Sunday, January 25, 2015

Grow Your Blog 2015

I've been working at growing my blog since I started it over a year ago and am super excited about this GROW YOUR BLOG event!  Thank you Vicki at 2 Bags Full for coordinating it! 

My name is Zenia Rene and I am a quilter. I started quilting in 2011, thanks to my friend Mel who was so persistent in me going to "Quilting".  You can read more about that,  here.  I feel quilting is a gift from God. You can read about why, here.  


 I started blogging about quilting in 2013 to give my family, coworkers and non-quilting friends a break from all my "quilty" talk.  And...I wanted to share this incredible, God-given, quilting passion with others who love and appreciate it as much as I do.  The funny thing is, I hated writing when I was in school.  However, when I start/finish a new project, find a new pattern/tool, or make a great fabric score, I just have to write about it and share it w/the quilting/blogging world!

I do work full time, but I'm looking to go part-time real soon. My 3 kids are all adults but my 2 sons still live at home.  I have 2 grand-kids and my daughter is due to have her 3rd child in about 3 weeks.  I'm still single, but very much desire to be married someday.  I'm a born-again Christian and enjoy going to church.  I recently bought a bass guitar and named it Ruby.  If I ever take the time to practice, I might get good enough to play Ruby in the worship band at church...which is my goal.  


My creating process is pretty simple.  I keep two lists. An extra long list of Quilts I Want to Make and another list, not quite as long of Peeps to Make Quilts For.  choose a pattern and a peep then pick out fabric based on their favorite color/colors.  If  I'm not making a quilt w/a specific peep in mind, I choose fabric based on what I like and want to put together.  A lot of the time, my choice is scrappy. I am quite fond of scrappy! (I also adore pieced backings and I don't think they have to match the front of the quilt at all)  I usually get all the cutting out of the way in the beginning, then I start piecing.  I never get bored because I always have multiple projects going at once.  I'm sure some would disagree, but I feel this process makes me more productive. I made 22 quilts in 2014!

My writing mostly coincides w/the progress of the various projects I'm working on. Rarely, if ever, do I write anything philosophical.  However,  I do like to end each post w/something encouraging; be it scripture, song lyrics or just words of wisdom from devotions or other quotes.  I call it A Thread for Life.


This is one of my current projects which I'm in the process of quilting.  I call it  Walk Like An Egyptian.  The pattern is Broken Chevron and written by the very talented Jan at The Colorful Fabriholic.  It was an honor to be one of your pattern testers Jan!

I follow a bunch quilters via Blogger, Instagram and  G+,  many who are mothers of young and/or multiple children and it seems like they quilt and post constantly! I have no idea how the heck they do it!  I think many of them are stay-at-home moms. But even then...how they juggle motherhood, homeschooling, quilting/crafting, AND still have time to blog and post so often, truly AMAZES me...and makes me a little envious.  KUDOS to you ALL!

Several months ago I committed to writing 1x/week and had been meeting that commitment for quite awhile, but lately I've been slacking.  On my honor I will try... to get back on the 1x/week blogging track soon. 

Thanks for stopping by!  If you are so inclined, follow me!  I look forward to visiting your blogs too!

Until next time, Happy Quilting and God Bless!

A Thread for Life
What’s The Good Of Prayer?  Lord, teach us to pray. — Luke 11:1

It is not part of the life of a natural man to pray.  We look upon prayer as a means of getting things for ourselves; the Bible's idea of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself.

When a man is at his wits’ end it is not a cowardly thing to pray, it is the only way he can get into touch with Reality. Be yourself before God and present your problems, the things you know you have come to your wits’ end over. As long as you are self-sufficient, you do not need to ask God for anything.

It is not so true that "prayer changes things" as that prayer changes me and I change things. God has so constituted things that prayer on the basis of Redemption alters the way in which a man looks at things. Prayer is not a question of altering things externally, but of working wonders in a man’s disposition. 
- Oswald Chambers

Monday, January 12, 2015

Happy New Year 2015!

I'm sure this new year will have its ups and downs, as things cannot always be perfect, but I'm very grateful it has started on an up!

Iowa Spring Day baby quilt is finished! I quilted it w/organic wavy lines and I hand-sewed the binding, which is something I haven't done in a long while!
39.75" x 47.5"

Iowa Spring Day Backing
However, I will be hand binding more often...to justify a friend making me this custom hand sewing caddy.  I had seen something similar on Instagram, showed him a pic and this is what I got! Isn't it fantastic?!

Before starting the project I got a tour of his shop. With so many species of trees in the world (some estimate 20,000+) it's no wonder I'd never heard of the majority of wood types in his "stash".  Yes, woodworkers have stashes too!

 Of course, one of my favorites was the Quilted Maple (see pic below) however, the three types of wood used in this little project were much more exotic!  The base is Sirari  (grows in Tropical South America, primarily Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay); the sides, needle holder, and extra spool/scissors block are made of Leopardwood (grows in South America, Chile, Brazil); and the stoppers on the spool turn are made of Bubinga (grows in Cameroon and Gabon, West Africa).

Watching and helping (yes, I helped a little!) a professional woodworker in action and working w/this gorgeous wood was quite fascinating! It's definitely deepened my appreciation and love of trees! Thank you David! =)




The Quilted Maple I was telling you about.
With Iowa Spring Day finished I really ought to just be quilting Walk Like An Egyptian, but I've been moonlighting w/Through Thick and Thin.  Through Thick and Thin is a log cabin quilt I'm working on for my king size bed.  I'm constructing it w/2 different size logs, 2.5" and 1.25" and am using batik fabrics.  There will be 42 - 15" blocks.  I wanted to do an offset Barn Raising layout, but I'm not sure if it'll work w/so few blocks. Time will tell.  
Several blocks in Fields & Furrows layout
Piles of strings for Log Cabin
And lastly, I've got to make myself start quilting Walk Like An Egyptian this week! I've been putting it off because I'm not sure how to start the spiral quilting I want to do and am afraid to mess it up. If anyone has tips/tricks on how to get started on spiral quilting, please pass 'em my way.

Until next time, Happy Quilting and God Bless!

A Thread for Life
Am I getting nobler, better, more helpful, more humble, as I get older? Am I exhibiting the life that men take knowledge of as having been with Jesus, or am I getting more self-assertive, more deliberately determined to have my own way? It is a great thing to tell yourself the truth. -Oswald Chambers

Linking up at:
Tuesday Archives
Scraptastic Tuesday
Let's Bee Social
WIP Wednesday
Needle and Thread Thursday
TGIFF!