Easter.

Easter.

Spring.  Passover.  a Promise.

it's one of those things

I've done since I was a kid

my mother and I stood side by side in the church choir

singing

Halleluja Chorus

from sunrise service to pancake breakfast

one year I rode my horse to the top of the mountain

for the community service

these days, I walk to the bay alone and watch for the sun to rise

today, the neighbors joined me

and we sat in silence

there was a heavy overcast

and sunrise never came

we just sat in

silence

but as I was walking home
I realized something

regardless of whether we could see it
the sun actually did rise
there was indeed a sunrise

the promise remains

as quilters, we know this better than anyone else
we look at a stack of fabrics
or a basket full of scraps
and we see the finished quilt



so this year, I am reminded that whether or not you can see it
or believe it
each new day brings a bright and shining promise of a life well lived

Passover stories will continue to be told
Easter will be celebrated
the garden will bloom and the shrubs and trees will produce each and every year
and 
fabric will indeed turn in to quilts.

natalie.
be.do.create

www.beyondthereefpatterns.com

ps - we have our shop site link on the website
and we now have an etsy shop
beyondthereefshop

please come visit and purchase a pattern or a bundle
...something new for Spring!

A Simple Life....meets clover clip thingeys

(this is not a sponsored post)

A Simple Life....

here's the thing I want to admit to all of you out there

I sew and quilt and knit a simple life
I am not that 

gadget girl 

okay, it's not that I have anything against those people that love their gadgets
no, no....

 
but if you and I have ever chatted about quilting, you know my first statement is always,
"you can do it!!!"
and then I will tell you that all you really need is some fabric, some thread and a needle
I'll try to tell you that quilting is nothing more than a simple running stitch
and that applique is just a blind hem stitch in disguise

 

for this simple girl, pins are held in jars that remind me of great mornings on Kauai

and threads are few, small, and sorted in canning jars that came from a neighbor's garage sale

if a beginner asks me about a machine, I tell them not to worry too much

about saving thousands of dollars before they can begin to quilt

the family straight stitch machine is a great place to start

truly.  really.  honest.

(my sewing machine quiver doesn't include a machine post-1980!)

while out and about promoting
my very first book

A Modern Twist

I had the pleasure of spending the weekend at EE Schenck in Portland

In. The. Warehouse.

full of fabrics and patterns and books and.....

notions!!!!!

my travel companions convinced me that these would really come in handy

with all of the binding I sew down for Quilt Market and the likes

I don't even know how to use these....so I thought I would ask all of you
is it red on the stitch side?  red on the back side?
is the clip pushed all the way to the edge of the binding?
how far apart do you clip?
do you clip the mitered corners?
when do you remove the clips?
and more importantly

where do you put your hands while you are stitching?

if these gadget thingeys can save me some time - any time - I'd be happy to try them

but this simple life girl

needs your help!!

 

on another note....

this week and next week are filled with boxes and bubble wrap and sorting and lifting

I have been helping a friend pack up her family home

and while I will miss her and her hubby

I know she will always be my

"sister"

no matter her location

the gifts from her - from her home - are being re purposed into 

a simple life

and the wooden bowl that lived atop her refrigerator

 will greet me every morning 

when I tackle the day's early morning knitting project

please leave me a comment with some direction about these clip thingeys

and I hope you will take a look at

A Modern Twist

(I'm so proud.....)

add it to your library, or if you have a copy, please leave a review on Amazon

or Barnes and Noble

or Martingale!

HappySpring

from

A Simple Life....

be.do.create

natalie.

www.beyondthereefpatterns.com

Spring.

There is something to be said for Spring.

It is that 'out of nothing, out of the hard barren land, from weathered woods

comes sheer beauty'.

As quilters, I think we do the same.

Out of nothing.

Comes creativity. Inspiration.  Friendship.  Giving.

Love.

Do your part to 'spread the spring'.

BeginAgain

2010

natalie.