In the Sewing Room ~ Hourglass Blocks

I've been working today catching up on homework for my quilting class next week. This is what I'll have when I'm finished. It's True Blue, designed by Kim Diehl, and uses her fabric line. I hope mine looks just as nice when I get it all sewn together! It's 23 x 23, and small piecing is a challenge for me.

I have the 20 two-and-a-half inch hourglass blocks made.

The pattern calls for a different method of construction for the hourglass units, but I like to oversize and cut down since that helps me keep the units more accurate. I knew there was a formula for oversizing, and I found a chart at Vicki'sFabricCreations blogspot that gives cutting measurements for several finished hourglass block sizes. It's printer friendly, so I printed it out for future referral. :-)  She also has a tutorial on a couple of methods for making the hourglass blocks. I like to use the second method that she shows because it gives two blocks at a time. Two birds with one stone.

Thought I'd share a tip with you today that I discovered as I was doing some hand stitching recently and needed to mark the diagonal. There was a tissue box nearby, I grabbed one, and found that using a tissue to lay the fabric on as I marked helped to keep the fabric from slipping. Using a tissue is easier on my fingers than using sandpaper to lay the fabric on, and it's just as effective. Handier at times, too!

I hope to post a picture of my finished wall/table quilt soon. I'm getting so behind in my homework!

Sexual Purity: Moral Freedom

Continuing to work through my Bible study in the Seeking Him guide by Nancy Leigh DeMoss, and sharing a thought with you today. The topic is 'Sexual Purity: The Joy of Moral Freedom'.  As I mentioned in yesterday's post, the Enemy of all things good is intent on destroying all that reflects the goodness of God. Sexual desire is one of those battlefronts.

"For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;  that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor,  not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.  ~ 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8

If immorality is so desirable, one wonders why there's such increasing intensity as people degenerate along that path. They become enslaved to it, in bondage to it, just as one in bondage to drugs must have more and more. It never satisfies, but they keep relentlessly pursuing it. It haunts them and oppresses them (and those they use). The Enemy of all things good has caught them in his trap, and they don't even realize it. They find fulfillment nowhere.

"There is dullness, monotony, sheer boredom in all of life when virginity and purity are no longer protected and prized. By trying to grab fulfillment everywhere, we find it nowhere."     ~ Elisabeth Elliot

In today's study, Nancy offers a checklist of safeguards for those of us pursuing moral freedom. I hope they're an encouragement to you.

• Recognize your potential for moral failure
• Realize that you don't have to give in.
• Resolve to be pure.
• Remove all bitterness.
• Restrain our fleshly desires.
• Reject anything that could lead you back into bondage.
• Run from every form of evil.
• Renew your mind with the Word of God.
• Recruit help.
• Remember the consequences.
• Refuse to remain in defeat and depression.
• Rely on the Holy Spirit.

~ from Seeking Him, Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Tim Grissom

Fifty Shades of Grey ~ Rather, 50 Shades of Lies

The topic came up a few days ago at church, and I read a blog post by Dannah Gresh (author of Lies Young Women Believe) this morning on truewoman.com saying, basically, the same thing. From what I've heard and read, the movie Fifty Shades of Grey is one of those movies you'll probably regret seeing if you do. It comes out on Valentine's Day, touted as a romantic story, but critics say it glamorizes and perpetuates violence against women and is filled with pornography. Its images will cripple your relationships.

It apparently has become "a global sensation," beginning with the book series, but there's currently a social media campaign called #50dollarsnot50shades against the movie, asking people to donate $50 to a battered women’s shelter instead of going to see the movie.

Dr. Gail Dines, professor at Wheelock College in Boston and the founder of Stop Porn Culture, an organization aimed at raising awareness about the harms of pornography, says this about the movie,

“I meet women who married ‘Christian Grey’. They are on the run for their lives. They are living in battered women’s shelters. They’ve got two teeth knocked out, cigarette burns up and down their arm and traumatized kids in tow.”
          – Dr. Gail Dines, author of 'Pornland: How the Porn Industry Has Hijacked Our Sexuality'

God created us as sexual beings and intended sex to be a beautiful experience between husband and wife, an expression of pleasure far beyond the physical. The Enemy of all things good seeks whom and what he may devour, and his intent is to destroy anything that reflects the goodness of God. Satan strategizes against our experiencing the fullness of who we were created to be. Shades of Grey is part of his arsenal.

Resist. 

Painting ~ A Lady in Gray 1859, Daniel Macnee 1821-1895
Wiki Commons public domain

Louisa May Says...

Pulled back into the driveway this evening after taking the grandchildren home to their parents. Going to sleep in tomorrow morning! Bittersweet, though. Putting on hold those early morning whispers from a little voice that sneaks into bed with me, "Let's cuddle before it's time to get up," or bedtime stories with little bodies snuggled against us after evening baths, or ..... Sigh. Well, time to do something else.

Thinking about a statement by Florence King that I recently read :

"Let’s bring back grandmothers! A real family consists of three generations. It’s time Americans stopped worrying about interference and being a burden on the children and regrouped under one roof."

It's been around for awhile, but where did the idea come from, anyway, that most of us are an interference and a burden to others of us?! I have a hunch that it came from the Enemy of all things good. America does need to stop thinking like that.

I have a friend who says she could easily live like the Waltons. I think that many of us might enjoy at least the thought of it. But I think there's probably a lot of truth in Florence's statement. 

It relates somewhat to what our daughter was saying recently about her generation, how they're trying to connect more relationally, especially in the context of church life. My thought is that America's families have become so scattered across the continent that we've lost important, natural relationships. The illusion of intimacy in social media is slowly being recognized for what it is. It simply cannot replace the touch of the hand, the smile on the face, the knowing that there's someone who really cares and is at your side, no matter what. No amount of "likes" can replace that.

As Louisa May Alcott would say, "A house needs a grandma in it."  

Maybe not everyday, but in the everydayness of life.

Painting ~ Grandma and Football, Russell Sambrook

Trusting His Purpose

"I must learn that the purpose of my life belongs to God, not me. God is using me from His great personal perspective, and all that He asks of me is that I trust Him."

~ Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

Painting ~ A Side Glance 1892, Edward Frederick Brewtnall
Wikigallery public domain

Sunday Ponderings ~ The Path of Life

You will make known to me the path of life; 

In Your presence is fullness of joy; 

In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

Psalm 16:11

Image ~ Butchart garden victoria canada - panoramio, 
bynyalcin [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Going back to Saturdays for my Daybook entries. Saturdays work better for me, but I'll continue to add my post to The Simple Woman's Daybook on Mondays. Today I reflect on simple thoughts and simple pleasures. My leads are somewhat similar to others in the Daybook group, yet a bit different as well.

Outside my window...

Today was a warmish day, warm enough to play in the backyard with the grands.

(Ever so) Thankful...
For the time with the grandchildren this past week.

Noticing the sound of...
Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story CD. Had it playing earlier in the day. Soft music helps keep the children settled. 

 

Looking forward to...
Meeting up with My Beloved's brother for breakfast next week. Miles keep us apart, so My Beloved and I are looking forward to connecting with him again. 

In the kitchen….
Going to make a special treat tomorrow--Razzle Dazzle Pudding Cake. Sharing the recipe with you. I've had this recipe for years and don't recall where I got it. Sorry that I can't give credit where it is due.

Razzle-Dazzle Pudding Cake

2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries, blackberries, or blueberries (I use a frozen berry mixture)

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. lemon juice
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
½ cup milk
3 tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

Topping:

¾ cup sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350°.

Toss the blueberries with cinnamon and lemon juice; place in a greased 8-inch square baking dish. In a bowl, combine flour, sugar and baking powder; stir in milk and butter. Spoon over berries. Combine sugar and cornstarch; sprinkle over batter. Slowly pour boiling water over all. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the cake tests done.

Creating...  
Made Anna a new sheet set for her toddler bed this week. I posted a tutorial if you'd like to make a set for a special little one in your life.

Learning...
Trying to learn how to put a comment box on my blogger posts, but can't seem to figure it out. (I just saw in the preview--it's there!)

A Peek into My Week...
Ironing little clothes, and using the time to pray for the special ones who will wear them.

 Helping Elijah with his homeschooling work. Brings back so many good memories of our own homeschooling days with his mommy and her sister.

A Thought from my quiet time...
Pondering on a portion of a message given by John MacArthur that My Beloved and I listened to this week. Thinking about when Stephen was accused of blasphemy in Acts 7 and the defense that he made to the council. He turned the accusation back onto them, that they had betrayed and murdered the Just One whom God had sent, Jesus Christ. It's interesting that the Apostle Paul (at that time called Saul) undoubtedly heard Stephen's message as he held the coats of those who would stone Stephen. Perhaps this was the first time Paul had heard such a clear explanation of who Jesus was. If so, it was the seed planted for his later conversion on the Road to Damascus.

Reading...
World Magazine and sharing a quote.

“It’s one thing for the leaders—and defenders—of Islam to say that what we’ve just seen isn’t the true fruit of what they teach. It’s another thing for them to show us where the true fruit is.” 

~ Joel Belz in World Magazine Feb 7, 2015

Thinking...

So then, you will know them by their fruits.  ~ Matthew 7:20


I hope you've had a blessed week.

Vickie

From the Sewing Room ~ Crib Sheets

The grands have been at their other grandparents for a couple of days, so I took the time to make Anna another sheet set for her toddler bed. I've made a couple other sets, and this one matches a quilt I had made for her. The set includes a fitted bottom sheet, a top sheet with a fitted bottom to keep it tucked in, and a matching pillow case. Thought I'd share with you how it all comes together, if you'd like to make a set for someone special in your life. It isn't difficult to make at all. You can use a favorite themed fabric or any fabric that coordinates.

The mattress for Anna's bed is 52x22x6. I used two yards of fabric for the bottom sheet to allow for the thickness of the mattress. If your mattress is a different size, buy enough fabric for the length of the mattress plus twice the depth and a couple more inches for the casing. Typical cotton fabric is 42-44 inches wide, which works well for the width of the mattress. Be sure to pre-wash the fabric. You don't want any surprise shrinking after the sheets are washed. Depending on where you buy your fabric, it may be a good idea to buy just a bit more than your measurements.

I purchased another two-thirds yard to make the matching pillowcase. Or, you could get the extra two-thirds of a yard to match the top sheet. Your choice. I chose the coordinating fabric for the band on the pillowcase. You will also need 3 yards of 1/4-inch elastic.

For the bottom sheet:
(1) Cut out a square (mattress thickness +2 inches) from each corner of the fabric. I cut an 8-inch square. I did this by folding the fabric in half to cut two corners at a time, or you can fold the fabric in fourths and cut all four corners at once.

(2) The corner seams are French seams that help to keep the inside seams from raveling. (The corners seams are shown vertically in the pictures below.) To do this, fold the fabric so the 8-inch corner cuts are wrong sides together (below left). Pin and stitch with a 1/4-inch seam. Trim to an eighth inch. Turn the seam right sides together (below right). Stitch with1/4-inch seam, being careful to enclose raw edge. Repeat for each corner.

(3) Make a casing all around the edge of the sheet. To do this, I folded and ironed under 1/4-inch all around, then folded and stitched 1/2-inch hem, leaving a couple of inches unstitched to insert the elastic. Cut a piece of elastic 80 inches. It's a good idea to pin the end of the elastic near the opening so it doesn't slip through the opening as the elastic is being moved through the casing. Work the elastic around to the other side of the opening. Overlap the ends of the elastic about a half inch and join with a zigzag stitch.

(4) Stitch the opening closed, being careful not to catch the elastic. Adjust the fabric uniformly along the elastic. That's how simple it is to make the fitted bottom sheet!

For the top sheet with a fitted bottom:

(1) The top sheet is cut the length of the mattress + the depth of the mattress + 2 inches to allow for tucking under the mattress with casing + 3 inches for the top hem. The width is the width of the fabric.

(2) Cut squares the depth of the mattress +2 inches from the 2 bottom corners. Sew the two corners the same as for the bottom sheet.

(3) Fold and iron under 1/4 inch on the flat top part of the sheet, then fold again and stitch a 2.5- inch hem.

(4) Cut elastic about 6 inches longer than width of mattress. I used what I had left in the package after cutting for the bottom sheet. Elastic will be inserted only in the lower portion of the top sheet, so make a hem/casing down the side, across the bottom, and up the other side of the sheet, leaving about a 2-inch opening along the sides, 10 inches from both of the bottom corners.

(5) Insert elastic into one opening, using a zigzag stitch to secure it before working it through the casing. Zigzag the other end of the elastic to secure it when it reaches the other opening. Stitch openings closed.

 

There you have the fitted top sheet to stay put during night time tossing and turning!

 

Add a coordinating pillow case, and you have the complete set!

The best tutorial I've seen on making a pillow case is done by Vanessa at CraftyGemini.com. There are French seams, and the border is sewn with a hidden seam inside. It's super simple, and Vanessa walks you through it step by step here. 

I got the idea of a fitted top sheet from Deborah at whip-stitch.com. Do take a look here for inspiration!

I hope these instructions have been clear to you. Happy sewing! Would love to see what you made!

Vickie  

On Forgiveness ~ A Quiet Time Thought

Thinking some in preparation for our next Bible study in the Seeking Him study guide. The upcoming topic is on "Forgiveness: Setting Your Captives Free." Just as importantly, that forgiveness sets ourselves free as well.

The topic takes me back almost 20 years ago when I was ambushed and slandered by a friend. If you've had a friend turn on you and work to get others to turn on you as well, then you know the hurt and confusion it causes. I felt a great weight in my spirit and on my heart, wanting to find out what went wrong and to reconcile with her. She had no desire to discuss whatever brought on her state of mind and actions, but I knew that I had to get some release in my own heart and mind.That's when I went to the Scriptures and dug deeply for an understanding of forgiveness.

I learned that there are basically two dimensions to forgiveness--a relational aspect and a judicial aspect. I could not reach my friend relationally because she wouldn't talk to me, so we could not re-establish fellowship with one another as Matthew 18 instructs believers. I had to accept that. The other aspect was judicial, that I needed to release her and not to seek retribution for the hurt and damage she had caused. I left whatever consequences might come her way up to God and entrusted myself to Him. There was nothing more I could do or was expected to do.

That isn't to say that I have no feelings about the matter when I recall my friend. It saddens me to remember the discord the situation caused in our group and the loss of a friendship. God doesn't tell us to forget, but to forgive as He forgave us. We receive His forgiveness; in turn, we are to extend forgiveness.

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another,
as God in Christ forgave you.   ~ Ephesians 4:32

Unforgiveness can cause physical as well as emotional damage. In setting others free, we set ourselves free to a more abundant life, a life not burdened down with bitterness and resentment. 

Painting ~Laesende Kvinde Oil on panel
Carl Holsoe 1863-1935
Wiki Commons public domain

Today With the Grands

A busy, full several days with the grands.

Each day we've squeezed in as much as we possibly could.

Passing far too quickly.

If you're a grandparent, you know how precious each moment is.

Grandchildren are the crown of the aged. (Proverbs 17:6)

Today

Time at the playground after naps.

Roasting marshmallows this evening in the fireplace.

Reading by the fire after bath time.

Sharing a goody recipe that I made for the kiddos this week.

Peanut Butter Fingers

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup rolled ots

½ cup sugar

½ cup firmly packe brown sugar

½ tsp soda

½ tsp salt

½ cup margarine or butter, softened

1/3 cup peanut butter

½ tsp vanilla

1 egg

6 oz. pkg (1cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips 

Glaze:

1/3 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons peanut butter

3-5 teaspoons milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 13x9-inch dish or pan.

Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off.

In large bowl, combine all bar and frosting ingredients except chocolate chips at low speed until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press into bottom of prepared pan.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Sprinkle immediately with chocolate chips. Let stand 5 minutes; spread evenly.

In a small bowl, combine all glaze ingredients: drizzle over chocolate frosting.

Cool completely: cut into bars.