Medallion Magic Pattern Release and QAL

I always love pattern release days, but this one is extra special 😊 Not only do I get to release my Medallion Magic quilt pattern, but I also get to announce that I'll be doing a QAL with this pattern starting in January (happy dance, happy dance)!

Medallion Magic is the result of me wanting a medallion quilt where each border has a bit of breathing room so that all the individual parts can shine. I also wanted to make it a rectangular quilt, rather than the usual square. The throw size quilt finishes at 62"x 70" and is made using traditional piecing and foundation paper piecing. It would be appropriate for a confident beginner, but the bold design is perfect for any skill level (I may be biased, lol).

I know I say it a lot, but this is one of my favourites of all my quilts. I love it so much that we hung it in our living room so that I get to enjoy it every day. Right now it's kind of obscured by our Christmas tree, but I can still see it perfectly from the chair where I usually sit.

You can get your PDF copy of the pattern from either my Payhip or Etsy shop and printed patterns will be available soon. The PDF pattern is available at the introductory price through Friday, December 21st, so be sure to get your copy early to be ready for the QAL.

I am really looking forward to making a whole new version during the QAL. The Island Batik fabrics I've chosen for the new one are completely different from the Northcott fabrics I used for the original quilt so it will be fun to see it in such a different look. Considering how much time I've spent admiring and petting the new fabric, I'm thinking it's a good bet the new Medallion Magic will be a hit, too 😉 I'm looking forward to sharing the new fabrics with you soon!

The QAL will start January 15th and will run for 6 months, with a finish link up party in August 2019. There will be prizes and link up parties and beautiful eye candy and I can't wait!! I know, too many exclamation points in this post, but I'm *almost* wishing it were January 15th already.

Get your copy of the pattern today so you'll be ready for all the fun 😊

Payhip shop

Etsy shop

I hope you'll quilt along with me!

Advent 2018 - Herod

Devotion for the Week...

Last week, for the first week of Advent, we looked at the innkeeper. This week we're going to tackle the bad guy of the Christmas story, King Herod.

King Herod was, well, king, and apparently he wasn't too keen on the idea of  the "newborn king of the Jews" (Matthew 2:2) the wise men came asking about, especially when they told him, "We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him."

In fact, "King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this" (v. 3) and immediately set about trying to find out where the Messiah was supposed to be born. Once he knew that, he sent the wise men on their way, telling them, "Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!" (v. 8). Of course, we know that he had no intention of worshiping Jesus. He was too interested in preserving his own power to ever allow anyone to take it away from him. He would rather order the murder of innocent baby boys than see his own power given to someone else (vv. 16-18)

Does that sound like anyone else to you? Jesus threatened the status quo for Herod with His birth and then again for the religious leaders with His ministry as an adult. The Pharisees were so threatened by Him, His authority and His popularity with the people that they arranged the crucifixion to get rid of Him! They liked their positions of honour and authority. They didn't want to share that with anyone or, even worse, lose it entirely.

Never mind that they were putting themselves in direct opposition to the plan of God. That didn't concern Herod or the Pharisees because they were so focused on themselves they they couldn't recognize God working in their midst. Even with prophecies from hundreds of years past, they either couldn't see what was going on around them or they didn't care.

Unfortunately, we can sometimes be so focused on ourselves that we miss what God is doing around us. Or we may see it, but we resist it because it threatens our status quo in some way. As God's people, we shouldn't be the ones getting in the way of His work. We shouldn't be the 'bad guys' of His story, but sometimes we are. We allow our insecurities, our self-interest and our desire to stay comfortable to get in the way of partnering with God in His work.

Really, we want to try to be more like the innkeeper and less like Herod.

Christmas Prep and Other Stuff

I don't know about you, but I'm in Christmas gift prep mode these days. Sure, if I'd been smart I'd have planned some of these gifts earlier in the year, but for some reason I don't usually think 'Christmas' until at least November, lol. I'm thinking I'm not really alone in that, am I right?😊

So, what am I working on? First up is my project for the kids I babysit, which is actually a two-for-one as it will also be my December Island Batik ambassador project.

These positively adorable cats are on their way to becoming pillows and should be finished this week. My in-laws will be here Monday evening so ladder stitching the holes left for stuffing them will be the perfect hand stitching task for while we're visiting. The pattern for these is by Chris Malone and is in the Autumn 2018 issue of Quilter's World magazine.

Then I have the cross stitch ornaments for my boys. Every year I make an ornament for each of my boys that reflects something important from their year. It's one of my favourite Christmas things and every year I'm surprised by how much they seem to enjoy it, too. However, I'd just like to say it's very hard to stitch for three people you live with when all three ornaments have to be kept secret from all three recipients! I can't share any pictures yet, just in case, even though one cross stitch is finished and another one is about half done. I don't think any of the boys ever come here, but Zach and Aiden are on IG now and might follow a link to the blog, so I don't want to take any chances. You can see last year's ornaments here and you can follow the link in that post to go back in time to older ornaments. It occurred to me a couple of days ago that when I started this tradition in time for Aiden's first Christmas, I only intended it to go until the year they're 18, which leaves me with only two years after this one for Aiden. I'm having trouble wrapping my mind around that.

I'm also working on one bit of non-Christmas secret sewing, which I absolutely love.

These are Island Batik fabrics again and aren't they beautiful? This is a 12" mini quilt so I'm expecting to have it finished and ready to mail soon.

Then there are the 'I haven't started yet, but I plan to do' things...

I try to make ornaments for my grandmother every year and some years I give away a dozen or more to friends and family. Last year it didn't happen, though I did get some gorgeous wood burned ornaments from a friend to give out. I haven't started yet this year, but I do have a plan. It involves red fabric, white embroidery floss and hand embroidery. Tick, tock, tick, tock...I better get a move on! Good thing ornaments are small!

My mother-in-law has hinted rather strongly that she'd like some new placemats in lemon and lime colours, with navy. That's our plan for their Christmas gift, though at this point I'm pretty sure it won't be finished in time to go under their tree. I've debated for a while what design to use and finally I decided that when she's here on Monday she can help me plan. That way I know she'll love the end result and I'll stop waffling over the decision.

I have a few people I'd like to make drawstring bags for, then add a few yummy treats to finish the gift. Good thing the bags are quick to make! I haven't decided yet if I should make the bags in Christmas fabrics or not, since Christmas fabrics would eliminate the need for wrapping but non-Christmas fabrics would mean the bags could be used all year. Decisions, decisions, right? The treats are no problem as I can make them with the kids I babysit, who love to help me with baking.

Last, but not least, while searching for ideas for embroidered ornaments, I came across this gorgeous hand embroidery design. It's too big for an ornament but I love it. I'm trying very hard to convince myself that I don't need to make it, but I'm not sure it's working 😄

I wonder how much I'll get done in time for Christmas. I really don't understand people who are bored, lol. I can't remember a time when my mind wasn't constantly thinking of all the things I would love to do, if only I had time to squeeze it all in!