Monday, January 1, 2018

Block 1 "A Year in the Garden" BOM...

Welcome 2018!

It's just passed 9 am on New Year's Day in my part of the world and it's hot, humid and sunny. Very different from the USA where I see on the news it's so cold windows are breaking. I do pray that wherever you are you can stay cool if it's hot and warm if it's cold, that you do what's best for your body's comfort and health in the weather you are facing and not do anything silly which could bring on heatstroke or frostbite, okay? xx

Last night Mr E and I drove down to the beach at Pallarenda and with iced de-caff lattes and our camping chairs in hand we perched on the sand to watch the 9 pm fireworks across the bay at The Strand. We have made this a yearly tradition now as it's deserted and peaceful out there on the Pallarenda shoreline, perhaps ten people at most, unlike The Strand which is packed with thousands of New Year's Eve revelers.
Home by 11, we were fast asleep by 11:15.
It was a lovely relaxed night.

A new year, a fresh skein of thread and a BOM for you to stitch...are you ready?

This year we're stitching with 'garden hearts' because each month you will create a scene of floral beauty, the kind I love to imagine growing one day in my own patch of soil, winding along the pathway from post box to a welcoming front porch. My imaginings include a Cocker Spaniel or a Cavalier King Charles, perhaps both, sitting at our feet, wind chimes gently tinkling in the autumn breeze as we sip iced lattes and survey the work of our hands...I could go on. Really, I could. But isn't that thought just so calming?

But back to the BOM...

"A Year in the Garden" will take us from January to December, with a quilt pattern shared alongside the final block for those who want to complete this as one large project, and a smaller alternative idea shared with the February block for those who like a more compact display. 



Important facts:

Each new block will be shared on the 1st of the month and remain a free download during that entire month. 
When the next block is shared the previous one will become a $2 purchase, and so on. 

If you don't want to miss any blocks during their 'freebie' month sign up here for my free weekly newsletter or add your email address in my sidebar where it says 'never miss a blog post'.

Today you can download "January"....





Inside your pattern you'll find a list of everything you'll need to stitch the design, as well as the material requirements to bring all the blocks together as a quilt in December if that's your plan.

The embroidery instructions are detailed and step-by-step using just a few different stitches - backstitch, satin stitch, running stitch, and cross stitch.
This coming year I hope to do a few video tutorials of basic stitches, but for now you can go here to see my backstitch.

This is the finished quilt top before I bound it...



I'll take another photo of it quilted and bound for you in time for the February block.
I've used just two fabrics, a floral and a tonal, and this allows all the embroidery to stand out...after all that's what the bulk of your work has gone into for this completed project so you want those twelve stitcheries to shine and take centre stage.

The thread colours were chosen to blend with the fabrics, but I also added blue for a little extra 'pop' of contrast and interest.

Think about those things as you stitch "January" and I know you'll love what your hands create!

Now I'm off to open my new planner and make notes for the first quarter of 2018, and then it's off to the air conditioned sewing room to frame this design.




Bless each and every one of you!

May the fresh wind of a new year blow away the needless and futile things of last year and give you breath to embrace what is ahead,

hugs




41 comments:

Anonymous said...

Happy New Year to you and your lovely family Jenny xx

Guida said...

Happy New Year Jenny and thank you for this lovely gift xx. Guida

Linda said...

Happy New Year to you and your family, sweet Jenny!! ๐Ÿ˜Š

Allie-oops Designs said...

Oh Jenny this is glorious - my mind has been in the garden lately [although I don't garden, lol] and this is so so special.
Your NYE sounds heavenly. I want to wish you the best year ever hon, may God fill your life with every blessing....love you!

Deborah said...

Happy New Year. The stitchery is so pretty. We are having very cold weather here- minus 30 C today and worse with the windchill. We are hoping it warms up soon as it makes it hard to get out and do anything.

selina said...

love your yearly freebies! you are very generous & very talented

hope the new year brings joy & bliss for all your families

thanx for sharing

Sharm said...

Just this morning I went around the garden and picked a bunch of flowers to pop into the jug I keep in the centre of my table- this stitcher is lovely - Thankyou for giving the opportunity to get a free stitchery each month - I'll have to think of other ideas I might do with these blocks rather than a quilt ........ in the meantime I very much love that simple pleasures embroidery you have there - is it available yet?
I know that stretch of beach - when we lived in Townsville it was a great place to be able to take the dogs for a long walk away from lots of other people, and I enjoyed collecting various things along the beach.
Enjoy your day today Jenny ๐Ÿ˜˜

Createology said...

2018 BOM with gardening is wonderful and so are you Sweet Jenny. Thank you dear. Blessings for Peace, Love, Health and Lots of Creativity for all of 2018...xo

Peg - Happy In Quilting said...

Happy New Year to you and your family Jen❤️❤️❤️

Janice said...

A beautiful design. We had a picnic and watched the local fireworks too. A nice way to farewell the old year and herald the new. Have a wonderful 2018.

Christine M said...

Happy New Year, Jenny. Thank you for once again sharing a BOM with us all. xxx

Line said...

Happy New Year Jenny. We are not yet in 2018 here in Canada and it is very cold (-14 degrees Celcius) but we are in family and happy. Thank you for sharing embroidery and for your generosity. You are doing really good work. God bless you and your family.

Ruth B said...

Happy New Year Jenny! What wonderful things will happen for your family this year? A new grandbaby for sure! Oh how I miss my grandbabies being little and available for hugs. Those are days to treasure and remember always.

Nanna Chel said...

Happy New Year, Jenny! How beautiful is that embroidery. My eyes aren't good enough these days to participate but I did do a lot of embroidery many years ago and it is lovely to see that it is so popular these days as well. Have a wonderfully blessed year. I really love the Strand up there but don't think I would join in the New Year celebrations there as it would be soooo busy.

Sharon Wright said...

Thank you Jenny. Im planning to do your bom this year its beautiful. With warm wishes from Sharon Wright in South Africa ��

Joanne said...

Happy New Year !
Thanks Jenny for starting 2018 with garden stitches!
Looking forward to enjoying your blog !

La Comtesse said...

Happy New Year!๐Ÿ˜˜
Loredana

Unknown said...

Happy New Year Jenny.
Thank you for all the patterns, your open heart, and the devotionals.
I have gotten through this past year because of you.
I have not forgotten, I am still sorting material and patterns. Now that everything is under one roof instead of several storage units, I didn't realize how much there is.
May your new year be blessed. I have thanked the Lord for placing you in my life and my heart.
Praying all is going well with Blossom and the new little one to come.
Faith in Texas

Little Penpen said...

Happy New Year Sweet Lady! The January block is so pretty!!

Bubba and Nana said...

Blessings to you and your family in 2018! Love your blog and your open heart. Thank you for these gifts!

bri68 said...

happy new year to you et thanks for this lovely present

daisydilly (vicki) said...

Thank you so very much for the new BOM. And you can send a bit of the heat to the US. It's 2*F with a wind chill of -12*F. :)

fleur-bleu said...

bonjour je dรฉcouvre votre blog ,tres joli et de douces broderies .je vais m inscrire a votre news je voudrais bien faire le sal de broderies tous les mois mais je ne l aie pas trouvรฉ au Tรฉlรฉchargement .pouvez-vous m aider bonne et heureuse annรฉe Madame. a bientรดt Joรซlle

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Jenny. Your fireworks sound just perfect! I like the first design for January, and look forward to seeing, and hopefully stitching, the rest this year. I hope your day is soothing and calm.

Kathleen said...

Thank you for another beautiful BOM to look forward too this year! I watched a bit of fireworks display from Australia on TV last night while I was sewing bibs. I posted a picture on a forum I belong to and called it my last finish for 2017. But it could be my first finish for 2018 if I consider Australia time :)
Happy New Year to you and yours!

QuiltE said...

Looks like you and Mr. E had a very special and enjoyable New Year's Eve. Quite the contrast to our weather at -22°C. The normal average for now, about -7°C. So yes, even we tough Canadians are noticing it!:) Thank you for this lovely BOM pattern series. It will be my first embroidery BOM and I am so looking forward to following along. Now to decide on some fabrics and get started. Will you be offering a monthly Linky? Hope so, I have found them helpful to keep me on track to getting them done for the quilting BOMs. Bless You!

Susan said...

Thanks for the new BOM. Your quilt top is so pretty and striking in red. Happy New Year to you too.

Leeanne said...

yes a happy hot humid new year to you from me in NZ too! I look forward to the year ahead all your wonderful clever and pretty creations. Best Wishes...xx

Winifred said...

That sounds like a wonderful way to spend New Year's Eve Jenny. Not too cold here in the North of England. We had a pretty covering of snow last week, the first for a few years which was nice & it didn't stay too long which was even better!

Hope Blossom is keeping well & that 2018 brings a healthy & happy year for you all.

Rita Lynn said...

Thank you for the lovely pattern.

Tania said...

Such a lovely pattern Jenny. I must admit that my needle work is a little rusty and my eye sight not as good as it used to be, but by golly this is so tempting.

Sending you New Year blessings,

xTania

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

It was -17 degrees (F) when I woke up this morning. Maybe we could split the temps between us, and we'd both be comfy. I have the Cavalier King Charles, that is next to me now, and has a bed in my sewing room, beneath a vintage sewing machine cabinet.

Susie said...

Happy New Year and thank you for another lovely design. You are so incredibly talented.

Ondrea said...

Everyone will love that BOM. I stitched it when it was first available and l made each one into individual minis which I display eash month. Oooops! Just remembered I still have December up LOL. Where has that time gone? Glad you had a lovely NYE. It was rather quiet here apart from some firweworks and I think it has been the quietest NYE here for many years thank goodness. The weather is all over the place down here and I am looking forward to having air con installed around Februaury so I can get some stitching done.

รgueda said...

Thank you very much for your time, your work, your blog...Thank you for every gift. I'm lucky met your blog.

Linda said...

Thank You. I have enjoyed reading your inspiring blog and viewing your beautiful needlework. I have even downloaded a few of your patterns but have never sat down and made any of them. One of my goals this year is to spend less time on Facebook and Blogs looking at other people's creations, and more time making a few for myself and beautifying my own home. Thank you for the time and work you have put into these patterns and for generously making them available to us.

Brenda said...

Dear Jenny and Mr. E I wish you both a Happy New Year! I am sorry I am a few days late. I do pray that the Lord continues to flourish in your lives and guides you through this year with love, understanding and learning plus so much more as you grow together in the Lord.

I am so excited about this BOM Jenny! This will be my first BOM with you and having printed out the first block, it excites me and fills my heart with a calmness. I have decided to do two blocks, one for a quilt and one for a set of tea towels. Thank You so much for sharing your special and beautiful talents with us. My healing over the death of my Father is slowly continuing and this project along with a couple other projects are truly helping me, due to the fact that I really speak to the Lord while I am stitching. Thank you again Jenny. Have a great New Year and a Fabulous Day!

Tuppence said...

Querida Jenny ¡
Aunque tarde te deseo a ti y a toda tu familia un Feliz 2018 lleno de venturas.
Te agradezco el trabajo que nos dedicas con tus diseรฑos y tu maravilloso blog, es una delicia leerte..
Como siempre Muchas gracias..
Un beso ¡
Nora

belra said...

Dear Jenny:
I take advantage of this beginning of the year to wish you the best and to thank you for your generosity. I love your designs!
I have not had a very good end of the year and neither the beginning of this is going very well, I fell and broke an elbow so it will take a while to catch the needle but I keep the pattern and hope that in December I will have recovered the time lost.
Anyway, I do not forget that the Lord is the one who governs my life and my time. Ecclesiastes 3, 1-8
May God continue to bless your life so that you may continue to bless others.
Hugs from Barcelona
Isabel

Kerryanne @ Shabby Art Boutique said...

Such a gorgeous design Jenny!
Thank you for sharing this at Create, Bake, Grow & Gather this week. I'm delighted to be featuring your design at tonight's party.
Hugs,
Kerryanne

Sum of their Stories said...

What a gorgeous design and wonderful idea. I found you from the Create, Bake, Grow and Gather party.