My Favorite Week of the Year!

     Between Christmas and New Year's is always my favorite week of the year! All the hustle and bustle is over and it's time to relax and enjoy the holidays. New Year's Eve is always low key for us (read: I might even be in bed asleep to celebrate it) and no next day dinner is planned. So I'm having the time of my life and doing whatever I want! I did decide to just take a break for an hour to write and let you know how my gift giving went in case you are on the edge of your seat after my last post.

So here's a quick run down of the Crunch Time list!

1) Chicken Quilt-- I wasn't able to get the starry borders on, so it was gifted as it was on the last post. The reaction? I'm not really sure! My son went all out buying fabulous, well thought out gifts for everyone in the family-- he gave me an "Aerogarden" which is a cute little kitchen garden with a light-- I loved it! So I think he was just so excited to be a GIVER, not a RECEIVER this year? The floral fabrics may have thrown him a bit-- and he was also disappointed to not take it home. So I think I need to rethink my strategy of "flimsies" as gifts. I am now going to throw it on the longarm and quilt it with abandon-- what better practice piece than one that went together this fast?

The Matchbox display got a little more enthusiasm-- it really came out nice, even without sexy muscle cars.

2) The QOV binding was finished on time-- also the label was installed on the back-- I had to sneak back Christmas night and do the monogram. 

   So this was very well received, but I want it to be USED, and I'm not sure it's gonna be too special and end up in a drawer-- people want SOFT minky blankets these days? This is one of the conversations I always have with my friends-- what happens to a quilt after being gifted is totally out of your hands!

I did get two of these cuties totally finished and gifted-- they were really loved! I'd like to make a set of three FOR MYSELF-- the snow globe, a gingerbread man, and a snowman that are all in the Lori Holt Christmas book, but I have so many other projects in my head I don't think this will happen. Most of my Christmas pillows are starting to look a bit weary, but they'll have to do for another year!

    Here is the secret hoodie-- I usually keep this part of my life private, but every Wednesday, for years, I treat myself to a guitar lesson! Yes, all I ever really wanted to be was a rock star. So this "kid" (read: "man", but he's a lot younger than me!) has patiently worked with me all these years, and I have made a little progress. 

    

Of course, we have gotten to know each other-- his mom actually quilts-- and he requested a San Francisco Stitch shirt--LOL! A real rock star asked for my logo! So I was so proud of  getting this centered on the shirt ( it made me realize how little I have embroidered "items" lately-- it's all been just on fabric) THAT I FORGOT TO MOVE IT UP, so it's sort of low on the shirt! In addition, the fit wasn't the best- the men in my family are just not this tall. Nevertheless, this was most graciously received... I'm planning a redo and looking for a longer shirt-- this time, we try the shirt on first!

Then I made a skate bag for my daughter's coach-- she's like mom and is treating herself to a lesson each week. It's good to do something besides work once a week! I'm not ashamed to admit I occasionally buy from embroidery library if it's something I'm not interested to digitize myself-- and why would I? This design is really beautiful and thankfully embroidered in the right place--haha!

If you, as a new embroiderer, are ever afraid of putting a hole in something, buy one of these L.L. Bean bags-- you will NEVER be able to destroy it!

So that's the rundown-- my takeaways? FINISHED gifts, next year please! I also think I'll stick to just smaller items than big quilts-- you really need to know what someone wants before investing the time and money in that.

    I'd love to hear about your sewn gifts-- hits and misses!  Christmas would really be the best time to have an embroidery machine, if it weren't a fact that having one is really a gift every day of the year.

xox

Carol