I found this prayer this morning and thought it sounded so modern, that it fit “today” so well. I was surprised to find it was written by Sir Francis Drake in 1577.
This makes me want to dream a little more, dare a little more and try not to worry so much when I lose sight of land.
I posted a tutorial recently for making half square triangles, the basis of this quilt and pillow, if you’d like to try it for yourself. I plan to use half square triangles for a very different style of quilt for another upcoming little one soon, but for now I’ll just enjoy the feeling of accomplishment from this one.
Have a great day!
I made this little purse sized sewing kit for a friend and then completely forgot to send it to her. Oops! Then I saw Sew4Home repost their World’s Cutest Felt Sewing Kit and remembered — Doh!! I altered their design slightly to fit the little sewing kit “ingredients” I was able to find, and personalized the outer design for my friend who is from and dearly loves our beautiful state of West Virginia.
Click through to see Sew4Home’s cute cat design, but keep in mind that it’s an easy design to adjust. These make wonderful gifts IF you remember to send them! (Sorry, Lori!)
I started the new year as I intend to go through it — making quilts! So many things I sew are given away as gifts, and after the flurry of Christmas sewing I was ready to be selfish and make something to keep. I made this lightning quilt as a wall hanging for our family room to soften up a space dominated by the TV and computer screen. My eyes need a break from all the technology! This quilt gives just enough “homemade” to relax me.
If you’d like to try making one, here’s a link to the tutorial on Jenn of All Trades. It was her first tutorial and she did a great job! (Leave her a comment and tell her so if you agree!) It really is a simple design, and she’s explained it very well. She made hers as a doll quilt with 3.5″ squares, but I used 5″ squares for my larger wall hanging, with fabric strips 2″ to 2.5″ wide for the lightning. You’ll want them to be a bit wonky, so don’t stress too much about measuring those strips. Wing it, it’ll look great.
Since this was meant to hang on the wall, before binding I added a couple little “pockets” in the upper corners and across the back.
I had a piece of PVC cut to fit used a couple Command adhesive hooks to hold it up. (Some of the left over PVC pipe went into another bit of craftiness that I’ll share with you later.)
I might make this design a couple more times. I have some fabric from Kenya and think this might be a great showcase for it, with a solid cream background and colorful African wax prints as lightning. (It would be auctioned or sold to raise funds for MFFO.org.) This would also make a great baby quilt for a little boy, wouldn’t it? I’m picturing a dark blue sky with bright yellow lightning. Don’t be surprised if you see this again!
I’ve spent the day working on a half square triangle quilt. Isn’t it beautiful when held up in front of a window? It’s a shame I can’t stitch the sunshine right in.
