February, my birth month.
There's lots of flowers, pretty birds and a vase in this stitchery - things I love.
Along with the stitchery this month I've included instructions to make a small mini quilt display, just in case you'd rather that than a larger quilt.
You'll see in the pattern that it's been designed to allow you to change the stitchery each month.
The stitchery is made into a small bound quilt, and hangs on the slightly larger floral quilt background.
I wonder what you'll choose to make - the mini quilt display now or wait until December and sew all twelve blocks into a larger quilt?
The Block 2 pattern is free during the month of February but will become a $2 purchase when the March pattern is released.
One of the things I plan to do this year is design more projects with a purpose in mind.
One of the patterns inside the February issue of The Stitchery Club is called 'Writing Letters' and my inspiration for it came from a desire to correspond the old fashioned way with family and friends near and far and to send encouraging cards with small gifts inside (such as these bookmarks or lavender sachets) for no particular purpose other than to put a smile on a special someone's face.
As I prefer to keep everything in order and have been making this a priority in 2018 it seemed wise to make myself a useful (and pretty) compendium to hold a paper pad, assorted cards, envelopes, stamps and a jolly good writing pen, if I were to regularly attend to my postal purpose.
So I did.
The embroidery was done using just two variegated threads, chosen to blend with the incredibly cute hedgehog fabric used in most of the applique...
The Writer's Compendium has three large pockets for storing cards and envelopes of various sizes, and the notepad slips into one as well.
There's also a envelope shaped pocket for holding packets of stamps.
My friend Rosie is making one as well, which is wonderful because she became my pattern tester.
When I first told Rosie about my intentions for this project she was as excited as me and so as the design came together in my head, then in fabric and thread, I passed the instructions along to her. I'm sure she will have her own compendium finished any day now.
It's such a blessing to have a friend who 'gets you' .
It holds quite a lot, which is great because I can keep an assortment of cards together to cover most occasions.
As I've shared in previous blog posts through January, planning for and organising the various areas of life which matter most is a priority this year...in fact, in a way this year will become a blueprint, regularly being tweaked, for the years to follow.
My desire to keep in touch with family and friends more regularly by personal correspondence, instead of the usual email and text, is one of those areas which means a lot to me, and I hope that just as I've designed this compendium to be pretty and useful, more ideas for projects which have a purpose will find their way into my sketch book in 2018.
I'm including a pattern to make The Writer's Compendium inside the February issue of The Stitchery Club (find out more here) but it will also be added to my shop on February 17th as a single pattern purchase (including the stitchery) for non-members.
What about you?
Have you made some headway with planning this year?
Are those plans making life easier?
I'd love to hear how you're going with this.
I'm off to the hospital tomorrow with Blossom for her 36 week visit. Not long now until we meet our new grandbaby. Blossom is in still in a great deal of pain (increasingly, actually, due to her scoliosis), but very grateful bub has made it this far.
Your prayers for a safe, gentle and doctor-attended delivery would be most appreciated.
hugs
