What I've Been Working on all Winter: Quilting, Beading, Bible Journaling, and Rock Painting

This had to be the shortest winter ever!  Spring came early both on the calendar and in the weather.  We had a very mild winter which alarmed those worried about climate change but thrilled those who live in northern climates and who normally have to deal with brutal winters.  Usually around this time of year I'm tired of dealing with freezing cold and I still have a foot or two of snow on the ground.  This year it was 64 degrees outside yesterday and I was working in my garden.  However, to my friends who worry about climate change, I have to mention that weather is cyclical.  I had one of those "memory posts" pop up on my Facebook feed where I had posted NINE years ago how beautiful it was outside, in the sixties, and I was working outside in my garden.  It reminded me that yes, this weather is unusual, but it has happened before.

Winter is generally the time of year I get inside projects done because during the spring/summer/fall months I am too busy working outside.  I usually do one remodel project a year, but other than my upstairs hallway, I've pretty much repainted/remodeled my entire house now and nothing urgently needed to be done.  I thought about repainting my upstairs hallway this winter, but after just having hip replacement surgery in October, I thought it was best to set it aside for next year.  Painting my hallway is no easy task as part of it is in a stairwell and would require scaffolding to reach.  I'm not sure if my hip is ready for that task yet.

During October-December I was focusing on healing from my surgery, going to physical therapy/doctor appointments, and preparing/enjoying the holidays.  But once January rolled around I was able to work on some hobbies of mine till I could get outside once again.

Quilting

My first project to complete was a quilt.  I use to work at a fabric store and I started all these quilts while I worked there but I never finished them.  It's been a goal of mine to finish all these quilts.  I do one quilt a winter and I thought this was the last one and would you believe I found another one in my stash?  Ugh! So I guess next winter I will be finishing the last one.

For this log cabin quilt, my best friend was kind enough to come over and help me piece it together.  That saved a lot of time because I wasn't getting up and down from the sewing machine.  The squares were already done, they just needed to be sewn together.  

First we placed them on a clean floor in a "windmill" design.

Then my friend brought pieces of the quilt over to me to be sewn.  Working like this cut the time in half what it would usually take to finish a quilt top.  I was so grateful for her help!

I put the borders on and top stitched the quilt on my own.

For the back I used a collage material that coordinated with the colors on the front.  I actually like the back of the quilt better than the front. ha ha.

Here is how I have it laid on my bed.  I simply folded it in thirds and placed it at the end of the bed.  I don't like the "country look" of quilts so I did not want to fully spread out across the entire bed, but I do love quilts as an accent.  The colors in the quilt coordinate beautifully with the pillows that were already on the bed and they are also perfect for spring!

Bible Journaling

If you're wondering where my monthly bible journaling posts have gone it's because I haven't been doing it.  I think I stopped when I had my surgery because I couldn't get downstairs to my craft room, and then I just got busy trying to have a normal life again.  The top and bottom photos were the last two pages I completed.

I did however buy a Psalm coloring book to work on while I recovered from surgery.  I didn't have to have access to all the crafts in my craft room to work on the coloring book.  All I needed was the book and my coloring pencils.

This is a really cool book if you're interested in Bible Journaling but don't know how to start.  This book has the entire book of Psalms with a space to write your reflections under each psalm reading for the day.  There are also multiple pages to color scattered throughout the book. 

I purchased my book at a small business, but I'm sure you could easily find a similar one on Amazon.

Beading

Most of my beading projects start with broken jewelry.  As my inexpensive fashion jewelry breaks I throw it in my craft room and fix it when it starts to accumulate to a large pile.  But my daughter also brings over her broken jewelry.  She had a gorgeous vintage necklace that broke and for some reason I couldn't repair it so I ended up making three bracelets out of it:  one for me, one for my daughter, and one for my granddaughter.

My grandaughter also gave me a unicorn necklace that broke which  she received for Christmas.  The unicorn was on this flimsy cheap chain and I couldn't repair it, so I just made a whole new necklace for her just using the unicorn charm.  Mine turned out prettier than the original if I do say so myself 😀

Another friend gave me instructions to create a "Gospel Bracelet".  I was all excited to make one but I couldn't come up with a design that was attractive as it used such a wild assortment of beads, so I'm still thinking on that.  However in the meantime, I made a nautical bracelet using seashells, fish beads (that I purchased for the "Gospel Bracelet") and small turquoise beads.

Rock Painting

I've tried so many different styles of plant markers over the years and none of them seem to work for me for one reason or another.  I need plant markers for my vegetable garden at least until the plants are up and growing so I can identify them, and most importantly, to not disturb the soil if there is seed there.  I saw all these painted stone plant markers on Pinterest so I decided to give them a try.  I just started working on them, so I don't have a great photo of them.

They're super easy to make.  I just paint the rock white first.  I think white is the best paint color to use as it will stand out on top of my leaf mulch.  Then I draw the design in with a pencil and then I paint it and seal it with an acrylic spray.

Once I plant my vegetable garden, I will show the rocks as they look in the garden.

So that is all I've been up to this winter.  What projects have you been working on?  I'd love to hear from you!

Have A Great Day!  Amy

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