The homebody...

 

Are you a homebody?

It's probably the most accurate description of me, my youngest daughter Blossom, my oldest daughter Kezzie, and my best friend Rosie. We really are homebodies, and we can all say that with no hint of dissatisfaction or a need to apologise. It's quite simply who we are and who we've always been.

I had a long phone chat with Kezzie yesterday morning, over numerous cups of tea and raspberry oat muffins. Though we are three states apart and may not see each other face to face for a long time due to Covid lockdowns and closed state borders, we still find a way to enjoy morning tea together. 

We talked a lot about how she and the boys are faring in a state that is almost always in lockdown or under restrictions and one thing she said really confirmed to me that we are very much alike. "Mumma, I don't think it affects me as much as it does many other people. I'm a homebody, you know that, and apart from the inconvenience of needing to shop sometimes and not being able to hop on a plane to come visit you and Blossom, we're really quite content nestled here in our home and garden."

This morning I was out shopping with Blossom and the three little ones; we do one big shop about every six or eight weeks and today was the day to gather and build on our supplies. A couple of hours in and it was time to stop for a cuppa and let the two girls play for a while in the little indoor farmhouse at the rather quiet shopping centre, feed little Charlie David, and grab a sandwich before heading off to another store for the next leg of our pantry gathering excursion.

As we sat and sipped chai lattes, Charlie well fed and snuggled against Blossom's shoulder, we talked of how Kezzie's love for home mirrored our own, and of the contentment we each feel taking care of our families, intentionally creating a sanctuary where they can relax and feel safe to be themselves, knowing they are loved unconditionally and listened to. 

All three of us love to be home and only venture out if we need to. We choose not to travel to and fro unnecessarily, nor seek to escape our home environment. Making home a place where we want to be, where our family want to be, has become a priority for myself and my dear daughters.

Each of us have been told by 'friends' at some stage that we shouldn't be tied to the home, that we should set ourselves free to go out and live life, build a career, travel etc.

Needless to say those friendships never lasted long. Whilst we are supportive of others who choose to live their dreams in their own way, it's sad when they can't support the choices we have made - as though we are 'less than' or as some have called us, 'stupid'. 

Since I was a little girl all I wanted was a husband, home and family. Since Kezzie was a little girl her only dream was to be a mummy. And since Blossom was a little girl her only desire was to be a mummy and homemaker. In different ways we have each fulfilled our dreams, and we have each supported and encouraged the other to flourish in the roles we chose for life. 

I was given such a hard time when we decided to homeschool the children, especially by teachers my husband worked with, but when Kezzie had her boys she too decided to homeschool and that to me was a confirmation that we'd done something right, something she wanted her own family to experience - and time has proven to her that she did the right thing as both boys (aged 20 and 13) appreciate the life she made for them. 

Blossom has had pressure from the other side of the family to put her children in care and build a career, but that's just not her. Motherhood, homemaking, being a wife who is 'there', these are the things which matter most to her, and it takes a lot of confidence to stand up to the naysayers but she does it with grace because she knows this path is right for her family. 

And I think that is what matters most.

Knowing your own heart, having a solid assurance and foundation on which to build the dream God placed within you from the start, a dream which not only offers personal contentment and satisfaction, but which nourishes the lives of those you love, those whom He has placed in your care. 

Am I saying women should not have a career? Not at all. If that is the way God has led you, then who am I to speak against you?

What I am saying is this - if you're a wife, a mother, a grandmother, then your first calling is to build a home, to be a homemaker. For some of us that means being home full time; or it could mean running a small cottage business from home as time allows whilst caring for your children (as Blossom does) or starting a small home-based business once the children have left home (as I do); it might be working part time outside the home to supplement income or because you enjoy your job, whilst at the same time finding great enjoyment creating a beautiful home environment for those who live with you. You may even be in full time employment yet a love for home holds your heart and when you're there you thrive and flourish creatively.

I am a wife, a homebody, a homemaker, a housewife, a mother, a grandmother, a business owner, a friend, and a daughter of the Most High God. I do not apologise for nor regret any of those roles or descriptions.

It took many years for me to shake off the doubts others would speak over my life choices, but once I found my courage and walked confidently in the convictions I held dear, all I felt was grace.

Grace towards others for their own choices, and grace from my Father above Who gently led me along a path which ultimately brought the greatest joy and contentment to my heart so that I never again measured myself by the world's standards.

I love home.

I love family.

I love Jesus. 

And I am a contented homebody.

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Romans 12:2

"But godliness with contentment is great gain." 1 Timothy 6:6

Dear one, regardless of your occupation, location, life situation, age or financial position - pour love into the space you call home, let it be a place your heart is content to be, where the atmosphere draws hearts together and nourishes the soul. And if you think this will be too hard for you, seek the help of God who loves you dearly, for He will answer your call.

Love and hugs

Why the fabric comes first and a new baby...

CHOOSING YOUR THREADS

A Case Study:

Erin loves to embroider beautiful designs for her home, family and friends. The first thing she looks for in a project that features a stitchery block is whether it has a story to tell, tugs at her emotions, or simply makes her smile. She gets a real kick out of wearing her heart on her sleeve through the projects she makes, and right now she is keen to make a birthday gift for her next door neighbour, who also happens to be her best friend!

After browsing through the stack of craft magazines she borrowed from the library yesterday Erin decides to sew a country style cushion. With her pattern choice made she carefully combs through the small tub of special fabrics she likes to use for her embroidery.

 “What will best suit this project?” she wonders. Linen? Pale lemon gingham? Solid white homespun? Or maybe some tea dyed muslin?

She decides on the lemon gingham with its sweet hint of hearth and home because she is going to stitch a farmyard scene that features pretty russet chickens and a black and white cow very similar to her Aunt Mabel’s favourite milker, Daisy Mae. Erin’s best friend is a farmer’s daughter you see, and her home is filled with country crafts so Erin knows this gift will be perfect!

She sorts through her deep drawer of threads and places the colours she thinks will work well with her project onto the small table that sits beside her old and well-worn dark grey recliner. She has a regular routine of stitching in front of the television for a few hours each night after the dinner dishes are cleaned and put away, her husband comfortably settled nearby with the remote control and a favourite sci-fi series to watch.

A few days later her pretty farmyard scene has come to life and Erin cannot wipe the satisfied smile off her face!  She can’t wait until Saturday when she has arranged to have the whole afternoon to herself in the sewing room. Her bright and cheery stitchery block will soon become the centre of a large cushion, and before she meets her friend for a birthday morning tea on Tuesday she can wrap it lovingly in the huge sheet of yellow daisy paper she bought months ago for such a gift as this.

Saturday afternoon arrives and after waving her husband off to enjoy his fishing she opens the door to her sewing haven.

Following the directions in the pattern from the magazine she trims the block to 8½” x 10½”. Turning to the large set of shelves which house her generous stash of quilting fabrics, Erin begins to study them closely.

Fat quarter after fat quarter are taken from the shelves, held against the stitchery, and then returned to the shelf. A slow half hour passes, and the joy of this project’s completion has begun to wane. Oh, why did she choose that deep turquoise thread? And the dirty-red-brown of the four chickens really stands out so much that all of her bright Christmas red fabrics clash dreadfully with it! The blue isn’t right, and the gold thread she used for the apples on the tree is nothing like the canary yellow she favours in her fabric purchases.

Glancing at her watch she decides to grab the block, her purse, the car keys and head to the quilting shop before it closes…

 I used to be like Erin, and I know many of my friends were too.

It took me years to figure out what I was doing wrong but one day I had an epiphany – choose the fabric first, then the material to embroider on, and last of all the threads.

No frustration, no waste of fabric or money, no more ‘not quite right’ finished projects that fail to truly satisfy the eye. Just a satisfying process which co-ordinates beautifully from start to finish. 

And isn't that what we're all after?

In my designs below you can see this process in action, how the threads and fabric look as though they were made for each other. That's the joy of picking your fabric first and using it as your guide for choosing 'just the right' threads - everything works together in harmony...

You know, it’s very easy to take a fat quarter or even a small square of fabric with you to the thread or quilt shop to choose the right skeins for your project, but it's much more difficult to take the completed stitchery to the quilt shop and try to find a fabric you like that will blend perfectly.

 I hope this has little story has helped some of you?

It's amazing how many people I've shared it with who have told me they'd never thought to choose the fabric first.  And now they do.

The stitchery patterns above are inside the April issue of the Rewind Stitchery Club. If you'd like to make them yourself just pop over here to my Rewind page.

A new baby in the family!

In the early hours of this morning my daughter Anita and her husband were blessed with a second daughter, Khadija, another precious little one to love and cherish.

Mother and baby doing fine after a very long labour and eventual c-section.

Daddy overwhelmed with love for Mother and all she went through to bear this new daughter. 

Big sister Aminah over the moon.

Nana over the moon and round the sun.

It's been a happy day at Elefantz, yet there has been sorrow in Christchurch.

I ask that God bless you. I pray that the small things in life bring you unexpected joy today and in the days to come. Sometimes we have to look for them, and sometimes they seem to be all around...but there is good to be found everywhere, despite the darkness and the sad and the evil that wants to rear its head and fill us with fear.

Hold fast to what is good and holy and kind and compassionate.

Hold tight to Jesus.

Hug one another and say "I love you".

Call that friend you're missing.

Forgive and make amends.

Be a light.

Shine God's light.

Let peace guide you always.

big hugs,

Oh - K...

We're stitching K this week and the mini pincushion I've sewn around it is quite simply the cutest one yet as it fits snug inside the palm of my hand.

The background fabric for the embroidery is white hanky linen (you can read about it here) and I've used a lovely bright orange, lime and beige print for the borders.

First I traced a 1½" hexie shape onto the white fabric and then I traced the K design inside the shape before cutting out the hexie along the traced lines.

Next step was to sew 1" wide strips of the floral print around all six sides of the white hexie before fusing some Parlan behind what was now the front of my pincushion.

Embroidering the K and sewing a line of backstitch in the ditch between the white and floral fabrics completed the front of the pincushion.

I trimmed away the excess floral fabric lengths to give me one even hexie before finishing the pincushion.

IDEAS:

1. Choose threads which blend with your fabric or consider stitching in a variegated colour.

2. Make the pincushion larger by sewing wider floral strips of fabric around the white hexie.

3. Sew two borders around the hexie.

Download the K pattern here or here.

Go to last week's pincushion post for the links to download J, and you'll find the A-E set and the F-I set here in my shop.

As you know, I have had my middle daughter and 4yo granddaughter visiting this week and it's been two years since we last hugged so emotions and chatter and hugs were high for her, me, Blossom and all the granddaughters. 

Anita and Aminah stayed at Blossom's house and each day we'd be there or here just being mum/daughters/granddaughters. What a priceless blessing it was, especially with so many littlies to love on.

Cully May (2), Rafaella (8 months), Aminah (4)...

We spent Wednesday in the pool so I made a quick dash to Big W early that morning for unicorn floaties. Oh my goodness, these were such a hit with the girls!

I also got a shaded baby floatie for Rafaella and she giggled and splashed for ages. 

Anita and Aminah flew home today and their plane landed safely about half an hour ago where daddy/husband Tek was waiting to meet them. We're all hoping he can come too next visit.

All of us are exhausted emotionally and physically but so grateful for five days of memories and moments that will carry us over till next time. God really blessed us.

Our gorgeous little Rafaella, with a smile that lights up the room...

May your weekend flow with goodness and grace, laughter and joy, kindness and care. I shall be resting up so I can catch up on Elefantz work next week. 

This nana is soooo tired. LOL!

Bless you heaps,