Quilting Popcorn

We started a Women's Bible study a few weeks back on the subject of "Change". The word itself is one that strikes fear in me to my very core. 

Why am I afraid of change? Is it because it pushes me out of what's comfortable or because it is something over which I have little to no control? Or, is it both? This subject has been brought front and center and has been dominating my thoughts for days. Comfortable is easy; so, what's wrong with easy? 

Just thinking about all the changes swirling around me every day sent me retreating to what's known and familiar; comfort food for the soul. I loaded up this scrappy coins quilt and pulled out an old favorite panto: "Popcorn". Somehow this seemed just right! How do you deal with all of the inevitable "changes"?

My husband has a Vince Lomabardi quote for almost every situation. He pulled this one out of thin air the other day:

I recall a former Pastor telling us, years ago, that "change is growth and growth is life". We all know what the opposite of life is, which directly implies that failure to change, or accept change, signals death. Perhaps not physical death, but death nonetheless. This week's session took change and the acceptance of change to some uplifting scripture verses and the promise that God is always the same; yesterday, today and tomorrow, He never changes! There's the hope! There's the comfort! Yes, change is inevitable and we each participate in changes every. single. day. I was just talking with a friend a few days ago about all the changes that have occurred in this town where we live over the last four and a half decades. We reminisced about favorite, long-ago closed, fabric stores and restaurants and jobs that we used to have. I suddenly realized that these changes didn't strike fear in my heart; no, not at all. These were changes that happened gradually over time, some were even changes that we'd initiated ourselves. It's only in the looking back that we can see how these changes happened and impacted us. 

I suppose that's where the fear comes in; it's the fear of change happening, fear of the unknown, that heightens alarm. Yet, when change and/or fear is viewed through the lens of God's Holy Word we can clearly see that we're never alone to live in fear. From John 14:27~ "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."  And so, fearlessly, I move forward into a ever changing world; and, some days, it just feels good and right to be quilting Popcorn!

Life is Good!

Staying Safe

For the most part, (as far as I was concerned) the screened-in porch project was finished, the ceiling and light fixtures were installed, the screen units were in place and we found furniture to make sitting out there comfortable and enjoyable. It was not, however, ready to pass inspection; not yet.  We had yet to install safety railings on the inside of the two elevated window walls. Normally this would be wooden railings that match the trim, but that's not what Mr. Goodneedle wanted; he had, in his mind's eye, stainless steel cables that would visually vanish, leaving a much more unobstructed view of the backyard and the woods beyond. Plus, there will be less to worry about keeping clean, no rails to periodically wipe down and clean between.

He did a lot of research and ended up using a very cool system, Cable Bullet; I thought that the installation was relatively quick, once the process began; I'm not at all sure that Mr. Goodneedle would agree with that assessment-- there was LOTS of planning involved to see this through.  

The results are suberb! Another project moved to that ever-growing "done" column.

And so, we continue to adapt to a situation of self-quarantine in an upside down world. My dear friend, Quiltkeemosabe, is facing something completely unforeseen and foreign for her and her family. Her husband took ill (NOT with COVID-19!) and was rushed to the hospital, by ambulance, on Monday morning. She could not accompany him; nor can she, or the family, visit him in the hospital where he remains as a patient. This is understandable given what's going on, and yet it's so sad to think about-- so lonely and isolating for her husband and such a strange feeling of helplessness for Quiltkeemosabe and the family. Please pray with me for her husband, for his health and healing and for his speedy release once health is restored. I am praying, too, for all families who are separated during hospitalization through these crazy days of uncertainty and remembering these words today from the prophet Isaiah: 

 "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand" - Isaiah 41:10.

Life is Good!

Up Next: Sweet Sixteen

Get A Grip!

I had considered adding a set of Side Grips to my backing fabric while quilting at the longarm; I thought that they would be useful particularly when I'm quilting from the back of the machine, following a pantograph. Acting on the recommendation of a friend I ordered a set on Saturday and had them yesterday; they are positively wonderful and now I wonder why I waited so long! Let me explain how they work and why they're so great: with a quilt loaded the backing fabric is pulled taut by two side clamps on each side, usually some degree of slack occurs between these clamps and, when the quilter is looking down at the pantograph, even the most careful quilter often will bump up against one of the clamps with the bed of the machine causing unsightly "hiccups" in the stitching... NOT the best situation at all; approaching the edges has always struck fear in this quilter.  Not anymore! (Watch the hyper-linked video, above.)

Now, with the Side Grips firmly attached to the backing there's no slack and no clamp bumping whatsoever. In fact, when the machine bed comes up against the edge of the Side Grip it runs smoothly right along the side; the clamp is back and away pulling the strap that comes from each side of the Side Grip... an invention that is both simple and brilliant at the same time!  No more hiccups.

"Salvaged Stars and Stripes" is quilted and off the rails this afternoon. 

After getting a grip (actually a set!), I'm one fearless quilter!

Life is Good!

Four Words...

... that strike fear; straight to my heart: "can you hem these"? Sigh. Of course, I say "yes".  And yet, as far as I am concerned, these four words compose the scariest question I know. "Why?" you may ask. They are men's dress slacks, and they're cuffed. That seems like reason enough. A few weeks back my son and his family were here after church, that's when the fear-inspiring question was posed. My son stood on an elevated surface and I pinned the hems to the proper length... and hung them in the closet... where they remained... until yesterday. I took them out, picked up the scissors, drew a deep breath, and set the scissors back down. I repeated this three times. Then, I took an even deeper breath and went to work. They were done, to pinned specifications, in less than an hour. I delivered them to my daughter-in-law yesterday afternoon. I pray they're okay, please join me in that prayer. Again, you may wonder why this is such a daunting task; that fact that they're cuffed dress slacks might not be enough of an explanation for you. Yes, there's another reason: way back when, maybe 25 years ago, I set to work hemming a pair of dress slacks for my son. I pinned one leg, I cut it off, I hemmed it, and did it again... unfortuntely to the same leg! Yep, it's true. Now you know. I guarantee that did not happen this time!

Life is Good!

This week's Advent word is love...this post may seem unrelated; it's not, I love my son.

Feathered Friends

How to fill behind these birds? With FEATHERS, of course! I'm in love with this quilt, and with all that I learned from Gina Parris-Perkes last month in a "Fantabulous Feathers" class at the AQS show in Charlotte.The information in that class was invaluable; Gina's instruction method clicked with me, translating what she demonstrated into my own stitches gave me the confidence to conquer my fears, take off and FLY! I am thrilled with the results on this little quilt and have changed its name, for the obvious reason, from "Chubby Chicks" to "Feathered Friends".  I have a new-found confidence and find myself eager to get onto the next quilt in the "to be quilted" queue rather than worrying about how I'm going to quilt it or if the results will be disappointing. I am so happy that I took that class; I needed a gentle nudge out of the nest, and that little push made all the difference! I am grateful.

Life is Good!

Whatcha Waitin' For?

At long last "Sturbridge Strawberries" is hung in our family room. If you've read any earlier posts you  might remember that I pieced this quilt back in 1997. Why has it languished in the "to be quilted" pile? Probably because, if the truth were to be told, I suffer from quilting paralysis; that inactivity prompted by fear... the "I can't quilt well enough to do it justice" kind of fear that stops me dead in my tracks most of the time. It's irrational to think this way; not because after I have actually quilted something I think it's all that, but because I have to admit, even to myself (and who's harder on us that ourselves?) that it's not all that bad!

Sturbridge Strawberries, quilting detail

Chicken Soup #1 is off the rails and ready for binding. Chicken Soup #2 is being quilted today. I'm pushing myself into action and really enjoying the rhythm of forward momentum. I continually ask myself "whatcha waitin' for?" and really wonder why there's no genuine answer. So, I've decided it's high time to be far less critical of myself and more accepting of every effort that displays progress... how about you? Whatcha waitin' for?

Life is Good!

Feather Fear

I'm fearful of  feathers. Not those flying friends of mine who visit the feeders, but of my ability when it comes to stitching feathers, ... and, yet, I love them! I shy away from the idea of quilting graceful, undulating, curved feathers on my borders and, yet, I can't stop thinking about how much they will add to the finished quilt. With this fear at the forefront of my mind I have adopted a new mantra: "you can't improve on the feathers you never stitch". How's that for deep? If I want to be fearless and tackle feathers without a second thought I need to work on them, conquer my fear! I don't think you can see the feather in the floral border on the right, it doesn't show up very well, but... it's done! One down and three to go!

 You can see the quilted feathered border here on the underside of the quilt. I loaded "Sturbridge Strawberries" on Sundance yesterday afternoon and have worked in the little bit of time that I've had since then, we have grandchildren here for the next two days (and nights); any further progress on this one will be during naps! I'm tickled with the way that this is turning out and will repeat my mantra over and over!

"All Are Precious..." came off Sundance yesterday morning, the quilting is done on this one at long last!

It feels extremely liberating to be moving these old tops off the hangers and out of the closet, seeing them actually "come to life" through the quilting is very satisfying.I am hoping to get this quilt piped, bound and hung by the weekend!

Life is Good!

Healing Hands

Things are looking better, there's sunshine on the other side of the dense clouds of responsibility that were obscuring my vision at the end of last week. The Gospel message yesterday centered on the woman with the crippled spirit from the 13th chapter of Luke, Jesus healed her from her ailment of eighteen years by laying his hands on her. She stood up straight and began praising God! The accompanying text reminded us that the same healing help is available regardless of what it is that cripples us... we only need to decide how we choose to receive that help.

Message received, loud and clear... or so I thought!

After church we ate downtown; my husband and son planned to stop, following our meal, at a local big-box home improvement store before we left the city and headed home. My mother-in-law chose not to go into the store, I stayed back in the car to wait with her while they ran in for the item they needed. It was a lovely afternoon, but warm, I lowered the car window in hopes of catching a passing breeze. I rested my arm on the open sill while she and I chatted about our plans for the week to come, I was turned toward her when someone suddenly grabbed my hand through the open car window! Huh? I was face to face now with a man, a stranger, who was mumbling something about how he couldn't help himself, he was just too tempted to grab a hold of my hand! Without saying a word, I firmly jerked my hand free from his grasp! He wandered off to his own car, laughing, and drove away. I was beyond furious and at the same time I was highly aware that my elderly mother-in-law is easily frightened; I looked to her to gauge her reaction and managed to remain steady and calm following this creepy "assault". She said she thought that must have been someone I knew, at first. When I explained to her that it wasn't, she dug down in her purse and quietly offered me her hand-sanitizer. About that time my husband and son reappeared from the store. It was over that quick, the guy was gone. Today I am left reeling by this 'personal space' invasion, a residual feeling of anger and confusion remains. Yet, I'm reminded again of yesterday's text. Jesus comes among us with words, and hands, to set us free; whether we're bowed down by responsibilities, or fear. I'm listening, I'm accepting... but, I'm also clearly aware of how important it is to be careful out there in the world. There are dangers, to be sure, and we can choose to let them hold us down or to swiftly pull away and rise up above the clouds, the burdens, the fears. I want to respond, in faith, like the healed woman; or like my mother-in-law, who praises God by offering her 'healing hands' to me in the form of an anti-bacterial gel named Purell.

Life is Good!