~ Greetings, Warm Welcome and a very hearty Merry Christmas ~
to all my fellow stitchers and friends!
I'm going to sum up the days of Christmas with few words and a whole lotta pictures
😊
The month started off slowly....
I was still finishing items that had Christmas deadlines in my business. Luckily the first week into December those were all done. I am supposed to be on "break" but...
nope, I'm still working. Not as harried, not as much, but still trying to get packages done and out of here. I'm going to not be finishing here the next few days just to enjoy my holiday.
I did....
what seems like to me lots of this, (working at the quilt shop) during this month:
I think I've worked something like 7 days. The owners like me, and they were feeling poorly a few days, so I came in to herd customers and help them out. Then I filled in for holiday parties they had to attend and another sick coworker....so 7 days is what I worked in December (so far) and yep, I paid them to work there 😂😂 (I bought lots of fabric)
I also did a couple of days of this:
Which resulted in about 12 boxes of cookies and candy all homemade about 12 different varieties...all boxed up in pretty boxes...I buy those hard sided holiday boxes that you can find at any box store: think Joann's, Michael's, Hobby Lobby when they go on after holiday clearance each year. They are cheap, and pretty and I just add a tag and there you go - pretty. I line them with tissue paper, fill 'em up with goodies and then my little helper (Katie) and I go drive all over town delivering them. We reward ourselves with a Cherry - Limeade from Sonic.
Then of course I did a whole lotta last minute this:
(because even though many people have the illusion that I'm all together...I'm really not all together and it seems every year I'm last minute on personal things, for people I care about)
NOTE: my sewing machine did NOT come with those dragonflies. They are "tattoos" that I got from Urban Elementz. You can purchase them:
HERE
This machine is the Juki TL-2010Q that my sweet husband purchased for me for Mother's Day. It is a straight stitch only machine. It stitches like a champ! It quilts like a work horse and runs like a champ! I love it!
The pattern of these quilted table runners I'm making is called:
Friendship Braid and it is a complimentary tutorial from Jordan Fabrics and may be viewed:
HERE
Thank you Jordan Fabrics for their most excellent tutorials and complimentary designs! I want to make sure to give credit when it is due....because I sure know how it feels when credit is NOT given on something I've worked hard on and shared FREELY or is used and credit is given to someone else. So THANK YOU JORDAN FABRICS!!!!
I purchased for myself some labels to label my sewn handmades. I designed and made some this year and printed them myself on fabric...they were good, but to be honest, I didn't have time to dilly dally around so I searched and found some I loved. You can purchase these (and many other styles - even have some designed just for you) on ETSY from
Border City Quilts.
I simply rolled the runners I made up and tied them with a piece of homespun, added a gift tag and
Bingo Bango ~ Gift. I made 6 of these table runners in different fabrics and am anxious for the recipients to receive them.
There was a whole lotta decorating (and cleaning) going on this month....
I know this is crazy (because hey! I'm crazy) but I sort of fall/spring clean my house before and after the holidays. Nothing like adding a little extra pressure to yourself, right?
I've always done this since I've been on my own. I always hate to think of putting up Christmas in the dirt. (that sounds exactly like something my Granny Weber would have said...ha ha!) Now was my house dirty? No, it wasn't, but I still like to wash all the windows and screens, wash the walls and floors and tidy it up because...well just because....but mainly because when I sit down after it is all done............. THIS:
ahhhhhhh.....
Here is some more shots of our home at Christmas....
Santa and Ms. Claus....I bought these and painted them a couple of years ago, because of memories of my Granny and Pap's Christmas home. Her's were larger than these, and painted better than these, but I loved those things as a little girl and I wanted them when she passed away, but my brother inherited them, so I made my own. These mean a lot to me. My granny was all about Christmas and she always made it so special...
This is also my Granny's 1950's table cloth...
This year I added this trencher with birch bark candles. I'll remove the ornaments add little mittens and Bingo Bango ~ winter decor.
Chatty (the gray) and Red (obvious)....
loves their Mama and Christmas time 😂
Chatty also likes his big, fluffy pillow by the tree...
and Red perches on the back of the chair on a quilt he's made his own...
While the little stinker (a.k.a. Augie)...tries to climb my tree...all. season. long. 😑
Since most of you want to see needlework...
I took a load of photos of my ornaments. I never get an accurate count of how many I have, because I talk a lot, I'm in perimenopause, my brain doesn't function well with numbers most days and frankly I'm usually drinking when I decorate 😂😂 you know...tis the season of RumChata and coffee, Peppermint Schnapps and hot cocoa.... but I think I have around 300 cross stitched and upwards of 200 handmade by members of my family and myself (sewn, painted, created...) so around 500 total...somewhere around that mark.
Like pages of a scrapbook....my ornaments tell the story of my life.
I also gifted some ornaments this year:
Let me tell you...if I could stitch up a whole slew of ornaments....I'd sure send them out to each one of you as a gift for being my friend. Alas...I don't have enough time...I didn't even get to stitch my kids their annual Christmas ornament this year. 😓😓 But I'm going to try to start them and get them done before 2019 arrives 😅😂
I think that wraps my Christmas posts up with a bow....
You know what I've done, you know where I've been, I've shared my heart, my life, my home with you....
The last thing I have to share is this:
I try, every day to be the best me I can be. I always try, however not always is this achieved. My prayer for us all this night, as I join two other choral members to sing the soprano part at our evening mass to celebrate the birth of my savior...that peace and good will reigns in my heart primarily...but in the hearts of all. Life is fleeting, it is fragile, I was reminded of this fact two times this fall...2019 could find me facing some hurdles of my own. God willing it will be ones I can jump or knock over easily and keep on running....but no matter what, I hope peace reigns forever in my heart and what He came to earth to proclaim: LOVE will win the day and rule all of hearts and lives.
May you use all the talents you have been blessed with....
and share them willingly, abundantly and freely with all.
2018 saw me marking something off my bucket list....becoming a quilter....it was one of the best things I have ever done for me. It nurtures my desire to create and it pushes me on my abilities and skills that are God given. This darling quilt is called "Peppermint Pinwheels" and it is a complimentary pattern designed by Kathleen Tracy and may be found:
HERE
THANK YOU KATHLEEN for giving of your talent freely and abundantly!
I hope the jolly elf....
brings you all your heart desires. He works so hard, he'll soon be napping.
and I wish you all a very warm and wonderful.....
("Bringing Home the Tree" by Pineberry Lane)
(Topper Star....courteous of Miss Ellie Pfeiffer - made when she was in Kindergarten. I found it appropriate to use it on my little country farmhouse tree this year. And it. was. perfect.)
Love and hugs in stitches!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Vonna xxxx
