Happy Easter!

"Behold, I am coming soon!  My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."  
Rev. 22:12-13.

I love you, Lord Jesus~

Doll Quilt

There's a lot of special gift sewing going on here and has been for awhile.  I'm making my sis-in-love a quilt and a 50th birthday quilt for my dear friend and college roomie, Amy.  I can't wait to show you those quilts!  I took a break this week from regular sewing when I spotted the kit to make this little doll quilt in my kit/ufo stash.  I bought it a few years ago (geesh) at one of my favorite quilt shops, "The Attic Window" in Grand Rapids, MI.  It's a tiny little thing and I believe the fabrics are all Aunt Gracie.  It is a fun mix of kitties and puppies and spring colors.  Have a blessed Good Friday and Easter Sunday!

Jesus paid it all,

Row Along Top Finished

I picked the absolute gloomiest day to take pictures of my Row Along quilt top for you.  Its slim pickin's for a sunny photo day this time of year in Michigan, so I can tell you that the colors are deeper and more vivid than they appear here.  This was a fun quilt to make and I learned a lot about piecing, cutting, pressing and accuracy while making it.  Lori's instructions were very thorough and the borders came together and went on like a breeze.  We are gearing up for a snowstorm today.  The cold is bone-chilling and the wind is wicked.  I am so done with winter!

Hugs,

Sunday Scripture

Source: bing.com viaΣ∇ΣLΨΠ RΩDRIGUΣZ on Pinterest

Wishing you a blessed Palm Sunday!

On the Border

I don't know where this week has gone.  I can't believe I haven't blogged since Monday.  I haven't been able to do as much sewing as I would have liked but I was able to get my inner stop border on to my Row Along quilt.  I used the yellow "Strawberry Fields" from Fig Tree for Moda.  I just love the tiny flowers on it.  It goes really well with the quilt.  I cut out the pieced border so I can get started this weekend on that.  I found a purple in my stash with tiny blue and pink flowers.  I am so surprised that there is so much purple and lavender in this quilt.  It is not a color I normally use and I'm really loving it!

I want to thank you for your continued prayers and hope-filled comments about selling our house these past six months.  On Monday we accepted an offer on our house.  We have the inspections tomorrow and Lord willing will be all set by next week.  The new buyers are letting us stay in the house until the Friday after Maddie graduates high school.  God worked out the timing perfectly!  Why do I ever doubt Him?  Now we have to get busy finding a house for us!

Smiles,

Barn Block

Happy Monday!  After getting caught up on the Row Along, I decided it was best to get caught up on the Quilty Barn Along.  This is block number two.  You can see the first block here.  I am picturing this quilt with some cute farm animal sheets.  Maybe for a future grandchild?  I'm sure that I just sent my 18 and 22 year old running.  You can never plan too early!  :)

Smiles,

Sunday Scripture

Source: Uploaded by user via Kathy on Pinterest

Thankful,

Seeing Shore

Wednesday morning I decided if I didn't stop taking down wallpaper (realtor's idea) and get caught up on my Row Along quilt, that I would get farther and farther behind.  So I cut everything out for the last two rows and decided that Thursday would be an all day sew-a-thon.  I sure wish I could've had you with me to keep me company.  Between school pick ups, it was all done around 6:30 pm.  To say that I love this quilt is an understatement.  I have learned so many new things about quilting.  A lot of it has been through my own errors, but isn't that how we learn?  Next week Lori will give us border instructions.  If you asked me which row is my favorite, I couldn't tell you because each row was my favorite as I sewed it.  I do have to say that I have a particular fondness for the flying geese row (second row down) because I despise making flying geese, so tedious and time consuming, but because of that - I love it!  Happy Friday, friends!

Hugs,

Shamrock Pin

Yesterday I was thinking about how I really don't have any green in my wardrobe.  We have been invited to a friends house for dinner on St. Patricks Day and I didn't want to have to purchase something green to wear.  I quickly did a Pinterest search and found this tutorial.  You do not need to have the Clover heart shaped yo yo maker to make this.  I cut out a heart from paper and traced around it on fabric.  I used the stitching lines from the picture of the yo yo maker as my guide for stitching.  It worked like a charm!  The pin took about a half hour to make.  So simple!

Joyfully,

Baseball & Hogwarts

Wow, I can't believe all that I did in a mere 72 hours!  I left Michigan on a cold, gray Friday morning and stepped off the plane to warm, bright sunshine in Florida.  It was my first trip seeing Taylor at spring training for his college baseball team.  I said I would go when he was a senior.  I snapped this photo just as he tagged the player out at second base.  He was waiting for the call from the umpire.  I took some great shots that day.

My trusty sidekick came with me (along with her Dad, of course!).  I pulled her out of school Friday and Monday.  This was no small feat for a girl who is a senior in high school, has an internship in NICU at the local hospital and is working on her CNA certification.  She is so organized and so on top of things that I didn't have to do anything but report her absent.  Oh how I love these two!

We did not realize how close we were to Universal Studios.  We decided to take Maddie to fulfill her dream of seeing Hogwarts.  We waited in line for an hour.  I had not been on a ride since I was a child, I dislike them so.  The pleading look in her eyes did me in.  Her Dad bailed when he saw what he would have to get in to.  When they fastened me into the box that would carry me away, her hand came around the outside of her box to hold mine.  I was spit on by a larger than life spider, breathed on by a dragon and nearly fainted when I came face to face with a Dementor.  That was the rare occasion that my eyes were open.  The rest of the time I was trying to keep the butter beer in my stomach and my flip flops on my feet.  The whole time I was thinking I gave birth to two children, surely I can take a five minute ride through Hogwarts…as long as Maddie doesn't let go.

Smiles,

Renee

Sunday Scripture

Source: Uploaded by user via Candy on Pinterest

Joyfully,

Bittersweet

I'm heading south to the sunshine state to watch my son's last spring training of his college career.  I'll be back next week.  I hope I find a quilt shop along the way…

Smiles,

Barn Along

This morning I sat down to do the basket row of Lori's Row along and got sidetracked by her latest block and new quilt along, the Quilty Barn Along.  I have a bundle of Fig Tree red, cream and green fabrics that was begging me to use them!

The barn block uses an orphaned 6 1/2" quilt block.  I didn't have any on hand so I got out my trusty "Block Tool".  There are 102 blocks to choose from and can be made into five different sizes.  A quick flip showed that one of the sizes was 6 1/2" so choosing was fun.  Lori also has tutorials for 6 1/2" blocks as well.

This is one of my favorite barn quilts that I found doing a google search.  I love how it pops out from the white barn.  And that curved roof is gorgeous!  One of these days I may just hang one on the side of my house.  What do you think?  Let's start a new trend!

My family history is farming.  This is a photo of my Grandparents on their wedding day in 1928 (look at the size of my Grandpa's hands!!!)  I never got to meet my Grandpa, he died when my Dad was six.  I grew up living next door to my Grandma and her farm.  She had an orchard for the longest time until she sold it off to housing developers.  My parents purchased the lot across the street from her when I was just six months old.  They still live in that house 51 years later.  I have many memories of Grandma in her big hat out in the garden which sat next to the barn.  When she passed I acquired her pitch fork.  I don't have much use for it in the suburbs but do mulch with it.  Nevertheless, it hangs proudly in the garage where I'm reminded daily of where I come from.

I think a barn quilt is just what this girl needs!

Cafe Display

I realized that I have not shown any pictures of my window displays for the cafe lately.  Each month I decorate the window at my friends restaurant, The Garden Gate Cafe.  This month is all about St. Patricks Day and the first birthday of the cafe.  Nancy asked if I would make a cupcake liner dress. This is the second cupcake liner dress I have made for the cafe.

It's always fun for me to decorate the window.  The customers and employees have come to look forward to each month's theme and what I will do with it.  I had Bleeding Heart flowers on my mind when I made the green flowers.

I apologize for not getting better photos.  I took these pics with my phone and the first one through Instagram.  I hope that you have had a good Monday.  We are supposed to get more snow here this week.  C'mon spring!

Smiles,

Sunday Scripture

Source: Uploaded by user via Kathy on Pinterest

With Joy,