Only God Is Perfect

 We all want our quilts to be as close to perfect as we can get them, but we also know that SOMEthing is going to go a bit wonky somewhere in the process. Usually it is in the piecing. An intersection may be a tad off, a point gets buried in the seam allowance, a pucker shows up out of no where. Well if you get through the piecing perfectly, the quilting is sure to get you....there will be some missed stitches along the way, a toe hanger may even show up, and you may go off course because you are watching television while you are quilting and they are announcing the Biggest Loser as you are stitching away! If by chance, a miracle happens and your quilting is perfect, the binding will destroy any chance of that perfect quilt. Mitered corners?? Really...and FOUR of them at that. You may get 1 or 2 perfect, but certainly not ALL 4!!! Well I did it!!!!! I made the perfect quilt. My piecing was flawless, my quilting could have won a blue ribbon and ALL 4 corners are beautifully mitered!!!!! 

It was PERFECT! I felt my chest puff out in pride and I knew I had attained something special, and in TWO weeks time...a new record for me!! Perfection felt AMAZING!!!! I am ALL THAT and a bag of scraps!!!! 

And then it happened!!! I spotted a flaw in the fabric. It was a tiny little flaw, but a FLAW....a perfect quilt has NO flaws. And this was not a flaw that could be left to itself....it would not hide. In fact, the trip through the washer and dryer would turn that tiny flaw into a full fledged hole!! What did I do??? I SOBBED! *picture Scarlet O'Hara throwing herself on her bed, wailing!* As I wept and mourned the perfect quilt, and wondered how I could possibly make another one in 2 days, I heard my Jesus' voice speak ever so softly to me. "Only I am perfect."  Oh. I was stunned. Of course I knew this....it is the "Quilter's Rule"...Only God is Perfect. I grabbed the quilt, ran to Joann's to get identically matched thread, and some fray check. I whip stitched that flaw, which OF COURSE made it look MUCH worse, and drop some fray check on there. I repented of my pride and puffed-upped-ness (yes, I may have made up that word) and threw that flawed quilt in the washer.....it came out of the dryer beautiful. I could find the flaw right away, but my kids couldn't....Charlotte found it after 10 minutes and the boys never did find it. It is there....a blob smaller than a pea, but larger than a pin head. 

And like this quilt, we are all flawed....none are perfect....Only God.  I think this is my favorite quilt. I believe baby Lincoln will love it and he may even find that flaw and rub it as he falls asleep....it may comfort him. I know it comforts me that it is there! 

Here is a peek at the back.....

I have moved on to the next baby quilt.... colors that make me happy.

And a pattern that makes me smile.

And I can guarantee you it will NOT be perfect!!!!!

Kiddos!!

 The girls and I thought you might want an update on the kids....

My oldest is on the road with a moving company. He is in Florida right now. He finally saw the ocean!! He was so excited!

He has his kids every other weekend and any time they have a school break. They adore him! Still no new daughter in law.....I miss being a mother in law....I thought I was a pretty good one.

Kyle is doing well. He is ready for summer and tired of being cooped up in the house. I don't know what I'd do without him. 

Zachary.....lots of stuff going on with Zach. The school he and Charlotte were in did not work out. Suffice it to say, Charlotte had issues there which caused issues for both kids. He is now at another Christian school and doing VERY well!!! He is also taking drum lessons!

And there is a new addition to the family.....meet Sheldon., Zach's turtle.

Charlotte......

Though she is darling in this picture with my great niece, Alix, Charlotte has made some pretty bad choices for herself and so I am not sure what her immediate future holds. Please pray for her and for us. We knew this would be a tough road, and we were right. She is home, unable to attend any kind of school, and we are awaiting word from a school that may be the perfect fit for her. Keep that in your prayers also. 

I finished the baby quilt, and it is gift bagged and ready to give. I'll show pics after the Mama-to-be receives it. Until then, thanks for your comments and prayers!!!

The Best of my Life.....Quilting and Grandkids

I can not believe it has been 5 months since my last post. I wondered if I shouldn't just close down the blog, but I remembered it's main purpose.....for them.....

 

So what has been happening? TJ turned 8 last week. I had them for Spring break. 

He is growing so fast and I miss that baby boy. This trip he decided he did not need his morning hugs any more...he was 8 now, ya know! I had a heart to heart and convinced him those morning hugs would always be needed! Emerson is growing too!!

She is such a sweet girl, but a bit of a drama queen at times....

She was left out when the boys went down the street...she is still too little to go in the road. I let her come "quilt" with me and she got happy again. Speaking of quilting....she got her quilt!!!

She was thrilled with it. I was happy with it too. I have gotten a lot of quilting done over the winter months. I finished that baby quilt from the last post I made.

The texture was wonderful.

I also made 3 tied quilts for my 3 cousins. Their dad died several years ago and I made quilts using his flannel shirts. Robby and Meghan were very surprised to see them (Sarah was not there, but she got hers too).

I made several minis and a table runner...all gifts.

All hand quilted. Earlier tonight, I took the last quilting stitches in my latest project, a baby quilt for a shower on Saturday.

I will bind it tomorrow and have set a record for myself. I quilted this 50x50 quilt by hand in two weeks. It usually takes me 6....I will say I enjoy it more when I can take my time! 

My next project is going to be a scrap quilt....oh and 2 more baby quilts. There is a baby boom at my church!!! All the scraps are chosen and ready to cut.

I can't have a post without sharing the girls....Sassy is still queen of the castle.

Cammy has all the attitude!! She was being told to MOVE off of that quilt.....see the ears? She was giving me what Winona calls the "stink eye"!

I promise to come back SOON, and catch you up on my kids. Leave a comment and let me know you are still out there!!! ;)

Girlfriends

 It has been an October like no other. You all know how difficult this time of year can be for us, especially Charlotte. Well, praise God, it has been a wonderful month! School is going well for her. She LOVES it....and great news...Zach begins on Monday and will go Monday thru Wednesday and I will homeschool Thursday and Friday. The school uses the same curriculum we do. Isn't God AWESOME!? Sassy and I think so!

I have been working on a little quilt for a baby boy. I love the colors and the pattern is a favorite! I am almost finished! 

I taught hand quilting a couple of weeks ago. I love teaching that class. It is so fun to see the ladies get the technique and then begin to really enjoy the process. I met 3 ladies at my We!ght Watchers meeting last year, and every Tuesday, my mom and I go to lunch with them. Can you believe ALL 3 of them are quilters????

Is that amazing? Well they are all pretty much machine quilters, but all 3 wanted to take my class, so they did!! Melody, on the far right, actually has done some hand quilting on her own before, but now I think she will feel better about it. She is in the process of English Paper Piecing and I know she will want to hand quilt that one! Ronda, standing next to Melody, has a table runner all ready to hand quilt on, and Carol, on the far left, finished her class project that same night of the class!! She is now piecing hand embroidered blocks her mother made into a large (King Sized) quilt and will hand quilt it!! I love it!!! They come most Monday's and we walk 4-5 miles. Such a nice group of ladies!!! They all came to my Mom's surprise party and brought their husbands!

We have all either hit the 50 pound mark, or are very close. They all inspire me to do better!!!!

 On that note, I will close, and be back when the baby quilt is done and there is something different in the hoop!

Almost 3 Months???

I can't believe I have let over 2 months go by since I last blogged! I had to remind myself that this is a record for my generations! Lots to catch up on! Don't you love the view outside my studio window! It is beautiful! Sassafras loves it too!!

This is her "spot" in the sewing room. She loves it there. Cammy has a favorite spot too.

Under the table. She curls up and sleeps the entire time I am sewing, whether it is for 30 minutes, or all day long! She turned 1 on September 25th! I can't imagine our home without her!

Another birthday took place! Emerson turned 4 on September 16th! 

Such a big girl!! She loved her Princess cake!

Her brother lost a tooth. Just in time for the season...I wonder if he will be a Jack-O-Lantern? He would make a good one!!

My Mom also had a birthday. She turned 70 and we had a wonderful surprise party for her. I want to do a full post sharing pictures so that her grandkids and great grandkids can see them in later years. For now, here is a picture of my Mom, my sister, my aunt, and me (I am the tall one :p).

Let's see.....Zach has started 6th grade. We are still homeschooling . He just finished up his garden. It was not a great success this summer with the hot weather and no rain, but he got some carrots to juice and the tomatoes did fair.

Charlotte began her first high school year attending public school. She lasted 3 weeks, and it was an utter failure. Way too much stress, so we pulled her out and she is attending a private Christian school. 

God made a way, where there seemed to be no way! She is doing AWESOME!!! She is helping to lead Praise and Worship in the mornings, and I see only wonderful things ahead for her. Our October is going so well, I almost forgot it was October!

Kyle is staying healthy and he and Zach are spending some great time together. I am hoping to get Kyle in at a nursing home to volunteer with the activity department very soon.

We spent several different weekends at our local State Park over the last couple of months. It was a wonderful time of relaxing, hiking, and fishing. I LOVE this picture of my husband and oldest son. No words are needed.

On the quilting front, I have finally gotten my mojo back!! In the hoop, I have been working on a table runner, and, of course, Emerson's quilt, but in the sewing room I have 2 different projects going. 

 First, this Sawtooth Star quilt, which will be a cover up for my family room....

I think I need 28 blocks and will use the background fabric as an alternating block.

The newest project is a baby quilt that needs to be done by mid November. I made real headway today after church, when I came home, threw on these....

...and got to work! 

I should have the top together tomorrow, but I won't baste it until the runner is finished. 

I think that is enough for now. I will try to get back here at least weekly. Now that my quilting mojo is back, I should have lots to show and tell!!!