I thought I was done with Christmas gift creating yesterday. I power knitted a beanie to include in a package that was headed to the east coast. I had to stand in line for 40 minutes to send said package too. While at the post office, the delivery mailman came in to empty the box and bring all the mail to the main office for sorting etc. I was amazed at how stuffed that box was, before he came in, people were trying to put more letters and cards into it, and they could not squeeze one more in. I remarked to the woman in front of me that each one of those letters was at least 78 cents to send. It warmed my heart to see, I have an affinity for hand written letters and cards. Back in the days of non-instantaneous communication, when phone calls were few and long distance calls kept short due to expense, letters were so nice to send and receive.

I will have to go back to the post office today, I got an order for a Christmas quilt. It is the one that I finished Saturday, so quick turn around there. I am especially happy because I actually made a profit on it. The fabric was from a kit that was on clearance sale (from Craftsy/Blueprint). Funny that I made the same quilt, a few years back and it sold quickly too. When I saw the kit for sale, I figured I might just get it done for Christmas this year.

I want to finish the quilting on these placemats at the bottom of the other Christmas quilt that I made this month. I had a bit of left over backing at the end, so I cut a piece of snowflake print backing and started to quilt snowflake placemats. These will be for me, and the backing will be the front, it is the same print that is on the borders of the quilt.

Facing a cleared off cutting table had me thinking of starting one last Christmas quilt. The Winter Visit quilt, which is a QAL with Krista Moser. I had been too busy to start it a few weeks ago, but I got all the strips cut for the background and bird last night. I needed 34 green strips to make all the wreath blocks. I ironed all those green pieces, and had them ready to cut today.

As I was thinking of what I want to do today, I realized that I could also start the Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt. I have all the clues so far, four weeks in. I guess I’ll finish the Winter Visit first, then leisurely work on it in January. I kinda want to see the color placement, on the finished design anyway. I’m not really liking the color assortment, pink, purple, ice blue and neutrals. I want to add green for some reason, maybe the Lupine name? Also thinking today that my holiday guests are arriving tomorrow and that I REALLY need to get the house cleaned up and presentable.

Be Kind.

I have been working diligently to finish up gifts and quilts and shopping. I really need to get to the post office today, but first I need to gather all the things and pack them up. I did make a list, so thats a start. I have been getting the last Christmas themed quilt together, it was a kit from Backside Fabrics. I really like the fabric line, Holly Jolly from QT fabrics. Vintage looking Santas and ephemera of the 50’s and 60’s. Cozy and soft, I briefly entertained making another quilt from the scraps, I would have to buy more yardage though. Maybe after the holiday, during a sale or something. I just remembered that I was going to make the evergreen quilt with the layer cakes I bought back in November. The best laid plans for quilters and…

I did buy more fabric this week, for the Winter Visit QAL I joined. It is a Krista Moser quilt, I think I wrote about it a few months ago when it started. I went through all the Cherrywood scraps I have and there is only about 1 ½ yards of the creamy yellow background. I need three for this quilt. I may use the yellow for the accent triangles in the background.

In a flurry of activity, I finished off the bowl cozies, and the tissue box covers. I was not really happy with the embroidery on these. The tension is off, and the bobbin thread was coming through to the top. I scrapped two, and tried using more stabilizer and matching the bobbin color. It looks better, but just okay. I also put the binding on the placemats, runner and throw I made using the Art Haus fabric line. The runner is pictured under the tissue box.

I did finish the quilting on the Country trees quilt. I haven’t taken it off the frame yet, because there is enough backing fabric left to do a table runner. I just need to find something suitable for the front, I carefully put the scraps from the Country trees quilt away, so I wouldn’t loose them. Now I can’t remember where the bag is.

Be Kind.

My current longarm adventure is taking a really long time to complete. I finished putting the Country Trees kit together the Friday after Thanksgiving and got it on the frame last weekend. I chose a Holly leaf and berry panto for it and got it started. About an hour into the first row, I regretted that choice. The panto looks great and stitches out smoothly, it just takes about two and a half hours to do a row. I am able to do other things while the machine works, I have another hat and a half finished. I think I need to make three more, for gifts.

I brought my 790 in to the shop earlier this week, it was making a clunking noise ever since I had it serviced in October. The tech says he doesn’t hear anything, but it’s full of lint and he’ll clean it out. I’m going to get it later today, and hopefully it won’t make the noise for me anymore. I need to finish up the fabric bowls and do some embroidery on some tissue box covers. Plus the Christmas quilt kit I ordered came in, I would like to get it sewn together and on/off the frame soon. Maybe even in the shop before the end of the year. I have been shamelessly ordering fabric and yarn along with the gift things. Hoping that I’ll remember what and when things will arrive. I did get a custom order for three large quilts for upcoming weddings.

My Christmas decorating has not really begun yet. I got a wreath and put it up on the house. I have my Amaryllis blooming, but thats it. The Halloween Figs quilt is still in the stairwell, maybe I’ll get it changed up today. Still trying to decide about the tree. My son and his GF are coming for a few days, so we’ll be doing some festive stuff. Decorating the tree could be an activity, it’s more fun with help. Although, no one steps up when it comes to taking it down and putting it away.

Be Kind.

More of an exhale, thats what I need this weekend. The past ten days have been a whirlwind of activity and travel and hugs. I’m not a “hugger” but this past week has been full of them. The best two were from my granddaughter and the other from a young person who I had just met. All is feeling right in my world.

I feel like I need to make a list of what I need to accomplish this week. I am not going to do it here, but in the notes section of my phone. Complete with bullets I can check off as each gets finished. Yes, I am so organized, my week of Christmas prep will be inspiring and so organized and productive. I need to keep repeating that, it’ll be my mantra.

While away from home, I didn’t do much crafting, I worked a little bit on one of the hats, and made two pairs of baby mittens (thumb-less). I feel like I have all this craftiness trying to come out now. This morning I woke up early and got the Art Haus Eclipse quilt finished, and started quilting the runner I made with the same fabrics. I was able to set it under the quilt, so same backing. I need to go food shopping today, and make some persimmon cake. I want to finish the green hat too. It is slow going to knit, I am about ½ way done. The person I gave the Monarch hats to really liked them. She is going to go to the Butterfly migration rest spot near Santa Cruz and “gram” some photos of her new hat.

I started the bowl cozy project, and made some headway. I want to print up an info/use card to go with them. They aren’t ment to be used for long periods in the microwave, just short 2 minute intervals. I have been assemble line sewing these, six at a time. The quilting is simple, two sets of three lines that cross in the center. The ones I made for friends and family a few years ago only have one stitched line crossing in the center. The one I have seems to be holding up well, even after machine washing.

Since the great Christmas Hat knitting ordeal adventure has started, I haven’t really spent any time cross stitching. It looks like the Consider the Lilies piece is going to spill over into 2026. I had fully intended to be done by now, I believe that the house is to blame. It is such a huge solid element in the design, I will get it done brick by brick.

Be Kind.

Three hats done, one almost done and four five more to go. The second Monarch hat went very quickly, I had originally wanted to make two, one with the hand dyed and the other with the Cascade. Both are made with Cascade, just different sized needles. The second, smaller one is knit on 4’s and the larger one is on 5’s. I think I have finally gotten to the point where my stranded knitting is at a good gauge. I started with the larger needle size because my tension is often tight with two yarn patterns. The larger hat is wearable, just a bit “slouchy”, the smaller hat is snug, but it doesn’t pop off ones head due to non-stretchy-ness (its a thing). While looking for my Knit Picks yarn delivery date, I found a bunch of hat patterns I had downloaded from them. They are PDF’s named with numbers, so they don’t jump out and say “knit me” when I am looking for a pattern on my computer. I will remedy that today. I need to go through all my PDF knitting patterns, and see just what is there.

The Tree quilt is together and awaiting borders. I realized that I didn’t have a backing for it, and just ordered a few swatches from BackSide fabrics. This barn red and olive green is a bit different from my usual choices, just a bit more gray. I do have some tan sateen that may work, the gray/silver snowflake I have isn’t a good match. The original quilt kit came with a matching backing, but four years later, that fabric line isn’t available. I got the three Thomas the Tank Engine quilts quilted, bound and photographed. The weather has been very cloudy and rainy this past week, so photo sessions are done when the sun peeks out. Speaking of the cheeky little engine, I ordered a boxed kit for one more quilt. It’s the one I was looking at, with the pieced train engine on the bottom. I also got enough fabric to make another one, as I am trying to use up the rest of the fat quarter bundle and yardage I originally bought.

I ordered a bunch of bowl cozy batting pieces. I decided that they will be my gift to the barn ladies this year. I think I need to make thirteen of them. I have some Laurel Birch Horse fabric yardage, just looking for a use. I think I can make one side with the horses and the other with left over backing scraps. Good for the stash reduction and not too draining on the pocket money.

I am slowly realizing that I am not really into Christmas gifting this year. If I hear about Black Friday one more time, it may push me over the edge. I usually send out bakery gifts, or candy, one year I did pretzels, to extended family. I am just not “feeling it” this year. I can’t not do it, because everyone else sends stuff, and I will feel bad. Maybe I’ll do fruit and nuts, and hats, lots of hats.

Recently while shopping on Etsy, an ad for an unfinished Alaska rainbow quilt top caught my eye. I went to the shop and looked, it was 44.95, just the pieced top. On further perusal, I noticed that all this shop sells are unfinished tops. In the two and a half years they have been an Etsy seller they have sold almost 2500 quilt tops, at 44.95. How can this be? Is it a sweat shop? The tops look okay, in the photos, a few puckers and weird print choices. The shop says they are in the US, but there is no way this would be sustainable. They have lots of 5 star reviews, and offer free shipping. I am very skeptical, it reminds me of the crooks who make digital printed “blankets” of famous designers quilts. Consumer be wary.

Be Kind.