Aussie secret santa goodies

secret santa christmas swap of 2012 is history, but these are the lovely hand-made gifts that came in my Australia package.  a lovely hand-knit scarf, an embroidered book mark, 2 adorable knitted christmas ornaments and this beautiful, beaded, 1920s style bag.  all hand-crafted gifts and so very thoughtful for me who reads and loves christmas ornaments, lives in a cold climate and a pocketbook diva.  sadly, the package i sent has not been received as of yet by the recipient.  i do have proof of mailing and have contacted the post office to see if it can be located.  while i enjoy christmas swaps, i am wondering if international is wise, given the state of the postal service, or perhaps another time it'll get sent a different method.  for some reason, i frequently have issues with mail coming and going from the south portland post office.

did i say never?

in bygone quilty days, i was known to always toss waste triangles as simply being too small.  apparently my definition of "too small" has changed.  these were waste triangles from flying geese for the scrappy indigo and yes indeed, i did sew them up into tiny HSTs for some future use.  and why?  well, my frugal inner voice said it was simply wasteful to toss perfectly good $10/yard fabric.  now these are probably the smallest i would sew up as they will finish at 1" square, but they will be an ideal sawtooth border at some point.  *** and it was a super sewing day yesterday!  in addition to sewing these up, all the batik blocks got finished AND some "just takes 2" blocks got done as well.  these tasks plus 3 loads of laundry and some cross-stitch took up my entire day.  today it's dig out the car and back to "just takes 2."  tomorrow i'll show you what was in my package from Australia....you will love it!

a snowy day

and fortunately, i don't work today so not going out to battle the elements just yet.  luckily, got errands done yesterday before the storm hit.  santa brought me some gift cards and i promptly hit the local quilt emporium where there was a sale!  most items were passed by except these few batiks to finish the donation quilt.  i've nearly used up the bali pop and a few more squares were required.  aren't they gorgeous!  would you believe there was a time when batiks DIDN'T call my name?  i can't believe it either.  the rest of the gift card was spent on sweat pants, a MUST for maine winter weather.  so me and the old viking are spending quality time together until the skies clear.  

santa remembered!

he not only remembered, he enlisted 2 of his favorite (and mine) elves to respond!  this mini gooseneck lamp from ikea was under the tree.  ideal for the sewing table or anyplace else really, but especially for the sewing table.  ever since bonnie bragged about hers, i have been thinking about how good it would look in MY sewing space....and here it is!  thank you elves! 

merry christmas!

the jolly old man brought us a white christmas, how good is that!  not too much snow, just enough to make it festive and to make the outside trees with lights dazzle!  we are so thankful for our many, many blessings this holiday though we miss those not with us for various reasons.  today prayers go to those traveling, the homeless or unemployed, those without hope or in distress and to our nation and its leaders.  so many needs means many opportunities to make life better for others, which many of us do already.  blessings for a joy-filled day and season!  oh, and the christmas quilt?  mom said it was super cozy! 

nick (no pun) of time

the christmas scrappy ribbons is done!  just last night put the finishing stitches into this colorful, seasonal quilt.  as you can see, it is not a huge quilt, but that's okay.  all those christmas print scraps are so delightful and memorable for me.  my dear mom will have the honor of sleeping under it for the very first time tonight, christmas eve.  so now to start quilting the next in line, which will be the autumn scrappy, a gift for someone special. *** now that christmas is just about here, it's time to pull out the "just takes 2" project to see how much can be done in the next 6 days before the new year begins.  **** as far as the batik blocks, have finished about 35 blocks and nearly used up my bali pop strips.  i want a total of 48 blocks, so i will need to supplement the bali pop with a few more fabric pieces.  then it will get a 2" plum border, be tied and sent off to bob's blankie brigade!  looking back, it's been quite a productive year, quilty-wise.  ****  last but not least, if you don't stop by tomorrow, i wish you the most blessed of holidays and bright hopes for health and prosperity for 2013!

wouldn't be christmas....

without some decorated cookies and while in years past i would make 4-5 different kinds of cookies, this year it's only these.  years ago did cookie swaps and such but since our family has grown, dispersed or passed away, no need for too many.  it's sad how the really fun years don't last very long.  i was probably working 2-3 jobs and missed enjoying them as much as i would have liked.   life was pretty chaotic and crisis-filled in those days, so i am trying to make the most of my days now.  probably explains why i have sooo many UFOs....LOL!  *** off to use up the day's minutes having more fun!

our tree

it has a bit of that dorky home-made look but we like it.  in truth, a real tree with ornaments would be enough to make us happy.  i prefer tinsel but mom loves the garland, so we compromise.  it's a real trip down memory lane when we decorate.  there is an angel on the top i've had for over 20 years.  i sent a few along to DD and her hubby that were especially meaningful to her for her tree.  on the right is a corner of my cedar chest, mediterranean style from the 1970s, my fave at the time.  my FIL bought it, sent me to the furniture store to choose one i liked.  now it holds old baby clothes and toys, some wool items, other momentos.  **** today was shopping today, food and gifts, and all is done.  just a few to wrap and it's relaxation time.  **** the christmas scrappy binding is nearly done, wahoo!  that means i have 3 finishes in the last 3 months of 2012.  my 2013 UFO list is nearly complete and is equally bed size and small projects.  *** nearly drowned while shopping today, what with wind and heavy, driving rain.  not complaining, glad it wasn't snow.  lots of traffic (we live right by the mall) making it slow going.  back to finish binding!  

an early giftie

mr. mailman brought a package from vic the other day and included inside were these; a charm pack of shelburne museum fabrics and a tumbler template--and it's the perfect size too!  this is terrific!  been drooling over repro tumbler quilts on various blogs brewing the possibility of making one; even entered a giveaway for a template (didn't win), so this is perfect!  already have a stack of repro shirting squares from a swap so pretty soon i'll be cutting away at repro tumblers.  it's a perfect scrappy quilt!  she also sent a potholder made by the stashbuster group's listmom and a lovely lavendar sachet she made for my drawer.  **** been sewing down the binding on the christmas scrappy hoping for a christmas finish maybe?  also on the machine are more batik squares to (hopefully soon) bust that bali pop.  today is a mostly shopping day.  **** i tweaked the arrangement of my room a bit that gives me some extra space temporarily until i find a small desk.  the laptop and printer were previously precariously perched on an unstable desk-like thingie.  i wanted an elfa desk (sale in january), but it's simply too big for the available spot.

binding it up!

ooohhh, doesn't this look christmas-y!  i opted against a solid red or solid green fearing "too much," and so i am thrilled with this fabric for the binding.  it looks kinda like candy canes don't you think?  *** most of my christmas tasks are done with the exception of a few so i've time to sew on my own stuff.  while the weather is more like spring than christmas (pouring rain), the holiday mood isn't dampened at all (excuse the pun!).  also sewing along on the batik floating 4-patch squares, hoping to get them all done soon.  and lastly, time to download the last (i think) installment of "just takes 2" which is also languishing on the ironing table.  hasn't been forgotten, just set aside for far too long.  off to meet the day!