July 11, 2021

Two loves - Umbrellas and Sewing Machines

I have always LOVED umbrellas. As a child, I dreamed of the day when I would have my own pretty one and not have to wear a dull not-very-flattering raincoat. My mother, on the other hand, thought they were such a nuisance, a hindrance and quite possibly a dangerous weapon! Her feelings didn’t pass down to me and I was so excited when I was given my first ever real umbrella. 

I still like them - I've even been known to walk down to the shop in the bright sunshine and heat, with no rain about, parading my pretty parasol!  (Well, one has to be sun-safe in the sub-tropics, and why not, when you have such a pretty one as this!)

So now you know why there is an umbrella to appliqué and embroider in one of the July hexagons in the Gentle Gems 2021 Hexies of the Month Programme..



And just to show you how much I love umbrellas, here is my Showers of Blessing Quilt with nine cute umbrellas to applique and embroider. You can purchase the pattern here.


Another of my love-affairs is my sewing machine. One of the first items for which I saved after we were married was my own machine. Mum lived too far away for me to hop over and use hers. As soon as we were expecting our first child, the mother-to-be syndrome kicked in and I couldn't stop sewing - anything and everything was made for the new baby. That machine lasted me 35 years till I finally upgraded when I began quilting!


Fond memories of my first machine feature in our second July hexagon. There are a few different stitches to enjoy - backstitch, French Knot, satin stitch, lazy daisy and my favourite bullions which I've used for the lavender.
The patterns for these two Gentle Gems Hexies have been sent to all who have joined the 2021 Hexies of the Month programme. It’s not too late to join and it’s very reasonably priced, so hop over here for all the details.

Covid lifted its ugly head again in our State recently so we had a snap 3-day lockdown, which was quite manageable. What has been difficult is the fact that aged care facilities have been put into lockdown for two weeks! That means I am not allowed to go and spend time with hubby! Needless to say, that is hard, but it is an opportunity to grow in my trust of the Lord and to give all my worries to Him, knowing that He cares for hubby more than I or anyone else could ever care. (1 Peter 5:7)

It's been too cold, windy, and wet to spend time in the garden to use up my spare time, but there is always STITCHING!!!

Warm regards
Val


4 comments:

Carla Fiedler said...

Lovely designs! Best wishes and lots of prayers for your husband so that he stays well during the lockdown. Take of yourself, too!

Susan said...

Both designs are great! I have to go find the e-mail that has the link so I'm sure to get these two. Thank you for the post to remind me to look for it.

Jocelyn is Canadian Needle Nana said...

Love umbrellas too. What a wonderful job you did of them.

Christine M said...

Your umbrellas are lovely Val.