Last minute Tammy struck again.  I promised to make a quilted prayer shawl for our retiring retired pastor (get that?!) as we were installing a new pastor yesterday at church.

But, dang, I was in the middle of a very good book!  So, Saturday night, I’d make a block, then read a chapter (or two)…head back to the sewing room and work on a couple more blocks, then go for another reading break.  I could have had the project finished by midnight – but, the book breaks were killing me!  hehe

Finally, by 2 am, I had it finished, pressed and almost ready to gift (with a couple of chapters in my book that I just could not keep my eyelids open for) – I needed the PC that was in our bedroom (with the hubster sleeping) to create the tag for the back, so I held off waking him up and made us nearly late for church on Sunday instead <blush>.

The three crosses represent Calvary and the two Jacob’s Ladder blocks show that our way to redemption and eternal life are there for the taking. 

All Pastor Don cared about was that it was “quilty.” 😉

The presentation was made after the installation service and before we had lunch, and was a fun time.  First, my husband draped the prayer shawl around Pr. Don’s shoulders:

Then, our new pastor got up and draped the shawl around Pr. Don’s head:

And finally, a very happy pastor, pleased with his gift (which he invited me to make for him a few months ago):

I sent a note home with Pr. Don’s wife (in the blue in the photos) with a bit more explanation of what the blocks and the prayer shawl represented.  One of the things I mentioned in the note was that a number of hymns & songs were playing through my mind while I was putting it all together – such as The Old Rugged Cross, Amazing Grace, How Great Thou Art and God is Great, Beer is Good and People are Crazy. 🙂

It was an enjoyable (though not for impatient children) insallation service and a fun ending to a LONG morning.  I was too tuckered out to tackle the grocery store, so we stopped for the essentials and then went home for a lovely Sunday afternoon nap.  Ahhhh, success can be humble and entertaining.