Night Before Christmas

Apart from some cookie baking this afternoon, I'd say I'm ready. 

Cody has been a sneaky dog and already scouted out and stolen one chocolate orange!!

This is my first ever quilting project when I was learning how to quilt (from a book).  I worked through the book in preparation for making a queen-sized quilt for my brother and his wife as a wedding present.  There were lessons to learn different techniques in the book, and I made up these blocks and put them together for my Mom in a tree skirt for Christmas (1991). 

I used whatever scraps of fabric I had back then ... which really wasn't much!  No designer brands of fabric here, but I'm still sort of proud of what I pulled together without spending an extra cent on it.

I did it all on the sewing machine (even the quilting), but quickly realized that I wasn't happy with the machine quilting.  I left it though, but if I were to do something like this again, I would definitely hand quilt it.

My favourite block was this one the "Memory Star"

This is one of those things that you make for someone never expecting it to come back to you.  When my mom passed away, and I found this in her closet, it was a happy find, and brought back memories of happy Christmases at my parents' house in the country with this tree skirt around their tree each year.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Wendy

Christmas Makes

My mom was a real nature girl, and used to collect bird feathers that she found on her walks through the woods.  She got me interested in both birds and their feathers, and even I started a collection of feathers when I was younger and living in the country.  That habit died out for me when I moved into town, but I still have my treasured shoe box full of feathers - some that I found myself and some that Mom would bring home for me.  But what to do with a shoe box full of feathers?!

Then I saw this neat idea on The Crafty Crow a while back and filed it in my muddled brain as a good Christmas decoration. 

 

I have quite a few more feathers than this person (I have Mom's now too!) and made mine like this! 

These clear glass ornaments are tricky to photograph, but I think you get the idea.  I used a flat disk rather than the round globe.   I loosely sewed the tip of most of the feathers together so they would not all sit in a pile on the bottom, and brought the thread through the silver clip top (oops! you can even see it!).  And then a couple of loose feathers are floating in there.   

This one I'm sending out to my brother in BC.  These are feather's from our mom's collection from some of her favourite birds that lived in our woods.  Downy woodpeckers, goldfinch, cedar waxwing, ruffed grouse, blue jays and cardinals.  Our woods were very colourful!!   I think my brother will like the sentimental value :)

I also knitted up some quick coasters to go with some mugs for my bro.  I made these from a very quick pattern here. 

Although I knit my coasters from cotton and didn't felt them (obviously...cotton!).  I like how the pattern shows up with the increases on this little project.  It'll add just a little bit more to the mugs and hot cocoa mix I'm packing up :)

....and now back to wrapping and packing!!

Thanks for dropping in!!

Wendy :)



Christmas Pillowcases

I have two little nephews who live on the other side of Canada in Victoria, British Columbia (I'm in Ontario).  I like to send them some special things at Christmas since we don't get to spend much time together. 

This is one project I always like to do.  It's quick and fun, and kids love to get them.  I'm going to use the cases as a gift bag for other items I'm sending.  Then the boys can put these cases on their pillows at the end of a long Christmas day...nice to fall asleep on something homemade :) 

I add a bit of trim to the pillowcase, and a small pocket to keep some special someone close (and in place) during the night.  So one small sewing project I can check off my list, and now to get that parcel in the mail by tomorrow!!

Here's a little Christmas decoration we made with a homemade pom-pom and some thrifted beads.  I like how they turned out :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Wendy