Megans Quilt

The Final Chapter

The last installment of this quilt project is finally here!!!!!!!!! It has been almost a year in the making, but I am done with Megan’s Quilt.

Last summer, before Frank was deployed, my sweet friend and I made a trade. 1 quilt for a photo session of me and Frank. What a great trade off! We have not had photos since our wedding and those are not the best. To say the least, I was very thankful for this opportunity. Like all things in my life last summer, this got put on hold until I graduated college. So, the week after Christmas I came home from Texas and started on this quilt, along with 2 others. I can say that, though it looks simple enough, this was quite challenging for me to complete. Not because I didn’t want to, but because the instructions were, sketchy. However, being the genius I am, I just winged it! I had the basic design of what it should look like, so I began to create. And this is my finished product:

I am very proud at how this turned out and I am very thankful for the lady who does the actual quilting. She did a marvelous job in her design and it flows so well with the nature of the quilt.

Megan, is an awesome friend, who is not without her share of difficulties. But I am pleased that I can bless her with this gift. She, like me, tends to take care of those around her and not herself. I know that a quilt is a small “thank you” for the pictures and her friendship, but I know that I am blessed to call her a friend.

JoAnn's Quilt

Amish Hearts

As most everyone who knows me will know that the Amish hold a very special, almost stalker-ish place in my heart. (I would LOVE to be one if it were not for lack of technology, indoor plumbing, Air Conditioning and electricity, among other things) Alas, I must stalk from afar and use them for inspiration for my quilts.

Amish Inspiration:


Case and point, the Amish Hearts quilt I created for my mother-in-law, JoAnn. A year ago when I was still in the middle of creating Frank’s quilt I got the brilliant idea to create one for him mother. We have a rocky relationship to say the least, but I know the Lord is working on healing there.



So, in my quest to bless, I began looking for inspiration quilts for hers. That’s when I came this quilt: (Heart and Nine) immediately I knew this was the quilt I would fashion for JoAnn. So, I began to search for fabric until I found the perfect colors and line that matched my mother in law to a tee! How awesome. I was all coming together. I knew this would not be a mother’s day quilt, as I still had to work on franks and get it finished and had a baby quilt to do for my friend Elisabeth. So, I would make this a Christmas gift to her from the both of us. However, with frank leaving for Kuwait and my last year of undergrad, fall quilting fell by the wayside. So, I had to pull up my boots and get to sewing right after Christmas, if I wanted this to be completed and quilted before Frank came home on R&R. So that is what I did. As this quilt did not have a pattern, I was fortunate enough to know the basics of this quilt and could fashion one myself. The pattern was quite easy to layout and duplicate. Within the week the 45 nine patches were complete and I just had to appliqué the hearts one the individual squares. In all, this quilt took just over 2 weeks to accomplish.


After having this quilt quilted and binded I was able to pass on this gift from the heart to my mother in law, who I am proud to say, loved the quilted as much as I loved gifting her with it. I know that healing starts with forgiving, and daily, I pray that the Lord will work to heal my heart so that I can love others as He loves me. My ability and God given talent to quilt allows me to love those around me, while giving them a precious gift that will last for years to come. The bridge was not built with the giving of this gift, but I know that the foundation was laid and that the Lord prepares the way before me and our family.

40 Days of Water

*Not a "quilting post" but please read!

Lent. The remembrance of Christ's last 40 days on earth, the remembrance of His temptation in the desert with Satan. The time of year when we sacrifice and remember His grace on the cross, His overwhelming love, His eternal sacrifice for our sin. His act for our salvation.

This year, instead of "giving up something", I have decided to "Do something". That something is to bring awareness to my circle of friends about the people in Uganda that do now have clean drinking water, do not have proper sanitation. Do not live in a world that is "Civilized" There are no comforts of home. Think of the 18th century America. It is a world where millions children live with aids because they were born with it (1.2 million Orphans from aids). It is estimated that over 6 billion (or 1 in 6 people) do not have access to clean drinking water. Think about it. We have indoor plumbing, they bath in rivers. We use (on average) 8 gallons of water JUST TO BRUSH OUR TEETH.

So, why am I doing this? Because, at the end of the 40 days I will have been able to raise awareness and help someone other than my selfish American self. For me, drinking water is not an issue. I love water. I normally drink water often. It is the fact that this is my only choice; that is causing me to become more aware of what I have, and what I am doing for people. This is my way to be the hands and feet in Uganda. A small step to be selfless for a people who are in need.

As I make myself more aware and I sacrifice the right to have a coffee on a Tuesday morning, to have Sprite with my meal, I am praying for a people in need. Specifically that needs be met and that His grace, love and mercy will be shown to a people who are in need of Him.

Check out the 4o Days of water photo stream. http://www.flickr.com/photos/40daysofwater/with/4479996486/

Rock & Roll and an English Garden.

I want to start this blog post by saying this is one of the hardest blogs I have written. I am not sure why this is, except that the quilts made are for two women from my past. But please bear with me as I write about these two precious quilts.

In my last post (Dec 16, 2011) I wrote that I have begun 3 new projects. Well, these are 2 of them! With babies everywhere I have had the chance to make and quilt 2 baby quilts for sweet cousins. Recently sisters I know from when I lived in Houston, gave birth to their precious little girls a month apart. These ladies were leaders in the youth ministry at Metropolitan Baptist Church; the church that I grew up in.


After the birth of these sweet babies the Lord laid it on my heart to make them baby quilts. So, these quilts have been my first of the year projects. Not knowing what I was going to use for fabric or a pattern, i went to Hobby Lobby, just to look. TO my suprise I came away with the fabric for 2 quilts. Both so very differen, but I knew that they were going to be beautiful!

Any quilter will tell you that first you dont get fabric, because what if you dont purchase enough! So I was out on a limb that day in Hobby Lobby, but I knew that this would work. Besides with the Lord on my side I could not fail!



So out on my limb I purchased the fabric and went home to wash, dry and iron my new purchase. Then I went surfing. I googled and googled and googled my heart out until I could google no more! With out a clue as to what I was going to do I started to cut strips of fabric. Generally speaking, one can do a lot with a "jelly roll" or strips of fabric.


So, without looking back I had decided on a pattern that I found in my searches. With fabric separated and ideas spinning I had a complete change of heart on this pattern. So I changed my concept. "This is a baby's quilt!" I told myself many times. I wanted to make sure that I kept the integrity of the fabric, be it soft, light colors of the English Garden quilt or the vivid darker colors fo the Eock $ Roll quilt. Once colors and patterns came together I was amazed at the results! WOW!!!! This is why I love to quilt! With a concept in mind I had not even imagined that the quilts would be this beautiful!

As of today, both women have received their quilts and absolutely adore them. I am so lucky that the Lord has given me this talent; to bless new mothers and friends with gifts that can last a lifetime!

Elizabeth Mae: Born to Adrienne and Jason Exum on October 9, 2011 at home in Utah. Weighing 7lbs, 5oz; 20 inches long.




Merian Suzanne: Born to Meredith and Ryan Sauer on November 6, 2011 at home in Texas. Weighing 9lbs, 4 oz; 21 inches long.



My encouragement to those who will read this is to find a way to bless someone you know. Be a Good Samaritan and give without expectation. The Lord loves to put people in your life that will benefit from your time and talents, just as much as He wishes to place people in your life who you will glean from.

This ends this blog. But please look for more coming in the near future as I have 3 other quilts, 2 of which will soon be given to their recipients.

Blessings dear friends. Take time to live out faith.

Abbey Lane Quilts Giveaway...

Hey Guys,

Abbey Lane Quilts (a design company) is in the middle of a great giveaway for some Ric Rac and a pattern book! Check out their blog right here on blogger.com.