Sam's Quilt

Only a couple days left to Christmas! Are you ready? I am just about ready...I still have 2 things to finish (one for Emma and one for Ethan), but other than that my planned holiday sewing is all finished. We get the kids 3 presents for Christmas (Jesus got 3 so ours do too) I like one to be handmade, one big fancy from Santa and one from Stu and I. My kids have SO MUCH stuff, they just do not need more. We are grateful to be so blessed. I want the kids to focus more on the reason we are celebrating Christmas (The birth of Christ) instead of all the presents they can get. Does that make sense? Sometimes I just can't explain it well and end up sounding like a Scrooge.


So let me show you some craftiness from this week....First and foremost I finished Sam's Quilt. I have been working on this one for almost a year and a half (I think). What took so darn long? The hand quilting! Holy Cow! My hat is off to you hand quilters out there. I really wanted to do one completely hand quilted quilt in my life....this one is not it, I will have to do another someday ;o) I guess the thought of hand quilting in the white background places was too daunting for me, so I broke down and just did my swirls on it. I really am quite thrilled with how it turned out. I had to take it off Sam's bed to wrap it up. Oh and an interesting note on this quilt...it has NO military uniform at all. I was going to put a little bit in the binding, but I forgot. I think this is the only one in about 2 years without some tiny scrap of uniform in it.

The ingredients of this quilt are ;

Heather Ross (gnomes, gold fish and dancing critters), 1974 (Urban Chicks), shot cotton, some Awesome solids that Tokyo Mama bought for me in Japan, some Flea Market Fancy by Denyse Schmidt, some newsprint, and the back is by Heather Bailey. I used a thick black cotton thread to quilt it with and the batting is a Quilters Dream Cotton in Request loft ( the thinnest loft). What else is on note on this quilt....Oh, I embroidered Sam's name on it.

I am working on a give away (some pillows made with Shade Garden fabric by Michelle Engel Bencsko) I was going to do a small quilt, but I just didn't have the time or enough fabric left over from the BIG quilt I made for her.

I made my nephew a Monster Doll. I think he is as cute as a button, but my kids think he may be too scary (but I think it is because they want him to stay here). And the birdie ornaments were a smashing success at Ethan's Kindergarten Holiday party. Those little kiddos stuffed 21 birds and chattered the whole time.

Emma and I had a fantastic time at the Ballet. Overall it was a fantastic week. I hope yours was as wonderful and may your next week be even better!

xo,

Tia