From the Sewing Room ~ Refurbished Vintage Quilt

I've spent several days over the past couple of weeks refurbishing a quilt that I had made for our daughter when she was a little girl. I didn't think about putting a label on it back then, but I made it sometime in the 1980s. She had a similar baby quilt that a friend had made back in 1978, which my daughter loved until it literally wore out. She wanted another like it when she was older, so I made a similar one, only larger so she could use it on her bed. Her baby quilt had a green ruffle, but when I made the larger one, I used yellow and white eyelet to match her bedroom.



 

The quilt is twin size with 8-inch gingham blocks, cotton eyelet and gingham ruffle. I had originally just tacked it with embroidery thread at the corners of the blocks, but after all the years, the thread had pulled holes in some of the blocks, and I needed to replace a few. I didn't know much about fabric quality back in the day, so the quality of my fabric choice wasn't what I'd use now.  I found a few colors in a couple of quilt shops, but that fabric quality didn't blend very well with what I had originally used. I did find some similar quality at JoAnn's and Walmart, though, and it's difficult to tell the old blocks from the new ones.


I pulled all of the embroidery thread tacking out and took the quilt layers apart. The batting was in need of replacement, so to make the quilt lightweight since we now live in the south, I used flannel as the batting in refurbishing. I left the eyelet and ruffle attached to three sides of the quilt top, and sewed the layers together as if it were a big pillowcase. I kept the original gingham backing and quilted in the ditch so there wouldn't be as much pulling on the corners of the blocks.



The original quilt had the eyelet and ruffling all around, but I removed it from the top edge and replaced it with binding made from the new gingham fabric. I decided to add a little of Nana's personal touch there and do a little hand quilting to cuddle my little granddaughter's neck as she lies beneath it. :-)  I've put it on the bed that she sleeps in whenever she's visiting.









We'll get to see our sweet Anna again in a couple of months, and I think she'll like the new-to-her quilt. :-)  (Love your smile, Sweetie!)

Should I Be Troubled At That?

Contemplating a thought from today's reading from the book, None But Jesus. I have long prayed. I have waited. I have been troubled, yes, ... but perhaps I shouldn't be.

It would much stay the heart under adversity to consider that God, by such humbling providences may be accomplishing the thing for which you have long prayed and waited. And should you be troubled at that? By such humbling and impoverishing strokes, God may be fulfilling thy desire.    

~ John Flavel

Painting ~ Miss Auras, John Lavery 1856-1941

Fullness of Joy

We went to the Worship and Thanksgiving service today of a wise, godly elderly gentleman. We feel blessed to have had the privilege of getting to know him in our small group for the short months since we've moved here. We are so glad our paths crossed for even such a brief time. Sorrow for now, but we shall see him again someday, when we, too, journey Homeward.

Death, to the saints, is the door by which they enter into the enjoyment of God; the dying Christian is almost home, yet a few pangs and agonies more, and then he is come to God, in whose presence is the fullness of joy. The same day we loose from this shore, we shall be landed upon the blessed shore, where we shall see and enjoy God forevermore.

~ John Flavel, Method of Grace

Photo ~ Sunset, giani, Pixabay CC0

Domesticity ~ A True Home

Home is among the holiest of words. A true home is one of the most sacred of places. It is a sanctuary into which men flee from the world's perils and alarms. It is a resting-place to which at close of day the weary retire to gather new strength for the battle and toils of tomorrow. It is the place where love learns its lessons, where life is schooled into discipline and strength, where character is molded.

~ J.R. Miller, from Secrets of Happy Home Life

Painting ~ Ogunquit Doorway, Abbot Fuller Grace 1839-1936

Sunday Ponderings ~ God's Holiness

Been pondering this afternoon on a comment made in our Sunday School class. The topic was God's holiness and how it affects believers and unbelievers. Part of the discussion was how a biblical understanding of God's holiness affects how we approach Him. The comment was made by someone in the class that prayer enables us to understand that God is far greater than we are, holier, more powerful, and all-knowing. We come to Him acknowledging our dependence on Him. In her words, "It puts us in our place, and Him in His." Much food for thought.

It makes me think of the current casual approach to God, that it is more self-focused and feel-good religion rather than an expression of understanding the majesty and worship of the Holy God. I couldn't imagine approaching Queen Elizabeth in the same manner as some 'worshipers' approach God. The queen is merely human, deserving of much more respect than some give to God Himself. How much greater honor and respect is due to God, but God is often approached buddy-style.

God chooses what He receives as worship.

Where is the honor? Where is the respect?

"A son honors his father and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?" ~ Malachi 1:6 

Painting ~ Afternoon-Yellow Room 1910,  Fredrick Carl Frieseke 1874-1939

The Simple Woman's Daybook

For today I join others at The Simple Woman's Daybook, a weekly journal page that focuses on simple thoughts and simple living.

 

Looking out my window

This threesome came scampering around the house while we were on the back porch, took a quick look at us and scampered up the tree. After a few minutes of peek-a-boo, they scampered off. So cute!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am thinking

That I should have worked on this post earlier in the day. It's time for bed.

I am thankful 

For the privilege of having known a 94-year-old godly, wise gentlemen for a mere six months. He was in our new church family and k-group. He passed on into the arms of Jesus this week. 

One of my favorite things

Spending time with family.

I am creating

Recently finished a quilt for our newest grandson, Daniel. Posted about it yesterday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am reading

Blennerhassett by Charles Felton Pidgin, published in 1902.

 

I came across this book in a used book store and was drawn to it because I used to live about an hour from Blennerhasset Island and have visited it upon occasion and am familiar with its history. The book is a historical novel, with the author's aim "to present Aaron Burr as he was a hundred years ago, and to ask that he be judged by the rules of order and society then existing; but by minds free from the intolerant political and religious prejudices which blinded the eyes and warped the judgments of his contemporaneous critics." I'm only into chapter 9 of 42 chapters, so we shall see. So far he's making his point well.

I am hoping (praying)

That our upcoming 2-day travel to visit our daughter and her family is a safe one. Traffic can get crazy going into that city.

I am learning

That B-12 can give me some energy for the day. I tried some today, and felt much better.

In my kitchen

Today's meal was chicken and vegetables in the crock pot. Simple and nutritious.

Enough chicken, quartered potatoes, baby carrots for the two of us. Sprinkled with salt and pepper. Added about 1/4 cup of chopped onions, and poured 2 cups of chicken broth into the crock pot. Covered and cooked on high for 4 hours.

Shared Quote

"God's holiness, then, is not only the opposite of evil; it is the measure by which we know evil to be evil." ~ David D. Wells, God in the Whirlwinds   

From The Sewing Room ~ A Puppy Quilt

Sharing a picture today of my latest quilt, made for our newest grandbaby. His bedroom theme is puppies, and his mommy sent a photo of her "imagined nursery" with a similar quilt hanging on the wall behind the baby bed. I'm supposing it was a quilt, although I couldn't see any quilting on it. That quilt had three other animals, which I changed to puppies. The center background is a light gray, which coordinates with her rocker. Below is a close-up of the quilting.

The puppies are quilted in mini-meandering, with a medium meandering in the gray background. The orange stripes are sort of a ziggy-zaggy quilting, and the white stripes are a flowing vertical back and forth quilting. I tried a new-to-me quilting design in all the navy negative space. It's a variation of tiling filled with meandering. I learned this design in an Angela Walters Craftsy class. She showed how to do it on a long arm machine, which looked pretty simple--on a long arm machine. It was much more of a challenge on my home machine, but I was able to make it look pretty good as I struggled along. I probably wouldn't use that design again, though, unless it was a smaller quilt that was easier to manage. If you'd like to see a bit more of an explanation of Angela's design, you can see it here.

The Gate to God

Thinking today about the way to enter through the gate to God. Who decides the way? Do I? Do you?  God Himself does. It's His gate. We enter only by the way He says to enter. Why? Because He is God, and it's His gate to His kingdom. His gate. His kingdom. His way. Not mine, not yours. Not anyone's but God's.

He has told us in His Word how to enter the gate. How kind and benevolent of Him--that not only has He told us the way, but that He actually wants us to come! You and me, and many others. He wants us to be forever with Him. So much so that He even provides the way there. Oh, glorious, amazing grace!!

I do hope that you know the way and are going to live with God when your days are done here on this earth. If you don't know the way, I'd like to tell you what someone told me, and then I read it for myself from Jesus Christ in God's Word. Actually, He wants everyone to know--you, me, everyone. Jesus is God, you know. There's so much to find out about Jesus and God and truth in His Word, the Bible.

This is what He says--

"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

~ Jesus, John 14:6

"For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all."  ~ 1 Timothy 2:5

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.  For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.      ~ Jesus, Matthew 7:13-14

Are you one of the few who have found the gate to God?  I do hope you've chosen the way to life. Not everyone is going through the gate, but I do hope to see you up there.

Photo ~ Garden Gate, Leo Reynolds, Flickr CC BY NC-SA 2.0

When Relief Is Given

When our needs are permitted to grow to an extremity, 

and all visible hopes fail, then to have relief given 

wonderfully enhances the price of such a mercy.

~ John Flavel, The Mystery of Providence

Painting ~ Lost in Thoughts, 1889, Wilhelm Amberg 1822-1899, public domain via WikiCommons

Rejuvenating

So tired today. Rested for awhile this afternoon after laundry and errands this morning. Will rejuvenate soon and be back to daily routines. God is my strength. I miss having the grandchildren around, though, and so often think how much sweeter it would be to have them coming in and out more often, spending the day to give their mommy a little rest, or picking them up for a quick trip for an ice cream cone, and seeing God's hand in Nana and Grandad's life. If you have your grandchildren living nearby, do be thankful.

Rested yesterday as well. Thankful for God's wisdom in sabbath rest. Went to church and was blessed by the hearing of His word and the beautiful expression of worship by our organ master. He writes a brief devotional for us to read as he plays. Sometimes it seems that we could just step right up to the throne of grace and see Jesus face to face.

Wanting to share with you a bit of the offertory devotional from yesterday's church gathering. The music was improvisations from the hymns The King's Highway and It Is Well With My Soul (my favorite hymn). Wish you could hear the music, but the devotional is beautiful as well.

Christians are pilgrims on the Road of Christ, the King's Highway, for He is the Way ~ the Road itself. Not only is He the Way, but He, Himself, is the guide on the Road and He provides the strength for the journey.  Though the path may be filled with joys or sorrows, Christians can, indeed, pursue the Way ~ the Road ~ with eager feet, for, at the end there will spread out before the wondering gaze broad vistas of eternal glory never dreamed of by mortal man. The King, Himself, shall lead us into the great Banquet Hall where we shall feast with our Bridegroom and sing.... We shall rest in the arms of our Saviour while the sweetness and aroma of His eternal Love bathes us for all eternity. Knowing that our Lord awaits us with such glories, we can tread the King's Highway with assurance, certain that all is well with our soul. ~ Glen Harper

Oh, yes, it is well with my soul! I pray that it is well with yours as well.

Portrait ~ A Woman's Work, John Sloan 1912