A special project, help, blessings, and a thank you...

NEEDLE-TURN

For the past three weekends I have given over my sewing time to making an old 2007 quilt pattern by the very loved and sorely missed Rosalie Quinlan (Dekker). She was a gentle and kind woman, someone I grew to know in the last six years of her life, a friend who became a committed prayer partner as we held each other's children before the Lord and shared their needs. 

Kindness is what first comes to mind if I'm ever asked to describe her, and lately as I have been stitching the first three blocks of Rosalie's "Home Is Where My Heart Resides" quilt pattern, I'm praying about kindness and asking the Father to illuminate the areas in my life where it is needed more.

I'm also practicing needle-turn applique for this quilt, and have to tell you I am loving it! There's a been a handful of times in the past (2013?) when I've dabbled with this technique, but I've always been drawn back to blanket stitch applique - especially the past three or four years when my touches of applique on a stitchery design have been tiny. I really wouldn't use needle-turn for them...but for larger shapes, oh yes, I shall in future.

(Faith, Hope, Charity pincushion pattern can be found HERE in my shop)

THE ELDER TREE & CITRUS...

It's spring and my elder tree is really coming into bloom so I'd love to use the flowers for cordial. Having never grown an elder tree before I am a real newbie to the treats which can be made by both the flowers and the berries, so...can you give me some advice please?

Exactly when is the right time to pick the flowers?

And do berries form from the flowers left on the tree??

I have a second elder tree which has been hardening up in a pot for the past few months but which will be planted in the garden early October when hubby has a week of work. 

Another spring blessing is our lemon tree, which is alive with flowers!

It's also becoming heavy with fruit...

Last season we got one lonely lemon from the tree, but this year it is loaded and I couldn't be happier as we use heaps of lemons and the price of them has gone nuts at the supermarket and market. 

We also have flowers and a few tiny fruitlings on the lime tree, another citrus we use a lot of. 

PRICKLY BEAUTY

We often go for a wander by the beach down along the Strand and I always used to stop and admire a very pretty but extremely prickly pink plant which grew beside the driveway of a small motel. I mentioned many times to my husband that I'd love to have a few in our garden but he would point out the prickles and shake his head, saying "You'll prick your fingers too much."

Well, one day last year in the garden section of Bunnings there was one, marked down to $1 on the clearance pallet. I couldn't leave it there and he rolled his eyes as I carefully placed it in our already loaded trolley.

I'm so glad I did!

My deep pink Euphorbia has dealt with dry conditions, wet conditions, neglect, over-caring and every other obstacle plants can succumb to. 

Yes, it is indeed very prickly, but once it's settled in it's place you never touch it...

...you simply admire it's beauty, and thank God for something so vibrant flourishing unaided in a rather forlorn area of the back yard.

Life itself can be a mix of prickly troubles and splashes of beauty and joy. The two extremes can often be found living side by side, but it's which one we choose to focus on that makes the difference to our mental, spiritual and physical nature. 

Accepting that life is rarely a gentle wander through rolling hills and lush green forests under clear blue skies, but is a balance of prickles and blooms, sunshine and showers, sickness and health, abundance and need, helps us appreciate beauty when it crosses our path or catches our gaze.

God has placed much beauty in His world, and I find that by looking intentionally for this beauty in my day to day surroundings helps me manage the more difficult aspects of life when they arise.

Just today I was reminded of a study I once shared here on the beautiful blessing from Numbers 6:24-26, and thought I'd share it again to encourage you.

The LORD bless you and keep you...

In the Hebrew text when the Lord says to 'keep you' it means He will hedge around you, guard you, protect and attend to you. Isn't that marvelous!?

The LORD make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you...

In the Hebrew text 'and be gracious to you' means that God bends down towards us in kindness, showing mercy and pity, to favour us. How loved we are!

The LORD lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.

The word for peace here is Shalom, the beautiful greeting or blessing which the Jews still offer today. In this verse the Lord literally turns His face towards us, looking face to face at us, and offers us His gifts of friendship, good health, prosperity and safety.
There are no gifts to compare with those the Father has for us!

I'm praying this blessing over all of you today, lovely ones. 

Perhaps you will pray it over those in your life too, for we are not just to receive blessings, but to offer them and pray them for others. You never know how God can use a blessing from us to impact the life of another.

Over the past year I have received a few beautiful letters and cards in the mail from women across the globe who read my blog but whom I have never met. They wrote to encourage me, to share a little of their own lives, and some sent small gifts as well. Each time my heart would melt and tears of gratitude would fall...for they did not realise how the Lord had used them to lift my countenance and strengthen my faith.

Thank you to each one of those very special women, who stepped out in kindness and extended a hand of love and encouragement. You are in my prayers and deeply loved by the Father.

It's time to sign off for we are soon to depart for Blossom's where we shall enjoy a lunchtime catch-up with her, Ross and the children. Such wonderful blessings await us, and I pray your eyes are opened to the blessings awaiting you as well.

hugs

 

Scrappy Vintage Kitchen block 1 and a new pinnie tutorial...

Let the stitch-along begin!

Are you ready? Have you got that tub of fabric scraps by your cutting table ready to reduce it's volume? 

Scrappy quilts of any size are a great way to move all those small cuts leftover from larger projects.

My Scrappy Vintage Kitchen will finish as a small wall quilt so I've chosen my favourite scraps for each block.

Our first block is "Milk & Cookies" and you can see I've used a variety of embroidery stitches to add depth and interest to the small designs. Chain stitch, stem stitch, backstitch, lazy daisy, satin stitch, cross stitch and a colonial knot...all in a wee design which we'll trim to 3½" before adding borders to complete a 6½" Bright Hopes quilt block. 

I love the Bright Hopes block because each side border overlaps the one before.

You might want to use four different fabrics for the borders, or do matching sides, but I chose to do mine with an almost diagonal finish.

The complete pattern for My Scrappy Vintage Kitchen is HERE in my Etsy Shop

Would you like to make a practice Bright Hopes block first?

And then you can finish it as a pincushion because every new project needs a new pincushion, right?

Hey, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

For our practice Bright Hopes block I chose to fussy cut the centre square instead of using another stitchery and I've chosen four different fabrics for the border. You can really see how each one overlaps the other now, can't you.

You'll need one 3½" square for the centre and four 2" x 5" border fabrics.

Perhaps you've got a sweet little print that's just busting to offer up a fussy cut for that centre square? The gorgeous pixelated roses in mine are from an old Bonnie & Camille line, Vintage Picnic, and it fit perfectly into the measurement I required.

Choose two prints for the borders as I've done with "Milk & Cookies" or four different ones for an effect like my pincushion.

I've used ¼" seams when sewing this block and the pincushion. 

To begin the overlapping borders you'll need to sew one of the 2" x 5" fabric pieces down one side of the 3½" square - BUT you must leave an inch unstitched. (photo below) 

You'll see why later.

Press the stitched part of the border away from the centre square.

Sew the next three borders across the bottom, side and top of the centre square. 

Now we'll finish sewing the first border in place...

...and press our completed Bright Hopes block.

To make my pincushion I first fused a piece of Parlan behind the block but you could use thin Pellon or quilt wadding if you prefer. 

I've hand quilted a ¼" outside the seams in Perle 12 cottons, matching the thread with the gingham fabric colours.

In the ditch between centre square and borders I stem stitched in cream Perle 12 thread.

I love the effect of hand quilting don't you?

At this point I decided to add a little red gingham tag at the bottom left corner to balance out the red gingham border opposite. After trimming away the excess Parlan I stitched the tag in place with a scant seam, less than ¼".

Lay your pincushion face down onto the right side of your backing.

NOTE: I use crushed walnut shells inside my pincushions as they help keep pins and needles sharp and free from rust, so my pincushion backing is made of two separate pieces with reinforced seams along the join and just a 1½" opening to fill the pincushion with the crushed shells through a funnel.

Sew the backing to the pincushion front around all four sides if you're using my technique, or if you're using just one square of fabric leave an opening of 2" along one side for turning out.

Pull the pincushion right side out (either backing method, do the same) and push out the corners with a rounded tool such as a large knitting needle.

Slip stich the opening closed after you fill the pincushion.

When using crushed walnut shells do lots of tiny stitches so they don't fall out. 

And now you have a Bright Hopes pincushion.

Like the vintage button I stitched to the red tag?

Have to say, this was a big week and I've just spent three full days at my computer, in the sewing room, processing photos, formatting patterns and now writing this blog post - but I've enjoyed every minute!

There was a time when I did a lot of tutorials because I genuinely enjoy teaching things, mostly simple things, and that's because when I discovered hand embroidery and quilting in late 2005, living in a one room cabin near a waterfall with my husband and homeschooling our two youngest kids, I had no choice but to teach myself so Blossom and I could make what we saw in the craft magazines a friend had loaned us.

Sharing stuff with you, be it a stitchery or a tutorial, brings me great joy.

And I hope it brings you joy too.

Just in case you didn't know...

 Crushed walnut shells are bought from pet stores in the reptile section.

I've added more patterns HERE to my Etsy Shop if you have a hankering to stitch other pretty things.

Have a blessed and fruitful weekend, friends!

I'll leave you with a photo taken just after dawn yesterday of a honeyeater enjoying the sweet nectar from one of our many native Grevilleas.

hugs

The Booby Bird and the H pincushion...

October is breast cancer awareness month and though I have never been confronted by it myself I do have many friends who have come face to face with this nasty and invasive disease.

In 2015 I was asked to design a pattern for a local Townsville group who were holding a stitch-in to raise funds for breast cancer research and for those of us who have friends or family fighting BC you understand the need to give, to do 'something', so this simple design was my way of doing what I could, and though just a small drop in an ocean of many needs I realised how important it is for us on the sidelines to have an opportunity to show how much we care.

Often when someone close informs us of their breast cancer diagnosis, we want to rush in and 'make it better' but knowing we cannot there grows within us a need to express our love and care for them in a tangible 'more than words' way. 

As a quilter or embroiderer, card maker or baker, gardener or yarn lover, we have skills which can be put to use making or doing for the one who is facing this trial; we have love in our hearts and prayers to lift before God as we pour our love (and sometimes tears) into the gift offering we are creating.

I'm offering you this "Booby Bird" pattern today, to stitch for someone you love or know of, who is right now fighting breast cancer or has fought it in the past. In fact you may be that person and need to stitch it for your precious self. xxx

I'll keep this pattern permanently in my shop as a free gift so you're welcome to share the link with all your sewing friends or craft guilds.

Download the 'Booby Bird' pattern here

This week in our Alphabet Pincushions Stitch-a-long we are going to make the H pinnie...

The background fabric I've used with this one is a material which was quite popular when I first taught myself to embroider late in 2005. Perhaps you've used it before?

Osnaberg.

Often it was used in country style designs so as a newbie to stitchery they tended to be the type of patterns I chose to make. I liked the rustic, almost bobbly texture of this more open-weave texture of fabric but when it became difficult to find in local quilt stores I discovered the joy of linen instead and that soon led me on to a love of pastels and shabby chic so I waved goodbye to country style and turned a new corner.

When I found this scrap of Osnaberg in my tub of background fabric materials I thought why not mix it with a pastel floral print and see how they marry?

Quite well it seems!

I like how the round applique sits right in the centre of the square pincushion, don't you?

It's a simple pattern but quite pretty, and all three features shine through - the Osnaberg, the floral print, and the embroidered H.

In your pattern this week I've included the applique circle with the H inside it so you can stitch the H by itself or finish your pinnie as I have done.

Filling your pinnies with crushed walnut shells gives them a gentle weightiness and the pincushion looks lovely and smooth and never puckers or balls up as they do with polyester stuffing.

If you're looking for crushed walnut shells you can buy good sized bags at your local pet supplies store in the reptile section. 

This pattern will be free to download until November 2nd here or here

The A to E patterns are now a $2 purchase for the set here in my shop.

The links to F and G are free until November 2nd and can be found here and here.

Many of my Gentle Domesticity Group members have been stitching the Alphabet Pincushions each week so I thought you may like to see a few. Marie Gibson and her good friend Joy Plumridge like to spend time sewing together and I'm sure they bounce ideas off each other because their pinnies are lovely.

The buttons Marie has added down the borders of her F are so pretty, and the purple fabrics on her G pinnie really catch the eye...

Joy's fabric choices made my heart flutter, aren't they beautiful?

Both Marie and Joy have chosen their threads to blend with the colours in their feature fabrics and I really encourage you to follow that method when embroidering any design.

When you blend fabric and thread there is a beautiful flow from one to the other, but as I often instruct my Club members, blog readers and in my patterns, choose the fabric first because it's much easier to find the right threads afterwards. 

Tomorrow we're celebrating Ross's birthday so he, Blossom and the girls will be here for lunch and to have fun in the pool, but before that our city is hosting The Garage Sale Trail for the first time and you know that Mr E and I will be off to see what we can find. It's on all weekend so we may go hunting a few times between the birthday lunch and the very big front yard project I will tell you more about next week.

God bless YOUR weekend, may it be what you need, whether that is peaceful, celebratory, adventurous, productive or a time of total rest, I pray it fills your heart to overflowing with goodness.

hugs

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

The G pincushion and a peek into the pantry...

Today we're stitching G in our Alphabet Pincushions stitch-a-long...

The pincushion this week is long and skinny and I chose an old Flower Sugar fabric to give it a lovely 1930's look which is very different from the elegance of last Friday's F pinnie.

I'm pretty sure our grandmothers would have liked this sitting in their sewing baskets...although they'd probably prefer a dress or apron in that sweet green floral print and perhaps their initial sewn onto a pocket. 

Mmm, wonder what my Nana would have preferred? All three I'd say!

My finished G pinnie measures 2¼" wide by 6¼" long, and has some old-style decorative white lace hand-sewn along the ditch between the fabric and the embroidery block.

I added a looped tag of cotton lace at the top too, 'just because'. 

The long narrow shape of the pincushion is lovely to hold, very easy to move from place to place, which made me think I'll revisit this pattern in future for gift giving.

The G has been embroidered mostly in backstitch but you can see I've added a curve of chain stitch into the top and bottom sections of the G as well.  

The flower, stem and leaves are done in backstitch but the centre of the flower is a lovely bundle of colonial knots because I love how they add texture to a small design.

Download the pattern for G here or here.

The pattern is free until November 2nd.

The links to the free F pattern are in this blog post.

Missed A to E?

They are available as a set for $2 here in my shop. 

As I mentioned the other day, when I was sewing the G pincushion it became evident that my sewing room layout in the new home wasn't working as I'd hoped. Fact is, you can plan something to look nice and think it is going to be wonderfully workable for you, but then discover upon use that a few tweaks are needed after all. 

So I swapped the cutting table and the sewing machine around on the corner table and that's much easier to play with...

...and then I made an ironing station because there's only one double power point in the whole room and it's not easily accessible if I use the large ironing board and stand it in the middle of the sewing room. 

Fortunately I had an old school desk top Mr E had brought home last year, a metre of Insul-brite heat resistant batting purchased on sale early this year and never used, a lovely long length of very old Tilda fabric for the 'cover', and that small chest of battered drawers I'd previously had under the window (see last Friday's post)

The smaller chest of drawers which holds machine threads and all sorts of sewing notions has been moved under the window now, as well as one of our dining chairs which does not fit in the living/dining room. Until my beloved builds some wall shelving above the corner table they offer somewhere to put things. 

The weather is really warming up in the tropics now but my sewing room is the coolest place in the house and has the best natural light so I'm a very happy girl. 

Another 'room' which has been completed here of late is my pantry. It's a funny thing because if you were in our home you'd see that it's not in the kitchen but rather adjacent to it, and it's a large rectangular structure right in the middle of the house that also holds a small linen cupboard on the opposite side (which needs a makeover and my husband is intent of doing that before year's end). 

The pantry is long and narrow and it's the best one I have ever had, the upside being it's really mine and not belonging to a rental. 

Normally I would house most of my ingredients in large glass jars but over the past year or so my right wrist has become very painful under stress and lifting produce laden glass jars off shelves of all heights took a toll - so Blossom is taking the jars for her own pantry and I went shopping for plastic containers that would fit inside the shelves of mine.

Here's top to bottom...

My large appliances, teapots and good china are stored here too and there is no clutter at all. 

Even Mr E can find things because I've labeled every container...

When I priced labels on line they were simply out of my budget as I needed more than 70 so I visited our friendly Officeworks store and bought medium pink labels and small blue labels that I could print myself. 

The labels all up cost me less than $20 and an hour of my time last Sunday afternoon, plus I have plenty left over for future needs . 

Now everything is labeled, even the spices, and I love how organised my pantry is!

The other night when hubby went looking for his Milk Arrowroot biscuits I smiled to myself because he didn't have to ask 'where', didn't have to hunt through containers or shelves...he just read the labels and found what he wanted. 

Bonus all 'round.

Slowly this house is taking on our style, our ideas, our plans. It's a work in progress and one we don't need to hurry through. 

Something that has really struck me since we moved in 19 days ago is how differently I think here. 

In case you don't know, we have moved 23 times in 27 years, across 5 states and territories, 12 cities/towns and 23 homes which included two tiny cabins in the mountains. 

We've lived in a large capital city, medium cities, small country towns, and even a tiny remote town with a population of just 22 people.

All of those homes were rental. All of those houses were made to look like we lived there by how we decorated, how we displayed what we owned, by what we'd made, the photos we placed strategically on certain pieces of furniture and by what was important to us that we and others could see. We'd always been limited in some way - can't hang anything on the walls, can't change the garden, the paint or the fixtures. So our temporary housing was still someone else's house but that decision to spread our familiar things around (in as familiar a way as we could) helped us gain a sense of home. 

When we moved here last month, into our first ever purchased home, I thought I'd follow the same routine and decorate with all our familiar things, my handmade embroideries on the walls (which we could now bang a nail into) and collected ornaments from years past placed lovingly on the same furniture pieces as they always had been. I thought I'd surround myself with the kitchen things that have always given me joy and perhaps add a new colour to two. 

But that's not what has happened because this is not someone else's house we're renting for a temporary period of time. This is our forever on earth HOME and does not need us to 'dress it up' with all we have to gain some sense of familiarity. 

That epiphany took my breath away.

What a paradigm shift to my thinking!

So as I sit here typing away today, I look around and there's still not much on the walls, because we don't as yet know what we want hanging there. We have empty indoor planter pots because we're not sure which plants we'd like to have in the cool corners of each room. The kitchen is clear and uncluttered because I'm still acquainting myself with it's layout and don't yet have a clear picture of what colours to use or even if I want much on display there anyhow. 

This is all so different for me, different even to what I had planned just before we moved in.

It was the being here, the flood of emotions and gratitude which filled my heart that first night, the quiet of that first dawn looking out on the garden and knowing this gift was all God's doing...and the understanding we'd not have to move again. 

We were really home and it was ours to do with as we liked.

No lease that will end, no quarterly rental inspections, no one looking over our shoulder and assessing our suitability as tenants, no dreading another move.

We are home now and shall not forget what it took to be here.

And we shall not rush anything. We'll just take our time and enjoy the moments.

If you read this far, wow, you're a gem.

May our Father in heaven provide all YOUR needs in the ways that best bless you and draw you closer to Him.

hugs