POSIES BOM - final block and quilt instructions...

Today, after a full year of monthly stitching, it's time to share the final block of this year's free BOM "Posies", along with the quilt finishing instructions.

Have you enjoyed stitching your own Posies blocks this year?

Block 12 is rather willowy in nature as I designed it on a breezy day last year whilst watching the long thin branches of our trees, and the wispy garden herbs, carelessly swaying back and forth in the wind.

This block's fussy cut applique vase was a favourite - two love birds. I also chain stitched two wavy lines across the vase.

It's a funny thing when you come to the end of a project, but stranger still when you completed it a full year ago but are only now sharing those last stitches with others. 

UPDATE...

POSIES was free until January 1st 2022.

The complete 2021 POSIES quilt pattern is now available from my ETSY Shop.

A couple of weeks ago I sent off the final block to a friend, Joanne in the Netherlands, as she had been sending me photos of her blocks each month through the year - in fact sometimes they arrived within a few hours of my blog posts. 

I knew she'd complete the last block and piece the quilt beautifully and couldn't wait to see it. Her colours were much brighter than mine, but oh, how lovely is her version of Posies! 

Can you see that she also fussy cut the applique sections? Just beautiful. 

This is Joanne's completed quilt...

How about I continue with a little show & tell today?

This year I ran a membership only block of the month, Simple Days. To be honest I'd call this my magnum opus...the most heart-felt set of stitcheries I have ever created because they reflected my own life and the hopes I have for a simpler life.

At the moment I'm still hand quilting the completed quilt (below) and that's slow going in the midst of our 8-month tropical summer.

One of the BOM members, Robyn, has already completed her quilt and recently sent me a photo. What lovely work she has done! I'm so impressed.

This is Robyn's Simple Days quilt...

Another member of my BOM is Annette, and she has also completed her Simple Days quilt top! Her colours were very different to mine and Robyn's, but wow, so pretty! 

All the Simple Days blocks are HERE in my shop if you missed out on this block of the month. 

They are the kind of blocks that make your heart swell with gratitude for all the simple things in life.

Next week I'll have the final 'days of the week' tea towel stitchery to share with you, and I'll also be able to tell you about next year's free block of the month.

There's a little surprise attached to that as well, which you'll receive before Christmas.

I'll sign off today with a photo Blossom snapped the other day, one which I simply must have printed and framed. It's true to form, as this is exactly what it looks like when the children and I are together. They clamber over me and snuggle close.

 Goodness, how incredibly blessed I am to be their nana. Thank you, Lord.

I hope to see you back here next week my friends, and until then, may our merciful Lord flood your hearts with His abundant grace, kindness, provision, healing and most especially, LOVE.

hugs

Posies BOM block 11 and weekend cooking...

 Wow, we're almost at the end of this year's free block of the Month, "Posies'!

Have you been stitching along all year or did you find this project further into the year? 

Please note: the patterns will only be free to download until December 31st. 

Now let's have a look at the November block...

If you've seen the completed Posies quilt, you might be wondering 'where' is this block, right?

It's on the bottom right corner, and yes, it looks a bit different there! That's because I made this quilt late last year in preparation for 2021, and when I was piecing the blocks together my eye couldn't escape how out of place the fabric border was when sitting beside all the other blocks. 

So I removed the border and replaced it with this sweet Tilda star print...

A change of fabric can make all the difference to the overall finish of a pieced quilt, or a patchwork block.

I was so happy with the final outcome and very glad I decided to make a change.

This project was a scrappy one, as I have a big tub full of Tilda bits and pieces collected over 12 years and wanted to give them some time to shine. If your Posies blocks are scrappy bordered like mine, perhaps you can lay them out today and decide if you're happy with how they blend together when placed side by side - and if one or two aren't right, just remove the borders and sew new ones. 

UPDATE...

POSIES was free until January 1st 2022.

The complete 2021 POSIES quilt pattern is now available from my ETSY Shop.

When I designed this little block my mind was taken back to when I used to display flowers in an old cookpot which had become unusable for the oven. Sitting in the middle of the table on a fringed doily it gave the house that wonderful comforting and homely atmosphere. I'm not sure what happened to it, no doubt given away as we prepared for one of our 23 moves...but I'm inspired now to find another and fill it with small flower pots for the table again. 

Simple things like this really do add a 'welcome' feeling to our homes when others drop by, or when our family join to sit around the table. Even when there's just two of you. 

THE KITCHEN

Over the weekend we enjoyed a different fragrance through the home - a slow cooked brisket with vegetables, and savoury scrolls with home-made tomato pesto.

I've not cooked brisket before, but I often do corned beef in the slow cooker as it's my husband's and Blossom's favourite get-together meal. 

All I did was fill the base of the slow cooker with onions, celery, carrots, potato, garlic, fresh thyme, fresh rosemary and fresh parsley.

Then I rubbed a little olive oil, salt and pepper, over the brisket before tossing in plain flour and browning the brisket for 4 minutes each side in the frying pan with a little oil. 

While it was browning I mixed together 3/4 cup of beef stock, 2 tablespoons tomato paste and 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce. 

I removed the brisket from the pan and placed it on top of the vegetables in the slow cooker, then poured the beef stock mix into the frying pan to deglaze it and gather all the flavour from the brisket. Last step was to pour this over the brisket in the slow cooker and cook on low for 9 hours until the meat came apart with a fork. 

Unfortunately, I forgot to take an after photo as we were very hungry and the aroma filled the house, so when it came time to serve we simply couldn't wait to sit down at the table and enjoy every mouthful. Bonus, my husband absolutely loved this meal so it's going to be a monthly fixture in our menu plan. 

I also baked some savoury scrolls that day as I thought they'd be perfect for lunch on Sunday and could be popped in the freezer for hubby's work lunches some days as well. 

While the dough was rising I made my favourite Tomato Pesto recipe (you can find it here). You can use any bread dough recipe for this. Usually I bake these scrolls with multigrain flour but I'd run out.

Just like with my Cinnamon Scrolls (recipe found in the free Homemakers Heart magazine issue 3 HERE) you just roll the dough (after the first rise) into a rectangle about 1/2 - 3/4 inch thick and then spread with the pesto and any other filling you want.

Roll up and cut into 12 equal sized scrolls. Place in a parchment lined baking tray and allow to double in size before baking in a hot oven (200c or 400f) for around 18 minutes.

There's pesto, cheese and salami in these scrolls, but I didn't realise we were low on cheese or I would have scattered a cup over the top of the scrolls before baking (which I normally do)...but they were still yummy split in half and spread with butter. 

Obviously cheese and multigrain bread flour have been added to this week's shopping list now!

Finally today, I wanted to let you know that I won't be publishing another free issue of The Homemaker's Heart this year as it's incredibly time consuming and I really desire a break from that pressure. Many of you have read the first 5 issues and are stitching the 'days of the week' tea towels, hoping to have the full set this month.

Do not despair! I shall still share the final two tea towel patterns, but I'll do that here on the blog. Drop back here on Wednesday and I'll have the 'Saturday' tea towel pattern for you, and later this month I'll share 'Sunday'. 

Now I'd best be away and hang up some washing, vacuum the floors, and bake some biscuits (cookies) for my beloved! Tomorrow I get to spend the day with Blossom and the children as we're off to purchase Cully May's school uniform for term 1 in late January - she's so very excited!  I'm also going to drop in to Spotlight as they have DMC embroidery threads on sale 10 for $10 (which as my fellow Australians will tell you is almost half price).

May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ our Lord.

(2 Peter 1:2)

Hugs

Posies block 10 and planning ahead...

 Another month has passed and October came knocking on our door this morning. Every year about this time I seem to be saying "goodness, the year is flying by quickly" and today was no different.

I like new months, and I like new years, but when I see them advancing quickly I feel inspired to do a deep clean of my sewing/office space and make sure everything is back where it should be so that I can begin the new month or year with visual, mental and creative clarity. 

After a cloudy morning with a light rain shower, perfect for cleaning and tidying whilst listening to an audio book, the skies cleared at lunchtime and the bright spring sun came streaming through the window, so the 'after' photos reflect this...

I moved a few things around so that now I can stand at my cutting and design table and feel the full benefit of the air conditioner coming towards me (tropical heat takes a toll) instead of having it above and behind me. I can spend many hours at that table, sketching, re-sketching, drawing the final design, tracing onto fabric, preparing applique...it really is a work station, and being cool through the many long hot months here is important.

The air conditioner is above my fabric shelving, and as this is a small room and some of the fixtures are permanent, I can really only move the cutting table direction or placement. But I really like the way it is now and wonder why I haven't thought to face the other way before? 

Its especially important around now that I focus on, and finalise, the plans I've made for Elefantz in the coming year, and as you can see by my desk after everything else was tidied, pages of plans sketched over the past few months were everywhere!

I tend to write lots of notes and ideas through the year and gather them in groups, folders, notebooks - so spending an hour going through each page or book allows me to eliminate some, throw away duplicate ideas (if I have a duplicate of an idea then I am pretty sure it's something I'll definitely work on), rewrite a few more, and then order everything in sequence of importance or time frame. 

Once this was done I brewed a lovely cup of vanilla tea and treated myself to some delicious jam tarts whilst preparing to write the rough drafts of ten brand new patterns.

Before deciding on a start date for my new stitchery pattern club, I decided to have three months worth of patterns sketched, traced, embroidered, patterns written and then everything photographed. My plan is to always be a full season ahead as life has a tendency to step in and upset the apple cart when you least expect it. Forward planning and then following through with those plans can eliminate any future hiccups or anxieties when running a home business on your own. 

I'm also working on two new block of the months for next year. One of them is my regular freebie and runs for 12 months, and the other will be a subscription membership which runs for 10 months. 

I'm loving them both, and can't wait to show you, but let us all slow down that wee bit and enjoy the moments yet to come our way through October, November and December. Every day is a blessed gift, something I understand more and more as I age. 

Besides, you still have three more Posies block of the month patterns to receive, and today one of them is all yours...

Isn't that bird in the vase beautiful? And I love the fabric borders too. 

I stitched a double row of chain stitch across the vase, making sure it did not cover the dove in flight. The flowers are made with blanket stitch and the centres are satin stitched. Backstitch the stems and sew tiny lazy daisy leaves before adding your border fabric.

UPDATE...

POSIES was free until January 1st 2022.

The complete 2021 POSIES quilt is now available from my ETSY Shop.

In case you're new to Elefantz Designs, here's a photo of the wall quilt we're making with the Posies blocks this year.

The monthly blocks are all free to download until December 31st, 2021 and I share a new block on the 1st of each month. If you've missed any of the previous blocks just pop over HERE

Last week Blossom and I ventured to Spotlight with her trio of pre-schoolers in tow. The girls love the store and offer numerous suggestions for various fabrics their mummy can buy to sew pretty things for them, but Charlie was more interested in watching everyone go by and all the bright colours of fabric around him. 

Bloss eventually purchased a few cotton spandex prints for leggings that will be finished with ballerina ribbons at the ankles (she is an in-demand pattern tester for many children's wear designers), and fabric to make Charlie a summer cot quilt; but we also found these tape measure lanyards and thought how clever they were as we can clip our embroidery scissors onto them and avoid that constant frustration when at the sewing machine of looking for our little scissors (usually hidden under fabric, right?) as well as having a tape measure at our fingertips the whole time. Brilliant.

Hubby is on holidays for a week and I'm so happy as he's had no time off work since last December, and six-day working weeks are exhausting (especially when you're not so young anymore). We went for a drive by the sea this morning with coffee from Zarraffas before heading home for brekky and getting stuck into our various tasks - me to the cleaning/tidying/sorting/writing, and he to repair the car lights and generally give our 4WD a good clean and service. 

Tonight I'm roasting tomatoes from the garden and tossing them through fried gnocchi; and we'll enjoy that with a side salad and fresh sour dough as well. Ice cream and strawberries will finish off our dinner very nicely. I wonder what you're preparing for dinner tonight??

God bless each of you, and may the love of our Father above abundantly fill your lives in this new month, and lead you closer to His Son.

hugs

A time for every season, and another Posies block...

 

It's the last day of winter in the tropics of Northern Australia, a winter that didn't really arrive.

Every year around late April my anticipation builds towards that much needed cooling which normally arrives mid May, and there were indeed a few short days where it seemed my longing would be fulfilled...but nay, the winter months have came and gone with a warmth that most of you experience in late spring or indeed early summer.

Some locals here, those who have grown up in the stifling humid heat of tropical life, don't really understand the longing I have for a genuine cold change. Having been born and bred elsewhere, in a state and town that experiences all four seasons in their natural order, I deeply miss the months of wearing woolly ugg boots inside; layers of cardigans, socks, coats and scarves; tasty stews, casseroles and large bowls of steaming soup served with thick chunks of buttered bread every night; endless mugs of hot chocolate or tea; flannelette sheets, blankets and a soft snuggly comforter; open fires and plenty of cuddles.

I suppose this may have been the reason I've thought recently about how to live life satisfied even amidst seasons of dissatisfaction or disappointment. Admittedly some days this absent winter affected my mood badly, and then there were the many nights, with the ceiling fan whirring above my head, that I cried out to God for relief from the endless sun, pleading with Him to send an artic blast of winter chill all the way to the tropics. But it did not come.

Seasons. They come and go, and are never quite the same. Seasons aren't just spring, summer, autumn and winter...they are chapters in life which we walk through, relationships we fall into and out of, times of health and times of sickness, living in poverty and plenty, walking close to God and straying away. 

"To every thing there is a season; and a time for every purpose under heaven."

Even though my winter didn't arrive as I'd expected, this season did bring good things - I just didn't recognise them until now. The past couple of months I allowed life to intentionally slow down, drawing back and investing myself more in family, friendship, the Word, and rest. 

How lovely it has been to step away from the hamster wheel of a home based business for a season and reacquaint myself with life-before-Elefantz.

It's as though for the past few years I was running so hard that my eyes could not adjust to the beautiful view around me. A goal oriented woman, the way I approached life in general has always been with a list to complete, a deadline to meet and a fresh idea each day to work on. I don't remember ever being different...and to a certain extent, this is the way God made my mind to work.

The problem, though, is that in my flesh the tendency to push the envelope further than I needed in order to achieve more each day became a standard which I'd set for myself, a standard which had a limited life span...and that life span is closing. Thank goodness!

The garden this winter has been parched, yet the bugs multiplied to such a degree that almost every vegetable we grew was decimated and plant after plant was pulled up and destroyed (due to all the bugs/eggs/larvae we could not add them to compost). This too, contributed to days of dissatisfaction and disappointment.

But yesterday, the rain came. Not usual for this time of year, but it's good solid rain and as I walked through the garden this morning and saw the water droplets lingering on leaves between rain storms, my heart lifted and felt immensely refreshed. 

Being washed in the bountiful showers of heaven, things came alive and I gave thanks for the lemon tree which promises to be full of fruit, the struggling tomatoes we've worked hard to save, the chives in bloom and the reminder that "Yes, Jennifer, to every thing there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven." HIS purpose.

If you've also been in a season of dissatisfaction or disappointment, dear one, wait on the Lord. No season, hard or full, is wasted, for the Father teaches us through them and allows us to find His path anew that we may be refreshed and renewed for another season yet to arrive.

I'm very grateful to learn at the feet of the Father, and though the lessons may at first be uncomfortable, they always reveal attitudes in my character which need to be adjusted or tossed on the compost. If I allow Him free reign, He changes me for the better.

PATTERNS

Now, I know it's a day early but I have the next Posies block for you to download. 

A bucket of roses for September, and how very close to my heart this is because one joy that stood out in the garden over winter was our roses. They have bloomed and bloomed, and being able to tend them carefully just outside the back door each day, pluck stems and bring them inside, or gift a beautiful long stemmed red rose to Blossom to enjoy, brought immense delight to my soul!

UPDATE...

POSIES was free until January 1st 2022.

The complete 2021 POSIES quilt is now available from my ETSY Shop.

For those who are purchasing my Simple Days blocks through Etsy, the latest one is ready for you (here)...

There's only one more block of Simple Days to come, on September 25th, and next week I'll show you the completed quilt top. 

I hear the rain bucketing down so loud now, and that always makes me want to brew a pot of tea and make sandwiches, with a sweet treat on the side, so that's exactly what I shall do.

May your next season be one of refreshment, renewal, strength of faith, hope in Jesus, and slowing to the pace which God would have you live.

Hugs

There and back again (with Posies block 8!)...

 Hi my friends!

How are you? What has been happening in your life these past three weeks that I have been absent and on my own personal retreat from blogging and writing?

Truly, taking this extended break was a gift to self which was sorely needed, and though throughout the past twenty-three days life had it's hectic moments, just knowing I had time to focus on family needs, regular morning and afternoon tea times, bringing the garden into order, and really seeking and hearing God - well, it was life altering in a number of ways. 

My mind is rested, my thoughts and plans are much clearer going forward, and life in it's entirety has slowed somewhat...and at age 62 I am very grateful to have finally come to a place in my heart where a gentler balance of home, family, designing, writing, and that always deepening walk with Jesus, does not overwhelm my introvert nature.

Placing God above all is the key to any change, but it's hearing that still small voice speak to you through His Word, ever teaching, ever correcting, ever directing, ever chastising, ever forgiving, eternally loving...the voice which will right a detoured path, bring clarity to confusion and courage to the faint hearted. 

During the July break I did a lot of re-organising, deep cleaning and decluttering around the home, but my first task was to sew this lovely table topper from pretty green and pink fabric scraps. You see I wake earlier than my husband, long before dawn, and I needed a little space with a lamp in a secluded corner of the living room where I could sit in the old leather recliner and read my Bible. 

Our home is small and light travels everywhere, especially from the main living/dining area, so my plan was a small space, hidden away where a small light wouldn't cast too much of a glow towards the bedroom.

It's been such a joy to have my little morning space! 

In the garden we had our cucumbers and zucchini demolished in a matter of days by an army of green vegetable bugs, but they were the only casualties. 

Our spinach, rocket and sorrel greens, and various abundant herbs, are flourishing in this very hot mid-winter (average daily temps are around 30C - 86F). Oh my how I am lamenting the non-appearance of winter this year!

The  lemon and lime trees are set to bring forth their best crops yet, the tomatoes which were planted late this year are all producing (though everything is green right now, so we wait for them to ripen), the passionfruit vine gave us at least 120 yummy passionfruit (some were given away, more were frozen in ice cube trays, and the rest cut in half and eaten with a sprinkle of sugar the way Nana taught me as a child), and the pumpkins, spring onions, chillies, sugar snap peas, pigeon peas and strawberries are coming along wonderfully.

This morning I picked fresh parsley, dill and spring onions to make Spanakopita for Cully May's 5th birthday lunch today. Ross is Cypriot and loves for me to make this or Tiropita for family celebrations...

Cully May will turn 5 on August 4th, but the family party is today and she's so excited! It will be a wonderful afternoon to celebrate with her.

My three new roses are bringing such beauty to my eyes each day, blooming in vibrant reds, white and pink, filling the air with such sweet fragrance. Cully May and Rafaella love the garden and spend hours 'watering' and 'tending' it, but mostly they adore the roses.

I found these lovely napkins for a dollar at the op-shop recently and it took a while, but my husband now thinks they're much better than paper towels. Ha ha!! And let's face it, they're much prettier...

Breakfasts in winter are usually porridge, but as it's been so warm this year I opted for an old favourite from many years ago. It looks (at this stage) like a Bircher muesli but is slightly different, though you do soak it all overnight in apple juice. I lay it out in a tray and bake it early in the morning and wow, it's delicious served with fresh strawberries and yoghurt...

I'm making more this week so I'll write up the recipe and show you the 'after' photos in case you'd like to try it.

Other things happening here lately are plans for an inexpensive revamp of our kitchen, and the first change will be to remove the solid green blind from the large window over the kitchen sink area and replace it with a roman blind, using this Emma Bridgewater fabric (photo below) from Blinds Online. Rosie came over the other day for morning tea and I asked her opinion about it (wonderful that the company send samples!) as my husband just said "whatever you like, sweetheart". 

Well, she loved it as much as I do, so next step is have hubby measure the window and put in my order. 

And I've also begun stitching next year's free block of the month, the theme being roses and books...

New flowers have been planted in the garden and also in an old wheelbarrow...

...and the Schlumbergera cactus are blooming again on the laundry window.

The cockatoos, rainbow lorikeets and black-faced ibis keep me company through the day, always noisy (and hungry), but also lovely to watch. The pair of Ibis which have begun to visit each day are no longer wary of me but go about the yard and through the back patio whilst I'm pottering around with plants or hanging washing. 

I snapped this pic of the Ibis from inside the back door, which explains the exposure. It likes to march up and down the patio numerous times a day - perhaps keeping guard while hubby is at work? 

Anyhow, that's enough catch up, yes?

Today I'm sharing Block 8 of Posies, so use the download link below the photo to access the pattern. You can see I chose a bird to fussy cut for the vase this month...and you're not surprised are you. Ha ha!

UPDATE...

POSIES was free until January 1st 2022.

The complete 2021 POSIES quilt is now available from my ETSY Shop.

I'd really love to know how things were for you in July. Our country has lockdowns all over the place, though not where we are and I pray it stays that way. 

And thank you to everyone who has been praying for Blossom. She ended up in hospital with her pneumonia a couple of weeks ago and we wondered if it would ever end, but she's finally recovering after two very long and ill months. Bless you!!

Till next time, may the Father's love envelop you so deeply that all your concerns wash away in the knowledge of His care and everlasting love.

Hugs