Unexpected Blessings...

Seems my Tuesday plans flew right out the window. We got a last minute booking for Monday night and my day did not work out the way I planned. The group was large (ten people from India, Australia, and Auckland) and I really wasn't in the best of moods to have visitors. I admit, when we got the email I was like, "please not tonight, Lord" but He had different plans. We scurried about cleaning the house and making beds for this large group. They arrived very late in the evening (about 9:30pm) and dinner was served. We left the mess for morning and a better frame of mind! Tuesday we got to chat a bit more and found out the are Christians. We began to "talk shop" and even sang some hymns. It was just the thing I needed to re-focus my vision.

I didn't get time to sew, but I did get to iron some previously sewn units. I also had a few minutes to stitch on a teddy bear. I hope to get more time today to work on a beautiful quilt I designed, tweaking it yesterday for the final product. I can't wait to start! I love designing, whether it is a teddy bear or a quilt, I love every aspect...even the failures, of which I had an epic failure over the weekend. I was trying to sort out the math for this new quilt and decided to cut fabric on my (wrong) dimensions...WOW! the result was miserable. Guess it is true that Rome wasn't built in a day! And, if at first you don't succeed...... I ended up actually drawing the unit on a grid and coloring it in with colored pencils and then I had that light bulb moment All I needed to see was a picture on a grid! Phew! AND, the mystery quilt on QCA had a clue go out Monday (because I wanted my Tuesday....), never a dull moment! I love being busy!

Gotta scoot for now and get busy! I have tons of washing to do, bedrooms to tidy, yesterday's washing to fold and put away (just towels), and tonight is church. AND, I want some time to cut and sew from my new grid attempt. Hope you have an amazing day and you have more spare time that I do! Enjoy and take time to do something you love.

Happy Crafting,

Debi

Butterfly Kisses

For those of you who don't know, I design quilts for the Quilters Club of America. The quilts are "mystery quilts" on their site. Butterfly Kisses is the fourth one I have done for them. Here are some pics of the first three.

Hot Air Balloons

StarStruck

(unfinished)

Beacons in the Night

I truly love designing these and watching others enjoy making them. It is a very cool way to get to know other quilters along the way, usually from other countries. We are currently working on Mystery Quilt 14 (for the site), it is my fourth. I have designed number 15 ("Celestial Brilliance") and am currently working on the math and making it for myself. It is a bit challenging, so tons of fun for me!

We have been so busy lately with church and the bed and breakfast, I haven't had much time to sew and that makes me sad. I posted the first clue for Butterfly Kisses Monday (a day early) so my Tuesday would be free to sew. I am really looking forward to that. I think it is about time to have a quilt retreat, where I can get away and just sew until my heart's content! Who's in?? I still haven't gotten to sew the teddy bear I designed a couple weeks ago, sadly.

Have an amazing week and I am truly hoping you have more time that I do this week to do your thing!

Happy Crafting!

Debi

Freakishly Busy

As I sit here a rest for a minute, I think back on my week (and it's only Wednesday!). It has been crazy busy with all the preparations for the mother and daughter lunch at our church on Saturday. I have also been testing for Jess again. I am starting another mystery quilt on the Quilters Club of America site...yesterday the fabric requirements went live. I have also had a kidney infection for over two weeks and it has landed me on my backside. Fortunately, I started feeling better yesterday and hope to be back to normal very soon. It has taken two different antibiotics to get here, but God is healing and I'm doing much better.

Our theme for the lunch is Mother's Apron. These are the place cards, I will be writing names on the little tags hanging around the "neck" of these aprons. I think I may put something nice in the little pocket as well. We are going to have a lot of fun. I'm really looking forward to it. I will be decorating with things my grandma may have had in her kitchen.

Here is the fabric I chose to do my mystery with. It only takes three fabrics. I called it Butterfly Kisses. It is a nice quilt, intricate blocks that I made easy even though they look difficult. I love doing this for the quilters in web land. It is a lot of fun! The one we finished a month ago was a huge success. Everyone loved the pattern and their finished quilts are just beautiful. This one is a bit harder than those before, but I know they can do it. I have separated it into small achievable bits. We will be finished the last week of June. Mysteries are a good way to make quilts in a timely manner. I love them.

Well, rest time is over and I need to get back to work. Still so much to do!

Have an amazing week.

Debi

It's Mystery Quilt Time...

It is Mystery Quilt time again. This one is #14 on the QCA website: quiltersclubofamerica.com. Come join the fun. I've named this one Butterfly Kisses. Ton of fun, only three fabrics, and you can go scrappy if you wish. Hope to "see" you there and start sewing together! 

I'll check in later with more info and details about life and passions!

Sew happy,

Debi

Teen Camp

WOW! We had a very busy week at teen camp. We traveled down Monday and back on Friday, filling those days completely. Monday evening we enjoyed a good chapel service, introducing us to a new evangelist, who was pretty amazing. We then had a fantastic week with a group of very good young people. Many of the teens made life changing decisions, some getting saved, some choosing to serve the LORD with everything they've got. It was a spiritually exhausting week, working with these kids and helping them set attainable goals, to serve the LORD better. For more pics, check out the church's FaceBook page (Rotorua Bible Baptist Church), you will enjoy all the pics there.

Other than camp last week, which I did have a couple minutes to sew a teddy bear head together, nothing got done. I have designed another quilt (Sunday night) that I can't wait to start on....maybe today! I do have to finish the next mystery to make sure my calculations are correct. I also have another teddy bear idea on the brain that I must get on paper. So much fun, hope I have a chance to get some of it done.

Happy week!
Debi