Lyn Briggs Designs

Ready for Spring - finished

For the last week I've been busy finishing my Ready for Spring project bag and matching pouch.

With the front finished, it was time to work on the back and I started with the back pocket. I stitched a design to match the stitchery on the front and followed the same process of appliqueing it to wool felt and then blanket-stitch appliqueing it to the pocket.

With both the back and front finished, the zipper was added as well as a handle on the side. The bottom of the bag was boxed, creating a base for the bag to stand on.

The front of the bag:

and the back.

Notions pouch:

Not only do I love pockets on my project bags, but I always appreciate a pouch of some sort to hold threads or notions.  Sometimes I make small zipper pouches but this time I decided on a pouch with a flap and button closure. I have made them in a few of my patterns before including Handy Pouches, and Every Morning.

For this pouch, I stitched a design on the flap to match the main stitchery on the front of the bag and added some wool felt on the pouch lining to keep my needles safe.

My pouch fits perfectly in my bag.

The pattern to make the Ready for Spring project bag and pouch is available on Etsy.

Hope you enjoy making it as much as I did.

Until next time

Lyn

 

Ready for Spring - in progress

For the last week I’ve been happily stitching on my new design Ready for Spring in between my Grandma commitments which can be all-consuming (I’m not complaining).

To piece the front of the bag, I took my inspiration from the Slow Stitching project and had fun working-out which fabrics to use and how to organise them.

I finished up with a pieced panel on which to display the stitchery.

Then I added borders top and bottom and this is how it finished up.

The stitchery?  Well, when it was finished, I appliqued it to some wool felt which was then blanket-stitch appliqued onto the front panel.  (This was inspired by the Pretty Project bag where the stitchery is also appliqued onto wool felt).

I also planned to add a pocket on the back because you know how I love pockets on my bags?? That will also need a stitchery and of course I need some sort of notions pouch which will also need a stitchery.

So, I got busy and stitched away and now I’m ready to put it altogether.

Search my heart….

This morning in my devotional, I read a verse from one of my favourite psalms:

"Search me God, and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts."                (Psalm 139:23)

 As the devotional pointed out, sometimes when we are anxious or hurt we try to hide our feelings or deny them and hope they will go away on their own, but they don’t. They just simmer away and can impact our choices or how we treat others or even our relationship with God. But other verses in that same psalm, tell us that God knows everything about us; He even knows what we are going to say before we say it. We can’t hide from God and He doesn’t want us to hide our hurts, anxieties, fears; He wants us to bring them to Him and allow His love and grace to overwhelm us and in the process set us free.

So, this morning I prayed that verse and asked Him to search my heart, because I want Him to lovingly show me those things that are hidden deep inside and bring them out into the open where we can deal with them together.

Until next time

Lyn

Jane's Mitts

The Jane’s Mitts from Bakery Bears Summer of Stitching are finished.  I had both mitts up to the same point when the final part of the instructions was released and was able to finish them at the same time. The last part of the instructions was to finish the thumb gusset; there are a couple of decrease rows before the ribbing which gives the gusset some shaping – something a bit different. I have to admit that it was a bit ‘fiddly’ but worth the effort.

The mitts were a nice project; made easy because of Kay’s clear video instructions. The yarn was a good choice because it is very soft, making the mitts cosy and warm. The weather here is starting to warm up so unless we have another cold spell, the mitts will be put away until next Winter.

I’ve participated in the Bakery Bears Summer of Stitching a few times now and have enjoyed each one. I’ve learned new techniques which have increased my knitting skill and confidence. I’m now looking forward to the Advent KAL in December.

Thanks Bakery Bears.

A New Season...

Can you believe that we have reached the end of August already? For us, that means that Spring is finally here.  Even now, our morning temperatures are in the positive (no more minus) and daffodils are popping up in the garden.

In the same way that we experience seasons in the natural world, there are seasons in our lives too. Some are good, and some definitely not so good but like the natural seasons, they come to an end and God does a new thing in our lives. 

Instead of looking ahead expecting nothing will change, I encourage you today to look to the change of season in the natural world to signify a change of season in your life as well. God is the God of new beginnings, and He will not leave you where you are, but is continually changing you into His image and working in all things for your good. 

This last season has been a tough one for me, but I'm lifting my faith today and putting my hope in the Lord Jesus Christ who died to give me a new life in Him and believing that there's a new season ahead for me.  He's doing a new thing in my life and it's going to be good.

See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness

and streams in the wasteland.  (Isaiah 43:19)

Until next time

Lyn

Ready for Spring

The weather is starting to warm up here and some new buds are even starting to appear giving us hope that Spring isn’t far away.

The pending change in Season gave me some enthusiasm to start a new project.  I purchased this pretty bundle of fabrics in Spotlight, and it’s been sitting a shelf waiting for its moment to shine. Well today’s the day.

I really enjoyed making the Slow Stitching Pouches and want to make another scrappy bag or two in a similar style using up lots of smaller pieces of fabric. 

Of course, there will be a stitchery involved and for this bag I’m stitching a jug of flowers in bloom. Because it inspired the new bag, I'm using my Slow Stitching pouch to keep all my bits and pieces together.

Because of the Spring theme, I’m calling my bag, Ready for Spring.

Winning the Race…

I have to admit that I didn’t see much of the recent Olympic Games simply because of the time difference with most of the finals being, for us, in the middle of the night. But I did enjoy watching the highlights and celebrated when Aussie athletes competed. I marvel at the effort displayed by each competitor whether they won or not.  Each person competed with every ounce of energy they possessed down to the last second as they crossed the finish line. I can’t begin to imagine the training and commitment it must have taken for each person to even compete at an Olympic Games, let alone win a medal. I’m in awe of every one of them.

The Bible encourages us to use that same commitment in the Spiritual race that we as believers are participating in.

“Do you not know that in a race, all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” (1Cor 9:24)

We need to run our race like we want to win; putting everything into it just like the Olympic athletes do, not just competing but wanting to win, like you don’t want to miss out on winning the prize.

There are times when I feel like I lag behind, just walking, or even crawling, barely keeping in the race. But God keeps me in the race, and to help me keep going the Bible says (Hebrews 11) that all of heaven, including all that Saints that have gone before us, are cheering us on.

If today, you feel like giving up, imagine, that you are in an Olympic Stadium with a huge crowd cheering and urging you to finish the race that God has marked out for you. Look ahead towards the prize that He has prepared for you and start running with all your strength.

Until next time

Lyn

Not a Granny Blanket - still in progress

I’m sure you’ve been wondering what’s happened to my Not a Granny Blanket crochet project?  You may even think it’s finished and it’s keeping me warm in the evenings? No, I’m sorry to say, that it’s still sitting in my Summer project bag, getting very little attention. I don’t like to have a lot of projects on-the-go at once; I really am a person who likes to finish things but some things are harder to finish than others and it seems that this particular blanket falls into that category.

The project bag and yarn associated with the blanket sit in a cupboard and every time I open the door I see it and remind myself that it needs to be worked on but as soon as I close the door it disappears from my mind.

In the past week I made a decision to make an effort to get it finished, so every evening I’ve been working at least one row and when I measured it this morning, found that I’m only about four rows short of the centre at which point I can start decreasing.

It’s given me a new-found enthusiasm and to motivate me further I’ve decided to call it my Weekend Blanket. 

Several years ago, I would designate a crochet blanket as a Weekend Blanket because I only worked on it on weekends. All my other projects were set aside and my crochet bag would come out on Friday evenings and be put away on Sunday evenings. That process helped me finish a few blankets and with that in mind I’m hoping that it will help me finish my Not a Granny Blanket too. I’m even taking it to Knitting Group today and hopefully get a few rows finished today.

Wish me luck!

 A Good Read…

On one of her podcasts, Summer Lee (who is an avid reader) recommended the book The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson. I was looking for a book to read at the time so decided to give it a try and I’m glad I did.

It’s a nice easy read that kept me interested from the very beginning. It’s set in England after World War 1 in a time when traditional values more being challenged in the aftermath of the war when so many young men were killed or injured, and women were beginning to want more from than lives. The novel captures the hypocrisy of some of the traditional society values and the struggle that young women in particular had in trying to forge a life of independence.

Parts of the story are sad and others humorous and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Thanks Summer Lee!

Until next time

Lyn

Jane Austen Mitts

As predicted, once I started knitting the Jane Austen mitts, I caught up with the rest of the group. Progress was helped by the fact that the pattern uses DK weight yarn, much quicker to knit than 4ply.

The first mitt is finished up to the last video instructions which are due to be released this week.  It will include instructions for finishing the thumb gusset.

Because I was finished ‘early’ I decided to start on the second mitt and hopefully have it up to the last stage as well so I can finish both mitts together.

The yarn is so soft; my mitts are going to be nice and cosy.

Good Reads...

TV doesn't seem to have a lot to offer lately and in the evenings I tend to curl up fairly early with a book. Fortunately, I've found a few good ones to keep my occupied.

One of my favourite authors, Margaret Hickey has recently released her latest book, The Creeper, set in the high country in Victoria. It introduces a new detective, Sally White who starts to re-investigate an old murder case when five hikers were killed on a popular hiking trail. The anniversary of the murders is approaching and a documentary is planned by one of the survivors. Her investigation uncovers some evidence that raises doubts about the original conviction of a local man. The story is compelling and I found it hard to put down once I started to read it. I won't spoil the story but just say that it's not who you think it is. Recommend it.

I'm also continuing to read the Detective Lorimer series by Alex Gray and am up to book twelve. Each of the cases is different but the main characters are the same. I always fall back onto one of these books when I can't find anything else to read. Will be disappointed when I finally reach the end of the series.

Music to bless...

I'll leave you with another beautiful song from Elevation Worship, When Wind Meets Fire. Great Is, celebrates the goodness of God and how He always finds a way when we think there is no way through, and even when you are going through a tough time, He is always working out all things for your good. He is always loving, kind, and faithful. 

"When I look back over my life and I think how good you have been, my soul sings great is, great is Your Faithfulness."

Thank You Lord.

Until next time

Lyn

Lasse Cardigan

The Lasse Cardigan for Bella is finished. The knitting part was actually finished a couple of weeks ago, but I was a bit slow in blocking it and adding the buttons.

I think my tardiness was due to what I think will be a less than enthusiastic response to the cardigan. 

You see, when I purchased the yarn last year, Bella’s favourite colours were blue and purple so I purchased, what I thought would be perfect, yarn that included both colours. Sound good? Well, unfortunately, Bella has changed her colour tastes and now likes pink and purple and doesn’t like blue at all. Remember Anna’s Summer Cardigan? She doesn’t like to wear than anymore because it is blue.

That’s why I’m not sure if she will like the Lasse Cardigan or not. Fortunately, it’s a generous size and I’m hoping that even if she doesn’t like it now, next year her tastes may have changed, and blue will be back in favour.

Apart from that, I’m happy with the finished garment. The pattern is easy to follow, and the yarn was beautiful to work with. I purchased two, 200g balls and used one and a bit.  I will have to find another pattern for it - it really is nice.

He hears your voice...

Whenever I'm with my grandchildren, as soon as I hear them say 'Grandma', I stop what I'm doing and turn towards them, giving them my full attention.

That's how God responds to us when we speak to Him.

"but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer." (Psalm 66:19)

He hears every word we say especially the words we speak to Him. He hears our thanks, our praise, our confessions and our cries for help. He hears and He responds.

"Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love for me." (Psalm 66:20)

Until next time

Lyn

Jane Austen Bag

Once I had finished the applique panels for my Jane Austen bag, Kay’s clear instructions made the job of finishing it easy resulting in a beautiful bag (I’m biased).

This is the front

and the back is the same but different.

The bag is just the right size for smaller projects like socks, small shawls, and of course mitts. Continuing with the Jane Austen theme, the drawstrings are lace. Don’t they look great?

It has a large boxed bottom which means that the bag stands up really well to form a ‘bucket’ making it perfect to hold the yarn when knitting.

Speaking of yarn. Now that the bag is finished I’m ready to start knitting the mitts. The pattern calls for DK weight yarn and I’m planning to use these two skeins from Bellevue Park purchased at the special Wool Market at Bus Depot Markets in Canberra in April. They are both hand-dyed 100% super fine merino wool.

They have been wound into two cakes and have been placed inside my Jane Austen bag together with the needles and pattern ready for me to get started.

PS I’m still behind but now the knitting has started hope to catch up.

Until next time

Lyn

Slow Stitching - extras

You may recall that the second pouch in the Slow Stitching design had a zipper but no zipper pull.

I pondered what to do for a few days and then came across a couple of yo-yos I had made to embellish the first pouch (the one with a flap) but changed my mind (happens often).  Anyway, I decided that they would be perfect.  I attached a twisted cord secured by buttons to each yo-yo and then thread it through the zip.

I am thrilled with the result and think it fits well with the scrappy theme of the pouch.

I was on a bit of a roll and after looking through the fabric remaining from making the pouches, I decided that my pouch needed a notions pouch. Fortunately, I had a zip in my stash and the pouch was made very quickly.

See that pink patch on the front? Well, that’s a small pocket (you know how much I love pockets on my bags) where I can keep my row-counter for knitting and my thimble or threads for sewing.

Now I feel that my pouch is complete and ready for use.

By the way, the fabric used for the Slow Stitching pouches was some fat quarters of a Natalie Bird range purchased some time ago at a craft fair. From the fabric, I made two cushions, the Slow Stitching pouches and the notions pouch with only small scraps remaining. I’m really pleased with that.

Come as you are…

Still reading through Glory Days by Max Lucado…

If you’ve ever felt that you are not good enough to be loved by God or that His Grace is okay for everyone else because you’ve been so ‘bad’ that it can’t possibly extend to you, I encourage you to read the story of Rahab (Joshua 2). 

 Joshua sent two spies into Jericho to see what they were up against. The king of Jericho heard that they were in town and sent out a search party for them. The spies were hidden by a prostitute named Rahab.

She told them that everyone heard how God had lead the Israelites out of Egypt and destroyed all their enemies and “…our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.” (Joshua 2:11)

When the walls of Jericho fell, she and her family were saved.

The Bible doesn’t gloss over the fact that she was a prostitute, because all God was concerned about was that she had a heart towards Him and He answered her plea by saving her. That’s Grace. Because of God’s Grace her past became just that – in the past – and she started a new life living with the Israelites.

He offers the same Grace to each one of us. You don’t have to be ‘good’ for God to love you (we could never be that good), you just have to believe in Him and receive the new life He is offering you.

By the way, Rahab married an Israelite and gave birth to a son named Boaz who became the father of Obed, who became the father of Jesse, the father of King David. Her name is listed in the genealogy of Jesus. How amazing is Grace?

Until next time

Lyn

Summer of Stitching

For the last couple of years (during the northern Summer), the Bakery Bears have hosted the Summer of Stitching of which I’ve been a part of. Last year the theme was the beach and for the first part, we stitched a cross-stitch design which was then added to a project bag. Kay designed both the cross-stitch and the bag and gave detailed instructions of how to make them.  For Part 2, we knit a pair of socks, the Beachcomber socks, again designed by Kay.

This year the theme is Jane Austen, and the first part is a drawstring project bag, and the second  part is a pair of fingerless mitts.

I’m a bit behind schedule because for most people the bag is already finished waiting to house the fingerless mitts project which starts very soon.

But, better late than never. My bag is at least in progress!

The sample made by Kay is in browns and muted florals, reminiscent of the Jane Austen era but I’m doing my own thing and using blue as my main colour. I’m also using fabrics from my stash to make it the way I like it – scrappy.

The bag has an applique panel of diamond shapes on both the front and back and once again I’m doing my own thing and instead of raw edge applique that Kay used, I’m planning to blanket-stitch applique my diamonds in place.

It was fun preparing the diamonds and I’m now ready to start stitching.

Until next time

Lyn