Making Progress...

This is my version of the Dreamweaver quilt from Craftsy's Quick Strip Paper Piecing Class. I'm really happy with the way the quilt top is turning out. I don't always know what a finished product will look like, based on the fabrics I've selected, until I actually put it together. And I'm quite pleased. I think the woven sashing adds a very nice accent.

I just need to add the border and it will be done. The instructions call for a different fabric for the border, but I have enough of the "Space" fabric that I will probably use that. 
It's always a good feeling to be in the "homestretch" with a quilt. This will be my third quilt finished this year - if I get it finished. The top itself won't take much longer, but I won't have the opportunity to get to Sparrow Studioz to "longarm" it until the week after Christmas. Meanwhile I have received my order from Longarm Supplies. I ordered three pantos, one of which is Stars &Clouds, which I intend to use for this quilt. Longarm Supplies is a Canadian vendor right here in Alberta.
I just heard from my nephew Billy and he loves his quilt. He needed some directions on folding it back into a quillow, however. LOL! I remember the first time I "met" a quillow and had to get the owner to fold it back up because it defeated me. Obviously my nephew takes after his aunt in this regard.
There's a black Friday sale at Fabricland this weekend. I'm hoping they sell Insul-Bright as I'd like to make some pot-holders for Christmas gifts.

Assuming We're Okay

I remember a time when I was a fairly new driver and, driving my first car (a Plymouth Duster), I took a couple of friends to the mall. The lights in the city were bright and it wasn't until we got to the mall that I realized that I had driven there without my lights on. The vehicle I drive now has an auto setting for the lights. When it gets dark, they come on automatically. When it's light, they stay off. However, I do have to make a point of remembering to manually turn the lights on when it's foggy or snowing heavily during the day. The sensor doesn't recognize those as "dark" so the lights don't come on automatically. And taillights don't come on with daytime running lights. This can make a vehicle virtually invisible from behind in poor visibility conditions (fog, snow, rain, dark). For that reason, my niece's husband, who is a truck driver, says that he hates daytime running lights. They make a driver think he's "okay" because he can see better, but he is definitely not "okay" from behind. 
Last evening, I left the city just around sunset. Ahead of me on the highway, one of the vehicles didn't have his full lights on and hence no taillights. Even though it was not yet fully dark, I couldn't help but notice that the lack of taillights just made his vehicle blend into the surroundings. Further - and darker - into the trip, I saw another vehicle ahead of me also with no taillights. This was getting dangerous and I really wasn't sure if there was anything I could do. He was driving slower than me and as I got closer to him, I was driving in the passing lane, and flashed my brights. Within moments, he had his headlights/taillights on, which I was glad to see. 
People are placing themselves in jeopardy by assuming that they are okay. And the results could be fatal.
I think there are a couple of spiritual lessons to be learned from this. The first is that if you see an opportunity to help someone, you should. Your help may be rejected, but it's still worth it to try. You may save a life.
The second is that we should never assume that we are "okay" spiritually. I've heard statements like, "I'm a good person, so I believe I'll go to heaven." Or even, "God isn't going to keep anyone out of heaven." These are concerning because they're not Biblical. And the Bible makes the way to heaven very clear and it's not by us being good. Nor is everyone going to make it. There is only one way to heaven and that is through Jesus Christ. Acts 4:12 says, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved." (NIV). And John 17:3 tells us, "Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." (NIV). We must accept Jesus' death on our behalf so that He can give us the life He has planned for us. And we must walk with Him - live for Him. We should never leave it to chance. We must not assume that we're "okay." We need to make sure that we're okay. The Bible tells us that we can know, not just assume, that we have eternal life. "The one who has the Son has life. The one who doesn’t have God’s Son does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of God’s Son so that you can know that you have eternal life." 1 John 5:12,13 CEB. 

If you need help, getting to know Jesus, here are some resources:
Steps to Christ - free audio book download
Steps to Christ - free text version download 
Free Online Bible School 
Or you can contact me. There's a contact form on the bottom of the sidebar on the right.

Show & Tell - 24/11/13

Have you heard of Aurifil's Hey Girl Slogan Game? You'd better check it out because you can win some Aurifil thread and Moda fabric. Apparently there was an internet meme of Ryan Gosling photos with various "Hey Girl" slogans. I'm so far out of the loop that not only had I not heard of this meme, I didn't even know who Ryan Gosling was. Is that Kate Gosling's ex-husband? No, wait a minute that's Gosselin, and her husband's name is Jon. Hmm, you really don't have to know who Ryan Gosling is to enter the contest. Instead of Ryan Gosling, Aurifil took pictures of Alex Veronelli, to which we can add our own "Hey Girl" slogans to enter the contest. Who is Alex Veronelli? He is the Product Manager and Brand Jedi for Aurifil, but I suspect he gets paid to flirt with female quilters and seamstresses so that they will buy more thread. I follow him on Google+ and he has a good sense of humour and is a lover of the beautiful. Probably women as well as quilts.
I was actually quite surprised by how tall Alex is, looking at the pictures on Aurifil's website. Either that or he hangs out with some very short women. Somehow I had gotten the impression that he was a short, little guy. Perhaps I based that on the one and only time I went out with an Italian. He was shorter than me. He was also short on personality. But I won't hold that against Alex. Or Aurifil.
But back to thread: Sorry, Alex, but I'm just not ready to settle down. I'm still playing the field, exploring all the wonders and delights of the various brands. I've known Coats & Clark all of my life and we went steady for a long time. Then I met a couple of Germans: Gutermann and Mettler, and they really broadened my horizons. Coats & Clark introduced me to a cousin, Koban and I flirted with him for awhile. I'm discovering that there are so many threads on the market, that I don't know if I can be exclusive with just one. Maybe when I get more experience, I'll be ready to settle down. But you know, Alex, if you had come to the Creative Stitches show in Edmonton, you might have been able to charm me into making a commitment. <big grin>
I've been warned about Italians, though. And I'm really not sure I can trust them. But maybe, just maybe, if I had the opportunity to get to know one better, something beautiful might blossom, and I might... just... fall in love.
So really Alex, I need to win that thread so Aurifil can win my heart. 
Now, all joking aside, it's time for Show & Tell, although I think I already started that by "telling" you about the Aurifil giveaway. As for what I'm going to "show" this week, I've decided on photography. The photo at the beginning of this post was inspired by the Aurifil contest. Honestly, I am not a photographer. I've never taken a photography class and I've never really considered it a hobby, but every once in awhile I decide I want to make a statement with a picture. This one started by wanting to write down a slogan I thought of until I had the chance to post it online. Don't you think my "Gone Quilting" sticky notes from APQS is the perfect spot? I just added my only two spools of Aurifil thread (and Alex, my LQS doesn't sell Aurifil, so I really think I should win this contest), and put it on my mini cutting mat. 
Next, I decided to pursue some more "thread art." Unfortunately, I really don't have the props for the kind of pictures I would like to take. I wish I had my antique sewing cabinet, but it's in the repair shop. However, I did my best and used my vintage silverware case as the background for the sepia and black and white shots. I also threw in an older pair of my glasses.

A friend had found a bunch of old velvet fan blocks and passed them on to me as she figured I would know better what to do with them than she would. That's what I used for this shot. Some day I will actually make them into some kind of quilt. And yes, those are vintage wooden spools of thread.

In this shot I have vintage fabric, some older plastic thread spools and a pin cushion made by someone in my family (it was in my mother's sewing stuff) from a piece of an old sheet. I think I like this shot the best, though it seems a little fuzzy.  Gotta work on that...

Some of my modern spools on a background of a block I did for the Craftsy 2013 BOM. The fluorescent orange and green threads were being sold at Fabricland prior to Halloween. I couldn't resist them because I just love these vibrant colours. I have no idea what I'm going to do with them, however. Sorry, no Aurifil in this picture. 

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

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Show & Tell

I'm writing this Saturday night and I just got in from snowblowing. That's hard work! But you didn't come here to talk about the weather. You came to see what I have to share and then share your projects. I've got a lot of pictures to share this week, so I'll try not to "talk" so much.
As promised, here is my nephew Billy's quilt:

If you're interested in the pattern, it can be found here: Blue and White Pinwheel Quilt. I wanted a larger quilt (this one's 60" x 60"), so I made the centre 6 blocks by 6 blocks instead of 5 x 5 and added an extra border. If I had to do it over again, I would have definitely pressed the seams open in the pinwheel blocks because I ended up with too much bulk by pressing them to the side. Oh well, live and learn. I deliberately used alternating fabric for the binding.
Here I am doing the longarm quilting at Sparrow Studioz. It was SO MUCH FUN!!!

I would love to have one of these, but being able to rent one is the next best thing. In case you're wondering, I'm at the back of the machine because I'm using a pantograph. 
And here's my imperfect quilting. Not bad for a beginner.

Did I say how much fun it was? Here's the back of the quilt.

Okay, I admit it: that's a bizarre backing for this quilt, but I absolutely love this southwest pattern. And besides, it was 50% off. :-)
I can't fail to acknowledge the assistance of my highly qualified Quilt Inspectors (QIs).

Mystery

Tinker

You will remember in my post William, Bill, Billy that I made a duplicate of the block I made in memory of my brother. I turned Billy's quilt into a quillow and this block become the pillow front.

Borders added

 

The Finished Quillow

You can refer to the above link for an explanation of the emblems on this block. 
I said I wasn't going to talk much, so you can refer to this link to know How to Fold a Quillow. Here are my pictures, with Mystery's able assistance:

I couldn't have done it without him.
Let me warn you about quillows. If you don't make the pillow front big enough, it can be really tough getting the quilt folded into it... and the corners can tear. The instructions on the link on folding a quillow say to reinforce the corners, but don't say how. I also find cotton batting is stiff and bulky and hard to fold into a quillow. Not sure if I'll make another one, but this one had a special purpose because it's a tribute to my brother gifted to his son. 
Now that I'm done that quilt, I'll share some recent purchases.

I bought these on eBay. They are for my sister Cindy's quilt, which I hope to start early in the New Year.

Sorry, the picture's sideways, but I'm too lazy to change it. I haven't figured out if I can turn pictures directly in Blogger. Otherwise I have to do it on my computer and then upload it again. More trouble than it's worth. This yarn is for a crocheted Christmas tree skirt. No, it won't be done for this Christmas, but maybe next...

I predict a horse quilt in my future. And I strongly suspect it will include more of the southwest fabric from the backing in Billy's quilt.
Now it's your turn. Don't forget to include a link or button for my blog somewhere in your post or sidebar. I'm going to make it easy for you. If you really don't want to add my button, just add the link in a comment on your post. i.e. "I shared this post on Cat's Crossing: http://catscrossing-laura.blogspot.ca/."
Here's my button:
  

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Knowing His Voice

"The sheep follow Him: for they know His voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers." John 10:4,5

Most of you have probably had the experience of having your voice mistaken for someone else's or not being recognized, especially on the phone. When I was still living at home with my parents, and my next oldest sister was engaged to be married, occasionally her fiance would mistake my voice for hers when he called and I answered. Yes, that could have given me license to do some serious leg-pulling, but I'm not the type of person to lead someone on that way. Then it was my youngest sister who used to get mistaken for me when someone called to talk to me, much to her annoyance. Finally, when my daughter entered her teens and her voice matured, she would occasionally have callers think she was me. Voices can be funny that way, but if you saw any of us together, or all of us, while you might see a family resemblance, you could definitely tell us apart. And in character, we're all different as well. Certainly, again. there would be similarities, but we are all individuals, personality-wise.
And that brings me to the actual definition of the word voice. There are two definitions. The first, of course, is the most commonly recognized one:
the sound produced in a person's larynx and uttered through the mouth, as speech or song
The second one we don't use as familiarly:
a particular opinion or attitude expressed (definitions courtesy of google). 
In this respect, we might say "the dissenting voice". And along this line, there is a writer's "voice", the individual writing style of an author. This second definition is more an expression of the person's character. And I think the Bible text that I opened with is using voice more in this second aspect. I believe it is using the literal voice as symbolic of the character. We need to get to know Jesus in order to recognize His "voice."
There was a time when I was the home care nurse responsible for a certain seniors housing facility. While I was there, I got to know both the staff and the residents quite well and developed a strong positive working relationship with the staff, mostly Health Care Aides. Then the level of care for that facility changed and hence the staffing structure changed as well.  LPNs were added that neither the staff nor I knew, and a new manager was introduced. This manager was responsible for a number of facilities spread over a fairly large geographic area, so was not consistently in any one facility. It was, therefore, difficult for her to get to know the residents or the staff well. This ended up creating a lot of resentment and animosity when this unknown and mostly absentee manager tried to change things and tell the staff what to do. They were much more prepared to cooperate with me, than her. Why? Because they knew my "voice," my character. They knew that I cared about them as well as the residents and that I would listen to their concerns. And stand up for them if need be. To them, she was just a stranger, like in the Bible verse above.  And there was no trust there. Just as the staff knew and trusted me, we need to know and develop this kind of trusting relationship with Jesus.
On the other hand, if we don't learn to know Jesus' voice, we could be deceived by the voice of a stranger. Followers of Jim Jones and David Koresh were very sincere in thinking they had found the right "voice." "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." Proverbs 14:12.
Relatively few people in this world's history have ever actually heard Jesus' literal speaking voice, but we can get to know His character. Through His word, through our daily walk with Him and His dealings with us, we can hear His voice and learn to trust Him. But we really need to spend the time getting to know Him in order to recognize His "voice." We need to spend time studying His word, the Bible, and in prayer. Otherwise, we could be led astray by the voice of a stranger. 

We Will Remember Them

 
This is my father. He served in the Air Force during World War II. Both of my grandfathers were veterans of World War I. My paternal grandfather died of complications of Trench Disease contracted during the war, when my father was only 9 years old. 
Remembrance Day has special meaning to me, so I want to take this opportunity to honour those who served, those who died, and those who continue to serve.
I'd like to share some videos in tribute to our veterans and those currently serving. These all bring tears to my eyes.

A Pittance of Time by Terry Kelly. Please don't forget to observe 2 minutes of silence at 11:00 a.m. wherever you are in honour of our veterans.

This is Highway of Heroes by the Trews. Even if you're not Canadian, I'm sure you can appreciate this one. This is how we honour our fallen heroes.

This is a series of photographs of the Highway of Heroes by Sun Media photographer Pete Fisher, accompanied by the ever-tear-inducing Amazing Grace on bagpipes.
For whatever reason, I cannot embed or insert the next video, so I'll link to it:
Bringing Buddy Home by John McDermott.This is a very poignant tribute to those who die in the line of duty.

Finally, one more series of photos of the Highway of Heroes, featuring a song by Lee Greenwood that pays tribute to those who died so that we can live free in this great country of ours.

Image from http://www.legion.ca/honour-remember/poppy-remembrance/

Lest we forget.

Show & Tell

A brand new day, a brand new week & unfortunately, in Alberta, there's snow on the ground. I already paid someone to shovel for me last Sunday and last night I ran the snowblower. That's snow removal twice already and it's not even Remembrance Day! Remind me again why I live in an almost Arctic climate... <sigh> It could be worse - we've had snow for Thanksgiving before. Canadian Thanksgiving, that is, which is the second Monday in October. And there have been times in winters past when it's been colder here than in Alaska. But it's Show & Tell time, time for all of us to share our projects again. I love getting comments/compliments and I'm sure you do, too. So share your links in order that more people can see your work.
First, it's my turn. I wasn't sure what I was going to share this week. Quiltwise, it's been a pretty productive week for me. I finished the quilt top for my nephew Billy's quilt, but I'm not going to share that yet. Today, I am going into Edmonton to take a class in Long Arm Quilting at Sparrow Studioz, so I'll be taking Billy's quilt to work on. Yay, I'm so excited! Once I take the class, I can then rent time on their machines to finish all my quilts. Anyway, I won't show Billy's quilt until I'm finished it, hopefully next Show & Tell. 
However, I was able to finish another block for my daughter's quilt and here it is:

This is the Dreamweaver block from Craftsy's  Quick Strip Paper Piecing Class . I really didn't think I was ever going to try paper piecing, but decided to give this class a try. It's easier than I thought and it does actually work up quite quickly. I've just got so many other projects on the go that this one has taken a backseat. This is only my second block. Here are both of the completed blocks:

Excuse the ragged appearance of the second block. I haven't trimmed it yet. I had folded up my cutting table to use the floor for cutting and trimming backings and it wasn't convenient to set it up again. 
I just love the background fabric I'm using in this quilt. It's called "Space." I don't recall the designer, but I thought it was perfect for these stars. 
I'm hoping to have the Dreamweaver quilt done by Christmas time. We'll see...
While I was at my local quilt shop this past week, I found this fabric at 50% off:

It's called Apple Basket. Here's a closeup, so you can see the detail better:

I bought what was left on the bolt - less than 2 metres, I think. I'm hoping to use it in my Crop Circles quilt, but I'm not sure. It might be too large a print. Even so, I will find a use for it as I think it's an awesome fabric. 
While I was perusing Windham Fabrics, I found a new fabric line called Farm Stand that will be available 01/01/14. Check these out:

Aren't they delightful? That last one, with the produce in the baskets, would make a wonderful backing for my Crop Circles quilt. I wonder if my Local Quilt Shop will bring it in. 
Now it's your turn. Don't forget to either add my link 

Cat's Crossing

or my button to your blog.

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