A morning with Heather...

I've often written here that Mr E and Blossom are my best friends, and they are, but have I told you about my other bestie? 

Her name is Heather...

 We met a few years back over a needlework strewn table in the botanical gardens cafe and over the course of time since we've increasingly found more in common than we originally imagined.

Like a renewed and mutually encouraging delight in the domestic arts; a desire to embrace our role as homemakers with womanly pride, purpose, no holding back and a sense of adventure; strong marriages and close relationships with our daughters (Heather's daughter Barb will be god-mother to Blossom's little girl!); and very importantly, we naturally relax in each others company, secure in being ourselves with no airs or graces. We speak from the heart and we take time to listen, to really hear what the other is saying.

I  don't think friendships like this come along too often in life so any time we find to catch up is a blessing on both sides. We both work and we both spend a lot of time caring for our loved ones, so those relaxed mornings we spend laughing and sharing life over cups of coffee and delicious cake (she's a great cook!) are our 'homemakers' vitamin pill because we bounce ideas off each other and come away inspired, refreshed and affirmed.

Heather shared the vision I had for last year's "A Year of Domesticity" theme on the blog, and was my sounding board for this year's "Living the Gentle Domestic Life" theme and it's companion stitchery the "Gentle Domesticity" BOM - in fact she's been stitching the blocks ahead of time. Here's Heather's version of block 4, and it's beautiful...

Her home is always welcoming, surrounded by flourishing gardens and wildlife, a haven hidden behind a tall white fence and guarded by Ghost, Heather's large white Maremma (Italian Sheepdog).

Yesterday we spent the morning stitching and chatting over tea and coffee, supping on thick buttered slices of delicious Zucchini Loaf (recipe is here on Heather's blog, plus her thought provoking reflections about Pinterest) and as I had my camera I thought I'd take you into her craft room so you can see where she creates with fabric, paper, and wool.

( I loved the newly organised beauty of her shelves and at home again later in the day I made plans to give my sewing space and office a makeover very soon)

 She has little pops of beauty everywhere...

...and reminders of what is important.

Evidence of Heather's varied skills in many different handcrafts always leaves me in awe, like this exquisite tassle she made...

Why don't you visit Heather yourself?

Her blog is HERE and is full of loveliness just like her.

I'm off to plan my sewing room/office makeover.

May you have a refreshing weekend...

hugs

 

TUTORIAL: an iPhone cosy...and tea!

The other day I shared photos of a sweet set I made over the weekend, and part of that trio was an iPhone sleeve and a lined zippered pouch. I promised to share tutorials for making the pouch and phone sleeve and today we'll begin with how to...

(I got the original idea from Squidoo and have changed a few things to suit my own requirements)

Firstly, let me assure you that you can use this tutorial to make a cosy for any mobile phone, you just need to adjust the width of my measurements to suit.

You will need your mobile phone, a piece of fabric you love (mine is Japanese linen), and a piece of felt in a colour that blends with your fabric...

 I have an iPhone 4 and it measures 2.25 inches wide (6cm) so I cut my felt and fabric 4" x 12" each...

 Lay the fabric face down on the felt...

Pin both narrow ends together...

 Sew along the ends with a 1/4" seam...

Turn the fabrics right side out and press flat...

Fold in half across the middle, fabric side facing each other...

Sew down both raw edged sides with a 1/4" seam...

 

Place your phone inside to check how snug it sits.

My cosy was too loose around my phone so I needed to have more taken out of the sides. I stitched two more side seams, 1/4" in from the first seams...

I trimmed the seams back to a scant eighth of an inch, turned the cosy right side out and it fit my phone perfectly.

But I couldn't stop there!

 

 It's the little extras that take simple projects up a notch, don't you think?

By simply threading some red beads with both red and beige Perle #12 threads and tying off the ends with a cute birdcage charm my new little iPhone cosy is ready for use!

These would make excellent gifts, and it only took me 15 minutes from start to finish.

Yesterday Heather, Barb and I met up at Absolute Tea for a morning of sweet and savoury nibbles, and non-stop chatter.

I take much better photos with my camera than my phone so I only have two pics from my phone to show you, but you can see we had delicious fun.

Heather (below) and I had the sweet taster platters which held a macaron, scone, cupcake and chocolate, all of which married perfectly with our delicious Vanilla Chai Lattes...

Barb enjoyed a pot of elegant tea with the savoury taster platter of ribbon sandwiches, quiche, fritatta and herbed sour cream...

 

I've stolen this photo collage from Heather. She was wise and brought a real camera!

I love the photo she took of Barb and I...

A wonderful morning with special friends.

These days are what memories are made of...

hugs

Giveaway, friends, and colouring...

It's amazing how much stitching gets done when you're laid low and unable to leave the house.

I've finished a number of new designs over the last 10 days, but yesterday I decided to finish the Rosedaisy Alphabet "V" block I coloured back HERE. I had begun the stitchery outline on the day I coloured the block, but then got so busy with other design commitments that it was put aside. 

Now it's almost finished and I love it!

Adding simple backstitch around all the elements of the design adds depth and definition...

I chose a peachy/brown thread, instead of yellow, for the rosedaisy centres...

...but stayed with complimentary threads for the remainder of the block.

I definitely think I'll be colouring some more of my designs in the future.

The pattern for this 26 block set is HERE as a pdf, and HERE as paper. 

 Yesterday I shared about the kookaburras, and how they magnified one of my favourite Scripture passages (Matthew 10: 29-31). Later in the day I remembered that I hadn't shown you this yet...

It's a tiny crocheted sparrow brooch, which was made for me by my dearest friend in all the world, Ruth, and lives perched on a pocket of the Preston Bag I made from Dawn's pattern last month...

Do you remember me making this bag? If not, check out THIS blog post for all the photos...

Both Ruth and Dawn are beautiful and faithful sisters-in-Christ to me, and to have Ruth's sparrow live on the bag that Dawn designed, is very precious indeed - a reminder daily of God's faithfulness in aligning my heart with such inspiring women. I am incredibly blessed to be called their friend.

After almost five years of emails, Dawn and I met face-to-face down in Melbourne last month, and before we left to return to our own states, she gave me an extra copy of her Preston Bag pattern!

So how would you like to win this paper pattern and make your own Preston Bag?!

This is Dawn's original bag, and as you can see it's very different in colour choice to mine...

 Dawn's is a very pretty pastel with a white background to the pocket block, whilst mine is a more subdued French inspired colourway with beige Osnaburg for the block.

 To enter the GIVEAWAY...

All you need do is leave one comment below telling me what colours you'd use to make your own version of this bag.

Brights, 30's, country, pastels??

Make sure you leave an email address or blog address in your comment so that if you win I can contact you.

One winner will be drawn on Wednesday, April 30th, and the giveaway is open worldwide.

Good luck!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED - Winner was Diann from New Jersey

Have a lovely day, everyone.

Breathe deep, smile wide, and count your blessings...

I count *you* as one of my blessings.

hugs

Friendship - a free stitchery....

Friendships do not come easy for me.

I'm a very private person, an introvert who enjoys being alone and having lots of quiet times to centre my thoughts and ponder what really matters in my life.

I don't intentionally stand apart from being social, it's just who I am, and after years of being told that's a bad thing I've come to realise it's a gift, and for me it's 'just right'.

Being amongst a large group can be fun for a little while, but after a few hours I feel myself emptying out rapidly, and craving the soothing space of home with the quiet it offers.

As I've been pondering this over the last year or two, I came to realise that having lots of 'friends' is not something that was common in days gone by. Close friends could be numbered on your fingers, and acquaintances would be the greater number. 

But today the word 'friend' doesn't have that same vital significance as it once did. 

Jesus calls us to 'lay down our lives' for a friend - I wonder at the 400 'friends' my child may have on Facebook and ask myself, "Would that child child lay down their life for every one of those 400 friends?"...No.

True friendships must be nurtured; they need time. Time to build trust, time to dig deep, time to listen - really listen, time to share and be heard, evidence that both your hearts are cheering for the best in the other one's life. 

True friendship takes no offence because whether encouragement or confessing a hurt by or to the other, you know it is founded in love and respect and care, with a desire to be honest and compassionate. 

True friendships forgive.

True friendships lift each other, and never push someone into the ditch.

True friendships are not jealous.

True friendships seek to prosper the spirit of the other person.

True friendships take time to build, and even more time to tend so they bloom and grow over many years - even a lifetime.

At this stage of my life I am content that I have very few 'friends', but admit that at times I have pushed the times of tending those friendships aside because my family comes first and they have needed me (or I have needed them). But, it has been in those very times that I discovered the depth of my true friendships.

You see, in the times when I have nothing left to give them, it is they who give to me...

True friends hold you up.

True friends never expect more than you have to give.

I can count my true friends on my fingers. And they can 'count' on me.

I think the key that unlocked true-friendship-making for me was accepting that if I was stretched already in giving out of myself to the few friends I had, then I could not in good conscience seek out more friendships I'd be unable to invest myself into - no matter what anybody else (or magazine articles) had to say about it.

That truth was life changing. Now I don't feel guilty about the relationships I've allowed to slide into the 'acquaintance' file of my heart. I prayed for those lovely ladies when our relationship ties drifted, and I asked God to bless them with their own handful of true, invested friendships.

Don't be hard on yourself if you've been battling to juggle all your 'friendships' and found yourself failing dismally. Just sit back and pray. Pray for wisdom to know the difference between a friend you would lay down your life for, and an acquaintance you wish well. Then invest in the friendships, and pray blessings on the acquaintances.

Not all friendships are for life. Some are for seasons. 

That's ok. That's by His design. 

Go with that flow, and invest in the ones that fill your life today. Be the best friend you can be, and choose the friends that make you a better person. 

If you suddenly find your own self slipping from friend to acquaintance, don't be offended. Don't be sad. Rejoice that your friend is doing what is best in her heart, mind, and life. Be glad that she is letting go and making the decision to invest in a few friends wisely rather than sink in feelings of failure at not being 'all to all' with everyone.

If you'd like to stitch my new 'Friendship' design you can download it free HERE. May you be blessed as you stitch it. All glory to God! \o/

I chose the NAS Bible translation for the stitchery verse as I think the phrase 'torn apart' is apt for today with so many social media sites and the overwhelming busyness of life being a catalyst for tearing apart relationships - but I love the full NKJ translation below too.

Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12

The Value of a Friend

Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labour.
For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.

Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;
But how can one be warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

hugs

 jenny

A gift for my friend...

Last year I purchased a blank calendar panel HERE from September House.

The panel has a 2014 calendar printed in blue along the bottom, and a blank area across the top to add whatever you like, such as an applique or stitchery.

My idea in purchasing this panel was to make something very special for my friend Wendy. When I first moved up here to the tropics she made contact through my blog, and as our friendship bloomed she would drive a 4-hour round trip just to visit me. Now we live less than a hour apart, usually catch up every couple of weeks, but I never forgot the effort she made to develop our friendship in the early days.

So, back to that gift.

Wendy stepped her twinkle toes into the world of designing about a year ago, and over a long coffee one day she shared the kind of things she'd love in a logo for her blog and patterns, 'Sugarlane Quilts'.

I took mental notes and over a few weeks I secretly sketched ideas based on what she'd told me. 

When I finally showed her my drawing she was excited - really excited!

But my own design life was busy so this project had to be pushed aside while I attended to my magazine, family, personal health issues, and then our house move in December. Finally, I had an open window of time this month to bring my sketch to life.

Today Wendy dropped in a for coffee and this was what greeted her...

To be able to design and stitch a special logo for a dear friend is amazing. God is good to me, but so much more when He lets me bless others with the work of my hands...

Special friends bring out the best in us, don't they? I love my Wendy-friend.

At the moment I am working on a free Scripture stitchery about friendship that I'll share with you next week. Perhaps you have a special friend you can stitch this for?

hugs

 jenny

Friends - both old and new...

People are often surprised when I tell them I am naturally shy. 

They think from how I write that I'm really outgoing - and once I get to know you I am quite relaxed and laugh (a lot) - but at first, I'm a shy thing. The fact that we have moved 18 times in 21 years probably has a lot to do with it, but I think being an only child raised by elderly grandparents could also be a contributing factor. I spent my growing up years quite removed from kids my age, and yet I was very content with my own company. Still am, actually.

It's because I am shy (and personally content) that I don't often seek out friendships when we move to a new town, and I rarely spend time away from my home as I homeschooled the two youngest children for 11 years, and have run my own business from home since 2009. 

My home is my place of security. My home is me in my natural habitat.

But I want to be brave and dip my toe in the waters of making 'real-life, people-you-can-hug-and-drink-coffee-with-friends'. 

I invited my good friend Wendy to drive up from her home 90 klms away and spend the day stitching with me on Friday. You see, I had invited someone else too. Someone I had never met! And because I am so relaxed with Wendy, I knew she would help me relax quickly. 

On Friday morning Blossom woke with a fever and stayed home from work, so my stitching group suddenly grew to four, and all my nerves vanished.

 (note to self: God is good ALL the time)

Inspired by Master Chef the previous night, I baked Orange & Blueberry muffins with an Orange & Vanilla syrup, and set out my favourite tea cups and plates...

Blossom got out a cross-stitch she'd started four years ago and never finished...

...and I prepared my own project to stitch.

Just after 10 a car pulled up, and the door to making a new friend opened. 

Not long after this Wendy arrived. And so our stitching day began!

Please meet our new friend, Angela. 

 

Wendy, me, and Angela

 Blossom was our photographer.

Actually, two hours into our day together, Wendy and Angela realised they had met years before and had been wanting to catch up ever since! Small world? Honestly, we laughed so hard all day that my shoulder and neck are still aching and I won't need to do any tummy exercises for a week!

Angela is a sweetheart, and even brought a freshly baked gluten free Banana Cake, whose leftovers Mr E happily enjoyed later that night. Thanks Angela. :-)

 I don't think we got as much stitching done as we'd planned, but I'm sure that's testimony to how much fun we had together. 

A good day. A new friend. And plans to do it again soon.

If you're shy like me, I encourage you to take the plunge and reach out to a new friend. It could be wonderful. :-)

~~~~~

I am so excited to be able to offer KITS for some of my new patterns! 

I get lots of emails from blog readers asking if I sell kits for my designs, and I thought it was probably about time I did some. 

In my shop HERE I have a limited number of kits available for making the...

"Daring Dresden" cushion cover ~ $27 AUD

...and the "HAPPY" Table Runner ~ $29 AUD

 

Both kits contain all the fabrics, trims and threads to make the project, plus a paper pattern. 

Both kits are free post throughout Australia, or $12 postage overseas.

You can visit My Elefantz Shop HERE.

~~~~~

All the info about Elefantz HOME issue 14 can be found HERE on the magazine page. You'll also see what my lovely guest designer for this issue, Vicki Tucek, has made for you! She's a very talented designer whose quilts are amazing!! Visit her blog HERE for some inspiration.

For the next 9 issues of the magazine I will also be sharing one block per month from my shabby roses "A Christmas Story" quilt. This is in addition to my three new Elefantz designs each month.

The first block we'll make is 'angel', and I will show you step by step how to copy my decorative applique technique...

 

I've already prepared my block. This is the third time I've made this quilt, and I still love it!

~~~~~

Time to get back to pattern writing...

Ho hum...the hard part about being a designer. ;-)

Have a lovely weekend, surrounded by people you love and lots of laughter, ok!?

Hugs

Jenny

xxx