Will You Participate?

I've decided to...so will three of you join me in a Pay-it-Forward 'swap'?

Stephanie of Spontaneous Threads is who I signed-up with...so sometime in the next 365 days I'll have a great surprise come in the mail. I'm so excited!

But now for my continuation of the 'swap', I need you...
Here's how it works:

1. I will make a handmade something for 3 readers of my blog
(if you would like to participate in the Pay it Forward....you would like to get something handmade from me...please leave me a comment telling me that you would like to participate). I will send these 3 readers something that I have made, without warning within 365 days.

2. So, in order for you to get something from me - you have to say that you will do the same for 3 readers of your blog,...so, it follows that you should have a blog if we want to keep this "paying forward" unbroken.

3. When you receive your handmade item (from me) you MUST post about what you received on your blog, and put a picture of the Pay it Forward 'button' in your post. (You can copy and paste it from this post or the linked back posts).

This last part is optional, but would be fun - If you like, you can post pictures and your thoughts about what you send to the 3 people who will received something from you on your blog as well. Just give it a few days to travel in the mail. You wouldn't want to ruin the surprise.

~ ~ So, if you are willing to receive something from me and send three other people something you've made, please sign-up...just comment here letting me know you want to join the fun and I'll contact you via e-mail to confirm and get your address. I'll go with the first three commenters...I hope I get that many :) !! (I don't have many followers, so I don't know how well this will work.) Then you can post it on your blog, getting others to continue Paying-it-Forward...

And then as we all receive (and send) our items, we can post about them on our blogs.

I look forward to Paying-it-Forward with you!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This week has seen very little crafting...but I did get the closet clean today! I was also inspired by a post on Molly Flanders about EPP a Carpenter's Wheel block...Thanks Mary! I really want to try it, espicially since my first Carpenter's wheel is a little messy. I'm still anxious to someday do a dresden plate...which was an insipiration from Mary, too. Ahh...to just find the time to do everything! 

So, no crafty pics today, instead how about a cute one of the girls? Always sounds good to me! :)

God is our refuge and strength,

a very present help in trouble.

Therefore, will not we fear,

though the earth be removed,

and though the mountains be carried

into the midst of the sea;

Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled,

though the mountains shake

with the swelling thereof.

Psalm 46:1-3

In these times of so much natural disasters occuring...we can take these words as a comfort that God will always be there for us, no matter the conditions around us.
Amanda

Seems like its been a while...

Almost a week has gone by without a new post! I have been getting some sewing done...mostly on the hand sewing travel table topper (EPP 60 degree diamonds). But even that doesn't get as much attention as I would like it to!

So, I have three of my seven stars done for the table topper. I really enjoy seeing it come together. I can't wait to start adding the 'joining' diamonds. I was able to work on it in the car on the way to the birthday open house yesterday...but on the way home I started getting car sick while trying...so the ride home wasn't as productive.

On Friday night, I went to my in-laws and raided there trunk of material...

It was like being a kid in a candy store. My father-in-law used to do alot of sewing, so he had a huge trunk full stuff. Alot of it is still in large cuts...I see some great quilts in my future!

This is some that still needs washed (1. It needs it after being in storage for so long...and 2. I always pre-wash!)

This is some of the solids and larger cuts that are already washed & folded.

I also found the inspiration for my NEXT hand quilting project...I can't believe I'm already thinking that far ahead!

It is these vintage flour sacks that once belonged to Chad's great-grandmother.

I'm leaning towards a piano runner...

 Here's some more of the already washed finds...some of it is already pre-cut squares for a Christmas quilt. I think that will be fun to decide what I want to do with them. 

 So here is my fabric shelves awaiting it's newest additions...it should be filled up soon with all the great stuff I found...Thanks Dad & Mom Dickson!

Yesterday was the Open House (Birthday Party) for Chad's grandma. She turned 90 years old. Here she is with her 4 great-grand daughters...however, none of her great-grand sons made the trip. But the girls played together and had a sleepover at "Big" Mama's (minus Amber :)). 

Amber, Mama, Liz, Sydney, and Brylee

 And then here she is with four of her five grandchildren.

Dylan, Chad, Mama, Sara, and Bernie

Mama enjoyed herself, at least she seemed to!

I received some wonderful complements on the invitations...and has made me seriously consider selling some on Esty...does anyone have incite on starting to sell stuff there? I'm still working on patterns to also sell there, but they are a little slow going right now.

I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend. It went fast, but was mostly enjoyable...sunny and very warm here in NW PA.

This weekend I heard this repeatedly...on a kids radio program on Saturday, during Pastor's message on Sunday, and again on Monday in the car on a recorded conference we listened to on our travels...so, I thought I should share it with everyone today!

There hath no temptation taken you

 but such as is common to man:

but God is faithful, who will not suffer you

to be tempted above that ye are able;

but will with the temptation

also make a way to escape,

that ye may be able to bear it.

1 Corinthians 10:13

God doesn't allow things to come into your life without Him being there to help you get through it. We can't bear the temptation and trials of our lives alone, we need to let go and let God bear them for us.

May your week go great...leaning on God along the way!

Amanda

Summer Travel Project...

As I browse through other blogs, I see some great things! One of them is the 60 degree Diamond English Paper Piecing quilts. I've decide to start this hand sewn quilt process for something to carry along with me to summer picnics and parties...I even made a new little bag for this endeavour!

I still have to do some whip stitching to finish off the raw edges on the inside...when I get it done, I'll show pictures of my finished Hand Sewing Travel Box.
But now on to what's going into the box...

This week I decided I wanted to try some hand sewing, so I looked into getting the EPP templates...

However, it was cheaper to print off the diamonds and make my own templates. I found free diamond/triangle graph paper here and did some copy & pasting, arranging and shifting to get my diamonds 2" on each side. This made it possible for me to get 12 on one sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 piece of card stock.

I printed them off, cut them out, scored them in the middle, and am working on hole punching them.

Today I wanted to cut out my material diamonds...so I started digging through my scraps. These are some of the piles I had going...

(This green leaf material was 'lost' in my pile... it didn't make it into this project, but I can't wait to use it in something!)

In the end, I decided on a fallish coloring and cut enough diamonds for a table topper quilt. I thought this would be a good size to start with...to see if I like it before diving into a whole quilt. Here are my diamonds...

Now, I just need to get stitching!

Jessica over at Life Under Quilts has a good video to show you the basics of 60 degree diamond EPP...check it out and join the fun...there's also a Flickr group!

This pile of fabric will soon be on the cutting table...

I designed my own full size quilt that I hope to use this material for. I'm going to start with one block to make sure I like these materials together...

If I do like it, they'll become a quilt. It will be a flannel top with a fleece backing...and no batting. I think it will make a very cozy and warm, yet light, quilt.

Also, if all works out well, I am hoping to write it up, open an Esty site and sell it...I'm excited to try my first pattern to sell. Any tips on starting to sell things?

On Thursday, my baby turned 6 months old...she cried all day, but I was able to get a couple of happy pictures.

 This one is from today...she was alot happier all day!

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear;

 but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Be not thou therefore ashamed

of the testimony of our Lord,...

2 Timothy 1:7 & 8a

I'm so glad that the Lord is working in us...even when our 'sound mind' seems like its not there anymore! Also, I want to continually be a witness for the Lord...and realize always that...

Being confident in this very thing,

that he which hath begun a good work in you

will preform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Philippians 1:6

May your weekend be full of happy moments...

and church attendance!

Loving the chance to 'talk' with you...

Amanda