Imperfect

Devotion for the Week...

I can't even begin to count all the times I've been nervous and said something stupid, just because I needed to say something. Have you ever done that? Please say you have, lol. I don't want to be alone in this!

Actually, I know I'm not alone, even if you've escaped that particular embarrassment. The Bible tells me that, at least once, Peter blurted out the first thing that came to mind. I found it last week, while reading Mark's gospel:

"Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white, far whiter than any earthly bleach could ever make them. Then Elijah and Moses appeared and began talking with Jesus.

Peter exclaimed, “Rabbi, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He said this because he didn’t really know what else to say, for they were all terrified" (Mark 9:2-6).

Don't you just love these little proofs that Bible people were, first and foremost, real people? I know I do! Here's Peter, terrified by the sight of Jesus in all His glory and accompanied by Moses and Elijah, just blurting out the first thought he had, even if it doesn't really make a whole lot of sense. What use did Jesus, Moses and Elijah have for shelters on the mountain??

While I am relieved to know that I'm not alone in saying stupid things, and I do love the proof that Peter was a real person with flaws, that's not what I find the most interesting thing about this passage. I find it most interesting that Mark tells us the reason Peter blurted it out - because he didn't know what else to say. How could Mark know that?

As far as I can tell, the most logical answer is that Peter told him. My first inclination when I say something stupid is to never tell anyone about it, ever. Why spread the embarrassment farther? Peter doesn't seem to have had that same inclination, though. It's like he was more interested in making sure people understood he didn't have it all figured out.

This isn't the only time Peter told on himself. In comparison, blurting out some foolishness about building shelters on the side of the mountain is nothing like when he denied even knowing Jesus, but Peter didn't keep that to himself, either. Peter obviously knew the secret to really connecting with people isn't making yourself look as perfect as possible, it's being candid about your own flaws so they can relate to you.

Background quilt is Formal Garden in Playroom fabrics.

Reaching people for Jesus has to start with our connections with them. That means sharing our mistakes, even the stupid ones, so people can realize that we're not different from them. It's our imperfections that allow them to see glimpses of how God could work in their lives. Pretending we're perfect just makes it harder for people to imagine God accepting them and using them because they're all too aware of their own imperfections.

Half Moons Afire Free Pattern

I am excited to get to share this free quilt pattern with you today! This is Half Moons Afire.

 I just love all of the gorgeous blues and the pop of orange. It's such a vibrant combination, don't you think?

Are you scared of sewing curves? No worries, the pattern includes a full tutorial for how I sew curves (spoiler alert, I like pins, lol). The free pattern is available on the Quilter's Planner blog, so head over there to download it.

I quilted the background of each block with a loop and stipple design, then used matchstick quilting in the half moons. The darker side is quilted with vertical lines and the lighter side has horizontal lines, to emphasize the division even more. I left the sashing unquilted for an extra bit of texture.

Go to the Quilter's Planner blog to download the free Half Moons Afire pattern and be sure to tag me if you share your version on social media. I'd love to see it!

Anniversary Sale and Formal Garden Finish and Pattern Release

Today is my blogging anniversary! I'm not sure where the time has gone, but it has been a wonderful 7 years and I am so incredibly happy that I took the plunge and started this blog even though I wasn't sure anyone would ever read it. I could never have imagined 7 years ago that hitting publish on that very first post would lead to so many friendships or to having my own pattern design business.

I also would never have finished writing so many devotions. Writing them has certainly made me think deeper about my faith and has given me another wonderful point of connection with many of you. In lieu of a new devotion for today, here's a link to the very first devotion I published here, which was the second post to appear on the blog.

As an aside, looking at those early posts really shows how far I have come in my blog design skills!

To celebrate these seven years, I'm having my annual anniversary sale. This is the only time of the year that I have a pattern sale, so if there's a pattern you have your eyes on, now's the time to snag it!

From now until March 20th, use the code '7YEARS' to save 25% off all the PDF or printed patterns in my Etsy shop. Printed patterns ship free, too (technically, I suppose the PDF ones do, too, lol) 😊

Now here's my latest finish!

This particular finish is over 19 months in the making. Phew, it's about time! I first shared this Formal Garden quilt top back in August 2018, for an Island Batik ambassador blog hop. Ever since then, it has been sitting in a cupboard, waiting for its turn to be quilted. Finally, it's not waiting anymore 😊 I just love getting to sew a label on!

Here is Formal Garden, in all its glory 😊

Around here, the gardens are well buried in snow. Do you see the snowshoes peeking out at the bottom of the quilt? The snow in our backyard is a few feet deep, so we'd have sunk for sure without the snowshoes, but it was impossible to get them hidden behind the quilt. Oh well! Just keeping it real around here.

I named this quilt pattern Formal Garden because the chunks of fabric with sashing between remind me of garden boxes or beds, separated by paths perfect for strolling around.

These fabrics are all from Island Batik, from their Vintage Morris line. I love the dragonflies and all the different leaf shapes. The colours are all so calm and soothing, too.

I used Warm and Natural batting (my favourite!) and a Northcott cream coloured solid for backing. I do love using a solid for the backing so the quilting can really shine. It always makes the back as pretty as the front.

After so long putting it off, I quilted the whole 59" x 73" quilt in just over 24 hours, which I think is a record for me. I might finally be getting the hang of this "quilt bigger" thing! The flowers range in size rather widely, but I love the charm of the variety. I used Aurifil 5011 for the quilting.

Please excuse the tree shadows!

The Formal Garden pattern includes three size options: a 41" x 43" baby quilt and a 91" x 91" queen size option as well as the 59" x 73" throw size shown. There's also an alternate layout option included. Be sure to check out my baby quilt made with Mister Domestic's Playroom fabric line to see the alternate layout.

Formal Garden would make a great scrap quilt, too! Use your favourite scraps to make a special quilt for yourself so you can always see those lovelies in use.

Formal Garden is included in the 25% off sale, which is more than the usual introductory price discount. Head on over to my Etsy shop to shop the sale! Don't forget to use the code '7YEARS'.

Once again, I would really appreciate it if you'd pin this image on Pinterest to help other quilters find it. Small businesses like mine can use all the promotion we can get!

Thank you for taking the time these past 7 years to read my blog posts, to leave me comments or send me emails. Thank you for all the interactions on IG and FB. And thank you for supporting my pattern design business. This online quilting community is a wonderful place and I am so happy that I get to be a part of it!