Christmas is here.

Merry Christmas everyone. Best wishes for a wonderful 2012. I hope Santa is kind to all. And here's to a beautiful festive season spent with family and just a little bit of sewing.

Christmas Check List

Christmas presents bought and wrapped - done
Christmas letter written and cards posted - done
Cleaning of house - done (mostly - but with 7 kids that's an on going battle that I never win!)
Christmas menu planned
Food shopping list prepared
Christmas sewing - almost complete!

We're getting there.  Another Christmas party tomorrow, then a day or so of cooking and we can tick it all off.

Amazing how it all comes together.

4.24am. Wide awake

Here I am. Wide awake. 4.24am. I know I'll pay later! Is it too early to be sewing? May try to sleep just a little longer. Fingers crossed.

A busy week in the lead up to Christmas

DH and DS are away at the moment, so it's a busy time here getting ready for Christmas.  Plans are going ok with the preparations.  Shopping almost complete.  Tomorrow (hopefully) all shopping will be done.  Just a few more sewing items and we're just about there.  Luckily, DD is a whizz at wrapping, so she's been busy doing that for me.  DH and DS are arriving back at 5.15am on Christmas Day.  Nice!!  So pleased to be able to see dawn on Christmas day at the airport, but that's how it is.  Eldest son is going to play Santa for me, so that I can get the littlies to bed (and me, too) so that we can be up at 3 to get going.  DD suggested that we go to Midnight Mass and keep going to the airport - I wasn't taken with the idea.  Maybe twenty or so years ago I would have been quite keen.  They're having a great time - DS is meeting two siblings and two of his other siblings are joining them.  They've never had a Christmas together before so it will be special.  His birth mother will hopefully meet up with them as well.  And, what's more they're having a great time exploring a new city.  DH has never been there before.  More details after the trip - there are some security issues with saying too much now.  But when they're home safe and sound........

Cheers

Marg

FNSI - a finishing time!

This wasn't something I made Friday night, but I made it today.  It's for Miss 3 who will be starting ballet classes in the New Year.  So cute.  I just have to find some braid to put around the top of the tulle.  Of course, it's going underneath the Christmas Tree after that.  It was very easy to make.  My great niece has also started dancing, so I'm thinking about whipping up another of these for her.

There was a little bit of quilting left to do on this table runner.  At our holiday place we have a very long table - I now have a very long table runner to go on it!!

Not a great photo, but this is the first block of the Stitch-a-long of Anni Downes' quilt "Some Kind of Wonderful".  Have some stitching to do, but the applique is finished.

Here are the projects I finished - and started for FNSI.

Very pleased with how much I accomplished!

This quilt is keen to have it's photo up first, so I'll oblige.  This quilt was made as a Christmas present for the son of a friend of mine.  Not normally the colours I would choose, but pleased with the results.  I completed the binding on this one, too.

Firstly, binding a quilt.  I finished the top in sewing classes with Wendy about 3 months ago.

The block is machine embroidered using a Sue Box Design.  I then used the Create a Tilt Ruler from Sewing Revolution.

The finished quilt.  Second time I've attempted stippling - happy enough with the result.

All up, I'm pleased with progress.  Mind you, it's 7 sleeps nights (not much in the way of sleep forecast!!) to go and still quite a few projects not quite finished.

Marg

My First Dear Jane Block

With all the end of year "stuff" - costumes for musicals, dance concerts, end of year parties, etc plus the Christmas sewing - and no matter how good my New Year Resolution starts out to be, it's still a rush at this time of year - so I've just been looking longingly at my little pile of fabric and my downloaded Dear Jane blocks - from the BOM done a little while ago.

Finally last night when I finished off yet another Christmas gift, I decided that it was Dear Jane night.  I picked a fairly simple applique pattern and off I went organising.  All went smoothly until I went to get my hand applique thread.  I searched and searched - you know how it is, you start off looking in all the logical places and then it's the not so logical and it finally becomes the totally ridiculous.  Still no where to be found.  Finally in desperation I went downstairs to mull over what to do next.  Where was my box of thread?  On my sewing stand in the lounge room where I keep all my hand sewing - mainly my hexie quilt-in-progress, but some stitcheries as well.  Duhh!!

So at 10.15pm my Dear Jane journey began.  I love hand applique - particularly needle turn, but don't get to do enough of it.  I'm pleased with the result.  And soooooo pleased to be able to say the journey has begun.

I believe that Santa may be delivering a parcel all the way from USA with a Dear Jane book and some other goodies.  Yeh, Santa!!  Can't wait.  Maybe it won't get here for the big day, but it will get here.  Meanwhile I have the 24 blocks from the BOM to go on with.

However, it's now back to more Christmas sewing - two quilts to be quilted before the BIG day!!

Cheers

Marg

End of school year

This time of year is always one of extreme mixed emotions. Another year over but Christmas and a New Year awaits. It's the end of a very busy school term. Reviewing the highs and lows of the year just gone.

Two of my boys are moving to High School - which finally tips the balance with 4 in high school, 2 in primary and one in kindy. And, of course, one entering the world of work!

We know who our primary school teachers will be in 2012 and they are excellent choices!

Dance concert is on Saturday night. 2 girls in that. So it's a quick coffee and home to sew on sequins! We've had a growth spurt so it's off to buy new tap shoes this afternoon.

My Secret Santa swap gift arrived this week. Just gorgeous - the bit I've opened. Haven't had a chance to photograph it yet.

Next week will be getting the house - particularly my sewing room - in order to get back into some serious Christmas sewing. Can't wait.

Big sigh of relief - got through another school year. Yeh!! No more routine for 7 weeks. Double yeh!! No more school lunches. Biggest yeh ever!!

Marg