December 29, 2023

My First Quilt with Hilary Jordan

Can you believe it's the last Friday of December and of 2023? The year sure has flown by! Since it's the last Friday of the month, that means I get to share another My First Quilt interview with you 😊 Today's interview is with Hilary Jordan, of By Hilary Jordan. Hilary is a quilter, quilt pattern designer, cross stitcher, Youtuber, and more.
My First Quilt interview with Hilary Jordan | DevotedQuilter.com
You can connect with Hilary on her website, on X, on Instagram, Pinterest, Youtube, Tiktok and, Facebook.

And now, here is Hilary's first quilt! Don't you love a good recycled denim quilt?
My First Quilt interview with Hilary Jordan | DevotedQuilter.com

What year did you make your first quilt? What prompted you to make it?


I made my first quilt back in 2008, I don't remember exactly why I wanted to make the quilt but I know I wanted to make it as a gift for my Dad. My Granny Opal was a quilter but she passed away in the Fall of 2006 before I got into quilting. At that time I had been sewing on and off for about 4-5 years, but I mainly made little crafty projects or garments. 

What techniques were used in that first quilt? Did you quilt it yourself?


My first quilt was a blue jean quilt made from old jeans, plus some denim I bought at the fabric store because I ran out of jeans. I remember making a template out of cardboard to cut out some of the pieces and all the pieces were cut with scissors. I didn't even know what a rotary cutter was at that point in time. The quilt just had basic piecing and I quilted it myself on my tiny Brother sewing machine. I think the throat space was only 5 inches or so and I outlined each block at 1/4". Trying to force it through that little machine was a workout. I made my life even harder by using a high loft polyester batting in it too.

Who taught you to make the quilt?


No one, I followed the pattern from a magazine, read a few sewing/quilting forums, and kind of made it up as I went. This was the time before the convenience of YouTube. I was in college at the time so I didn't really have anyone to show me what to do. My Granny Opal was a quilter and it was something I always wish I could have learned from her, but she passed away in 2006.

Are the colours you chose for your first quilt ones you would still choose today?


Probably. The quilt was made from recycled blue jeans, and I actually have a blue jean quilt top sitting waiting for me to quilt it. I love the idea of using reclaimed textiles in quilts and I want to try and do it more. My Granny Opal (If you can't tell she's my quilty inspiration 😇) made many of her quilts out of old shirts and dresses, and 9 times out of 10 the quilt back on a quilt was an old sheet. 

Did you fall in love with quilting right away? Or was there a gap between making the first quilt and the next one?


There was a bit of a gap between my first quilt and the next one. Since I was in college at the time, crafty endeavors happened sporadically. Especially when I did a semester away for the Disney College Program in the Fall of 2009.When I moved into an apartment my senior year I did make a little Halloween table topper. It wasn't until I was pregnant with my oldest son William a couple years later that the quilting bug really bit. 

Where is the quilt now?


My Dad still has the quilt since it was a gift for him, and he uses it all the time. He and my Mom are retired and travel around in their RV part of the year, as you can imagine space is limited when they're on the road, but the quilt is always along for the ride. 

Is there anything you wish you could go back and tell yourself as you made that first quilt?


No. I'm really thankful that I jumped into sewing and quilting at such a young age. I started sewing at like 13/14 and I made this quilt when I was 19. There was this freeing mindset that I just wanted to make, I didn't have any preconceived notions about how it should look, or if there was a right or a wrong way to do something. There was just the determination and excitement to do it. I honestly only tell myself to take more pictures of the process. 😆

Anything else you want to share about your first quilt?


I really wish I had more photos from when I was making this quilt, back then I posted it on a site called Craftster.org but it has since shut down. I have one photo from back then before I gifted it to my Dad, and thankfully my Dad sent me this adorable one of him with the quilt a couple years ago. 
My First Quilt interview with Hilary Jordan | DevotedQuilter.com

Thanks for sharing the story of your first quilt with us, Hilary! I especially love that your Dad still takes his quilt on his travels ❤

December 24, 2023

Advent 2023 - Love

Devotion for the week...

I'm posting this week's devotion a day early, so it actually falls within Advent, rather than on Christmas Day. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas!

It's the fourth week of Advent! For this Advent season, I'm sharing devotions first published in 2017. So far we've looked at hopepeace, and joy. Today we'll take a look at love.

____________________

When we love someone, we often sacrifice things for that person. Maybe we sacrifice time doing something we want to do in order to do something they want to do. Or maybe we don't buy something we want because we need that money in order to buy something they need or want.

If you are a parent, you understand this concept of sacrifice quite well. For our kids we give up everything from nights of unbroken sleep to the keys to the car, depending on the age of our kids. We give up hours and hours of our time to help with homework or taxi them to the places they want to go. We buy them new jeans every couple of months because their legs just.won't.stop.growing and we can't have them walking around with their ankles showing.

Now, just for a moment, think about what Jesus sacrificed in order to be born in Bethlehem. Paul wrote, "In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness" (Philippians 2:5-7). Think about this for a moment: Jesus was not limited by a human body until he came to earth for us.

Imagine what it would be like to never be limited by fatigue, hunger, thirst, pain or sickness. That is just part of what Jesus gave up to come here.

I have been sick with a head cold all this past week. It has been driving me crazy because there are so many things I want or need to do, but I just haven't had the energy to do much. Then it hit me: Jesus probably suffered head colds while He was here.

We don't often think about Him putting up with the problems caused by sickness, but I can't see how He would have avoided it for all of His 33 years.

Sure, a head cold is a small thing to put up with. But Jesus left heaven, where there is no sickness, pain, death or crying, and came here to earth where He had to deal with all of those things.

Why?

Because He loves us.
Jesus loves you enough to give up all of heaven so He could come and save you | DevotedQuilter.com
So in your worst moments, when you feel lonely or like no one cares, know this: Jesus loves you. He loves you enough to have given up all of heaven and to have taken on all the infirmities of these human bodies, just so He could come and save you.

That is the true reason for this Christmas season!

December 21, 2023

2024 Goal Planning

It's that time of year again...time to look back to see how I did on my 2023 goals and look ahead to what I want to do in 2024. Yvonne, at Quilting Jetgirl, is holding her annual planning party again this year, so you can write a post of your own and link it up there. The extra accountability of sharing goals publicly really helps with motivation!
2024 Quilting Planning Party
So, how did I do on my 2023 goals?

1. Keep making small quilts


In my mid-year review at the end of June, I said I had made 5 quilts that were baby size or smaller. Since then, I've made another 9 small quilts, for a total of 14 small quilts this year! Woo hoo! I think my two Merry Mini quilts might be my favourites of them all.
Merry Mini quilt pattern | DevotedQuilter.com

2. Make new placemats


Oops. I still haven't done this.

3. Learn to sew pants


Nope. In fact, I don't think I made any clothes at all this year.

4. Release 4 new patterns


Close! I added three new patterns to my shop this year. They were the Merry Mini pattern, plus Scrappy Playground
Scrappy Playground quilt pattern | DevotedQuilter.com
Illusion quilt pattern | DevotedQuilter.com

5. Women of Wisdom Easter QAL


Yes, and it was one of the highlights of my year! I love connecting with you over a quilt and devotions as we get ready to celebrate Easter.
Women of Wisdom QAL | DevotedQuilter.com

6. WIPS-B-GONE 2023


Yes! We wrapped up the third annual challenge at the end of November. There were soooo many great finishes again this year! I had three finishes, one of which I still haven't blogged. The other two were my Proverbs 31 mini and my Tilted Flowers baby quilt.
Tilted Flowers quilt pattern | DevotedQuilter.com

7. A secret project


The secret is out, and the Stash Artists membership opened its doors for the first time in June! Sewing over Zoom with members has been wonderful, and I've shared four stash-friendly patterns in the membership so far, including Scraps Take Flight. If you'd like to be notified when the Stash Artists doors are open again, join the waitlist here now.
Scraps Take Flight quilt pattern | DevotedQuilter.com

Overall, I'm very happy with how I did on my goals this year. Of course, I'm always thinking about the next quilts I want to make, so I have no shortage of things planned for 2024. Here are the goals I'm setting for the coming year.

1. Keep making small quilts


Using up those smaller scraps of batting feels great, plus small quilts are fun to make. Maybe a set of placemats will finally make an appearance, too.

2. Sew some clothes


I love wearing the clothes I've made, but some of them are starting to look worn, so it's definitely time to make new ones! I have the patterns and the fabric, I just have to pause the quilt making sometimes to make the switch to garment sewing. As a bonus, making clothes is much faster than making quilts. Well, that's true once I get the fit right at least. I'm not setting any specific goals for what I'll make, just that I will make clothes throughout the year. Will I attempt making pants? Your guess is as good as mine 😂

3. Moments with Jesus Easter QAL


Of course there will be a 2024 Easter QAL! The quilt is designed, and I'm planning to make the test version over the Christmas break. This year the devotions will focus on the stories of people who interacted with Jesus, and what their moments with Him then can teach us about our moments with Him now. Join the waitlist now to be sure you don't miss it when registration opens in mid-January! Here's a sneak peek at part of the quilt design.
Easter 2024 QAL sneak peek | DevotedQuilter.com

4. All things Stash Artists


In 2024 there will be 6 new Stash Artists patterns (the first one is almost ready for its January 1st release!) and 6 Sew Together Sessions. I can't wait to spend the year sewing with members and making scrappy quilts together! Here's a little sneak peek at the January pattern, Blooming Beautiful, and yes, I did use all those threads - and more! Remember, you can join the waitlist so you don't miss it when the doors are open next.
Sneak peek at Blooming Beautiful quilt pattern | DevotedQuilter.com

5. WIPS-B-GONE 2024


This is just a given at this point. I love connecting with the people who participate in the challenge, and I love putting the focus on my own WIPS for two months.


6. Finish my Hexie Rainbow top


I started my Hexie Rainbow in 2016, and here's what it looks like right now. It's about 63" wide and 71" long.
Hexie Rainbow quilt progress | DevotedQuilter.com
The bottom right corner is finished, and I'm working on squaring up the bottom left corner. There are still hundreds of hexies to go, but I think it's within the realm of possibility that I'll have the top finished in 2024. Then I have to decide if I'm doing big stitch hand quilting or machine quilting. Right now I'm most tempted by the hand quilting, but we'll see what I'm tempted by when I actually get to that point.

7. Regular workouts and 300,000 steps a month


I definitely feel better when I move more, so I'm making that an official goal for 2024. I've been trying to get 300,000 steps a month for a few years (an average of 10,000 a day), but not hitting it as often as I would like in 2022 and 2023. Time to step up the commitment (see what I did there? 😉😅). As for the workouts, I've been enjoying Yoga with Adriene and Nourish Move Love's strength training workouts, both on Youtube. For 2024, I want to do 2-3 Youtube workouts per week, and since they're usually 20-30 minutes each, that should be doable. With the walking that will be needed to reach 300,000 steps a month, that will have me enjoying some kind of physical activity most days.


One thing's for sure: I won't be bored in 2024! What are you hoping to accomplish in the next year? Do you set goals, or do you just follow your interests in the moment?

December 18, 2023

Advent 2023 - Joy

Devotion for the week...

It's the third week of Advent! For this Advent season, I'm sharing devotions first published in 2017. So far we've looked at hope  and peace.

______________________

Today we are looking at the joy we have because of Jesus.

I want to start by saying that joy is not the same as being happy all the time. No one can be happy all the time. There are seasons of grief and trouble in life and there is no way to avoid them, as much as we would like to. Joy sits deeper than happiness, below our circumstances and it isn't affected by what is going on around us.

When I was thinking about what to write for today, I kept thinking about the old hymn "It Is Well With My Soul." The first verse says:

"When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

The part that really resonates with me is "Whatever my lot." Whatever comes my way in life, whether it is good or bad, it is always well with my soul. 

Why is it well with my soul through everything? Because of Jesus! Because of His sacrifice for my sins, I know that, no matter what happens to me, God's grace covers me and I will spend eternity in heaven with Him.

That is the source of our joy. Even when we're grieving the loss of a loved one, or dealing with a diagnosis that has us reeling, we can know that we are secure in Jesus. That doesn't mean we won't cry in our grief, and it doesn't mean the diagnosis won't scare us, but it does mean that even in the midst of those things we can have joy.

Independent of our circumstances, our joy comes from Jesus. This is really important for us to understand. If we only associate joy with being happy, then we'll assume we can only have joy when things are going our way. But if joy is something deeper, if it is caused by the security we have spiritually because of Jesus, then our joy can be our strength through those hard seasons.

When the angel appeared to the shepherds, he said, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord" (Luke 2:10-11). 
We have joy through Jesus because it is well with our souls | DevotedQuilter.com
The news didn't cause great joy for all the people because their circumstances were suddenly and forever made perfect so they'd never have trouble again in their lives. Not even close. The angel proclaimed great joy for all the people because of the birth of Jesus. Because He had come into the world to bring us back into relationship with God and set us free from sin.

Whatever our circumstances this Advent season, we have joy through Jesus because it is well with our souls.

December 17, 2023

Tilted Flowers Baby Quilt Finished

I finished my Tilted Flowers baby quilt during WIPS-B-GONE, and even took pictures within days of finishing, but then I forgot to write a post to share the finish. Better late than never, though, right? 
Tilted Flowers quilt pattern | DevotedQuilter.com
I made the Tilted Flowers top in July 2022 as part of the Summer Scrap Elimination. The free pattern is available here, so you can make one, too. I don't remember why I set the top aside rather than finishing it, but it became part of the (rather large) pile of tops waiting their turn for quilting. That made it a perfect candidate for a WIPS-B-GONE finish.
Tilted Flowers quilt pattern | DevotedQuilter.com
Getting pictures of the whole quilt was a challenge the day we took it out. In the sun, the quilting creates shadows and makes the fabrics hard to see. In the shade, everything was too dark. There was no in-between. Here's an indoor shot that shows the colours pretty well.
Tilted Flowers quilt pattern | DevotedQuilter.com
I quilted it with a fun flower design, which creates great texture because of the different size spaces created by the quilting lines. I've been having fun lately using threads that don't blend, so I chose Aurifil 2720 (Light Delft Blue).
Tilted Flowers quilt pattern | DevotedQuilter.com
Flower free motion quilting | DevotedQuilter.com
Flower free motion quilting | DevotedQuilter.com
The sun really shows off the quilting here!
Tilted Flowers quilt back | DevotedQuilter.com
I had enough medium grey for the backing and the binding. I've been doing machine binding since 2017, and I always stitch the binding onto the back first, then the front. I have a tutorial for how I do my binding, if you want to see all the details. I obviously wasn't paying attention when I started stitching this binding on, as I stitched it to the front first, which meant I had to hand stitch it to the back. I quite enjoyed the process, but it sure takes longer than doing it my usual way!

I still have one other WIPS-B-GONE finish to post. but I haven't even taken pictures of that one, yet. Maybe I'll get to that over the Christmas break. If not, it'll be ready and waiting for a January post!

December 11, 2023

Advent 2023 - Peace

Devotion for the week...

It's the second week of Advent! For this Advent season, I'm sharing devotions first published in 2017. Last week the focus was hope, and this week it is peace.

____________________

I've read a lot of references lately to something known as "imposter syndrome." Have you heard of it? Basically, it's the feeling that you don't actually know what you're doing in your work, accompanied by a fear of being exposed as a fraud. What I find interesting is that everyone seems to have it to some degree, even people who are wildly successful in their fields.

Imposter syndrome often manifests itself as that little voice in your head that says, "You're not good enough." There are lots of variations of what the voice actually says, but they all boil down to the same thing - you're not good enough. And with that thought comes the fear that people would laugh at you or turn against you if they knew the truth about you.

We Christians have our own, slightly different, version of imposter syndrome. Instead of feeling like we're not good enough in our work, Christians may feel inadequate because of our sins.

Whether it is sin that happened before we accepted Jesus as Savior, or sin that happened after, those memories stick in our minds and play over and over, reminding us of how we do not measure up to God's standard of perfection.

Those thoughts rob us of the peace Jesus promised us. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid" (John 14:27).

If our minds are constantly focused on the things we've done wrong, even after we've asked for forgiveness for those things, then we have no peace in our own minds. If that is you, look at this: "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death" (Romans 8:1,2).

No condemnation! None. God is not sitting in Heaven, shaking His finger in anger at us for the things we have done in the past. In fact, once we have asked for forgiveness, those sins are gone and He does not ever hold them against us again. Isn't that an amazing thought?

Jesus came to earth as the baby we celebrate at Christmas so that we could escape the condemnation of sin. Because He came, and because He died for our sins, we are no longer condemned by God for the sins we have committed.
Because of Jesus, we are set free | DevotedQuilter.com
That fact is the perfect shut-down for the voice that tries to rob us of our peace by reminding us of our sin. We do not stand condemned. Because of Jesus, we are set free. What peace that will bring to our minds!

December 07, 2023

Merry Mini Pattern Release

I had no intentions of releasing a Christmas pattern this year. If I had intended to, I would have done it months ago, rather than in the middle of December! Lack of intentions aside, I'm excited to introduce you to the Merry Mini pattern today 😊 
Merry Mini quilt pattern | DevotedQuilter.com
I've been making ornaments for my grandmother for Christmas for years. This fall, though, she moved into a care facility so she won't be setting up a tree anymore. Since ornaments are out, I decided to make her a mini quilt to hang on the door to her room. Then once I had it designed, I thought maybe you'd like to have the pattern for this quick Merry Mini, too, so here we are with a mid-December pattern release. Head to my shop to download the PDF Merry Mini pattern. Stash Artists members, I've added Merry Mini to the membership as a bonus pattern, so login to your account to download it.

Merry Mini stitches up pretty quickly, so you may even have time to make one before this Christmas. If not, you can be well prepared for next year!

The part that takes the longest is the hand embroidery for 'Merry Christmas,' but even that doesn't take very long. I did chain stitch with three strands of embroidery floss for mine, which creates a nice thick line. You could also use Aurifil 12 wt thread (which I planned to do until I realized I don't have red) or perle cotton. If you don't want to do chain stitch, you could do backstitch or stem stitch instead.
Merry Mini quilt pattern | DevotedQuilter.com
The trees are a combination of strip piecing (no, you don't have to deal with tiny brown squares for the trunks!) and paper piecing. As always, I recommend using freezer paper for the paper piecing because who has time to be ripping off the paper at the end? Even if it is only two seams, I still prefer just peeling off the freezer paper when the block is done, rather than carefully removing regular paper.

I was ready to start quilting this while my Janome was down, so all the brown, red, and green parts were quilted on my Kenmore. Thankfully the quilt is small, so the smaller throat space wasn't an issue. I started quilting the background on the Kenmore, too, then switched back to my Janome once it was fixed last Friday. I'm thrilled to have my Janome functional again (it just needed a small adjustment and a new bobbin holder), but the little Kenmore did a fine job filling in.

I quilted swooping lines to imitate garland in the trees, with back and forth lines in the trunks. The squares got swooping lines, too, from corner to corner. It's the same as the continuous curve quilting, except I did one square at a time since they're not connected.
Merry Mini quilt pattern | DevotedQuilter.com
Then I had fun stitching a snowflake meander in the background, leaving an organic space unquilted around the embroidery.
Merry Mini quilt pattern | DevotedQuilter.com
All of that looks so good on the solid red backing fabric, especially the white snowflake meander!
free motion quilting on the Merry Mini quilt | DevotedQuilter.com
This tone-on-tone red crosshatch print that I've had for a while is perfect as the binding and of course I added one of my labels.
Merry Mini quilt binding and label | DevotedQuilter.com
I actually made two Merry Minis at the same time. One will soon be in the mail to my grandmother and the other is for my book club gift exchange. I took advantage of a bit of time this afternoon to get pictures, but the quilts both still need their hanging tabs. I made them this evening following this tutorial, so now they're ready to be attached with a bit of hand stitching. Then the quilts can be hung from a nail or Command Hook with a dowel and a bit of ribbon.
Merry Mini quilt pattern | DevotedQuilter.com
If you want to make your own Merry Mini, the PDF pattern is in my shop now. Printed patterns will come sometime in the new year.

In my head, this little mini is just the first of a series I could make for Nanny to decorate her door to go with the seasons. Will the others move from my head into fabric form? I don't know yet, but I hope they will. In the meantime, I'm really happy with how Merry Mini turned out, and I'm excited to have the pattern out in the world, too.

December 04, 2023

Advent 2023 - Hope

It's the first week of Advent! We decorated for Christmas over the weekend, and now I'm writing this with the lights of the tree shining next to me. I love doing anything by the light of the tree!

For Advent this year, I'm sharing devotions I first shared in 2017. Sometimes it makes more sense to repost something than to try and reinvent the wheel. I hope you enjoy this examination of hope, peace, joy, and love over the next few weeks.

_______________________

Like so many others, I love this time of year. I love the decorations, the tree, the food and the music. More than anything, though, I love the reason we celebrate.

"For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).

Jesus came as a baby, born into this world to bring hope to a people who were completely hopeless. I'm not talking about the Jewish people, though they were hopeless under Roman rule at the time. Instead, I'm talking about the entire human race.

We are, after all, one people. Though we've divided ourselves according to religious difference and national borders, we are really one people and Jesus came to rescue us all.

I've been thinking about it like this: one of the little girls I babysit is named Edie. She's 18 months old and she loves to sit at my kitchen table and play. Sometimes, she wants to play with our Little People barn or one of our big Tonka trucks, but they're too big for her to get onto the table herself. She picks it up and tries to get it that high, but she can't do it, and by that point she's in such an awkward position that she can't put it down either.

That's when she starts calling out for me. "Help, help, help, help," she'll yell over and over until I come and take the toy from her and set it on the table.

We were like Edie. We had a burden too heavy for us to lift and impossible to put down. That burden, of course, was sin. Romans 3:23 says, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." All. There is no one who can say they have never sinned, except Jesus. That's what makes it possible for Him to remove that burden of sin from us and set us free. Verse 24 goes on to say, "and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."
Jesus came into this world to bring hope to a people who were completely hopeless | DevotedQuilter.com
That is the hope that came to us as a people when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. That is the hope still offered to so many who are struggling in their sin, not knowing or not willing to accept that Jesus came to take their burden.

Without Jesus the entire human race was hopeless, without a way to escape from sin. But with Jesus? What hope we have!

December 01, 2023

Formal Garden in Morris Mist Fabrics

Welcome to my stop on the Morris Mist blog hop! Morris Mist is Sherry Shish's new signature line with Island Batik and the colours are so pretty! The purples, especially, are so rich. I decided to make a Formal Garden baby quilt and I love how it turned out! The Formal Garden pattern is available in my shop.
Formal Garden quilt | DevotedQuilter.com
The 3 year old I'm looking after this year loves purple, so all while I worked on these blocks, I kept thinking of her saying multiple times every day, "Purple is my favourite colour of the rainbow!" You have to say that with as much enthusiasm as possible, to really get the full effect.
Formal Garden quilt | DevotedQuilter.com
In the pattern, I included notes for cutting directional fabrics, so you can keep them properly lined up in the blocks. I appreciated that this time around, since it meant I didn't have to do any extra thinking for the couple of directional prints in the Morris Mist line.
Formal Garden quilt | DevotedQuilter.com
Formal Garden blocks stitch up quickly, especially when you're only making enough for a baby quilt. Once the top was put together, I stitched some of my off-cut scraps of Warm and Natural batting together, and pieced the back. I've had this purple for years. It was almost big enough, so I just cut it and inserted a strip of one of the Morris Mist fabrics to make it fit.
Formal Garden quilt | DevotedQuilter.com
Shortly after I started the quilting, I had a mishap with my Janome 6700. The bobbin holder (the black plastic piece the bobbin sits in) spun a quarter circle counter-clockwise while I was quilting! Everything seized up with a horrible thunking noise, as I'm sure you can imagine. This is what it looked like when I opened it up. If you look closely at the black plastic, just under the metal bar on the right, you can just see a tiny red spot that should be lined up with the red arrow on the metal piece right in front. 
Bobbin mishap | DevotedQuilter.com
When I took the bobbin holder out, there was a gouge in it where the needle had struck it, plus another spot that was roughed up. My husband took it and smoothed them out as best he could, but when I tried to sew again the bobbin holder bounced like crazy. I wanted to cry.

The next day I called the shop where I bought it, only to be told they weren't servicing machines for a couple of weeks. Ugh, that's not what I wanted to hear! Thankfully, I still have my old Kenmore machine, so we pulled that out and cleaned it up to use while I wait. My Sew Steady extension table was brought out of retirement, too.

The Kenmore works fine, but I sure do miss the Janome's throat space! I also miss the stop/start button. My ankle and calf get sore when I sew with the foot pedal for any length of time, so I've been using the button on the Janome for a couple of years. I even use it when free motion quilting, so I never use the foot pedal anymore. Adjusting to using the pedal again took a bit of time, and I keep trying to push a button to stop, except there's no button to push!

Despite the machine woes, the swirl hook quilting was fun to do and looks just the same as it would if it was all done on the Janome. I did have to concentrate so I wouldn't quilt smaller and smaller and smaller as I went, though, because of the smaller throat space. But this is a great reminder that you don't need an expensive machine to do pretty free motion quilting. And just look at that texture!
Pieced quilt back | DevotedQuilter.com
I love quilting a motif in different sizes on the same quilt. Some of the swirl hooks are big, others are small, and I love the extra interest the variation adds. Plus I don't have to worry about keeping them consistent if I'm varying them on purpose.

I used Aurifil 2540 (medium lavender) for the quilting. The lovely lavender shade mostly blends in, except on the white and the backing.
Formal Garden quilt | DevotedQuilter.com
I cut up what was left of four of the fat quarters for the binding. I may have been a little overzealous when I pieced the binding. No worries, all this extra just went into the binding scraps box, which was getting a little low anyway 😄
Leftover scrappy binding | DevotedQuilter.com

Formal Garden quilt | DevotedQuilter.com
Get the Formal Garden pattern in my shop to make your own baby quilt, or throw, or queen size quilt.

One side benefit of the renovations Paul did in our dining room this summer? I now have a pretty spot for indoor quilt pictures! Good thing, too, because the weather hasn't been great for quilt photography since I finished this one. I may have done a little happy dance when I saw how well this picture turned out.
Formal Garden quilt | DevotedQuilter.com
Lots of quilting friends are playing with the Morris Mist fabrics, so be sure to hop around and take a peek at them all.

December 1 - Sherry @ Powered By Quilting
December 1 - Leanne @ Devoted Quilter (you are here!)
December 2 - Brianna @ Sew Cute and Quirky
December 3 - Jen @ Dizzy Quilter
December 4 - Kate @ Katie Mae Quilts
December 5 - Sally and Sally @ Sallys' Sewing Circle
December 6 - Tammy @ Tamarinis
December 7 - Kathryn @ Dragonfly's Quilting Design Studio
December 8 - Anja @ Anja Quilts
December 8 - Sherry @ Powered By Quilting

November 27, 2023

Gift Giving

Devotion for the week...

It's that time of year again...you're probably either braving the mall, spending a lot of time online shopping, or sewing frantically. Or maybe you're doing all three! While my husband does a lot of our Christmas shopping (yes, I do appreciate it!), over the past few days, I have been shopping online for things for him, thinking about what to get my parents, and working on a mini quilt for my grandmother.

In the midst of all that, Matthew 7:11 popped into my head: "So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him." For a little context, this is part of the Sermon on the Mount, and Jesus was talking about prayer. The full paragraph says, "You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him" (vv. 9-11).

I love that Jesus compared God to a parent giving gifts to their kids!

As Paul has been shopping online for stocking stuffers for our boys, he keeps showing me things he has found. Even though the boys are now 21, 19, and 15, it's still a joy for him to find things he thinks they will like, whether it's something he thinks they'll use or something silly that will make us all laugh on Christmas morning. And now, thanks to Jesus' comparison, I can't help but picture God thinking joyfully of the little gifts He will give us.

Think about how many blessings have been bestowed on us, even though we haven't asked for those specific things, because He knows we will need them or enjoy them. Isn't it beautiful to think that God finds joy in giving us those things?

Then, of course, there are the gifts He gives us in response to our prayers. Maybe it's a big thing, like a new job or healing from an illness. Maybe it's a little thing, like a child finally sleeping through the night, or an encouraging phone call when you're feeling down. Regardless of what we ask for, Jesus assures us that our Father is paying attention, and that He will give us good gifts in response to our prayers. In fact, He's better at choosing gifts for His children than any human parent ever could be.
Everything good in our lives is a gift from God | DevotedQuilter.com

How could it be otherwise, when "whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father" (James 1:17). Everything good in our lives is a gift from God, whether it's something we asked for or not.

November 24, 2023

My First Quilt with Cheryl Brickey

Today it's my pleasure to bring you another My First Quilt interview. I hope you enjoy reading these stories as much as I do! This month Cheryl Brickey of Meadow Mist Designs is telling us all about the first quilt she made. Cheryl is a pattern designer who runs a popular mystery quilt along each year. While I've never done one of Cheryl's mystery QALs, I always love the quilts when they're revealed! Her Malted Mystery QAL is going on now, so be sure to check that out.
My First Quilt with Cheryl Brickey | DevotedQuilter.com
You can connect with Cheryl on her blog, visit her shop, and follow her on IG and FB.

And now, here is Cheryl's first quilt! Isn't it lovely?
My First Quilt with Cheryl Brickey | DevotedQuilter.com

What year did you make your first quilt? What prompted you to make it?


I made my first quilt in 2011.  I had a toddler and infant at the time and was stuck in the endless diaper, feeding, cleaning loop.  I read a quote that said "A woman should do something everyday that can't be undone".  

My daughter was moving from a crib into a toddler bed so I decided that she needed a quilt.  I do not have any quilters in my family, but have always admired quilts so I decided to try making one.

What techniques were used in that first quilt? Did you quilt it yourself?


The quilt pattern (Stepping Star by Sweet Jane, no longer available) called for a jelly roll, but instead of using that I used a variety of fat quarters I found at JoAnn's along with some yardage I found on clearance.  It was a simple pattern using only squares and rectangles.  I quilted it on my mother's 1980's Singer in a stipple pattern.

Who taught you to make the quilt?


I dove head first trying to learn everything about quilting that I could.  I spent hours on blogs and YouTube learning quilting techniques.  My husband bought me some basic quilting supplies including a cutting mat, ruler, and rotary cutter.  After I had made a few quilts, I joined a quilt guild and was able to take some in person quilting classes.

Are the colours you chose for your first quilt ones you would still choose today?


I do not normally use too much brown in my quilts, but I really like the brown and teal combination.

My First Quilt with Cheryl Brickey | DevotedQuilter.com

Did you fall in love with quilting right away? Or was there a gap between making the first quilt and the next one?


I bought fabric for my next quilt before my first was even finished :)  I was hooked.

Where is the quilt now?


This quilt still has a rotation on my couch and is super soft after all of the years of washing. It has a few popped seams but I still love it.

Is there anything you wish you could go back and tell yourself as you made that first quilt?


I would tell myself to practice my 1/4" seam allowance a little more before sewing the blocks.  Because there was a different number of seams in the horizontal versus vertical direction in the blocks, my blocks turned out more rectangular than square.  This proved to make sewing the quilt top together more challenging as the blocks were each rotated 90 degrees from their neighbor.

Anything else you want to share about your first quilt?


In addition to cutting the fabric from fat quarters instead of jelly rolls, I also added another row of blocks to the backing.  I had to rework the cutting, yardage, and piecing and I figured out that I loved doing quilt math which put me on the path to becoming a quilt pattern designer.



Thanks for sharing your first quilt with us, Cheryl! I love it, and I love that adjusting the pattern also started you on the path to designing your own patterns.

November 20, 2023

No Matter How Big

Devotion for the week...

Sometime early last week, I thought of this devotion I wrote in 2016, and all week I couldn't get it out of my mind. I'm sharing it again today in case you need to hear this message.
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What is your first inclination when you screw up big time when no one you know is around? Do you immediately rush to tell people, or are you secretly grateful no one saw and vow to keep it to yourself?

If you're like most people, you tend to keep those things quiet, unless it's one of those 'so stupid it's funny' stories that you're able to laugh about later. We don't really like letting others know how many mistakes we make, do we?

Before He was arrested, Jesus told His disciples, "This very night you will all fall away on account of me," (Matthew 26:31) meaning that they would all scatter and abandon Him. 

But "Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will” (v. 33). Oh, the confidence! It's easy to be confident you'll stick around through the hard times when everything looks perfect, isn't it?

But Jesus knew the truth. "Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times" (v. 34). How that must have stung Peter, hearing that Jesus didn't believe Peter's declaration.

So then "Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you" (v. 35).

Well, that's not what happened, is it? Jesus did get arrested and all the disciples scattered, Peter included. When Jesus was taken away, though, Peter followed.

"Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said.

But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.

Then he went out to the gateway, where another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man!”

After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.”

Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!”
Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly" (vv. 69-75).

Talk about screwing up big time! Where hours before Peter had been sure he'd be willing to die with Jesus, when the threat came, he found himself denying that he even knew Jesus. Once he realized what he had done, of course Peter wept bitterly. Wouldn't you have?

I once heard a preacher ask, "How do we know Peter denied Jesus?" When you stop to think about it, the only possible way we know this story is because Peter must have told the others what happened. I doubt Peter ever forgot the shame he felt after denying Jesus, but I think he probably told the story hundreds of times in his life. Not because he was proud of himself, or liked telling about his worst mistake, but because once he shared that story, he could then tell the rest of the story.

The first people to learn of the resurrection were some women who went to the tomb to prepare Jesus' body for burial. They arrived at the tomb to find Jesus' body gone and an angel sitting outside the tomb. The angel said to them, "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you" (Mark 16:6,7). Tell his disciples and Peter! In other words, don't leave Peter out. Make sure he knows what is happening. Give him hope.

Peter screwed up big time, but that just meant Jesus could show him the depth of His grace. Paul wrote in Romans 5:20-21, "where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." The bigger the sin, the bigger the grace that covers it...and the sin can never be so big that there isn't sufficient grace to cover it. Just ask Peter.

I picture Peter all through his life, talking with people who think their sins are too much for God, that God would never want them because they've screwed up their lives too much. I see Peter smiling as he shakes his head. "You think you've screwed up?" he says to them. "Just listen to what I did, and Jesus forgave me. If His grace is big enough for me, it's big enough for you."

The truth is, there are people today who think they've screwed up their lives too much for God to ever forgive them. Maybe you're one of them. But no matter how big your sins, or how many, God's grace is always big enough to cover them. 
No matter how big your sins, or how many, God's grace is always big enough to cover them | DevotedQuilter.com
John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Whoever believes...not only those people who have tiny sins, or those people who hardly ever sin...whoever believes! That means anyone and everyone who believes. Even if your sins are as big as Peter's.