Kicking off my BOM early with a bonus pincushion pattern...

 

My "POSIES" quilt is finished and hanging on the wall of my office area and now all I need do is write the twelve monthly patterns to share with you through 2021.

But before doing that I wanted to gift you a bonus "Posies" project that you can make between now and the end of this year, in time to use on January 1st when I'll launch the BOM with block 1.

My pattern for the Posies Pincushion has full instructions for the embroidery as well as making the pincushion which has a lovely sleeve which slips over the body of the pinnie and holds your scissors.

If you're not joining the "Posies" BOM in 2021 (some of my readers quilt but don't embroider) but still like the idea of a sleeved pincushion I have an alternative option for you which I've written about in the pattern...

Honestly, this style of pinnie really is one of my favourites and I wanted it to be something that tied in with Posies for next year, and hopefully a pinnie you'll make many times.

Oh goodness, imagine using all the twelve Posies stitchery blocks next year as pincushions...you'd have twelve sleeved pinnies to gift by Christmas 2021! Though you may also decide to simply make the quilt instead. Or both? Time will tell.

Blossom is rather taken with both of my new pincushions, saying "Wow, I love them, they are so bright and beautiful!" so I may just pass one along to my girl. 

Use the link below to download the free pattern.

DOWNLOAD THE POSIES PINCUSHION PATTERN

If you look hard you can see a peek of my completed "POSIES" quilt hanging on the wall behind my pinnies (above and below)...

Something I keep meaning to write about is the filling I use when making pincushions. Probably for around five years now I've been buying bags of crushed walnut shells from the pet shop as it is used to line glass reptile enclosures. Now however, the pet shops have a different product for that purpose so I went hunting online early this year and discovered the same product, and cheaper too, was sold by BBQ stores for smoking meat.

I use a small funnel to fill the pincushion to avoid spillage and mess. Though admittedly I have still been known to scatter the cutting table with some if I overfill, but I just scoop it up and pop it back in the bag for the next pinnie.

If you google 'crushed walnut shells' you'll be able to find a local supplier or somewhere you can buy online. I highly recommend this as filling and it keeps your pins and needles sharp and clean.

The heat and humidity has sucked the life out of our early summer garden, though we've been very blessed to still be gathering vegetables in our tropical 'off season'. 

The wet season is late in arriving at our part of the tropics, though it's been flooding in other areas, and this is why we've been able to extend the growing time of cucumbers, tomatoes and even rockmelon...

But we picked the last cucumber and melon the other day as the rest of them are actually cooking on the vine due to the extreme heat and fierceness of the sun. Fortunately the tomatoes are soldiering on and our supply of spring onions (green onions) is still abundant. 

But once the rains arrive that will be it. Water and heat will bring mould to the garden and that's why we don't grow here in summer or early autumn. 

A jolly wonderful thing at this time of the year for me is plum season and as well as eating them like lollies I love to scatter slices over simple cakes because they almost caramelise during the  bake.

Day to day...

Thank you to some lovely readers who sent me cards and words of encouragement recently. I don't have your email addresses so can't thank you privately, but know your kindness meant the world to me. ((hugs))

It's been a very exhausting past few months with family accidents, a sick neighbour, barometric migraines off the scale due to the high humidity and heat, Blossom's pregnancy and the birth of Charlie David, caring for our precious granddaughters at times...

(fun with nana and poppy in the pool)

...diffficulties with my husband's employment, full time homemaking, keeping the garden going through water restrictions, four days with virtually no water in the home due to a critical rupture in our town's water treatment facility...and running a business single handed in the midst of it all.

Running on high adrenaline for a long period of time is not new to me and I knew from experience that once things settled I'd come crashing down - and I did. It began on Wednesday night and continued to carry me deeper into the valley of depression the next day. By Saturday I could not even smile as the darkness which shrouded my mind kept sucking me deeper into that awful mental space I want to avoid. 

As I write this I'm not out of the woods yet, but as this bout of depression is triggered by extreme weariness over a long period of time I know that it will pass quickly...as long as I rest, as long as I  make myself a priority for a little while, as long as I sleep and as long as I take a break from work.

I have emails waiting to be answered which I've decided not to. I have people to call which I am also not going to do. Being a 'doer', which I naturally am, has driven me these past months, but it's time to step away for a little bit in order to rest and recover.

I am reminded of Elijah who after a fierce spiritual battle (and success) was so depleted that he ran away into the wilderness to collapse under a Broom tree and wished God would take his life...but the Lord knew what Elijah really needed was sleep, food, water, and more rest. You can read the story in 1 Kings 19.

So I'm taking a leaf out of God's Word and allowing myself the gift of rest before beginning fresh in 2021 with a number of fun things that I hope you'll join me for.

My sweet husband took me out to dinner last night to our favourite Indian restaurant and what a delight it was to have a lovely meal cooked for me! It's simple things which lift my spirit - flowers in a vase, eating a meal I did not prepare, sitting by the beach with my husband as the sun rises or sets, cuddling close my grandchildren...and going slowly through the day with no schedule or timetable to follow.

You may have been struggling lately too?

If so, know I am praying for you as I pray for myself, for despite the darkness which still hovers, I KNOW that my God is greater than the darkness and I TRUST Him to lead me out of the valley and into the Light of His hope for my future. 

May we all go slow as this year winds down and be at peace with one and all. May our hearts turn to Jesus and the gift He still is to everyone who calls upon His name. May we find the path out of our valleys and climb the mountain which leads to Light and life. 

God bless you one and all, and merry Christmas. I'll see you closer to New Year...

loving hugs,

PS: Memberships to Let's Stitch Again close on December 30th. Pop over here to find out more...

Block 6 of The 23rd Psalm BOM...

You have probably noticed that I'm a day late sharing this month's Psalm 23 block. 

Monday's are actually a busy day at home and I should probably take that into consideration when offering free patterns or writing blog posts. You know when hubby goes back to work on Monday morning my housecleaning energy kicks right in as the weekends are spent quietly on a Saturday (our sabbath rest day) and Sunday's are all about the garden and getting things done that require the two of us. 

So when Monday rolls around and my beloved drives off to school I sit down and work methodically through a list of to-dos before heading out after lunch to do the week's grocery shop.

Yesterday I pulled everything out of the fridge and gave it a good scrub before assessing what could go back in, what needed using up that day and what was past it's use by but still suitable for the chickens. We don't have much wastage anymore but after some missed homecooked meals last week due to a rather dark few days of depression, there was indeed produce that found it's way into the chook pen yesterday. I also vacuumed, mopped, did many loads of washing, organised my workspace, and after doing the groceries I packed everything away and set about making fresh almond butter, corn fritters and marinated baby cauliflower for dinner.

After the cauilflower ('colettes' as they are labelled at the market) baked they had crunchy ends and soft juicy stems - seriously delicious. Of course I forgot to take the after photo!

Praise God my mind shifted to a much lighter place after a long sunset walk along the beach at Pallarenda with my husband on Sunday night, and time with Blossom and the girls at the park this morning brought me right back to normal.

The 23rd Psalm block of the month

This month we're stitching the first half of verse 6.

When I drew this block up last year I imagined how the Lord would set a table before me, because it's my belief that He takes very seriously our personal likes and dislikes as it's all part of our unique character, part of who He made us to be.

I love flowers on the table, gingham tablecloths, old wooden chairs...so that's what I drew and eventually what I stitched.

What would your table look like??

THE COMPLETE PSALM 23 Book Pattern is now available HERE in my Etsy Shop.

Last week I said that in June I could reveal my new pattern made from the next Tilda fabric range.

The fabrics are called Little Farm and are so cute with small floral sprays, farm animals, farm houses, garden tools and seed packs. Everything is very small, no big prints in this line of fabric, which is perfect for my kind of design...because my patterns are not large quilts, but mini quilts or wall hangings.

When I thought about the theme of the fabrics my mind turned to home and from there a verse that means a lot to my husband and I seemed just right - Joshua 24:15

I used to believe this was a beautifully sentimental yet faithful verse, one which all believers adhered to...and then I studied it. Joshua drew a line in the sand the day he spoke this to Israel (not long before he died) because he was warning them that they would stray. The people declared, "No, we will always serve the Lord!" but God's man Joshua knew better. You see the very next generation, the children of those to whom he spoke these spirit-given words, strayed from the Lord. 

Judges 2:10 - And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that He had done for Israel.

Wow, that always hits my heart. The last generation of Israel in Joshua's life did not diligently instil the teachings of God to their children and in just that one generation they strayed away and 'did not know the Lord'. 

So I take this statement, this declaration, very seriously these days...because it's not idle or simply a 'nice' heartwarming verse to quote. It carried with it a warning and because of that I searched my heart before bringing this from Bible to stitchery. 

The embroidery design itself is styled as a plaque that would hang outside the front door or by the front gate of a home, and the borders are a double of my favourite 'homely' patchwork block, the churn dash. I've sat one block inside another and really love the cosiness they bring to the mini quilt.

The pattern will be included in July's set of Faith In Hand patterns (go HERE to find out more) along with two more designs that I love and have wanted to include for a while.

I suppose there are some reading this today who wonder 'how' I could find myself in seasons of depression? After all, I am strong in my faith and know without a single doubt that Jesus loves me and will always provide for me and offer me strength and comfort when a need is there.

Well, we live in a broken world and some of my life experiences dealt deep scars that when triggered by various dates, situations or even a passage of scripture can bring to the surface griefs, regrets, sorrows and emotional emptiness. Not for long, but for long enough that I feel the need to hide away for a bit and seek the arms of Jesus and His Word for the healing, correction or refreshment my heart, mind and soul require.

Designing with Biblical passages of Scripture as my inspiration brings me joy, but also a lesson, always a lesson, because in God's Word nothing is wasted and as it is alive and living (Hebrews 4:12) He speaks through scripture to encourage, assure, correct, comfort, strengthen and warn...and sometimes a particular passage will affect my life (or my character) more deeply than others because there's a lesson to learn or a healing which needs to take place. That's something which happened again recently and even though I felt hollow and unable to delight in my life for a few days I knew that 'this too shall pass' and He would bring me through with a greater understanding of my relationship with Him and His with me. And so it was.

I didn't really mean to go that heavy today, but then again, one thing God has clearly said to me lately is to be real. That doesn't mean my life is an open book, but it does mean that when He asks me to, I need to be open to share what He's doing with me, a woman who lived half her life without Him, and how walking beside Him and being open to where He leads has changed (and is still changing) me into someone I hope can one day say,

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

(2 Tim 4:7)

If you knew me thirty years ago you would not recognise me today. And that's as it should be. For the old me was not someone I would choose to be again...for when Christ came into my life He changed me for the better and since that day He has never let me go because I'm still a work in progress, still being refined.

My prayer for you right now is that you are able to experience the life changing love and mercy and grace of my Saviour, and that even if you are a believer, but struggle with darkness from the memories of the past, that you find your Light in the One who will never let you go - for He has borne the greatest sacrifice, the shame, and known the deepest betrayal and disappointment. And He carried all of that to the Cross for you and me because His love for us is deeper than we can ever understand or experience this side of heaven.

Bless you precious one, for you are indeed PRECIOUS in His sight.

loving hugs