Pandemic, Vaccination and the Mark of the Beast

I come from a family of mostly evangelical Christians. My 5 sisters and I are Alliance, Baptist, Lutheran and Seventh-day Adventist. We all believe the pandemic is real. We follow the public health guidelines and all 6 of us have received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Those of us who already qualify have also received the 3rd (booster) dose. 
However, I am aware that some (many?) Christians don't see things the way we do. Some think that the pandemic is a hoax (it isn't). Some think it's no worse than the flu (it is). Some believe it's just a variant of the seasonal flu (it isn't. The corona virus and the influenza virus are 2 distinct families of viruses, and they can co-exist not only in the same population, but in the same individual at the same time). And some believe that preventing us from attending church in the usual fashion is a form of religious persecution. It most definitely is not. It's a public health guideline that applies equally to all religious gatherings, funerals, weddings, sports and recreation, theatres, etc. So, it's not essentially a religious law. It has not prevented any of us from attending online services of the religion of our choice. It has attempted to prevent church services (and other gatherings) from being super spreader events. God has not created a magical force field around our churches that will prevent the corona virus from spreading if we choose to gather and flaunt the public health guidelines. As a matter of fact, God is in favour of public health guidelines. They're in the Bible. Just read Leviticus 13, for example. For an interesting discussion on whether or not it's a violation of religious liberty, view the following video: 

(I have my rationale for disagreeing with these positions, and I am willing to share them - just email me. But I won't go into them here because I know that people believe what they want to believe, in spite of all evidence to the contrary. "A mind convinced against its will is of the same opinion still.")
And then, there's the idea that microchips are injected with the vaccination. Not only is that virtually impossible (see this article), but the vaccine comes in multidose vials. Even if microchips could be drawn up through a needle, what would prevent one person from getting 2 or 3 microchips and the next person getting none? 

Finally, probably the most puzzling and disconcerting is the idea that the COVID vaccination is the mark of the beast. I do understand that people see the similarity between the restrictions on the unvaccinated and Revelation 13:17,

And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

However, let's really look at this. Yes, some of the unvaccinated will lose their jobs. But nothing is preventing them from getting another job that doesn't require vaccination. Or even becoming self-employed. As far as buying is concerned, most merchants that require proof of vaccination also offer the option of a recent, negative COVID test. Or curbside pick-up or online shopping. So, the vaccination really does not qualify.

Furthermore, I don't think anyone who believes that the COVID vaccination is the mark of the beast, has actually identified who the beast is. If you read Revelation 13, the beast shows up (verse 1) before his mark is mentioned (verse 16). So, it seems reasonable that we need to know who the beast is before we can identify his mark. If the vaccine is the mark, who then would be the beast? Pfizer? Big Pharma? Whoever the beast is must match the description in Revelation. Of course, Revelation is a highly symbolic book, but each symbol has a meaning, which can only be discovered by Bible study. 

Another point is that the issue with the mark of the beast is worship. The third angel's message in Revelation 14:9,10a makes this clear:

 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God...

I have not switched gods since receiving the COVID vaccination. Nor have my sisters. Nor any other vaccinated Christian that I know. We still love and serve and worship the same God. So, who would we be worshipping if the vaccine is The Mark? We get back to the issue of having to identify who the beast is before we can identify what his mark is. 

Honestly, believing that the COVID vaccine is the mark of the beast doesn't make any Biblical sense. It doesn't fit. I do have my beliefs about the beast and his mark. And I believe that they make Biblical sense. I'm not going into an in-depth study here, but I will recommend a series of videos that help explain it better than I can, Landmarks of Prophecy. I highly recommend that you watch the whole series because each one builds on the previous ones. It might not make as much sense if you skip directly to the one on the Mark of the Beast. This series also helps explain a lot of the rest of the book of Revelation. 

(And more on Vaccine Myths and Facts from the Alberta government).

Ranfurly Fair Entries

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

1 Corinthians 9:24,25

Three months later, I finally realized that I hadn't blogged anything about the Ranfurly Fair back on August 8. It had been 5 years, I think, since the last time I had entered any of my craft projects in the local fairs. Last year, I considered it, but then we ended up with the Corona virus pandemic interfering with everything. This year, while I may not have agreed with the decision, the premier of Alberta decided that we were "open for the summer." Some events proceeded and others did not, and I determined to enter some items in the Ranfurly Fair. I also considered entering some in the Innisfree Fair, but then decided to take my daughter and grandson on a quick trip to Drumheller, and we set out on the day of the Innisfree Fair.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have probably commented before that I find the small local fairs quite generous with their ribbons, and often they will award more than one first, second or third place ribbon in each category. I wanted to explain that when I say that I won either a first or second place ribbon on each item I entered. 

In the Quilting Class, in the Table Runner category, I was awarded a 1st for On Guard For Thee, 

another first for Work Zone in the Baby Quilt category, 

a second for Fiesta in the Lap Quilt category, 

a first for Audacious in the large quilt category, 

and a second for Celtic Ballad in the wallhanging category. 

In the Knitting class, I won a first for Lavender Rhapsody in the afghan category. 

In the Crocheting class, I won a second for Mistletoe and Lace in the afghan category (Because I consider this a rather non-descript afghan, I was actually trying to finish the Circles Throw to enter it, but didn't quite make it. It will likely be entered next year). 

I won a first for the Daffodil dishcloth 

and a second for this bowl cozy in the Other Crocheted Item category. 

Finally, in the Christmas section, Christmas Tree Skirt class, I won a first for Blue Christmas, 

and another first for Country Christmas in the Table Runner class. (This is the centre runner of a set of three, so I can still enter one of the side runners in next year's fair, since they are not identical). 

An interesting note is that On Guard for Thee, Fiesta and Audacious have each been entered in other contests, without placing at all. And that's the difficulty of most contests - there is usually only one grand prize, one gold medal, one first place...

But that's not true in the game of life. While my quilts may never be good enough to even be entered in Quilt Canada's Juried Quilt Show, and I certainly will never be an Olympic athlete, everyone of us can strive for the "incorruptible prize" mentioned by the Apostle Paul in the Bible text at the beginning of this post. That prize is eternal life, and it's already been won for you and me by our Lord Jesus Christ. 

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

You may never win a prize in a fair, contest or challenge, but none of us needs to be a loser in the game of life. 

Circles Throw

 

The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. 

Jeremiah 18:1-6

Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?

Romans 9:20-21

I picked up the pattern leaflet for the Circles Throw at a Len's Mill store on my last visit to Ontario. The pattern called for 14 circles each of 3 different colourways of Bernat Handicrafter Cotton, for a total of 42 circles. However, I decided to try and see if I could do each circle in a different colourway. And I was able to do more than that. Not only did I make each circle in a different colourway, but completed each round of the border in a different colourway, for a total of 45 different variegated colourways, plus the solid white. 

However, that's not the only change I made. Some time back, while sorting through clutter, I came across a crochet pattern for the Flat Braid Join. It was several years old and the pages had gotten mildewed, but when it came time to assemble this afghan, I wanted to try something other than sewing the motifs together. Trying to avoid using the mildewed pages, I googled and not only found the original pattern, but a new variation that allowed the crocheter to complete all of the joining without breaking the yarn. That was even better!

The joins at the corners were a little complicated, and they didn't all turn out as well as I would have liked, but I'm still quite pleased with it overall. 

As I was working on the joining, I was considering what was going to work for the edging. With this type of join, I was doing a half flat join on the edges of all the blocks, including the outside edges. This wouldn't necessarily work with the edging from the original pattern. Besides, the orignal pattern had the final round done in reverse crochet, which I really don't find very attractive. The website that has the new variation also has a link to a pattern that not only uses the flat braid join, but has an edging that works with it as well. (The afghan pattern is quite pretty, too). So I purchased the pattern and proceeded with the edging. 

In the pattern, the edging is all done in white. I felt that my afghan already had enough white and chose to do each of the three rounds in a different colourway. 

The circle motifs are done in the following colourways: Azalea, Beach Ball Blue, Blended Navy Lemon, Blue Camo, By the Sea, Candy Sprinkles, Chocolate, Coral Seas, Country Sage, Country Stripes, Creamsicle, Crown Jewels, Damask, Emerald Energy, Emerald Isle, Faded Denim, Fleur do Lavande, Floral Prints, Freshly Pressed, Fruit Punch, Garden Party, Granite Pink, Hippi, June Bug, Lemon Swirl, Lotus Blossom, Love, Marble Print, Mod, Moondance, Patio Pinks, Pepper, Pretty Pastels, Psychedelic, Purple Perk, Quiet Sea, Rick Rack, Stoneware, Summer Breeze, Summer Print, Sunkissed, and Swimming Pool. The border was done in Playtime, Salt and Pepper, and Lively. By the way, Lively looks very similar to Psychedelic, maybe slightly less loud. 

And so, it's finished. And, in my opinion, it's much prettier than the original pattern. 

And that's how life can be. Sometimes we plan our lives, like the original pattern. But the Artist recognizes that that pattern is not what's going to work best for our lives. And it can be uncomfortable, even painful sometimes, as the Master Artist works with the yarn. And, like the Bible text from Romans I quoted above, we want to ask Him, "What on earth are You doing?, Why are You doing it this way? I had my own plans and that's not the way I wanted my life to go..." And we often can't see how what looks like a mess of failed and aborted plans can possibly turn into something beautiful. But it can. And it will, if we trust it all in the hands of the Master. Because he promised in Romans 8:28:
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Home on the Farm

 

As I stated in Amazing Grace, I started about 4 different quilts before I settled on the one for that occasion. This was one of the quilts I started. Yet, when I posted a picture of the first block, the Barbara Frietchie star, to Facebook, one of my great nieces said that she loved it.

Well, generally, family takes precedence and, since I had already given both her brothers their quilts, I decided it was time for her to get hers. 

It's interesting that the purpose for which I originally purchase fabric is not necessarily what it becomes, or for whom. this batch of fabric went through a couple of different recipients before it became my niece's. I had purchased the dark green, brown and yellow fabric, but when I looked at the block pattern again, I realized that I needed another colour. I found this red in my stash that was left over from my Canada 150 quilt, and felt that it worked quite well. This is the first quilt I planned on using the farm panel in, but the unit clerk's impending retirement made Farm Friendship a higher priority. Personally, I prefer this one over that one. But I designed them both myself. 

I fiddled with the brown fabric to make all of the pieces with the farms right side up. It worked in the Barbara Frietchie blocks, but not in the flying geese. I used the no-waste method and I couldn't figure out if it was even possible to end up with all of the farms oriented in the same direction. So, it didn't happen. As my mother used to say, "A blind man will never see it." And I used the easy eight method for the HSTs in the Barbara Frietchie blocks. Originally, I was going to use part blocks of the Barbara Frietchie star to surroud the panel and not use the flying geese, but then felt this might look better. And I'm pleased with the results. 

The quilt is packed up now and hopefully, I will get it in the mail tomorrow. 

The Solid Rock

Under ordinary circumstances, I try to coordinate the backing and the pantograph with the quilt top. But this, this is no ordinary circumstance. 

What can you do, what can you say when you find out that a young friend has been taken advantage of sexually by a pastor she knew and trusted? And it devastated her to the point where she attempted suicide. And I knew him as well, at least I thought I did. I ate in his home, I laughed with him, shared with him and prayed with him. But I guess none of us really knew him. My feelings ranged from being dumbfounded, to murderous rage, to heart-rending grief. And what do you do with those impotent emotions? 

Quilting has long been my creative outlet - for stress, anxiety, depression and compassion. It started as just a hobby, but has become almost an obsession because I can use it to work out toxic emotions and frustrations. For me, when the going gets tough, the tough get quilting. I have made quilts for people who have lost a loved one, for people experiencing health challenges. But this is the first time I have made a quilt for such a reason. So, this quilt is rather unique. 

First, I found out that the young lady's favourite colour is dark turquoise. Well, I had plenty of leftovers from Audacious (and still do), which includes dark turquoise. I had picked up a second panel with Bible texts/inspirational thoughts and I wanted to include something from there in this quilt. So, I had to find a pattern that I could fit it into, preferably one that would work up quickly. 

I turned to my vast library and came up with the book, Supersize 'Em by Debby Kratovil. I decided to use the Starry Starry Brights pattern, because I could fit the panel in the middle. I had to use partial seams to do it, but those are a lot easier than Y-seams! I eliminated the final border because I just wanted a throw size quilt and with this border, it would have been bigger than I wanted. 

I had to decide which Bible verse I wanted to include and had narrowed my choice down to "Be still and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10, and "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" Philippians 4:13. I finally settled on Philippians 4:13 because I wanted to give her courage that, with Christ in her life, she can get through anything. 

I had plenty of the Stonehenge Solstice fabric, but no pieces big enough to make a backing. And as I pondered this quilt, I thought about the fact that this young lady is still a teenager, and decided that it needed a backing that would liven it up. The Stonehenge fabric is beautiful, but it is rather solemn. So, I found this. 

There was some of the same fabric in a dark turquoise, but not enough for backing. This one still has dark turquoise in it and it's very cheerful. I had a hard time convincing myself to use this as a backing fabric because it really doesn't coordinate with the quilt top. But the goal was liveliness and cheerfulness, and I decided to go with it.

Then I had to decide on a pantograph. What would coordinate with both the top and backing? Nothing! I could have chosen a nondescript feather or swirl or paisley. But this young lady is entering nursing school this fall and I do want to let her know that she still has a life and a future and not to lose sight of her goals. So, I went with Lady with the Lamp. 

You can see the nursing cap in this picture, plus part of an ECG tracing (above and below the nursing cap to the right) and the end of a stethoscope on the left. Also included are bandaids and needles/syringes. A fun pantograph by Dave Hudson from Urban Elementz. I love how the nursing cap ended up right in the centre of the quilt. Even though we don't wear caps any more. 

Finally, I had to come up with a name for this quilt. Starry Starry Brights didn't work because the quilt top really isn't bright. A lot of the Stonehenge fabric has stone-like texture, so I played around with that a bit, and came up with The Solid Rock. There are many Bible texts and hymns that liken Jesus to a solid rock, and I wanted my young friend to remember that Jesus can be depended on, He never fails. And, of course, there's this hymn. 

 

Farm Friendship

Another signature quilt for a colleague that's retiring. This time it's a unit clerk on acute care. And I surely will miss her. She's a great unit clerk, as well as a wonderful person. But I wish her well. She's also a quilter. She makes rag quilts out of flannel, and makes one for each acute care nurse that retires. So, I definitely could not let her retire without receiving a quilt of her own, though I'm not planning on taking up her mantle and start making quilts for the retiring acute care nurses. Technically, I'm part of the home care team and will spend enough time and money making quilts for my team, in addition for all of my other projects. 

I find it interesting when I start out making a quilt for someone, and decide I like it too well and plan to keep it. So, I have to come up with another quilt to gift to the individual, and end up producing something that I think will suit them even better. That happened with Amazing Grace, and it happened with this one. Originally, I was going to give the recipient Fiesta, and I think anyone would be happy with that one. I certainly am. And then I started on this one. And I found out how much she likes horses. So, this quilt is perfect. 

I have several of this panel, and am in the process of using another one for a quilt for one of my great nieces. But for this one, I had to decide what to surround the panel with that would work for signatures. I wanted something that would work up relatively quickly. Then I found this MSQC video. 

Yes, I could make the Friendship Braid work, using solid cream coloured fabric as alternate strips for the signatures. And for the print strips, since this panel is an autumn scene, I was able to use leftovers from my daughter's quilt. I didn't quite have enough, but did have enough of the black print that I used for the binding as well as some of the setting triangles and some strips. 

Here's the backing: 

I really love it when I can coordinate a quilt so well, including the pantograph. 

This is Wild Horses Grande by Deb Geissler from Urban Elementz. I debated on this one versus Mustang Stampede from Meadow Lyon, and this one won out (they've changed Mustang Stampede, by the way - the one in the link is the newer version, which I don't like quite as well, and it's 15" so would be about the limit of my throat space).

Now I have to try and keep this quilt a secret while gathering signatures.

By the way, in case you can't read it, the backing says, "Count Your Blessings" and "Be Grateful for All Things". Isn't that a great message? Every time I worked with it, I started singing. 

 

Tulip the Decepticon and Other Quilt Blocks

 

I honestly did not set out to make a quilt block that looks like a Transformer. It's actually supposed to be a tulip. A Tennessee Tulip, to be precise. But my choice of fabrics for this Sew Along resulted in this block looking more like a Transformer than a tulip. 

See what I mean? I have therefore nicknamed this block Tulip the Decepticon. It's Brackman 785.7, if you know what that means. Brackman, as in Barbara Brackman, the author of the Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns. I finally own my own copy, the newest third edition, just out last year. As someone who loves trying new blocks, this comprehensive volume has been on my Amazon wishlist for quite some time. But then I found out that Electric Quilt was bringing out a new edition. Why pay $150 for a used second edition when I can get a brand new third edition for far less than that? Yay! In addition, they also brought out an updated version of the BlockBase software, Blockbase+. Double yay! So, instead of drafting the blocks myself from 2" line drawings, I have software that will print out rotary cutting instructions, foundation pieces and/or templates in whatever size block I want. That makes me a very happy quilter!

And then I found out that Electric Quilt was having a sew along to teach participants how to use the BlockBase+ software. What better way to learn the software that learning by doing? So, I joined in. 

This are the fabrics I chose for the project. And here's the first block, Brackman 1273. 

Since some blocks have many names, and some names refer to several different blocks, Barbara Brackman assigned each block a number. That way it's much easier to keep track of which block is being referred to. 

But before I started this sew along, Bernina started an Old Block Quilt Along. I don't usually join in on these things because I generally have more than enough projects on the go. But I love old, traditional blocks, and I love trying new blocks. Besides, at the end of the year, I could win a Bernina! What's not to love about that? Owning a newer Janome, and a Brother (plus my vintage Singer...), I figured I would give the Bernina to my daughter if I won it. She just had a cheaper Singer, but then she told me that she bought herself a heavy duty Singer, plus she will someday get my mother's Janome, which is currently in my possession, and I figured I will keep the Bernina if I win it. I can't have my daughter owning more sewing machines than me. LOL! 

So, here are the fabrics I purchased to use in the Bernina project: 

These fabrics are stunning and I think I could make the ugliest quilt blocks around and people would still love them just because of how beautiful the fabrics are. 

Here's the first block, Brides Bouquet. 

By the time I made up my mind to join these projects and purchased the fabric, I had some catching up to do. 

Quilter's Delight

Bird's Nest, which I christened Rat's Nest, because it was such a mess. Still people loved the block just because the fabric is so pretty. 

Cross and Star. So, having caught up on the Bernina project, I then had to catch up on the BlockBase+ one. 

Brackman 2898

Brackman 1638

Brackman1915b.

The Bernina Quilt Along is one or two blocks a month over a year, for a total of 20 blocks (I think) and the quilt will be a maximum of 60"x80". The blocks are different sizes, so it will be interesting to see how they are all arranged together. 

The BlockBase+ Sew Along, on the other hand, has only 8 blocks, one block every 2 weeks. The participants can chose what size to make the blocks. I chose a uniform 12" for all of the blocks and decided to add more blocks to make it at least a throw size. 

Brackman 1232, one of my own additions. There are some incredibly challenging quilt blocks in this book. 

Morning Star. Still having to keep up with the Bernina project. 

Brackman 2328, another one of my additions. I messed this one up because it should have had two of the solid purple triangles on the top and bottom, and two of the print triangles on the sides, instead of one of each on all four sides. But with all of those bias edges, I didn't really want to start ripping out seams. And I really wasn't that happy with my choice to use all purple fabrics. 

Brackman 3953. This one used a combination of foundation paper piecing, regular piecing and applique. And I think it's a truly amazing block. I likely would have never attempted some of these more challenging blocks if I didn't have BlockBase+, but this is one I chose to include. 

Mill and Stars. For the Bernina Quilt Along, my goal is to use some of all 7 of the fabrics (6 coloured fabrics, plus the grey texture for background) in each block. (The 8th fabric in the picture, the border print, is for the backing). This makes it challenging to keep it from looking like a "rat's nest" because the fabrics are rather busy. But I'm hoping I learned from the Bird's Nest block.

 

Brackman 2734. For the BlockBase+ Sew Along, I chose not to use all of the fabrics in each block, generally following the guidelines for the number of fabric choices by the number of colours in the book and software. 

Because I got started on making some of the most challenging quilt blocks in Brackman's Encyclopedia, I asked in a Facebook Quilting group for recommendations on what they considered challenging quilt blocks. Someone recommended Brackman 3806.5. This one has 8 mini stars, each less than 2 inches square, as part of the design, including 8 tiny Y-seams! There is no way to make these stars using foundation paper piecing. I tried using the templates, but the pieces are so small that it's virtually impossible to stitch on a sewing machine. Hand stitching? Not my forte. And then I thought of English paper piecing. Yes, it's still hand stitching, but the cardstock would give a little more structure to the pieces while being stitched. So, the above picture is the first of the mini stars. Far from perfect, but still recognizable as a star. You'll have to watch this blog to see if I actually end up completing this block. 

Meanwhile, I've got several quilts that are works in progress and I want to get them finished, so I'll get to those projects and put these blocks on the back burner for now.