rambling thanksgiving

I am SO thankful that we don't see the road ahead in our lives.
I am thankful that God does!

I am SO grateful that no matter how many ups and downs our emotions experience on life's roller coaster, that God has already experienced EVERY SINGLE ONE of them.

I am humbled to be an American, to have access to the health care system we have, and while I often feel guilty to be so blessed, I'm also greatly appreciative that it's at our disposal.

Honesty...it's such an incredible thing. I am thankful for doctors who tell the truth, even when it hurts. I don't like hearing that Mom "has a rough road ahead of her" but I do appreciate doctors who don't sugar coat things and have chosen to study and work in professions where you only deal with hurting people.

Healing...I am thankful that at the end of our decaying body lies ultimate healing; that eventually each and every one of us who has bowed the knee to Christ here on earth will one day see our bodies completely and totally renewed.

Laughter - Mom always quoted that verse from Proverbs that a "merry heart does good like medicine", and today as I've been 13 hours away from my side of the family, I've been thankful for nieces and nephews who have kept me laughing today. And I'm thankful for family members who like to play Balderdash and Encore...best games ever! :)

Amazement...we are truly "fearfully and wonderfully made" as the psalmist says. We don't really stop and think about how important the joints in our bodies are until they don't work properly. Arthritis is a cruel disease (but aren't they all?) and the disentegration of joints truly renders one like Oz's tin man in need of oil.

And last but not least, I'm thankful for family and friends, and for the unending support of my husband. I'm thankful for the bond my parents have, and the example their marriage was to me growing up. I am truly blessed.

juke

A juke is a football term, meaning a player makes a move intended to deceive (an opponent).  In other words, if you have the foot ball and move like you're going to run to one side of the field and then abruptly run to the other side, you have juked the other team.

I first heard this word over the weekend, courtesy of my niece, who introduced me to the term "Jesus juke".  I had to google it to find out what it was, and the more I read the more bothered I became. It's basically when someone hijacks a non-spiritual conversation and makes it spiritual. The examples given were quite abrupt, in my opinion more than a little rude and insensitive, and made me think of  Proverbs 25:11 "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver."

I'm certainly not one to handle social occasions with finesse, and that's probably why I'd just as soon avoid them altogether. But life cannot be avoided, meaning invariably I find myself struggling. Once I was accosted by that person on a bandwagon and I desperately scanned the room for someone else nearby so I could excuse myself. She called me on it. I was already fighting the anger inside, but later I realized she had a point. Just because I found her rude in coversation choice didn't mean my response had to be rude as well. It might make sense by today's standards, but not by God's. I'm called to be kind and tenderhearted, even when I want to snarly reply "You have NO idea what you're talking about it, this is personal for us and I really wish you'd quit bringing this subject matter up every time you see me."

And I think that's why I struggle with the whole Jesus juking terminology. Such comments are made for a variety of reasons: an awkward attempt to fit into a conversation, the original comment actually revived something hearer had been thinking about a LOT lately, that person is truly concerned and is fulfilling the command to rebuke in love, the comment was not a juke but because it convicted you it made you angry, OR that person has simply not learned the rich art of communication.

I am the poster child for words NOT fitly spoken. It's an area I have struggled with all my life and probably will continue to fight until the day I die. Hearing or reading other Christians mocking fellow belivers for their communication skills (or lack thereof) makes the immature child in me want to stay away from even Christian circles or forums. There's simply no love displayed by either part, the hearer nor the speaker.  It's odd that Christ told us "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35) and yet our very conversation is unloving. Or should I say "juked"?

this just makes me laugh

A quilt shop sent this in their newsletter today:

Advice from a 1949 Singer Sewing Manual

"Prepare yourself mentally for sewing. Think about what you are going to do. . . never approach sewing with a sigh or lackadaisically. Good results are difficult when indifference predominates. Never try to sew with a sink full of dirty dishes or beds unmade. When there are urgent housekeeping chores, do these first so your mind is free to enjoy your sewing. . .When you sew, make yourself as attractive as possible. Put on a clean dress. Keep a little bag full of French chalk near your sewing machine to dust your fingers at intervals. Have your hair in order, powder and lipstick put on . . .[If] you are constantly fearful that a visitor will drop in or your husband will come home and you will not look neatly put together, you will not enjoy your sewing as you should."

Say WHAT? So little did those writers know. :)

Quilts of Valor

66,246 quilts awarded.

The average age of a soldier is 19.Made of 100% cotton, these quilts are given to soldiers injured in combat,  to small children who have lost a parent in combat, and to injured veterans.

One of the five quilt exhibits at the expo was from Quilts of Valor. There is a QOV guild in Wake Forrest that also had a booth set up. Below is one of my favorites from their exhibit, along with a copy of the information sheet that went with it.



For more info on Quilts of Valor, check out one of their promotional videos below:

cool things I learned

At a sewing or quilting expo, there are usually 3 parts: the exhibits, the vendor booths, and the classrooms. This was the first time I had ever shelled out money for the classes, and I was VERY pleased with the results. Every class was very practical and informative, and only one did I feel like I was in the wrong place (the teacher was a clothes designer who has tailored garments for many many years and she was a tad over my head) but even there I did learn quite a few practical things. So here's a few of my favorite classroom (both formal and from the free expo stage lectures) lessons:

 The longarm quilting teacher showed us how she took the feather pattern she was teaching us and used it in different directions to create the above chicken. How cool is that? Of course, she used different colored threads and fabric painting to create the accents, but it was still neat to see how one basic pattern turned in different directions and different sizes could create something so detailed.

 Above on the right is one of the employees for McCalls. (The lady in blue helping hold the quilt is a McCalls editor.) Here she's demonstrating one of her quilts she made totally from scraps. She saves EVERY piece of fabric that's at least 1" wide when she sews. Periodically she takes her scrap bin and sews them in horizontal lines. When that pile reaches a fairly large amount she cuts the strips in various shapes and makes a quilt top. I was expecting to see a modern style quilt (like the one below) and was a little surprised to see something this creative. Most of her quilts were browns,beiges and greens (what she said her daughter calls "icky green") so the colors weren't always my favorite, but I loved seeing her many patterns. It made me realize how much planning goes into great quilts as opposed to my "jump in, feet first" approach.

 Wish Upon A Quilt store in north Raleigh present a free lecture on modern quilts. The one above is one of the few they showed that I really liked. They were laughing about how elderly women inform them there's nothing modern about these quilts. Evidently in small towns throughout the US, especially in African-American towns, quilts in this style and other similar veins were quite common.

And back to the McCall's lecture...Of all her MANY quilts, this was my favorite. The 9 patch squares were part of a quilt project at the McCalls' company (9 patch squares are the chuckwagon squares). Instead of buying fabric, she decided she was going to use up her green fabric stash. It doesn't show very well here, but the right side of the quilt is light green with slightly darker squares. The left side is a shade darker. (She kept running out of her stash and had to keep moving to a darker shade of green.) The bottom halves are both varying degrees of green. It gave it a color wheel effect and looked totally planned. Her point was that we can use what we have and play around with it long enough to make it work instead of always having to buy more fabric to complete a project. She was one of my favorite free lecturers.

I didn't take pictures of the lace shapping class or altering pant size patterns. I hope to try the lace shopping project very soon. The teacher sent us all home with a DVD of her lecture notes, plus she's one of the co-owners of Elegant Stitches in Cary (where I rent the Bernina to quilt). It's nice to know if I get stuck I can go in for advice at the store. And that was one of the nice things about this show - almost half of the vendors were within driving distance. So many quilt shops don't have up-to-date websites, so if you see something at a show and don't get it you're often unable to purchase it later. It's nice when you know they are close by and can always find an item when funds aren't quite so tight.

You're probably getting tired of quilts, but I think you'll find tomorrow's post very heartwarming.

Kid Friendly Quilts at Expo

Raleigh Sew & Quilt Expo Post #2:

One of the four quilt exhibits was an international competition. All the quilts were to be shaped like a house and had to do with the theme of home. They quilts were going to be auctioned off at some point as some fundraiser (sorry, I didn't read all the details). Besides being impressed with the wide variety of interpretations of the theme, I kept wishing all my kid friends were with me to see some of the entries. So I took pictures for them instead:

Based on the movie Up

This one was definitely 3D!

My favorite of the three mice houses.

And I included this one just because I like the old lady, and it's about quilting. :)

The black outline doesn't show up on the black showcurtain too well,  but it' s earth and the sun.This one reminded me of my artist friend Sara Mincy because she makes those little circle things (can't remember what they're called at the moment) as well as folds fabric/paper. Very creative!

Even though I lived in an apartment building for 4 years and a dorm for 4 years, I seldom think of a cityscape when I think of a place to live.

And last from my favorites of the housing exhibit: a barn!

And while this last quilt was part of the McCall's favorite patterns Exhibit, it made me laugh, and I thought all my young (and young at heart) blog readers would like it. :)

Raleigh Sew & Quilt Expo

From the Raleigh Convention Center, last week, Post One:

Overlooking Exhibit Hall A where the expo was held:

 The Gammill classroom where I took 2 classes.
Maybe one day I'll actually own one of these machines!

 Part of the Fons & Porter Quilt Exhibit:

and a close-up of the quilt above. :) Even the best quilters don't always get their pieces totally lined up correctly!

 I've seen a similar version of this quilt (but with diamonds, not stars) and one day hope to try it.
The coolest thing was the quilting below, which is one of the patterns covered in a class I took.

And another quilt that I thought was absolutely stunning:

 The coolest thing? It's simply sqaures, lines and triangles. Even the quilting is simple with straight and diagonal lines. :)

Tomorrow: Kid Friendly Quilts ;)