Christmas tree skirts

This is the latest project to come off the long-arm. This one is heavily quilted but due to the dull day it isn't showing up. So, since I was using up bits of thread left in bobbins you can see the quilting in some of the back. I love the heart quilt pattern but it takes a lot of time so the second one got the words to Silent Night and O Come All Ye Faithful quilted on it. I figure you'll never even see the skirts, let alone the back side.

After quilting and cutting them out it took 35 minutes and 2 packs of bias tape to make each one.

The fabric is evil...I paid .25 a yard for it 4 years ago. Last year I did a pantograph on the same stuff and washed it; it faded very badly and shrank, but it still made an all right tree skirt.

Orange Candy

My daughter sent me a link to this fabulous candy. But I have a problem; I followed the recipe and used 3 oranges and I SHOULD have used at least 10! Very good; at least the adults like it. So it's a keeper; if you try to make it increase the oranges but the liquid doesn't need to be increased.

So how many of these should be dipped in chocolate?

What would you do with the left over sugar and orange syrup?

• I brought to a boil thinking it should be thicker...but turned it off immediately it is still very thick.
• We're going to try it with pancakes,
• tonight though we tried it on cornbread...delicious!
• Would it work with club soda?

Inquiring minds want to know.

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My books

I started this project before Christmas last year, using ALL wool found at thrift stores and then felted. I committed to making a book a year for each grandchild for Christmas...but only until they are 14. Each year they get a tiny book, with 8-12 pages, that has one letter on it that they or Mom is to write a brief record of the year in. Include a picture if they want. Melissa wanted all of them, which is a good idea then I don't have to keep track of which letter to send Austin. The plan is to get all of them done ahead but I failed....The top row goes: Liz, Landon, Carter, Tyler and James. (Liz begged for one for herself for each year she is married...sorry no one else begged; the other 2 had also been married longer so it would be harder to go back journal wise to get up to date.) I blogged about it last year and Saturday.

The embroidery got a little fancier this year (notice the top row capitol C) so if Melissa doesn't write a name in the books she gets this year she can intersperse the fancier ones with the plain ones for her next kid.

Drum roll please

This is my little sister's first quilt! Nice job, Lynn. I waited to quilt this until after my classes at Quilt Festival and then it had to be fitted around customers quilts. Since it was so busy I felt comfortable trying some new things...the mistakes wouldn't show as much. I treated it as a series of borders; the only true border got peacock eyes, then feather flurries, then crosshatching, contouring and the center 8 blocks is feathered hearts. Lots of quilting.

I rolled the quilt along quilting and the quilt ended 1/4 inch before the end of the back! A little to close for comfort.

Makes me want to get mine made....not this year.

projects

I'm nuts. I counted the number of books I need to make to finish this project that I started last year. 4 grand kids times 14 (1 for each letter of Merry Christmas) = 56. Landon will be born next week, we hope, and that will make it 70. If my children do as well as my parents' did I could have 24 grand children, then I'll get to make 336 of these guys! I'm on my way and should finish this years batch by Monday. I timed one of them 40 minutes if I have all the stuff at my fingertips and do NO clean up, so I figure an hour each.

I also FINISHED a quilt since the camera is at camp with the Scoutmaster I have to wait for the photo. It's my sister's quilt that is similar to this one that we both started last year:

Mine hasn't progressed past this point.

Nativity

I have many nativities but this year I only got one out; my favorite was a gift, in the raw cut out of wood form, from my sister. I painted it. The quilts are actually in a drawer under the figures.

I like to have a nativity very close to the front door so everyone will get a glimpse of what we believe when entering. This year I just moved my needlepoint nativity there since I have glitz on Grandma's sewing machine.

Oops, the blocks got knocked over and buried but they need to be moved to a less glitzy spot anyway.

This is the before picture.

firsts

The first time someone used a picture on their blog from my blog, with my permission. Go over to Barbara Jean's blog and check it out. I'll still add some beads to my cage if I happen to see some really cheap.