Today I'm sharing the last of my five free Christmas patterns for 2023 - "Glory to God".
It's definitely a good pattern for button lovers, but you could also applique the little berries or satin stitch them instead. When I first designed and made "Glory to God" back in 2016 I chose to use buttons as I had a lot of pink and red ones that blended so beautifully with the border fabric.
The background was made from alternating strips of soft golden green prints, which to my eye gave the whole thing a touch of royalty, and indeed that is what the birth of our Lord Jesus was about. Royalty come to earth as a man to save His people...no wonder the angels sang Glory to God in the Highest!
This morning I went to visit Blossom and the children, taking freshly baked cranberry scones and a pineapple fruit cake which I had baked yesterday. It's been raining here for days, and yet walk outside and it's hot (odd thing about the tropics and rain)...so we stayed inside, turned down the air conditioner so we could imagine we were in a cold climate watching the rain, brewed hot cuppas, and feasted on scones and fruit cake. Blossom put a crackling fire on the television (from YouTube) and with that wonderful scene and sound, we chatted, played hangman with the kids, sang songs and really just enjoyed being together.
It was such a special morning and as we thought about our Christmas plans we decided to change them. Instead of her, Ross and the children coming for Christmas day brunch, they are coming on Christmas Eve afternoon instead.
The children can play in the pool with Ross and Poppy while Blossom and I prepare a Christmas feast for dinner that night. It means a much quieter Christmas morning for them at home the next day, before they head off to Ross's father's place in the afternoon. Usually there's a lot of rushing, stress, time management and weary children when the day is split between two families...so we considered all this and are now excited to have a family Christmas Eve here!
She asked if her dad and I would be sad on Christmas Day, but I assured her that would not be so, as just knowing that we had a relaxed evening beforehand with no need for anyone to hurry off, and the children allowed to swim, play and eat until they were exhausted (meaning straight into bed when they got home) - oh how much fun that will be!
It's always saddened me hearing of family disputes about where to have Christmas, and at who's place. This season is really about rejoicing in the gift of Jesus, showing love, humility and care for others more than ourselves, putting aside what we want to make another's life easier. I am already bubbling over with happiness at being able to really bless my daughter and her family by giving them the gift of 'time' together with their children on Christmas morning, time without the need to rush off, or have others rush in.
May you and yours be especially blessed this Christmas!
…and he praises her. “Many
women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceitful and
beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her of
the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates. Proverbs 31:
29b - 31
I decided to share the final two
blocks in our Virtuous Wife quilt project this month, instead of now and in December, so that those ladies who
have been stitching the blocks each month have time to complete the full quilt
before the year ends.
I love these final few verses, and
as I was studying them, discovered a number of simply beautiful meanings which
help to expand our understanding of the written words. So, shall we explore
them?
Verse 30:
(a)Charm is deceitful…
Charm (chen) - can mean physical
beauty, but translated from the original Hebrew it also means graciousness or
kindness. Deceitful (sheqer) - describes a sham, a falsehood, like putting on
an act. So, when we read it with this understanding, we can see that it’s not
all about physical beauty which can be made to look more than it actually is
with makeup and hair styles etc…it’s also about pretending to be gracious and
kind in order to gain favour – a sham.
(b)…and beauty is vain:
Vain
(hebel) - means empty. Physical beauty is empty. There’s no real substance to
it. We shall see why further on.
(c)…but a woman who fears the Lord is
to be praised.
Fear
(yare’) - means to be morally reverent. It’s not about being scared of God as
you might a criminal, but to fully revere Him in His divine authorative nature,
to bow your will to His, abiding by His Word and living out that obedience for
all to see.
‘To be praised’ (halal) - means to shine! Isn’t this beautiful? When we
fear God (as described above) we will shine. It instantly reminded me of Jesus’
words in Matthew 5:16 “…let your light shine
before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in
heaven.” Ladies, let us shine forth for the Lord by how we live our lives, and
allowing the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to refine our character.
Verse 31:
(a) Give her of the fruit of her
hands:”
Give
(nathan) her of the fruit (priy) of her hands; describes the bough of tree, and
means to render or reward.
(b) And let her own works…
(Ma’aseh)
is the one word to express this section of the verse, and you may be surprised
to know that it has many meanings. “Her own works” can be baking, creating a
product, doing deeds, needlework, having handy skills, writing…her works can be
many and varied.
(c)…praise her in the gates.
Praise
(hahal) – again, this means to shine. In the gates (sha’ar) relates to having
her character, deeds, and inner beauty displayed openly for all to see. When
you take this back to the Biblical era when Proverbs 31 was written, it’s easy
to see why her husband praised her openly when he sat with the city leaders in
the town gates.
And
finally…a little bit of information about the Proverbs 31:10-31 woman today.
Did
you know it is traditionally believed that Abraham used to recite this to
Sarah, and it is now recited or read by Jewish husbands to their wives on the
eve of Sabbath? I think that is so lovely, and any wife would be honoured to
have her husband consider her to be an example of the wife we have been
studying all year.
For
my part, I am not perfect, and God still has rough corners to round off in my
character, but after almost 32 years of marriage I can honestly say that I am
a much better wife than I once was, and intend on allowing the Lord to keep
refining me through whatever years I have left. To HIM be all glory and honour
and praise!
I
hope you have enjoyed this free Virtuous Wife block of the month, which we
began on November 1st, 2022. A year later and I am the better for
it, not because of what I have stitched or sewn, but because of what I have
learned through deepening my personal study of each verse, and almost every
word.
Use
the link below to download the final double pattern set, which includes the
quilt assembly instructions.
If
you missed any of the sixteen blocks in this BOM go HERE.
I
have pieced all my blocks together and cut the quilt wadding, but am still
deciding how I’ll quilt it, and whether or not I’m going to attempt something a
little different. More about that another day.
God
bless you!! May you grow in the favour and blessing of the Lord all the days of
your life.
Don't miss out on any Elefantz news or free patterns.
Subscribe to my blog posts HERE and receive them direct to your email inbox.
Or sign up HERE for my free newsletter which often has extra benefits, freebies & tutorials!
I really love this verse, especially after spending time studying each individual word and praying for wisdom to apply it daily in my own character.
The pattern itself is also a favourite of mine because I had so much fun creating that little apron with it's pretty pleats. On your pattern sheet I have described how to do this and it's rather simple. Just cut a rectangle shape and make your pleats across the top edge before fusing onto the background fabric. You may want to sew a line of running stitch and gather the top instead, or just trace the outer shape from the pattern sheet and backstitch the pleat lines. Make this however you like, according to your preference or skill level.
One reason I chose to sew an apron in the design for Proverbs
31:25, is that as we study it we are told to dress ourselves, array ourselves,
in God-honouring character each day, and one thing I wear every day is an
apron.
My apron is a covering that prevents soiling underneath...and
isn't that a simple example of what a God-honouring character does for us? When
we obey God's Word, it covers us from the soiling of our hearts and minds, and
that's what I think of now as I tie the bow at the back my apron each
morning.
“Strength and dignity are
her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.”
Let’s take a look at the depth of
meaning in this verse, because though only a few words in a short sentence, it
has much to instruct us about the character of this woman; indeed, about the
character traits we women of today can prayerfully grow into.
“strength” – the Hebrew word used
here is ‘oz (pronounced oze) and can be translated as power, strong, boldness,
might, a force. It stems from the root word ‘azaz (aw-zaz’) which means to
prevail and be strong.
“dignity” - the Hebrew word used
here is hadar (pronounced haw-dawr’) and can be translated as being held in high
honour, goodly, comelinenss, beauty, an ornament of splendour.
“clothing” – the Hebrew word used
here is labash (pronounced law-bash’) and translated means to put on, to wear,
to array oneself.
“laughs” – the Hebrew word used
here is sachaq (pronounced saw-khak) and can be translated as: to laugh in
pleasure or to laugh in scorn, to make merry, to play, to rejoice.
“the time to come” - the Hebrew
word used here is yowm (pronounced yome) and can mean any time to come, whether
that be a day, an age, a season.
I like to expand a verse when I
have a fuller understanding of each Hebrew word, keeping the context of a passage
of Scripture intact, so here is how I would read Proverbs 31:25 now…
She dresses her mind and arrays
her character each day with a boldness and strength which prevails through all
circumstances life brings her way. Held in high honour by her family, she lives
her life with goodness and gracefulness, and her beauty is evident in her
character. By living a life of honour to God she has no fear of the future, but
rejoices in He who will provide when there is need.
In this post Covid era, many
things have changed, things we would not have thought possible four years ago.
I have listened to people who now live their lives in fear of what is yet to
come, who struggle with a daily barrage of “what-ifs” that consume their
thoughts, plans and decisions. I can truly say that I have never met or read about
so many fearful hearts as I have these past few years…and it can bring me to
tears as I pray for them to know the HOPE we have in Christ, the certainty we
have of His return, the surety that in the time of trouble He WILL carry us
through.
Like the description of this
fictional woman, a women King Lemuel’s mother described as having the
attributes of a wife he should pursue (read more about that here) we must dress our minds each morning with
the golden truth of God’s Word; we must array our character in Christian
goodness (the fruit of the Spirit); and we must not fear what is ahead, but remember
Who holds the future in His hand - Christ Jesus who has overcome the world.
Place your life and all it
involves into His care, being obedient to His Word, confessing your sins daily,
and praying for that sweet forgiveness which cleanses and restores us “whiter
than snow”. Walk each day in the HOPE that will not fail, with a laugh that
rejoices in our faithful Lord and Saviour.
We’ve discussed in a previous study of the Proverbs 31 woman the industriousness of this lady, so I shan’t go over that again. What I would
like for us to ponder with verse 24 is the variety of ways she manages the
family income, from two sources – her husband’s (which I assume was the main
income) and her own.
Over the many decades of my homemaking life there have been long
seasons when I needed to supplement the family income whilst still being home
to care for the children, teach them (we homeschooled) and tend to our household.
Some of the ways I did this was through caring for small children in our home through
Family Day Care, buying and selling vintage books I found by scouring op-shops and
garage sales, and eventually at the age of fifty becoming an embroidery
designer – something I am still doing today.
I have never seen myself in the role of breadwinner, and
God-willing I will never need to be, but with no extended family in either mine
or my husband’s life we’ve always had to lean on the Lord for help in tough times,
and some of those times He would open a door for me to help out financially. This
is how I think about verse 24 – she did what was needed at the time.
Managing the family budget wisely for us didn’t always
mean earning more income. Most of the time it meant doing without, shopping for
clothes at op-shops (charity stores), planning a very strict grocery budget and
menu plan – then sticking to it. It meant choosing fun activities that were
free - botanical garden picnics, swimming at the beach, hiking in the
rainforest or the mountains, meeting up with other homeschool families for a BBQ,
playing plenty of board games with the kids each evening, having the whole
family sit around the table to do a large jigsaw we’d bought at the op-shop for
a dollar, growing a garden out the back, recycled craft afternoons...so many things.
A wise woman finds ways to manage her home, and that may mean “she
makes linen garments and sells them”, but it may also mean she is thrifty,
sensible and wise to manage her husband’s income so that the bills are paid,
the family dress presentably, and dinner is on the table to fill hungry
bellies. It means she doesn’t pursue shopping as though it was her hobby, she
isn’t filling the shelves with useless or wasteful items, and she is caring well
for her home so that everything stays in good working order for as long as
possible.
Industriousness within the home is so very important, and personally,
I see it as a great privilege and blessing that I have a home to care for when many
in the world do not.
I shall ponder this month just how I can improve my skills as a
diligent and wise homemaker…will you?
Use the link below to download this month's free pattern -
It's been five years since I shared this free pattern, but I was prompted today to share it again.
The world today is offering challenges to many of us, challenges we were not facing a few years back, and I believe whenever we face trials of any kind that God is in them with us, and if we hold fast to His Word, and keep hope in our heart, He will grow our faith and character in those particular areas we are probably lacking, or in ways that push us from where we have languished far too long.
I sometimes hear people complain about God not answering their prayers in a way they wanted or expected Him to, and rather than coming back before the Lord and praying His will be done above our own, they will be angry with Him and take offence. I'm saddened by that attitude because we do not see what He sees, for He knows the beginning from the end and all in between. I trust that His way will always be above mine, that His purposes far exceed my own, and if I let go of my own desires and surrender each one in prayer before Him, that His peace will settle over my mind and move me forward again.
This morning I read this excerpt from a Charles Spurgeon sermon and wow, it resonated deep within my heart because it's a precious reminder of Who our God is and how we should respond to Him.
"We must meditate on His attributes and consider His majesty, for He is not only infinitely powerful, wise, all sufficient, and glorious, but He is also supremely good. His character is matchless. He is a pure and Holy God whom we worship. Nothing in God warrants human rebellion. He is our Father, our God, our great Shepherd-King, so no-one can frame an excuse when we for a single moment revolt against Him or lift a finger against His will. It would and should be the greatest pleasure to serve Him. The angels will tell you this. It is total bliss to do His will. " - Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Right now my husband and I have some challenges which will impact our lives and finances going forward, but with God guiding us, opening the right doors and closing ones we should not pursue, we have every confidence we shall be fine if we hand it all into those powerful and loving hands and simply put one foot in front of the other. With big decisions ahead, prayer is our anchor, and the Word of God which shines through Christ is our light.
If you're in the midst of change, struggling or need prayer, feel free to write in the comment section below...I know there's a mighty team of women who will pray for you, including me. xxx
Use the link below to download the pattern, and may it enrich your faith as you stitch from His Word.
Back in Genesis, God reveals that when a man and woman marry “the
two become one” and when considering this in reference to Proverbs 31:23, it occurred
to me that our character as wives will be reflected in how others view our
husbands. When our character mirrors
that of Christ, it will not go unnoticed, and cannot help but to show respect
for our God-gifted husband.
“…let the wife see that she
respects her husband.” (Ephesians 5:33)
“An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,
but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.” (Proverbs
12:4)
“ (wives) To be self-controlled, pure, working at
home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not
be reviled.” (Titus 2:5)
God has given us wives quite a responsibility with regards to refining
our character, respecting our husbands, building up our homes, bearing good
fruit - and though times and fashions and attitudes may change, God’s Word
never changes, it is the same today as it was thousands of years ago. “For I am the LORD, I change not.”
(Malachi 3:6)
The Bible tells us that with our own hands we
can tear down our homes, yet with righteous choices, allowing the Lord to rule
our lives, believing in His perfect Word and obeying it, we can build up our
homes and in doing so bring honour to our men as well as the Lord.“The wisest of women builds her house, but folly
with her own hands tears it down.” (Proverbs 14:1)
I know some of you will want to point out that
you cannot respect your man because he is an unbelieving husband, a husband who
is not living out his faith in Christ, or you feel as though you’re the only
one in the marriage who is making an effort…but what the Lord impressed on me recently
is to examine where these thoughts come from, and much of it comes through culture,
the feminist movement, and incorrect teaching. I have heard more times than I
can count that people need to earn respect before we can give it and that’s why
some wives refuse to respect their husband – but, tell me, where is that in the
Bible? In Ephesians 5:33 we are told to respect our husbands, with no ‘earning’
involved. Just as our husbands are instructed to love us, also with no earning
involved.
To respect our husbands is a choice, a choice
we make to honour the Lord and the position He has given to them. It’s not open
to argument or dispute (how often do we look for Scriptures to back up what we ‘want’
it to say?) – it is a simple direction given in love by God through His Holy
Spirit.
Let’s not look over at our men to judge the
splinters of their failings, but let us examine ourselves in the mirror of God’s
Word for as Jesus taught, there are logs in our own eyes which need to be dealt
with. We are not our husband’s holy spirit, ever. We are not in a position to correct
their character, but we are to humble ourselves before God so He can correct
our own character.
Pray for our men, yes, every day – but also
pray for God to chip away our rough edges, reveal to us the sin in our own
lives, especially those sins and character flaws we are blind and oblivious to,
yet are on full display to the world – for just as we can see sin in the lives
of those around us, so they can see it in our lives too. Pray for the Lord to
enrich our marriages, for the Holy Spirit to correct our failings, for the
character of Jesus to be the mirror we compare ourselves to (and not others)…pray
that the Father shows us where we’ve been tearing down our homes and how we can
change to build them up again, all to HIS glory.
Use the link below to download this month's free Virtuous Wife pattern
I had intended doing a post last week about the garden progress, but to be truthful, I didn't make the extra time. In fact, over the past twelve months I have been less able to blog because this life is full, and as the days or weeks pass I'm not sure what to share with you for time seems to overflow with happenings in and around home or within the family and wondering which bit to capture and share eludes me. There's always something to plant, tend, bake, sew, read...and there's often a loved one or a good friend to spend time with. You know...these are the important things, the ordinary things, which make up the foundation of a simple life well-lived.
BIRDS
It's usual to write a "catch up" post after an absence, but I think today I'd just like to tell you, and show you, the things which have brought me joy lately...like the birds who visit every day, the birds who have very little fear of me and if I just walk slowly by them, they stay right where they are, doing what they're doing. I have been especially cheered to have a new visitor each day, this handsome Kookaburra - and if you know anything about me, you know they are my favourite bird and feature on our front door and in a painting near our entranceway...
Then there are the regulars, like Cockatoos, who mostly visit in the morning...
...and the family of Myna birds who have made their home (and had their babies) just under our carport roof. They strut around the yard all day long, walking beside me as I tend to the garden, and know when I say "get off" that I am telling them to either get off the new raised bed or off the ceiling fans in our undercover area (they LOVE the ceiling fans!), and they promptly obey. Blossom laughs when she hears me talking to them as I don't have to raise my voice, just use a stern tone. ;-)
And of course, the rainbow lorikeets, who gather with all their clan around 4pm every single afternoon. There can be ten or twenty birds at the feeder all at once, and more on the clothesline or in one of our trees waiting their turn. And my oh my, the noise! Yet, it all brings me joy.
There's also a pair of Catbirds (a variety of bowerbird), Sparrows, Honeyeaters, and a few Ibis which visit through the day. No matter what time I go outdoors, there will be feathered friends to chat with, and they always cause me to thank God for His gracious gift of birdlife in our quarter acre.
SEWING
I am still enjoying a couple of hours sewing each afternoon; sometimes a bit of mending (I have a pile of hems to take up later today), sometimes some machine piecing for the quilts I am working on, sometimes preparing applique for the next block of a quilt, and sometimes quiet hand sewing as I listen to an audio book or watch an old episode of Marple or Poirot.
When each block is completed I hang it over a rail in the sewing room. The blocks hanging at the moment are for two different quilts.
GARDEN
Well, there's so much growing in the garden now that I need to draw myself a map/layout of all four sections across the quarter acre so I can remember it all! It's still only late autumn (our best growing season in the tropics is winter) and nearly everything is still at the seedling or just sprouting stage, but there's so much promise in this and I get incredibly excited when my seedlings begin to take off, or a tray of seeds have sprouted. The flowers are bright joys sprinkled among everything, too.
Here's just a little of what is planted so far. In the front yard - my 50-year old ironing board died recently, but we're so sentimentally attached to it that it's been repurposed as a growing frame for a pot of winged beans. Either side of this are raised beds which have snow peas, cucamelons, beetroot, capsicum, rockmelon, and a variety of flowers for the good bugs to visit and the bees to enjoy. I'm also very attached to our ancient Garden Gnome which has travelled all across Australia with us when we moved here and there whilst the kids were growing up (homeschooling all the way).
Down the side of the carport we have seedlings of lettuce, a fresh growth of ginger, curled parsley, sage, and more flowers.
Just outside the back door area is a very large raised bed which is still being filled...
...and near it is a smaller bed with broccoli, rocket, thyme, rosemary, and flowers. Beside it are pots of spring onions (green onions), calendula, and baby beets just sprouting.
Further along the back of the house is the garden where our bird feeder is. Hubby cleared this and fertilised it after Christmas and then erected two wire screens so that we can grow tomatoes and blackberries across them.
The wire screen below is home to the blackberry bush in the centre, which is flanked by gro-bags of zucchini, rocket seedlings, radish seedlings, coriander (cilantro) seedlings, nasturtium and other flowers. Since I took this photo another gro-bag has been placed between the two wire screens, filled with lovely basil.
The other screen has three varieties of small tomatoes on one side, with marigolds between them. On the other side there's more marigolds and chrysanthemums.
We have plenty of sweet potato growing in three different areas of the garden, as well as French carrots (which must be thinned out today), herbs and flowers.
Right up the back near the pool and behind the shed we have more sweet potatoes, sweetcorn (almost ready to harvest), lettuce, cucumbers, native culinary plants, and two varieties of blueberry.
I've scattered flowers all over the place and even have some pots hanging in trees which have been planted with sweet pea seeds. If there's one thing we know, it's how integral bees and friendly insects are to keeping the garden healthy, as well as keeping the pests to a minimum.
Flowers are so lovely and I'm very excited to see my roses blooming again (recently pruned) along with the asters, dahlias, and geraniums...plus the cosmos, marigolds, zinnias, angelonias and sweet peas!!
Thrilled that the Dendrobium which Rosie gifted me is flowering for the second year! Oh, it's beautiful.
FAMILY
A new photo of Blossom's precious trio to share with you...
Thank you for all those wonderful prayers for my husband's ankle. Turns out when he fell the tendon stretched so hard that it broke off a piece of bone from his foot, not the ankle. He did not need a cast or the moonboot after all, but continues to have it strapped whilst attending physio. Another three weeks of light duties at work and all going well he should be almost back to normal again. Bless your kind messages and prayers. xx
AUTUMN
Autumn finally arrived in the tropics yesterday morning! It was a cool and inviting 16C (60F) when we awoke and for a couple of hours I got to wear my pretty purple slippers. It was cool again this morning, but apparently our overnight temperature will return to 20C (68F) tonight, and daytime temps a comfortable 29C (84F).
GIFT
I have had a number of ladies email recently, asking where they can buy my old "Eye on the Sparrow" pattern. It was never for sale, always a freebie, but when Craftsy closed all their makers shops (mine included) it disappeared. You can't list free patterns on Etsy, but I did share it once when I had it on Google. Then Google updated our drives and many old files were removed from public view, so once again you've not been able to find it.
I emailed the pattern to those ladies who asked about it, but as that's time consuming, I'm sharing it with all of you again today.
Use the link below to download this FREE pattern -
I often find myself singing this song as I walk the garden or hang the washing, with all my feathered friends around. I marvel at God's hand upon my little life, especially at His kindness in the small things which you'd imagine unimportant in the big scheme of life. Yet, He is God, and there is nothing too small about our lives for Him to care about...it's all important, because we are His children, and we love Him.
God bless you dear ones!!
Till next time...
hugs
Don't miss out on any Elefantz news or free patterns.
Subscribe to my blog posts HERE and receive them direct to your email inbox.
Or sign up HERE for my free newsletter which often has extra benefits, freebies & tutorials!
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
