Cactus Flower

I've been working for several months on an original quilt for my next grandchild.  All along the way I've asked my sweet daughter-in-law about her wishes and plans for her next nursery. It took a while to make decisions and to go to the big city to hunt for good cloth.  One piece even was ordered from the USA and had to be waited upon.  But after months of planning and working, the decisions began to come together in an organized manner. With each step of the process, I have prayed for the little one to come... The pattern of a basic windmill and sailboat for the quilt blocks is not a new one, but the layout is.  With each stitch I pray and ask God to bring this little life to birth safely and with good health.  Also I pray for his future, that he might be a fine Christian young man. The little quilt won't be perfect.  I've ripped out seams, shed tears and even thought I'd broken my sewing machine at one point.  But I can pray as I work that our little...

"It'll All Come Out in the Wash"  We've all heard the saying but have you ever really seen something fall apart after washing?  Imagine how you would feel after working for days and days on a sewing project just to have it "come apart at the seams" after a test washing!  At first I found myself literally coming apart at the seams.  But I've been through a lot over the past three years, so what's a little spilled milk!  I took a deep breathe after I pulled the little pirate quilt out of the washing machine and found many of the seams on the sailboat blocks open and coming apart.  It was distressing but I could fix it.  I looked for some advice here and there.  I prayed a little.  I got busy.   I could have thrown it in a corner and given up.  I could have ripped it all apart and started over, but sadly the some of the fabrics had shrunk from the washing experience and there just would have not been anything left.  So I h...