Bits of Red and Green

I'm enjoying sitting by the tree today reading and stitching, and was reminded of two small projects that were made for the bazaar so I thought I'd share them before all of the holiday decos start coming down.

We were asked to make tree decorations for the Holly Bazaar so I dug into my scrap bin and whipped up a dozen little scrappy Christmas trees. No real rhyme or reason to the width of the strips, just sewed a slew of them together and then stitched a tree pattern with a variegated green/blue thread. Almost any combination of fabrics worked but it helped to include prints that had some red in them to liven things up a bit.

They were backed with two different red scraps and a simple ribbon tied with a knot was hand stitched near the top for a hanger. About 4-5 inches tall, they are very sweet. Any decos left at the end of the bazaar were packaged up and delivered to our shut-ins, so they all got to be enjoyed.

And my niece Julia kindly crocheted five more of these adorable little stockings for me this year. I like to stuff them with chocolates and candy canes and tied off with a ribbon to keep everything contained. Then I packaged them in clear cello bags. They are fun for the little ones but would be nice at a table setting too. Last year they were put on the bake table but this time around I made sure that they went to the craft table, and, as usual, they were a gone in no time. The pattern comes in two sizes.

We're waiting for an ice storm to roll in overnight so I'm going back to the tree to enjoy my stitching and a nice cup of tea, hoping that it doesn't bring as much bad weather as is forecast....M

Merry Christmas!

With all of the hustle and bustle of Christmas now behind us, I'm settling in to enjoy what I consider my day of indulgence. Usually on Boxing Day I stay in my PJs, find a puzzle and work on it until it's finished in the wee hours of the morning - no running, no meal prep, no nothing, except a little quiet time for moi. This year, I'm switching it up a bit and picking up my cross stitch. There'll be Christmas carols, munchies and likely a holiday bevvy or two - my perfect day of stillness amid all of the hustle and bustle.

Merry Christmas to you and yours and may you find time to enjoy your special moments as well....M

I Made A Christmas Topper, Too

It's always nice to have good variety on the Holly Bazaar's craft table so during October and November I was busy trying to ensure that happened.

This little topper pattern I found on Pinterest, but I could find neither the maker nor the pattern name, so I made up my own pattern from the image. Interestingly, similar to the nine patch that I showed a few posts ago, it also had a fair bit of black in it, which is unusual for me to use in Christmas pieces.

It was helpful to lay everything out and then systematically work through the pieces and sections, 

starting with the corner units.

After all of the quilting that I put into the last runner the quilting on this one was a breeze!

The inspiration photo that I was working from showed a black binding, which made sense given the black cornerstones, but that just seemed a little too lugubrious for the holidays, 

so I used the red that was in the topper. Much more Christmassy.

And it's backed with a red gingham, which continued to cheer it up.

Ta-da!

It must have sold fairly quickly because I don't remember seeing it hang around on the craft table for very long. I love knowing that my pieces are being enjoyed by others....M

Another Christmas Table Runner

This project might seem like a bit of déjà vu...

primarily because it's made with remnant Peppermint Pines blocks from one of the Holly Bazaar runners that I made in 2022. Love their scrappy, graphic nature.

I loved that red border check and had a hard time reimagining what I could do with a few more blocks, but when I landed on the green and narrow green check I knew that I was onto something.

It's quilted with diamonds that mirror the angle of the trees and I really like the finish, though I cannot help but smile about the amount of thread that it took to do it!

And the fun white polka dot on red backing reminds me of a snappy sports jacket lining - love it! There's just a hint of it showing here, but you get the idea.

This one is quite large, about 16" x 44" so it will definitely make a statement on someone's table....M

My Nine-Patch Christmas Runner

Last time I shared my cute little nine-patch Christmas runner but didn't show you the finished product, so here you go.

Actually, it's not that little. The squares finish off at 2" so it's at least 16" wide, and being 6 blocks long, it's about 45" in length.

Because of it's size, I might see if they want to use it on the Silent Auction Table instead of the Craft Table.

Still can't get over those lovely little quilted stars in the sashing.

I've been sewing like a dervish for the last couple of weeks and have a few more runners, table toppers and placemats made, along with a pair of cute little acorn potholders to show for it. More to come!....M

Not Quite According to Plan

Sadly, the big plan to see some real progress on my Good Day Syre Christmas cross stitch went a little sideways last week. Thinking it would be the perfect small stitching project to pack for a getaway was all well and good, until I came down with a cold on day two of our trip. Things continued to worsen as the trip progressed so any potential quiet stitching time turned into nap time really quickly.

We were home again by Friday but that's when things really went south; I spent much of my long weekend either sleeping, trying to breathe, or coughing up a lung (okay, maybe a little exaggeration, but it wasn't good). 

For whatever reason, half way through the weekend I decided to pick up my stitching. Not the best decision as this snowflake just about got the better of me. I feel as though I ripped out just about every stitch that I put in. Surprisingly, I did end up with a little progress but I can't say it was the most enjoyable time I've spent with a needle in hand, so I put it down again.

A day or two later - after better drugs - things went better. Good thing, as I was starting to wonder if this pattern just wasn't for me. I'm now well into the snowflake doily and it is moving along nicely. Happy to have things back on track and hoping that this cold is on its way out the door soon....M

Playing Chicken With My Stitching

I'm slowly picking away at my Syre Christmas cross stitch but will need to pick up the pace now as I've just heard that the shop where I like to get my framing done is closing at the end of June, so I've got some motivation to finish it up, and quickly.

I've been working on the large snowflakes, all the while keeping an eye on my supply of white floss as it's coming to an end. 

I thought I was in good shape until I looked at the pattern; I'll never have enough to do the large snowflake/doily that sits near the upper right corner, regardless of how good I am at stretching it out. 

The floss that I had came with the pattern but it wasn't in town, so I thought I might be stumped. Not so - I found some today! No excuses now....M

I'm Slow Today

It's Sunday. It's also the first day after the time change and losing an hour's sleep always slows me down a bit, so time for a little slow stitching.

My Christmas cross stitch is filling in one little bit at a time; the clothesline is half full now.

I'm almost finished the holly leaves and soon it will be time to start on the large white snowflakes at the top of the pattern. Looking at the skein of white that I have, I'm thinking that a trip to the shops will be in order soon as I used up most of it for the first one that I did like this. 

Nothing like a little hand work to slow life down, is there?....M

New Year, New Quilt. Or Two.

A belated happy New Year everyone. I've been enjoying making a slow stitching entry into 2025.

Binding Holiday Forest (both of them) seemed like a good way to finish off one year and begin the next, and I wasn't wrong. Binding has gone from being the one part in the quilting process that I was always impatient with to something that I look forward to - a chance to relax while enjoying the finishing touches.

With all of those scrappy trees scattered about, this is a really great Christmas quilt and it has already met the 'nap test' (a few times) in it's short life.

I have Roberta to thank for being able to make it using gorgeous Laundry Basket fabrics; she generously shared her stash with me. She's also made one, choosing to add a few borders, and it is a stunner. I will share it with you next time.

There are a select number of pink trees in the quilt and they are my favourites. Many, if not all, of the fabrics are not what I would consider Christmas prints but they still work beautifully; it's the variety of texture that really gives it life. Selecting the perfect coordinating tree trunks was SO much fun!

This paisley backing has been in my stash for longer than I can remember, waiting for just the right project, and this was it. I think that there's still a large enough piece for at least another lap quilt.

And, the cheery red and white plaid binding reminds me of candy canes. 

For the background fabric we both chose a soft winter white with a mottled grey and beige print that looks like delicate mini cattails and it adds a snowy softness and depth. Add in all of those little jingle bells in the panto and voilà - a Christmas quilt!

I have fond memories of the quilts that we made and used when we were growing up. They were all very utilitarian, made to cover a bed and keep us warm. So often they were made from used clothing. Then I never imagined the possibility of making a quilt just for Christmas, but now I have about four in the house and a few more that I have given away. It is a genuine treat....M

 

Doing Santa's Laundry

Merry Christmas! With all of the prep and celebration for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, it's been like living in a snow globe these past couple of days, but in a very good way. And now that Santa's rounds are complete, it's time to freshen up his suit.

Time to catch my breath a bit, so I picked up Good Day, Syre Christmas and have been enjoying some very relaxing cross stitch by the light of the tree with my eggnog nearby.

Freshly fallen snow and icicles have been added to his house.

And the laundry is starting to be hung on the line.

May you find time to relax and soak in the joys of the season with some quiet time as well....M

Where Does The Time Go?

Boy oh boy! I'm looking at the date of my last post and cannot believe how busy things have been since then. It's been a month - time to get caught up. Let's start with yesterday. I had a few batches of cookies that I wanted to finish up, so on went the carols and I spent the day in the kitchen. 

You know what it's like when there's one or two recipes that you miss if they aren't on the plate... Some have already been gifted!

And this was after we baked all day a few weeks ago at our annual Christmas Cookie Bakeoff.

We did the math and figured out that this was the 30th time that we had held the bakeoff, which is pretty amazing (it would have been 31, except for Covid). 

Julia graciously hosted us again this year and was in her element decorating our wares.

Needless to say, the gals all have the routine down pat and everything went like clockwork. By the end of day we had parceled up 1,530 cookies - just under 128 dozen.

Before all of the holiday baking, cleaning and decorating began, there was the Holly Bazaar. It too was a great success. We welcomed so many visitors to our little church - I think more than ever - and there was plenty of seasonal cheer to go around. I'll share more on that next time, and I promise that it won't take me a month to post it! 

Hope that if you celebrate Christmas that your holiday prep is well under way....M