Joy in the ordinary...

Last year many of you stitched along each month to the gently domestic melody of my BOM.

Every one of the 12 designs shared throughout 2016 had a special meaning behind it, something that mattered to me, and mattered especially to my homemaker heart.

But it was the May design, this one block alone, which held all the heartfelt threads of each individual story the other eleven blocks had told.

Housework is the lot in life of most women, whether they are stay-at-home mums, full time homemakers, retired, temporarily unemployed or work outside the home. It's an inescapable occupation which never takes a holiday and does not receive a wage at the end of the week. 

For some women there may barely be an acknowledgment from those within the family walls that this vocation has merit and requires great skills of organisation, scheduling, budgeting, cooking, home management, counselling...I could go on, but where would the list end?

And I wonder, is that why so many of us have struggled with viewing our domestic life as joyful, purposeful, enriching, honorable or satisfying?

My daughter Blossom and I chatted about this recently, about how difficult it can be when the husband comes home with a paycheck, evidence that he is the provider, and yet no 'tangible pat on the back' is given to the wife (who also provides) acknowledging that she too has laboured long hours - and often times much longer hours.

I'm not writing this to cast negativity on the traditional roles with the home, but rather to highlight the feelings a homemaker could foster in her heart when she thinks of  her role at home as 'less than' her husband's, or less than those she perceives to have an easier lot in life.

A big turning point for me a few years back was understanding that the importance of my homemaker position within the family, was not, and was never meant to be, in competition with my husband.

Standing back and acknowledging we each had important roles to fulfil in our family, our marriage and our home, helped me grasp what had long eluded me. My beloved husband could not do what I was doing - and more important to me personally, I did not want to do what he did. 

I did not want the responsibility of having to financially carry us until retirement age or beyond.

I did not want to work outside the home and march to the beat of another's drum. 

I did not want to live with the burden of daily leaving home for employment in a place where I was not happy, not treated respectfully, yet could not leave because we needed the income to live.

Now, understand that I am a born homemaker, it's something I love to do! Making a home for my loved ones and those who cross our threshold brings me such gladness of heart and always has...but that joy occasionally evaporated, and usually when I allowed myself to listen to those who proposed that the domestic life was worthless, a drudgery, of no personal gain and obsolete. I would doubt my role at home, and I would let small green threads of envy appear in my character.

There were seasons when I simply 'wanted it all'.

Over time and by the grace of God I made a habit of snipping those small green threads of envy and disposing of them as they appeared, and it began when I noticed there was something missing from my life. 

You see I'd spent time chasing a career near the end of our homeschooling journey and it 'almost' took over. Busyness and the business was fun at first, for years actually. My husband encouraged what I did, yet he could see what I could not - that his role as provider was primary, and it was not going to change. My wearing of two hats (homemaker and businesswoman), both of which I wanted to wear with excellence, slowly began to drain my 'joy' cup until the mix of responsibilities I faced each day overwhelmed and did not bless.

When the children all left home and we became an empty-nest couple, a time of personal evaluation settled upon my heart. I assessed what was missing, what I longed for, what I needed to fill once again my JOY cup. 

The answer was a simple one. 

Homemaking, the gentle and ordinary domestic vocation of a homemaker. 

If something had to go, it needed to be my pride and some aspects of my business. 

I knew that my homemaker heart soared with delight when I (for example) baked, ironed, tidied and re-arranged rooms seasonally, that I felt a sense of satisfaction, nourishment and accomplishment in my home which I rarely felt as a designer. 

Filling my cup with JOY was not hard to do, it just required me to step back and really assess who I am and what brings me the greatest pleasure in day to day life. 

For me this so obviously was the ordinary, gentle domestic life. In fact, it is the water which quenches my thirsty heart and keeps filling my cup of joy.

What I've just shared with you is my story, my pilgrimage to find something that went missing, a sense of purpose and personal nourishment which I'd once had but began to lose.

Once found again I do not plan on letting it go, but every one's story and journey of life is different. 

We're made unique by the hand of God, no two of us the same in thought or purpose.

Perhaps your JOY cup is running low, maybe empty and in need of a refill?

What have you lost along the way which caused this joy dehydration?

Take some time to stand back and look over your life for clues, and don't disregard the ordinary things in life. 

Sure, we all have stars we want to reach for and there's nothing wrong with that, but that deep abiding sense of goodness, joy and purpose is usually found in the everyday, in the wonderful ordinary moments of life.

My ordinary is homemaking, an art form and vocation which brings me great delight each and every day. Home is my canvas, love is my brush.

Designing was and is a bonus, but it's not the big thing I once imagined it to be.

Over the Christmas break my "Joy in the Ordinary" block became a cushion for our bed.

Over the next year it will be a morning reminder as I smooth sheets, spread the quilt and fluff  pillows, that the joy I'm seeking as a homemaker can be simply appreciating the every-day ordinary for the gift it truly is.

I've listed the pattern for "Joy in the Ordinary" as a permanently free gift. Just use the link below:

DOWNLOAD THE PATTERN

Our little Cully May is five months old today, wearing ponytails, sitting up by herself, and beginning to teeth. 

Nothing ordinary about our young granddaughter but my, oh my, there is abundant joy!

May your day be blessed.

hugs,

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

Gentle Domesticity BOM - the final block...

One of the greatest personal lessons I have taken on board this year has been to listen more and talk less.

I guess it kind of runs contrary to this social media driven society we find ourselves enmeshed in these days, and that's why it's more important than ever before that we switch off our mouth and turn the dial down on our over active thoughts and 'listen' to what those around us are actually saying.

I remember when I was 21 with a three year old and a new baby and had moved to the other side of the country, far away from my beloved Nana and Pop. We would write letters back and forth each week or so and Nana would question me about what she was 'reading between the lines'. 

She knew my personality very well from the many years of conversations and shared stories as I grew up and that gave her genuine insight into what was truth and what was not when it came to our written correspondence. 

I found it impossible to hide my troubled life behind a 'happy' letter when it was being sent to someone who had given of her time to listen, given attention to look into my eyes as I spoke, invested of herself to care for me, about me, and to love me unconditionally even when it was inconvenient, exhausting and financially beyond her ability.

So making time to listen to my own loved ones is becoming more important than it has before, because I want to be like Nana, I want to be able to 'read between the lines' the way she did and I can only do that if I take time to listen, look into their eyes, and truly know the person I'm spending time with. 

This year of twelve Gentle Domesticity designs has been dedicated to my Nana and the lessons I've learned from her, lessons I'm still learning. 

When I was young I didn't appreciate the wealth of womanhood I'd been gifted with by her example, but now I do, and I hope I remember more things even though I'm getting older and my memory is fading. Writing them down in this blog and making designs that honour some of those lessons help me focus on the good things from the past I can carry into tomorrow.

Nana's life makes me think of kindness, courtesy, making do, laughter, cleanliness, simple delicious meals, washing flapping in the breeze, gingham, aprons, making jam and pickles, jam tarts baked on saucers, Sunday night scones with pots of tea, flowers growing at the front door, polished taps, the radio, cooked breakfasts, scraps given to the dog, darned socks, starched tablecloths, shelling peas on the back step after school, the best and cuddliest hugs in the whole wide world. 

But mostly, her life always makes me think of love.

I hope you've enjoyed this year of Gentle Domesticity too. 

Thanks for joining me on this very special journey.

Download Block 12 here.

Want a peek at my 2017 BOM?

Next year I've decided to keep the home fires burning with another domestic based BOM to share with you. It will begin on February 1st and is called "The Love of Home".

Here's a peek at block 1...

Have a wonderful week everyone!

hugs

Block 11 "Postcards from Heaven" free pattern...

I'm sharing our next Postcard block a day early because my sweet husband is returning to work tomorrow after a wonderful month at home with me, so after I drop him off at the car yard in the morning I'll be heading across to Blossom's for a nice relaxed visit, which includes some good old fashioned mother and daughter chit-chat time with the added bonus of sweet Cully May to distract our conversation with chubby cuddles and heart melting smiles. You understand, right?

The verse for November's stitchery is precious.

He has sealed us as HIS VERY OWN.

Oh, gosh, I love that!

The world would like to steal me away, satan would love to steal me away...but I am sealed as Christ's own.

Despite years of walking the wrong path, saying the wrong things, choosing the wrong ideals, acting the wrong way...when I stopped and acknowledged my faults, when I let HIM turn me inside out and wash me with the cleansing life-sustaining blood of His own sacrifice, I was SEALED as His very own.

And let me tell you, 

I don't want to be any one else's but HIS.

Download the FREE stitchery pattern here in my shop.

Most of my Postcards this year have been bound as mini-quilts and posted away, though I did border the September design as a wall hanging (free pattern here).

This month I decided to display the stitchery as a pin cushion because I love having the promises of God everywhere around our home, no matter what task is at hand...

There's lace across two corners and I've hand quilted inside the seam of the block and border, as well as 1/4" outside the seam. The edges have been bound like a quilt...

Later this week I'll show you a similar pincushion with a tutorial to make a bound pincushion of your own.

Allie's done a redwork version of my block and as always I 'love' it.

She has also chosen to use the KJV text so if you'd like to stitch that instead of my conversational postcard wording she will have a file to download from her blog tomorrow with the words to trace.

I apologise for not having those road trip photos up on the blog by now. There's almost 400 of them to go through and I only want about 20 for a blog post so once I've spent a day with Blossom and gotten my house back in order (do y'all find your home tends to get a bit 'out of order' when your beloved is home for weeks on end?) I shall brew a big pot of coffee and treat myself to a nice vanilla slice while I make my choices. 

I've also got to prepare the pattern and photos for Friday's free pattern, too.

Yes, it's almost time for the next Gentle Domesticity BOM block! 

Here's a little peek...

Have a lovely week, won't 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

Tutorial - the 20 minute table runner...

About two years ago I bought many yards of Robert Kaufman's Essex Linen to see what it was like.

I use a similar cotton & linen blend fabric for most of my stitcheries, something we call Hanky Linen in Australia (though it is more of a tea towel weight than a hanky weight), but there was a bit of buzz about Mr Kaufman's linen and my curiosity got the better of me so off went an online order and within a week a lovely parcel arrived from the USA.

It's lovely, truly, and I did stitch a few designs on it, but it is a closer weave than our Australian hanky linen and not quite as easy to embroider on, especially if like me you have some osteo-arthritis in the fingers.

So Mr Kaufman's linen blend has been sitting patiently in my large box of stitchery background fabric for quite a while waiting for me to find some good honest use for it. Like I said, it's LOVELY! 

But just not right for me and what I do for a living.

Until yesterday.

It occurred to me that the solid weight of the Essex Linen would be perfect for a non-quilted table runner, or even smart tea towels. In fact, it's kinda fancy when you think about it, and totally elegant if you choose the right fabrics for trimming.

One yard of the linen will make four of these table runners.

Shall we start?

Divide the yard of linen into four fat quarters, and let's begin with the first fat quarter.

(If you're using a different fabric I'd cut any size you think you'll need for your table, or of you need specifics try a piece of white fabric 18" x 22")

One end has a selvedge whilst the other three have raw edges. Think of that selvedge as one end of your table runner, and sew a doubled 1/4" hem down both sides of the fabric.

The opposite end of the selvedge side will still have a raw edge. 

Cut two co-ordinating strips of fabric 2 1/2" wide and one inch longer than the width of your table runner.

I chose some leftover jelly roll strips from my Tilda scrap box...

Lay one piece right side down along the wrong side of the raw edge end of your table runner. Sew the fabric and linen together with a 1/4" seam.

Press the fabric away from the linen.

Sew your second piece of fabric along the edge of your first and press the seams open.

Press a 1/4" hem along the edge of the second fabric, and down the sides of the two fabrics.

Fold the fabrics over to the right side of your linen and press.

Choose you machine threads carefully. My linen was white so I chose white thread for my bobbin.

My fabrics had a lot of aqua/green so I chose that colour for the top thread.

This meant the back of my table runner would be completely white when I finished it.

Sew a 1/4" line outside the edge of the runner and either side of the seam between the two fabrics. 

Cut a piece of cotton lace the same width as your table runner and position it just inside the top edge of the second fabric.

Carefully sew the lace and fabric hem to the linen runner.

Sew a single length of 2 1/2" wide fabric to the other end of the linen table runner, right side of the fabric to the wrong side of the runner (as you did in the beginning).

Fold a hem across the top of the fabric and down the sides. Press and fold over to the right side of the runner. Sew across the top and sides with a 1/4" seam.

Here's how it looks from the back. Nice and white because I used white thread in my bobbin.

I loved how this turned out...

...so I made another straight away!

You could use any fabric to make yourself one (or more) of these very simple and quick table runners, but I do love the clean lines of the white Essex linen in these two so I'm going to make more as Christmas gifts.

I think they'd be wonderful for fetes, Mothers Day, or a craft stall at the local market too, don't you?

I bought my Essex Linen at Fabric.com and it was about $9 a yard.

It comes in loads of colours so I may venture online and get some more in pastels...mmm.

Will I, won't I??? Decisions!

Mr E's Jeep has developed a severe case of 'car troubles' so here were are into the third of his four week holiday break and still no road trip. 

Parts are being flown in from Germany, the USA and Melbourne but are yet to reach Mr E.

That's why I'm blogging more than I thought I would be during October. We simply haven't gone away.

Praying they arrive tomorrow, or the next day...and then he'll spend time fixing the Jeep With No Name (first car Mr E's owned that he's not given a name) and if we're very blessed we could find ourselves hitting the highway, or a forgotten track in the Misty Mountains this time next week.

Like I said, we're praying. 

hugs