A simple tablecloth with tutorial...

The other day I showed you the two embroidered and trimmed kitchen towels I'd made for the kitchen in our new rental home and mentioned plans to sew a few more.

Well, that plan altered slightly.

I had another extra large flour sack kitchen towel ready to cut into two smaller towels when an idea popped into my head that I could trim the towel slightly to a 30" square and make one small tablecloth instead, the kind used for relaxed afternoon teas with friends.

So that is what I did. 

After cutting the flour sack to a neat 30" square I added a lemon floral fabric trim around all four sides and then traced a vase of tulips and daises (from my Vintage Kitchen pattern set) into each corner to embroider.

I think once my tablecloth has been stitched it will look very pretty laid out under a basket of fresh scones and a pot of steaming tea, don't you?

As I was preparing to trace the design into the corners it occurred to me that I needed each corner placement to be the same and needed to find a way to do this.

It worked perfectly so I thought you might have use of this simple process as well (or perhaps you've thought of this yourself already) so here it is.

1. Print the design you wish to embroider and gather a pencil and quilters ruler. Because my tablecloth is a square the corners are a perfect 90 degree right-angle.

2. Decide how far into the corner you want your embroidery and after positioning the ruler over the design use a pencil to trace the corner under the design.

3. Place your fabric over the pattern sheet and line up the corner pencil lines with the corner of your fabric before tracing the design.

I decided not to add the doily under my vase stitchery as I have another idea for some extra embroidery along the sides. This will be a nice easy project to stitch in the evenings next week after packing our moving boxes each day. 

I've even sketched, traced and prepared the new designs for November already! This means no rushing once the move is complete, everything is in one place with correct threads, scissors and extra needles. 

I have a feeling that a few quiet weeks will be needed to restore energy once the house is unpacked and we find our feet again, and my remedy shall be a comfy chair, old movies and these stitcheries just waiting to be brought to life with thread.

As the move draws closer I am becoming even more resourceful than usual in the kitchen. We're eating our way through the freezer and fridge so that we have nothing in either by moving day.

The same process is happening with pantry staples. Planning meals with what's on hand is important but it does mean extra creativity will be needed sooner rather than later.

This morning's breakfast was tiny pikelets made from leftover pancake batter I made a couple of days ago, with jam and butter. We also finished the last of the yoghurt, frozen blackberries and canned apricots. 

In so many ways this is fun, but more importantly it is helping me appreciate that we don't need to grocery shop as often as we used to. Knowing we could creatively eat for these next two weeks from what I have on hand, and that I've avoided all wastage of fresh produce, inspires me to simplify our menu once we're settled again.

Just a few things...

This may be my last blog post until after the move so I just want to remind you that membership for the next issue of The Stitchery Club closes at midnight on September 16th.

And about my knitting of that sweet bear.

One lady left a comment asking how it was coming along and I apologise for taking so long to answer.

I had wanted the bear completed for Cully May's 1st birthday last month but alas, an old issue with my hands flared up so I had to put it aside for the time being. I only have this problem when I knit or crochet and must leave my pursuit behind for a while until it settles.

The legs and the body are finished...

...and my new deadline is Christmas. I shall only do a few rows every couple of days which should see this delightful bear come to life in time. 

The pattern itself is just lovely to follow, with many different variations to choose from. 

If only I had knitters hands, eh?

I had also hoped to share a tutorial for THIS gardening book cover before we moved but time is against me so I'll do that in October.

If I am able I shall drop another line here next week, but if not, take care of yourselves and ponder your blessings until I return again.

"Oh taste and see that the Lord is good,

blessed is the man that trusteth in Him"

Psalm 34:8

hugs

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Moving right along...

After almost four years in this house (the longest we have ever lived in the same abode) we are on the move...

The Lord blessed us with an 'easy' choice on our first day house-hunting for a new rental, but first we needed to go through the application process with the estate agent.

That too was trouble free.

(thank you to those who prayed xxx)

Within a matter of days we had walked through the home, assessed it's suitability for our needs, filled in a lot of paperwork, been accepted as tenants by the owner, and signed the lease.

It will be a couple of weeks before we move all our belongings over as Mr E needs to finish the school term before we pack up this house, pattern writing for the next Stitchery Club issue must be completed and there's also the issue of pacing myself each day as fatigue and increased migraines are already my constant companion.

But we're very happy, very excited, at the prospect of moving into a lovely low-set home with plenty of shade, a large kitchen, room for Elefantz and a study for my beloved husband. There will even be a spare bedroom for visiting daughters and their littlies to stay. 

Because I love to christen a new home with something special for the kitchen, over the weekend I traced two of my free patterns (available here in my shop) onto flour sack kitchen towels and added pretty fabric trim across the bottom before beginning the embroidery.

The designs are quite simple and can be made up in an afternoon...

My thread colours were chosen to blend with the pretty Tilda 'Cottage' prints which trim the ends of the kitchen towels...

These fabrics will be in quilt stores early October but I was blessed to have received them early as they proved perfect for edging the cream flour sack fabric...

I intend preparing a few more to keep my hands busy in the evenings during our pack & move week.

Might even use some of THESE stitcheries as they'd be just right for my new kitchen and I've always wanted to stitch them in colours anyhow.

I'm glad our plants are all in pots on the back deck as we can transfer them from here to the new house without a problem. 

My schlumbergera cacti are in full bloom now...

...and the hydrangea has flourished with the onset of spring.

Mr E's azalea, which produced multiple flowers all through winter, is still blooming profusely.

His Granny had a large azalea this colour right beside her front door so I always think of her when a new flower opens.

It might not be quite so easy for the cherry tomatoes to move from here to the next house though as the vine runs through the wire railing and hangs down below the deck.

Hopefully I can harvest some fruit before we make that decision.

One thing I will be extremely grateful for when moving our pots of herbs 'out of here' is leaving that darn grasshopper and his relatives behind.

They particularly love my parsley and this last plant was not spared even though I've been monitoring it carefully the past few weeks...

...but fortunately they don't like oregano so three pots of that herb are thriving.

What have you been making over the weekend?

Any tips for transporting potted plants when moving?

hugs

LOVE, the chubby kind...

"Love" is another of my new designs for June 17th's issue of The Stitchery Club.

And of course, love is exactly what I feel when sweet chubby 10-month old Cully May wraps her arms around my neck and leans in for a kiss. She can even say Nana now!

Can you believe she's already 10 months old? Blossom can't. I can't. It seems only a few months back that Blossom and Ross welcomed this precious little girl into the world.

Today she came fabric shopping with her mummy and I and thought it was wonderfully fun to ride in the trolley and 'look after' the fabrics we'd  chosen.

With only two months until her very 1st birthday I decided to knit Cully May a little bear with various outfits she can swap and change.

I've had the link to Mary Jane's Tearoom in the 'sewing and crafting blogs' list on my sidebar for ages because I adore her designs and knew one day I'd give one a try.

Aren't they adorable?

I'm knitting the pink and brown little girl bear.

To keep the stuffing from popping out these bears are knitted with 8 ply yarn on tiny 3mm needles (US 2.5 or UK No 11) for a snug finish.

One leg stitched between Monday night and Tuesday afternoon...

I love to knit but can only do an hour at at a time as I have never had the same dexterity in my fingers since an operation on my right hand seven years ago, and that is why I've given myself a good length of time to complete the wee bear and her wardrobe. 

Second leg half stitched on Tuesday evening...

This could be addictive!

So I guess you understand the inspiration behind my "Love" design, right?

Miss Cully May indeed!

Once again I embroidered onto flour sack (another recent addiction) because I think this fabric adds warmth and homeliness to my new designs.

The other patterns for June which have been stitched on flour sack are...

The closing date for membership to The Stitchery Club in time to receive these patterns is June 16th. You can join HERE on the Club page, and receive a wonderful joining gift too.

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It looks like this...

That's enough from me today because I'm sure you have wonderful things planned away from the computer. May they bring much joy to your precious heart and perhaps inspire you to sing a song or two...

hugs

Flour sacks, linens and herbs...

I woke this morning to the coolest breeze we've had since last August and my, it was refreshingly welcome!

Finally the worst of our very long tropical summer has passed, the nights are becoming cooler and the days mostly requiring just a ceiling fan whirring away with perhaps the air conditioner on for a couple of hours mid afternoon when the autumn sun still manages to burn the front of our high house.

Porridge has once again returned to the breakfast menu...

...and I feel like 'feathering my nest' with new cushions, a quilt in the works, slow cooker recipes, and gardening.

What do you look forward to at this time of the year?

April has been a busy month with many time consuming activities and plans focused around family, home and the business.
All this has caused me to neglect my dear blog for much of the month, and I do honestly love blogging, but life you know? It has a way of taking over and all else falls to the wayside. And that's okay, just go with the flow and in the end everything settles again for a time.

I sense a slowing is just around the corner for me and will be happy returning to regular blog posts.
I truly enjoy catching up with each of you, and love reading your comments with thoughts, ideas and those occasional small glimpses into your life as well.

On the sewing front, something I have been patiently excited to 'play' with are these flour sack towels I bought from Lehman's in the USA a couple of months ago. They are much bigger than anything we get here in Australia and at 31" x 36" each I can easily make two Aussie sized kitchen towels from one flour sack towel.

For economy sake I ordered the 10-pack which worked out to (postage included) just under $5 each. My fellow Aussie girls will know that's great value for such a huge, perfect-for-embroidery-and-applique kitchen towel.

A challenge I have set myself with the first towel is to make as many items as possible from it.

Firstly  I've cut away an Aussie tea towel sized section and begun stitching a new design along the bottom...

(...no more stitchery peeks at this for a few weeks though!)

This has left me with about 1/2 the original flour sack towel yet to work with and a number of ideas to create more useful and pretty items.

Another idea I have in mind will turn these aged and beautiful doilies into a tutorial project I can share here on the blog.
I think re-purposing vintage linens is probably my favourite sewing thing to do!

It's the Labour Day long weekend here in Queensland so I may work on one or both of these projects during that time, but Mr E has other ideas.

He wants to head back to Bunnings for more garden supplies on Saturday as his long weekend plans include potting up a few more plants and returning to his bonsai hobby. He's set himself up a simple potting bench under the back deck, in the shade...

...and I'm allowed to use it too. Ha ha!

Last weekend we bought herbs and a cherry tomato to plant in pots along the deck. Late autumn and winter are the seasons to grow vegetables and herbs in the tropics as the weather is lovely and warm but not scorching hot like the rest of the year.

I love having so much green outside the kitchen door!

We have pots of aloe vera all around the house because they thrive all year round and definitely help when I burn myself...

This lovely little gravy boat was a $2 garage sale purchase last month and now has a new purpose as a pot for some thyme.
It's so cute that I intend looking for more gravy boats in future for a similar purpose.

All around the back deck green is adding life...

...ready for me to give the area a makeover for morning coffee and Bible study now that it's cool enough. Hopefully that will happen over this weekend as well.

The palms have fruit for the large birds...

...and the trees along the side of the house are shedding old leaves and replenishing their limbs with fresh foliage, which gives the rest of our bird life shelter and shade.

A surprise this week was the very first Bird of Paradise flower we've seen on this plant! I hope it continues to flower for us.

You know, life is good.

I had an awful season of depression through March and into mid April, but our few days away up at the Lake combined with cooler weather and the daily exercise workouts I began a couple of weeks ago, have greatly improved my mental and physical state.
The increased energy from exercise, taking 30 minutes to do something 'just for me' each day, and spending more time outdoors and away from the home office was the tonic I needed.

Thank you for your prayers and kind thoughts about the struggle I was having. It meant the world to me.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone,
hugs