Monday, June 17, 2013

Baby Quilt Finished

Linking up with Lee again over at Freshly Pieced
For Work In Progress Wednesday!




I got an invite to a baby shower for next Saturday. I had not even thought about making a quilt for this baby the due date is 2 months away. I didn't know they were going to have a shower here the parents live out of town. So..surprise your invited! So I had to whip something up. 

I found a quilt on Pinterest that I just loved I was not sure if this would work for a baby boy but hey I am always willing to give it a shot. 

Here is the link to the pattern here Jolene over at Blue Elephant Stitches came up with this design. I love it.



These go together as blocks. Not in rows. Yeah!








I had a visitor while I was taking pictures. He was blue. See the dragonfly on the clothes pin closest to you. 







Now on to other subjects. I promised that I would fill you in on what each square meant in my 39 ...um 40 squares sampler. O.K. so here are two I have done.


The first square is a crown with an R in it. The R stands for my first name Regina (which I don't go by) The story goes that my Mom while in high school took Latin and in the Latin language Regina means Queen. 

The second square has an M in it. This is for my middle name Michelle. Yep, the shell is a shortened version of that name that my family some times call me.  Shell or Chell

So now only 38 more squares to go. What was I thinking?!!

Oh BTW the winner of the book is.........Lynne Leavell! Congratulations Lynne I will be contacting you so I can mail your book to you! 

Hugs and best stitches to you all,









Google Reader

I just thought I would let everyone that is a follower of mine in on some news. I have been away from the blogging biz for a while so I just found out that they are doing away with Google Reader as of July 1, 2013. Here is the post about that HERE

So now you will have to follow you favorite blogs a different way. The best way I have found is to use Bloglovin  
I have signed up and you can click the button to the right to follow my blog again, when you sign up you can also import all of your current google reader blogs. Yeah.

I found a blog that explains how to do all of these things Alyce over at Blossom Heart Quilts explains it all in this post. Here

Hope this helps you as it did me! And don't forget to follow me!

Hugs and best stitches to you all,



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Sunday, June 16, 2013

Verse for Sunday




It's not a verse but important that I share this with you today.
Have a great week,
Michelle

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Work In Progress Wednesday

Hi Everyone Glad you could stop by today. Today I am participating in a link up with Lee over at Freshly Pieced. We are showing what we have in progress or what we are currently working on hence the name:




Well I am going to show you some hand stitching I am working on. I know, I know I am usually working on a quilt. And......I am but I am not done with it right now and I started a hand stitching project a few days ago and guess what..... I am going to have a giveaway to go with today's post! Wooo Hooo!!

So......here is the story. I have a Flickr account. Here As good Flickr account holders do they browse or search for things. I was searching for some "hand work" or hand embroidery which ever. I came across a group called 39 Squares which was created by Amy Powers who also has a blog called Inspire Co. She created the 39 squares to commemorate her 39th birthday. Well I loved it so much that I put a few of the pictures on my favorites at Flickr but..... I also made a Pin Board at Pinterest so I could come back to the idea and maybe make my own. So this week I started it. I will give me something to do at night while I talk on the phone to my husband while he is at work. HeHeHe






 First I start with my fabric and ruler and I have to have my FriXion Pens. I bought mine at Missouri Star Quilt Co. They are wonderful you can draw all over your fabric and if you make a mistake take your iron and iron right over it and it disappears.



Here is my grid so to speak. But, if you will notice my grid is bigger. Amy's squares were 1 inch by 1 inch mine are 1 1/2 by 1 1/2 inches I just could not fit the things I wanted to stitch into a one inch square. Also her grid consisted of 39 squares for her up coming thirty-ninth birthday. Well..... I am already 39 so I have 40 squares YES Yes I said it I am going to be FORTY in February. O.K. go ahead and laugh now......



Here are just some of the designs I picked.



Here are a few of my favorites. Most are from two different books I purchased and some I copied from the Flickr photos.



I have got a very little done so far. And later in a different post I will tell you what each thing in the squares means to me.



Here are the two books I got most of my designs out of. The first is 100 French Designs for the Home a cute book a got from Amazon. The second is by Amy Ray called Doodle Stitching: The Motif Collection also from Amazon. Fun little books well worth the money. Which brings me to the give away!



TA DA......This book is also by Amy Ray called Doodle Stitching but it is for the beginner. I am giving it away!!! It is brand new! 

So Here are the Rules: (there are always rules)

1.This will last for one week! (I will choose a winner next Wednesday June 19th) 

2. Only one entry per person. (Make sure I can reach you. If you are non-reply blogger you might want to leave your email address with your comment.)

3. You MUST be a Follower of my blog!!

4. You must leave a comment on this post to be entered. (Please be nice!)

5. Please comment in ENGLISH Only! (the only language I speak)

6. IF you are NOT from the Continental U.S. Please Note: You will have to pay shipping via USPS Global mail and ALL other duties and fees. (sorry but this is cutting into my quilting budget!)

If you agree with all the above rules you may enter and good luck!




Just so you wouldn't have withdrawals here is the quilt I am working on. I told you all about it in this post. I am in the process of quilting it now. Hope to have it done soon. Until next time.

Hugs and best stitches to you all,

Saturday, June 1, 2013

A Quilt Finished.........So Many Memories

I think this will be the hardest post I will ever write in my blogging career. You will understand by the end of the post. This post will be picture heavy so those of you who use dial-up be warned it my take a while to load.

Close up pictures later.

I started this quilt for my father in law at the end of January of this year. Now normally I would never make a quilt for my father in law. (Grady) Only because Grady is like my husband they never sit still. 
In early 2012 Grady came home early from work very ill. He was admitted to the hospital the next morning. He had staph infection around the top of his lung. That was really scary! But what came next was even more so. After all the doctor's visits he was diagnosed with Interstitial Lung Disease  this disease is terminal. 
He was given a rough time frame of a few years. But as you know it is GOD'S time frame we are working with. All my father in law wanted to do was live long enough to see my son (his grandson) graduate from high school. He told our pastor that and our pastor's reply to that was "I think you are not asking enough of the Lord he is able to do so much more" 

My Mother in law Belinda, My son Dylan, and My Father in law Grady, May 2012
Grady did see Dylan graduate from high school and as you can see he is smiling. It took him a long time just to walk from the parking lot to the stadium. But, he did it and never complained.

Jumping to the quilt I started this quilt like I said in January for Grady when I realized he would probably be spending a lot more time in his recliner due to his deteriorating health. You see in January he was hospitalized for the third time in 4 months. I finished the quilt late February and sent it to be quilted at the first of March. 

Grady was a very Godly man he loved the Lord and never missed an opportunity to tell others about Jesus. He was a member of the Faith Riders and also a Gideon.

That is why I chose to make this quilt. Grady knew the Bible and could quote it! He memorized many verses from the Bible. Each year our pastor would tell us a new verse that he would like for us as a church to learn. My father in law would have it committed to memory in one week. He had many favorite scriptures he would learn. 

This is one of his favorite verses Isaiah 40:31

He was a very talented man as well. This is a car tag carved out of wood he made!



I have put blood, sweat, and tears into many quilts that I have made. This quilt however I have put mostly just tears into. I have cried this week as I put the binding on. 

Grady never got to see his quilt. He passes away on March 20, 2013. However I would never wish him back. You see the tears I cry are purely selfish tears. Grady is in heaven and he is not sick or hurting and he is with his Jesus he loves so much. 

Our family is slowly healing from our loss, and we rejoice in the fact that we will see our Husband, Dad, Papa, Uncle, Friend again one day when the Lord calls us home. You see Grady was all of those things to many people and so much more! He was just like me a sinner saved by grace.





The verses with the year above it are the one's we memorized in church.



So I will leave you with one of many things that Grady used to say "God is good.......all the time......and Every Where!"
I love you Grady and I miss you so much!
Your other daughter,
Michelle



Hugs and best stitches to you all,