Why Is It So Quiet at Riceford Streams?

Some people say time is crawling by. For me, it seems like everything is going by fast this year. Now that we’re under orders to stay home, life became even busier because I’m still working and I need to cook, bake, and clean up after every meal. I’m thankful and I’m tired.

While all the news focuses on COVID-19, I really need to spend time at my sewing machine to focus on something fun and pretty. Otherwise I begin to escalate my fear and worry. And nothing good is accomplished when I do that. Can you relate?

Meet my Meadowland Baby Quilt

I was one of the many people who asked Meghan (Then Came June) if she was going to host another Meadowland quilt along. So, of course I had to join in. Here’s my baby-size Meadowland quilt, which I made mostly from fabrics stored in my Vault of Happiness. Sandy Gervais designed most of the prints.

The Meadowland baby is backed with a polka dot print from Basic Grey (Max and Whiskers, I believe).

I machine quilted this with Aurifil 2140 Orange Mustard.

If I could change one thing, I would have had this quilted with an all-over pantograph rather than stitching in the ditch. In my opinion, Meadowland looks best with a lot of quilting.

I had enough yardage from two animal prints to piece the binding. So I managed to use up all but a few scraps of this fabric. That was so satisfying!

Farm to Garden Wall Hanging

I also pieced a Farm to Garden kit from the Fat Quarter Shop. This was part of a Sew Sampler box and also available on their website. I jumped at the chance to buy it and I love it!

I’ll quilt this with 60-degree diamonds and hang it in my foyer this spring.

Three Pines: My Moda Village

There are a lot of sew-alongs going on right now because quilters want to distract themselves with something positive (something other than making cloth masks). I love Carrie Nelson’s Village pattern and made my daughter a mini version of it a year or two ago.

I planned to make a full-size version for myself, so I bought Heather Ross’s Kinder fabrics for fun little doors. Recently I joined the #modavillage sew-along. You can either purchase the pattern or download it for free if your local quilt shop is participating. Here’s my first block: Q is for quilt.

A few weeks ago I finished reading the Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny. The books inspired me to fashion my village after the fictional town of Three Pines. So here’s the beginning of my friendly little village.

All this fussy cutting is the perfect distraction. I’m not saying we should bury our heads in the sand. However, when my thoughts churn night and day, I bring those concerns to the Lord in prayer. Then I need to busy my head and hands with something to quiet my thoughts.

I pray you will find hope in Jesus. That’s what I celebrate every day and especially on Easter Sunday. If you’re looking for online services during Holy Week, I invite you to join me at my church. We also have sermons online every Sunday and devotionals/blogs during the week.

“…the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10 ESV).

Joyfully,

Tracie

P.S. This week I’m linking up with Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Whoop Whoop Fridays.