It’s Time to Sew: Patchwork Projects for the Holidays

Today we have a guest contribution post from Sally.

Sewing is an activity that many homemakers find relaxing, healthy and even spiritual in nature. Whether you’re repairing a minor problem with some clothes or you’re focusing fully on a patchwork project to display on the walls of your home, the absorbing nature of the task can be a meditative experience.

It's written in the Letter to the Hebrews that we should "make every effort to live in peace with everyone", and that starts in the home. Not only is the task of sewing a natural way to wind down, framing your creation and placing it on the wall can help give your home a holy, peaceful ambience. There are plenty of ways that your sewing can be customised to fit the religious holiday seasons,

too. In this post, we’ll share some of our favourite ideas.

Lent and Easter

Peace and relaxation is important for any home. In the book of Samuel, David tells his men to meet others with the greeting "peace be to you, and peace be to your house".

For instance, relaxing and calming indoor fountains are a great feature to add to ensure a calm atmosphere, which is essential at any time of the year, but even more important during the holidays when spirituality is key. Easter time is the most important part of the year for many Christian families, and it’s common for homemakers to create Easter baskets and other special displays to create a spiritual atmosphere. But have you considered sewing some special patchworks to display around your home at Easter?

Depicting scenes from those books of the Bible which tell the many stories of Easter, such as the Gospel of Mark, is one option. And if you would like to have a mixture of religious and nature-based works, why not consider designing a quilt or patchwork which celebrates new life? Sites like Etsy are excellent resources for finding designs, and you’ll be spoiled for choice.

Christmas

In honor of the story of the Three Wise Men who brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus Christ when he was born in Bethlehem, Christians have continued the tradition of exchanging gifts at Christmas time.

Patchworks are the ideal gift for many people, as each one is truly unique. And while some family members may not be looking to display designs on their walls at home, there’s no reason why you can’t customise your sewing. If you’re making gifts for children or grandchildren, why not design a beautiful and modern patchwork quilt that they can add to their bed linen box?

If you’re part of a circle of homemakers, why not consider a patchwork exchange for Christmas? Under this system each person makes just one item, and then each person receives another one in return. That way, you can focus fully on just one gift while ensuring that each person receives a thoughtful present they will treasure for a long time to come.

As is written in the book of Luke, "whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to this house!'" No matter what time of year it is or what holiday you're celebrating, it is important to live out this principle by creating a calm atmosphere for you, your family and your guests. No matter what you plan to sew, patchwork is the perfect way to achieve this aim.

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Why Having A Hobby Is Vital For Christian Women

Today we have a lovely freelance contribution post by Sally.

In today’s modern times, many people spend far too much time immersed in technology, and everywhere you look, there’s someone texting or talking on the phone or making social media updates. We’ve become so reliant on our gadgets that we’ve forgotten about having a practical hobby such as sewing, painting, or crafting. Using our hands to create something that’s useful or beautiful is another way to live according to the Bible’s teachings. As the Bible reminds us in Ecclesiastes 9:10, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” As Solomon says here, whatever we choose to do in this earth, we’ve got to give it our best effort, whether it applies to our work, caring for our children, or engaging in a hobby. Here’s why having a hobby is vital for Christian women.

It gives us the opportunity to glorify God with our hands

If you don’t have something that you’re currently interested in, finding ways to enjoy a new hobby is a good thing to do as being creative gives us the opportunity to glorify God with our hands. Whether it’s hand embroidering lettering and texts like Bible verses or painting a still life of a bowl of fruit, making something good with our hands every now and then enriches our lives. Moreover, we are reminded that God gave us the gift of artistry and imagination and that these gifts should be put to good use in accordance with His will. Try cross stitching or embroidery, or making clothes or pillowcases by hand or sewing machine.

It enables us to make use of our spare time in a way that pleases our Creator

A woman who makes use of her time wisely is one who chooses to live in a Godly way. As we are reminded in Proverbs 31: 10-31, “She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands…She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness…” Instead of watching TV or gossiping with the neighbors, a hobby like quilting or woodworking enables us to make use of our spare time in a way that pleases God, as not only are we rejuvenated by our interests, but the things we make can be useful in our home. Start small and try making a birdhouse or a child’s study table, or make a patchwork quilt by hand.

It allows us to enjoy the pleasures of life in a Christian way

God wants us to be happy and to enjoy life while living the Christian way. As it says in Ecclesiastes 3:12, “I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.” Having a hobby allows us to have a good life as rest and recreation are important to have a more enjoyable life.

Having a hobby is vital for Christian women as it makes life a little fuller and gives us another way to glorify our Maker. However, we should take care not to let our hobbies overtake our lives in such a way that we neglect the important things in life. There is a time for everything, so make ample time for recreation but don’t forget to have time for what matters most—work, our loved ones, and God.

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3 Sewing Projects To Keep Your Family Warm This Winter

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Today we have a freelance contribution post by Sally.  Thank you, Sally, for this helpful post!

Homemakers know that being prepared for the winter is the key to a comfortable home when the chill sets in. In Proverbs 30:25, we are reminded that “Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food for the summer.” Preparing our homes and ourselves for the winter is always viewed as a practical project, but for the Christian homemaker, getting ready for the cold months ahead can also add to the overall charm of the home. One of the best ways to make sure that everyone stays warm this winter is to take on sewing projects that will keep everyone in your family warm and cozy on snowy days. Here are 3 sewing projects to keep your family warm this winter.

Add leather sleeves to a basic wool jacket

The people in Biblical times often wore wool, linen, animal skins, and leather garments. In fact, the prophet Elijah wore a leather belt as part of his humble attire as we are reminded in 2 Kings 1:8, “They replied, ‘He had a garment of hair and had a leather belt around his waist.’ The king said, ‘That was Elijah the Tishbite.’” This project won’t only keep your family warm, but it also recalls this particular time. You’ll need goatskin hides and a basic wool jacket, and since you’re working with leather, you’ll need to use a sewing machine. Simply sever the sleeves of the jacket, then lay the sleeves down on the hides and trace them before cutting the leather sleeves out with a Stanley knife. Pull the leather through the jacket and sew in place.

DIY draft blocker

In Biblical times, kings would have summer and winter houses so they could enjoy the warm weather in the former and keep warm in the latter as depicted in Jeremiah 36:22. The verse reads, “Now the king was sitting in the winter house in the ninth month, with a fire burning in the brazier before him.” While most of us only have one house to shelter our family from the elements, we can certainly find a way to make it more pleasant when the bitter cold arrives. To keep your home warm, sew a DIY draft blocker. Sew a piece of fabric to create a long tube, taking care to leave one end open. Fill it with wadding, cotton, or bits of fabric scraps before sewing it shut. Place draft blockers under your doors and windows to prevent the cold air from entering your home.

DIY hand warmers

We use our hands to work, comfort our children, and we lift them up in praise of our Lord. Keep your hands warm this winter with DIY hand warmers. Sew two pieces of fabric together, leaving one end open. Fill with uncooked rice and sew it closed. To use, heat in the microwave for about 5 minutes before handing them over to your family members.

Try any of these simple sewing projects to keep your family warm and cozy this winter.

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How to Use Sewing to Express Your Faith

Today we have a freelance contribution post by Sally.

Have you been looking for a way to express your faith? Do you struggle to focus on prayer and reflection? Many of us already appreciate the importance of having those special quiet times to think about our faith, share our prayers with God and take the time to contemplate the world around us. It is always important to have those times where we are able to consider things in that way, as this is the only way that we are ever going to be able to develop ourselves as Christians. However, many people struggle to simply sit and reflect, and for this reason it is always good to have something to occupy our hands, however idly it may be, while we are thinking. That’s where sewing can become a great addition to these quiet, reflective moments.

Sewing can center your soul
Sewing is much more than just the individual makes and projects we complete. There are many benefits of sewing, from even just helping to calm ourselves down during periods of worry and anxiety. If you struggle to empty your mind and focus on thinking about your faith and prayer, sewing can also become a gift at these times. But we also mustn’t forget that the skill of sewing, is yet another example of the talents God has given us. To be able to make some beautiful items with our hands, or simply by using a humble sewing machine, we are thanking God for the gift of sewing that He has blessed us with. And furthermore, the joy that our sewing can give other people, by the things we’ve created, is another way of spreading His love.

Spread your Christian message
There are so many ways to combine the Christian faith with the gift of sewing. From learning to sew letters to make a display of your favorite quotes from the bible, to sewing figures you could create a depiction of your favorite bible scene. This would give you a great chance to get involved in church life, as your talents would make great gifts, prizes at church fayres, and decorations for around the church.

No matter how new you are to sewing, there is no doubt that it can influence your beliefs and enhance them in a great way. This means that if you haven’t already tried it as a hobby you certainly should, as you will find that it can have a great influence not only on your state of mind, but also on your understanding and acceptance of your faithful beliefs.

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Learning Hand-Sewing Skills

My oldest daughters and I are going through a big book I got a few years ago in preparation for them being homemakers (Titus 2).   We are in our sewing unit, after deciding we would not have the money to purchase our gardening supplies for this year that we had wanted to purchase.  We had wanted to do a real square foot garden--all according to the Square Foot Gardening method.  It's really not too expensive to do, but I don't even have the spare money to make the proper garden box, and I don't have a drill anymore to drill the box and other materials together.  So we will just use the garden bed we have and make do with that again this year.  Maybe next year we will be able to get the needed materials to do our square foot garden!  We can always hope.  But we do have some fabric scraps and other basic sewing supplies, and I have a gift card to Joann's that I was given quite some time ago.  Hopefully we can get most of our other supplies with that.

The book we are using for our homemaking skills is Training Our Daughters to be Keepers at Home.  Isn't that a lovely title?  And it is something that is so needed for our daughters.  They learn all sorts of other things in their homeschooling, but do they learn what they need to know to be keepers at home?  This book is actually a seven year curriculum and helps you to teach Godly character, cooking skills, nutrition, sewing, knitting, finances, and so much more.



We started (but didn't finish) our hand-sewing lesson today.  We are learning four basic stitches.  Since I was not taught these basic skills at home, I had to look up some of the stitches myself.  There is a section that describes the stitches in the book, however there weren't any pictures, which would have been helpful.  We are learning the running stitch, the slip stitch (which gave us some trouble), the overhand stitches and whip stitches, and the back stitch.  I found some videos that were helpful in their demonstration of these stitches, and they might be helpful to you too.

• The running stitch
• The slipstitch
•  The whip stitch
• The back stitch 

Hand sewing is a very helpful skill to not only be able to complete small projects, but to also finish up other projects done on a sewing machine.

Have any of you ever used the book, Training Our Daughters to be Keepers at Home?  Please let me know if you have!  How are you giving your daughter(s) the skills she needs to be a keeper at home?

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Free Craft Projects and Patterns

Good afternoon,

Just a quick note to let you know I found a site with many free craft projects and patterns. It is basically a link directory to many other sites that may have what you need. What kinds of things do you like to make? I used to cross-stitch when I had the time, and if you don't know already, I draw and paint. I also have an interest in many other crafting areas (sewing, crocheting, knitting...), but I've never been good in the sculpting area. I think it is nice to create lovely things for our homes and to give as gifts. Our girls, especially our 8 year old, love to create things too. She is always going through the craft books and picking out something she would like to make.




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Have fun creating!

http://www.craftfreebies.com/

Also, if you haven't already read my post A Miracle is Needed, please go read it now and see if you can help one of our sisters in the Lord and to pass on the information to others.

Thanks for stopping by,

This post is linked to the Raising Homemakers link up, if you would like to participate.

Sneak Peek at the Quillow

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that I am working on a quilt for our little boy. It is actually going to be a quillow, which, if you don't know what that is, is a quilt and pillow all in one. It is sewn in such a way that you are able to fold up the quilt inside of a "pocket" on the quilt to make a pillow when you are not using the quilt as a blanket. I started this (along with my husband) back in March before our sixth child was born. After baby came, I seem to have no time whatsoever for sewing! I thought I would post a picture of what I'm working on, since some of you had asked. It was taken the very first day we worked on it. I have to warn you, I have no idea what I am doing. I have never made a quilt, much less a quillow. The only training I have in sewing is a tiny portion of a home economics class I took way back in middle school. I do know to make a 1/4" seam allowance, but that's about it.

This is one square of the quillow that I sewed, actually, my first try. Obviously the edges don't line up (which may be mostly due to the pieces not being cut evenly), but I was pretty happy that I could sew in a straight line at least after about 15 years of not sewing!

Husband picked out the fabric for our son and designed the pattern for the pillow part of the quillow. I will try to get an updated picture of the pillow soon, for that is just about done. He showed one of his uncles who actually makes quilts (among many other thing) the design. His uncle said it is actually a very complicated design. Hopefully I can figure out what I'm doing with the rest of it, as this is completely foreign ground to me. Drawing and painting come so easily to me. I just look at something and can pretty much put it on paper. But this is much more difficult, though I do enjoy it so.

How are my lovely readers today?

Quiet

It is quiet at nap time today. Normally my 3 oldest girls are up helping me around the house--sweeping, unloading & loading the dishwasher, folding clothes, dusting, or whatever other simple tasks they can do. They actually begged me to be able to do this when they were younger~they had a strong desire to help their momma. But today they all wanted to lay down. They're not feeling well! It is strange to be all by myself.

For dinner we will have simple smothered salmon and some brown rice. For after dinner I will make a creamy pineapple dessert. Hopefully they will feel well enough to eat it. Then I will put the little dears to bed early so they can get more rest to heal. I will get back to work on the quilt I started for our son before our baby was born. Mr. Q would like me to finish it so I can start a quilt for him & have it done by the time it is winter! Must get to work now.




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Love,

Great for Those Who Sew...

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OK, so I want to sew, I really really do. My momma's heart longs to create beautiful dresses for all my little girls, & maybe some things for me, and things for our house. But it seems I just don't have the time right now. The quilt I started before our 6th child was born still lays unfinished...but I still hope one day I'll squeeze in the time to learn this wonderful art & create beautiful things. In case you didn't know, Vintage Sewing Reference Library, Inc. offers free online access to public domain sewing books! Have fun, ladies

http://vintagesewing.info/index.html

Thanks for stopping by.

Up to 30% off Sewing Supplies at Amazon!

Amazon just sent me an email today about getting Up to 30% off Sewing Supplies.

Some of deals look really great! They have sewing machines, scissors, rotary cutters, software for downloading embroidery designs, and more. I didn't want you to miss out, so happy shopping! (Oh, and if you do make a purchase through my Amazon link, I will get a small commission, so thanks!)






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Videos to Help You Sew

I found some great videos on sewing. It's one of the things I want to learn how to do! Now, I have sewn a little--before I had our sixth child I was working on a quillow for our two year old--but I'd love to get really good at it & sew beautiful things & sew modest clothing for the children & me. I bet I'm not alone! Here is one of the videos:



Monkeysee has a lot more though, and you can find them here:

http://www.monkeysee.com/video/search?method=get

How about you? Were you taught how to sew? Or is it something you are still pursuing because you were encouraged to follow after a career as a young woman instead of being taught domestic skills (this was me, and I'm sure many of you as well). How did you learn how to sew?

P.S. I tried the link I posted & it doesn't bring you directly to the sewing videos for some reason. Just type in "sewing" into the search box on the monkeysee.com website & it will bring them up!

Holiday Giveaway: Win a Singer Sewing Machine!

BurdaStyle is giving away another sewing machine! Today they are giving away a SINGER® CONFIDENCE™ Sewing Machine. Hurry & go & enter--you just have to leave a comment (& you will need to register if you aren't already).http://www.burdastyle.com/blog/holiday-giveaway-win-a-singer%C2%AE-confidencetm-7467-sewing-machine







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Free Old-Fashioned Doll-Dress Patterns

I just was told about a site that has some free Old-Fashioned Doll-Dress patterns. If you look on the right-hand side, there are some links to free patterns. This site also has some American-Girl clothes for sale, as well as other items that might be of interest.
http://www.infinitefreedom.com/




Girl Holding a Doll

Art Print

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