Friday Flaunt

Since completing the quilting on my friend's quilt (see Tuesday), I haven't spent time sewing. I'm helping with VBS (vacation Bible school) at my church, and have found it to be the most amazing, fun, and tiring activity I've done in a long time.

Another adult "shepherd" and I have 19 kids going into sixth grade. We're just one of five sections of sixth graders. And overall, the sixth grade class has the fewest number of kids of all grade levels! At least 700 kids are attending every morning. And unbelievably, the pastors, staff, song leaders and more volunteers will repeat the whole thing next week - in both a morning session, and an evening session! By the end of the two weeks, more than 2,000 kids will have participated. Every one of those kids is learning about God's desires for us: "obedience, trust, courage, love, and strength." The message is coming through loud and clear through prayer, skits, catchy songs and motions - oh my, lots of energetic, bouncy-hoppy-jumpy dancing motions - with tunes and words such as "Macho, macho, man. David is a macho man," singing the Old T and the New T books in order, and short memory phrases - with motions - like "My God is bigger than your giant." As a born and raised Lutheran, it's been a real eye-opening experience to see how VBS has changed from the felt board stories I saw a kid!

But some things never change... what kids like to do during outdoor play time. That's what I have to share in the way of sewing. I sewed together three-yard pieces of elastic to make several Chinese jump ropes.

How many of you remember jumping over these elastic bands on the playground?

Two kids stand opposite from one another with the elastic band looped around their ankles, while the jumper hops in and out of the elastic, chanting "In, out, in, side out, side out, in, out." Remember catching the elastic with your toes and jumping over the other side of the elastic to make "scissors"? Then, the elastic is raised to calvsies and kneesies, and the jumping patterns are repeated.

I've been gratified to see how much my VBS kids are enjoying it.

I'm also flaunting an Ebay purchase. These Marti Michell templates arrived so I can start selecting and cutting fabrics for "Candied Hexagons" - the neatest pattern ever, from a 2005 issue of Australia Quilters Companion made by Kerry Dear. You can see a lovely bit of this quilt on the header of Janet's blog. Hers is beautifully made.

This will be a great take-along, hand-piecing project when traveling to Australia. Or, when just sitting down for a breather after a morning of "aerobics" at VBS.