Free stitchery...

Now that I have shared the news about Mr E returning to teaching next year, I can also tell you that we're going to move house as well. Somewhere between Christmas and early January we hope to find a new rental home, then all going to plan, be moved in before Mr E starts work on the 19th. 

We're praying for a home without all the steps we have at the moment (they have become troublesome for me), a home with a 'real' kitchen and lots of lovely shaded areas and trees...a home that is safe, welcoming, secure, and with a sewing room for Elefantz, a study for Mr E, a lockable shed, double garage, and a spare room for when our dear daughters come visiting with their little ones. 

We've handed these requests over to God and put our trust in His direction. If you're of a praying heart, we'd love to have you spare a prayer on our behalf - thank you ever so much. xx

In the meantime, I've been slowly gathering our small ornaments to wrap and pack in boxes, whilst replacing them with little vignettes of Christmas. As we're not allowed to hang anything in this house (apart from one place where there was already a nail in the wall) these festive displays are spread across book cases or drawers, but I rather like them this way as it allowed me to cluster them in different hues of blues, or pinks, or teals or reds...which may seem odd in such a small house where everything is in close proximity but I'm eclectic in my own way and it works for me.

I look around and see things which have been gifted to us over the years, others we collected when the children were little, stitcheries I've designed and made for our home...and it's familiar, and very special. It all means something.

There were some tiny pastel areas...

...and a slightly larger red, green & taupe space along the top of, and beside, my living room bookcase.

Our tree isn't up yet but Mr assures me that tomorrow is 'the day' so I shall do some baking while he sets to his task, one which has become his very own these past few years since the children grew up and left home. 

There's no rush or hurry in the Elefantz home at Christmas because so many of our children live far away and all the gifting and posting was done earlier in the month...instead, there's a quietness and time for reflection which fills the air.

Within myself I'm eager to bake and sing carols, sew and watch Christmas movies, dust and tidy. 

I'm reading the first few chapters of Luke slowly, taking it in again and again, thinking about every word, imagining the conversations, the emotions.

I truly do love that Jesus is very much at the forefront of my mind in many ways this time of year, that I think a great deal more about the miracle, the incomparable decision of our God, that He would choose to leave heaven and be born flesh among us, giving up everything He was and had...for love. 

Love for me. Love for you. Love for us.

Perhaps you'd like to stitch this in the quiet hours?

Freely given.

Download here in my shop until December 31st, 2016.

If your Christmas readying has been busy, if your responsibilities are many, if you're tired and not thinking straight...stop sweet friend, even for an hour, and take time to appreciate the loveliness your life has to offer. 

Don't rush through another day and miss the beauty right before you.

Give thanks for your loved ones. 

Give thanks for your Saviour.

Give thanks for the gift of being you.

hugs

Christmas stitchery for you...

 

You watched me make the stitchery in this Christmas design back here but at the time I was still unsure of how I would border it as a mini quilt.

Once that blog post was published and I returned to my sewing room the answer was clear...a simple floral border was all it needed, and a coordinating fabric from the same range as one of the gold tonal prints proved perfect.

I was also able to mix pink buttons with the red I'd originally chosen to use between the leaves of the wreath...

Want to make your own "Glory to God" mini quilt?

Download the free pattern here in my shop until December 31st.

hugs

Working on a Christmas mini...

The combination of gold and tealy-green fabrics caught my eye last week as I was tidying my fabric shelves and planning a mini quilt design to share on the blog before Christmas this year.

I had the idea of another wreath (see last year's wreath)  but this time with applique, buttons and embroidered wording.

I began this wreath by cutting 2 1/2" wide strips from both gold fabrics and sewing them together for the wreath background. Then I traced the words "glory to God in the highest" across the centre...

...before fusing little wreath leaves around the words.

The leaves were appliqued with a teal green thread...

...and the wording was backstitched using a slightly darker thread.

Now I'm sorting through my button box for about 24-30 buttons of varying sizes in red tones...

...but I won't sew them in place until I ad a border to the mini quilt and I'm still undecided on what that will look like.

So far this is coming together as I imagined it in my mind, but I may need a nice block of chocolate to boost more imaginings for the border!

Any ideas?

Hope your weekend has brought many sewing ideas to fruition.

hugs

A rose sewn bird...

Some of my very first designs featured lots and lots of shabby roses. In fact a few of my first quilt designs were "Shabby Rose" quilts and they're still among my favourites today.

The sixth design for this month's Stitchery Club issue celebrates those first roses...

The theme for October's patterns is "A Stitchy Kind of Christmas" so I have added rose topped scissors on my signature bird's wing...

I'd like to finish this design as a hanging bird ornament. 

By drawing a 1/2" border around the outside of the embroidered bird I can cut on that line, sew the bird to a same shaped piece of backing fabric, stuff with filling and add ribbons to hang.

If I have time today that's what I'll do.

If not it will be tomorrow, but I'll be sure to show you once it's finished.

There's only 3 days left to join the Club and receive the October patterns as they are emailed out on Monday 17th.

JOIN today and  don't miss out.

Just to jog your memory, here are the other five designs inside this month's issue...

Note: A few people have pointed out that my "Handmade Helper" sewing machine is facing the wrong direction, but the thing is that's how I drew it and stitched it. Daft me! LOL!

So, included in the patterns will be two version of the sewing machine, one facing left and the other facing right. 

Have a lovely day,

I'm off to give Cully May her quilt. Yay!

hugs

Make a gift envelope (free pattern)...

This little stitchery and tutorial was originally inside the March issue of my Stitchery Club.

A cute envelope is a lovely 'gift wrap' for jewellery, gift cards or small items at Christmas or on special occasions, so I decided to share it as a free October download with anyone who'd like to make one or two or a lot. 

The pattern includes full instructions for the stitchery, sewing the hexagon cover, and bringing it all together as a fabric envelope.

Think you'd enjoy making a "Blooming Heart" envelope?

You could use any little stitchery on the cover, perhaps even alphabet letters like THIS set of 26 monograms I have in my shop? 

Download the Blooming Heart pattern as a free gift until December 31st 2016 HERE in my shop.

Have a blessed weekend,

hugs

My girls and their babies...

Aisha arrived from Sydney late last week with 5 month old Austin, and spent four wonderful days with us.

It was the first time I'd met my newest grandson, and the first time the two sisters held each other's babies. 

A photo session ensued rather rapidly!

No doubting these two are cousins, right?

I can't tell you the joy I experienced each day with an armful of babies, but also the delight of seeing the LOVE Aisha had for little niece Cully May, and the LOVE Blossom had for nephew Austin Knox. 

Both are natural mothers, natural aunties, naturally wonderful daughters to Mr E and I.

Blossom kept swishing her head as she played with  Austin so I couldn't capture a good photo of them together, but this one of Aisha with Cully May is lovely...

During our time together we girls talked our heads off, not for a minute running out of conversation, which led Mr E and Blossom's DB to regularly ask when entering the room, "You's are still talking??"

Aisha's response: "Yeh! The women in our family can talk forever." 

So very true, and how very grateful I am for that.

Aisha and Austin flew home Monday afternoon and we miss them already.

Fortunately they'll be back again next winter with the rest of their precious family. In the meantime Blossom, Aisha and I chat every day and keep up with our lives in the 'here and now' no matter how far apart we live.

Time to show you the fourth new Christmas design for October's issue of The Stitchery Club...

Do you like the non-traditional Christmas colours I chose for next month's sewing themed patterns?

(read about the Stitchery Club here)

To be honest I'm not much of a green & red girl, even at Christmas, so I'm enjoying choosing palettes for a modern or shabby chic style of decorating.

What colours are found around your home during the festive season?

hugs