March 22, 2020

A free pattern to encourage you

It's amazing how quickly our lives can change - all the result of a microscopic virus! In Australia, we must practise social distancing, allow 2 sq metres each if we are holding a function in a room, watch football matches without any fans in the grandstands, function as a church without meeting together, and hope in vain that there will be toilet paper at the supermarket!

Hubby and I read a short devotional message each night before we go to bed. It is always based on a Bible verse and a couple of night's ago, Psalm 121:8 was the chosen passage:

"The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from now and for evermore."

Hubby and I are in the "vulnerable" group, so we are being extra careful and staying home unless it is absolutely essential. Supermarkets have had to cease their delivery service because they have been unable to fill orders with all the panic buying. This means that we have to "GO OUT" to get essential food items and "GOING OUT" is when we are most at risk! We don't want to "COME IN" with the virus in tow! You can imagine what a blessing Psalm 121:8 was to me when we read it last week. It was as if  God had this special promise just for me. I was so excited about it, I had to make it into a stitchery. 

Now, I have never done this before, but I am going to give you the pattern BEFORE I have even started stitching it myself. As Secretary of our Church I have been super busy with emails backwards and forwards each time the Government adds a new regulation, plus attended an emergency Board meeting yesterday, so haven't even traced the pattern onto fabric yet! So that will allow you to be creative and stitch the pattern however you like. 


I've hardly even thought of how I will use the pattern, whether put it in a frame, or make a sewing folder or ??? The only thing I know is that I plan to applique the butterflies. 

Please send me photos when you complete it, as I would love to share in your creativity!

I decided to make myself a new tissue box cover for our kitchen/dining area. I didn't take a 'Before' photo because the old one was in a terrible state. I should have thrown it out ages ago and just used the tissue box itself.  As we have my "Fruit Salad" quilt in view of the dining area, I decided to use appliques from that on my new tissue box cover.


It was easy to adjust the size to suit.


I pulled apart an empty tissue box and used that as the template for the new cover.


I normally would use the sewing machine to do all the blanket-stitching, but I love hand-stitching so used that on all the appliques.


I finished off the appliques with my usual practice of outlining the blanket-stitching with a darker colour in backstitch.


Don't look too closely at my wobbly stitches - black is a terrible colour to work on at night and my eyes aren't getting any younger!!


I am very happy with the finished product and it makes a statement on my newly resurfaced bench top!


Isolation and lockdown doesn't seem too bad when I look at the list of stitching projects I would like to do. Maybe we will all actually complete a few over the next few months, thanks to one little virus!

Happy stitching!
Val

2 comments:

Nanna Chel said...

Val, I didn't realise home deliveries of groceries had been stopped. That creates lots of problems for older people. I am in my seventies and am currently having to drive my 83 year old sister to doctor's appointments etc. as she can't drive at the moment and thought that if I got sick I could order groceries online for her. Hopefully the supermarkets will be able to work something out soon as that service is really an essential one. Love the scripture you wrote about too. We all need to keep our eyes on the Lord at this time and not on the virus :-)

Susan said...

Thank you. This is very appropriate at this time.