I can not WAIT to hear those words again! Baseball has been a life-long love for me and I am missing listening to my favorite YES announcers call the nightly Yankee games.
I designed this quilt after the birth of my first grandchild last winter. I grew up listening to Yankee baseball with my mom and grandfather and I have visions of doing the same thing with my grandson! We can snuggle with his quilt and I can teach him all about the game!
Since I am very much a Yankee fan, pinstripes were an obvious choice for the outer border. Strip piecing makes construction much easier and quicker. While I love methods that make my quilts go together faster I never sacrifice accuracy in the process. An accurate 1/4″ seam allowance is key in this quilt. The white pinstripes finish at 1/2″ as do the rows that form the baseballs. My cutting instructions have you cut all the pieces with their longest measurement on the lengthwise grain of fabric which practically eliminates the strips stretching. That was a tip I wasn’t aware of for a long time….
Most sewers and quilters know if you need a lot of stretch you cut on the bias. What you may or may not know is that the crossgrain (perpendicular to the selvedge) can have a fair amount of stretch while the lengthwise grain (parallel to the selvedge) has almost none. Since the quilt is comprised of many long skinny rectangles I included instructions for cutting the fabric with the lengthwise grain to eliminate stretch and help the blocks and borders go together so nicely!
The perfect shade of red thread and the same stitch that’s on a real baseball confirms that these are indeed baseballs! I was so excited to find my machine has this stitch! If your machine doesn’t have it no worries! A small zigzag will give the same effect and your little baseball lover will never notice!
I include the information for the baseball stencil in the pattern supply list. My machine quilting isn’t perfect but I think I did a fairly good job “tracing” the bat and ball with my needle. Once my grandson and I snuggle with this and drag it around outside no one will notice if the lines aren’t completely straight anyway!
There is great comfort in the familiar. Uncertainty can bring fear and anxiety. As I have said before I love to work with my hands and the gentle rhythm of my machine can work wonders on my anxious heart. The machine itself isn’t what soothes my heart but the quiet familiarity. As I settle into what I have done for so many years I find my heart and mind settle as well and that is when the Lord has a way of ministering to my heart. Sometimes all I need is time to focus on something besides what may be uncertain around me and that is when His words come to me.
I have been a student of the Bible for more years than I can remember. Scripture is stored in my heart and it comes to mind when I need it most. Have you ever been struggling to remember something and it pops into your head at the oddest time? Yeah, happens to me all the time! The same thing happens with scripture. When I am worried or anxious about something it is in the still, quiet times that the Lord reminds me of His promises in His word.
Be still and know that I am God.
Psalm 46:10
He IS God. To me that means He is in control. I don’t need to worry. My God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that I ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). Don’t fret my friend. God is still on the throne and He is still working. Keep your gaze lifted up!
Many blessing to you,
Michelle
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