The simple things are most precious

:: Home Arts....So many I want to learn....So little time in a day

Welcome Friends

I am so psyched to learn more of the home arts.  I want to quilt, to weave, to spin, just to sew a simple pair of curtains that have straight hem lines and are measured correctly.  It's been by trial and error since my mom swore many years ago that she'd never sew again because I wouldn't wear something that she made for me.  She thought I didn't wear it enough.  And unfortunately she has never sewn again.  Her machine sits in the closet somewhere.  I've asked her to come spend time with me to show me how to sew or to help me work on a project.  I wanted for the both of us to work on something together but she's still sticking to her guns.  She says she's forgotten how to sew.  I find that doubtful for she is a very creative woman.  I will always regret that she feels this way.  But maybe someday God will coordinate a divine appointment that includes her and I creating a project together. 

I've been looking at some quilting website that are so interesting. 

http://sylviasbridalsampler.blogspot.com/ 

What is Sylvia's Bridal Sampler?

Sylvia's Bridal Sampler is a quilt made by the characters in a novel, The Master Quilter, the seventh in the Elm Creek Quilts series by Jennifer Chiaverini. Approximately once a week, templates or a foundation paper piecing pattern for one of the 140 different blocks in the quilt will be posted here.

http://www.quilterscache.com/QuiltBlocksGalore.html   Marcia Hohn's Quilter's Cache!

http://www.quilterscache.com/StartQuiltingPages/startquiltingthree.html  Also by Marcia Hohn

http://www.incompetech.com/beta/plainGraphPaper/  Get your downloadable/printable graph paper here

http://www.homesteadblogger.com/quiltmaker  Wren's lovely quilting blog with the story of her current project and her past projects.  Really pretty quilt as the banner which tells it's own story. 

Visit these sites if you are at all interested in quilting.  Even if you are only interested in the home arts in general, these sites will inspire you.  I know they do me.  My downfall is that I get too much inspiration in one day.  I have to rein in my creativity or else I get stymied by the inspiration overload and I then get frustrated cuz I don't know where or how to begin.

Usually, when this happens I head for the garden which enables me to get my hands busy, dirty and see instant gratification of my work.  I love working in the garden, being outdoors in God's creation.  He speaks to me so many times using His creation as analogies for me.  I'm a visual learner and God has gifted me with a colorful imagination.  So when He gives me a story related to gardening and then ties it into my own life, it is easy for me to see it in my minds eye. 

When I first began gardening, I was working a tiny little plot in front of our duplex.  This little rectangle had nothing but weeds growing in a very sandy foundation.  God used this bed to show me about the weeds I had in my own life, how they got there, how they took over because of my lack of working the soil.  I had neglected my own spiritual walk due to going thru a very hard and ugly divorce.  I'd given up.  Lots of weeds took root in the soil of my heart, and because I was neglectful to watch over my life, not pulling those weeds out when they first showed up on the scene, these weeds had grown huge tap roots, and had taken over, drew every bit of life from the poor soil left.  So I stripped the plot of everything, worked in lots of good soil and organic material.  Then I planted flowers and ornamental plants.  By the time I was done, it was a storybook garden.  At least to me.  And God had mended my soul, restored my faith and healed my heart over that 6 month period. 

 Ever since then, each place that we have lived I've made a "storybook" garden.  Within the garden I add plants/cuttings that I gather from friends.  It then becomes a story of friendship.  When I leave, I'm then able to take either the plants or cuttings to start new ones by potting them.  Off we go to the next destination and begin again.  Now this time, I hope that this is the last place we are destined to be.  I have an acre to work with and boy do I have ideas.  An acre is small in comparison to some who have these huge homesteads but, as many of you agree, homesteading is a matter of the heart.  It's the passion one has for the home, the earth, pure and toxen free.  And not just in the literal sense but our homes are sacred, free (pure) from the stress and cares (toxins) of the world.  A castle or fortress of sorts where we can come and escape, be restored, rejuvenated, recharged, for our next week of duties.  It's safety, peace, comfort, cozy, warm, nurturing, embracing each inhabitant with the arms of love, filled with God's spirit and presence.  Homesteading, to me, has little if anything to do with abundance of "stuff" but rather it has everything to do with the abundance of the simple treasures of life.  The valuable relationships forged together thru the good times and the bad.  The loyalty of each member to one another, the trust built by honesty and agape love.

Well, time for me to get busy.  The kitchen is calling me to begin dinner for tonite.

Later my kindred souls,

Sherri 

graphics by:  www.countryclipart.com

Home Arts...

5:37 PM, 2006-Jan-15 .. Posted by SimplifiedLife

I love them too. I am working on creating a list of the ones I know how to do, would love to learn and the ones I would love for my dc to learn before leaving my home. We are planning my oldest hope chest and we would love to add lots of things she made herself. We will really haven't had a real winter so we haven't been working much on our handicrafts, but maybe we need to change our habits. Do something different for a change.

Thanks for sharing the links and your heart. May the Lord richly bless you for your giving.

Have an awesome week. ;)