Fruit of the Spirit

Old hymnals are a great resource for Bible Quilting! Often as we are creating with scripture, we're reminded of a worship song or hymn. Adding some stanzas of favorite hymns are a fun way to add some texture into your Bible Quilt journal. Chances are you have an old hymnal available through a family member or perhaps your church that has some "retired" ones. I have several old hymnals from my Mom's stash of piano music. Some of them are falling apart anyway and have a comfortable worn edge that is a touching reminder of how much they've been loved. The old fonts are nostalgic, too! Simply tear out a page and adapt the size to fit your journal. You can use the whole song or a snippet of a stanza that is particularly meaningful to you. If the page has songs on both sides that you want to use, then copy one side and use your favorite of the two in its original form. ( The benefit to copying is that you can also shrink it down to fit on your page if needed. ) Once you've chosen your hymn, then you can harvest some verses to accompany it. Then finish off with some embellishments such as stickers, music notes, or washi tape. There are so many perspectives of the Christmas story, it's fun to do pages from a variety of viewpoints. Hymns can help capture the wonder from these different perspectives. #Christmas #biblequiltjournal #hymns #Christmascarols #Bethlehem #SilentNight #oldhymnals What's your favorite Christmas song? Share in the comments section below!

The is my first attempt at Bible Quilt Journaling. I’ve really enjoyed the process!

What a miracle that we often overlook in the hubbub of the season! Think about young Mary, the virgin from Nazareth who was "highly favored" and chosen to give birth to our Savior, Jesus. Wow! I started this "V" page in my ABC Bible Quilt journal this week, thinking I would do a couple verses on the virgin Mary and then some other "V" verses. I ended up doing a whole page, focusing on this honor that Mary had above all other women! I started with a verse from Isaiah that foretold of this miracle... I used a stamp that I picked up last week on sale at Michael's, liking the simplicity of the silhouette. Then I used the shining star included in the stamp set to show how it drew the wise men and the shepherds toward His manger that night. I used some "night sky" washi tape to add some bold color background, playing around with torn edges to draw the eye in to the manger scene. I had to improvise with two sections to make the moon full. (This is what I do to compensate for artistic elements that I have ideas about, but can't quite get to paper...I improvise with my supplies to try to get the same effect.) "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him IMMANUEL, which means GOD WITH US." Matthew 1:22-23 As I worked on this page with this lovely "V" letter title designed by my friend, Sarah, I considered the elements she included. I love the softness of the floral cascade on one side and the sturdy strength of the other side. I imagine Mary encompassed both of these attributes, nurturing the child Jesus with an underlying strength of courageous composure! I finished up the page with a few more embellishments and some verses from Luke. One of my favorite "mother" verses didn't fit on the page but I'm struck by it every time I read these Christmas passages: "But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." Luke 2:19 As we inch closer to the holidays, I'm interested in what's in your hearts and invite you to share! #ABCbiblequiltjournal #Visfor__ #virginbirth #virginMary