January 3rd - all is calm but maybe not as well as it could be.

 As mentioned, we are in the midst of daily radiation for my husband's hand - the skin cancer is deep and surgery was not an option if he wanted to keep the use of his thumb and first finger.  So daily, we head to the hospital.  The good news for me is that appointments are scheduled for after noon so I can enjoy playing tennis 3 times a week and get my exercise while having fun.  He also has an appointment for renal artery stents mid January and it will be day surgery with him spending at least 6 hours in recovery before he will be released.  After than will be femoral artery stents but that isn't considered to be critical so the date could be any time this spring.  But, radiation will continue to mid February and makes me appreciate free parking for cancer patients. 

I continued to work on my Christmas, Advent, and mystery box projects that had accumulated in drawers for the last few years and I have almost finished anything that is seasonal for this time of year.  I do have some hand embroidery snowflakes, a small glass case requiring hand stitching to the metal frame and others that are more timeless.  

However, I did pull out two Valentine's projects and it would be nice to have them done by the first or second week of February.  There were two table runners and I am going to combine them into one project. I also have three blocks I made early December in white/pink/red and aqua that we decided would look on my dining room table for February so they need to be assembled with sashing, quilted and bound.  

I managed to piece my cardinal and only added a small border as I wanted it to finish at 12.5" to fit my small stand in my stairwell.  It will look bright and happy during winter ugly weather.  

It was interesting that two different Advent Boxes from 2023 had the same project instructions with different fabrics but, each had the fancy zippers.  A very super simple project and am now sad that I gave away all my fancy zippers because I wasn't sure where or how to use them.  I used my own fabric for the lighter ones - a canvas with scissors on it that worked well with the colour of the zippers.  The reason for that was that I didn't do a good job of putting the fabric with the patterns when I got them.  For those that haven't done an Advent bag, the various companies tend to give the parts of a project over two or three days.  You get the fabric one day, pattern another day and then notions on the third day. This year I took care to make sure I put all of the parts together into one bag so there is no confusion of wondering what goes with which? 

This was an example of combined projects.  The canvas fabric and lining (as well as the rest of the fabric pieces) came with a pattern by Cherry Tree Quilts in Summerland (a summer box).  I really didn't need another tote so I grabbed the two larger pieces of fabric and used them with the fabric bag pattern which was from a different Advent Box (Watergirl Quilts in Ontario).  The bag pattern was from 2023 and I liked the pattern because it gives 5 different sizes and cutting for each.  Simple project but it is also completed! 

These are two more smaller project. A drawstring bag and a cell phone bag for around the neck. I am hoping my passport fits in the mesh side. Otherwise it will be for guild meetings with a zippered pocket for coins.

I am in the midst of taking Christmas down though my outside sides tend to add a bit of brightness on these dark, wet, dreary nights so they might get to stay up a little longer.  

For January, I am about to start stitching blocks together from our past modern guild sew ins.   Sadly, we might not have more sew ins since the senior's center decided to change our costs from being very reasonable for a Saturday to us paying over $50 per hour which would be over $300 for a day of using the room which is a massive jump and if we had 10 people sewing, it would be over $30 each for the day.  Nothing is provided other than the space with a small kitchen and bathrooms and storage cupboard.  Until someone can find us something more reasonable to rent and use, our time together once a month is gone.  

Plus, I have my Valentine's projects to work on... it will be mid February before we realize it so time to get the sewing machine purring on these projects. 

I don't have many pictures today and I am not writing a list of what I want to accomplish but will post as I finish up some the projects on my wish list.  

Happy New Year to all and hopefully, healthy, happy and financially stable. 

Closing in on the end of 2024 - my final report?

 I don't know if I will get more projects completed today or this weekend but there are lots waiting for me.  I did divide the projects from past years of Advent boxes and mystery boxes into two categories - Christmas and all others that weren't seasonal. I have made an effort to work on Christmas themed projects and made some placemats for Meals on Wheels although, I kept two of the blue ones for us to use in January as they are winter themed, not Christmas.  I also made some placemats from the leftovers that I had after making our new tree skirt.  There is a 3D mug rug that was in this year's Advent box and I also made the Hexie mug rugs from a kit in 2023 and then decided to cut up some fat quarters and make the four patch mug rugs.  All of these are finished projects! 

The December blocks for Patterns by Jen got made using 'gold' as the colour of the month.  Now, I have the twelve months of blocks and need to put them together.  Jen is not doing her pattern and colour of the month in 2024 so the last year of this monthly challenge.

I came across a cute and quick pattern to make little containers and cut up a few quarters to play with fabric.  I made a couple from sewing themed fabric and put all my clips into it - instead of having clips scattered here, there and everywhere.  These were perfect gifts for quilting friends.

I found the right batting that can be used in the microwave and made more bowls to hold hot dishes from the oven or microwave.  Instead of Christmas, I dug out some food related fabrics to make the bowls.  For these, I used my accuquilt cutter.  First I cut Christmas ones and took them to our last sew in for those that wanted to stitch them up. 

I also gave away this table runner that was waiting for quilting and one of the guild members was happy to take it and she has finished it.  A win-win situation.  Am so happy to see her stitching down the binding. 

I made a few bowls to take as door prizes to my guild meetings in December.  These ones were not microwave friendly as I used the potholder/ovenmitt batting which holds the heat. 

 

Then some smaller projects got done from this year's advent box.  I made a cute cell phone table holder which I gave away as a gift and a kleenex tissue holder which I will attach to my tennis bag.  The cellphone holder was a gift and the recipient seemed to like it.

I have a tennis friend who had some well aged (vintage?) Christmas projects that needed the binding done on them.  I also added a hanging sleeve to each on and got them ready for her to use next year.  I am sure these are made from fabric that was typical of what we used 35 years ago. 

These two table toppers were in my Christmas stash and am guessing they are probably of the same vintage as the projects above.  They were blocks in a panel and I cut it up, made two toppers, quilted and bound them.  They are definitely folk art themed.  But, nice that they are finished! 

I made these quick bookmarks from a kit in this year's advent box - done! These are in use by myself and my husband.

In the Missouri Star Advent box, there was this cute little sewing machine ready for us to assemble from all the parts.  It can hang on your tree as an ornament or be a sweet decor item. 

A quick recap of some of the smaller Advent box projects I have completed this week.  The bookmark was simple and quick. The coiled coaster was another easy project and the thread was included which was a bonus.  There was  a kit for a simple Wallet complete with pattern and interfacing and fabric plus a small square of velcro.  Missouri Star included special fabric for bowl covers but I made a huge goof when I read the pattern instructions.  Measure twice and cut once.  I read to trace the bowl and add ½" around the circle but after doing that and cutting out my fabric, I reread and it was 1½" so my bowl covers are going too small for the bowls I wanted them to fit.  Oh well. 

My post it note wall has all of the current Christmas projects plus the older, non Christmas themed kits listed and I also separated them into two different containers.  I will continue to work on the ones that aren't Christmas themed for the next few days.  I think anything Christmas will go back into the container of fabrics and get pulled out again in November - only 11 months away!  I did reduce the number of small projects and I made a good effort at getting the new ones for 2024 completed.  There are a few embroidery projects that are snowflake themed that will be good for January.

Some baking got done and made a few plates of treats for friends and neighbours. 

The highlight of this week was a friendly deer came to munch on kale and flowers while I was sewing. 

We are in the midst of radiation treatments for my husband - 30 of them on skin cancer that is in the joint of his hand where thumb meets first finger and not sure it is has gone into the bone.  Surgery was not an option because of ligaments, tendons, and nerves so radiation was the choice for treatment.  And we are also waiting for surgery to stent his arteries leading to his kidneys as well as his femoral arteries in his legs.  When those are done, we are hoping he can walk without pain and that the improved circulation will also improve the quality of his life?  

While we are missing AZ sunshine and warmth, we are appreciative that his surgeries will happen within the next few months and some skin cancers will also be taken care of.  

Hoping you all had a lovely, calm and happy time at Christmas and that the New Year will bring lots of time for quilting!  For me, this is going to be a year of making an effort to use up some fabrics, sew quilts from my scraps and generally reduce my stash?  More sewing and less shopping.  

The end of the first week of December.

 I have been busy but not a lot to show for it ... yet!  My goal for December was to focus on the projects and kits as well as fabric that either relate to Christmas or were in mystery and Advent boxes from various quilt shops over the last few years.  Always the best of intentions but some of these kits and their contents got mixed up and I wasn't sure what went with which patterns etc.  

It was a shambles of projects and I dug them ALL out of their hiding spots.  I had started off in November making a lot of pillowcases from Christmas fabric and that allowed me to get all my fabrics with a winter or Xmas theme all crammed into one container.  That felt good to know that fabric wasn't scattered in a variety of places. 

There was a quilt I finished and got bound for Quilts of Valour.  These blocks came from Marge and I put them together, quilted, bound and labeled the quilt.  

And two more fun pillowcases made - the fabric was free on our give and take table at guild.  I couldn't resist.  I did donate them to a friend's church Christmas bazaar and have been too busy with knee injections for arthritis and excisions for my husband's skin cancer to get to a Wednesday Diva meeting to hear if they sold.

I started off making some super simple mug rugs from one of the kits on hand.  They came with the fusible batting (very stiff, like Timtex) and I chose the fabrics to use. I have no idea if there was fabric that came with the pattern but I wasn't going to ponder all my supplies wondering?  This was the start of my first one and there was stitch ripping involved.  After learning my lesson the hard way, the rest went a little more smoothly.

I also finished two quick preemie quilts that came from our guild meeting in November... kits with fabric already cut so I sat and stitched and got them finished with the labels and binding. 

We are still entertaining raccoons at night and we patiently go out and turn all the sod over so it is grass side up, stomp on it and try to flatten, and this activity has become something we do two or three time a week.  At some point, the grubs must be all eaten up?   But annoying and frustrating although we are one of many front yards that look like this in our subdivision.  

Christmas light were put up with many thanks to our much younger neighbor (he is half my husband's age) and he did the main string that needed a ladder.  I did around the garage doors and all the other extra bits.  The first string he put up, and we turned on the lights after he was finished, did not work but no one can see that from the road.  We are thankful for those that help their elderly friends.  I love that he put lights on the bushes close to the road. We usually wrap that tree in lights but didn't need to when I saw what he had done.  Don't you wonder whose brilliant idea it was to plant a tree in front of our driveway when the subdivision was planned?

We have had some beautiful sunsets and lovely sunny weather for an entire week... great way to start December!

One of my clean up jobs while decorating the house was to get rid of all our wax  candles.  There was  time when we were younger, that we burned candles all the time and we entertained a lot and always had them on the table and sideboard.  But, another sign of aging plus I discovered battery operated and rechargeable candles and many can be programmed to come on at 4 and go off at 10pm.  I love that!  The thrift shop got a huge delivery from me as I reduced my decor items by enough to fill my SUV.  Hopefully, easier to put away and get out next year? 

My Thanksgiving cactus is very happy and was sad that I had to move it for the Christmas tree.... but look at those blooms!  I think it loves the location with light coming from two windows. 

Adding to our raccoons digging up the lawn, apparently, we also had something the size of a bear or coyote... strong enough to lift our compost bin and pull the deep screws out that held it on the ground.  That bin has been there for 14 years and this was a first. 

And the decorating began... but, I haven't taken pictures yet!  However, I am finished with as much as I plan to do. 

The tree is set up and decorated but, my tree skirt from 30 years ago, a really sweet Dick and Jane themed one, is far too large for this tree and the space so that was one of my first December projects.  I dug out some vintage fabrics and kept my idea simple with some strip piecing and then cutting 60º triangles.  I also found a bolt of green solid fabric which worked great for the back.  I used a pillowcase method rather than binding and did a lot of top stitching to keep all in place.

It fits perfectly. 

When you are a senior, the small things seem to keep you watching the activity on the street.  We have a huge issue with people speeding by our homes... we are a through street to the subdivision next to us and most of the homes have renters which means more cars as there is no bus stop close to us and there is more construction happening east of us so people tend to drive far too fast on their way to and from.  We now have traffic calming bumps... ha ha... they used to be called speed bumps.  

More mug rugs waiting to be stitched.

This is a Missouri star project that was in their Advent box last year and it included the pattern and the charm pack.  I don't usually like these small half square triangles but, was determined to get this done and now, it sits on my design wall because - do I make a table runner or 3 table toppers?   I can't decide but at least the picky piecing is finished.

I chuckled a short time ago when I was upstairs having lunch and my husband wanted to know what I am doing downstairs?  I explained that I have many projects from the 1990's as well as the last 23 years and was either making things or getting projects ready to donate, thrift, give away etc.  One of the first ones I have started is this set of gingerbread hot mats or pot holders.  I have the fabrics cut and just need to get the gingerbread stitched down and then can proceed with finishing them. I can't remember what project box this was in but am sure it was from 2023. It was a good thing that I had put all the fabrics and the rest of the parts all together so I didn't have figure out what to use to make them.

 

This picture is a bit confusing but it is all the kits and projects that I have pulled out but haven't started to make.  Not all of them are Christmas but are all waiting to be dealt with. 

This bin of blue fat quarters will become a quilt of Valour using the blocks I call Carolyn's block and uses the entire fat quarter with minimal waste.  This will be a January project but ready to get started. 

I

I have this ready to stitch... another mug rug and it is actually from a 2024 Advent box!!  Super simple and while I am making mug rugs, figured I would include this one.  It isn't Christmas themed but it will be done shortly.

A table runner kit from last year and I remember it was from Cherry Tree Quilts in Summerland and was in their Christmas box.  I debated about making it but decided finished was better than a kit so it needs the outer border, which is cut, and then I will layer, quilt and bind it.  Kind of funky Christmas fabrics that someone might like?

You can't see this but, all the leftovers from my tree skirt got cut into rectangles to make placemats for meals on wheels and they are ready to be stitched, turned, and top stitched.  I need these done for Tuesday's guild meeting. 

I had a crazy, ancient panel that I had no idea what to do with... and it was winter themed.  I cut it up and decided placemats, again, for Meals on Wheels would be perfect.  I have six of them and I think I will keep two for us.  They will be good in January in winter weather. 

Two mug rugs made from the leftovers from the above table runner.  These mug rugs are fun because you can actually insert the bottom of a wine glass in them and carry the rug around with your glass.  Also, a great way to identify your glass in a crowd of people.

 These are two table toppers... more well aged funky fabrics and I decided to cut up the panel and make two projects.  They are folk art and who knows, someone might just like them?

So, here I am, drinking my tea, sewing all these projects and hoping to get some finished soon.  It is a slow process because you need to read the pattern, do all the cutting, pressing etc and then finally, you get to sit at your sewing machine and do some stitching but nothing happens quickly.  

That bin of projects is calling my name and I really want to reduce it but, to add to all of this, I have a few Advent boxes that I signed up for this year and they contain projects to make.  My rule is, if it is Christmas related, then get it done... otherwise, I can carry on in January on the rest of them.  If I want to buy another advent box for December 2025 then I am telling myself that the current projects need to be gone... either finished or donated.  

I hope you are all busy working on Christmas - a fun way to be in the season of making and giving.