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Easy Peasy Baby Blanket

This Blanket is so easy to make…really… probably the easiest blanket I’ve ever put together. 

Supplies:   Fabric, 2 layers, your choice.   In the pictures below, I uses 100% cotton flannel and velvet fleece. You will also need coordinating thread, pins, scissors, sewing machine.

Size:   Is all up to you. I cut my fabric 35.5 inches x 42.5 inches.  This size is great for the car seat or stroller.  It’s also a great size to fold and put in the diaper bag. 

Here’s what you do:

  1. Place fabric right sides together and pin
  2. Sew at least ½ inch seam all the way around leaving a 5-6 inch opening.  The opening needs to be big enough to turn the blanket inside out.
  3. Trim the corners w/o cutting the seams.  This will reduce bulk when you turn the blanket inside out. 
  4. Turn fabric inside out.   Make sure you pull out all 4 corners. 
  5. Ensure the seams are flat and lined up all around the edges of the blanket
  6. At the opening, fold the seams inward to match the rest of the blanket and pin.
  7. Do a top stitch all around the blanket on all 4 sides. 
  8. You’re done!

In the pictures below, I got a little fancy and sewed a patchwork top for the blanket that I made.  You can go as fancy or go as simple as you prefer.  It’s all up to you!

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Turning the Old into the New

So…I  have been working on purging my closet. I have two closets that are packed full of clothes… clothes that I noticed I hardly ever wear. Some are too big, some are too small and some I have no idea what I was thinking! Lol! Anyway, I came across two pair of old jeans.  As I was folding them to put in the give away stack, I had an epiphany! I should repurpose them!  I mean, has anyone priced denim fabric?! OMG!  It’s a little pricey!

I have a couple of quilts patterns that I would like to try and the only reason I haven’t tackled them is because I want to use denim in some of the pattern. I mean, I don’t know about you but I have to sew on a budget. (Sometimes I think I have a fabric addiction but that’s a whole other story!)

After assessing the situation, I grabbed my fabric scissors and started dismantling the jeans. I cut out the back pockets leaving about ½ inch fabric allowance around the pocket….you never know what the next project might need. I simply cut along the seams on the legs, getting as much denim real estate as I could. I even trimmed the hem and the little front coin pockets. 

I’m leaving the denim in the full size “leg panels” for now. I thought about cutting them into charm squares but again… you never know where the next project will take you. The possibilities are endless!

So, the next time you’re purging and cleaning, think outside the box and ask yourself, “Is this pair of jeans my next project?”  “What can I create with….(fill in the blank)”   You may be surprised at where you will find inspiration.

Check out the pictures below.   I repurposed one of the denim pockets on this cute little prayer pillow.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheGeorgiaPineapple?ref=search_shop_redirect

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The Love Challenge

 “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”  John 15:13

Recently a group of friends and I studied our way through Kelly Minter’s “No Other Gods” bible study.  We laughed, we cried and we learned a lot about ourselves and each other.  In the end, we made a promise to each other to call each other’s name out in prayer every day. We have made a commitment to pray for each other asking the Lord to anoint each one of us with a Holy Spirit confidence. Our desire as a group and individually is to have enough confidence in ourselves that we can leave our safe little comfort zone and go out and really love people. 

One thing that we touched on in our Bible study that I would like to spotlight today is what we do when we have identified our false gods and sent them packing.  What do we do with the available time and space? What is the next step?  

The next step for us is to love and serve by the example that Jesus has given to us. Jesus’ entire ministry was showing (by example) how to love and serve. I mean really love and really serve people… all people… right where they are. He wasn’t afraid of getting his hands dirty. He wasn’t worried about his reputation.  He was able to run with the sinners but he never conformed to their way of life or their way of thinking and was able to save lives… lots of lives. 

To truly love the way Jesus commands in John 15:13, we have to be willing to make sacrifices. In the past, when I have read this verse, I thought it meant that I would need to take a bullet for someone to prove that I could love like Jesus. (Which it does say that we should love enough to die for someone). Another interpretation of this verse is: we should love people enough to turn off the TV and leave our nice warm living room.  Or maybe we need to park the car and walk down the street to the homeless shelter and have a conversation with someone in need. You might be the only “Jesus”  that someone meets. 

So the challenge during this holiday season:  Can we set aside our differences, our fears, or our comfort zone and put ourselves “out there” to make a difference?