DIY: T-Shirt Blanket/Quilt

For Jeremy's birthday last week, I decided to make a blanket/quilt out of all his old t-shirts. This was a project I was a little bit worried about, as I hadn't sewn in years, and the past few times I'd tried to use the sewing machine, it didn't go so well. But I took each step slow and double checked everything before I cut, sewed, or marked, and made a functioning blanket! Here's what I did:

First, I picked out which shirts I wanted to use. I began arranging them to see what would be the best arrangement and size before I cut them.

After this picture was taken, I decided that I'd like to make the blanket a little bigger and used the backs of some t-shirts to add another column of 5 shirts to the blanket. Next, I used a cardboard piece, cut 14x14" as my stencil. I placed the cardboard on all the shirts where the main design was, and used a sharpie to trace the 14x14" square onto the t-shirt. I ended up with a stack of 20 t-shirts that were about 14x14" each. There were two shirts that I wanted smaller pieces, so I made them 14x7" instead. (2 of these made up one square that matched the others.)

Since these were all jersey cotton t-shirts, I used a fusible, non-woven iron-on interfacing around the border of each of the t-shirts. This prevents stretching and makes the sewing easier. You can use the interfacing on the entire back of the fabric, but to save money (and to avoid melting some of the designs on the front of the t-shirts) I only did the border of each square. 

Then I laid out all the squares on the floor and rearranged them so that clashing colors weren't next to each other and there was a little balance. 

Once I was happy with the arrangement, I used sticky notes and numbered the squares so I could remember where they were when I started sewing them together. Then I started sewing! After I got all the t-shirts sewed together, it looked like this:

I used a flannel sheet as the backing, sewed it all together, turned it inside out, stitched the opening together, and hand-sewed each of the corners of the individual squares together to keep the flannel sheet and the t-shirt together!

Free to Be Me

Well, I am now celebrating my last few hours of being 20. The song "Free to Be Me" by Francesca Battistelli kind of became my theme song for the last year of my life. I felt like I could relate to it in so many ways, aside from the fact that the first line says, "At 20 years of age, I'm still lookin' for a dream..." My year being 20 really was a year of searching. But now that this year has come to a close, I am looking back at it realizing how much seeking and finding I actually did. I found myself. I found my lost relationship with God. I found my husband. I found my best friend. I found my lost relationship with my parents. I found God's calling for my life. I found my dream.

I know everything isn't solved. And I know it never will be, but I do know that this coming year will bring new adventures, new challenges, new unknowns, and new people. But you know what? I'm still me. I'm just being molded, shaped, and formed like clay so that I can better serve my Creator. And that's okay with me.

So.. 21? Bring it.

"But now, O LORD, you are our Father;

we are the clay, and you are our potter;

we are all the work of your hand."

Isaiah 64:8

Engaged!

Well, it's official! I am engaged. To be married. To the wonderful Mr. Jeremy Ohs! What a crazy week it has been. Our engagement is only 5 days old, and we haven't set a date yet, but hopefully that will be able to be accomplished this weekend. One step at a time. I am as in love with my ring as I am with the man who gave it to me. Also similar to the man I'm going to marry, my ring is so perfect for me and better than anything I ever dreamed of. I'm the luckiest woman alive. :)

Here's the story:

Last Sunday, 2 October 2011, Jeremy took me out for dinner to Tupelo's Grille in Whitefish, MT. It was seriously one of the best meals I've had in a long time. We had the famous bread pudding for dessert. After that we got in the car and he told me we had a long drive ahead of us... And he drove up to Glacier National Park (No, He didn't blind fold me..) This is the place where we both have worked in previous years, the place where we always went during the summer for lake days, hiking/biking days, etc. Usually we go in the day time of course, but tonight we went late at night. It was so dark, kinda scary, but really amazing. So we parked at Apgar and went out on the dock on McDonald Lake. He brought blankets and extra sweatshirts to keep me warm. :) He was telling me about how when we met at Creation Music Festival at the Gorge in Washington, (This is an outdoor Christian music festival held every year in the summer) we went to a Newsboys concert one night, and we were laying in the grass on the hill next to each other watching the stars as we listened to the Newsboys sing. That was the night we knew we liked each other. So then we were up at Apgar on Sunday night and we were stargazing and remembering the way we felt about each other that night at Creation. We were standing up because we were so cold and trying to stay warm, and then he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I, of course, said yes. So then he put the ring on my finger and we just laid on the dock giggling, snuggling close, and watching the stars. It was so perfect, and in that moment, I knew that in his arms is where I was meant to be.


Also, a side story... The ring is two sizes too big, so.. when we got up to leave the dock, it slipped off my hand. We heard it fall off my hand, then it stopped, and we were silent. We didn't hear a splash, and luckily, it didn't fall off the dock. Jeremy was able to use the flashlight on his phone to find it on the dock in the dark, and we were VERY thankful it didn't fall into the water.

It's crazy how two people meet, become friends, fall in love, get married, have kids, and grow old together. I'm so fortunate that I get to have Jeremy as my partner, my friend, and my husband.

It is my prayer that we will honor Him in our marriage and that we will do our very best to love each other as Christ loves his children.

"If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.

Love cares more for others than for self.

Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.

Love doesn't strut,

Doesn't have a swelled head,

Doesn't force itself on others,

Isn't always "me first,"

Doesn't fly off the handle,

Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,

Doesn't revel when others grovel,

Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,

Puts up with anything,

Trusts God always,

Always looks for the best,

Never looks back,

But keeps going to the end.

Love never dies."

I'm With You

I love this song so much. It's titled I’m With You and its by Nichole Nordeman & Amy Grant
Here's the lyrics!

Love is a hurricane in a blue sky
I didn’t see it coming, never knew why
All the laughter and the dreams
All the memories in between
Washed away in a steady stream

Love is a hunger; a famine in your soul
I thought I planted beauty, but it would never grow.
Now I’m on my hands and knees
trying to gather up my dreams
trying to hold on to anything

And we could shake a fist in times like this
When we don’t understand
Or we could just hold hands

You and me, me and you
Where you go I’ll go too
I’m with you, I’m with you
Until your heart, finds a home
I won’t let you feel alone
I’m with you, I’m with you, with you

You do your best to build a higher wall
To keep love safe from any wrecking ball
When the dust has cleared, we will
See the house that love rebuilds
Guarding beauty that lives here still

It’s you and me, me and you
Where you go I’ll go too
I’m with you, I’m with you
Until your heart, finds a home
I won’t let you feel alone
I’m with you, I’m with you

Who can say I’m left with nothing
When I have all of you, all of you, yeah
In the way you’ve always loved me
I remember. He does too

You and me, me and you
Where you go I’ll go too
I’m with you, I’m with you
Until your heart, finds a home
I won’t let you feel alone
I’m with you, I’m with you
(We’re gonna make it through)

You and me, me and you
Where you go I’ll go too
I’m with you, I’m with you
Until your heart, finds a home
I won’t let you feel alone
I’m with you, I’m with you

With you

back to school

I have successfully survived my first day of my 3rd year of college! I am so pumped for this semester. I feel like I will be challenged, stretched, and exhausted. It is very exciting! I'm taking mostly Gen. Ed. classes including American Government, MT History, American Literature, Human Geography, and Methods for K-8 Art. I am very excited to be taking these classes now that I am actually serious about college. I really want to be organized, involved, and excited about my classes. That's kinda the whole point! I want to become an elementary ed teacher, so I need to devote all my energies to gleaning the most out of every class, every teacher, every assignment, and every textbook.

In other news... I have been so full of joy lately! It is so awesome to be filled completely by the Holy Spirit with joy and peace. It's unbelievable how obsessed I can be with one thing, but all of a sudden have a complete change of heart about it, and hardly think about that one thing that I was overcome by for so many weeks. I can't even explain it. Thank you, God, for lifting a burden off of me!

Please continue your prayers for perseverance, encouragement, and diligence! Also, PLEASE let me know if there is anything that I can pray for for you!

Psalm 16

Keep me safe, O God, I've run for dear life to you.
I say to God, "Be my Lord!"
Without you, nothing makes sense.

And these God-chosen lives all around—
what splendid friends they make!

Don't just go shopping for a god.
gods are not for sale.
I swear I'll never treat god-names
like brand-names.

My choice is you, God, first and only.
And now I find I'm your choice!
You set me up with a house and yard.
And then you made me your heir!

The wise counsel God gives when I'm awake
is confirmed by my sleeping heart.
Day and night I'll stick with God;
I've got a good thing going and I'm not letting go.

I'm happy from the inside out,
and from the outside in, I'm firmly formed.
You canceled my ticket to hell—
that's not my destination!

Now you've got my feet on the life path,
all radiant from the shining of your face.
Ever since you took my hand,
I'm on the right way.

don't worry God, i'm strong enough.

Now that summer is well underway, I've decided to post another blog. ;) This summer has started so great. I'm working multiple jobs, and staying very busy. I'm loving spending time with my family, but also realizing how excited I am to be on my own and discovering life beyond my imagination. I had the opportunity to go camping last weekend with my family and some family friends. It was so fun to just get away from the busyness for a while and play card games, kayak, boat, eat s'mores, and just share incredibly valuable time with the people that I love, and the people that love me unconditionally.

I've been realizing the absolute, unconditional love God has for me. It's amazing to see how even when I'm falling away from Him, or when I'm not giving Him as much attention as He is absolutely worth of, He still works in my life. He sends reminders in the smallest ways, and it makes me feel so small and helpless. He reminds me that I am weak. I can't do it alone, and I should've stopped trying to do it alone a really long time ago. I'm not strong enough to do it by myself. I need his Hands of Mercy to cover me. I don't need to be strong enough. I can't be strong enough.

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:12-13

"...being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6

Christianity ≠ Religion

I've been thinking a lot about Christianity and what it really means to be a Christian versus being a Christ-follower. Being a Christ-follower does not mean you are better than any other person. It does not mean you are above other people or that it is your job to judge people or tell people how they are to be living their lives. Being a Christ-follower isn't a religion. Being religious is performing liturgy, attending formal services, listening to sermons, adhering to a hierarchal leadership system, making sure you don't look bad, living according to a set of man-made rules you're not supposed to break, avoiding speaking words you're not supposed to say, steering clear of lines you're not supposed to cross, attempting (hopelessly) to check off all of the tasks on your "To Be Saved" list, and all the while, trying to make sure everyone else is doing the same things. Christians today have forgotten what it means to be a Christ-follower. Christianity has evolved from humility, truth, and love to legalism, righteousness, and religion. I don't want to be called a Christian if that's what being a Christian looks like. I don't want to be called a Christian if that is the witness we give to the world. Christians need to start practicing what we preach. We expect people to listen to us, respect us, and respond to us, but we don't live it. We don't listen to, respect, or respond to the world, so why would the world even think about doing the same to us? In order to make a difference in the world, we have to listen to our God, respect our God, and respond to the Call of our God instead of expecting the world to listen, respect, and respond to our witness. If we do what Christ wants us to do- which is our role in this world- the rest is in His Hands. There is nothing we can do to save ourselves, let alone anyone else.

Following Christ is a relationship. It is not, will never be, and never was a religion. It's more than a name, more than a faith, more than a creed, more than something to believe in, more than giving your allegiance. It has to be more like falling in love, more like losing your heart. It has to be less like a theory and more like a love affair.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA9IfB7coKg

http://jasongraymusic.wordpress.com/2010/01/30/the-story-behind-more-like-falling-in-love-or-what-vibrant-faith-and-housecleaning-have-in-common/