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. 

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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. 

Wow... already mid November

 My timeline for this month got messed up just like last month.  Twenty three completed quilts headed to Comox on Vancouver Island for Quilts of Valour.  Some were made by me, others by Vernon and Fraser Valley quilters.  Hopefully, in the next few weeks, many of the requests for wrapping an injured Canadian forces member will be fulfilled and these deserving military will be wrapped in a fabric hug. 

One of my presenters in Kamloops is in need of more quilts ... and the cupboard was empty.  However, my quilting friends came through and I finished up a few of the tops they gave me and I found some suitable quilts in my stash so I will have 8 quilts for delivery.  

So... the entire month so far has been stitching, quilting, labeling and binding for Quilts of Valour along with some other projects destined for a church bazaar that a good quilting friend is working with.  This Christmas quilt was given to me as a top a few years ago and I decided to finish it and donate it to the church bazaar.  If it doesn't sell, then it will be given to a family that the church members feel is in need of a quilted hug. 

Another friend gave me these blocks she made at her recent quilt retreat and I put them together.  I have since quilted and bound it and picture to follow later. 

This quilt was my nemesis  The blocks were given to me, each in a kit form from a special QOV provincial plan by QOV.  These blocks came from Alberta shops and someone donated to our guild and the We Care committee donated them to me.  For the last couple of years, I have been handing them out to my various quilting friends (thank you Carol and Wednesday Quilt Divas) to make and they all got finished.  I kept staring at it trying to figure out how to assemble and I finally did it with a little bad language and some seam ripping. 

I pulled out ALL my Christmas fabric and I had so much!!  The decision was made to make some Christmas pillowcases because they use 27" of fabric and I went through and pulled out all that was width of fabric and good for the body, the accent strip and the cuff.  In the end, all of my fabric from various storage places now fits into one container. 

I was stitching down the accent strip and was happy to realized that machine has an open arm when I remove the table. That made it a lot easier! 

I ended up with 14 pillowcases finished.  My intention was to give some to a guild Christmas table at a local bazaar but they decided to not do that so they have gone to the friend for her church bazaar.  If there are leftover pillowcases, I think that they would be perfect for Canuck Place... hospice for sick kids. 

Sadly, we have a problem in our front yard.  The raccoons are digging up the grass looking for the grubs laid by the Chafer beetle (an European invasive species) and they make a mess.  We tidied it as best as we could and after researching, found out that nothing can be done until spring when nematodes or chemicals can be used (or, beetle resistant grass planted) so we live with an ugly looking lawn.  I did sprinkle hot chili peppers (ground up) all over which worked for a few weeks and then they returned to the smorgasbord of treats. 

Halloween was fun for decorating the front porch but sadly only 3 trick or treaters.  I guess the little kids have all grown up!  At least it wasn't a rainy evening for those out knocking on doors.

Christmas  cake production got underway with lining the cake pans, soaking the fruit in brandy and then making the cakes.

They went into the oven with me writing down the times that each one would be finished.  This is a Christmas task that I do every few years.  Some of the cakes will end up in the freezer for next year and possibly the year after.

In the meantime, they are well soaked in brandy and wrapped tightly in saran wrap and aluminum foil and then in ziploc bags.  My mum would have put them into her various size cake tins but I have donated mine to the local thrift store. 

Remembrance Day on November 11 had me getting a picture of my Uncle Harold, my dad's older brother, and I remember growing up with this picture at my Grandparent's house.  He never came home from the war and so none of us ever met him.  But he certainly was never forgotten in our family.  There are only two of us left... my sister and I, and we do take time every year to think of him. 

The quilts that I have finished so far this month are the following.  A scrappy block made by Marge and I quilted and bound it.  She included the binding to finish it off nicely.

A panel made by Janet that I added another border to and then quilted and bound so it is ready for  a presentation

This is the various blocks I assembled, put together, quilted and bound and also ready for presentation to an injured Canadian military member.  Love that moose block!!

I was asked to finish a Legacy quilt.  This quilt was started with hand quilting by a woman who sadly died and the quilt needed finishing.  We didn't have the option of hand quilting as we wanted to give this to her husband who so generously donated her entire sewing room to three different guilds and there was a lot of fabric.  I showed the unfinished quilt to my Wednesday group and it was decided that I should do a simple stipple in the green border and part of the red to finish it and support the hand quilting, not detract from it.  She had made the backing large enough for self binding and the entire quilt and binding was basted thoroughly with super fine thread.  So, I stitched down the binding on the machine as my hands won't let me do that much hand stitching. 

The plan it to deliver it to her husband after a label is attached and he will have it in plenty of time to have on his bed at Christmas. 

A fun time at our Saturday sew in.  We celebrated the 80th birthday of one of our guild members so a nice group showed up to sing Happy Birthday.  I took a lot of kits that I had cut with me and came home with the first step done in each of them.  They are now pressed and subcut and ready for the next step at December's sew in. 

And guess who came back for another grub party?  More lawn torn up.  What a mucky mess. 

I was showing our traditional guild how I store my scraps of fabric.  I always sort by colour where possible and have fabric buckets made for storing them.  Easy to grab and use and then shove them all back in and put on the shelf.  Any of the larger pieces, fat quarter size, or width of fabric, go into Art bins or into clear shoe boxes with lids so it is easy to see what is inside.  Some are so full, I can barely close them! 

Now, third week of the month, time to resume my regularly scheduled plan for what to accomplish.  I have my QOV presenter coming this week to pick up quilts and I have them ready for him!   And, I have done a good cleaning and organizing of my space, just in time to make it messy again.