Christmas count down

Well, I've been counting down to Christmas since January 25th. I'm a Christmas person, that's just how it is and has always been. We're at 18 days. I have tons to do and probably won't post more until after Christmas. I will be taking pictures of everything I have quilted or sewn as gifts, as they get wrapped etc. I still have some labels to stitch on and a few corners to tack down a little better. The sewing machine was stowed last night, until I'm finished with all other Christmas preparation. There are 2 projects undone, that I had aspired to have completed for us, for Christmas, but I held to my personal deadline of last night. I didn't accomplish the completion, but I'm okay with it. I can manage the last of my project fiddling by the real deadlines.

Last year, Christmas blew by me, as we were still recovering from our August move. I love this time of year and want to drink it in. It's always over too quickly. When I finish the few blog posts I'm making today, I will do some long desired decorating before I go to work.

Have a beautiful celebration of Chanukah and Christmas and I wish you lots of creative expression in 2010.

rinaldo baby quilt

I made a quickie cheater quilt for a couple in my church family who were expecting a baby. The baby has finally come, but I made the quilt before I knew she would be a girl. Mary Rose came 2 weeks ago. Here is the little snuggle blankie I gave her parents about a month or so ago. No, it wasn't piece, but it was machine sewn with love, just the same. If you'd like to take a look, the Flickr set is at this link.

(I still haven't had time to learn the most efficient way to integrate Flickr photos and my blog --- maybe that will go on my list of to do's for 2010.)

less than 4 months until Christmas!

On Tuesday, when I was teaching some guitar students, I mentioned to all of them, that we were 4 months from Christmas. Some of them are school age students and they don't want summer to be over, but hearing that Christmas is right around the corner seemed to lift their spirits.

For Christmas gifts, I have 11 sewing projects and 4 - 6 quilting projects planned. 4 of the latter are more than half complete (isn't that great???) The supplies for most of the proposed projects are on a chair in my living room. I sew in the kitchen, so a living room stash heap is quite logical. I'm glad I don't have a white gloved mother-in-law dropping in to chastise me for what may seem to the uninitiated, disarray. It's quite an orderly heap, and gives a sedate living room a nice punch of color. Hey, maybe it isn't a heap after all. Maybe it's performance art --- but its performance is waiting until it's needed.

I have a goal to have a certain number of projects for Christmas completed by various dates. I'm going to be a little behind on some sewing/quilting projects for my Labor Day deadline, but my knitting projects are a little ahead of their appointed "due dates," so taking the big picture into consideration, I'm on track. It will get a little dicey when my full time work schedule resumes over the coming week or 2.

I'm more encouraged about the do-ability of my gift crafting aspirations this August than I was for the past several years. Beginning the Christmas gifts by June 25th seems to have been a good plan.

another one bites the dust

I have finally finished a quilt for Ed, that I have been "working on" for years. I began it before I had a clue about quilting correctly and it killed me to just complete it, even though I would do everything differently, now. Photos are taken and I will get them up on Flickr in the very near future - tomorrow, I hope.

The name of the quilt is "Symbols of Faith." It has appliques of the Greek letter alpha, the Greek letter omega, a cross, a lamb and a new Jerusalem that is cubical, walled and gated. I'll elaborate more on the symbols when I post the photo.

beach quilt by default

I'm nearly done with the 1st and only machine sewing project I have worked on all summer - which is an imperfect but totally functional quilt for the beach (or in our case, the pool.) I made a smaller whole cloth quilt and matching tote before the school year ended, from cotton drapes from our former apartment. The quilt is small and not really sufficient for both of us, so I took the pieced top that I've had in a UFO drawer since before we moved. It was going to be a quilt for my former neighbor's new baby girl. I stopped sewing when we began packing to move in the spring of 2008. I took that very pink top, pieced a back of coordinating fabrics that I won't be using for any other project, and layered them with poly batting.

This time, I basted the layers with Vanish, a water soluable thread from Superior. Previously, I pinned my layers and always found it trying to machine quilt and pause to remove the pins. For me, I think the added time (but more pleasant by far) basting, was a good investment toward machine quiltability. This time, I hand basted but I think on my next project I will try machine basting.

All I have left to do is square up and bind the quilt and it will be finished. I'd like to get it done this week, so we can take it to the pool before it closes for the season.

T

Christmas is less than 6 months away

On June 25th the "task" alarm rang on my BlackBerry. The little window read, "Make Christmas Crafting List." I was in the throes of the last "regular" week of my teaching schedule, but spent a few days trying to be realistic, yet thoughtful; economical, yet not cheap; reasonable, yet not slothful. So, I came up with a list of the gifts I plan to sew, crochet and knit as Christmas presents. For the most part I will make the gifts I give. I did pick up some small books on clearance for particular people, who I hope will enjoy them.

I have received my replacement (repurchased, not replaced gratis) extension table. so I'm able to resume quilting and sewing projects. I have a few things in progress and the others are in the planning stage.

If I hold to a schedule and don't get "lost" over the summer, I think I will actually get to enjoy the autumn and winter, rather than stressing over not-yet-completed work.

sewing/quilting projects in progress

So here's what is awaiting me this weekend:

• small wall quilts for our Pastors (4) and us (I'll do mine as the prototype)
• different small wall quilts for 2 different friends at church
• a door hanger for a different friend
• an owed large wall quilt that is pieced, appliqued and layered - it needs to be quilted
• an owed large wall quilt that has a small amount quilted and needs to be finished
• tea cozies not yet started :-)
• another 3 very small projects I can't describe - photos will go up when I'm done

All of those projects need to be bound, too. I hope I get to that step by tomorrow or during the week.