Lots of Slow Stitching

I spent many hours traveling in the car this weekend.  Thankfully I had my favorite driver in the pilot position and I could stitch the hours away!

Made some more Garden Stars

I seem to like this squished setting better.

Somewhere along the line, I got a wild hair  to make some flower garden blocks (because, of course I NEED another project!)  I just couldn't resist playing with some of the leftover centers from the Garden Star project. 

Took a little detour with these cuties.

These flower garden blocks are quite a bit larger than this project.  I've always had a thing for Grandmother's Flower Garden quilts.  Hopefully I'll even finish one some day!

Still Praising God!
pam



Linked to Kathy's Slow Stitching.

Slow Stitching

I enjoyed Kathy's post this past Sunday and was inspired to get out some of my own Slow Stitching. I've been hand sewing these blocks for a while.  It's easy work, but does require that you sit down and relax and stitch.  Sometimes I forget how nice simple sewing is.  Thanks for reminding me Kathy!

playing with the setting and a white-based
background fabric

After stitching a while, I played with the setting.  My daughter got excited and thinks this should be a quilt for a baby girl.  Which led to the question--"Who is expecting a baby girl?"  She didn't know, but says there's always someone at church having a baby.  Good point.

I had kind of thought this might grow larger than a baby quilt.  Time will tell.  I'll keep stitching these as the spirit moves me.  When I grow tired, I'll likely call it big enough!  I sew a lot without a definite plan in mind.

maybe gray?

Hope you are enjoying the sweet rhythm of this day.

many blessings,
pam


Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed,
for His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is Your faithfulness.
                 Lamentations 3:22-23

Linked to Kathy's Slow Stitching.

Little Bits of Progress

I actually have some quilting progress sitings to share!!

With gardening season in full gear, my sewing machine pretty much stays under cover.  I turned it on today to make an overdue block for the quilt ministry, but otherwise everything is hand stitching done on the go. 

I finished the binding on the quilt that's heading to Ethiopia with Quilts Beyond Borders.  Attaching label.  Will wash and ship this week. 

I love how scrap quilts absorb all sorts of wild, weird, funky, and downright ugly fabrics!  The fabrics don't even have to be the right color to work.  It's quite fascinating how the uglies fade in and make the pretties shine.  After a while, you forget who is ugly and who is pretty!! 

Poor Sarah has been waiting forever for my hand block.  It's finally done and the colors coordinate nicely with the above quilt!  I found a big chunk of "made" fabric where I had pieced a bunch of oddball scraps together.  Seemed like a good answer for the "hand" fabric.

Here is a peak at my Handwork for Summer Sanity Project!  Some odd, funky color / fabric combos which make me smile.  I don't know what these blocks will be when they grow up....I'm just having fun creating them (mindlessly, for the most part.)

Here is a look at the back of the one I'm currently stitching.  These blocks have larger fabric pieces than most of my hand work projects.  The longer stitching lines go together fast.  Very fun and relaxing.

These pieces are marked using a stamp set from Cindy Blackberg.  The stamps take the work out of the prep stage and increase accuracy in a major way!  Love that!  (no affiliation with Cindy, just a fan.)

many blessings,
pam



Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
                      Psalm 37:3


Linking to:  Kathy's Slow Stitching Sunday

Updates!

Time flies when you are having fun (or running full tilt boogie like your hair is on fire!)

The days just move too fast for my liking. 


Farm Happenings

Bob the Bottle Calf
I've been afraid to say this out loud, but I think it's safe to proclaim that Bob the Bottle calf's navel abscess is healed!!  ALL the Glory goes to God!  He blessed me with a great vet with lots of ideas, who also respected my thoughts and observations.  God gave me patience and endurance to doctor Bob's wound twice daily for about 3 1/2 months.  God also put my previous training as a nurse to good use. 

Annabelle and Bob
(Bob is sad with this new "milkless" arrangement!)

In the end it was most definitely God who strengthened Bob and gave me courage to let the abscess heal over and encapsulate (this flies totally in the face of all that past training!).  I still check Bob's belly periodically and have to sing a little verse of praise every time I realize that the infection has resolved!!

Shortly after the infection healed, I had to make an executive decision and wean Bob away from Bambi (my Jersey milk cow).  I really wanted to let her nurse longer, but Bob was starting to scare me.  That probably sounds strange....I'll try to explain.  Because of so much handling by me, on some level Bob thinks of me as her mother.  This leads to a myriad of problems since Bob rapidly outgrew me in size and strength.  As long as Bob nursed I needed to lead her in and out of Bambi's paddock (unless we didn't want any milk that day).  Bob grew really pushy with me....literally.  She would no longer walk at my side, instead she shadowed right behind me and tried to bump me along with her head.  She would even come running up in the pasture and start head bumping me to get my attention.  Trust me, she had it.  It gave me the creeps and I started being fearful for myself and my kids, too. 

"Don't worry, Bob, you'll get through this."

The good news is that just a few weeks after giving up her favorite drink and not being handled very much, Bob has settled down and is much calmer when I need to be around her.  She still loves a good chin scratch and she moo's when she sees me, but she's no longer acting like an overgrown toddler. 


Chickens
We've had a rough couple weeks with chickens.  We lost 2 laying hens.  It seems that a fox made off with the first and a hawk tried to take the other. 

Chicks at about 3 weeks.
Sort of an ugly stage with half of feathers grown in.

On the same day, a raccoon got through some electric fencing, reached into the coop where we are raising our meat birds.  The coon killed one and badly wounded another.  The wounded chick lived in our garage for a while.  She's been relocated back with the other chicks.  We still have to keep her in a separate pen because some of the other birds pick on her.  (the pecking order is everywhere!)  I'm amazed at how God instilled us and all of His creatures with a will to live.  I was sure this little chick wouldn't survive for an hour after I found her, but here she is a week later....alive and growing stronger each day.

Quilty Stuff

Quilting time is shriveling up like a raisin with the summer garden and mowing and such upon us.  I'm ok with that though.  I tend to feel better when I go with the flow of the seasons and the specific work of each.... instead of demanding that life stay the same and allow me to do what I want to do all the time (trust me, I've tried the latter method, too....it wasn't pretty!)

I am still doing a bit of hand piecing on the fly.  This new pattern and stamp set by Cindy Blackberg is fun.  The  pieces are larger than the ones that I usually work with, so it goes together faster. 

Quilt Top for ministry.
Made from donated blocks.
2013

I did finish sewing a quilt top together at during our Wednesday Quilt Ministry gatherings.  This was made from donated blocks.  I sashed the blocks and added borders.  Sarah quilted it and the quilt has already been given away.  :) 

I'm trying to finish a quilt to send to an orphanage in Ethiopia through Sarah's Hands to Help project. 


Health and Well-Being

Wheat
I'm still doing the wheat-free thing. (Amazon affiliate link)  For the most part anyway.  Oddly enough, I really don't miss the wheat foods.  It's hard to figure out what to prepare for meals in their place, but I don't miss eating them.  My daytime energy level remains at a good constant level.  This is such a blessing! 

many blessings,
pam


May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.  Psalm 20:1


Linked to Homestead Barn Hop

This and That

Daylight Savings time change today. 

I really don't like the time change, but am trying to keep a positive attitude so I won't go into that.

I'm actually waiting for the sun to come up so that I can go out and take care of the animals.

Enjoying the early morning quiet and a little stitching.  Figured out how to half my tumbler pieces (and mark for piecing) to create an inner border.  It's encouraging to see this little top come together.  I have a tendency to put projects away before adding borders (which makes me not want to bring them out again!)

Oops....just noticed that I'm using the wrong fabric for the inner border! 
Maybe I'm up a bit too early!

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Project 40

Here's a finish.  I love how graphic the variegated strips look in this lap blanket! 

Thanks again Strippers!


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Bob the Bottle Calf

Growing big and strong. 
We are still battling the umbilical infection. 
This infection necessitated yet another van ride to the vet about 3 weeks ago to incise and drain the abscess again.  Apparently abscesses can reach quite deep and are difficult to cure....(Bob and I can testify to that!)

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Praise Report!

I talked to my Dad recently on his birthday and HE WAS HAPPY!!!
This is a major answered prayer.  He has been so angry about being in the nursing home and life in general.
For him to have peace and even be enjoying the company of his roommate can only come from God! 
Yea God! Thank You for this blessing.

My Dad is still a bit confused but much of his memory has returned.  Another blessing.  Thank you all for your prayers and encouraging words.


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Living Water

Please donate $10 to help our "neighbors" in Africa have clean water. 
Learn more here.

There's still time to be included in the book drawing.


many blessings,
pam


Linking to Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching.

Romancing the Needle

I started making (or at least trying to make) quilts around 1993.  The message from the local guild was all about machine quilting...Machine piecing was a given. 

I remember members not being especially impressed with people that hand quilted; all the cool people were mastering machine quilting.

Hand stitching is a slow process.  I  think of it as "slow for my soul". 

Hand stitching offers no speed, no glory for lightning fast completions, and very few adrenaline rushes. 

But with mastery of the needle, one gains much more than speed;
deep satisfaction, peace, and joy come to mind.

My world may be spinning off its axis, but with just a few quiet  needle-fulls of stitches, peace will enter my heart again.  This never ceases to amaze me!

If hand stitching intrigues you, please make an effort to try it.  Then practice it again and again.  I think we prefer to skip the practicing but it's a necessary part of learning something new. As your skills increase, you will relax and reap the sweet soul food from your time spent stitching.

I'm thankful to have a machine and it is the perfect answer to many projects. 
But now my hands get some of the projects, too.  Those tend to be my favorites...the ones I get to know the best.


many blessings,
pam

Flower Garden AND What's in Pam's Van?

Every once in a while I root through my stash of old projects.  I used to fret about having so many unfinished crafty things around, but have come to accept that I'm just wired like this.  I love starting and playing and trying out all sorts of things.  When the thrill is gone (or new ideas push to the front), I put them away.  I try to go through my bins every month or two and see if any projects want to come back out and play. 

Today let's probe the depths of the box marked "Flower Garden".  (do-do-do-do, do-do-do-do---Twilight Zone theme)

I can't remember when I started this, but I'm thrilled to find all of the pieces and parts corralled into one box. 

This was one of my early attempts at hand piecing.  I don't particularly like tracing around templates, BUT having metal templates really improves the accuracy vs. my homemade ones.  As far as templates go, I like these by Ardco with the little grippy stuffy on the back. 

Here are some of my blocks.  I think I had decided to go with the outer round of whitish fabric and was thinking of setting them with pale green diamonds.  I know that old timey solid green color has a name, but it escapes me.

A few more blocks.  I had played with joining a group of small flowers on the left.  Ick.  Doesn't work for me.  I just see the white hexies popping forward when I look at it. 

Now that I've done more hand piecing, I think I'll play with this some more.  My piecing skills have improved a bit so the joins should be a bit more enjoyable.  (as opposed to clenched teeth and shoulders pulled up around my ears!)

*****************

So any guesses as to what I've been hauling in my van?

Yes, that's Bob the calf.  Apparently some of you didn't get the memo---Last Tuesday was "Take Your Calf for a Drive" Day!  At least it was around here.  The calf needed to visit the vet and all I could think to do was stick her in the back of the Mom Mobile!  We've hauled chickens, dogs, cats, and skads of kids in there...so why not a calf?! 

We did get a lot of funny looks.  I'm glad no on ran into us while they were pointing and gawking.  She practiced her very loud moo the whole way there!

Bob was much more subdued on the trip home after having the abscess in her navel drained. 

God is good.

blessings,
pam

chickens and quilts

the victim!

My children have been worrying about one of our hens who has been limping for a few days. 
She has no obvious injury, but today I decided to pay homage to my nursing education and apply a splint! 

custom made splint--only the best for this girl!

"I've GOT to get this thing off!!"

"I'll help you, Sister!"

Can you tell that I love living out here with hubby, kids, and critters?!!  I'm in heaven. 
Life is good.

Now a bit about quilting. 
I've been making more hand pieced stars.  These are soooo fun! 
If you don't know how to hand piece, you NEED to learn from Cindy Blackberg!  She's awesome!

Each block measures a little over 4 inches.  These are my 3 favorites so far.

May your day be incredibly blessed,
pam


Post linked to Slow Sunday Stitching.

After Christmas

True confession.  I love the days AFTER Christmas!  These are the days when the peace and joy of the season really fills me.  The days when my children's brains turn back on.  The days of wanting, wanting, wanting are over.  The hype of the season is gone. 

Jesus remains.  Life is good.

This is the view out my back door.  It's snowing.  Those are my sweet animals.  I'll tell you more about them another day.

I had a birthday just before Christmas.  My sister's birthday was yesterday.  How did my Mother ever manage with 2 birthdays the week of Christmas?!! 

And what birthday would be complete without bunny ears?!!  (Love you, Honey!)

I've been cutting fabrics today from one of my scrap baskets (even the baskets have started multiplying!)  Does anyone EVER see their scraps diminish? 

I started a new project today!  I L-O-V-E starting new projects!  (finishing, not so much....but give me something to start and I'm all over it!)  This is the humble beginning of a scrappy sawtooth star quilt.  This one will be hand pieced thanks to a stamp set by Cindy Blackberg.  I took a class from Cindy a couple years ago.  She's delightful and she has this hand piecing thing all figured out. 

Here is my first little star!  Hooray!

Many blessings to You,
pam


But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to  you; He is Christ the Lord."  Luke 2: 10-11