Women of Faith?

Yesterday I attended a Women of Faith conference. It was my first time and I went hoping to get inspiration to deepen my relationship with the Lord. I walked away feeling like I had gone to a self-help seminar.

Maybe because I didn't pay, I was a volunteer, I wasn't able to get a lot out of it. Maybe my expectations were too high. Maybe there was a moving of the Holy Spirit and I truly missed it.

I hesitate to say something negative because maybe someone else went and came to know Jesus Christ as their Saviour. Maybe someone there was motivated to read their bible more and spend more quality time in prayer with the Lord. Maybe someone left there yesterday and went home with the desire to serve the Lord , to step out of their comfort zone and reach out to a lost world.

Mostly I left feeling that maybe sometimes we lose respect for the Holiness of God. We forget that He is so holy that He can't and won't look upon sin. Where does that leave me? or you?
I can't speak for you but I can say that i have sinned many times, sometimes daily. Sometimes knowingly, sometimes unknowingly often times willingly. When I think on the Holiness of God I realize that there is nothing good in me to allow me into the presence of a Holy God who can't even look upon sin. A God who HATES sin. Is there any hope for one like me?

I can't be good enough. The very things I don't want to do, I do them and the very things I do want to do, I don't do them.
I try, I really do, but the rags I have clothed myself in are dirty. The things I have allowed into my heart are unclean, impure and wretched.

Again I ask, Is there any hope for me?
I need a saviour, a redeemer. Someone who will redeem my soul. Someone who will go before me into the presence of a Holy God, who will strip off these dirty garments and cover my nakedness with clothes fit for a king.

Who will save me?
Here is a verse out of the Bible, a very familiar verse, that says it all.

John 3:16-17
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.
For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

Here is another verse:
John 3:36
He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him

So this is the redeemer that God sent, His Son. What is His name? Jesus Christ.

Isn't it funny that since we can't do it ourselves God did it for us?

I know many don't like Gods way. There are many who want to keep trying to be good enough, to do good things. Many who just want to say "There is no such person as God" and try to deny His existence. And yet this very planet, Earth, shouts the existence of an awesome creator. If it weren't so then why do people try to continue creating? It is in our nature to create, this is the very nature of God.

A God who loves us so much that He made a way for us to be saved from our sins. He sent His Son to save us, to redeem us. And Jesus, like His Father, came.
He took our sin onto Himself so that we could stand before a Holy God, but the most important part that we cannot and should not ever forget is that Jesus put sin to death with Himself and then He, Jesus Christ, raised Himself up from death because death couldn't hold Him. Our sin caused Him GREAT PAIN and yet He bore it to the cross and conquered sin so that we can have eternal life with Him. WOW!!!

God is able to use things we can't see to change things we can see. God is able to take the things we can see to change the things we can't see.

This is what I was looking for. A reminder of who God is. I think we all need that. Sometimes, most times, we get so caught up in who we are that we forget to think on who God really is

What would happen if today we decided to give back to the Lord 10% of our time? 10% of a 24 hour period. Think about it, I know I am.

The First Meeting.

What a great meeting! Six ladies came to the first quilt/crafter meeting armed with a lot of excitement and great ideas. It went so well that we planned another meeting in 2 weeks so that these ladies can invite more people in order to really get a guild started. Isn't it great?
We are going to have a quilt guild here in Marshalltown. YAY!!!
The next meeting is set for Marsh 15 at the Public library here in M-town. 6pm-7pm

That's all for now. I will keep you posted.
Thanks for stopping by.

Denim Throw

Here is the start of my newest project. The pattern came from a back issue of Country Woman. It is basically a log cabin made with denim. I am using old jeans except for the middle block. I want a throw I can carry in the car for picnics or going to the parks.



Here is one of my "Go Green" grocery totes. I made one for myself and I loved it so much that I am going to make some and sell them on my etsy site. This one I may give to one of my girls to test and see if they like it. The tote is completely washable and holds a lot more than the plastic grocery bags at the stores.


True Blue got scorched!!! I went online and found a way to fix it with hydrogen peroxide. That is on my list of things to do. :)

I have to get that fixed soon so I can get the borders on.

I hope you are having a good day and getting lots of sewing done. It is cold but sunny here today so I will be in my studio working on something. :)

Thanks for stopping in.

Sunny Day

Today is already starting good. Sunny Day!!!Still bitterly cold but spring is around the corner. :)
I can't wait to see how many quilters are interested in starting a group here in M-town. Don't forget the meeting on March 1, 2010 at 6 pm.

I am going into my studio to work on my totes today. I took my sewing my machine in last week for tune-up and oil change. :) Now I am ready to go. Hope you all have a great week.

Quilt meeting in Marshalltown

Hi All,
After reading over my previous post I realized that I jumped from starting a quilt group here in M-town right into owning a quilt shop.

Let me clarify a little bit here. I am researching opening a quilt shop but I am putting together a quilt/craft group. The quilt shop may never materialize but I am hoping that we get some kind of group started here in Marshalltown, Iowa.

Today I went around town posting flyers with my blogspot address on them, so if you are here because of the flyers I have posted, WELCOME! :) Read through my blog to get to know me and post any questions or comments you may have.

I am excited about getting to know local quilters and crafters so feel free to introduce yourself or shoot me an email at nanrae44@hotmail.com .

I hope you have a terrific week and thanks for stopping by.

Starting something new

Starting something new? Another project?
No, at least not a sewing project.
For the last year I have been pondering the idea of starting a quilt guild here in M-town. It all started last year when I met 4 ladies in a quilt shop and started talking with them about quilting. They invited me to their guild meeting in Altoona,IA. and I said I would love to come. (They were such a happy bunch, I just wanted to spend more time with them.) I told them I lived in Marshalltown and said how much I wished M-town had a guild. They stated I could start a guild up here, as they had started their guild and it wasn't hard to get one started. These ladies couldn't tell me enough about how much they loved their guild and how they started it. So I set the idea on the back burner to simmer for awhile.

I have been unemployed for about 6 months now. (Not something I really like to talk about):( Six months is a long time, and in that time I have done a lot of reevaluating of my life. What do I really want to do when I grow up? That sort of thing. I'm still not sure but I do know that I have to do something.

One thing I have always wanted to do is operate my own business. Last week I talked with a SCORE executive, who gave me a lot of good information. He said I that if I am serious I needed to do some research.
The business? A quilt shop.
I have talked with many shop owners over the last year, (Subconsciously researching??) just to find out what got them started and how were they maintaining in this economy. Some were very forthright and others were fearful I was going to take away their business.(Understandable)
I needed to find out the needs here in M-town though and wasn't sure how to do that. I couldn't afford a market research. The executive had suggested the library so I went to the library. There I met 2 very nice and helpful ladies and we brainstormed some ideas. It seemed the easiest way to get my information was to have a meeting, inviting quilters (and crafters) and find out if there was any interest in any of this.
The funny part is that I am usually a procrastinator and tend to put things off. So armed with the idea to have this meeting and even where to have it (at the library, it's free) I was thinking of going home to think some more about it when the young librarian behind the counter pulled out the calendar and said, "So when do you want to set up your meeting?" That was my moment of truth. It was on the tip of my tongue to say that I would go home and think about it, but I realized if I didn't do it now I would never do it and probably would never follow through on starting my own business.

After much discussion I decided to take a leap of faith and set up a meeting in March to find out how many quilters there really are in this area and if a fabric shop would be a good business to start. I don't want to take away from businesses around Marshalltown, just have something a little more convenient when I am in the midst of a project and have run out of something I need. Sometimes when you are in that sewing zone, you hate to stop and drive 30 or 45 minutes one way to get one or two items.

The date is set,the flyer is made and ready to be printed and a survey typed up and ready to go.
I am working on the agenda for the meeting and my mind is flooded with ideas for future meetings.

The meeting is March 1, 2010 at the Marshalltown Public Library from 6pm to 7pm. Come join us. It will be fun, I promise. :)

More Quilts

This has been a very busy week. I haven't done any sewing. :(

I am finally posting a couple of pictures.
This a a photo of the quilt I completed for my Dad and gave it to him for Christmas. The top had been done for about a year and I machined quilted it last Nov. after all my machine quilting classes I took at the Des Moines Quilt show. I used invisible thread on the top and it turned out really nice. YAY!! The pattern is called Magic Nine Patch and the fabric is all flannels. I double stitched the seams because I had a problem with a previous flannel comforter I made. After it was laundered one of the borders separated at the seam. I was so disappointed but I learned. Flannel needs a finished edge. :)



Here is the quilt I made for my Grand daughter. This is the front and it is all flannel.



And here is the back. I pieced the back and love the way it came out. It is all flannel as well.


I made a matching doll quilt for her new doll bed she got for Christmas.

Too cute.

I hope you are busy with something fun and creative. Valentines Day is coming and what a great opportunity to express yourself to someone your love through something you have created. A poem, card, quilt, knitted scarf (it's still chilly out) or whatever your creative niche is.
Thanks for stopping in.