Let the Holidays Begin

This is by far one of the best times of the year.     

It all starts when I can bake that first loaf of pumpkin bread.... the spices that linger in the air.....  mmmmmm..... when that first bit of clove, then nutmeg and ginger........ and mmmmmmm... then finally cinnamon hits my nose - dare I say it - visions of sugarplums start dancing in my head.....  

Okay - so it is not sugarplums..... but I do start thinking about the Christmas ornaments I want to make, and whether I should make a new wreath for the front door, and where will I put the Christmas tree - or should I just get another one for the den.... oh my.... all of these thoughts start taking over every minute of my day!  Then the gifts I want to give start whirling like crazy in my mind.....  what would the oldest want or need, what about the son in law....  It whirls so much I get a little dizzy - which if you knew me - is not hard to do.  

Every year I have said that I will get the Christmas gift shopping and making done by Thanksgiving and this year was no different.  The problem is I have never ever in my whole life been 100% ready for Christmas.  One year, I was putting the fringe on a shawl Christmas Eve morning - about an hour before I was going to see the gift receiver!  Another year, I was still crocheting an afghan for my mom during the ride (my oldest daughter was driving) from my dad's house which is thirty minutes from my mom's.  I actually finished it as we were pulling into her driveway and I wrapped it in the trunk of the car right before we went into the house......  Am I a slave to procrastination -  maybe just a bit - however, I do tend to bite off more than I can chew when it comes to the gifts I want to make.

And then there is the fact that I am not a Black Friday kinda girl.  Actually I am not a big fan of shopping at all.  Oh, I have friends and family that LOVE to shop - both of my daughters are avid fans of shopping.... but that is not one of the gifts they inherited from me.... never really enjoyed it.... 

Sooooooo like most people, I put off what I do not enjoy.........  

BUT... this year, I am almost done with the shopping part.  And can I just tell you that I am so happy.  I would actually like to do "happy hands" right now - but I am typing and my youngest would cringe.   

I have a lot of other activities on my Holiday list this year and that may have motivated me to get my rear end in gear and get the dreaded shopping over with.  And I discovered the benefits of online shopping last year.

So my pin boards are full of fun, creative and very Christmasy projects I want to play with this year.  I have already made some of them and really really happy with the pretty little items that are coming out of my craft/sewing room.   

So it is time to keep pulling out soft fabric from my stash, colorful buttons from my jar, threads, beads, yarn and....... 

oh my......  

I still need to put the tree up, decorate the house...... and absolutely get back in the craft/sewing room to .............

create..........

LOVE.    

No Longer a Mystery

The quilt is done, has been revealed at class, photographed, and ready to be hung up for awhile in the shop.  It is no longer a mystery..... even though I have named it Ït's a Mystery to Me"- third ever quilt top.  

I so enjoyed this quilt.  When I was taking the T-shirt quilt class last Monday, my instructor (who I absolutely and totally adore) encouraged me to try my hand at a pieced border....  Pattern by the same designer of the mystery quilt - Debbie Caffrey.  The pieced border is from her series "Becoming a Confident Quilter - Delectably Simple Mountains."  So I bought some more fabric and finished it up last night.  While there are a few mistakes - I am still pleased and happy with the final quilt top.....   so I guess it would be nice if I put a picture up!  

Here is a bit of a close up picture of the block..... (only an inner border)

 Debbie Caffrey is an awesome designer and really helps a beginning quilter feel confident to pick a harder block to attempt.  What makes her technique so fantastic is that when you take a mystery class - you have no idea what the block will look like until you have completed (in this case) twenty-four of them!  No time to second guess whether you can do the block or not.....
  
Here is the finished quilt with the pieced border....  (photography courtesy of my youngest!)

Yes, I was quite surprised when it was done!  And if you are wondering - I chose not to sash... 

I just finished reading Jennifer Chiaverini's last book in the Elm Creek Quilter series "The Giving Quilt."  While I am sad to be all caught up in the series - I absolutely loved this book.  It really captured how I feel about my goal in becoming a quilter.... while I want to make sure that every single one of my family has a beautiful quilt on their bed..... I also want to help make sure that all kids have a beautiful, warm quilt or blanket they can call their very own.  I have been a part of a group at my church that crochets and knits afghans for a women's shelter for several years.... I have heard stories about children from the shelter leaving with one of our afghans....... so this is just an extension to that.  So I was super happy when Jennifer's facebook page should up on my newsfeed today with a link where I could download a free copy of the quilt pattern for The Giving Quilt.  And yes, I did download it!  I took it with me to the quilt shop tonight (when we had our reveal).

So guess what is on my cutting mat tonight..... and yes it is already washed and ready to be ironed and then cut!  

That beautiful focus fabric.... the green, purple, cream and blue print..... it was a find from the Shop Hop.....  I am ready to begin a new quilt top....  

Luckily I will be taking a machine quilting class in December.... finally!   

To Sash or Not To Sash

Yes, I am one of the blessed ones.... 

The hardest decision I was faced with this week was whether to sash or not to the sash the "Mystery to Me" quilt.  

I did not have to worry about hurricanes, family in the way of danger or whether we have enough food or water for this week.

Yes, I am one of the blessed ones..... 

I sit here at my dining room table with a cup of coffee looking out the back doors and watch my husband trimming a tree. I am blessed with a husband who takes pride in his work, whether it is mopping a floor (and yes he also does laundry!), singing at church or trimming a tree.  

Yes, I am one of the blessed ones... 

Our son has a good job, received a good evaluation and is getting ready move out of a house he shares with roommates into his own apartment.  Our oldest daughter is married to a loving husband, has a rewarding (yet stressful) job, has good health and is thinking about adding to our family.  Our youngest daughter is moving toward her own independence as she works on her college courses and embarks on a new job as a teacher's aid.  This is not to say that it has not been a hard road to get to these places in their lives.... and it is safe to say that they will no doubt run into boulders, mountains and valleys as they continue on their journeys.... but for now.....  

Yes, I am one of the blessed ones....

Hmmmmm.......to sash or not to sash......