Secret Santa Christmas Placemat

We have secret Santas at work this year. I decided that, among the other gifts I was giving my "giftee" (recipient, whatever), I wanted to give something quilted. I considered the potholders I've been working on, but I am planning on giving one to each of my team members. It wouldn't be difficult for my giftee to find out and I wouldn't be a "Secret" Santa any more. So I opted for a placemat. I would have liked to do QAYG again, but wanted a Christmas tree block for the main feature of the placemat. So I googled and found this one. This is a 10" block and I wanted a 12" block. I also didn't want my tree to be as wide as it is tall. I wanted a more accurate perspective. So I modified the pattern and here's the result:

I didn't want the standard solid background either. This fabric looks sort of like it could be snowflakes and the lighter colour is actually a metallic silver. I love bling, so anything shiny usually appeals to me and I think is very appropriate for Christmas. I'm not entirely happy with the tree trunk fabric. I should have taken a little more care in selecting that. However, I'm really not a fan of the colour brown, so I have a very limited supply in my stash. I bought a fat eighths bundle for the tree in different shades of green. The Christmas fabric in the sidebars is from my potholder project. The red sashing is the same fabric as the backing.

I chose to use green as my bobbin thread so that it would show up on the red backing. And the binding is a purchased extra wide double fold bias binding that I had in my stash. 
I'd better go for now. Our Christmas potluck is tomorrow and I need to prepare some food. 

Sew Mama Sew - Giveaway

I just learned about this giveaway, so I'm working fast and furious to get this posted, as I did purchase some Christmas fabric for a giveaway. I figured I might as well get in on the Sew Mama Sew postings.
Here's the prize:

Three half-metres of Benartex "My True Love Gave to Me" fabric. Isn't it yummy? I like it so much that I'm having a hard time giving it away.
As a bonus, I'm including this DVD and book (not quilting related):

Just add a comment on this post to enter. Because I'm using the free version of Rafflecopter, my giveaway can only end at midgnight, so I extended it to 12:00 a.m. on December 14. Hopefully it will work properly as I've never done this before. If I have to, I will put everyone's name in a tin and draw a winner. Highly sophisticated! LOL!

And yes, I will ship internationally.

a Rafflecopter giveaway Separate from the Sew Mama Sew giveaway, I have a giveaway that ends today (Tuesday, Dec. 10) at 4:30MST. It's for this Carolyn Freedlander pattern:

Please note that this pattern is not included in the Sew Mama Sew giveaway. You must go to a separate post and enter by posting a comment here: Pattern Giveaway.

Show & Tell: Assembly Line Quilting

Hello again and welcome to this week's Show & Tell. I thought I would share a little more about my QAYG potholders this week. I shared one last week. I have a tendency to overdo sometimes, so I'm not just making 1 potholder, or even 10 or 12. I decided to make 35. Yes, that seems excessive, but I came up with a list of 31+ people that I want to make them for, and since I can get 5 8-inch squares out of a width of fabric, I decided I might as well do a number that's divisible by 5. Assembly-line processes made sense when I was making that many of a single item.

I cut enough 8" squares of the backing, the Insul-Bright and the batting to complete all of the potholders I planned to make. Then I stacked them in layers, with a paperweight to hold them down.

All of the centre squares were cut. These were approximately 3-3/4" to 3-7/8". I just divided the squares up evenly, but if you're not using fussy cut squares, you could just use a 4" square. Next I cut enough 2-1/2 strips of fabric to do the rest of the top. I calculated that I would need approximately one strip x WOF for each potholder. I am keeping the strips that I am currently sewing with, plus the precut squares, in this basket. 

Here are the extra strips handy in a bigger basket (and no, not everything in this basket is for the potholders). 

I also cut enough 2-1/2" strips x WOF for binding the potholders. One strip for each potholder. Since they are the same width as the strips for the top, any extra cut off after applying the binding can be used for the next top.

Because I am using different thread for applying the binding than what I'm using for piecing, I do the piecing on several potholders first, then switch threads and apply the binding. If I was doing true assembly line, I would piece all the potholders first and then bind them all, but I find that gets boring. In this picture is one finished potholder and three ready for binding. I pressed the binding and pinned it to the potholder it belonged to. As I mentioned in last week's post, I do not want to repeat any fabric in each potholder, so I wanted to keep track of which binding belonged to which potholder. 

I managed to finish these ones and get them mailed away, one to my Aunt Isabelle and one to each of my sisters. Yes, I have that many sisters. One is actually my brother's widow, who has since remarried, but I still consider her a sister. 

And these are ones I just finished. I have 20 completed so far, 15 to go. And no two will be identical.
Now it's your turn. Here's my button:

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Whiter than Snow

I love a new snow, how pure and clean it looks, how unsullied.

Unmarred by a single track, is there anything so perfect? Is there anything whiter than snow? Or even as white as snow? Certainly not polar bears. You've probably seen pictures of polar bears like this one, where the bears look rather yellowish.


Even Mystery, my "pure white" cat, is really not pure white

 compared to the snow (LOL - yes, I admit my picture editing talents are very amateur).

Cotton, in its natural state, is not "pure white."

Pulp must be bleached in order to make "pure white" paper.
 
The same can be said about our character in our own attempts at "being good." The Bible says, "There is none that doeth good, no, not one." Psalm 53:3. "There is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:10. And "we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags." Isaiah 64:6. Kind of like snow in the city streets or at the side of a highway: brown/grey and gritty - nothing pure and white about that. And once that snow is brown and gritty, there's nothing we can do to make it white again, is there? And it's the same way with our characters. We have stained our characters with the wrong things we do: thoughts, actions, words. And we can not clean them up, not on our own. But God has promised, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Isaiah 1:18. And King David prayed, "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." Psalm 51:7. Whiter than snow? Yes, Lord Jesus, I want my character to be whiter than snow, as only You can make it.

  

Pattern Giveaway

I got this pattern "by accident" from Pink Chalk Fabrics. It's brand new, still in the plastic sleeve. I only took it out to take pictures without the glare from the plastic. It's not my style and I will probably never use it, so I want to pass it on to one of you who will. It's a Carolyn Friedlander design. To enter, just post a comment on this post. If you follow on facebook and don't have a google account, you can comment on the link on facebook. Or you can use the contact form at the bottom of the sidebar to enter by email. I will keep the draw open until Dec. 10th when I get home from work (4:30 MST).

The draw is not limited to geogrraphic location. Just make sure I have a way to contact you (google+, facebook or email) if you win.
Now a word about Pink Chalk Fabrics: I just discovered them recently when I was looking for a Kona colour card (I will blog about this later) and they were selling them. They answered my questions promptly and were a pleasure to deal with. Shipping was quite reasonable and my order was shipped out quickly. I communicated with them both by email and telephone and found them very polite and pleasant. I have added their link to my favourite quilting links in my sidebar. There are so many quilting vendors out there that I like to share if I've found one I like.
Good luck on the draw.

Show & Tell - QAYG Potholder

I finished the quilt top for Sophia's quilt. I still have to cut the batting and trim the backing and then it will be ready to longarm it when I have the opportunity to get to Sparrow Studioz. Next I decided to work on a quick project so that I can actually feel like I've gotten something accomplished. I was in the city on Friday and picked up some Christmas fabric and some Insul Bright so that I can make some hot potholders. Here's the first one:

I wanted a scrappy look and that's what I got, with no fabric repeated. I already had this centre fabric with nice little square pictures that are perfect for the starting square. I more or less followed the instructions found here: Make an Easy Potholder. It's pretty straightforward. Here's the back:

I actually used a glitter thread in the bobbin, but you can't really tell from this picture. I stitched the binding down with a snowflake design. 
I found out my nephew Jason and his wife are hoping to adopt a baby girl. They will find out for sure on Tuesday. I'd better get to work on this quilt as it's for their new baby:

Now it's your turn to share. Here's my button:

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Are the Dead Really Dead?

This past week, one of my colleagues at work was relating how, in their newly built house, they have been having weird things happen, such as the car radio coming on all by itself to the exact same song every time they drive into the garage. This stirred up a conversation amongst my coworkers, several of whom shared similar experiences. Being all alone in the home and hearing footsteps in the hall or seeing a shadow passing the bedroom door. Arriving home from work, when no one has been in the house all day, and finding all of the kitchen cupboard doors and drawers open. Having music suddenly start playing on a radio that isn't even plugged in. Balloons fluttering in the room of a dying man where there is no window or door open, no breeze from any source. And they stopped fluttering as soon as the man died... I know my colleagues. They're nurses: trustworthy and reliable, not subject to "vivid flights of fancy" or "overactive imaginations." If they say these things happened, then I believe that they did. And some of you reading this may have had similar experiences. But what or who is causing them? Could it be the dead coming back to visit us? Does some supernatural part of us live on after our bodies are gone? 
As I pointed out in The Source, I believe the Bible is the ultimate guide to wisdom and knowledge, so I want to find out:

What says the Bible, the blessed Bible?

This my only question be.

The teachings of men so often mislead us.

What says the Bible to me?

Let's start by finding out what the Bible says about the soul. Genesis 2:7 says, "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Interesting that is says that man became a living soul, he didn't receive a living soul. If you're fortunate enough to own a Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, you can look up the word "soul" in this verse and find its reference number, 5315. You can also look up the word "creature" in Genesis 1:20, 21, 24 & 2:19 and find that the same number - in other words, the same Hebrew word as that used for soul - is used for "creature" in these verses. Turning to the Hebrew dictionary at the back, you will find that the basic definition for 5315 is "a breathing creature." That makes sense. We are breathing creatures and so are animals.  Ezekiel 18:4,20 tells us that "the soul that sinneth, it shall die." The soul can die??? In Matthew 10:28, Jesus instructs us, "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." More on hell later, but for now, let's focus on the fact that Jesus says the soul can be destroyed. He doesn't use the word tormented or tortured. He says destroyed. Turning once again to Strong's, I find that destroy is number 622, which in the Greek dictionary says "to destroy fully; destroy, die, lose, mar, perish." It sounds to me like a final end, nothing about being tortured forever, which is the popular belief about what's supposed to happen to the "immortal" soul in hell. But is the soul immortal? Try searching for "immortal soul" in Strong's and you won't find a single reference. Look up the words "immortal" or "immortality" and you will find 6 references in the whole Bible, four of which refer to God. One of these, 1 Timothy 6:16 says that only God has immortality. Only God. In other words, we human beings don't. As a matter of fact the remaining two references, found in 1 Corinthians 15:53, 54, refers to us as "mortals" that must "put on immortality." Verse 52 makes it clear that this happens when Jesus comes again. If we already had an "immortal soul," why would we need to "put on immortality." Wouldn't that be kind of like putting on your clothes when you're already dressed? It is apparent that immortality is a gift that Jesus bestows on His followers when He returns. That's when He raises the dead to life.  Verse 52 says, "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed," the "we" meaning those who are alive when Jesus comes again. "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17.

So, if the dead are not raised until Jesus comes again, where are they in the meantime? Ecclesiastes 9:5 tells us that "For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing."  Psalm 146:4 says, "His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish." "The dead praise not the Lord." Psalm 115:17. When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, he had been dead for 4 days, but there is no record of Lazarus ever telling about his experiences in heaven for those 4 days (see John 11). There are numerous accounts of people being raised from the dead in the Bible, but nowhere do any of them speak of the glories of heaven. In Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost, he states that "David (speaking of King David from the Old Testament) is both dead and buried." Acts 2:29. If Peter believed that God's people go to heaven directly after death, that would be a pretty faithless statement. Why didn't he say, "David is in heaven?"  Because David isn't in heaven. Further on Peter stated that "David is not ascended into the heavens." v. 34. Clearly then, the dead are not in heaven. So where are they? When Jesus spoke of Lazarus' death, He said that Lazarus was "sleeping." Another time, when Jesus raised a young girl to life, He referred to her as "sleeping" (Matt. 9:24). When the Apostle Paul is speaking about the fact that not all Christians will die, some will be alive to see Jesus return, he said that "we shall not all sleep." 1 Corinthians 15:51. In the Bible, death is portrayed as a dreamless sleep and we will awaken in the resurrection when Jesus comes again. 

So, if there are no immortal souls, no one goes to heaven at death and all the dead "sleep" in the grave until Jesus returns, what or who is causing those unexplained phenomena that my colleagues and others have experienced? The Bible tells us of the existence of angels. There are good angels or "ministering spirits" (Hebrews 1:14). And there are the bad angels, "evil spirits" (Luke 8:2) or "spirits of devils" (Rev. 16:14). God sends good angels to guide us on the road to heaven and, as part of that, to protect us from harm. They do not engage in hauntings, random acts of creepiness or appearing as dead people. These acts are the work of evil spirits. No matter how harmless or even friendly they may seem, it is the work of demons. Isaiah 8:19 warns us "When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?" (NIV). And God instructs us, "Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God." (Leviticus 19:31, NIV). He gave us these warnings because He knows that these kind of supernatural phenomena are the work of evil spirits, whose ultimate goal is our destruction.

Finally, on the subject of hell, I just want to point out two texts. The first is probably the best known verse in the Bible: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16. And the second is also well known: "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23. Both of these texts make it clear that the opposite of eternal life, the reward for those who follow Jesus, is death. Those who refuse Jesus' offer of salvation will perish, not suffer eternal torment. The Bible calls it the "second death" (Rev. 20:6), the death from which there will be no resurrection.

I know I have covered a lot of territory and none of it in great depth. If you would like to know more, here are some resources:

Are the Dead Really Dead?

Is the Devil in Charge of Hell?

The Ultimate Deliverance