The effects of neglect...

The other day I decided to look around my home and make a list of things which could be updated, changed, removed or added to. After consulting with hubby we went off to investigate a few things at the local hardware, arranged for a plumber to come by, and decided upon the basics for a kitchen makeover later in the year. Everything with us is long term because plans need to come together piece by piece, and we also prefer to have the finances saved before we embark on projects.

One simple thing I could do to update our living space was begin to sew new cushion covers, table runners, chair covers, curtains, lap quilts, and hoops filled with embroidered pieces etc. Apart from curtain fabric and sturdy chair covering fabric I have everything needed to make fresh furnishing right in my sewing room.

Those words the Lord gave me early in the year "use what you already have" continue to ring loud and clear in so many areas of life, and now I'm taking them to heart with what I make for our home and also through a new set of tutorials I've begun to share with you.

The other day I completed a square table topper, the pattern chosen after browsing this ebook I purchased from Martingale a little while ago. 

It has many small quilt projects from a variety of designers and after I'd chosen three and printed the patterns out I got started on the first one, June Bug, by Camille Roskelley (the mini quilt at the bottom right of the cover).

I have more Tilda scraps than anything in my stash and right now I'm rather partial to using only scraps and avoiding (as much as possible) cutting into yardage or fat quarters. 

Initially I imagined myself hand appliqueing the orange peel blocks because I always hand applique - but on a whim I opted to machine applique...which set off a series of events that may have caused me to wince in frustration more than a few times.

Now I appreciate that many of you love to machine applique, my friend Allie especially loves it, but honest, I do not. Sigh.

I had no end of issues with skipped stitches and what felt like relentless unpicking - just on my practice block - but I pushed on because once on a path to learn something I generally follow through. And I'm really glad I did because a problem came to the surface which I had been avoiding of late. 

All the stitch skipping was not the fault of my machine - it was mine. I'd overlooked giving my two year old Janome Skyline a CLEAN. And I'm not talking about not cleaning it for a month or two or even three.

I'm talking about not cleaning it for two years.

Gulp.

In my defence (not that I deserve any) 95% of my work is and always has been hand embroidery and only occasionally do I even switch on the machine, that is until a few months back.

After the original stitchery club came to a close, and after the weariness and stress of the floods in February, and then the long process to complete designing, stitching and sewing Phyllis May's Kitchen  I discovered a deep and growing enjoyment of creating week by week with my dear sewing machine.

Anyhow, mid way through appliqueing the orange peel shapes (could I have even picked an easier shape? Yet challenge me it did) I pulled the machine apart and spent a good hour apologetically and lovingly cleaning out an abundance of thread and fabric and wadding 'fluff' until the Janome's insides looked rather sparkly.

Needless to say the machine was a DREAM for the rest of the afternoon and never skipped a beat. 

I chose to add a white border around the quilt at this stage, the idea inadvertently coming from leaving the project (in it's above state) on my design board while I went off to make a cup of coffee.

Returning with tea cup in one hand and a date scone in the other I surveyed the design board and thought, "Well, that's a jolly nice idea for a finish! A narrow white border before I add the binding."

Funny how fresh ideas come along in the most unimagined ways.

So on went the white border and then I pondered the age old question for small quilts - hand or machine quilt??

I chose to hand quilt...

White Perle #12 thread in the ditch, another thing I rarely do as I prefer outline or echo hand quilting, but I like the gentle puffiness, the homeliness and completely unprofessional finish this gave.

A striped binding to finish the project and my version of the June Bug mini quilt was complete.

June Bug (which I'm renaming July Bug) is currently residing on the centre of our dining table and I'm auditioning plants to be displayed on top. 

Have the feeling a pretty, soft fern will be nice so I'll get one next week. In the meantime various plants are being moved in and shifted along each day. 

You know God never wastes an opportunity to teach me something, especially when I'm working through a housework, sewing, garden, cooking or business challenge, and He didn't waste my sewing machine oversight this past week either.

It's so easy to overlook what we do not see.

Like with my Janome, which for two years just kept stitching away whenever the mood struck me to play with it. I took it for granted, and even ignored the few instances when the thought "does it need a clean?" popped into my mind last year. I suppose I ignored that idea for so long that this year it never came up again … until I found the stitches were skipping, the threads were always tangling or shredding, and I was in a right old aggravated state and offering a few unworthy expletives.

We can be like that with God, you know.

Plodding along day by day assured of His love and existence but little by little forgetting to acknowledge Him, allowing ourselves to be distracted from His Word by the lure of the internet, social media, sewing groups, shopping days, coffee catch-ups and any number of 'attractions' our flesh prefers.

Then a trial comes along and we're on our knees begging Him to help. 

Our faith has diminished, our hope not as strong as it once was, and even though we want Him to intervene we also demand He does it our way so we can be given the result we want. 

Humbling ourselves is forgotten and the peace which surpasses all understanding seems to elude us.

When we choose the attractions of the world over time spent right in God's holy presence, when we would rather read a Facebook post, a novel or a gossip magazine instead of the Bible, we are in dangerous territory.

Not maintaining our blood-bought intimate relationship with the Lord will always eventually catch us unprepared for the trials which come across our path - and everyone faces trials, especially when they least expect them. I don't want to be a woman who shakes her fist at God because life is unravelling before me and fearful lonely feelings are closing in - I've been her in the past and she's not someone I want to become again.

No, I choose to maintain a close day to day walk with Him and to offer my heart for an infilling of understanding and wisdom as I read my Bible every morning and at other times during the day. Some days I do get distracted, that's the truth, but those days are rare and I feel nothing but relief and sanctuary next morning when I go sit with my Bible in solitude with our loving Heavenly Father.

What about you?

Is your relationship with Jesus in need of some long overdue maintenance?

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." James 4:8

That's a promise God makes to you, and He never breaks His Word. 

May your blessings be bountiful in grace, mercifully miraculous, and sprinkled with gentle peace.

Hugs

My new 'homemade' design (and a recipe)...

This heartfelt design, which speaks of the love put into everything I make for others, has taken a while to finish.

I designed "Homemade from the Heart" back in late August when I received the Tilda "Cottage" fabrics. The centre applique block was stitched the first weekend of September but then we decided to move house so it was packed away for a while and to be honest once we'd settled in here I just wasn't sure how to finish it.

So it has sat waiting in open view on my sewing room table, neglected (even avoided) for over four weeks now, because not a glimmer of an idea passed through my thoughts.

I'm pretty good with the business of designing embroideries, but ideas for displaying them in a project requires far more creative thought than I can usually muster in a given time frame.

But you know, when you leave something for a while and go about your life doing other things, one day an idea just falls upon your heart...and that's what happened yesterday.

My beloved was quite unwell and in a lot of pain when he woke in the early morn so he took the day off work to heal up.

I decided there'd be no Elefantz work for me either, that I'd do a little baking instead, maybe some hand sewing and perhaps paint my wooden serving tray now that the rain is gone. 

Around mid-morning I was preparing that Tomato Tart recipe I showed you the other day, reflecting on how simple it was with just a handful of ingredients and needing only a few minutes preparation before baking in the oven. 

And that's when the 'penny dropped' as my dear Pop would say.

SIMPLE.

Just keep it simple.

Back in the sewing room I cut fabric for three simple borders and binding while the Tomato Tart baked.

After lunch the sewing machine came to life and so did this mini quilt.

With a cup of tea at my side and an old episode of Downton Abbey on the telly, I hand quilted in the ditch between the borders and also a line inside the white border.

All that was left was to attach the binding around the outside edge, add a hanging sleeve and sew the binding to the back.

Simple, sweet, heartfelt and handmade.

Exactly what this pattern was designed to express. 

I've hung it above my desk where I can be reminded daily to simplify life and designs and ideas and even relationships, to focus on what's important and not the superfluous stuff, to make daily moments count more than 'dreamy' long term plans.

The pattern for "Homemade from the Heart" (embroidery/applique and mini-quilt in one) is in my shop now if you'd like to make it for yourself or as gift for someone you care about.

Visit my Craftsy Shop here to browse all my patterns 

or 

go directly to this particular pattern.

That Tomato Tart was indeed delicious and will appear again on our dining table.

The recipe suggested using Roma tomatoes as they have less juice and we love them anyhow so I had plenty in the fridge.

A puff pastry base is spread with mustard ( I used Dijon) and the tomatoes are layered over it.

Salt and pepper, a sprinkling of fresh oregano leaves and cheese...

...and into the oven at 180C for 35 minutes.

Served with a scattering of fresh basil, more oregano and a green salad, and our lunch was ready.

Honestly, it was delicious.

Next time I'll bake this in a long tray and perhaps at a slightly higher temperature as the base wasn't quite as crisp as we like, but really we had no complaints tucking in. Simple, rustic even. Like us.

I think this recipe would be a good one to play around with, using the main idea as a recipe base and then altering it with other simple ingredients (what you have on hand). Perhaps throw on some roasted peppers and olives, use pesto as your base and replace the grated cheese with feta. 

Mmm...I'm getting ideas for Sunday lunch!

It's Friday lunchtime in my part of the world now and my tummy is rumbling after writing about yesterday's fare so I'll sign off with a hug and a smile, praying the weekend ahead is a peaceful one for you, overflowing with love, laughter, good food and Jesus. 

Be blessed always!

Sewing a simple fussy-cut quilt border...

On Saturday morning I donned my apron and decided to polish the bedroom furniture before settling in for an afternoon of sewing, but in the process I jammed my finger between two sections of our sleigh bed and now have a rather swollen pointer finger on my right hand. 

This slowed everything down for the remainder of the weekend, including my sewing plans.

However, not one to give up easily, I followed my husband's wise advice, "No more housework for you until Monday" and slightly altered the original idea I'd had for finishing block 1 of my 2017 BOM as a mini quilt. 

It was going to be bordered with an elongated churn dash block but my injured pointer finger was needed to use the rotary cutter and this proved extremely difficult with so many small pieces of fabric to be cut.

So I opted for two straight borders instead. 

To make the second border stand out I chose a fabric with a design which could be fussy cut and I'm so glad I did because I prefer this finish to my original churn dash idea.

Ta dah!!

The right fabric can make all the difference for a border if you're keeping it plain, so next time you're finishing a stitchery as a simple mini quilt like mine, consider the fabric and whether it will compliment your feature block or 'steal the show'.

When you have embroidery as the star of a project choose a fabric which will play a supporting role and not attempt to steal the spotlight.

The fussy cut fabrics for my main border were 2½” wide so to get those little round posies in the middle of the border I placed the 1¼” marker on my ruler over the centre of a line of the round posies like this...

Then I cut four, 2½” wide lengths (from a fat quarter, otherwise I'd have only needed two lengths from yardage) and I was left with a little less than an inch of  'waste' fabric between each of my fussy cut pieces. 

Those cast off bits all go in to my applique scraps box and as I do a lot of applique they won't be wasted after all. Phew.

In case you're wondering...

I trimmed the embroidered block to to 9½” x 11½”.

The narrow blue floral first border around the stitchery block was cut from a fat quarter (four, 1¼” wide lengths) and I had enough left over to make the binding for the mini quilt as well. A third fat quarter made up the quilt backing and hanging sleeve. 

The stitchery pattern for block 1 of "The Love of Home" BOM  is still available for free download here in my shop.

Block 2 will be ready for you on Wednesday!

Until then, enjoy the start of a new week...

hugs

Your 6th Christmas gift...

Back in 2009 I designed quite a few Christmas tree stitcheries, and all had a touch of whimsy about them!

Today's gift for you is a pretty heart-strewn tree displayed inside a rather sweet mini-quilt...

It has swirls and twirls...

...and three rather classy prairie points to add some sensibility to the whimsy!

The fabric is an old Mary Engelbreit line, and it still makes me sigh with delight...

Download your free 'Tree of Hearts' min-quilt pattern HERE until December 10th.

I've stitched this design a few times since 2009.

First in silver and gold, 

then in the colours above, 

and finally in pretty pastels as a cushion for my dear friend Fee a few years ago...

 In your free pattern I've also included the 'hearts come home for Christmas' block, in case you'd like to incorporate it in your own 'Tree of Hearts' project.

So tell me, what will you make from this stitchery?

The mini quilt or something else?

 Between stitching the next Club designs I've been experimenting with creating a grain-free/sugar-free Christmas cake...

Mr E has christened this one the "Not-Christmas-Cake" because it still hasn't got enough fruit in it for his liking, so back to the kitchen I go!

 I'll see you tomorrow with your 7th Christmas gift!

hugs

Hand quilting old and new projects...

Remember back HERE when I blogged my personal fussy cut fabric challenge which ended up turning into an applique mini quilt which I christened "Together in the Birdhouse"?

The whole thing centred around the bird fabric, and to be honest, once I''d assembled the top of the mini quilt I put it aside to finish 'later' and kind of forgot about it!

But I had a memory jog earlier this week when I saw a pair of new avian visitors feasting on the berries than hang like chandeliers from the row of palm trees which front our house...

These are Rainbow Lorikeets and they hold a special place in the heart of our family because Blossom used to own one when she was a little girl. His name was Jackson and he would hang off her skirt all day long, never leaving her except to eat or have a drink. It became a problem eventually as he became obsessed with her and would not allow anyone near her, to the point of pecking the faces of people who tried to get close to her, even her big sister...

It broke her heart when we had to separate them and send him to a new home, but for safety's sake it was the right decision. Two new bunnies helped with the mending of her young heart a few months later.

They really are beautiful birds though!

Anyhow, the visit on Sunday morning by this pair of pretties reminded me to finish the mini quilt, so I sandwiched the layers later that day and the next day on a 4WD adventure through the forest with Mr E at the back of Cardwell I hand quilted around all the applique sections...

Yesterday I made the binding, and today I'll stitch it on - then it will be ready to show you! The binding was the first fabric I pressed on my new ironing board cover...

Like the new ironing board cover? 

This is my third one of the year.

How many do you go through in a year I wonder? I do terrible things to mine!

Another project ready for quilting and binding is a small pillow for an Australian magazine.

I've made a little quilt to stitch on the front (like I did HERE in my tutorial)...

The tiny stitchery quilt will have its binding sewn down today, then sit on the front of the pillow, and this lovely floral fabric will be hand quilted behind.

The design on the fabric is directional and will be perfect for straight line Perle #12 stitches...

What are you making at the moment?

Leave a comment because I'd love to know what's happening in your own sewing room! 

hugs