The four flower patches represent the lush beauty of the garden. The green lines are the cool pathways through the garden, and the red in the center is the forbidden fruit.

Finished 8/1/05

The gold fabric I chose has a "crackly" print. I chose it to represent the desert, and also Sarah's age when she bore Isaac. The flowers represent Sarah's beauty, like flowers in the desert.

Finished 8/2/05

The normal method for constructing this block would be applique. I decided to see if I could conquer the curves and hand piece it instead. If you look closely, you can see that the edges are not very even, and the block is less than perfect. As I was making it and thinking about Hagar, I realized that what I was doing was a lot like her life. She had a difficult life, and things didn't come out perfectly in the end, but God was still with her and cared for her. He still used her story as part of His plan, just as my imperfect block will still be used as part of the overall plan in my quilt.

The blue represents the well in the desert where God provided for Hagar and Ishmael. The green leaves represent hope. I chose a complicated print for the flowers to represent Hagar's complicated life.

Finished 8/5/05

I chose a red to yellow spectrum to represent the fire that was rained from heaven on Sodom. The darkest patches also have gold in them, symbolizing the spiritual darkness of Sodom, but also the possessions that Lot's wife would be leaving behind. The progression of colors from dark to light indicate the family's flight from Sodom. The dark and light triangles in the center represent the choice that was required. By looking back, Lot's wife chose her former life over the unknown future that God was offering her. 

Finished 8/9/05

Rebekah's story begins with her hospitality and generosity. I began choosing the colors for this block with the central blue, representing the water that she offered to Abraham's servant. Then, because she is my namesake, I just chose colors that pleased me! Rebekah's story has always been something of a disappointment to me, because she ended up favoring one son over the other, and deceiving her husband. But, for this block, I decided to focus on the positive traits that Abraham's servant found in her when he chose her as a wife for Isaac.

Finished 8/12/05

Although this week's lesson was about Rachel, I think this block represents just about everyone in the story. They were all "double crossed" by someone. I chose green to represent the bitter jealousy between Rachel and Leah. However, the dark green has gold flecks in it, which I chose to represent the innumerable stars, which is what God promised Abraham's descendents would be like. The amazing thing is that God didn't only use Rachel and Leah in spite of  their jealousy, He used the very jealousy itself to accomplish His plan. Because the sisters were fighting over Jacob, they ended up with 12 sons, who became the heads of the 12 tribes of Israel.

Finished 8/16/05

Leah was unloved by her husband, and I'm sure she shed a lot of tears. I chose the gray-blue color to represent the sadness of her life. Even in her sorrow, though, she found joy in bearing children. The flowers in this fabric represent her fruitfulness.

Finished 8/22/05

In spite of being treated unjustly, Tamar found a way to be included in God's plan. I wonder how her story would have been different had she sought God's will in her situation rather than taking matters into her own hands. Either way, God allowed her to be a part of the family tree that led to Jesus.

Finished 8/30/05

Potiphar's wife was a woman of wealth and leisure. She caused a lot of trouble for Joseph by falsely accusing him of trying to rape her. However, God even used her lie to bring His will about in Joseph's life.

I chose the gold fabric to represent the pyramids of Egypt. The blue represents the Nile. The mosaic fabric with birds suggested to me the beautifully painted buildings and artwork of Egypt, which probably surrounded Potiphar's wife.

Finished 9/7/05

There were several women in the early life of Moses who played a part in saving his life. There were Shiphrah and Puah, the Hebrew midwives, who allowed the baby boys to live, against Pharoah's orders. There was Jochabed, hs mother, who hid him and put him in the basket to save his life. There was his sister, Miriam, who watched over him and followed him when he was in the river. And there was Pharoah's daughter, who eventually raised him. I doubt if any of them knew the part they would play in the history of the world.

I chose to colors to represent the papyrus plants that were used to make the basket Jochabed made for her son.

Finished 9/19/05

I chose shades of red because I think Miriam was a bold woman, unafraid to speak her mind. Sometimes that boldness got her into trouble. She needed to work at following Moses, who was God's chosen leader in her life. I also chose musical themed fabric for the corner blocks to honor Miriam's song recorded in Exodus.

Finished 9/26/05

Rahab was spared from the destruction of Jericho because she believed the God of the Hebrews was worth following. Like the blood of the Passover lamb, and the blood of Jesus, the red scarf in her window marked her as a believer. The tan fabric in the center is a linen blend, to symbolize the flax which Rahab used to hide the Hebrew spies.

Finished 9/29/05

Deborah was a judge and a prophetess in Israel. Because of her leadership, Israel had peace for 40 years. I admire Deborah because she never sought glory for herself, but encouraged others to act, knowing that God would be with them.

In Hebrew, "Deborah " means "bee" or "honeybee." I chose honey-colored fabric for the applique pieces, and greens and florals for the rest of the block to represent the years of peace.

Finished 10/3/05

Jael helped the Israelite army by killing Sisera, the commander of the enemy army. We don't exactly know why she sided with Israel, since her tribe had good relations with Sisera's people. Whatever her reasons, God used her to free Israel from a harsh foreign rule.

I chose bright, rich colors that reminded me of the colors you might see in a middle eastern marketplace.

Finished 10/7/05