" Quilting my square in a square challenge quilt for the #projectquilting challenge http://www.persimondreams.com/2013/01/project-quilting-season-4-challenge-1-a-square-in-a-squarein-a-square.html "
Im sorry that this sat has sat empty all week. I am trying to learn to blog on my iPad Having trouble grabbing pictures from Flickr. If any one has any ideas or help let me know. So I am the Christmas stocking maker in the family. Every one in my immediate family has one. I made one for the new dog-in-law Smitty before Christmas.
The squirrel is an ornament I made for the squirrel chasing Smitty. Here are some of the other ones I have made over the years. Notice the men have the largest ones. Go figure! This is my parents cats stocking
My Dad's
Grandpa Jack's
Mom's
And mine.
Ive made ones fro my late grandmother and my sister and her husband too. As well as my late cat Opus, my current cat Kalli, and my sister's cat Zoe. I love to experiment and make each one different.
Maybe I should have made them bigger! keep dreaming...Colleen
Kalli-cat stalking my button trees. I made a couple of dozen. They were addictive!
Anyone who knows me will tell you I am a sentimental and traditional girl. I love my Christmas trees because the ornaments have been collected or made by me or for me since I was a baby.
I love the vintage ornaments that came from my dad when he was a boy. I have homemade ones I made as a child, quilted, and handmade.
This year I made a couple squirrels,
and a bunch of these button trees.
I love my bubble lights!
After Mom and Dad and took Grandpa Jack back to PA
we spent two days shopping and antiquing in Lancaster and near Elizabethtown. I found some sweet little ornaments and vintage Christmas stuff at an old theater turned antique mall in the river town of Columbia.
First is these two ornaments.
The little Nativity is made of Olive wood from Bethlehem(at least that's what the tag said). I always try to find the little plastic Nativity's you can hang on the tree but no luck this trip. The other is a wooden carousel of angels. I have to put on a new ribbon, but it will spin when hanging. I have them laying on a vintage table cloth. I Love vintage textiles. I was luck to find TWO in mint condition, no stains and they were $8
( the lace was added and I may remove it)
and $6!!
Usually these run $20-$30 or more and they have stains or discoloration. They will look great with my vintage aprons of the same era.
The last find at this antique mall was this neat music box. It has special effects and a plastic tree and little plastic people. The special effects involve a fine artificial snow that falls as the tree turns to the music of silent night. I had to preform a little surgery as the plastic tube had become separated at the bottom. The tree turns from a rod attached at the bottom to the music box and at the top to a fan
that pushes the snow throgh the holes as it turns. But I fixed it! Here is a little video of its action!
What was so cool about our trip was the snow that seemed to be ending came hard and fast!
in 45 minutes everything including the recently cleaned streets were covered!!
I love my tree! Oh I also acquired some odds and ends of plastic Christmas ornaments from my mother.
She is cleaning out. I have a collage type decoration in mind but need some more. Future project! She also has two red clear plastic bead garlands.
I almost forgot! We stopped at one last antique/fleamarket in an old barn. Outside was on of those large plastic Noel candles, I have always wanted one.
She quoted me $5! Inside I found the 1971 made in the USA Santa! Yeah! Been top on my Christmas wish list for at least a decade or more. But they are hard to find with out the foreign looking face. She wanted $10 for Santa and threw the candle in!
Well we traveled back to NC from PA. It was a long drive and I am tired. Actually it has been a long couple of weeks without stopping or any real down time. So as I sit here in front of my new electric heater with real-like fire and a cup of hot chocolate,
I pause to reflect on the majority of my projects completed this year.
pin cushions, ring bearers pillows, sewing kits, stockings, and Kalli-cat!
And then all of the UFOs I would like to complete this year. My 2013 resolution is to try and complete 3 UFO quilt tops a month. I would also like to quilt at least one a month.
BOMs, swap blocks, Carrie over at A Passion for Applique is sponsoring a nothing but UFOs in 2013. Pick three to work on each month. Link up today!
My three are:
1. Some of these are my 90s blocks. Ive already pieced the top and back for the 1993 Christmas 9 patches.
Using a great vintage poinsettia tablecloth-really yards of hemmed fabric I found at an estate sale.
I want to get it basted and quilted.
2. Finish quilting/binding 4th of July table runner
3. Put together another nine patch top
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Well have a happy and safe New Year!
keep dreaming...Colleen
would love to have this in my studio to store scraps
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