Saturday Song. Slow Stitching. Christmas Tree Skirt. Stash Report.

Saturday's Song

Here's the lyrics.  

LORD,
Tonight, my heart continues to be heavy for my own family and other families that are hurting. I pray that hurting families drop their shame, their pain, their hurt and come together to support each other in all manner of trials. 

I pray You bring Isaiah 61:1- 3 to pass for myself, my  loved ones and especially for @veecrow and her family.  

1The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,

because the Lord has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim freedom for the captives

and release from darkness for the prisoners,^a

2to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor

and the day of vengeance of our God,

to comfort all who mourn,

3and provide for those who grieve in Zion—

to bestow on them a crown of beauty

instead of ashes,

the oil of joy

instead of mourning,

and a garment of praise

instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

a planting of the Lord

for the display of his splendor.

Amen, my sweet Savior, Amen.

Christmas Tree Skirt

I started this sweet Christmas Tree Skirt and it was done before I knew it!

The pattern was from Debbie at Msdebbie2u.  It was so easy to follow and memorize!  Thank you, Ms. Debbie, for making my tree look so pretty!  

I used one my most precious, hoarded yarns from many years ago!  It was Red Heart's Holiday in Aran/Gold and Wine/Gold.  I finally found the perfect project for this sparkly yarn.  

Of course, I must also highlight the Christmas Star my granddaughter made me during her art class with Vicky!

This precious ornament is traditionally the first one on our tree.  As a retired military family, we spent more years than I care to count away from each other/our families.  As we place this ornament on our tree, we remember and pray for our military families.  

Stash Report

New Year.  New slate - wiped clean!  
I'll probably be in "the red" for a bit as my LQS, Bernina Sewing and Design, is continuing their 40-50% off selected fabrics!  I really need blenders, soooooooo......yup in "the red" for sure!
Here's this week's acquisitions:

Six yards for $24!  

Fiber Stash Report:   A New Beginning 2018 1/9/18
Fabric used this week	.625 yds
Fabric used to date	.625 yds
Fabric Added this week	6  yds
Fabric Added this year	6 yds
Net Fabric	5.875 yds
Yarn used this week	0 oz
Yarn used to date	0 oz
Yarn Added this week	0  oz
Yarn Added to date	0 oz
Net Yarn	0 oz

Linking up to:

SundayStash @ Quilt, Paint, Create

Sunday SlowStitching @ Kathy’s Quilts

SundayStash @ Mollie Sparkles

Spiritual Sundays

Show Off Saturday @ 

Sew Can She

Updated 1/18/18 to include:

Fiber Tuesday at

The Quilting Room with Mel

Oui Crochet Community

Hookin’ On Hump Day @

Petals to Picot

And

Moogly

Philippians 4:11. Covered In Love. 2018 Library Love Challenge.

Philippians 4:11
Scripture

Observation
I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  

Whatever. 
The. 
Circumstances.
Application
To be content whatever the circumstances?  Think of Paul's life:  
flogged
imprisoned
beaten
stoned
shipwrecked
lost at sea
hunger
cold
under constant threat
(2 Cor. 11:16-30)
Yet, he learned to be content in 
WHATEVER
circumstance.
As we journey into 2018, can we 
seek at least 30 seconds of contentment every day?
joy?
gratitude?
Sometimes, even this can be so difficult to do as we are buffeted by life.
Maybe, just maybe, if we can achieve this goal every day for 30 seconds,
the next week will find us doing it for 45 seconds,
60 seconds,
15 minutes
and so on.
Baby steps 
to contentment.

Prayer
Dear LORD, You know how hard we fight to be happy, but to me, joy is more important.  For when we have Your joy, we have strength Nehimiah 8:10.  Please give us strength to spend 30 in a state of contentment every day - regardless of our circumstances.  Lead us out of darkness into Your light.
Amen, my Abba, Amen.

Covered In Love Blocks Finished
As I perusing my "drafts" in blogger I found this post!  Unbelievably, (or not so much in my case!  :D), I forgot to share this finish with you last year! 

I was able to make the 20 blocks for the August/September Covered In Love Block drive!  Yea!

For those of you new to this project, Kat is a nurse whose mission it is to help families as they say goodbye to their loved ones.  Nurses or hospital chaplains deliver a quilt to the dying patient and cover them with this gift of love.  Then family members have a transitional item to take home with them.  This quilt will provide incredible comfort in the days and years to come.  I know.  You see, when my mother-in-law was dying, my daughter bought a simple quilt from Target that, 10 years later, still brings my husband great comfort when he is feeling down.

So, to honor her memory, I make blocks for Covered in Love.  

For January and February Kat from Kat and Cat Quilts has brought back my favorite blocks for Covered In Love - string blocks!  Here is a sampling of blocks my daughter and I made last time:

 We left them at the 10.5" requested,

 played with layouts,

and I learned how pretty a constant color in each block just pops.  

I wonder if you might have some strings needing a home?

2018 Library Love Challenge

After much patience, I have finally finished a novel!  This is a huge achievement because during and after chemotherapy, reading books was such a challenge!   After much patience, perseverance and re-reading, I finished my first book, The Red Tent by Anita Diamant!

To the best of my recollection, I started it in Sept/Oct 2017 and finished it in early Dec.  It took a while, but I did it, praise God!  
To mark this special occasion, I decided to join the 2018 Library Love Challenge.  

I heard about it at Irresponsible Reader.  This challenge had me at "support your local" library.  I'm all for supporting local businesses and organizations.  

My next read is Maeve Binchy's Nights of Rain and Stars.  I'm also thoroughly enjoying this one as well!

Linking up to

Monday Making @ 
Love, Laugh, Quilt

Main Crush Mondays

@ Cooking Up Quilts

Moving It Forward Monday @ Em’s Scrapbag

Show and Tell Mondays with Bambi

It’s Monday! WhatAre You Reading? @ Book Date

Saturday's Song. Slow Stitching. Oh My! What A Stash Build Up! Fiber Stash Report

Saturday's Song
I love "Peace Be Still" sung by Lauren Daigle!  I hope it blesses you as well!  You can find the lyrics here.  



Slow Stitching

A mix of of my hands giving out and life happening resulted in the felt Advent Calendar being relegated to a "holding pattern".  

At last count, I had finished 11/25!  I'm now up to 18/25!  

My granddaughter so enjoyed playing with these on my design board! 

She understood that my hands needed a break.

They will be my Slow Stitching and Portable Sewing project for a season!

Oh My!  

What A Stash Build Up!

Yup, I did it....my local Bernina quilt shop had their annual end of year sale and I dived in...with a plan.  Yes, those of you who know me, know I am a list lover.

After making my Fabric Stash Book, my daughter gave me the suggestion of looking at which WIPs needed backings.  So, backing fabric was on my list.

These two babies are 

100% quilters' cotton!

Gotta love me some minky!

 I love this white minky - 

went back and bought more!

This yellow minky was too precious to pass up - 

sigh....I love yellow!

You can see a better peek 

of the white minky!

I just fell in love with Hoffman's Natsu line after making my Cowboys quilt!

 So, I bought some....

 and then some more...

This fabric will be a wonderful backing for a little boy's quilt!

And then...

I went back on Day 2 of the sale...

and Day 5 of the sale...

and 

I forgot to take pictures of all my lovely new stash!

It's ok....the new fabrics will be popping up here and there....

Stash Report

After my shopping spree, I ended up in the red for 2017 on all accounts.  But, I had so much fun!

I started this report in June 2017 and used 70 yards of fabric!  Mind blowing!

I wonder if I could use 100 yards of fabric in 2018?

Fiber Stash Report:  Ending 2017
Fabric used this week	0 yds
Fabric used to date	70 yds
Fabric Added this week	yds
Fabric Added this year	118.75 yds
Net Fabric	48.75 yds
Yarn used this week	0 oz
Yarn used to date	171 oz
Yarn Added this week	0  oz
Yarn Added to date	169.5 oz
Net Yarn	5.5 oz

I can't believe I used 171 ounces of yarn!  Wow!  Can I hear 200 in 2018?  Maybe....

Linking up to:

Show Off Saturday @ 

SewCan She 

Sunday Slow Stitching 

@ Kathy’s Quilts

Spiritual Sundays

updated 1/7/18 to include

Sunday Stash @ 

Quilt, Paint, Create

Here's The Scoop. Moving Forward. A Cowboy Quilt.

Happy New Year to All!

Blessings to all 

as we begin 2018!

Here's The Scoop.
Another long, unexpected blogging break.  Not due to my health...I'm fine....no worries there.  

Fall 2017 is finally over. 
But, for my family, the same challenges will carry over to 2018, as will amazing opportunities for growth.  I need to focus on the latter.  

The "scoop" is this:  I'm applying this lesson more than ever - 
regardless of our unimaginable hurt and, yes, hopelessness, 

GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL.

WE CAN'T.

GOD CAN.

LET HIM, 

always remembering that:

Moving Forward.
I am taking time to heal, to pray, to sit and be still (more of that to come).  I'll be blogging as regularly as I can because I miss my dear blogging community.  

However, I'm again learning to be gentle with myself and find balance again as we face 2018 with faith, determination, tears and eventually victory.  

Can I get an, "Amen?"

Here's a link to the lyrics:

A Cowboy Quilt.
So, I have been reading your blogs and they have been a joy!  Many of you decided to make last minute quilts for a loved one!  So, did I!  Thankfully, my daughter supported me with her willingness to do the quilting and machine binding (it was for a boy) for me!  

I wanted to make my brother-in-law a Dallas Cowboy quilt, but I knew it had to be pretty basic to be finished in time.  I was inspired by Amanda's @ Jedi Craft Girls quilt and wala!  Less than 10 days later, a quilt top was born!  Thank you, Amanda, for your inspiration!

Just in time for Christmas it was quilted and bound!  Thank you, Mi Hija!

Tada!  Here it is!  

 The white fabric is a glow-in-the-dark specialty fabric!  



Here's a closeup of part of the front

and my daughter's quilted "footballs" on the back!

My brother-in-law loved it and, frankly so did I!  

Take good care, my dear readers!

Linking up to

Midweek Makers @ Quilt Fabrication

Becoming Press

Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation

Crazy Mom Quilts
(updated 1/7/18)

Saturday's Song. Slow Stitching. One Year of Stitches. Stash Report.

Saturday's Song
Everyone, God loves you - everyone one of you with a reckless love.  
Believe it.
It's true.

Nothing can separate you from the love of God, Precious One, 
NOTHING.


This week's song/video is a bit longer than most, but well worth it.   Here is the link to the song's lyrics!  

Slow Stitching

Work on the Felt Advent Calendar continues, yet this week my focus has been on Prayer Shawl #6!  It is bright pink and made with Red Heart's With Love Metallic in fushia!

Here I am modeling it!  Did you notice my hair is long enough to pull up?  Please forgive my baggy butt!  I was happy to see that my leggings are too big!  I've lost about 14 pounds since September!  Yea!  Baggy butt and all!  :)


One Year of Stitches.
Here is the progress on my  #1yearofstitches.  I prayerfully stitch every day and God has really been speaking to me.  You can follow my daily progress on my Instagram account.



Stash Report
I bought 4 1/2 yards of Moda grey fabric for the Dallas Cowboy quilt's backing, 1 3/8 yards of clearance white on white and 2 yards of this yummy fabric.  

I also bought 9 more ounces of the fuchsia yarn for the prayer shawl.  

This yarn will be the bling added to my granddaughter's doll clothes that I'm crocheting.

Fiber Stash Report:  December 3, 2017 (started 6/11/17)
Fabric used this week	¼  yds
Fabric used to date	59 ½ yds
Fabric Added this week	7 7/8 yds
Fabric Added this year	55 yds
Net Fabric	3 ½  yds The math got a bit crazy, so I rounded my fractions.
Yarn used this week	0 oz
Yarn used to date	136 oz
Yarn Added this week	11  oz
Yarn Added to date	169.5 oz
Net Yarn	33.5 oz

Hopefully the doll clothes and prayer shawl might get me a little less in the red!  :)

Linking up to

Sunday Stash @ Quilt, Paint, Create

Sunday Slow Stitching @ Kathy’s Quilts

Spiritual Sundays

Molli Sparkles

You make my day with your comments!  

I love reading and responding to them!