Fussy pieced pincushion and a herb stitchery for you...

 

Last year I shared a free ebook of pantry staple recipes and pre-mixes, and inside was a simple herb stitchery template for you to make if you felt inclined to sew it. 

Must admit, I do love stitching herbs! 

The template I shared back then was just the line drawing I'd sketched, but with the intention of stitching it one day. During a break this year I finally got around to it, as one of my monthly UFO Adventure projects for 2026 (I shall get my Makers Journal up to date this week and show you - every month there has been a UFO make, so I'm very happy about that).

In my cupboard was an inexpensive cotton dress purchased from Kmart two or three summers ago, but after one wash it shrunk quite dramatically. The fabric was lovely so I cut it up and put it aside in my stash. After tracing my herb design onto a piece of cream linen it was this very fabric that came to mind as inspiring the thread colours and applique prints I would use...

The fabric is very fruity and floral, so I'm deciding whether to make an apron and insert the completed herb stitchery into the bib section, or to sew a decorative tea towel from the dress fabric and embellish it with the herb block. It would be fiddly to make the apron because the dress fabric is in odd sized pieces, but I do think that's the direction my creative spark is veering closer to. What would you choose?

If you missed that free Pantry Staples e-book, it can be downloaded HERE.

If you would just like to make the herb stitchery download it HERE as a free gift. 

Reorganising my sewing room last week, I remembered that I'd forgotten to show you a really sweet pin cushion I made last year, inspired by a block I saw on Pinterest. I don't know the source of the 12-patch block, but it really caught my eye when I saw the photo because of the way it had been fussy cut to create a wreath. Beautiful isn't it?!

(photo via Pinterest)

I spent time going through my fabrics to find one suitable for something similar, with the idea of making it into a pin cushion. I eventually chose this lovely floral with spots on a white background, and though perhaps not quite as obvious as a wreath, I loved the final effect. 

(the fabric I've used is Barefoot Roses by Tanya Whelan)

The completed pincushion is a favourite of mine and often in use, not just because it's functional, but mostly because its so pretty on my cutting table and makes me smile. Such a simple idea, and I thank whoever made that original wreath block shown on Pinterest for inspiring me to try something similar. Are you inspired too? 

In the last blog post I shared some yummy baked goods that will be made 'over and over' in our kitchen as they were so delicious, and many requests came for the recipes. 

The recipe for the Lemon Kefir Pound Cake is HERE and the recipe for the Fat Rascals I chose from numerous ones online is this below -

The Fat Rascals recipe makes 8 large, but I made ours slightly smaller and got a dozen. Even then my hubby said "Gee, these are big". They are quite hearty indeed. :-)

Well, it is late Sunday evening now and I'm rather weary but satisfied after mopst of the weekend spent getting the front and back gardens in order, plus baking a delicious roast chicken dinner Saturday night, giving the bathroom a really deep clean, and reorganising all my DMC and Cosmo threads in preparation for spring sewing.

I did have numerous short rests between activities, but the weather was glorious, so many hours were enjoyed in the garden and I can truly say the aching knee tonight has not dampened my joy. Hubby is tired and sore too, but we have wide smiles and full hearts. 

God bless, have a delightful week ahead and I'll write again in a few days. 

PS: My Etsy Shop is always open, so please drop by if you are in the mood for something new to stitch.

CLICK HERE

Contentment, simplicity and acceptance...

 

I have lately been pondering the physical changes which have come to pass these past few years, or perhaps across the past decade. For a long while it was a frustrating struggle to accept the increasing number of limitations my body enforced upon me, and too much time was spent lamenting the days of yore when my man and I were off exploring every weekend, driving to rugged places, hiking mountains to see a waterfall, trekking through the rainforest, all with a large picnic hamper, a thermos of tea, water bottles, ground blanket and cameras in hand, and no time restraints on ending our day. 

And then in September 2018 we bought our quarter acre and set up this home as our 'landing space' for however long the Lord keeps us here, or until Jesus returns. It was the first time we'd had a home of our own, after decades of renting, and was an old home in need of many repairs, but all we saw at the time was a blank slate and the opportunity to build gardens, to grow food, to do to it whatever we wanted in order to create a home which truly reflected us - a home which would be our very own sanctuary now and into the future. 

(harvesting young radishes, basil, and garlic chives)

We were in our late 50's at the time, and had no concept of what this new and exciting change would require of us - but after the first few years, we realised the change was in fact an enormous challenge, one that would weary us commensurate with natural physical aging. But after a few more years, and with a good number of modules in various God-designed reality lessons, all we feel now is gratitude and acceptance for what has become for us, a simpler style of life. It's an honest hardworking life, without excess and living within our means, and much richer in reward than we could have imagined, even with bodies that continue to age.

Throughout these years the seeds of contenment grew as well, and to be honest, I believe that may be the very root of how acceptance sprouts in the heart. Once that happened for us, it became clear the Lord had been using a number of trials and challenges to show how 'our' perceived dreams often do not match up with reality. 

(pesto made from fresh radish tops and basil - delicous!)

I was recently thinking of the old saying  - "If only I knew then what I know now" - and I asked myself even if that were possible, would I have changed anything about this journey? I asked my husband as well. Both of us had the same answer. No. How can we regret learning what we did not know, with the Lord right by our side all the way, gently imparting His wisdom when our own had failed. 

(this morning's sourdough loaf, baked at 6am in a dutch oven after proving overnight, and made from two flours - rye and wheat)

There are many 'dreams' we have in life, or perhaps some were more like wishful thinking or hoping for the best outcome?  I'll be honest with you, apart from home ownership, motherhood was not what I imagined, neither was marriage or homeschooling. These 'dreams' ended up having a very loose resemblance to how they truly were. But looking back, the realities held far more wonders and were much richer than the dreams ever promised to be!

(baby beet tops for adding to salads)

So now when I have my hands in the soil, preparing more area for planting food crops, I get so excited about the process of building a garden, planting seeds, growing food, and later enjoying an abundant harvest. Its a slow thing, a time consuming act working with the climate here so that we plant things which will grow and not waste time or money on plants which are known to fail (often that knowledge came from our own mistakes)...but oh how marvellous it is to the heart being in the garden, and acknowledging that here in our 8th autumn, we can see the result of those years before and give thanks to the Lord for the abundance we have today. 

(my April UFO finish, fingerless mittens with embroidered motifs)

The truth is, no experience in life is wasted. In God's economy, all we have done before, and all we are doing now, can be looked at as a kind of investment in our character if we simply allow Him to correct, refresh and guide us forward. My husband and I are not the same people we were the day we moved into this home back in 2018. God has whittled away a number of sharp edges in our character, built our faith even higher through various trials and outcomes (some not at all what we'd hoped for), shown us over and over that disappointments will come but He is still walking with us and He will see us through them. It is one thing to hope God is with you, but quite another to have no doubt whatsoever...and that's us. We believe, we accept, we have no doubt, we love Him so much, and we worship Him alone. 

No regrets. Even now with a very painful physical condition that restricts many activities, we hope for my healing, but we also accept the situation as it is right now - after all, there are a number of spiritual insights which have come from this, such as a deeper compassion for others who experience chronic pain, debilitating conditions, isolation, or enforced slowing for example. 

(hand quilting my Bird in Pot block - I shared the free pattern HERE)

I do not know where you are on this journey of gentle homemaking (see HERE for that blog post), or in your walk with the Lord, but as a woman who is still learning new life skills and spiritual insights at 67 years of age, let me encourage you to seek the good things around you, and not focus on the valley you may be walking through. God will walk with you through the valleys, and if you trust that is true, just allow acceptance to bring you peace. Then lift your eyes to notice the joys which nest around your life, joys which you may have overlooked or not searched for. 

 Between homemaking and garden tasks I need to rest my leg for a few hours, and during that time I may have a play with my photos using the Midjourney membership Blossom and Ross gifted me. The photo above is one I took last week in our kitchen, and then transformed it into a watercolour painting. I had recently cleaned out the walk-in pantry shelving and made this kitchen entrance area of repurposed book cases more functional by adding the everyday pantry items. Previously they have held jars of various food items, but this time I chose only items which are cooking staples. It's lovely to stand at the kitchen counter and look over at this area! It inspires me every day to create in the kitchen. These two watercolour pictures will be printed up and framed in the kitchen and pantry as soon as I can drive again and visit the op-shops for good frames. :-)

(the watercolour version of this photo above, using the AI feature in Midjourney, added a little drawer beneath the two top shelves, rather than the almond milks which sit on the shelf below, but I love it and thought how lovely it would be to have real drawers there)

Well, its time for a herbal tea and some freshly baked sourdough with hummus, pesto and avocado. One of my favourite lunches! Later on I may roast a pumpkin, one of the many still growing in our front yard, for soup tonight. But first, lunch and a rest with the leg up. 

God bless, I will write again soon, and in the meantime I'd love to read your own stories in the comments...

You will find loads of patterns for instant download HERE in my Etsy Shop 

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Flowing with your season...

(my original photo of the front of our home, remade as a watercolour print, April 2026)

Home is where I am happiest. Home is where I get to live out the familiar rhythms and habits, through all seasons, which keep me grounded and calm and confident. 

Occasionally there are new challenges to face within those familar seasons, mostly the kind which are quickly (or simply) resolved, but every so often there's one which will take more from you than first imagined. 

Days after my last post, it became evident that time would be needed for me to try something new, wait for a result, and finally, to make my peace with what would eventuate. During these past five weeks there's been no desire in my heart to write here, nor even correspond with the many kind and caring emails, messages and comments you have sent to check up on me - but I did cherish each one, and have been so very grateful for your prayers, especially when I am sure you all have challenges of your own to contend with. How incredibly lovely are your hearts! xxx

I did want to clarify something - many messages/emails about my knee assumed that it was arthritis and that I'd need a knee replacement, but that is incorrect. The damage is primarily a cartilage injury (the meniscus) as well as a couple of bone marrow oedemas, the main one in my tibia. These cause swelling and chronic pain, but the problem I mostly have is re-injuring (three times) where the medial meniscus detached nine months ago. Anyhow, whilst I was absent from the blog, I saw the orthopeadic specialist who suggested an injection of hyaluronic acid, hoping that would give some extra cushioning inside my knee while the meniscus continued to heal. The success rate is 50% and it was very expensive, but after such a long time of chronic pain it seemed worth trying at least. Unfortunately, it has not worked. 

But I have had time to consider all my options, and examine every bit of advice given me by the medical professionals. Some of the things I was told to do by physiotherapists made my knee worse, and the more I investigated those exercises, the more I learned how outdated they were. So, I have been doing things a bit differently the past three weeks, and can actually feel some improvement at long last - which has allowed me to return to the garden, and work in it, carefully and mindfully, for a couple of hours most days. As of this week I was able to drive the car 2 kilometres to the shop, but no further due to pain, but two weeks ago I could not drive at all. I relish every blessings, large or small!

The front and back gardens were horribly overgrown and ugly after our monsoonal wet season. I was not sure where to begin, but decided to start slowly, and begin clearing away and pruning. Just doing that over a few days allowed me to envision what was needed at this mid-autumn season, and how I could best return to growing vegetables again. You see, mid-autumn to mid-spring is our growing season in the tropics, and I had thought for many months that I'd miss it this year. 

The grandkids came over one Sunday and 5yo Charlie David spent hours helping Poppy in the garden. Poppy pruned the large trees and bushes, and afterwards Charlie David helped carry the branches to Poppy for shredding. By the end of the morning we had a good deal of mulch for the front and back garden! 

Something my husband and Charlie's dad Ross do a lot of with him, is "men stuff". Teaching young boys how to do things they'll need to know one day with their own families to care for is very important to them. 

And meanwhile Rafaella was in the kitchen with me making a chicken pasta salad. It was her first time using a very sharp knife (one of my Japanese kitchen knives), and she was marvellous cutting all the vegetables while I cooked the pasta and made mayonnaise.

I haven't done any sewing or knitting for three weeks, because the garden has been my focus, but I did complete my March UFO on time...

The backing fabric and binding are favourite prints I have had since 2007!! In fact every fabric used in this project is at least ten years old. People often ask me where they can purchase the fabrics used in my designs and I have to disappoint them because most of the fabric I own is between 8-20 years old. 

I truly love how the table runner finished up, and decided that once the garden is a bit further along I shall make more of those orange peel blocks from my old fabrics and use them as cushion covers for the lounge room - so bright and cheery!

So shall I complete a UFO for April?? I do not know, but tonight I'll have a look through the ones I put aside for this year and see if there's a small project that can be completed easily. I'm rather tired at night... :-)

Anyhow I'll leave you with photos of where I'm up to in the garden as of yesterday. So that you know what's been planted thus far...

Seeds still sprouting and yet to be planted out - daikon radish, red cherry tomatoes, yellow pear tomatoes, lebanese cucumbers, coriander, lemon basil, zinnia and cosmos.

Already potted - bok choy, spring onions, calendula, chives, red tomato, sweet potato, rocket (arugula), snow peas and various herbs. 

Ready to harvest - We also have another huge bunch of bananas growing, the lime tree almost finished producing (we got around 200 limes this year), the lemon grass needing to be thinned and the stalks frozen, plus five huge pumpkins almost ready to harvest.

Seeds to be planted over the weekend - carrots, beetroot, rockmelon and parsley. 

There's still a lot more to do in the front and back gardens, and we're a bit late with the winter planting, but one thing I have come to realise is that doing something is far better than doing nothing. In fact, planting a little is better than not planting at all. An hour a day adds up to seven by week's end if that's all you can manage in a day. If you don't have wonderfully large high garden beds, use pots. I mostly use pots. Just do something that brings your senses alive - and for me that is in the garden. 

For you it may be sitting with your watercolours and painting a scene, or any number of activities which breathe life into your actions and protect your mental health. 

I know that the garden is integral to my mental health. The birds visit each day, and wait for me to feed them. They do not fly away when I come near because they know they're safe around me, and that is such a blessing. Sitting outside watching the birds, enjoying a cup of tea and perusing the fruits of my garden labour - all this is a gift from the Lord, and I do not take those gifts lightly.

I know many of the smaller birds will be building nests soon, so I have hung a mug of yarn scraps from the elder tree for them, after seeing the idea on Niamh's vlog a few years back. 

I hope to be back writing again next week, as I had not intended being absent for so long - but seasons come and go, and rather than be frustrated when a particular season is upended with various challenges, it's important to flow along with them and carry the peace of God with you until that season has passed and a fresh one begins. 

Whatever season you are in right now, whether it be hard or exciting or joyous or confusing, lean on the Lord. Rest in His arms and let His constant and unfailing reassurance carry you through the laughter or tears. I have found there is no other Who can see me through every season of life, as carefully or as faithfully, as my Jesus. 

Chat again soon,

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Everyday life while convalescing...

 

Well, February is almost over, and this week I played around with my Makers Journal, adding two new pages to show some of what has been made this month. 

Charlie David's "Misselthwaite Mitts" were completed and he wears them every day, even in our ghastly hot and humid summer. He sends me voice messages every few days to tell me he loves me, and as all Nanas know, that precious grandson melts my heart. 

He loves sunrise and sunsets, so this yarn was perfect. They only took me two days to complete, and as they are small I chose to knit on small double pointed needles instead of my long stainless steel ones. To avoid losing stitches or stabbing myself, these very cute little elephant needle toppers were employed.

I always make a few batches of plum jam during February and March each year, and last week the first batch were ready.

I'll plan another batch in a few weeks, as for now I must stay close to the couch. Pots of herbal tea, made with herbs from the garden which I dried last year (ginger, tulsi, mint) and some I purchased online (rosehip and willowbark), are very soothing during this newly extended period of convalescense as I knit and hand sew...

Our Kelly-dog just turned two, and is definitely no longer a pup. He's a sleeper, a snoozer, a fellow who just loves to watch and rest, especially at the front window. Our entire road is being ripped up and new pipes laid, so out front we have trenches 8 feet deep by 8 feet wide and 20 feet long, right across the front of our house (and the neighbours homes too) and it's a bit of a minefield for hubby to get in and out with the car each day, especially as this is the wet season. We have no drains right now and watching those trenches fill up and flow over with mud and down our driveway is not easy. But, many months from now this will all be complete and life on our road can return to normal. 

Kelly-dog loves to watch the workmen and machinery from the front window, resting his long dachshund head on the sill...and then promptly falls asleep and snores. It's the funniest thing! 

It's been two weeks since my last blog post, and I wasn't sure if I'd even blog this week - not because I didn't want to, but because I've had more tests on my knee recently, and the level of pain increased to such a point that sitting at my desk to use the computer wasn't easy. In fact, the key to my recovery now, given the latest results which show a new problem inside two of my bones, is to rest for quite a few months. I must avoid as much weight bearing as possible, and be rather strict with myself if I am to ever recover and get back to 'normal' activities. 

This means no gardening, no using a sewing machine (due to the sitting, and the foot pedal pressure), no driving (haven't driven for about six weeks already), and now not even sitting as a passenger in the car as this causes more pain than I can handle these days - and many other must-not-dos for around six months.

Last week in the early morn, after a few days of feeling quite sorry for myself (though some of that was from the constant lack of sleep and painkillers not working) I cried out again to God for help in coping with the constant pain, physical limitations, inability to ever leave the house, and the 'aloneness' (not loneliness) of life when my husband is at work six days a week...when I heard a kookaburra laughing nearby.

You know they are my favourite bird. They bring me so much joy whenever they visit, but their visits are rare now since the huge poincianna in our yard split twice last year, and is no more. They would often rest in the tree, and sing their laughing chorus as I hung the washing on the line...oh how I've missed that in the past year. Yet last week, one returned and sat on that clothesline, singing it's laughing song. I stood outside under the elder tree and we watched each other for a good ten minutes. I was praying and giving thanks to God for it's visit, when I sensed deep within me these words from the Lord - "I see you, I hear you, I am with you." Hubby came out and I cried on his shoulder, tears of joy for the comfort received from my Father in Heaven.

I turned to go and get my camera, when it flew from the clothesline to the fence and posed for a photo.

My outlook changed right then and there. Yes, this is a difficult time, but it's not as bad as many others experience, and hopefully healing will occur eventually. Accepting a lot of extra help from my husband has been a lesson in humility I'd rather not learn again, so I will be a jolly good student this time round. Having always been the one to care and tend for our home while he works long hours, and making sure he returns home each evening to a space that is calm and beautiful and welcoming, this season of life has turned things around in many ways - but let us not forget, a welcoming home, a sanctuary, is more about the attitude of those who dwell within, and the presence of the Holy Spirit in every corner. 

So I have slowed a lot, with intention, and surrender to my current disability. In fact, it occurred to me that sewing can still be done, but it will be by substituting the sewing machine with my very own nimble fingers. Which is what I did yesterday with my 2026 Adventure UFO project for February. 

At the weekend I stitched the gusset of the pincushion with a row of cross-stitches and running stitch, in the same thread colours I used in the top.

The round top and bottom, plus the gusset, were all backed with Parlan, so hand sewing them all together was a bit on the bulky side...

I used a lot of pins to secure the top and gusset together, but then decided to baste the two sections together instead and remove the pins before properly hand stitching the seams. The main reason for this was the mess made when some of those pins took aim at my fingers...

Fortunately, the blood was on the wrong side of the fabric, apart from one teeny tiny spot amidst the applique. 

Once it was all sewn and stuffed, I added cross stitches around the top edge. It turned out to be a wonderful little pin cushion and I'm so glad to have persevered and completed it all by hand. 

Tomorrow I shall display it in photos on a new page in my Makers Journal, and that will probably be my final finish for February. 

It was my 67th birthday on Saturday and hubby very carefully drove us over to Blossom's so the children could give me a party, bless them. 

I am excited about the future, and not because I'm focused on healing, but because this life is temporary, and I know what is yet to come far exceeds what is behind. There was a time when we were homeschooling and the kids use to talk about all the things they'd like to achieve one day, but you know how they'd say it?  "If Jesus hasn't come back yet, I want to..." We taught them from birth to number their days, and now Blossom teaches her own children to expect the second coming of Jesus one day.

My Nana always said "Lord willing we shall..." which made me aware of God's sovereignty over all things, and having grown up with that in my mind these past 67 years, even before giving my life to Christ in 1991, there is a realisation now of how much closer I am to seeing Him than ever before, and I am excited. 

When He returns on the clouds of heaven with the loudest trumpet blast the earth has ever known, and all the angels, I hope to see Him in all His glory - no matter whether I am alive still, or sleeping in the grave - I pray that I'll be with those who are lifted up into the air to meet Him and be with Him forevermore. May that be your hope too. 

In the meantime, I shall make it my intention to lead a quiet life, to mind my own business, and work with my hands, just as the Bible instructs us. Funny how this has become so relevent to my current season of life. I have always tried to live this way, but now it has taken on a deeper meaning. God's life lessons never grow old... :-)

Not sure which UFO project I shall decide to complete in March, but it will all be hand stitched so I shall choose carefully. 

How about you? What have you been making lately in the kitchen, sewing room, garden, pottery shed...?? Are you hindered by an injury and if so, what changes have you needed to make?

God bless dear ones, and know you are held in my heart and in my prayers.

Until next week,

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