The blessing of a daughter's visit!

 This week I had the joy of having our younger daughter come to stay with us. She is such a blessing to us and a huge support for me personally. We normally only see each other on Skype, so I was over the moon to have Janelle physically with us. She did all the cooking, looked after the dishwasher, managed the washing and drove us to medical appointments. She wanted to know what else she could do to assist me, so I asked her to find a couple of photos and some negatives that I had been looking for unsuccessfully. 

When she looked in my catastrophic photos cupboard, with random photos scattered in packets, folders, plastic bags, frames, albums and just hanging loose, she decided that something needed to be done about the chaos! With her analytical mind and prowess for sorting, this is what it now looks like!:

There's a box for each of our four children and their families so it will be SO EASY to find what I want in the future. Janelle tells me it's only a start, and she has a lot more sorting to do! Bring on her next visit!!! I am the envy of all my friends, who want to borrow her to sort out their photos now!

I thought I would give you a few more sneak peaks of the 2021 monthly design that I have planned and tell you that it is called "Gentle Gems".

 

There are 22 small parts to the wall hanging, so the project will continue for 11 months, obviously with two patterns each month. 

Gentle Gems is hanging in a hallway and makes me smile each time I walk past it. I hope you like what you see too!

The plan is to release the project in the second week of January 2021, so keep an eye out for it.

We've just about made it to the close of 2020 and that means to the end of the 

More Precious than Jewels Block of the month journey. 

I know some of our BOM'ers are right up to date, and others are collecting the patterns to work later and others' plans have gone astray - what else would you expect in 2020!

When you do complete the quilt, I would love to see a photo of your work of art. It always thrills me to see how others have interpreted my design and the different colours that are chosen.

Here is our final block:

Our BOM'ers have received their pattern for Block 12, plus finishing instructions and a design for a quilt label. If you have just discovered this lovely wall quilt based on Proverbs 31, the complete pattern is available for purchase here:

https://val-laird.blogspot.com/p/christian-themes.html

This will be my last blog post for 2020, so I wish you the blessings of the Christmas Season as we celebrate God's amazing gift of Jesus.

Val

A design for 2021 ... and it's not a 'block' of the month!

A few weeks ago I told you I had a project for you for 2021. There were no sneak peaks but I did tell you that you could expect applique and embroidery.

Today I have a bit more information for you - It's not a 'block' of the month!!! There is going to be a part of the 'quilt' each month, but it's not going to be the usual quilt block! 

... and another bit of information - NO SEWING MACHINE will be required! 

And one more bit of information - each month's patterns will be complete in themselves, but all the designs will also be part of one project!

Do I have you guessing? The photos will give you some clues. Feel free to comment if you think you can guess what the project will be!

I plan to release the new "XXX of the month" in the second week of January and it will be spread over 11 months, so keep an eye out for more photos in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, have you started sewing anything new for Christmas? My Ding Dong Merrily Christmas Table Runner takes the record for being the most popular pattern I have ever designed! I have never worked out why, but I'm happy that so many people like it!

You can join the gang of fans by purchasing the pattern here:

https://val-laird.blogspot.com/p/christmas_59.html

Or what about a new Christmas decoration? I love a Christmas Dove, symbol of peace, purity and love. It is a reminder of God's great Christmas gift to us - Jesus - the only one who can bring true peace to our hearts - and to the world.

The Christmas Dove pattern is only $AU1.40 if you buy it from my Christmas pattern store:

https://val-laird.blogspot.com/p/christmas_59.html

I am almost getting motivated to do some new Christmas stitching myself.

Val

Thinking about Christmas ... and Block 11 More Precious than Jewels BOM

 Have you started thinking about Christmas yet? It is going to be a very different celebration for many around the world in this pandemic year. I am ever so thankful that our whole family (all 29 of us) were able to be together last Christmas in 2019. It was an amazing achievement, considering that, as our grandchildren marry, there are more and more families to be included and visited. I don't expect it will ever be possible again to be together in this way, so it is a memory that we treasure.

Our 2020 Christmas will be very quiet with just our nearby family with us, but that doesn't mean we won't put up the decorations, pretty up the Christmas Tree and have all the Christmas Dinner trimmings!  I am thinking of making a new wall hanging - I wonder whether I will finish it in time for Christmas this year!

Maybe you would like to make a new Christmas project that won't take too long. How about a new cushion for Christmas ? Here is Joybells Ringing - a little bit of applique, a little bit of stitching and some pretty embellishments:

Or how about a quick and easy Christmas Bauble for your tree? 

Or what about a different way to present your cutlery at your Christmas table ... and you don't need a sewing machine to make them! Your guests could even take home this Merry Mitten Cutlery Holder as a gift!

All these patterns are available in my Pattern Store here:

https://bit.ly/ValChristmasPatterns

And now to show you Block 11 of the More Precious than Jewels Block of the Month Quilt. 

I don't know about you, but living as a child in my family, there was never any option for being lazy! My parents had a very high work ethic and expected us children to be the same!

This verse from Proverbs 31 reminds us that all those mundane household jobs are really a privilege, because they enable us to care for the people most important to us - our family!

Our BOM'ers have their new Block already, but if you want to join in the fun, you can do so by going to the

  More Precious than Jewels page.

Thank you to everyone who contacted me about my husband and his emergency surgery. I REALLY appreciate your kind thoughts and prayers. He is doing very well, getting stronger with more mobility each day. God has answered and blessed us abundantly - so thank you!

Val

The day no-one was home! ... and More Precious than Jewels BOM Block 10

It's been a few weeks since I wrote a blog post and I'll tell you a little bit about why below, but meanwhile I want to show you Block 10 of the More Precious than Jewels Block of the Month Quilt. 

When she speaks she has something worthwhile to say, and she always says it kindly. 

Proverbs 31:26

Isn’t this verse a challenge to us all! People today are looking for purposeful conversations. There is so much going on in our world that anyone who has something worthwhile to say will be sure to gain a hearing.

This year, the word ‘kindness’ has been popping up everywhere around me. I think it has been my word for the year! It is so easy to crush someone by an unkind word but what a difference showing kindness makes.

Our BOM'ers have their new Block already, but if you want to join in the fun, you can do so by going to the

  More Precious than Jewels page.

Now for my explanation for the silence. My husband's health had been deteriorating quite rapidly over the last 6-8 weeks. As his 24/7 Carer, I was finding it increasingly difficult to lift him out of a chair, off the toilet, out of bed etc. and always had to hold him up in case his legs crumpled beneath him. Twice in one week I had to call the ambulance because I could not physically lift him, once off the floor where he had toppled, and the other time off the bed.

He developed a very prominent lean to the left, and two weeks ago it got to the stage where he could not sit up straight eating his lunch. He ended up with his head level with his waist and there was no way I could get him onto his feet. I decided I could not call the ambulance for the third time in 10 days, so quickly prayed and rang a friend who had offered to help if I ever needed it. They were not home!  Frantically thinking of who else I could call, I remembered another friend's offer and rang them. They were not home either! Next I went and knocked on the door of our kind neighbour, and they also were out! I looked up and down the street to see if someone could help, but no-one was around at all.

I had no option but to call the ambulance again. The two paramedics took four attempts to get him seated straight on the chair. His blood pressure was OK and his other vitals were also fine. They hummed and haahed about what to do and in the end decided to take him to hospital for a checkover.

A few hours passed and I then discovered why God didn't answer my prayer and why no-one was home at the three places I went to for help. The Emergency Doctors discovered that hubby had a very large haematoma in his brain, so big that it had actually pushed his brain way over to the left and thus the debilitating symptoms that had been occurring for a couple of months with so much pressure on the brain. If someone had been home to help me lift him up, we would have just gone on with his getting weaker each day, and totally unaware of the disaster that was occurring in his brain.

He was transferred to a much larger hospital and the neuro-surgeon there managed to surgically remove everything that shouldn't have been there and left him with two incisions and 19 staples! It was touch and go for a few days in ICU as hubby took 37 hours to wake up after the operation. 

I have never had so many people contact us to tell us they were praying, and family and friends were so wonderful supporting us with transport, meals, hanging washing on the line etc. 

Thankfully God answered those prayers and after a two-week hospital stay, hubby is now home and doing quite well. I am still his 24/7 Carer, but happily he now has more mobility than when he went into hospital and I am hopeful of being able to care for him at home for a bit longer.

So if God doesn't answer your prayer, or says "NO", remember it is because He has something much better for you!

Blessings

Val

More Precious than Jewels BOM Block 9 & Ribbon Embroidery

Spring has sprung in Australia and Autumn has arrived for my northern hemisphere friends. I love the warmer weather, so when September arrives, I am filled with hope and happiness, knowing that the cold weather won't show itself for another 8 or 9 months!

The birds are happy and flourishing and we are watching a couple of nests waiting for their precious young. Meanwhile, the early water birds already have their quaint little babies following them around, making us smile.

So a new month signals a new block in our More Precious than Jewels Block of the Month Quilt.

Block 9

The 'good woman' of the Bible can always face tomorrow with a smile. With the help of her God, she plans ahead and has put away for the 'rainy day'. 

Our BOM'ers have their new Block already, but if you want to join in the fun, you can do so by going to the

  More Precious than Jewels page.

Hubby and I only leave home when we really have to and a medical appointment usually means doing four or five things at the same time to make the most of the trip! There was a sense of accomplishment last week getting everything done in one afternoon, and sneaking in a cappuccino and passion-fruit cheesecake was a bonus in between appointments!

Staying at home certainly has its benefits, like being able to spend time on this ribbon embroidery!

It was a kit I received for my birthday and I enjoyed doing something different to what I usually put my hand to.

I have another embroidery almost completed and then the next job will be finalising what I have to offer you next year. It will be quite different to the BOM of 2020, but applique and embroidery will never be far away! That's all the clues you are being told at the moment!

Happy stitching

Val

 

Thimble & Thread Stitching Folder and Pincushion

If you have looked around my blog before, you will notice that I just LOVE making beautiful Stitching Accessories.

There is something about designing, stitching and using pincushions, needle cases, stitching folders and tape measure holders, that fascinates and thrills me. And the prettier they are, the happier I am!

My Thimble and Thread Stitching Folder and Pincushion set was published last year in Homespun Magazine, but I had never got round to making it available for people who don't have access to that Australian magazine.

The Folder has embroidered pockets for your notions, a tape-measure holder, pocket for your scissors, pen holders and some felt to store your pins. It's ever so useful for carrying to a craft group or sewing circle and would make a great gift for your stitching friend.

 Thimble & Thread Set is now available in my Pattern Store for the price of $AU 7.50, which gives you both the pattern for the very useful Stitching Folder, plus the lovely hexagon Pincushion, so you get two for the price of one!

I decided to go with lovely pastel fabrics for this design, but it would look just as good in something bright and cheery.

Here in Queensland Australia, we are fighting a second wave of Covid-19. This pandemic looks like it is not going away any time soon! Hubby and I are content to stay at home most of the time. I don't even go to the supermarket. Buying online and having someone else put things in a trolley and deliver it to my door seemed like the way to go at the height of the first wave, and I have just continued on that way for the last five months. I don't miss going to the supermarket at all and as things have turned out, I would now have difficulty as hubby can't be left on his own, and he is not able to race up and down the aisles with me anymore.  

We went physically to Church today for the first time since March. Church have been allowed to meet for a few weeks under a rigid Covid-safe plan, but the weather has prohibited our going till now. We have enjoyed 'attending ' Church online for all these months, but there is something special about meeting together in one building! 

So our life continues, differently in some ways, but in all the essential things just the same as always, knowing that our amazing God is totally in control of the world and of us!

Happy stitching!

Val

More Precious than Jewels BOM Block 8

 God thinks quilt-making is something to be admired! 

Block 8 of the More Precious than Jewels BOM Quilt tells us what a great thing the good woman of the Bible does in making her own quilts. How cool is that!

The various translations talk about ‘bed coverings, bedding, bedspreads, sheets, coverlets and tapestries’, so it doesn’t matter what it is, the fact that the good woman made her own is highly regarded. 

Then there’s a word about how we are dressed. I think the principle of the Bible is that we should be pleasantly dressed for each occasion, in a way that doesn’t draw attention to ourselves by being over-dressed, under-dressed or immodest, and we accept graciously any compliment that comes our way! 

The new block is now in the hands of all our BOM'ers, but it's not too late for you to join the fun.

You can see all the details here: http://bit.ly/Morepreciousthanjewelsblocks

This time of 'Staying At Home' has meant that I have finished a long-term embroidery project. I showed you a couple of months ago

https://val-laird.blogspot.com/2020/06/ideas-for-filling-in-embroidery-shapes.html.

The supper cloth I was working on is now complete, largely thanks to watching Church online for months, when I allowed myself the luxury of doing embroidery while I was watching. I find I really can concentrate a lot better when I am doing something with my hands!

Now that I can crochet again with my hand much improved, I have been working edges on fabric squares, which again is a long-term project when I'm not doing something else. I've decided not to start any new designs for a little while as I am tackling a lifetime of papers! In all our moves, none of our thousands of files, papers, notes, etc have ever been culled. The last thing I would want is for our children to have to sort them out when we are gone, so it is time to do something about it. 

Hubby and I were in Christian ministry for more than 50 years, and he has preached hundreds of sermons, produced dozens of Bible Studies, and taught and lectured for most of his life. So many people have been blessed by his ministry that I decided some of the treasures of his lifetime of work should be made available to many more people. I have therefore produced a website with everything on it freely available for people to use as they like. It's a work in progress, but I've made a start. If this is something you might be interested in, have a look here and feel free to share with your friends.

https://bit.ly/RayLaird

Until next time, 

Happy Stitching!

Val

Reaching out

In these very different days that we now live in, the thing that warms my heart is to hear stories of people who are 'reaching out' to others.

Some have joined the Care Army to do errands for the elderly. Others have spent hours each week voluntarily preparing meals for front-line medical workers. Many have reached out to those who are in lockdown, caring for them both physically and mentally.

Our good woman of the Bible is one of the heart-felt stories that we read about in Proverbs 31. She doesn't take ages to think about whether she will respond. She is quick to help anyone in need and is always reaching out to help those less fortunate than herself. What an example to follow!

This week we had two lovely friends just pop in to say hello. They reached out to us two oldies and blessed us with their company and conversation. It really shows me how much we need each other in difficult times.

   So here we are with Block 7 of the More Precious than Jewels Quilt. If you are a member of the Block of the Month group, your block has been sent out to you. Don't forget to check your spam/junk folder if you don't see it in your Inbox.

It's not too late to join. You can find all the details here.

Thank you to those who sent me kind wishes after I damaged my hand. Eventually, when I saw the doctor and she looked at my hand, it was off to have it X-rayed. However, there are no breaks and it is just soft tissue damage which will take six weeks to heal, which takes it to next Friday. It is definitely heaps better, still a bit swollen, but this last week I have finally been able to press the left shift key on the keyboard! I was doing some crochet before the accident, so I am hopeful of finally getting back to that soon. I discovered I hold the thread tight with the little finger on my left hand, so that's been in the 'on hold' basket. Thankfully, I have been able to manage a needle and thread and my little tablecloth is going ahead in leaps and bounds.

Happy stitching!

Val