Some More December Finishes & Some Lovely Ornaments

I finished (barely in time) some stockings I have been working on for literally years. I started them about 15 years ago, then shelved them for several years while I learned to quilt. In the last few years, I have been determined to finish a stocking for each family member. Two of the stockings, for my son Matt and his wife Joanne, were completed a few years ago and I don't seem to have any pictures. That is one good thing about blogging, it forces you to document items as you finish them. Since then I have been completing the cross stitch, but not assembling the stockings. Three days before Christmas I decided that the stockings would not wait another year, so I put in a very full day completing them.
My husband Dave choose the Night Before Christmas.

I wanted a Christmas Sewing Room. I especially liked the sewing machine because that's the kind I learned to sew on. Mom thought we wouldn't be able to sew our fingers as easily if we provided the power.

Jacob wanted a workshop.

Amanda wanted a horse drawn sleigh.

Jessica couldn't choose between the angel stocking and the sampler stocking so I combined them.

Now last but not least are some wonderful ornaments that my friend Teresa at Moonvalley Quilter made for me. She sends me the at least one homemade ornament every year so I'm getting a great collection. I really appreciate them and look forward to my Christmas package every year.

The Day After Christmas

It's the day after Christmas and finally I can relax and breath and enjoy the tree. It has been an extremely busy December. I made quite a few of my family's gifts, which I very much enjoyed doing. So without further ado I will show you what I have been doing. For my oldest son, Matt, and his wife, Joanne, I made a table runner to match the tree skirt that I made them last year. I designed both projects. I love the bright fun fabrics.



I also made them a miniature quilt. It is about 11 inches square.


For my next son, Jacob, and his wife, Amanda, I made a wall hanging that matches the tree skirt that I made for them last year (sorry I don't have a picture of their tree skirt).


I also made them some shopping bags.


For my daughter, Jessica, I made a nightgown. It doesn't seem like as much but she is not as settled yet and hasn't very much room for storage or display. Although we were talking and decided that I could start on a tree skirt and some Christmas items and she could leave them at our home until she has a home of her own. So next year....


I also made this Debbie Mumm snowman wall hanging for my best friend, Teresa. You can find her over at Moonvalley Quilts.


And last for this post, I made this table runner for my brother, Jack, and his wife, Andrea.


I made another couple of gifts but haven't taken pictures yet, so I will show them to you in future posts. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and enjoy the rest of your holidays!

Virtual Quilt Show

This is a table runner that I made for my sister about a year and a half ago. It is approximately 17 inches by 36 inches. I fused the border and the poinsettias to the background and then surrounded everything with gold lame' bias. It gave me a chance to use the beautiful, formal, Christmas fabrics by Hoffman that I have always loved. I especially love the metallic accents in the fabric. I have also made myself one. It is my original design and is made to coordinate with a tree skirt (pictured below) which is also my design. I have published the pattern for the tree skirt and hope to publish a pattern for the table runner as well.

Here is a picture of my runner and tree skirt in use. I use it in a small somewhat Victorian parlor in my home. The room is a quiet peaceful place to unwind with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate. I hope you enjoy it and all the Christmas quilts in SewCalGal's Virtual Quilt Show.

A Wonderful Trip and Christmas Exchange Ornaments

We spent a week in the San Francisco Bay Area over Thanksgiving. We stayed with my son and daughter-in-law and my daughter visited often. The weather was beautiful and we had a wonderful time. No pictures, I did't take my camera. My daughter-in-law and son are great cooks and we ate great food and not just on Thanksgiving, but the entire week. We toured around a bit and hit one fabric store and an interesting lace store that was part store and part museum. We also ate in some of San Francisco's many great restaurants. My daughter-in-law did some sewing and I had fun giving her pointers. She is a novice, but is learning quickly. She made some wonderful napkins and table runner that made the Thanksgiving table look so pretty. My daughter felted little birds and flowers, something I had never seen done before. They were so cute and it was fun to observe the process. My husband took some pictures of our totally spoiled cocker spaniel before we left. He was feeling very depressed, as he always does when the suitcases come out. He stayed with my sister and had a great time and became best friends with a huge cat that lives there.




Now on to the ornament swap. This was put together by Daisy's Quilts and Clare's Craftroom. Thanks so much ladies! It was great fun. I had a wonderful partner. Here's the ornament she sent me. It looks so pretty hanging on my tree in the great room.



Here's the ornament that I sent her. I had fun designing and making it. I have never designed a cross stitch ornament before and was both surprised and pleased with the result. I think I will try to do this every year.