Author: jennifer

We’re experiencing quite a year with politics and social issues in the U.S.  I have watched and read, thought and prayed, and tried to listen.  We are so blessed.  We are so broken.  It is scary.  There is hope.  All kinds of issues, so many opposites.  I started sewing in January, before Covid, before protests, before the election.  I had a small piece done, then left it hanging on my design wall as 2020 unfolded and I went back and forth with ideas for my little block.  Finally I gave myself a deadline to finish a small quilt top before the election.  As I was working on it last week, remembering all the thoughts I’ve had this year, the title for this quilt came softly but clearly:  A Prayer for my Country.

That’s what it is.  So many hopes and worries stitched into fabric.  I have nothing to say here about politics.  My biggest concern is how we treat each other.  My prayer for my country is that we will begin again to really look at each other and actually SEE.  See past the bad labels to the real person with hopes and dreams a lot like mine.  We must reject being pitted against one another.  We need to see each other, to be seen, and communicate respectfully from that place.  To see fellow Americans, and remember what “we” feels like on a large scale, instead of “us versus them”.

This quilt top began and ended with these thoughts.  Made entirely from scraps in my sewing room, it’s mostly solids.  It’s simple and complex, orderly and messy, despairing and hopeful.  Kind of like this year.  A lot like my heart.

I keep praying, and I hope you will too.  Together we can face the challenges of our day and be better for them.  I know we can.  We must.  I photographed this piece on one wall of my Grandpa’s house, my Grandpa who lived through the Great Depression and fought in World War II.  His generation faced crisis and came together.  I miss him, and draw hope from his example.

May we all be of good cheer and face the future with hope, learning from the hard things of 2020 and growing into a better, kinder people who see each other with compassion and humanity.

I can’t believe it’s the last Monday in October.  Life at my house has been full speed ahead since August, and it’s still going strong.  While lots of things are strange and we all have much we wish we could change, I am grateful to be where I am and living this life.  I was out of town at the end of September and forgot to post about my progress, so this is a combined 20 in 20 September/October Report.  

I am still sewing!  It feels like an accomplishment again to fit it in.  Most of it has been deadline related sewing, or hand stitching in my car.  Unfortunately I don’t feel like I have a lot to show for my 20 minute sewing sessions.  I saved one empty spool of thread for this month’s photo, as a reminder that I am making progress.

As the end of the year looms I have long lists of what I WANT to sew and what I NEED to sew.  I’m working on the need to finish list, leaving a long list of hopeful projects ahead of me.  In all the deadlines, however, I have also neglected to make some of my half rectangle triangles, so I will be sewing a lot of these very soon.  Once in rows, I will add embroidery to journal a few more things.  Covid-19 continues to affect our lives, and other events deserve to be noted on this quilt.  I have a lot of work to do!  For now, I write each day on my planner how long I sewed for, and what kind of sewing it was.

That wraps up my 20 in 20 September/October Report.  Hopefully I’ll have a nearly finished quilt top to share next month.  Wouldn’t that be nice!  Now I’m off to finish and photograph a few things to share with you!  Have a great week.

Several weeks ago I tested a new quilt pattern for Brigit Gail .  It’s called Starlight Lily. This design a foundation paper pieced pattern with a modern, minimalist style.  Today I’m sharing my version of this fun pattern.


I love the 2020 Kona Color of the Year, Everglade.  This quilt seemed like a good opportunity to try it, and it makes a beautiful background to the lily flowers!  I love the deep, rich, bluish-green.  It’s not an easy color to photograph, but it’s definitely a fabric color I will buy more of!


The flowers were easy to make, and the whole quilt came together quickly.  This pattern is great for anyone wanting to try foundation paper piecing.  It’s a simple project without too many points to match up.  I made an extra row so my quilt is a little longer, which I like.


Recently I bought a bright shell pink solid and lately I’m using it in everything.  It was perfect for the bud, especially when I paired it with light green leaves.  All in all, this was a great exercise in using a color scheme that’s new to me.  Brigit designed the Starlight lily quilt with Amish style in mind, so I tried to make something along those lines.


I have been thinking about what it means to find my creative voice.  Sometimes we relate that solely to style, but I don’t think they’re interchangeable.  Style is a big part of our creative voice, but not all of it.  I enjoy making quilts that help me explore new styles.  It invites me to grow.

I quilted this one with organic wavy lines mostly in dark green, with a few neon yellow ones as well.  Short on time, I had to bind it quickly to gift it to a friend who was leaving, so I don’t even have a finished photo of this quilt!  Still, it was a fun one to make.

If you like this Starlight lily pattern, don’t hesitate to purchase it!  I think there’s a sew along happening, and those are always fun to join.  As for me, I enjoyed the pattern so much that I made a second, scrappy version.  I’ll share it soon!