clean-up

They always say that a new year calls for cleaning up and out your house. It is always a good idea to take stock before or at the start of a new thing. So to make good on that I started working on my bags with -to do- projects. I have gathered kits and projects for a while with the intention to make those some time. Well since intentions do not make anything unless you actually act on them I started working on some of the projects. The needle in a haystack from last blog was one of them. I had collected a few yellow strips and quarters and found a pattern that would work with those and stuck them in a ziplock, so I knew it belonged together. So after some cutting and sewing this was the result

Although yellow is not one of my favourite colours, the result is not too bad and it will make a nice lap quilt for somebody.

Needles in a haystack

 

This quilt was inspired by the Fall landscape in Alberta. The harvested grains and grasses left a pattern of lines and the hay bales were circles scattered around the fields.

 

 

With a new year upon us and all kinds of wishes and resolutions being made I was wondering what that is really all about. Does it come from a sense of inadequacy, or wishful thinking, not being happy with ourselves or our situations?

Aren't we in a sense looking for the needle in the haystack with all of this? Not to diminish the positive results of living healthier and happier, but isn't it better to concentrate on something that we know is true and to notice where God is at work; in our own lives and the world around us?

 

What's in a name?

While I was in Rwanda last November I made some sketches about my experiences.

While I couldn't find words yet to describe my feelings and experiences, I was able to draw them. No ready made quilt ideas this time! Now I'm back home and free to ponder and remember and process, these sketches are slowly coming to life in quilts. The rough feelings of horror and helplessness have lost their sharp edges and God has shown me the depth of the bigger picture, His view on this all.

Rape, has become Hope Will Rise

 

Genocide, has become Imanuel (just the pattern for now)

As we are still in the Christmas season, we celebrate Christ's birth, God as Imanuel, God with us, coming into a very dark world. I truly believe that God didn't leave Rwanda and the DRC, while evil seems to reign. God didn't leave this planet after he created it, but is and always has been God with us. Our task is to spread this message of hope, with whatever gifts and talents we have received.
May we be aware of and seek God's presence in whatever 2015 will bring us.

Light & joy

This week we lighted the candle of joy. My heart hasn't feeling any joy lately as I'm still processing the horrific stories of rape and suffering in Rwanda and the DRC. How can I feel joy, knowing of all the women suffering there and in the rest of the world? Then God reminded me that it was exactly into such a world that He became Emanuel. The message of Christ is light and peace and joy!
But still there is this nagging feeling and question: yes, but it's not just a message and it doesn't mean anything if this message doesn't push us into actions to share this in a world steeped in suffering and darkness.
So I will continue to quilt and use my gifts to shine light into the dark places, wherever I can help. I will seek out places where I can listen to the stories of the suffering and voiceless. I will hug and comfort those who are mourning through my quilts.

Connecting the dots

I walked into the Lego store with my eldest son yesterday! He's 21 in a few weeks but Lego still has an attraction to both of us. I always threatened to vacuum up the pieces if it wasn't cleaned from the floor, but never could go through with it because each little block is precious, when you want to build something.
When I started quilting I would keep every little scrap and bit, because you never know, you may need it later! As the years went by I strayed from that notion a bit and will only keep pieces that are at least 1" by 4". There's a fine line between "hoarding" and "saving for later".......

 

I went into a scrap bag and found this little square already made with blue polkadots. I went through the whole bag and found enough scraps to make 8 squares in total. The next day I went to all the fabric stores to find matching material, because you'll never find enough scraps of the same material to make a whole quilt (Murphy's law for quilters). Of course I couldn't find that print anymore, so had to become creative and find alternative fabric.
The moral of the story I haven't quite figured out.
- One little thing can send you on a goose chase and you waste a lot of time?
- it's important to keep notes of which fabric you bought when and where?
- Always keep enough scraps to make a whole quilt?
- Every little scrap counts and with an open mind and creativity anything can turn out beautiful?

God send us a little baby to start with. What we do with him is up to us!

Lost & found

The block pattern of this quilt is called "lost nine patch". You sew a nine patch and then you slice it crosswise and then rearrange the blocks to this stunning result. I called this quilt "lost daffodils".
I remember playing hide and seek and the disappointment of not being found. It's funny that we want to find a hiding place that won't be found, but deep inside we all want to be found.
 I've come to realize that feeling lost isn't necessarily a bad thing. It stirs my creative juices and I learn to think outside of the box, just as God was thinking outside of the box.This advent I was reminded of God's playfulness and creativity in finding a "lost" world. He took an ordinary family with an ordinary baby. But by putting a cross through the middle he rearranged everything and the end result is stunning too!

How silently, how silently this wondrous gift is given
So God imparts in human hearts the blessing of his heaven
No ear may hear his coming, but in this world of sin
Where meek souls will receive him still, the dear Christ enters in

The big picture

I'm just back from a trip to Rwanda. We listened to the stories of women affected by war and HIV/Aids. Not very pretty stories and it broke my heart to imagine what these women went through. Yet in sharing their stories I sensed a strong sense of hope and joy. Through counselling and learning to rebuild their lives through education and job security, these women have become strong leaders in their families and communities. Beauty has risen from the ashes!
I never liked to use black in my quilts, but I have learned that sometimes black is the best colour to offset colourful fabrics. Somehow the dark seems to accentuate the colours, makes them stronger.
We shouldn't fight or ignore the pain and the horror of real life. We shouldn't focus solely on those times or the good times either. Even in dark times there are little sparks of hope and joy. When you look at the big picture you see that they need each other and even bring out the beauty and best in both.