My First Quilt...

I'm so excited to present to you my first quilt!

I finished in time to enter it into the Fall 2011 Quilt Bloggers' Festival over at Amy's Creative Side...were there are already over 500 quilts posted. I've been concentrating on getting the quilt done, so I haven't had time to browse much yet...

But for now, I hope you enjoy seeing my take on the Warm/Cool Quilt from Jeni at In Color Order...

Warm/Cool Squared Diamond

I was a little nervous about starting the quilting the other day...but once I got started, it went well! I think that the echoing of the block lines made it a good quilt to begin on...no fancy quilting, just great lines! It even transferred great to the back.

Even maneuvering it on my machine didn't seem to bad...although, a bigger quilt my make me say otherwise.

I love how everything just came together. Working with white takes a little bit more thought about which way to iron...but it makes a great finish!

On the back of the quilt I did end up putting on two quilt labels...one with the quilt name, my header, verse, that it was my first quilt, etc...but I also made an embroidered label to personalize it even more for Amber.

I've been more of a cross-stitch person, but this was fun to write/draw on a piece of fabric and add the colors I wanted...it went rather quickly and was fun. I tried a little embroidery earlier this year, but I didn't really like it...maybe doing my own thing would be more fun :) I really like the result of this label and think that for most of the quilts I will be making, they'll have two labels.

I don't think Amber will mind...yes, it's her Christmas present, but she already got to see it, and she really seems to like it.

I need to get started on a few more for Christmas...Liz's being one of them. She was wooing and awing over Amber's and requested a green quilt. We'll see what she end's up with!

It took some great pictures...so, here are a few more :)

Quilt Stats:
Size - 52" x 68"
Design - altered Warm/Cool Quilt Along Design
Fabric - 2 Fresh Flowers charm packs by Deb Strain for Moda
             color coordinated fabrics from Jo Ann's
             white from stash material
Binding - 1933 Poinsettia by Jackie Robinson and Maywood Studio
Quilting - machine quilted by me

Thank you so much for sharing the joy of my first finished quilt...
and I plan to spread it around to the different linky parties - see the right side bar for the list - and some flickr groups that I regularly contribute to...and then maybe a few more :)

If any man speak, let him speak
as the oracles of God;

if any man minister, let him do it

as of the ability which God giveth:

that God in all things may be glorified

through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise

and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 4:11 

I'm not sure if I've shared this verse here before or not, but I really like that it acknowledges that God gives us our abilities and that we need to glorify Him when we are using our gifts. We can never thank God enough for what He has done for us and we also need to remember to praise Him!

Amanda

Random thoughts...

So, I still feel like a blog slacker...but if once a week fits into my routine the best, so be it! A science test and lesson need to be prepared, the laundry is always piling up, and the house will eventually be clean again, but I really want to post a few things that have happened recently.

Yesterday, as I was walking through my overly messed up living room to get to my desk, I had a heart warming thought...and I'd like to share:

So, this is what I was walking through...

and my thought was..."it's so cozy with all the blankets and pillows scattered about." I finally saw past the mess and couldn't wait till one of my quilts are included in the pile of blankets the girls like to play in. Liz's rag quilt is included here, but I'm working on bigger ones for the girls. They seem to like blankets, so I hope they LOVE their quilts!

For this moment, I think I finally grasped what Paul was saying in Philippians 4:11 - "...for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." Now, if only this would continue to penetrate my thoughts when I begin to again get annoyed with blankets and toys all over the house :) !

I have finally had time to work on Amber's quilt, so the middle is all sewn together, now I'm adding borders and hope to have the quilt top done this week! (I'm still waiting to have it all together to show the whole thing...I'm still loving this quilt!

My goal is to have it all done by the end of the month so I can add it to the Bloggers' Quilt Festival over at Amy's Creative Side.

Recently, we have been experiencing some beautiful fall weather, so we went out to play in the leaves the other day...

and captured a great picture of my family!

Then this morning...

Liz wrote her name all by herself...for the first time!!!!

She said, "Mommy, it's my name."

My first thought was that it would be her normal row of straight lines. When I turned and saw this on her doodle board...

I was so excited for her and grabbed the camera! Now she can start writing her own name on her school and church papers! :)

And not to leave Amber out, she was adorable all curled up in the corner of her crib during her morning nap today.

I have two very wiggly sleepers...sharing the bed with them means little sleep that night! Gratefully, we very seldom have them coming into our bed anymore!

On to more crafty things...

I read the blog post over at Ladybird Ln just before I was going to start this post and decide that this months Crafting for a Cause is something to get involved in...even the school kids can help with this one! We will be writing encouraging Christmas cards to the Soldiers fighting to help us keep our freedoms. If you haven't seen it yet, check it out.

I already added the button to my right side bar!

But ye shall receive power,

after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:

and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem,

and in all Judaea, and in Samaria,

and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Acts 1:8

This blog started as a way to share my faith and my crafting with people that share crafting interests...because the craft blogs are how I found out about blogs. I wanted a way to share my faith with others. Little did I realize that it would take me to the uttermost parts of the earth! I think it is truly amazing that people from around the world have visited my blog.

To God be the glory...great things HE hath done!

Amanda

Amber's blanket...

This week the Bloggers' Quilt Festival is being held over at Amy's Creative Side. There are already over 425 entries...with new ones being added continually! Its a treasure trove of inspiration and beauty. Be sure to check it out!

In my recent post, The Joy of Nice Weather..., I showed the flannel quilts I made for my girls. I was not aware of the Bloggers' Quilt Festival till two days after the post...so I want to reshow the Flannel Rag Quilt I made for my youngest daughter, Amber.

I shared the story behind this quilt...but for the new visitors from the Festival, I'd like to share the story again, then I'll add a little bit about what I gained through making this quilt...



This pretty pink and purple one is Amber's. I made it for her just after she was born. This one has a story to it...do you want to hear it? Oh Good!

First, when I found out I was pregnant again, I knew I wanted to make a rag quilt for the new baby, but I was going to wait till I knew if it was going to be a girl or a boy. July 2010 was when I had my sonogram to find out...but the baby didn't cooperate! So, things happened that I did not need any other sonograms, and it was getting closer to November...

So, in September or October, we picked out a neutral palette of material and bought what was needed. However, it was actually a little on the boyish side, and I never got around to making the quilt. Then, I had the baby, a darling little girl - Amber! The week after I had her, I went to the ER with severe side pain. They didn't find anything wrong,

gave me pain pills and sent me home...

It was Black Friday...Jo-Ann's was having the best sale EVER on flannel, which is what the blankets are made out of. I told my loving husband that if I didn't hurt so much I would have him stop...but he knows me well!!!

He stopped and we got the fabrics to make the darling blanket, then went home... and then I slept most of the day. On Monday, I went to the chiropractor and he adjusted me as best as he could for only being a week after a C-section...

and I've been fine ever since.

He said a rib was probably just out of place from the C-section.

This quilt started me into sewing on a more regular basis...I've always enjoyed crafts, but didn't do much with the sewing machine regularly. The snipping of the frays was finished, by my husband (isn't he great!), on Christmas day...and the sewing machine has been out and used ever since. I'm loving the use of fabric and showing the projects on this blog...which I started in March.

Here are a few more pictures of the blanket with Amber...

Quilt Stats:

           Finished size...44" x 38"

           Material... corrdinating flannels from Jo-Ann's 

           Batting... felt by the yard

Today's verse is part of the parable used to show that being saved is done by God's grace, not through the law. (See the left side bar for more explaination of salvation through grace.)

No man also seweth a piece

of new cloth on an old garment:

else the new piece that filled it up

 taketh away from the old,

and the rent is made worse.

Mark 2:21

I've enjoyed seeing the various quilts...

Are you enjoying the show too?

Thanks for stopping...hope to 'see' you again soon!

Amanda

Spring in Bloom...

The day was very warm yesterday...

but the trees are in beautiful bloom.

These are blooms on the apple tree we planted in our back yard when we first moved into our house.

It is lop-sided because it had an accident with a snowplow the winter after it was planted. Amber tried to eat the blooms during picture time.

There was some thunder overhead at the time, but I loved it...the sound, the smell of the coming rain, and having fun with the baby! The neighbor has some great flowering trees, I love getting pictures of them in the spring.

Then when I went into the house I watered my window flower...which I am surprised is still alive...I do NOT have a green thumb.

And then a little more of a surprise when I looked a little closer...a baby!

I can't wait to watch it grow!
While Amber and I walked around the yard, Liz took her afternoon nap with her Easter pillow...it made me smile and happy that she likes it and got it for her nap.

Then last night I had my 'personal' Friday Night Sew-in, because I'm not able to do it next week on the scheduled night. I worked on the Americana Star Pillows for my secret sister (SS). I did some free motion quilting... and think I need to add the word primitive to the title of these pillows! However on the red one I ventured out and added words to the border...Psalm 33:12a.

All together I like the way they turned out. I hope my SS enjoys them. (Sorry if the 'secret' part is lost because I'm sharing them here...but we'll have fun with it anyway!)

Today, I've been browsing through the long list of the Bloogers' Quilt Festival over at Amy's Creative Side. There are so many to get through...but I'm trying. In the next few days I hope to post for the festival too. It's making me want to quilt a larger quilt for the fall festival. Enjoy the inspiration!
Here is the timely verse quilted onto the red pillow...

 Blessed is the nation

whose God is the Lord:

Psalm 33:12a

Now, off to design a quilt...hope to 'see' you in church tomorrow!

Amanda