025

A Reminder

Devotion for the week...

How's your memory? I often joke that mine is like a sieve πŸ˜‚ If something isn't written down in my planner, there's a good chance I'm going to forget about it. I know I'm not alone in this. Paul has been known to go to school without his coffee, even though the travel mug is right there by the door where he puts his shoes on, and I have a friend who makes notes in her phone constantly so she'll remember things she needs to do.

It seems Peter had encountered people with the same problem in his day. He wrote, "Therefore, I will always remind you about these things—even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught" (2 Peter 1:12). The things he was referring to were the foundational truths of the faith, which he had already shared in the earlier part of his letter; things like "By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires" (vv. 3-4).

Peter was writing to believers, to people who already knew all of this, but he recognized the importance of repeating the truth, of reminding people again and again of what they believe. Sure, they (and we) already know it, but hearing it again can't hurt. In fact, there are two benefits to reminding ourselves and each other of the truths we believe.

First, the reminder brings the truth to the forefront of our minds again. We may know God has given us everything we need for living a hold life, but have we thought about that recently? Have we let ourselves dwell on it and rely on it? Or have we been struggling along trying to do everything in our own strength?
Reminders help the truth settle into our minds a little deeper | DevotedQuilter.com
Second, the reminder helps the truth settle into our minds a little deeper. If you've heard something once, you may remember it for a little while, but if you've heard it a hundred times you're more likely to remember it forever. Just think about how often we sing the alphabet song with kids to help them remember their letters, or how often you repeat 'righty-tighty, lefty-loosey' to yourself. Repetition works!

Going to church, reading our Bibles, and listening to Christian music are all ways to continually be reminded to the things we believe. I hope these devotions serve as reminders, too!

February 05, 2025

Roman Adventure Registration Open!

This is my fifth year hosting a QAL and devotional journey in the days leading up to Easter. It's one of my favourite parts of the year! I love planning it, I love preparing it, and I especially love sharing it with everyone who joins me, so I'm excited to open registration for Roman Adventure today. Stash Artists members, login to your account for a discount code!
Roman Adventure QAL and Devotional Journey | DevotedQuilter.com

What is the QAL and Devotional Journey?


There are two parts to this annual event. We make a quilt together and we have 40 daily devotions that are delivered straight to your inbox. The fun starts on March 5th (Ash Wednesday) and runs until April 19th (the Saturday before Easter Sunday).

"A meditative journey in Bible readings and quilting that resonates with me all year long!" - Michelle E. about the 2024 Moments with Jesus QAL and Devotional Journey.

The Quilt


This year's quilt is called The Fountain. I love how it turned out! Yes, it's just a quilt top...if you've been around here for a while, you'll know that's a trend for these QAL quilts. Oops! I have to admit, though, I love the stained glass look of the blocks in the picture.
Roman Adventure QAL and Devotional Journey | DevotedQuilter.com
In September I was at our provincial women's retreat when we sang the song Made for More, by Josh Baldwin. I already knew and loved the song, but for some reason that night the line "Why would I make a bed in my shame when a fountain of grace is running my way?" really struck me. In my head I could see a quilt block of a fountain with hearts spraying out of it, to represent the love and grace of our God. Then, a few weeks later, I realized that a fountain quilt would fit nicely with a Romans-themed devotional journey and I was off and running for this design 😊 I hope you love it as much as I do.
Roman Adventure QAL and Devotional Journey | DevotedQuilter.com
The Fountain is a mix of machine applique (or you could do hand applique, if that's what you prefer), traditional piecing, and paper piecing. If you've never done machine applique or paper piecing, don't worry! I have video tutorials showing you both techniques, so you could add a new skill or two to your quilting toolbox.

The Fountain makes a 72" square quilt, which is a generous throw size, perfect for sharing with someone special. There's lots of negative space, too, for some fun quilting.
Roman Adventure QAL and Devotional Journey | DevotedQuilter.com
The QAL is a relaxed one, with plenty of time to make the blocks and to get the quilt top assembled before Easter. We all know life happens, so I try to make sure these QALs have a slow pace so everyone can keep up.

Once you register, you'll receive an email with the fabric requirements and cutting instructions. You'll have plenty of time to shop your stash or visit your favourite quilt shop to pick out your fabrics before our March 5th start. Then you can choose if you want to cut everything ahead of time, or wait and cut for each block as you go. The cutting instructions are labeled so you can easily tell which cuts are for which blocks.
Roman Adventure QAL and Devotional Journey | DevotedQuilter.com

The Devotional Journey


Let's spend a few weeks immersed in Paul's letter to the Roman believers! There's so much packed into this 16 chapter letter. Over the 40 daily devotions, we'll consider things like where we seek praise, trouble in this life, and our love for others. It's my prayer that you'll be encouraged, challenged, and strengthened in your faith as we get ready to celebrate Easter.
Roman Adventure QAL and Devotional Journey | DevotedQuilter.com

"The devotional journeys each day by Leanne were brilliant and I would recommend them to anyone, thank you for sharing your talents with us Leanne." - Paula B on the 2024 Moments with Jesus Devotional Journey

No time for another QAL?


I get it. You might already have a few QALs on the go and there's only so much time. If you don't have time for another QAL in your life, but you're still interested in the devotional journey through Romans, then you can join us for the daily devotions only! You'll receive the same 40 devotions delivered straight to your inbox, with no need to feel guilty about a QAL you know you won't be able to manage.


I hope you'll join me for a Roman Adventure!