And sew it Begins: Lesson 1

What a wonderful meeting we had today!!

It was so nice to get our first sewing lesson under our belt. For a vast majority of our Pickwicks, this lesson was more of a refresher on our basic stitches. It was, however, very important to make sure that all girls are starting off on equal footing. Today's exercise will make next meeting's scheduled sewing project much easier.

Today, the girls went home with Styrofoam plates. Each plate was divided into 3 sections. The first section was completed at the meeting. the girls were asked to outline the tree in "running stitch".


In the second section the girls were asked to outline the flower in backstitch. This stitch is very important, as it is the closest stitch that we have to the stitch made by our sewing machines.





The third section is to be completed prior to the next meeting. The girls were asked to outline the star in backstitch. At the next meeting we will teach the girls how to "whip" it. If you are at a loss when it comes to these stitches, or need a little reminder please click on the Needle n' thread link on the sidebar... they have a wonderful video library of stitches listed by name :)



We were able to get a great deal completed today. It was a lovely afternoon, and I was thrilled to have so much voluntary discussion while studying our virtue of the month (friendliness).



Next meeting, we will be making great use of our new stitches as we sew our own pin cushions.

Please be sure to keep me up to date with any at home projects or reflections that you might have. We will post it for all to see.

The Pickwicking we will go

Lesson 1

The Virtue of Friendliness

“The friendship that can cease has never been real.”

-St. Jerome.

In Last weeks reading we learned of the value of friendship. True friendship is a gift, for it teaches us to open our hearts to others. It teaches us to rely upon each other, care for each other and to be loyal to one another. In doing so, we demonstrate our love.

The friendship we practice here on Earth amongst our brothers and sisters, is the very friendship we must cultivate in our relationship with Jesus. We must rely on Him, care for Him, be loyal to Him, and show our love for Him in all ways. Just as we confide in our friends, we must also confide in Jesus. Just as we wish to remain close to our friends, we should also feel moved to be near to Jesus.

For His is a friendship more dear than any other. He will listen to your confessions, and He will not judge you. He will hear of your pains, and He will comfort you. He will discover your needs, and He will provide for you. He is the perfect friend.

So we must strive to emulate this friendship with others. We must try to remember to be forgiving and non-judgmental. We must strive for a deeper understanding. We must always remember to keep our friend's confidence. If we remember all of these things, we will succeed in making our relationships flourish. We will not loose our love for our friends, For we will have become a servant of absolute Love.

As St. Jerome said "a friendship that can cease, has never been real"

We can never have truly loved someone, unless we have able to receive them whole heartedly, just as Jesus has received us.

Patron Saint of Friendship: St. John the Apostle

A Prayer for True Friendship
Jesus, loving companion of Your children,You have extended Your friendship to all.You opened Your arms without discrimination,Offering Your warmth to those seeking comfort.Endow me with the virtue of such a friendship,To know, love and trust all on an equal basis;To share my patronizing without favorism,And to be pleasant towards the destitute.Fashion my heart to reflect Your qualities,Those befitting of a cordial association.Jesus, You showed me the way to true friendship:Blessed is Your amazing and warm Person