A day early but this means I have the entire weekend free, and you have the entire weekend in which to stitch "Welcome"...
Welcome signs are a personal favourite of mine.
Just seeing those words displayed in someone's home encourages me to soften my shoulders and breathe out in expectation of a relaxed and warm visit.
In this month's block I've given you some lovely stitches with which to play.
Alongside my beloved Backstitch we have Satin Stitch flowers with bundles of Colonial Knots for the centres, Chain Stitch for the wording and those sweet little hearts, all finished with Lazy Daisy leaves and scattered baby blue Cross-Stitches across the stems.
Do you like the butterfly?
I gave her a Satin Stitched upper body and head, Lazy Daisy lower body, Backstitch-ed antennae and wing outline, then filled her wings with flower inspired Colonial Knots.
Everything has been stitched with two strands of thread except for her antennae which is a single strand.
This month's block was a joy to design and stitch. Small and simple, it reflects what I love most about home...simplicity, welcome and warmth of heart.
I was going to frame it when I finished the embroidery but then decided to add more homely simplicity with the addition of pretty borders to finish Welcome as a mini-quilt (or small table runner).
In case you like this display of Welcome I've included the instructions for sewing my mini quilt in the free Block 3 pattern.
Mr E begins two weeks holiday tomorrow and I can't wait. He still needs to fix the air conditioning in the Jeep but once that's done we may finally be able to head out on a short road trip, something we have missed for many months.
It is still awfully hot and humid where I live, the hope of experiencing an autumn seems once again to have evaded our tropical part of the state. I'll be honest and tell you that not having relief from heat since last August is taking a toll and the past few days I have felt myself sliding into depression. The high humidity has swollen all my joints, triggered more migraines than I can say and robbed me of the opportunity to go out walking as my husband deems it not safe for me to leave the house at 5am to circle the neighbourhood (and he's right). I yearn for cooler days, a cool breeze, walking at a decent hour when it's much safer.
People who have lived here all their life manage so much better in the constant heat and at times it makes me feel as though I'm nothing more than a complainer, but even almost eight years living here I can't seem to manage after mid-March...the physical weariness flows into emotional exhaustion and all I want to do some days is sleep in freezing cold air conditioning under a comforting blanket like a small child, or have a jolly good cry - but I don't do either.
So why am I sharing this today?
Keeping it real, actually.
Nobody is immune to struggle, challenges, some form of sadness or depression, but too often it's not spoken about.
There are a number of things which can trigger seasons of depression in my life but right now it's an inability to get out in nature because my body cannot cope physically with a seventh month of endless heat.
I'm a nature girl at heart who loves to walk barefoot in the grass and sit among the trees, absorbing all the beauty of creation, filling my 'joy' tank to overflowing, and in a couple more months that will come my way again as we experience a short winter reprieve here (our winter is like a mild spring, so beautiful).
Being aware of 'what' my triggers are helps me to remember that these dark days or weeks of depression will indeed pass and not to believe this will never end.
If you're feeling low or weary right now I'm praying for you when I pray for myself.
God knows who you are and He listens to our prayers. The darkness may not lift immediately but we're not alone as we walk the road to lighter days if we hold tightly to Him.
Always hope, always.
Bless you heaps,
27 comments:
Thank you Jenny for this beautiful block. You are so kind and giving. I had wondered if your migraines had settled down but I guess not. I'm so sorry. I can identify with you and the heat and humidity. I consider Houston to be somewhat tropical and our summers are brutal. Wish I could go somewhere north for several months. I know about depression having dealt with it for 30+ years. My meds have pretty much stabilized me but I get tired very easily and have low energy. Take care of yourself.
So sorry for the suffering you have with the heat, as well as the migraines. Here in northern Minnesota, we have somewhat the opposite cause for weather depression - a long cold winter. There comes a time, possibly in mid January, where spring seems an impossibly long way off & one just can't imagine surviving another frigid cold day! Here's hoping that at about the time it warms here into spring that you get some Autumn cooling! - Diane from Minnesota
Jenny Dear thank you for this sweet Welcome design. I do wish for you to have some relief from your heat and migraines. I understand how sadness annd depression can take over even if we know the triggers. I find lack of sunshine to get me down. I'm so grateful for friends like you and our "Small World" blogging and sharing. No one is alone. Blessings and Healing Energy Lovely Lady...<3
I've been reading your blog for a while but have never commented until now. Your post today really touched me and I wanted to say thank you for your comforting words. As a fellow migraine sufferer you have my sympathy- the weather affects mine too but here in the UK the heat isn't as bad as it sounds like it is for you. I love your posts and your sewing projects but most of all your words of hope and encouragement. Thank you x
Such a lovely post. Sorry to hear that you are feeling so poorly . The humidity would get to me. I love the heat but not the humidity. With swollen joints , migraines and restrictions with being able to enjoy the outdoors I am not surprised that you are feeling depressed. Remember, you are human. Your new block is so lovely and I like what you have made it into. I particularly love how you have used the chain stitch and the colonial knots. They add texture to the design. I have been keeping the other blocks to piece into a quilt when all the blocks are done but I may make 2 of the "welcome" one. One for the quilt and one to make what you made. Despite your health issues you always seem to create beautiful projects to bring joy to others. THANKYOU.
Pretty design Jenny - thank you. I hope that cooler weather will soon arrive for you. xx
Thank you for the beautiful pattern Jenny! Hope you can keep positive and start to feel more at peace soon! Christine x
Jenny I understand, I do really understand, about the heat. I live in Brisbane and suffer from the swollen hands, feet, heat distress, migraines etc too. Simply said I dread the long humid summer. I was in Airlie Beach in early March and found it intolerable. So I will include you in my prayers.
The welcome stitchery is so adorable to say the least. I might make this one for my first grandbaby due later in the year.
God bless you and keep you and enjoy your weekend rest.
Jenny, thank you for using your weakness to comfort others - me, especially. I pray that you will be encouraged and strengthened this weekend, dear friend!
Mucas gracias por tu generosidad. Son preciosos todos los bloques que compartes. Besos
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. - 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Father I pray for the healing of all of us here today who suffer from these ailments of depression and migraines. You are the Great Healer and we know You do not wish for any of your children to suffer. We lay these ailments before the throne and ask for Your mercy and healing so others will see that you are the One True God of heaven and earth. For Your glory Father. In Jesus precious name - Amen
Dearest Jenny,
I understand living in a more temperate area and ending up in a hotter one. I grew up in Kansas where we had four seasons that were pretty much equal in the year. Of course that was long ago and things have changed a bit with global warming but they still have four seasons, maybe not quite so equal. We ended up in Texas, coming while I was pregnant with our first child. It was April and she was not born until Sept. so that was how I experienced my first Texas summer. You would think after 34 years I would be used to it but I am not. As you are entering Autumn we are Summer and I will be the one with the freezing cold air conditioner. The only way I get to experience nature is when I take my sweet little Papillion outside for her breaks. We are fortunate that our house has a large covered back porch that offers wonderful shade and respite from any bad weather. Last year Jim put up a large porch swing that can handle us and all of the grandchildren at the same time and I will sit there and look at the nature in my back yard. Bits will sit in my lap and the geckos, squirrels and birds come quite close as they have discovered over the years that she is not a threat and neither am I.
Dani and Eric have moved back in with us for a month as they are wanting to move to this side of town and the apartment complex they want does not have an opening for a month. I think making up your welcome sign would be a wonderful housewarming gift. I want to make one up for Emily and Lanham also. They have always had an open door policy at their house and I don't know two more welcoming people.
Believe me when I say dear one that you are in my prayers daily. I do hope that with the coming of Autumn you might have some relief.
I DO like the butterfly! It was one of the first things I noticed. This is lovely and a great addition t any home, framed or quilted. Thank you so much, Jenny. I, too, have a hard time with humidity. I spend a lot of time indoors here in Tennessee's summer, and even in the winter, without the heat, the humidity bothers me. I love the desert, and I could change my life and go, if I worked hard at it. I want to pay off debt first, though. You are sort of at the whim of Mr. E's employment, though. Do you have a dehumidifier inside the house, or just the A/C? I sympathize with all your symptoms, and I hope a cooling breeze comes soon - that trip might be just the thing, and then come home to a cooler spot after a weather change!
I love the new Welcome block. All the different stitches will be fun to learn and something different then backstitch. I think all these stitches really make this pattern gorgeous. Hope you will have relief from the affects of the heat soon. And thanks for your encouragement to us all in how we look at life and the things that may trigger depression.
Thank you for the lovely welcome pattern. I am trying to bring some lighter, happier colors into my home and this will be perfect. Looking forward to trying the chain stitch. Thank you also for sharing problems with the weather, illness and depression. Between the long gray winter in the Pacific Northwest and menopause I feel sometimes like I am under attack! Knowing that other people have these same kinds of problems makes me feel like I can cope better and the prayers remind me that we are also watched over. Take care everyone!
Jenny,
Have you tried golden paste for joint relief? It is a turmeric paste you make at home. I can feel the relief in 15 min. The best part...no drugs. Google it & have a look.
Dear Jenny, thank you so much for the lovely new block. So sorry that you are feeling unwell. I hope that you feel better soon. I share your pain, literally, although for me it is the constant cold and damp for at least 7 months of the year that makes my arthritis unbearable at times. It is horrible to feel so ill and to not have the energy to do the things you love. You are in my prayers and I hope that you have some relief from your pain soon.
Love Alison xxx
Thank you for the lovely stitchery piece but thank you more for your sharing. I appreciate so much when someone mentions their depression as I think the more we share about, the less the stigma. Someone who hasn't been depressed doesn't understand the weight and heaviness of it and that it just can't be shrugged off. I'm sure you've investigated cooled places to visit but sometimes we forget. Our libraries offer a cool respite and you can go there for hours. Our malls have a/c and people can visit them for long stretches of time. Churches, too. Any place where you can go may help. I will pray for cooling peace for you, your joints, and your migraines.
Hola! que hermosos trabajo . Espero que pronto puedas salir a disfrutar de la naturaleza y todos los dolores se vayan . un abrazo
Magnifique broderie !!!!!!!!!
Bonne semaine
Corinne
Thank you for this month's block. Praying for cool breezes for you!
I appreciate your transparency, Jenny. As a rule I don't suffer from depression. However, about 14 years ago I had 6 weeks of unexplained depression. It came on rather suddenly and left just as suddenly. It was a very dark time that brought me to my knees calling out to Jesus. I praise Him for that experience because at the time I was in Women's Ministry and couldn't relate at all when women talked about their depression, and my own experience gave me a depth of compassion that was missing before the episode. I'll be praying for you, my friend. Hugs, Nancy P.S. Love the Welcome block. So delicate and pretty.
Thank you so much for the lovely Welcome block. I love the colors, stitches and of course the darling butterfly. I hope you can get some relief soon from the oppressive heat and the joint pain. I have some arthritis as well and there are days when it's very uncomfortable to move. I myself have not had any issues with depression or migraines, but my husband and children have and I know it's miserable. Praying for you that God will lift you up above the shadows and into His comfort. Take care and enjoy your vacation.
This little stitchery is so beautiful, Jenny! Thanks for sharing it :)
thank you for another lovely stitchery....
Hugz
Thank you or your open and honest heart dear Jenny. Depression grips me fiercely and there are many days I cannot get out of my bed. I love your blocks, all your sweet embroidery projects too. We had major devastation with the floods - I live on the Gold Coast - and the loss of certain things has sent me down into the pit of despair. Your words do encourage me and I thank you for them. Migraines too affect me greatly and it's good to know I am not alone. Praying you will have peace that passes all understanding - may God bless you X
Heading into summer here in the states and I really dislike summer. I stay in doors all summer. also going thru a little down time now.
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