Tuesday, June 9, 2020

In the kitchen, a new pincushion and lots of freebies...

Last month I shared a tutorial to make a lace-cuffed wrist pincushion which was very popular indeed. 
I decided to make a second one to give to Blossom but the last couple of weeks have been rather busy so even though I had the fabrics prepared over a week ago it wasn't until Saturday afternoon that I finally had time to sew it together. 
Blossom likes green so I chose a pretty olive green print and added one of my treasured vintage buttons to the centre. 




I'm really pleased with how it turned out and can't wait to give it to her when she and the little ones visit tomorrow.




When looking for a special pin to add with this gift I found some hand-made owls and thought one of them perfect as my girl has a soft spot for owls.

You'll find the tutorial HERE




Sunday afternoon was spent in the kitchen with a variety of things on the go - vegetable and cashew cous cous salad, sultana scones, pineapple fruit cake (two of them), sundried tomato bread, coleslaw,  and a blackberry & apple crumble served with coconut milk yoghurt...












Yesterday I indulged in the leftovers of the crumble with a nice hot cup of tea and some stitching whilst catching up on Masterchef. If only I could have that kind of morning tea every day...mmmm. 




In the photo above you can see a peek to the left of the new cardie pattern I'm knitting, this time for Rafaella. Knitting really stirs up the arthritis in my right hand (unlike hand embroidery which soothes it) so this will probably be the last thing I knit for a while (or until next autumn or winter for Blossom's new baby, due in December).

The newest pattern I'm stitching won't be available until August because I'm always a couple of months ahead with my Faith In Hand club designs but I didn't think you'd mind a little peek.




My email inbox the past month has really been swamped with people asking for my older patterns and to be honest, it really overwhelms me. There's the time aspect - replying, searching through my 600+ patterns, deciding whether I can do it (or whether I want to re-release that pattern), the correspondence back and forth (often many emails) - plus the reformatting and updating of old patterns to a new file. All this takes hours some days and I've decided to no longer give that precious time away.

SO...I'm now spending just one hour per week adding one or two more patterns to my Etsy Shop and perhaps one to my free pattern page.

Yesterday I refreshed the free pattern page with a number of my most requested freebies, and these included the remaining ones from Craftsy/Bluprint (which is closing and not allowing my four free patterns to be downloaded anymore) so if you'd like to browse through the ones I've chosen for this season go HERE to the Free Patterns page.

One of the old favourites is Joy In The Ordinary...




I also have a Tutorials page which you may have missed?

One of the most popular tutorials I've shared in the past few years was the Perched Sewing Caddy...




I also have a page which has links to the blog posts I've shared which help with hand embroidery stitches and the supplies I personally favour.


The most popular helps post is the backstitch and lazy daisy tutorial which also includes tips on how to sew smaller hand embroidery stitches.




Another post I was reminded about recently was "Stitching and the Ditching of Perfection" which I wrote in 2015. If you worry about what the back of your hand embroidery looks like let me encourage you to go HERE and have a read. 



Now I must be away and attend to dinner as my dear husband will be home soon and with winter nights bringing darkness rather early we tend to eat around 5.30 instead of the later meals shared during the summer months so I have less time at the end of the day to enjoy kitchen duties. 

My menu tonight will be a spicy black makhani daal with brown rice, and an apricot shortcake for dessert (which will also make a yummy morning tea tomorrow when the family comes to visit!).

So tell me, what are you cooking or sewing or making at the moment?
I'd genuinely love to know.

God bless you and keep you safe and close to His loving heart,

hugs


15 comments:

Beth said...

Over the long weekend I had a nice time to batch up. Preserved/Pickled 3 jars of beetroot (these were from our 2nd planting of the season). Made a Vegetable Lasagne - using up some random vegetables from the fridge as well as some bought specifically for it. 1 serve was for tea last night and the rest were popped in the freezer for another day.

SusyQ said...

I love reading your blogs Jenny. It makes me feel like I'm chatting with a good friend. Since Iso, I've been making my iwn bread using my breadmaker to mix the dough as arthritis in my hands prevents me from doing the kneading, but I prefer to bake it in the oven so I don't get the big hole in the bottom of the loaf. And I have to admit that I get a little bit more self satisfaction knowing I contributed a small amount to its creation. And of course it tastes so much better than store bought. I Have also been doing a lot if sewing & quilt making, so in some ways I will miss these quieter times when we finally go back to our "normal" lives. Take care Jenny, looking forward to your next blog.

BJ said...

Enjoyed your post today. I just finished up making the free"So we do not lose heart" stitchery for my sister-in-law. I did make some changes as I tend to do no matter what I'm making. I turned it into a mini ornament so she can hang it from her peg shelf. She and my brother will be over this afternoon for eggs (we have 8 chickens ). I made a fig and walnut bread last night so we'll have that with tea or coffee. This was the first time I made it and was so concerned about it hardly rising but it came out perfectly yummy.It's a yeast bread but also has a cup of beer. Hope your week is creative and happy!

Mandy Currie said...

Hello Jenny, really enjoyed your post today, I needed a bit of cheer. I've been embroidering a pincushion for my sister but seem to have lost heart in it and put it aside as it was very complicated. I have a habit of going for projects that are so involved. I'll get it done, I just have to push myself. lol Your projects are lovely, thank you for all the stitching help and patterns, it really is appreciated. Stay well and to the family regards Mandy xx

Farm Quilter said...

What an oasis your blog is amidst the crazy of the world!! Thank you for the peace that passes all understanding that comes through your blog. Be blessed, dear friend.

Craftyloretta said...

Hi, enjoyed,ur blog....many nice messages and ideas. Take,care...Loretta

Joanne said...

Hi Jenny,
Fantastic decision...only one hour...might need to use a timer...it's quite easy to just have to check and this and that and before one knows it the afternoon has flown by ! Success! and enjoy the extra time where and when you want to enjoy it :)
Love stitching and the ditching of perfection !
I tell people there are only two "rules" ...try not to bleed on the quilt and there are NO quilt police !
Bulgur works well in salads as well. Learned about it when the box that I brought home was bulgur instead of couscous. Works well. just needs a few minutes of cooking.
Thanks for the tutorials!
hugs,
Joanne

Lin said...

Such a cute owl on that lovely pincushion. Your baking all looks delicious Jenny. xx

Susan said...

Ha, ha, Jenny, I had to look up spicy black makhani daal! Even though I eat in an Indian restaurant often, they don't label things extensively on the buffet, so I had no clue what that was. Now I have a clue. =) Great idea to put links to your available patterns and tutorials. I think you made a good decision. Blossom's pincushion is lovely, especially with that pretty button and the owl pin. As I looked at your wonderful food results, I became very hungry, so I'm off to eat something much more mundane! But an avocado might still be included. =)

Jenny of Elefantz said...

Mandy, when I am working on a detailed project that is going to take a lot of time and concentration I make sure to break every so often and make a quick project from start to finish...have accomplished that I feel more content and able to return to the work needed on the larger project. x

Jenny of Elefantz said...

Love that you made it into a ornament! And that bread sounds so delicious. :-)

Jenny of Elefantz said...

You know, SusyQ, I believe we need to take a lesson from this season of lockdown and begin to live more fully at home more, and not return the old ways of being too busy or spending more time away from home than is necessary. xx

Allie said...

Wow those pincushions are just gorgeous - the owl pin goes perfectly with Blossom's pincushion, doesn't it? Good choice~! I'm getting hungry looking at all that food, went to the dentist today and the novocaine is wearing off - not sure how able I am to eat though, probably have cream of wheat for dinner, lol. Good for you on taking charge of your time - nobody has THAT much, lol. Proud of you girl!

Sherry said...

Hi, Jenny. Love your pincushion! I may have to try to make one for myself. I'm not too good of a cook but I want to try making some no-knead bread soon. I just haven't taken the time yet. I've been making some little crab blocks for a mini quilt. The pattern is from a woman who has a blog called Faith and Fabric. She also has a Facebook group and is doing a Crabby quilt along with the crab pattern. Since we're all so crabby from being on lock-down already. Thank you for all the crafts and patterns. I made sure to get all of mine from Bluprint before they closed down. A lot of them were yours and Allie's. Bless you for all you do for us. Take care of yourself.

KingsailK said...

Wonderful blog!😊Thanksxx