“This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!” ~Psalm 118:24
I’ve finally finished the top of my star chain quilt!
I was frustrated with this quilt towards the end because I ran out of one color I needed for the ribbon border. However, I really like the final look with a pop of color on the top and bottom! I would love to hear what you think, and how you overcome running out of fabric in the middle of a project! This project was a good lesson in the importance of my cutting technique. As you can see from the picture on the left, the quilt does not lay properly. There could be a couple of factors that could lead to this problem, but more than likely, not all of my blocks are the right size, and so the borders are not perfectly straight which causes some of it to pull and bunch up. Hopefully, the quilting will smooth it out.
Although this quilt has had some frustrations, I am super excited to start quilting! Since there is a lot of open cream space, I will be able to do some detailed free motion quilting that will make the stars pop. I have a couple ideas, but I would love some thoughts if you have ever quilted such large open spaces before! While I was working on this quilt, a friend told me about her mentor that would remind her to count the blessings of an ordinary day. I really love this idea, so I would like to take a moment to reflect on what it means to count our blessings, specifically how we are blessed on a normal day.
My sewing space has changed slightly since I started this quilt! I now don’t have to use the kitchen table for all my cutting which is really nice! The top right picture is all of my squares cut and ready to be sewn into stars. The top left picture is all of my half triangles and squares chain sewn together… there were a lot of stars and a lot of points. I am happy to say not very many of them were chopped off. If you are interested in this quilt block, see my A Bit of Sunday Wisdom: Star Block post.
God has blessed each and everyone of us in big ways throughout our lives; whether He has healed a loved one or moved in a powerful way in your life. We are blessed to have a Creator who loves us and has died to save us from our sinful nature. We give thanks to Him for all that He has done for us! However, sometimes we get so caught up in our day to day that we forget about thanking Him and praising Him for this day! As Psalm 118:24 says, “This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” I found this hymn, “Blessings” by Johnson Oatman, that I would like to share, because I think it eloquently describes how we should count our blessings better than I can explain it.
When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God hath done;
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, ev’ry doubt will fly,
And you will be singing as the days go by.
When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings, money cannot buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.
So, amid the conflict, whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.
New project in the works…
Stay tuned for this baby quilt. This pattern is Metamorphosis from Lo & Behold Stitchery. This is my first time working with round seams, so there will be a learning curve 🙂 As you can see, the right wing of my butterfly is a little off, but hopefully that will catch in the seam allowance.
Quilt Bus 
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