FInishing what I started and a FREE pattern for you!

 

As promised the other day, I have a bonus free pattern for you this month, one which I hope will encourage you to keep track of all your UFO projects, or WIPs as some call them (works in progress).

Back in December 2017 I designed and stitched this notebook cover for my Stitchery Club members, as a reminder to them throughout 2018 (mostly a reminder to me!) to take stock of all those projects we had begun but never quite finished. 

I made sure that I wouldn't lose track of this notebook's purpose, slotted in amongst all the other books which at that time stood side by side on my desk, by stitching along the spine, "finish what I started"...

It worked well most of that year, but then we bought our first home in the September of 2018 and other things took priority in my mind, naturally. A first home when you're almost 60 is quite an adventure! :-)

It's six years later and I'm revisiting my notebook, and wanted to offer the pattern here today as a gift for any of you who'd like to join in as I make a start on completing as many uncompleted projects as I can this month, and then on through the rest of 2024. 

I began by laying out quite an array of completed stitcheries (my own designs, some old and some new that have never been released) and writing up a plan for August...

Already I have completed the first two on my list. Both had their stitcheries completed, but I'd gone no further in a practical sense, other than a mental picture of how I'd finish them 'one day'. Very happy this week as 'one day' arrived.

The Faith Hope Love stitchery was included with my September 2020 issue of the Faith In Hand club...

On Wednesday afternoon I trimmed the block and needleturned it to the front of a teatowel (a matching towel to the one I cut from in the photo above). That evening I added a lovely crochet edging...

It's now hanging on my oven and looking just lovely! You'll find this stitchery pattern HERE in my shop if you do not already have it. 

The second project I completed this week was something new. I designed and stitched 'Pray' last year, but never got around to sewing it as a hanging heart until yesterday. 

It could easily be appliqued onto a quilt, small wall hanging or other display, but I chose a wee stuffed heart to hang near the Bless Our Home mini quilt. 

With the project complete, I was able to finally write the pattern for Pray, which you'll find HERE

Now, back to the free gift pattern I promised you. Use the link below to download it.

DOWNLOAD the pattern for 'Finish What I Started' notebook and embroidery

You may have noticed that I have also given the blog an update, with some lovely cheerful colours and floral displays. Planning an August that shines a focus on completing forgotten projects, and following through on old plans that were lain aside for more important things...well, it has brought a very refreshing, cheerful air in our home right now. 

For finishing things isn't just about sewing, though I will focus mostly on that this month - it's about making use of the bits and pieces which have been purchased over the years for making candles, lotions and salves...it's about starting the watercolour course I bought back in 2020...it's gathering the courage to paint some shelves and add a bit of decoupage on things...and its about getting serious with making my own clothes, cutting my own hair (eek!!)...making greeting cards...and so this list goes on. 

Already having everything I need for these projects, activities and lessons means no excuse not to slowly and methodically enjoy every one of them. And that's the best thing - ENJOYMENT. 

Now I had best head out to the garden and clip some more calendula flowers. One of my unfinished projects last year was the making of calendula oil and salve. I did grow and dry the flowers, but went no futher - however last years flowers have now been sitting in a jar of extra virgin olive oil for two weeks, and in another two weeks I can strain them and make the salve, saving some of the calendual oil for skincare. 

This year I am growing a lot more calendula, with a decided heart to make good things for my family too. Each day I pick about ten more flowers, and when dry they go in the jar. the more flowers you pick, the more grow...its marvellous. 

Have a lovely weekend dear ones, and I pray you can find time, with a hot cuppa or cool drink, to write down all the many unique ways you, in your own life, can complete projects or ideas this August. Even if it's one you've put aside for five years, or five weeks...enjoy it, and let the satisfaction of a task completed encourage you forward to work on another. 

God bless, and may His great and mighty hands hold you safe in His care, and give you many moments to laugh and smile and be grateful in the weeks ahead. 

Hugs

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Block 8 Joy in the Ordinary...

 

As I write this blog post August is just hours away, and so we edge closer to the end of another season. Each year I long for August to move slowly so that I can enjoy every moment of winter's farewell, and especially this year as the season has been a tad cooler than usual in our tropical corner of the country, and with it I felt my body able to rest more, giving in to the weariness accumulated over the previous long, hot seasons. It's been lovely to snuggle my feet into socks and slippers when I rise and move around the kitchen preparing our breakfast whilst still dark outside, a thick cardigan warming me as I work. Oh yes, I truly love this time of year. 

Being the end of a season, with spring only a month away, my mind gears up to re-organise spaces in the home, and this past week it was time for a jolly good scrub and scuttle of my sewing room. Measuring 100 sq feet (or 3 metres x 3 metres) I have a lot of things to squeeze into a small space that doubles as sewing room and Elefantz office. There's nowhere for my computer so that is out in the living room.

The "before" photos are below. Many cups of tea and a lot bit of chocolate sustained me as I worked here for three days...

I began on Saturday morning, pulling almost everything out of it's place in order to decide what to keep and what to let go of. It was also an opportunity to gather the many stitcheries from my original designs over the past 10-12 years and sort through them - some to use in projects, some to re-photograph for patterns, and others to sell in my Etsy shop later this year. The huge job of sorting/organising 'stuff' came to a conclusion mid-Monday morning, and then it was time to sort through all my paperwork and business stuff. Everything was completed by Monday evening, at which time I sat down and made plans for selling, donating, using and creating storage. 

I'll show you the "after" photos next post. 

Tuesday morning I gathered the pile of UFO's which had been put aside as I cleaned out the room, and made decisions on what order they'd be completed in coming months. The large quilt projects are now also in order so that I can focus on one at a time and hopefully (slowly) complete them over the next couple of years for the grandchildren or daughters. I also spent a couple of hours re-photographing some of my older designs, the ones I really love, to pop in MY SHOP soon. 

But back to the newest pattern in this year's free block of the month, Joy in the Ordinary

It's was quickly sketched and stitched last Friday, but it was only yesterday that I realised how well the little embroidery hoop and needle marries with my new theme for August! With a pile of small UFOs (small in comparison to a quilt) carefully sorted on my cutting table at the moment, it really will be a month to "Finish what you started"...

I'd love to know if you have a pile of unfinished projects too? I chose not to count the large projects that take many months or perhaps a year to complete, like appliqued quilts (of which I have five in various stages of progress, plus two of my own ongoing BOMs being shared here on the blog with you), but am focused on the smaller UFOs which easily accumulate, because (for me) the fun part of applique or embroidery is finished but the sewing together of the whole project has barely begun. 

IMPORTANT NEWS...

I'm going to share another blog post tomorrow or Friday, with a very special 'extra' free pattern for you, as an encouragement to begin working on your own UFOs, so be sure to drop by or go HERE and subscribe to get my blog posts via email. 

Please note, this is NOT the same as the newsletter I send out a couple of times a month - that will be ending August 30th, as my newsletter provider is closing and the cost for me to move to another newsletter provider will triple what I pay now. 

Use the link below to download the new pattern

DOWNLOAD block 8 of Joy in the Ordinary

Missed the previous seven blocks? They are HERE

I will leave any other news for the next post, which will be before week's end. I have finally gotten myself organised to blog regularly, and as the focus in August will be finishing what we started, there'll be a lot of different things to share - and not just sewing. Golly, I am so excited to be able to regularly blog throughout the next month and hopefully on through the rest of the year. God has put many things on my heart and you'll hear about those along the way too.

So, my dear friends, I shall sign off to day with a prayer and a blessing over you all...may the Lord who is so gracious, provide for you in the way you most need through August, and gently nudge you if you're stuck, redirect you if you're going the wrong way, and speak words of life and encouragement if you are wandering in the valley. 

Okay my lovelies, go gather those UFOs and let's begin a month of finishing some of them. Let me know in the comments what you are planning, what UFOs you've completed, and any other news about your life right now. 

God bless and sending you the biggest hug, 

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This n that, a recipe and button bracelets...

 Hello dear ones, thanks for dropping by today. How are you doing?? Being a blogger it seems that I am regularly letting you know how I am doing, but I'd also like to know what you've been up to.  

The past few weeks, months really, there's been a lot happening within the family, things we choose not to share, things that in the big scheme of things are ours alone to manage, leaning heavily into the Father's arms as we wait on results, directions, provision and refreshment. As a family we all pull together, especially when the children or health are involved, and sometimes it's a mixture of both. So when I stop blogging for a bit, just know there's a family life to be lived, and loved, behind the screen. I think many of you would understand this (especially introverts like Blossom and I)...we process things quietly, pray and discuss between ourselves, always encouraging and being there for one another, always drawing on God's Word and His love to carry us through. There's no greater place to be than in His perfect care. 

My theme this month is TIME and that's exactly what God has made me aware of. Everything lately has needed time - time to sit quietly with Him, time for family, time for healing, time for rest, time for caring, time to consider the future, time to give thanks, time to sit in the sun and warm up, time to tend the garden.

At home, this is what I've been up to in the quieter days -

Baking biscuits. Cully May loves packets of Rich Tea biscuits, as do Blossom and I (they are especially perfect for dunking in a cup of tea!) so I found a recipe which was quite similar and made 54 of them - a huge saving on buying a pack, and everyone said they were delicious so these will need to be added to my regular baking schedule. 

The new sour dough bread recipe I mentioned recently didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped. The steps once kneaded were great and I will continue using them once the weather warms a bit (we have no heating in our home and the nights of late have dropped to an unusual 6 - 7C, around 45F). I had to use heated rice sacks sitting under the bowl to help things along, and eventually got a fairly nice loaf, though a bit dense from such a long rise. 

The other thing I realised about this recipe is that even though it asked for 170g of sour dought starter, not everyone has the same consistency of starter. I have mine quite thick (like peanut better) whereas others have theirs runny or somewhere in between. I used to have a fairly runny starter until I learned that a thick starter is actually stronger and sours the dough better. So I shall go back to my old recipe, mostly judged by eye and feel as I go along, but use this new recipe's technique for kneading and rising.

Last weekend my computer crashed and dear husband with all his tech know-how spent his only day off work that week re-installing everything and setting it up as good as new. How blessed I am that he can do that stuff.

While he was busy at the computer I decided to 'finally' baste my Virtuous Wife quilt (the free BOM I shared last year)....

I also made the binding, and found my spare rolling pin to be perfect for storing it...

It was my intention to start hand quilting this week just gone, but the weather has been so cold (for the tropics) that my fingers really hurt pushing the needle through the three layers, so I have put it aside until the weather gets back to our normal warm dry winter. 

Please note that I have kept this pattern free far longer than I'd intended, but it will be going in the shop soon. If you want to download any of the blocks, or the ones you may have missed, they are all HERE. I'll keep them free until July 31st. 

Whilst quilting through three layers was difficult, regular stitching was fine, and I did manage to complete the first block of PROMISES as there were only a few words left to embroider.

These are the fabrics I'll be using for the project. They are bits and pieces collected here and there over the years - not all are quilting fabrics, but they have been washed so should be fine one day when the finished quilt gets a wash...remembering that I am doing this as a slow project that may take a couple of years to design and share with you. If you missed the first block it's HERE

More sewing, but not the creative kind. My lovely cotton cardie has been getting a lot of use during this unusually cold spell and I caught the back on a nail out back, which left a hole that needed darning before it grew any larger. 

I haven't darned in a long time, but I have very fond memories of Nana darning Pop's thick woollen hand knitted socks. They were made with love and cared for with more of that same love, because he worked shifts on the wharf back in the day when they often climbed ropes to get on board, and the winter harbour nights in Newcastle (where we lived then) were icy. His socks, balaclava and gloves were all made by Nana. xx

Since hubby pruned a lot of the trees this winter, the birds are dropping by for a feed more regularly. Their feeder had become almost hidden between the Ixora, Bottle Brush and Maraya trees, but now it has a wide viewing area so the birds can feel safe. Our old cockatoo friend drops by every day, and his friends join him later.

A day with the girls...

On Thursday I had Cully May and Rafaella over for some crafting, baking, and a sumptuous morning tea. 

We began with a pot of hot chocolate, freshly baked scones, homemade lemon butter and the last of my homemade strawberry jam. We chatted about all the things that matter to a 6yo and an 'almost' 8yo before clearing the table and getting in to some crafting. 

Inspired by Annabel's sewing day with her own granddaughters, I thought it time to give mine some simple and fun ways to become familiar with using a sewing needle, thread and buttons. I have a lot of buttons, mostly vintage, but I also have a large jar of bright buttons the children have used to thread into necklaces.

Before they arrived I'd sewn together two long narrow strips of felt (on top of each other - a front and a back), one each for them, one for me to teach with, and another that they could use to make a gift for Blossom. We were making button bracelets! 

Felt is lovely and soft for children to begin sewing with, and there's no fraying. The girls slowly became comfortable with the needle and thread, and then began the process of sewing on the buttons, using the tying method to secure them. Cully May was excellent at sewing, and Rafaella made the best knots when tying the buttons in place.

I ended up using Green and Orange colours for my teaching model because they are Charlie David's favourite colours, and I knew he'd want one when he arrived with mummy later to pick up his sisters. He loves the character Blippy, from the same titled children's program, and he certainly did get excited about his Bippy bracelet when the girls gave it to him. The fourth bracelet was for Blossom and she was so chuffed to see all the girls had made. Everyone left wearing their handmade button bracelets, smiles all around.

After the bracelets were made we spent an hour in the kitchen baking tart cases, and once cooled we filled some with caramel, some with lemon butter and the rest with jam. Then the girls set the table for a late lunch as they knew Mummy and Charlie David were on their way, and I made pizzas from leftover garlic naan bread (delicious!). After we all polished off the pizzas, it was time to feast on tarts...I thought I'd have some leftover, but noooo. Ha ha!! 

Before I sign off, I was asked to share Nana's baked rice custard recipe...

3 eggs, room temperature / 750 ml whole milk / 4 tablespoons sugar / 1 teaspoon vanilla essence / 1/2 cup cooked medium grain white rice (it's not as good with long grain rice) / grated nutmeg or cinnamon

Mix together the eggs, milk and vanilla in a bowl. Add the sugar, stirring well to dissolve as much as possible. 

Grease a small baking dish or casserole dish with butter. I use an enamel dish usually, just like Nana did. Spread the rice across the base of the dish, then gently pour over the custard mix. Sprinkle nutmeg or cinnamon over the top of the custard (we only ever use nutmeg, but some people prefer cinnamon).

Make a water bath by pouring 1" of hot water into the base of a larger baking dish. Place the rice custard dish into the larger dish and place in a preheated oven at 160C (320F) for 40 minutes. Check after 30 minutes because not all ovens are the same - if there's no wobble, take it out. If there's only a slight wobble it's okay to remove it as well...but if there's a good wobble, give it ten more minutes. 

My husband loves this with jelly. Blossom eats it out of the baking dish. I eat it with tinned pears, or out of the baking dish. ;-)

Hopefully blogging will be back to a more regular routine next week, and hopefully our nights will be warmer. I bought my first doona in fifteen years today because the weight of blankets on the bed lately has not been comfortable. Hubby has some issues with his legs and feet, so a light doona will be wonderful for him tonight. 

God bless you so very much. I pray that if you're having a time of struggle, ill health, family concerns, loneliness, stretched finances, sorrow, or just in need of a good hug and a cuppa, that the Lord will provide what is needed in the way it is needed most, and through the care and concern of those who love you. But may we all keep our hearts open to recieve from a stranger, or an unexpected source, for God uses many different avenues to answer prayer or bring a blessing. And if like me, you prefer to be the giver, humble yourself to receive...He taught me a lesson about that recently. As long as we have breath, God has a lesson to teach us, to grow us, to guide us in the ways of Jesus. 

I also pray that we each ask the Lord how we can be of help to another, for being His children involves both being cared for, and being a carer; being a giver and being a receiver; being His hands of love and allowing others to love us through Him. 

Love you all, 

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Herbing and sewing...

HERBING...

Herbing? Never heard of it before? I think I may have just made it up. ;-)

I have been herbing in the garden this past week, preserving and enjoying some of our fresh greens in various ways. We currently grow twenty-six different herbs in the garden, and whilst some will only flourish in our tropical winter, others bloom abundantly in spring, and the remainder prefer the hot and humid summer for displaying their bounty, it's actually a good system because we can harvest something tasty to add to meals, teas, or preserve all year through. 

This past week I wanted to do a bit of dehydrating so I began with the Tulsi (Holy Basil) leaves which we use in herbal teas...

The best time for picking is when the new leaves turn purple, and as Tulsi has numerous health properties I use them fresh, or dry them. In fact I made some herbal tea bags for my daughter Kezzie from many dehydrated herbs and they worked so well that I have just posted her a big batch.

I love having Dill growing through our winter season as it's wonderful chopped fresh for the Greek dishes I make my son-in-law, or stirred through fresh mayonnaise, or dried and crumbled for summer recipes. I also use the large dill seed fronds in a vase on the table with my roses...

Cinnamon Myrtle makes a beautiful tea, but also becomes a lovely spice rub when dehydrated and crumbled...

...and with such an abundance of Basil in winter, Pesto is always on the menu. Blossom's children could eat a jar of my fresh pesto with a spoon and still ask for more, so we make it go further by stirring it generously through pasta. 

Hubby loves salmon patties so of course I made some fresh mayo. In some of the mayo I added fresh chopped dill and it was so good we emptied the jar. Ha ha!! I told Blossom and now she wants some so I'll make more later today. 

Guilty confession. In between all the herbing I quietly finished off the last of a baked rice pudding (Nana's recipe) because it was taking up space in the fridge. Nah, just joking...I simply could not resist the temptation and gave in, adding some yummy raspberries for added health benefit. ;-)

SEWING...

I've been working on block one of Promises and it's coming along very nicely. I ended up doing two thin borders, instead of a second border of squares. As I explained last time, this is a gentle slow stitching project so I will take my time even with the bordering or fabric choices for each block. I chose the tealy blue second border because it blends with that same colour in the first border - oh, and I thought that vintage fabric was from a tablecloth, and now realise it's part of a curtain. Wish I had more, but I shall endeavour to make the small amount I do have go far. 

I chose the thread colour for the verse to match the tealy blue as well. 

Another lovely thing about stitching a slower project, is choosing the stitches along the way. For this block I've stem stitched the wooden borders, added double French knot buds around the applique flowers...

...and sewed my favourite blanket stitch embellished leaves. You can see the tutorial I made for those HERE and there's a free practice pattern as well. 

I've made a page for this project (link in the sidebar and also under my header) in case you ever miss a block. Go to the PROMISES of God page here.

The other bit of sewing I am currently working on is that cross stitch I began back in May. It's coming along in spits and spats, mostly in the evenings, but I will be very honest here and tell you that at this point I am quite over all those bricks...

...but I am pushing on to get the roof and steps completed, plus the mortar between the rest of the bricks (I have done about half of it so far) so that I can stitch the pretty bits. I took one break to stitch a leaf the other day because I have had enough of orangey bricks and needed to see some green. 

I am enjoying cross stitch again, after more than a decade of just hand embroidery, but I will be mindful of the patterns I choose in future. I really love this pattern, but I do not love sewing a million bricks. In the end it will be worth it, and Blossom keeps dropping hints about how much she loves it... ;-)

SOMETHING NEW...

I am trying a new sour dough bread recipe, a smaller loaf than all my other recipes as there's only the two of us here now, so hopefully it will work out well and become a regular bake. The instructions were very simple so I pray it really does bake deliciously. 

It can rise for the rest of day while I potter around and do other things, like visit the doctor for my echocardiogram results, water the garden, and cut up some old linen garments for usable stitching fabric. It's giving me a lot of joy to repurpose old garments this way and soon I'll have a shelf of them (after I sell some of my quilting fabric). 

I hope you have a gentle week, and that in those precious quiet moments when there's a quiet stillness all around, that you let the presence of God surround you and rest in His care. 

God bless, and big hugs,

Don't miss out on any Elefantz news or free patterns. 

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Or sign up HERE for my free newsletter which often has extra benefits, freebies & tutorials!