Revisiting vintage...

In 2015 I shared a redwork block of the month celebrating memories of my childhood in Nana's kitchen.

The Vintage Kitchen was such a popular project that even women who didn't stitch picked up needle and thread to make it. 

There's something quite comforting about the simple yet loving memories of family meals around the kitchen table and time spent watching Mum (or in my case, Nana) baking delicious treats, and I'm sure that's what resonated most with the many thousands of homemaker hearts who stitched the little blocks each month.

Though I first made this mini quilt with redwork blocks, over time I restitched a couple in pastel hues to show how versatile the small designs could be.

The kitchen scales embroidered with variegated pink and blue threads became embellishment for a kitchen towel...

...whilst I stitched the preserves block in blue thread on a pink and white background fabric before displaying inside a sweet little hoop. 

One day I'll stitch all the blocks again, but this time in pastels because I still love the designs and have always wondered what a pastel version in my own style would look like.

A few weeks ago I received an email from Angela, a lovely German lady living in Malaysia.

She'd stitched four of The Vintage Kitchen blocks onto a cover for her toaster and it's so lovely I wanted to show you.

After all, you may be inspired to do something similar! I know I am.

Isn't it beautiful?!

When I saw Angela's toaster cover my mind immediately wondered what needed covering in my own kitchen and there's a few things like the juicer, food processor, toaster and blender, which would not only look pretty with these kind of covers but would also be protected from the dust blown in by the Trade Winds most of the year.

Then I thought, what if you'd like to give your kitchen appliances a cover makeover too?

Just in case this is tickling your fancy I have The Vintage Kitchen pdf pattern on sale for $4 (50% off) until the end of June in my Craftsy shop.

Visit my Craftsy Shop here.

It's Saturday morning here and after a lovely coffee with my husband to start the day we made housework a priority. Mr E takes care of the cars, yard and washing, whilst I scrubbed the bathroom,. kitchen and did the vacuuming.

Now that's finished we're going to settle down for a relaxing afternoon watching Lord of the Rings while I stitch.

What are you planning for the weekend? 

I hope there's some restful downtime in there somewhere.

hugs

Final block for 'My Vintage Kitchen' BOM!

It's hard to believe we began this Block of the Month nine months ago!

Yet, here we are at the very last block, "Cookie Jar"...

 

If you've kept up with the designs each month and are about to stitch this final one then I think you deserve to make a big batch of your very favourite cookies and enjoy them slowly with a tall glass of milk, juice, coffee or tea... 

...because the next step is to piece all nine blocks together as a mini quilt.

Along with the "Cookie Jar" pattern this month I've also written up the 'My Vintage Kitchen' finishing instructions...

Both the block, and the finishing instructions file, can be download for free HERE in my shop until December 31st.

The previous eight blocks are still in the shop and will also remain free until the end of this year.

If you've missed any be sure to download them soon, okay?

 

I hope you've enjoyed this year's Block of the Month!

When you've completed your quilt please email a photo to me so it can be shared here in a special Show & Tell later this year. You'll find my email details HERE.

I can't wait to see it!

The final two designs for September's Stitchery Club are done so today I can show you all six "Inspire" patterns my members will receive on the 17th. 

You have until September 16th to join if you're not already a member.

All information can be found HERE.

I hope you'll consider being part of our stitching fun!

Tomorrow I have someone I'd like you to meet.

She's the newest member of our family...

 

...and we're totally in love with her.

Until then, have a wonderful first day of Spring if you live on my side of the world or a beautiful entrance to Autumn if you're on the other.

hugs

Block 8 of My Vintage Kitchen BOM...

This month I'm celebrating the homeliness we create in the kitchen by filling an old or new vase with fresh cut blooms.....

Flowers are my weekly luxury. I budget $10 each grocery shop for a bunch of roses from the local supermarket. Our rental home is bare of flowers for cutting, though I'm working on some pots of seasonal blooms at the moment, so my weekly indulgence brings our home a wonderfully inviting scene when you first come inside.

Enjoy stitching this little vase of tulips and daisies!

The free pattern can be downloaded HERE in my shop right now.

hugs

Gently domestic things...

It was nice to shut down for a couple of days and just potter around the house, make some lists for next week, and catch up on chores.

I watched a few Miss Marple's and a Poirot while I ironed each afternoon...

...and enjoyed quite a bit of delicious baking and 'souping'.

~ Amaranth, Orange & Cranberry Muffins ~

~ Minestrone & Lamb Soup ~

~ Cauliflower, Chicken & Avocado Sushi Rolls ~

Ideas were jotted down for making pincushions from these orphan vintage cups and saucers that Mr E and I found at the local Label Traders market a couple of weeks ago...

...and this bundle of bargain vintage linens discovered at a local op-shop the other day had a gentle wash to remove yellow markings.

I did get a bit more hand quilting completed on my "at the heart of it all" quilt, but I also finished stitching a blue version of "Preserves" (from 'Vintage Kitchen')...

Nana's pantry shelving had frilly lace edging, so I added a length of cream crochet lace under the preserve jars before displaying it inside the hoop...

On Sunday Mr E took me for a relaxing drive south for a lovely breakfast at "Clove" in Ayr...

...before wandering the Ayr markets where I found another beautiful bounty of linens and crockery.
We came home with five doilies, three sandwich plates, a gravy boat, a lavender serving plate, a teapot, two vintage buckles, and a tea cosy...

Back HERE I used matching doilies as pockets on my apron, so I now have two more sets to sew two new aprons. I may make them to sell, or put aside as gifts...I'm sure I'll know when the time comes.

There was also some soul searching done during my few days of pottering around and I realised there are more changes still to be made in my Year of Gentle Domesticity.
The more I pursue this goal the greater my delight in living out this 'heart's desire' of being a full time homemaker. The new changes I must make will free me up even more to embrace that role in a completeness I'd forgotten since Elefantz 'grew' beyond my expectations.

They are changes which will cause me to draw a line in the sand and thus illuminate where my true priorities lie.

When I find the words to explain them, you'll know what they are.

In the meantime, have a blessed week in the fullness of your being,

hugs

Block 7 of 'My Vintage Kitchen"...

We're preserving this month in the vintage kitchen!

My Nana made jam, marmalade and ginger beer, but she also made the most delicious mustard pickles each year. I can still remember the spicy aroma that filled our backyard as she stirred her huge simmering pot over an outdoor gas burner while Pop and I sat on a rug nearby with lemonade and scones and newspapers and comics, keeping her company. It took about 3 hours, and felt like a sunset picnic.

When Nana died in 1982 I took my three little babies and went home for a week to spend time with Pop and try as best I could to prepare his little flat for life as a single man. He had declined my request that he come live with me, instead wanting to spend his last years where he felt most 'at home' and surrounded by the familiar things and places he and Nana had shared. 

Whilst stocking Pop's kitchen and fridge with meals and groceries to carry him through the first month of his widowhood I drew back the red gingham curtain from across the front of Nana's door-less pantry and saw three perfectly prepared jars of mustard pickle, the last few from her final afternoon of autumn preserving many months before.

Heavy tears fell as two decades of 'fragranced' and wonderful memories played across my mind. 

Later in the week I was packing my suitcase to leave (I lived in another state) and found myself doing it very slowly, trying to slow my departure time in order to spend every moment I could in those familiar walls with the grandfather I loved and respected more than words could say.

 I'd squeezed in Nana's dressing gown, and Pop had given me some of her jewellery and a few lovely bowls. They didn't own much you see, but lived with only what was needed in their tiny walk through flat so these few treasures now packed in the suitcase were to be cherished.

But as I was closing the lid Pop stopped me and pushed two jars of Nana's mustard pickles into the folds of her dressing gown, before pushing down on the lid and closing the locks with a final click. No words were needed. 

Perhaps you have your own memories of preserving season?

Hold them close to your heart as you stitch this month.

Nana's pickles held me together for the next six months after she went home to Jesus, and afterwards it was the memories which became loving stitches, gathering together the fragments of a treasured life lived as her 'daughter'. 

Block 7 "Preserves" is ready for you to download HERE.

Here in the tropics our strawberry season is winter because it's too hot to grow them the rest of the year.

July offers an abundance of the sweet little things so I'm going to set time aside this week to make a few jars of strawberry & apple jam and I've a mind to stitch a few of these little "preserves" blocks as re-usable labels. I'll show you if I follow through on that plan, but first, as a tribute to Nana and my love of all things 30's I'm currently stitching a small hooped version of "Preserves" to hang in my kitchen...

 I found this tiny blue plastic hoop at Lincraft yesterday and it already has a little hanging loop as part of the outer frame. Perfect for what I want to create...

The background fabric is a leftover piece of Retro 30's Child Smile.
I think the pink and blue are a match made in heaven...

What is your favourite preserve?

hugs