Guest Posting

Hello, this is April, and I am your guest blogger today. :) I want to share with you my journey or “process” that God brought me through while making Emily Grace’s quilt.

I saw the material and knew right away that it would be perfect! It had very bright colors and a black background, so she should be able to see if pretty well. And to top it off, it was a panel, so I wouldn’t have to piece the top…just put on a few borders and done! So I bought the material and thought I would have enough, including binding. (I apologize to you non-quilters for using some terms you may not be familiar with.) I soon realized that I didn’t have enough for backing, but no big deal; I could use other material and piece the back.

Well, the measurements weren’t adding up, I did the math wrong a couple of times, then realized I didn’t have enough binding either! So, I succumbed to the fact that I would not meet my original goal of getting it done that day. I would just get it sandwiched and quilted, using the binding fabric in other places. So I had to rip, re-sew, trim, sew again…until the backing was big enough, yay!

I then realized I couldn’t be careless when sandwiching the layers together, because I didn’t have much room to spare, and I had to “try” and line up borders. After much frustration, God was gracious to me, and it looked pretty good! End of day one.

The next day I decided to try and find some fabric for binding, just so I could get it done. I bought two pieces of the same fabric, thinking that was enough. Oh no, I needed more, but there wasn’t anymore of the same color! Ugh! So I found the same pattern, different color, and decided to alternate colors. I was annoyed and frustrated, because this was supposed to be an easy and fast project… and it was a gift for Emily, so God should just bless it and make it easy, right?

Well, God showed me in a tangible way during this process that what we picture to be our goal or finished project is not always the end result that HE has in mind. (This happens all too often in my opinion.) So He will allow us to be frustrated, have to re-do things, and plow through difficult parts until we reach His end result-which is more beautiful than we imagined it to be when we first set out on the process. I am grateful for this obvious example, the process of making this quilt for Emily, because I know I will have many more of these lessons and trials in my life. And also because I believe it is symbolic of Emily’s life…the promise of beauty we do not yet fully see.

I love you Emily, and am honored to be a part of your life and to see firsthand the miracles and beauty that God is revealing in and through you.