It's Quiz Time!

How many times have you taken a "What Kind of _____ Are You" quiz? Whether it's a serious quiz (What Kind of Financial Planner Are You), or a silly one (What Kind of Animal Are You), there's something about quizzes that is just plain fun. Well, as long as they're not school quizzes, those were never fun!

Today I have a quilting quiz to share with you, just for the fun of it! Though after you take the quiz to find out what kind of scrap quilter you are, I'll also give you some free pattern suggestions, so you'll be ready to tackle your next scrap quilt 😊

Ready? Jump on into the quiz!

Small Beginnings

Devotion for the Week...

I'm getting ready to launch something new in late June. I'm really excited about it, but I have no idea what to expect in terms of how it will be received and whether or not people will be as excited about it as I am. I'm hoping at least some of you will be! As much as I dream of it being a runaway bestseller (wouldn't that be great?), I expect it to start small and then, hopefully, grow from there. For now, I'm picking away daily at all the things that need to be done before it's ready to be put out into the world. That's what I had in mind the other day when I read this: "Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand" (Zechariah 4:10).

In the preceding verse, we learn that, "Zerubbabel is the one who laid the foundation of this Temple, and he will complete it" (v. 9). This was in the time after the Israelites had returned from their exile, and the Temple was in ruins. Zerubbabel's work was to rebuild the Temple, which was no small task and probably felt insurmountable at times. It took two years to rebuild the foundation of the Temple, and then construction stopped for 17 years due to opposition. Finally, God sent Haggai and Zechariah to encourage Zerubbabel to get back to work on the Temple, which then took another 4 years to complete. So, our verse about small beginnings came 19 years after Zerubbabel first started work on the Temple, and just as he was picking up his tools to get started on round two. He probably wanted nothing more than to be finished already! Was he exhausted by the thought of 4 years worth of work? Did those first few stones moved into position feel like barely a drop in the bucket? Even one day's worth of work was probably hardly noticeable. But God said they shouldn't despise the small beginnings, and that He rejoiced just to see the plumb line (a tool for keeping walls straight) in Zerubbabel's hand. 

I absolutely love that! I love that God rejoices just to see the work begin. Can we bring that same attitude to our own work? Usually we're so focused on getting something finished, we neglect to see what a triumph it is just to get started.

Getting started means we've put aside our laziness (just me?), our insecurities, our 'I'm too busy', or our 'I'll get to it later,' and taken the leap to actually do something. Whether that's something that needs to be done (cleaning, grocery shopping), something we're excited about (a new quilt), or something we're nervous about (watch for that announcement next month!), getting started is a big deal. 

Then, once we've started, each day's work, no matter how small it seems, is another step in the right direction.

What could you celebrate today, just because you have started? Whatever it is, we can know that God rejoices to see us with tools in hand, making a start.

My First Quilt with Sandra Walker

It's the last Friday of the month, which means it's time for another My First Quilt interview!

Today's interview is with Sandra Walker of MMMQuilts. Sandra is a quilt pattern designer, and she's currently running her annual QAL, this time making her Rainbow Neighbourhood pattern. The little houses are so much fun! There's still time to join in and catch up, so check out her blog if you're interested in that.

You can connect with Sandra on her blog and on IG.

And now, here's Sandra's first quilt!

Sandra actually told me the stories of her first two quilts, calling this next one "the actual first quilt," so I'll share both pictures and both stories, too 😊

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

Maybe 1970/71? I wanted a quilt for my Barbies.

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

I used scraps from clothes my mum had made us kids as well as upholstery scraps she had from getting one of those discarded sample books. I just cut out squares, made little pillows, stuffing them with bits of my mum's pantyhose cut up, and then sewing the little pillows together into rows, mostly by hand, because I wasn’t allowed to use my mum’s sewing machine. The top and bottom as well as one side have rows added that are machine-stitched. I was allowed to use my mum’s machine in grade 7 when we got Home Ex classes! The squares are about 1.5" finished. I had no clue what I was doing. My mum was not a quilter, though she did sew clothes for us four kids and a few for herself, mainly as it was a lot cheaper, and they didn't have much money. She didn't like sewing at all, though her mum in England made a living as a seamstress and knitter.

The second life-sized quilt happened as a result of entering (reluctantly, pushed by my eldest daughter, Brianne) a quilt block draw at the little fabric shop in the town in which we lived. I cut that block out with scissors, didn't own a rotary cutter or mat, but they were only just then coming on the scene. I won all the blocks, and so I had to go to the shop, which had started getting away from dressmaking and into quilting, to take classes to learn what to do. Of course the quilt went to Brianne, and then I had to make another for her sister, and the dressmaking and home décor fell to the wayside as quilting took over my life!

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

The first quilt was a mish-mash of pretty cheerful colours and floral prints, and I still do love scrap quilts, though with controlled scrappiness, and I still love floral fabrics. The second quilt was in soft pinks and blues, another combination I still quite like! The pattern for that one was Bear Paw. I've since designed two Bear Paw quilts, both available in my Etsy shop.

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 very long gap of about 20 years between that Barbies quilt and the actual first quilt. I remember being shocked in making both quilts at the amount of labour and time involved. During that gap I never stopped sewing. I LOVED making clothes for myself, my girls, as well as home décor.

Where is the quilt now?

The Barbies quilt is in my quilting room in a drawer. The life-sized quilt is still with Brianne, though she keeps it in a closet and doesn't use it.

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

There will be a much better way! 

Thanks for sharing your first two quilts with us, Sandra! They're both fabulous! I really love that you still have the Barbies quilt 😊