Redwork rice bag, and Cully May...

 Well, wasn't it a bit strange to have commenters unable to leave their comments on Blogger blogs last week? Many of my blogging friends had the same problem as me, and though we tried leaving comments on each others blogs (multiple times) it just would not work for days. Apparently Blogger updated everything but a glitch was found in the comments update so it took a couple of days to get that sorted, but thankfully we're all back to normal again. :-) If you took the time to leave a comment on last week's blog post and could not get it published, thank you for trying. It means a great deal to have you write back to me, and share your own thoughts and experiences, as well as updates on how your own days have been. (((hugs)))

This week had ups and downs at our place. After doing a bit better with my leg/knee situation for a few weeks, I found this past week to be akin to "taking two steps back", so lots of rest times were required each day between home and garden tasks. I admit to feeling a tad frustrated at this unpredictable roller coaster effect on whether I have good days/weeks or the more difficult ones, BUT...every day has it's own rhythm, and no matter what, I seek out opportunities to do what I can around home, and also to be creative with my hands during the needed intermittent hours of resting my leg. 

Last weekend I decided to begin a new project, one that has long been on my list of things to learn or make. In last week's post I wrote there were six things on my list which I hoped to do in the months ahead, and as I needed a lot of down-time this past week, I chose to start with some redwork slow stitching and the making of a Japanese rice bag. 

Many years ago I purchased some pieces of vintage French linen, the kind with red stripes and a bumpy weave. I've read that many people do not like hand-stitching on this kind of linen, preferring smooth fabric instead, but I really love how it can give a more rustic finish to hand embroidery so I chose to finally make use of it all.

I began by drawing up four little designs to stitch, which would incorporate a bit of applique. The white French linen fabrics (above) with the thick red lines were to be my embroidery backgrounds, and the fuller red striped fabric behind them is repurposed from an old linen top I had. Together they worked beautifully for what would eventually become a rice bag. 

I blanket stitched the applique pieces with a single strand of off-white thread...

Using the white thread allowed the applique to blend more easily into the linen background, rather than standing out and taking centre stage in each of the embroideries. 

Each day I would embroider one small block, and took my time to use different stitches, or add lines of running stitch - my sketches are a basic rough outline and any enhancements are made during the stitching. 

It's been a while since I did a design just in redwork, but the vision in my minds eye of a vintage style well-loved rice bag was a project I was excited to finally create. 

Rice bags are made in many sizes, but I chose to make a small one, with the base and all four sides measuring 6" square, so that should give you an idea of how small the stitcheries are. 

I waited a day before sewing the sides together and finishing the rice bag, because I like to give myself a bit of pondering time before the end of a project, just in case a few changes or new ideas come to mind. I was still not sure whether to line the bag with more of the striped linen, or whether to use plain white linen. 

The white linen won in the end, and I also used it for the double drawstring closure. Once the bag was completed (yesterday) my heart was so very happy with how it turned out because it's even nicer than I'd hoped. 

 

Once it's sewn, each side and the base measures 5.5" square. The lining is made the same as the outer bag but with no embroidery. Across the top there are channels, one on each of the sides, to thread the drawstrings through...

Now you may be wondering what I'll use this sweet little bag for? First I shall draw up a couple of new designs for more redwork using leftover fabrics from the rice bag, and then I will use them to make a small needlebook, scissor fob, and pincushion to keep inside the bag. 

Embroidering small projects is one of my favourite things, and this little bag will be perfect for storing what I need, plus a project-on-the-go. 

On my pondering day, between completing the embroideries and eventually sewing the bag together, I did a little more redwork to personalise a couple of Japanese style cross-back aprons I'd purchased recently from Temu. I genuinely like these cotton aprons, and am thrilled with the quality. Not having to tie apron strings or adjust neck ties, these simply slip over your head and cover the body very comfortably. The cotton fabric is thin admittedly, but I've not had a problem with that, especially as our tropical summer arrived this week (completely skipped spring!) and thin cotton or linen clothing is once again a must. 

What I did not like was the little decorative tag on the front of each apron, and as I had some nice thick cotton twill tape in my drawer (came wrapped around sheets we purchased last year), and red thread on hand, I decided to personalise my aprons and drew up two tiny embroideries to replace the generic ones that came with the aprons. Much nicer...

My week of redwork costs me nothing but time. It's so much fun using what you have, especially what you've had for a long time and waited to use 'one day'. My outlook on life is very much about using the good crockery all the time, making things with special fabrics I collected years ago, and enjoying all that we have today. Why wait to use what's already in my possession? And why waste money on buying more when I have enough now? 

I thank God for all He provides, and for the commonsense needed to create beauty from what is already in my hands, the things He has gifted me with and allowed me to source over the years. 

One more thing before I close off this post. I'll be having some regular days with Cully May as my companion and helper. You know, she turned 10 last month! Many of you will remember her birth back in 2016 and the JOY of seeing our precious Blossom bloom into motherhood. I still can't believe its been a decade since I held the first of three babies...I am a blessed Nana indeed!

Anyhow, Cully May and I love spending time together, but it has not been as often since my accident last year, so Blossom and I decided we'd make a regular day of it, and this past Wednesday we began. 

We took a trip to the library (just up the road), had an early lunch in the library cafe, and then back home to watch a favourite show, The Great Australian Bake-Off. 

Ever since she was a toddler, Cully May has loved watching baking shows with me, and this particular day we got inspired to make a few simple things before Blossom arrived to take her home. 

Firstly we made Hedgehog Slice, a family favourite, and as a bonus it's a no-bake recipe (we used THIS recipe). She was able to take most of it home for the family to enjoy, but left a few pieces here for Poppy to enjoy after work - which he did!

Then Blossom arrived an hour earlier than expected, so we raided the garden for tomatoes, leeks and basil to make a sauce, and cooked fried gnocchi which was then folded through the sauce with some fresh garlic, cream and a squeeze of lemon juice. It is one of my husband's favourite meals and was a real hit with Cully May and Blossom as well. 

Cully May took this photo of us...a bit blurry and a tiny pic, but so very special.

I hope you enjoyed today's blog post. Last week I received notifications from some of you that yes, you would like me to share some of my favourite YouTube channels, so I'll have that done for the next post. 

In the meantime, my prayers are with you and for you. May your hearts be full of joy and gratitude for what you already have, and I pray the Lord will bless you with extra creativity to make your home even lovelier by the addition of what you can make with your own two hands. 

Much love!!

Until next time,

PS: My Etsy Shop is always open, so please drop by if you are in the mood for something new to stitch.

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Repurposing old clothes...

 

As a seasonal declutterer, I have learned over the years that some things which appear to have outlived their usefulness, may just be in need of a new purpose. Those things are stored away for a year or so, and if after that time I still find no use for them, they are donated. 

But if I do find a useful way to repurpose the item, I get quite excited!

A few weeks back I did a re-ordering of my sewing space after selling almost half my fabric stash. As I rarely design anymore, just the odd one when I have inspiration, there was no need to keep fabrics which have lingered on my shelves for too many years. My style has changed the past few years and I'm still discovering exactly what I really like these days...probably a very eclectic mix of a few styles if the truth be told. Anyhow, as I went through all the fabrics, I also dug out a small plastic tub of old linens. These linens were clothes once upon a time - tops, skirts, even a few dresses. As the years passed and I wore them again and again the linen would wear away in certain places, but the rest of the fabric would still be lovely, albiet much softer than when it was first purchased (soft washed aged linen is beautiful)...

Instead of packing the linens away again, I kept them on my sewing room desk for the next few weeks as I knew that they would be perfect for a few simple projects I had in mind. 

The first project was a new covering, with pocket, for one of my very old Bibles. It had a deteriorating cover, leaving spatterings of the green bonded leather over everything it touched - mostly my dresses as I sat it on my lap each morning. 

I chose the remains of a red striped linen top, which had a lace trim around the bottom edge. That lovely washed-out lacy edging helped the pocket stand out...

...and held my pencils and pen, for I write notes all through my Bibles! One day I shall transfer the notes from all my Bibles into one single Bible because I have hundreds and hundreds of notes scattered everywhere. 

The next thing I made was a cover for a Bible notebook, which also had it's cover falling apart (in fact the cover actually stuck to my desk and had to be eased off with a knife). As our climate is so very hot and humid, all bonded leather, or plastic leather-look covers, will eventally melt and break apart. 

I chose a pink and grey stripe, which had also been the remains of a favourite top, and added an applique flower onto the front using a grey stripe linen (once a dress) and a couple of cotton fabrics from my remaining quilting stash. 

In this notebook I write out passages of Scripture on one page, and a few explanations from the Hebrew or Greek on the opposite page. I'm currently going back through 1 and 2 Peter. 

It has been lovely to use my refreshed Bible and notebook this month, with their pretty, and soft, linen coverings! 

I thought today how apt that verse from Ecclesiastes was for repurposing good fabrics, and giving them a second lease on usefulness. There was a time when I would not consider cutting up clothing, but felt I should donate the entire item, but not today. When I have paid for an item, worn it, and genuinely loved the fabric, it still has a purpose I can lay hold to. 

I thought about the Proverbs 31 woman, whom we studied all through last year (I am working on putting all the studies into a single file for you soon), and how she would have kept any clothing fabric that still had useful sections, and would have repurposed them as a way of saving finances, and providing for her household. 

I have a number of ideas swirling around in my mind for more projects that can be sewn with the old linens I have saved, and will be sure to show you as I make them. But what about you? Do you have ideas for good fabrics which may not be perfect, but have lovely sections just waiting for a makeover? Please share them with me, and with the ladies reading here. :-) 

Thank you for ALL the emails, and the comments left here after my post last week. Hubby and I think its a good idea to invest in a paid newsletter once again - God tapping on our hearts perhaps. Trusting in Him to provide as He always has.  

I must say however, that for the first time, every comment was 'no reply blogger', even those whom have always had their email address available with their comment. So I apologise for not replying, as I had no way to do so, but EVERY comment overflowed with love and kindness which filled my heart and gave me extra renewed vigour for blogging in future. 

I hope you've had a lovely week with laughter and joy, but if not, and things have been a challenge or you've faced a trial, I am praying that God provides avenues of help, hope and kindness to meet you right where you are. 

He is gracious, loving, and generous to a fault, my dear...and He loves you. I would not be here today without His faithfulness to me in the darkest of valleys and His mighty hand to lift me back into the Light. 

God bless dear ones!!!

Love and hugs

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Repurposing project for a vintage linen...

 I was rummaging through my tub of old vintage embroidered linens earlier in the week, the lovely pieces collected over many years from op-shops, garage sales, or gifted by friends who know how much I like them. My plan was to choose a heavily embroidered piece which I could cut into five, 4.5" squares. 

Some of the pieces in my collection are damaged, yet there's still good sections to cut out which can be repurposed for new 'vintage style' projects. I'd mentioned in the last post that I was planning to sew blocks from a free BOM by Sherri McConnell this year, but that decision changed the following day, as I considered it wasn't her BOM that attracted me, but the fact that all the blocks will feature one basic design - the churn dash block. And you know they are my favourite of all patchwork blocks!

So I let my own imagination take over, and considered what colours work in my kitchen (as this is where I intend displaying the shelf topper I want to make) and those fabrics I showed earlier in the week do NOT blend with my kitchen. On their own, they are lovely, and would be perfect for a soft pastel and cream kitchen, but they simply will not work in mine. My kitchen needs pops of vibrant colour to blend with the latte cupboards and the white shelving this runner will be displayed on. 

The old cross-stitched linen I chose works beautifully with off-white solid, blue tonal and red floral fabrics. I ended up making the five blocks, then sewed them together end to end before bordering with more of the off-white cream solid. Next comes the hand quilting.

I needed the runner to finish at 34" x 9" so it can sit perfectly across the top of that narrow white bookcase we use in the kitchen for extra pantry storage, and it will become the first 'update' to this plain white shelving. Once this runner is complete I can begin on a curtain across the front, because 1yo Charlie David spent most of Thursday removing everything 'pantry' from the shelves because it was all on display and how can you blame a little boy for being attracted by all the pretty jars, packets, cans and bottles?? 

Julie shared a link on her blog the other day for a simple knitted dishcloth. I know I've had one similar saved on my computer somewhere, but when there's a link right in front of you it's much easier to just download and print then and there. I headed off to Spotlight yesterday for some yarn as these knit up fast and make lovely gifts, and we messaged back and forth with photos so I could find skeins of the right cotton blend that she'd used. I was thrilled to discover it's the same yarn I used to knit cardigans for Cully May, Rafaella and Charlie David in 2020 and 2021. 

So I have three crafty projects on the go right now - new stitchery designs for my Faith, Heart and Home pattern club; the repurposed vintage linen runner; and knitted dishcloths. I can't get bored with a selection like that - because truth be told, sometimes I get bored with all the stitchery time needed (especially as my designs are all worked to a deadline), so having something different to turn my hands to for a while is just the break I need. 

I think they all have their own purpose. The stitchery patterns are my employment; the knitted washcloths are for future gifts; and the vintage table topper is part of my desire to decorate our home in a cohesive style and colour which brings pleasure to the eyes and joy to my homemaker heart.

At the end of last year I had purchased a new planner, but the practicalities of using it were not the best - at least not for me. So I returned back to a favourite, the Day Designer. Last year I had a large day-to-a-page Day Designer, but in reality I didn't need that much space in 2022 (you know, cause I'm slowing down this year, right?) so I bought this new one which is large but with a week for each double page spread. It's so good, and I love how pretty it is on my desk. 

Planning my days is life-giving to how I think and function within the family, the home, and in my business. I don't add every little thing, but the most important ones I'm aiming to accomplish each day as well as the things which must happen and are not-negotiable. I don't beat myself up if some things get moved to the next day, or even moved a few days forward, for just seeing that I am accomplishing what matters and adding in a bit of joy each week makes me genuinely content.

Proverbs 13:16 "A wise man thinks ahead; a fool doesn't."

Working with the colours that add life to our home; making items which compliment each room; being mindful about all we keep, what we pass along, and what we purchase - these are becoming more deeply embedded in my thinking and planning this year, and prove fruitful in more ways than I had imagined.

I started on my first dishcloth during lunch...

...and now hubby has arrived home from work so I shall bid you good afternoon, and pray that each of you find the weekend to be a productive seedbed of contentment, creativity and delight. 

But before I go, here's a few blog posts I've enjoyed reading this week, in case you're after some inspiration...

LEA from Our Little House on the Mountain

JES from Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth

At Home with ROSIE

Bless you heaps,