Preparing for Christmas

My sister Libby doesn't read this blog.. This is lucky for me.. because I made this apron for her Christmas present.

The Swedish horse fabric is a fat quarter.

The waratah apron is for Libby's Swedish "host sister" who is over for an Australian Christmas... how fun!!

I enjoyed making the aprons, they were quick and really showcase a special fat quarter.

Uh-oh

Uh-oh, I can't finish one of my Christmas presents!!

I ran out of buttons! Doesn't this one look sad?

I am just so pleased with the way these thread-cutter pendants worked out. The colours haven't photographed very well. I tried with and without flash.

Do you remember the one I made for myself? It's this green one.

We are going to be the button-cutter club!! LOL!!!

Knitting is not quite quilting, is it?

What are these?

They are presents I already gave away!!

First I threaded the beads on the wire, then I knitted the bracelets.

I enjoyed playing with the colours and I really couldn't keep them all for myself.

Hang on, I don't think I kept any for myself! Ah well, I will have to make some more!!

Addicted to these things...

These are worse than chocolate!! Alright, not that bad - they are not fattening after all.

I made some more book covers for gifts. Four from the same fabric.

My DH looked at them and said "I didn't think this kind of fabric was your bag". I said that it would be hard to make a quilt out of, but it's good for these. Plus, I bought the fabric on sale a year ago and hadn't found anything else in particular to use it for. To this, he nodded agreeably.

I used different kinds of ric-rac. The pink ric-rac is pretty swish!

I know just who to give these to!!

Look at this stack! What was I thinking?? LOL!!

I already gave one of the oriental ones away!!!

What do you do with oven mitts?

How do you make these look good when you give them as gifts???

Put them with something else! LOL!!

If I just give oven mitts, the recipient might feel I only think of them as a cook!! If I only give bought goods the recipient might feel the gift is not very personal. So, I think I have it worked out!!

The night before

Well... the afternoon before really...

I took these photos yesterday afternoon before the quilting group Christmas doo.

Here is the Christmas Cookie bag with the gift I bought for my K.K. I chose Civil War Dressing Gown fabrics for Gill as she has just finished hand-quilting her Dear Jane. It took her 10 years to hand-piece and hand-quilt her masterpiece. So, I knew she would like these fabrics.

I've gone a bit crazy on the book covers.

I am loving the fabrics!!

I bought more ric-rac yesterday! LOL!!

Suffolk Puffs or Yo-Yos?

Whatever you like to call them (Suffolk Puffs or Yo-Yos), I have finished the Christmas Cookie bag. That's the only thing I finished off my weekend list!! ... the list I shared with my quilting diary anyway...

On the quilting side of things I dug out my box of "Oriental" fabrics. It's amazing what I had stuck in there. You know, not many of the fabrics actually go together. Some are like this:

and others are bright purple with Japanese ladies on them. I must have bought the bright ones cheap sometime and forgot about them!!!

Here's what I was doing with them:

Can you guess what it is?

I knew you would work it out!!

This is fun, I love small projects for fast finishes!!

I am having fun picking out co-ordinating fabrics!!

Christmas Cookie Bag

My local quilting group are making goody bags for our Kris Kringle exchange in December.

Two members are currently long-distance and need to see how to make the Christmas Cookie Bag, so I am going to show them here, but you could use the instructions too if you like it!!

First, cut out 2 circles (trace around bread and butter plates) of a foam placemat or template plastic or discarded x-ray film, and cut 4 circles of wadding the same size.

Sandwich each plastic circle between 2 pieces of wadding and glue in place. Then glue a small square of fabric into the centre as shown in the picture (you can fussy cut a nice picture if you like). The fabric will show in the yo-yo "hole". You only need to stick a picture on one side of each sandwich.

Next, cut 2 circles of fabric by tracing around dinner plates. Fold in a 1/4 inch seam allowance and using a hand-sewing needle and double thread use a gathering stich to make 2 really large yo-yos. As well as a knot use a back-stitch to anchor the beginning of the gathering. Before you gather the entire circle slip in one of the sandwiches so it is encased. I used stitches about 8mm long. If you use really small stitches the hole in the centre is really big.

Next, trace around a saucer to give 10 small circles of fabric to make the handle. The suffolk puffs (yo-yos) can be all one fabric, or 2 fabrics alternating etc. Make 10 suffolk puffs for the handle.

Slightly overlap the puffs and slip stitch together.

To make the gusset, cut a rectangle of plastic or placemat 13.5in x 2in. Cut 2 rectangles the same size of wadding and glue into a sandwich with the plastic in the middle.

Cut a rectangle of fabric 6in x 15in. Fold it around the plastic sandwich and glue to hold in place, then stitch securely.

Glove stitch (or not...you could use a whip-stitch) the gusset around one large suffolk puff, then attach the other side.
The handle is attached by sewing all the way around a puff to the gusset on each side.

I haven't made the gusset yet, so I can't tell you whether the assembly is easy or not. The puffs have been easy, but I spent nearly 2 hours on it at quilting last night, and it probably needs nearly another 2 hours.

It's not something you would want to make for every friend you have at 4 hours a pop. Still, they are so cute! I will post photos of all the different fabric choices later on.

Springing around

I have been working on my Spring rabbits quilt! Yay!

I am excited to be stitching after only 1 day out of the last 5 with any stitching!!

I finished piecing the 5 blocks.

I have pieced the base.

Now I am up to the applique.

I really am enjoying Spring, especially now a lot of Spring cleaning has been done. Of course there's still more to do. I must also Spring clean my stash by making some quilts!

Last night I had a dream that my penfriend in England (these were the days before email) sent me a photo of all the Christmas stitcheries and gifts I had made her over the last 16 years. They were put into a display with items she had made herself. Now, I don't know if I have ever made her a stitched Christmas gift. Hmmm... I think I will start with some of the oven mitts. And build up her collection over the next 16 years!!!