Goodbye 2014- Hello 2015

2014 is slowly ebbing away today and I managed to have one last finish for the year.  My plans for December were pretty lofty.

1.  I need to square up my Farmer's Wife blocks which are finished.  I would at least like to get that finished this month, and possibly start to put the lattice around it.  I also need to decide on the setting squares.

Didn't touch one of them.  I do have the fabric for the lattices though.  Still cannot decide regarding the side setting squares though. 

2.  Aurifil Block of the Month it was posted on Sunday night.  The block for December was designed by Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Company.

I haven't finished it either.  I do have the pattern all printed. 

3.  Finish binding my Lazy Sunday Mystery Quilt.  There is even a label on it!  All washed and in its crinkly goodness. 

4.  I have a few more of these to make.

!

I stitched 8 of these tea towels.  This is the last one and it is mine. 

5.  And these

I made 13 chap stick holders for stocking stuffers.  I need to make one more.

6.  Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt Along.  I have step one completed.  I am only a few steps behind....4 right now.   I did prep my EZ Angle ruler so that I can work on step 2. 

7.  Yellow Brick Road I would love to finish up the blocks for this quilt this month.

There are 3 different blocks for this quilt.  I have one set completed,but that is about as far as I got. 

8.  I have lots of quilting to do.  After cleaning up I never got my quilt back out to quilt. 

9. My quilt group BOM.  I am about 8 blocks behind now!   I think that I am even further behind than 8 but I have had my focus elsewhere. 

 10.  Drunkards Path quilt

 I have some more blocks put together and a bunch of pieces sewn.  Again I had to kind of put a lot of stuff up for the holidays. 

11.  Words of Wisdom Red Work.  I stalled on N. 
I actually picked it up and started stitching again on it after I finished everything else.

12.  I am hoping to get some more pillow cases completed for gifts for Christmas.

10 completed and delivered.

 Extras---

I made 16 of these guys total for stocking stuffers. 

I made 8 of these travel size tissue holders.  I need to make one more of these too.

Add on top of that working, family cookie day, shopping, wrapping, shipping and Christmas I think that overall I had a pretty productive month. 

We Support You Blog Hop

Breast Cancer has touched all of our lives in one way or another, and while I don't currently know of anyone with breast cancer or being treated for breast cancer,  when Madame Samm announced the We Support You Blog Hop, I knew I wanted to participate.

 

Come back and see what lovely projects that will be created to support our loved ones- family, friends, acquaintances January 29, 2015 through February 11, 2015. 

A Little Christmas This and That

Hello sweetie!  How was your holiday?  Did you know that the BBC America channel had a 5 day Dr. Who marathon?  I watched almost every one of them.  I only took a few hours when I didn't watch, like when the family was here for Christmas dinner.  Otherwise I will admit I watched many of them.  The ones I did not watch I recorded on the DVR.  I am officially hooked! 

This is the only place in the house we decorated since we have little hands.  There are very few ornaments on the tree and the ones which are on it, the ones which were low were plastic so they were unbreakable.  Maybe next year the little hands will be better behaved and we can bring out more of the breakables. 
Anyway Christmas was nice.  DH and I do not buy gifts for each other, we just kind of buy what we want for ourselves.  He did surprise me with a new car stereo since we traded in our lease early and DH is driving my old Blazer which is 12 years old, and I started driving his GMC Jimmy vintage 1988, which is older than the youngest daughter!  It is nice not having all of the car payments and insurance payments which are outrageous!  But I had no music, and I love my music--even if I only drive 6 miles to work and home each way.  I also got a Kindle Fire because the regular Kindles no longer do a text to speech, and my Kindle which is about 7 years old was starting to have glitches. 

I also got this cool tape measure which is pink as a stocking stuffer.  My very own tape measure, no more looking for one of DH, and it being dirty, muddy and icky!

My sister sent me this very cool bird house.

I think it will go on a shelf in the sun room.  I also got some other cool gifts from our family. 

While watching the Doctor, I worked on step 1 of the Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt.  280 HST to trim up!  But also I discovered that I did not have a lot of aqua colored fabric, and I really did not want to use turquoise after getting about 50 done so of course I had to go shopping.

I also decided that I wanted to have a constant and not be quite so scrappy.  I also picked up some fun pink fat quarters to use, and of course Christmas fabric was on sale so I had to purchase some of that too. 

I cut out the yellow 2 1/2 inch squares for step 1.

I also got all of the 2 1/2 inch HST cut and sewn and am working on trimming them up to 2 1/2 inches.  Ugh!  that takes forever, but I am getting there. 

150 all trimmed up.  130 more to go.  Then to make the broken dish units.  The house is all cleaned up, the decorations taken down, and put away.  A couple errands tomorrow and I can sew to my heart's content. 

Christmas Wishes

May you have a Merry Christmas full of love, and family!

Keeping Focus

Monday and it is only three more days until Christmas.  We made it to the post office, and I had some free time today to do what I wanted. 

I worked on folding fabrics to put away.

I cut up scraps into the scrap system.  I actually got quite a bit cut up and put away which was nice.  It barely put a dent into my boxes of scraps on the floor though, which had exploded while I was making Christmas gifts.   Every time I go into the attic to look for something I find a box of scraps. 

I did work on the Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt, part 1.  After all day long, I had managed to accomplish only 80 HST which are all trimmed at least!  Obviously I need to keep my focus better to get more accomplished. 

I still have 200 more of these babies to go!  Then I can start to work on the broken dishes blocks. 

This to This!

I am finally on Christmas vacation.  That nagging feeling that I have had of not getting everything done that I needed to--kind of disappeared after chatting with my mom.  She is still recovering from her broken leg so has to depend on a lot of other people for her shopping, cooking, cleaning and everything else. 

My gifts will be partially wrapped and in the mail on Monday, maybe they will make it, more than likely they will not.  I had some things shipped directly to my mom's house and she has been wrapping those gifts for me.  The same goes for her gifts they will probably arrive after the holiday, and I will need to wrap some of those gifts.

Remember this pile of fabric I posted not too long ago?

Well that pile went from this......

To this!  Ten Magic pillowcases.  One for almost every grandchild.  

I started working on wrapping, but decided that it would help if I could get the stocking stuffers out of the way.  I knew I had  one stocking to make for Finn, there are just inexpensive stockings that I put their name on.

You can see the names are just machine sewn onto the cuffs.  I had one for every family member, but several stockings have managed to disappear from the box where all of the rest were put away.  DH and I spent several hours going through all the boxes of Christmas decorations, boxes in the sitting room, our closets, and dressers to no avail on Saturday.  Now there are certain things that I am a fanatic about.  One is Christmas decorations.  They all get put away soon after Christmas into the same place.  That way there is no hunting going on through the whole house. So the fact that there are stocking missing means that someone took theirs home instead of leaving them after last years small celebration.   

Someday I will make them all nice quilted ones like these.  DH asked how many years we have to be married before he will get a stocking too!  I told him when he allowed me to have better light in the family room to stitch by.  Let's just say by the time the afternoon was over the Ott lite has taken up residence in the living room so that I may stitch more easily. 

I do not put these up because I do not have one for every family member made.  Maybe some year I will get them all done. 

I thought I would share a bit of the goodies that I purchased recently.

 I just loved this Chalkboard Christmas it is a half yard bundle and is by Melissa Ybarra of Iza Peal Design for Windham Fabrics. I purchased it from Fat Quarter Shop a couple of months ago.  No I have not made anything from it as of yet. 

I found a fat quarter set of Riley Blake's Home for the Holidays in greens at Shabby Fabrics, but I wanted some yardage of the other colors too,which I purchased at Fat Quarter Shop.  I think those reindeer are just too cute for words!

 The Thrifty Needle was having a sale on Moda Grunge recently so I stocked up on some 1-2 yard cuts. I love to use it as  for blenders. 

Finally while I was working on tissue holders I had some owl fabric which was from a scrap box/bag I won.  I had enough to make a chap stick holder, but not enough to make a matching travel tissue cover.  So I wandered to my LQS.  What to my wandering eye should appear, but owl fabric, a gorgeous aqua/turquoise blue Moda Grunge(Oh they have a lovely stock of grunge!), Kaffe Fasset shot cotton which has a lovely fingering but I am not too sure if the color depth is the same as other shot cottons which I have been wanting to purchased.  Finallly I had to have this the moment I saw it Tula Pink's Moon Shine Deer Me fabric.  I could not resist those gorgeous deer with the happy yellow, and the daisies dancing all around.  What will I make with it?  Don't have a clue but I loved the fabric. 

I still have some more of these to make.

They make up quick and easy!  And I have a stocking to deconstruct.  I cross stitched this for someone years ago, I won't reuse it as a stocking even though it is very cute.  But the snowman can be repurposed to make a pillow I think.  We will see how well deconstruction goes. 

Nothing like a lazy Sunday to do some slow stitching and a few finishes. 

Everything is coming along even though there have a few kinks in my road. 

Holiday Rush

December is always busy, but this year seems to be a bit more so.  It could be because I am working more than I have in the past couple of years, it could be because DH had quite the bug, to the point where he actually stayed home from work.  Of course I got some sort of bug, just not as bad, which kind of threw a slight hitch in my plans.  Hey I mean you can only ride around in a metal tube with 100 + disease infested vermin of the little darlings without catching something. 

But to go over 2 weeks without posting?  I started one, and never finished it. **Note to self during my 2 weeks off I need to get  some posts done.   Here is a little glimpse of what I have been doing.

I have made a 13 chap stick holders, and 7 matching tissue holders.
Almost all of these are made from my scrap bin!  I have 2 more sets to make to be completely finished with these. Oh boy my room looks like a tornado hit between digging for scraps big enough to make the pattern, and house cleaning for family cookie day. 

I have made 3 hand towels, and am close to finishing up one more.  I love the little motif that I chose, because I can actually stitch these in about 3 hours.  I have a couple more of these to do also. 

This pile of fabrics has turned into 9 magic pillow cases. I have 6 of them completed, and 3 more all cut and ready to sew. 

I also made some of these super cute snowmen using candy bars, gloves, and DH's old discarded shirts.  They will make a fun yummy stocking stuffer for all the kids.  I need to make 6 more for the kids here, the above ones are going on a trip to Oregon.  I saw the idea while cruising through Pinterest, but cannot seem to locate the initial designer. 

In all of that we had a thorough housecleaning for 2 days to get ready for this.

Family cookie day.  The cookie is a rolled sourdough type of cookie, which is then frosted.  The kids are in charge of the sprinkles, which I am sure you can see is probably not a great idea looking at some of the cookies, but that is what makes it family cookie day.  Imagine a dining room table which seats 10-12 completely covered a couple of layers deep with cookies, and another table where people are frosting and sprinkling.  Everyone goes home with part of the cookies, and cookies are given to the Ancient ones, and DH grandmother and  aunt, as well as DH co-workers.

Our middle minion celebrated his 6th birthday, and he made Batman cookies for all of his friends.  (I wasn't fast enough to get a picture of those) 

I had to use an old picture.  He has not been feeling well and was diagnosed with scarlet fever.  He is on a regime of antibiotics and a creme mixture of Eucerin and cortisone.  He can go to school, but he is a big huge red itchy, sore blob, and his skin is continuously peeling off of his feet, hands, and face. 

Oh we also managed to get our tree up and decorated, and all the Christmas shopping completed.  So I am sure you can understand me being missing in action. How are your holidays shaping up? 

December Goals

December is such a busy month, but for me I will have a couple of weeks off too.  We have family cookie day, Gabe's 6th birthday, and Christmas.

1.  I need to square up my Farmer's Wife blocks which are finished.  I would at least like to get that finished this month, and possibly start to put the lattice around it.  I also need to decide on the setting squares. 

2.  Aurifil Block of the Month it was posted on Sunday night.  The block was designed by Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Company.  You can check it out here.

3.  Finish binding my Lazy Sunday Mystery Quilt.

4.  I have a few more of these to make.

5.  And these

6.  Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt Along

7.  Yellow Brick Road I would love to finish up the blocks for this quilt this month. 

8.  I have lots of quilting to do.

9. My quilt group BOM.  I am about 8 blocks behind now! 

10.  Drunkards Path quilt

11.  Words of Wisdom Red Work.  I kind of stalled on N lately.

12.  I am hoping to get some more pillow cases completed for gifts for Christmas.

I may also have some other gifts stuffed up my sleeve.  We will see how well I do.