Sewing for gifts and furnishings, plus a huge pattern sale!

 
This month looks set to disappear almost as quickly as 2024 is about to, don't you think? It is two weeks till Christmas, seventeen days to our 33rd wedding anniversary, and three weeks till New Year! Oh, and Charlie David turned 4 just two days ago. 

As the youngest of my grandsons, his is the last birthday of the year in our family, but on New Years Day my oldest grandson has his birthday. Of course, then we start over with another year of various holidays and celebrations. I'll turn 66 in February, and as each year has seemingly passed quicker than the year before, I am fairly sure 2025 may just be over in a blink too. 

But, let me not wish it away...rather, it's my plan on January 1st to embrace the coming year and be more thoughtful about what I choose to do with my time each month.  I'd like to be making gifts well in advance, creating my own greeting cards, doing a thorough updated plan for a pantry re-stock, 'walking the room' as is my custom early in the year (you can read about it here), planning and planting our mid-autumn and winter garden in March, finally starting my watercolour course, and delving deep into lessons from the women of the Bible (which I'll share with you), plus getting back to sewing my own dresses. There are other things I look forward to, but these are the important ones for now. Time for slowing down and appreciating the simple things of life are also important to the plans I'm making. 

This week I've been finishing gifts, like this cushion which was posted off to one of my daughters...

Cushions like this are marvellous for orphan stitcheries! The little "Berry Sprigs" design was one I did back in 2017, and I've always loved it. When going through my fabrics for a piece that my daughter would like, I discovered there was enough left of this sweet linen tulip print to make her a cushion, and still more to make another for myself soon. The little stitchery was perfect to adorn the front.

After turning in the edges I tacked it in place before securing it with needleturn applique. 

I have quite a bit of cotton twill tape and used that for the closure. It's sturdy stuff and the colour was a perfect compliment to the fabric and stitchery. 

Perhaps if you're still looking for a gift to make someone, you could have a ramble through your orphan stitcheries and fabric stash to make a similar style of cushion?? I did a tutorial HERE in 2020 for a simple tie top pillow if you've not made one before. 

Tomorrow, after the morning housework, I will be sewing some Christmas cushion covers with this beautiful furnishing fabric I bought for $7 a metre on sale at Spotlight last week. There was almost 4 metres on the bolt so I took the lot because rarely do I find such bargains on fabrics for the home, and we do not have any seasonal cushion covers. I'll just do a basic envelope closure at the back. 

Hand stitching - well, I've taken a short break from making tiny dolls for Rafaella so that my hands and thumbs can recover from the first two I made. ;-) For some relaxing (and mentally therapeutic) stitching I've drawn up a new free pattern to share with you on Friday...

...and it's actually the inspiration for my blog and life theme in 2025. And that lovely big pincushion with the scissor pocket above? I did a step-by-step tutorial for one in 2018 that you can find HERE. Again, this is a great project for using orphan stitcheries and fabrics from your stash. I call it the "hold it for me" pincushion, and it's a good size too. 

With everything that's been going on here over the past month - leaking roof, kitchen ceiling falling in, Cully May breaking her foot, and a number of other injuries and challenges within the family and at home, I just never got around to setting up a sale in my Etsy Shop. However, between the 11th and 17th December, you will find EVERYTHING in my shop listed at 20% off!

Click on the photo below to access the sale. You do not need a code, as all my patterns, BOMs and quilts, are discounted automatically. 

Or simply click HERE

Perhaps you're not ready to ponder next year just now? That is fine, as we are all different and do things at our own pace. For myself it was the Lord who directed me the other day with a few things that may be challenging, but which He would like for me to do. I'll be sharing more about that soon, but for now, if you're not sure what He wants for your life in 2025, just pray and ask. 

I admit that when I asked, His answer was almost immediate and surprised me. Then I needed a few days to let it sink in before getting in the Word and making a start. There's a very real faith-walk involved for some of us when God clearly directs our path, but be assured that His ways are higher than ours and will achieve things we could not imagine...especially things for His glory. Trust and obey, for there's no other way. Oh, I love that hymn! 

I shall leave you today with another favourite song, "Hallelujah"...

God bless lovely ones!