My flag cushion tutorial..plus Show and Tell Friday!

There is only one project to share today in Show & Tell, but as I haven't issued a challenge this month I'm sure you understand why. :-)

However, this project is gorgeous! Jean has been making my Shabby Roses 'A Christmas Story' quilt, and now she has finished it!

Jean, it's a beautiful quilt and I am so humbled to always see how others bring my mental sketches to life with needle and thread in their own unique way. Thank you!!

~~~~~

Now, I got to thinking while I was stitching away on my gifts for this year. Sometimes I see an item in a magazine and think, "I can make that!", but then forget all about it. Do you do that? 

One of my favourite non-craft magazines is the British edition of 'Country Living' (wonderful website HERE), and in it I saw a picture of a cushion made into a British flag - as soon as I saw it I wanted one (my ancestors arrived in Australia as convicts on the First Fleet so my British roots are solid), but it was priced at around £60!

Yesterday I looked over at my stash of Rural Jardin (my favourite ever fabric range) and the brain went silly with excitement at making my own version of the cushion - and then I thought perhaps you'd like to make one too!? Even if you're not British, you can use the same idea for your own country's flag. 

(*maybe* we could  make this the challenge for October????!)

Start with:

One, 16 1/2 inch square blue tonal fabric (cushion front)

Two, 10 1/2 x 16 1/2 inch rectangles blue/red floral fabric (cushion back)

Two, 2 1/4 x 24 inch strips beige tonal fabric

Two, 1 1/4 x 24 inch strips red tonal fabric

Two, 2 3/4 x 16 1/2 inch strips beige tonal fabric

Two, 2 x 16 1/2 inch strips red tonal fabric

3 red buttons

Sew the 2 1/4 x 24 inch strips beige tonal fabric diagonally across the cushion front.

(I am leaving raw edges as I wanted that 'shabby' look after washing)

 

Sew the two 1 1/4 x 24 inch strips red tonal fabric the same way, centring the strips on to the beige stripes.

Sew the two 2 3/4 x 16 1/2 inch strips beige tonal fabric horizontaly and verticaly on to the cushion front.

Lastly, sew the two 2 x 16 1/2 inch strips red tonal fabric onto the centre of the strips.

Fold one edge on both 10 1/2 x 16 1/2 inch rectangles blue/red floral fabric (cushion backs) over by 1/2 inch. Press. Fold the hem over again by 3/4 inch. Press. Stitch down.

Add your 3 buttonholes, and 3 buttons. 

 Do up the buttons, and stitch the two piece together along the side seam with a scant 1/8th inch seam.

Lay the cushion front down onto the cushion back, right sides facing. Stitch around the square with a 1/4 inch seam.

Trim the seam back to 1/8th inch. Turn the cushion right side out, and make a French seam by stitching around the outside edge with a 1/4 inch seam - this prevents any fraying and loose threads.

 Wash the cushion cover in your washing machine to give it that old and frayed appearance...

...and maybe add an extra touch of British history.

Can you believe I found this brooch for 50c yesterday at the op shop while my cushion cover was drying on the line!? Thanks God! :-)

~~~~~

Blossom wants an Italian flag cushion now to celebrate her father's Italian heritage. Guess you know what I'll be doing today?

What do you think? Shall we make this a challenge for the last half of October? They would make great Christmas gifts for friends and family!

Hugs

Jenny

xxx

PS: This is a great way to use up some of that stash....

Making gifts, and why I need to sew...

The last week has been a very productive time with gift making for Christmas, birthdays, weddings, babies, swaps...so many wonderful occasions to make things for!

The best news is that I haven't bought any fabric at all - everything is coming from my stash. Yay!

I've used a few tutorials along the way, like this tissue cover pattern from Polka Dot Pineapple. It's incredibly easy!

Lisa's retractable tape measure cover was a wee bit fiddly, but the end result is lovely!

 I also intend making felt covered ones from a different tutorial. I'll show you when I'm done.

Do you have Anni Down's book, "In The Life of a Bag"? It has some fabulous small projects inside! So far I have made these notebook covers...

...and a different style of tissue cover.

I downloaded a cute free stitchery from Bird Brain Designs and so far have used it for applique, and for a redwork stitchery...

...plus I'm busy finishing a Janelle Wind design...

...and a gorgeous bird applique hanging by Natalie Ross, 'Flowers In Flight', that I found in an old copy of Country Threads (vol 7 no 8).

My husband is most supportive of me needing time to make all our gifts, as our family goal is to spend less but give more 'beauty' this Christmas/birthday season.

I'm working smart, though! There is a bit of a production line happening, with 4 or 6 of the same item being made all at once. This way I'll have extras left over in the New Year for unexpected gift giving. 

~~~~~

In my own design work I'm just grabbing an hour here or there, as I know once all the gifts are made I will have the time I need to work on my own projects. :-)

But here are some sneak peeks...

 

 

 

~~~~~

Some of you have mentioned that I seem to be sewing non-stop. Actually, I do set aside 4 hours each afternoon to work on projects - and if I have time at night I do some hand stitching while my husband does his paperwork from school. My mornings, though, are always spent on housework and running errands. 

Since Mr E was assaulted by two school students in September he has been suffering badly with whiplash and the discovery that he has scoliosis of the neck - this means he cannot ride his motorbike. He has twice weekly visits to the physiotherapist and has acupuncture to help with pain relief. 

The run on effect is that I spend a lot of time each day driving him and Slicer to work (at different times), picking up Slicer at lunch then dropping him back to work, then picking up Mr E after school, and back to Slicer for the end of his work day. In between I have Blossom working most days and I try to make time to have at least a cuppa with her every couple of days during her lunch break. Next week she begins her distance education and I will be supervising that each afternoon (while I sew).

My family are my life, and I consider it a very real gift from God that I am able to be home-based, thereby being available to taxi them around, feed them, lend an ear in the middle of a long day, help with teaching, and to generally 'care' for them all in the best way I know how. 

One of those ways is with the income I make from selling my designs.

I share this because I'd like you to understand that whilst designing is fun, it is also a small, much-needed income for our family, so I must make that time to stitch each day - it's like giving myself work hours.

My fingers have good days and bad - but most days I can stitch easily. The thing that hurts my two triggered fingers and causes them to swell is typing. This is why I'm not blogging as much, and why many of you have noticed I'm not replying as often to emails or comments anymore. 

I also cannot take very much weight on my hands and rely on the family to carry things for me.

But isn't God WONDERFUL!!??

Through all this upheaval with my fingers, I can STILL sew!! \o/

And sewing blesses my family. :-)

~~~~~

Have a wonderful evening. Mr E and I are about to have a lovely iced tea and chat a bit before bedtime. 

How are you going with making gifts?

Hugs

Jenny

xxx

13th Friday Show and Tell...and morning tea with Blossom!

It's a quiet Friday this week, but we still have some lovely projects to look at!

Melody has finished her birds for the Weekend Birdcage Sew-In, and if you visit her blog you'll find more sweet bird inspired projects!

Katrien finished block number 4 of my Daisy-Do BOM within a day of my sharing it!

 And last for this week the ever-productive Carla Louise has made a multi zipper purse for last month's Challenge!

It has a zipper both top and bottom!

~~~~~

Blossom is working part-time at the local Woolworths supermarket 5 mornings a week now and will be doing her homeschooling in the afternoons. Her workbooks haven't arrived from Jubilee College yet, so this week she has worked full days Mon-Thurs , and works tomorrow (Saturday) as well. Today, being Friday and her one free day this week, we headed into town for morning tea at our favourite cafe, The Stock Exchange.

It's in a beautiful breezeway so no matter how hot the day (and it was!) you can always catch a cool breeze as you sit outside...

...facing the street in one direction, and the park behind in the other.

Our wonderfully talented barista is Jeremy, who is daily creating new ways to serve coffee, but today we're having choc-malted soy shakes because I am off all caffeine and dairy. When we finish our drinks Jeremy always comes out with a carafe of ice water and two glasses so we can keep chatting away - now isn't he the nicest guy!?

Blossom loves to chat about 'life, the universe and everything' while we have these mornings together...

...but today she brought along some books. We sat and read funny things to each other for over an hour. 

Then it was time to go, but we'll be back next week because she has another free Friday to spend with me. 

Simple pleasures are always the best.

Hugs

Jenny

xxx

Sometimes you just need simple pleasures...

At the very core of my being I am a simple hearted girl.

My dream, if I could have it, would be to own a small hobby farm outside of a country town. With a cow, chickens, and a duck looking on, I would have a swinging seat on the verandah, grow my own vegetables, and use as much recycled fabric/items as possible to add that gentle 'you are home' signature to everything I made.

A large tree with a swing would stand to the left of the verandah and my children and grandchildren would be laughing and playing amid the animals and birds each day until the sun shut its weary eyes and the darkness of night fell upon us. I would read to them the wonderful old classics once more - books that for many of their childhood years kept them entranced for hours each day as I brought the words to life with my dramatic characterisations while they huddled on the couch munching cheese, crackers and grapes.

I love that dream. 

To live simply, to me, is to let go of the constant desire for 'more', to forgo the pursuit of 'things', and to enjoy - to relish - being home, being content, caring for loved ones, and making use of what you already have. It is to sit in the quiet and love where you are, to climb into bed each night and have no guilt or regrets. 

Lately we have had a lot to manage with health and emotional issues in our family. As we experienced the highs and the lows we gathered loved ones closer and were reminded once more just how precious every moment is, how blessed we are to wake each day and still have each other's love and respect. Simple love, but perfect. 

I bought this pre-loved doily for just 50c at an op-shop a few months back because it made me think about my dream. It has been sitting amongst my fabrics all this time waiting for inspiration on how I can use it.

 The sentiment cross-stitched on the front encapsulates how I feel about my family - a home is not a house, but a place where your loved ones gather around you and want to stay.

In contrast to simplicity, part of the whirlwind of designing is that I constantly see new fabric ranges, and imagine what I would make with them. This used to be exciting, but lately my feelings have changed. 

I see that a habit formed, a habit that I now want to break, a habit of buying more fabric than I could possibly use in my lifetime. Oh yes, the fabrics are beautiful! They inspire me to create. But, I am one person, and all those designs I have sketched? Most will never see a needle and thread. So why the big stash?? Why all those dollars spent on fabrics - it could have been used to reduce our debt, pay for a family holiday, or increase our giving. It might even have brought that dream of mine closer to being reality. Mmm....I'm really exposing my flaws today, aren't I?

The dilemma I have found myself in has a solution, though. 

Stop buying fabric and all of those little pretties and trinkets that come home from the store with me. Stop buying more craft magazines that get flicked through then pile up by the side of the bookcase until I have to take a week to go through them, cutting out patterns that I want to make but rarely ever do. Stop buying.

Live SIMPLY with what I already have in my home.

It can be that simple for me.

So today, with a scan of my fabric cupboard, I chose a lovely piece I had bought over two years ago that reminded me of my grandmother and home, and it felt 'just right' (to quote Goldilocks!) to work with my doily...

I dug through my vintage button jar and found three successful applicants...

...to secure the back of my simple cushion.

I even made it simply - no wadding, no quilting, just a simple oversized cotton cushion cover that I really love because it speaks of my dream and reminds me what is most important.

Now to hold onto my dream and live more simply in all things. 

Thanks for listening to my heart today,

Hugs

Jenny

xxx

"Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply.Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God"

Ronal Reagan

Ebay Sale!! 15% off everything!!

I'm clearing the stock in my Ebay Australia store over the next few days, so run along HERE and take advantage of my 15% off *everything* sale!!!

 Available only from 5th - 8th October.

I have fabrics, pre-cuts, quilt kits, fat quarter bundles, patterns and more!! 

 I'm closing my Ebay store at the end of this month so if you have your eye on something, now is the time to get it. :-)

 ~~~

Wendy has finished her birdcage, and it's looking just GAWJUS as my friend, Joy, would say!!

 I love her red bird hanging low, waiting to wing off to exotic places yet unknown!

See more photos HERE on her blog!

Don't forget if you want to receive a free copy of my 'Lovebirds' pattern...

...you'll need to have your bird/birdcage photos to either Wendy or myself by Thursday 7th! 

If you didn't participate in the Weekend Sew-In you can purchase the pattern for just $3 HERE in my Etsy Store!

~~~~~

I'm not going to have an October Challenge, as I have so many Christmas gifts to make that my time is already booked solid. How about you? 

Hugs

Jenny

xxx

More beautiful birds!

Enjoy some more birds (and a unique cage) from the Weekend Birdcage Sew-In!

Verna made her birds using Sarah's pattern from Homespun, and has hung them from some of her collected rolling pins! They are so pretty! Verna will be making more birds for Christmas gifts. :-)

Lyn in Texas has made quite a different cage for her lovely birdies! She's even going to build some perches and a feeding station for more birds!

~~~~~

Blossom is back at her studies again, but she's also decided to earn a bit of pocket-money by working a few hours each day at our local Woolies. She set off this morning looking beautiful as always!

Even though we are having 32C degree days now, she still wears this finely woven black cardigan as the air conditioning  in the supermarket is quite cold. 

~~~~~

Have a lovely day, and don't forget to check our Gum Tree Designers blog every Monday through October and November for your free Christmas projects! Today our gorgeous Fiona has shared something lovely HERE.

Hugs

Jenny

xxx

Daisy-Do ~ Block 4!

It's already October 1st! My, this year has flown by!

Today I am sharing Block 4 of Daisy-Do...

~daisies~

 

 

The Cottage Garden thread looked gorgeous in the chain stitched wording, those pretty colours definitely taking centre stage! :-)

If you want to purchase some of these threads check out the supplier listings and colour charts at the Cottage Garden Threads blog.

(I purchase mine through Cath at Cathron Country)

Only one more block to share and you can stitch it together. I will be sharing the finishing pattern along with the final block on November 1st. Can't wait!!

You can download the pattern for Block 4 of Daisy-Do HERE.

Have a lovely day! We're enjoying Mr E's last real day of school holidays before the rattle and hum of another school term begins. 

Hugs

Jenny

xxx

12th Friday Show and Tell!

Are you ready for more inspiration?!

This week's Show and Tell has some very clever adaptations of my designs, plus more Zipper-Me-Up projects!

Carla Louise is a busy girl, always showing her craftiness. This week she has made a sweet cosmetic purse for the Zipper-Me-Up September Challenge, and she added one of my free rose designs to the front!

 She also made the free market bag design I shared on the Gum Tree Designers blog last month!

Lynette also got into the Zipper-Me-Up Challenge with these two purses. Both are lovely, but I think that felt one is really cute, Lynette!

 

Amanda has been clever and made a headphone pouch for her son, but she's really tackled the zipper-phobia by running the zipper around the circumference of the pouch! (Not sure I'm ready to tackle that myself yet!)

 Melody has been stitching hexie flowers, and inside the centre of this one she stitched my free 'Little Bird' stitchery! Isn't it gorgeous!?

Thank you SO much for sharing your photos, ladies!

Hugs

Jenny

xxx

PS: Back later with block 4 of Daisy-do!! \o/