And Sew On...May Block

Okay, so I'm a little behind with these blocks. Good thing no one is keeping score!

I finally finished the May block. These are designed by Kristy at Quiet Play. This one scared me a little, which is probably why I put off making it for so long. Some of those pieces are tiny! And there are a lot of them!

In order to keep everything straight, I had to label my paper pieces before I started sewing. That made it much easier to put all the right fabrics in the right places. This small section has 12 pieces, many of which are much, much smaller than the seam allowances.

As usually happens with paper piecing, it actually came together very easily. I think I only picked out two seams, both times because the pieces I used were too small for the space they were supposed to cover (neither of which were those tiny, tiny spaces).

When I finished the block, I put it next to the April block, only to discover a minor error.  It doesn't show up well in the picture, but the muslin I used for the background of the May block is not the same as the muslin I used for the background of the April block. It's a little rougher looking and a little darker. Oops.

At least this quilt is only for me. I'll have to make a point of using both in other blocks so that one doesn't stand out as different  from all the others.

The July block will be released in only 4 days, and I still have the June block to tackle...I don't know if that will happen before we leave for our trip. I have at least one pair of hole-in-the-knee pants that need to become shorts before we pull out and I'd like to baste one more batch of blue hexagons. We'll see what happens over the next few days.






I'm linking up again today: Needle and Thread Thursday and Random Thursday.
Also TGIFF.
Can I get a Whoop Whoop
Paper Piecing Party
Finish it Friday

Pleased by What I See

A couple of years ago, a friend's daughter needed a badge sewn onto her Sea Cadets uniform, so my friend asked me to do it. Before I could sew the new badge onto the shoulder, I had to remove the previous year's badge. I sat down with my seam ripper in hand and looked for a stitch I could rip first, but found the stitches were so small I couldn't find one right away. I was quite impressed with the workmanship of whoever had sewn that badge into place. I got the old one off after another moment of searching, then started stitching the new one.

It was awkward holding the badge in place on the shoulder and as I maneuvered my hands into position up the sleeve, I laughed at myself. The awkwardness felt familiar.

 I had sewn the old badge too!

I had completely forgotten. I kept stitching, amused to know I liked my own work when I encountered it unaware.

Somehow these Beaver and Cub badges never got sewn onto anything.

Being happy with my own work was a wonderful experience. Can I say I'm also happy with how I've lived my life? Not the circumstances of my life, but with how I've reacted to and used those circumstances. Can I look back over my personal history and say I'm pleased with what I find?

The apostle Paul could. In 2 Timothy 4:7 he wrote, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." Does that mean Paul thought he had lived a perfect life? Not at all. He also wrote, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do...For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing." (Romans 7:15, 19) Go back and read that slowly. It helps! Even Paul struggled with temptation and being frustrated with himself for not doing what he knew he should do.

Not only that, but Paul had a past that wasn't anything to be proud of. As a Pharisee, Paul had "persecuted the church of God"(1 Corinthians 15:9) until his dramatic encounter with the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus. Paul describes himself as the worst of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15, 16). So how can he also say he fought the good fight, finished the race and kept the faith?

The answer is found in 1 Timothy 1:13: "Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief." Because of God's mercy and grace, Paul's actions before his belief in Jesus had no bearing on who he became after his conversion. After being convinced of the truth of Jesus' life, death and resurrection, Paul stayed focused on Jesus, on trying to be more like Him, and on telling others about Him. Paul wasn't perfect, but he was aiming for the right target, so he could be confident that he was going the way he should be. 

As for those times when Paul was disappointed in his own actions, I believe he didn't let his imperfections keep him from following Jesus. Whenever he did something wrong, he confessed it and moved on. He accepted God's gracious forgiveness, and then forgave himself. All too often, we dwell on every wrong we've ever done, refusing to forgive ourselves. That gets us nowhere. Once confessed, Go doesn't hold our sins against us, so why do we?

Paul wasn't perfect. Neither are we. We won't be until Jesus comes again. But we can hold firm to our faith and try our best, day-by-day, to be like Jesus. Then we'll be pleased with our own work as we look back over our lives.

Schoooool's Out for Summer!

Bonus points if you 'heard' that title in Alice Cooper's voice!

My two big boys are finished another school year. Goodbye grades 5 and 3, hello summer!

Even better, in our house, the last day of school is really the start of everyone's summer vacation. My husband is a high school teacher and I've been babysitting two kids whose mothers are teachers, so we're both now on holidays too. Aaah, life is good.

On a sewing note, I decided Wednesday to make myself a skirt. I don't usually do clothes as I find the patterns too complicated most of the time, but I looked online and found this tutorial - 20 Minute Simple Skirt. Simple...I like simple. So, as soon as the supper dishes were cleared away, I started in. It took me about 90 minutes, partly because I kept running down to the family room to check the tutorial on the computer and partly because I did Nathan's whole bedtime routine in the middle of sewing the skirt.

 




It is simple to make, but I had one problem with the instructions. She doesn't give much guidance when it comes to how much fabric to use, so the first time I put it on it was waaaay too full and gathered. It looked really weird, so I took apart one seam and cut some off, then put it back together.

I added the ribbon around the bottom after seeing a similar skirt in another tutorial that had a contrasting band of fabric around the hem. The ribbon was faster.

It is crazy comfortable to wear. I can certainly see myself making more, especially using the layered look shown in one picture in the tutorial. I'm also considering using this tutorial for a circle skirt that looks amazing. And easy, which is a must.

 
My strawberry plants are blooming now. It looks like it will be an even better harvest than last year. We won't be here when the berries are ripe, though, so the neighbors who are looking after them for me will get lots of yummy rewards for their efforts!

I'm linking up today with Happy Hour Projects and Find a Friend Friday and TGIFF and Needle and Thread Thursday amd Can I Get a Whoop Whoop