Of Needles and Needs

   On Thursday, (25^th Oct.) I managed to complete the wedding pillow for “Floss & Harry’s” wedding.  I was relieved and pleased that I’d finished over a week before the wedding.  The week before a wedding is a hectic time for the two families involved. 

What I learned:  The inner pillow is made of heavy-weight cotton.  The cover is made of light-weight cotton/polyester and silk.  Different weights of material take different sized needles for the sewing machine.  To start off with I used a medium sized needle—80/11.  By the time I had four layers to sew together, the machine was skipping stitches.  So, I pulled out the manual for the sewing machine and checked the trouble-shooting section.  As it transpires, when the thickness of a project increases, it requires changing to a larger needle, so that the thread catches the bobbin thread properly.  In this instance, I went up one size—90/14. 

Now I’m focusing on Christmas Sewing—presents.  Can’t say much about that right now; after Christmas I’ll post some photos. 

This week—from 29^th October—the schools are out on mid-term break.  So I won’t be going to sewing class.  Disappointed sigh.  And I can’t sew on Christmas projects—because my oldest grandson, Bell-Man, is with us this week.  Another sewing disappointment...but glad my grandson is here.  However, I wanted to do a major baking project. 

Mr. David Deng is from South Sudan.  He is currently in England studying economics and development.  He and his friends have started a charity to rebuild the area they are from—which is way out in the bush of South Sudan.  I wanted to do something practical to raise money for them.  So, I have decided to bake 10 gingerbread houses and sell them in the parish.  And since I can’t sew this week, I can bake!  Yippee!  I’m sure that Bell-man will find this an interesting week! 

I was reading in 1 Timothy this past week and came upon these verses: 

“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, ² for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. ³ For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour,”  1Timothy 2:1-3

I find it interesting that Paul talks about three expressions of talking to God:  supplications, prayers and intercessions.  So being a person who is interested in the meaning of words, I went to Strong’s Concordance to look up what the word was in the original Greek. 

Intercession: is associated with the idea of interview, conferring with, or entreating for favour or against something; to intercede on someone else’s behalf.  Basically when we pray, we are asking God to show His favour on another person and his/her situation.

Prayers:  can be connected to worship, our worship of God.  It implicates deep, earnest expression to God during a time of corporate fellowship with God and others.  And it is often said out loud, for God and others to hear.

Supplications:  This has a correlation to begging or binding ones’ self to another; to take a petition on behalf of ourselves or others.  This word infers that there is urgency, and specific needs involved. 

What do sewing and praying have in common?  They are both skills.  The more I study these skills, the better I understand how to do things better.  I want my sewing skills to become a professional level—where my mistakes are few instead of hidden.  I want my prayer skills to deepen, become more effective, more powerful. 

When the sewing machine was skipping stitches on a garment, it led me to consult the users’ manual.  When my prayers don’t accomplish all I want them to, I am led to God’s Users’ Manual for Mankind—the Bible.  I want to mature.  And I want to help others to learn how to become better equipped to pray and see differences happen because of prayers said.

Serving Jesus, Author of our faith,

“Lady Helene”