In the Sewing Room ~ Kim Diehl Wall Quilt

I had an email earlier this week from my local quilt shop back home in West Virginia, reminding me about their upcoming shop hop across the state--WV Mountain Quest. It brought back some good memories of the shop and classes I took that were taught by my neighbor and good friend.

I was reminded about a quilt top that I pieced in one of the classes right before we moved, so I brought it out today to finish up with the quilting. It's 20" x 20", and as you can see by the quarter that's lying toward the bottom left of the center section, the pieces are pretty small.

That means lots of seams, which can be a bit tedious to hand quilt. I'm mostly stitching in the ditch since there's enough interest going on with the piecing, so if I stay on the downhill side, I should be okay. I like to do lap quilting. The rhythm of the stitching is relaxing, so I'll see how it's going this evening.

If you're a quilter, you might recognize Kim Diehl's pattern "Laundry Day." One of the things I like about Kim's fabric is that whatever she designs coordinates with anything she had designed in the past. This quilt pattern is part of her Simple Whatnots Club Collection 1. I think I've made a half dozen or so of her quilts and posted a few of them here. But look here at some images of Kim's quilts if you really want to see some quilted inspiration! And here's a brief bio about her.

I hope you're having some time to express some creativity in your home, too. Of course, it doesn't have to be sewing or anything "crafty" at all. It's just anything that shows a new idea, even just a new way of expressing something that has inspired your own imagination. There's nothing new under the sun, but there are lots of ideas to tweak for our own "creation."

It's one of the ways we're created in the image of God. Creativity!

God's Love at the Quilt Shop

Today was quilt class for another of Kim Diehl's Simple Whatnots Club. We're working on Cloud Nine this month, 541 little pieces for a 24.5 x 24.5-in quilt. Cloud Nine? I do feel a little spacey after all that cutting! We started the sewing today, and the little 3.5-inch squares really are cute.  This is what I hope mine will look like.

There's a lot of chatter in a quilt shop. A lot of sharing of ideas. A lot of sharing of hearts. One of the women had recently lost her husband to cancer, and a friend who had stopped in was recalling his generous qualities. A blessed time of encouragement for this new widow. She said his death made her realize that she needed to be with people more on a friendship level, so she had quit her job that was taking up too much of her time. A wise decision.

Another lady came in who has terminal cancer to see if she could sell her fabric stash and a few books. She is selling everything and going to Florida. It was sad, and an opportunity for being a channel of God's love. We bought all of her fabric and most of the books she had. I had the opportunity to pray with her in the parking lot before she left.

Most of us need encouragement on a daily basis. Sometimes we know when someone is in need, but I think most often we don't. I was glad to be an encouragement to someone today, but these ladies were also an encouragement to me. Their situations reminded me that our times are in God's loving hands. They made me thankful that I still have My Beloved. And thankful that I still have good health.

But even if I didn't still have My Beloved,

and even if I didn't still have my good health...

I know that nothing can separate me from the love of God.

And that's what I prayed for that dear lady packing up to move to Florida.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor death, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

~ Romans 8:38-39

From the Sewing Room ~ True Blue

True Blue by Kim Diehl is finally finished!

I think it turned out rather nicely.

I even have a little pitcher that matches. :-) 

True Blue is 23.5 x 23.5, with 6-inch blocks.

I could also use it as a small wall quilt, and I probably will.

 I don't like the thought of all that work getting soiled!

I quilted a simple all over meandering design.

The focus is the piecing and not the quilting. 

I had planned to use just a solid backing, but decided to go with one of the fabrics in the collection so I could use either side if I wanted to use it as a decorative table quilt. 

Two small quilts for the work of one! 

The Simple Whatnots Club meets a couple of times a month, with a new quilt each month. True Blue is the third quilt in Kim's Simple Whatnot Club that I've completed. I have a couple of the others cut out and partially sewn, but I've been working on other projects, too, and haven't gotten back to the Whatnots yet. I gifted Sunday Supper (13 x 16), but here's Widdly Tinks (12 x 14).

I'm learning things as I go along, and one thing I've learned is that I don't care for spending so much time on such small projects. I hung Widdly Tinks on the bathroom wall, and it is cute, though. Kim suggests rolling up small quilting projects and putting them in a clear jar, like a bouquet. What?! Roll up all that work and stick them in a jar??? Well, to each his own.

Small and Simple, But Oh, So Essential!

There it is, right where I left it. Small, but sew essential!

I wasn't sure if I would go to quilt class today. We were under a flood watch with heavier rains expected toward the afternoon, and I don't like driving on the interstate in the rain, even though it's just a 20-minute drive. But since the class was in the morning, I figured I would be back before any flooding. Wanting to spend some time at the quilt shop outweighed my concern on the highway. Some of you know how that is!

So, after driving carefully (and being annoyed by all the trucks throwing water and making it difficult to see), I arrived at the quilt shop, got everything unpacked, my little iron and sewing machine plugged in, and sat down to thread the machine. What's this? No bobbin case? Ugh!! I had absent-mindedly forgot to put it back into the machine in my preparations to leave. No bobbin case, no sewing.

So, I chatted a bit, drooled over some fabric, purchased a fat quarter, and headed home, thinking that, at least, I would be getting safely home before any flooding. Hauling my gear back upstairs to the sewing room, there it was.... I had left the bobbin case on the sewing cabinet as I had packed up to head out this morning.

Some things are essential, no matter how small or simple. A bobbin case...not much to it. A Bernina machine (er, excuse me, a Bernina computer), that I'm sure I don't understand a fraction of what it can do. But it wasn't capable of doing anything at quilt class today without that one simple, small, essential part. 

We're all essential in some way, even if it's a simple, small way. Some things just don't function without us. And if you're a child of God, you're gifted in some particular way. There's purpose in your gift that's bigger than you.

As each one has received a gift, 

employ it in serving one another 

as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 

~ 1 Peter 4:10 ~

I spent some afternoon time in my sewing room, alone, working on today's quilt class assignment. Here's my progress .....

From the Sewing Room ~ Prairie Star Posies

I had completed Kim Diehl's Prairie Star Posies wall quilt recently, but wasn't quite satisfied with it after it was hung over the bed. Looking at it day after day, I realized that some of the stamen in the posies just weren't the right fabric choices. So, I replaced a few of them today, and I think it looks much better.

Here's a little closer view. 

The quilt measures 40 x 40 and is made up of squares and half-square triangle units. It was an easy pattern, with the bulk of the work in the applique. I used Kim's applique technique using freezer paper. It's machine appliqued with monofilament thread, which is practically invisible and allows the fabric to be seen and not the thread. When I replaced the few stamen, I hand appliqued with silk thread. Silk thread is almost invisible, too, and gives a nice finish to the applique.

I enjoy hand quilting small projects in the evenings, which is what I did on this quilt.

The back shows the quilting better.

 

There was one quilt in Kim's selections for the book that there wasn't room for,. If you click on the book, it will take you to the Martingale site for a free download of the 60 x 60 quilt Buttercream Crisp, with checkerboard blocks, as well as a free bonus download for a table runner.  Now that's pretty thoughtful!

Linking up today with crazy mom quilts for Finish It Up Friday. If you're a quilter, you'll want to check it out. Lots and lots of inspiration over there!