the 12 days of Christmas

Cross stitch tree skirt

Karen over at Log Cabin Quilter commented on my post from Christmas Eve that she couldn't see the tree skirt  under my tree very well.  In an email I said I'd take some pictures so while undecorating I did just  that.
This is one of my favorite things to get out each year and with each year it just gets more special to me.

The pattern is from Cross Stitch and Country Crafts Magazine issue (are you ready) Mar/Apr 1989! 

I didn't mark a date anywhere on the skirt but I remember working on each 'day' diligently.  If I had to guess, I would say it was under the tree for Christmas '91. With three little kids, I can't imagine that I could have stitched all twelve designs and completed the skirt in time for Christmas 1990.
 The original pattern had red ribbon bows made from 1/4 inch red satin ribbon.

this picture is from the original magazine!

 I did put the bows on but removed them maybe 10 years ago...just got tired of them and they were always flipping the wrong way.  I actually forgot I had them on until I found the picture above online!

This was a 'colonial' version. So instead of partridge, there is a Ruffed grouse, which is Pennsylvania's state bird, by the way. 

 My dad used to hunt them, they were plentiful here in the 60's.  My husband hunted them as well and our first dog, Clancey, an english setter was an amazing grouse dog.  She always pointed them out, but the guys didn't always make the shot and she'd slowly turn her head around and look at them as if to say "I did all that work to find it and you missed?"

a country hen in place of a french hen and the pipers, lords, ladies and drummers are dressed in colonial clothes and colors too.

I was a very seasoned cross-stitcher at this time but didn't take my first quilting class until the late summer/fall of '89 (I only know that because Meghan was two and we had just moved into our house and the class was close to were we had just moved from and quite a trip for me to make).  funny the things we remember....

 I sweated bullets putting this together.  I was so afraid I would ruin one of the cross stitch pieces. 

 Each one of them was really their own little project.

The gathering on the ruffles is not very good-I was literally learning as I went

 and I used to think that one day I would take them apart and redo them

but now I've come to love them

the only bad thing is that since the design is circular

days 1-2 and 11-12 

are always at the back of the tree

and the only one who sees them close up 

is Mr Otis.  He likes to sleep under the tree in the back after the presents are gone.

January 6th...my but the year is flying!

I un-decorated the house yesterday.  yea me.
And as I was un-decorating I was also purging! yea me again. 

I spent several days helping the oldest son get his papers in order and organized-filing, shredding 10+ years of stuff.  It was overwhelming to him and right up my OCD alley!!  Of course, it put me into an organizing mood that I need to ride for as long as it lasts.  I bought this book  (50% off coupon at JoAnn's-woot)

and read through it mostly to be sure I was going about Paul-m's re-organization the best way but I also learned some new things for our house.  

So that's what's going on here.   

I finally loaded the first customer quilt for 2014 and started working on it.  It felt good.
I also pieced a few more of these blocks together.

I was bummed when I didn't get all my 2013 goals finished.  It wasn't that big of a list and I only made and finished 28 new projects in '13.  

(as opposed to the 53 in '12).
(I know, if I stopped making new things, I'd get the UFO's done.)
It's really hard to to that though, as you all know!! And even as I write this I'm thinking about how I can't wait to make another one of these.
(somebody smack me!)

I did make a goal list for 2014; just a continuation of the '13 stuff. But of course that's not all...so although these aren't on the official goal list:

~I really enjoyed making fabrics from scraps "slabs" or "made fabric" (depending on who's book your reading) and hope to do a lot more of that this year. I did get all my scraps sorted and in bags and all the bags are inside one big bag.
Neat and tidy.
So making some of my own fabric slabs and then see what becomes of them is definitely a goal for me.

 ~I seriously need to let go of some more quilts this year.  I do have a few ideas about how to go about this but to make them work will require a couple big chunks of time, which after my house is re-organized should be easy-peasy.
(hah-ha that was funny.)

*******

Oh and my granddaughter is a month old already.
And she is still so perfect and precious and well, you know it's just amazing and um...all you gramma/grandma's/mimi's (that's me) understand!

life is good.

stay warm.

  

Merry Christmas

and a Happy New Year!

This is Bev's quilt.  The top was hand pieced by her mother.  I quilted wonky feathers all over it and bound it too.  This is definitely a make-do quilt as while  quilting it I noticed that a few of the background hexi's are made from a corduroy fabric and a couple of the flower one's are pieced together.  

*******

Besides checking FB to get the newest pictures of my granddaughter, which is a new computer obsession!  

And I quite don't get why they aren't posting new ones daily if not a few times a day....I kid, I kid....(sigh)

I've made a couple more Christmas pillows.

A couple are gifts.  The peace one I thought up all by myself  and since the size isn't standard I even made a pillow form from leftover batting stuffed with fiberfil for it.

I have one more Joy to finish-putting binding on it.  I did start another pillow pattern but can't find the  link right now. It's scrappy, flying geese.

*******

Paul and I celebrated another anniversary.

They just keep piling up-haha

yup, thirty-two years of wedded bliss.

buwahahahahahaa  (wink)

life is good.

precious blessing

Joanna

 our granddaughter

Everyone told us...but now we know....

there is nothing like this feeling...

"my cup runneth over"

Life is Good!

Quilting joy

or
 quilting  "Joy"

pillows...

a few more before the 25th...

(Joy is my version of this and this.)

Life is good.

So much happening here!

The baby shower is over!  It was a great success. Over 50 friends and family came and showered Jenn!  

It was a lovely day.

Even the dad to be (my son, John) sporting his "baby beard" received something!

A Daddy's diaper changing survival kit!  

Hilarious!! 

If he's anything like his father; it will come in very handy!!

We got our first measurable snow.  One of the maples hadn't even finished dropping it's leaves yet! They're all gone now and so is the snow. It sure was pretty.

My design wall with more progress on Metro Hoops.  I only have eight more hoops to make!  I haven't sewn the 4 squares together that make one block yet since I have a few blocks that don't have matching hoops.  Not sure how much that would even matter but thought I would just wait until they're all pieced and decide if I can keep them the way they are or if I should mix them all up.

I just finished quilting this top.  It was pieced, by hand, a long time ago by the mother or grandmother (I can't remember) of one of my co-workers.  She inherited the top and promised it to her daughter when she got married.  Well the daughter's been married for years now!  

I did an all over of wonky feathers on it.  

Love the fabrics. 

It's definitely a scrap quilt as even some of the hexagon patches are pieced!  A few of the background hexi's are a very thin corduroy type fabric!  Cool.

I'll be excited to get it done and back to her.  She gave it to me with no pressure to get it done.  This is the co-worker who had a stroke during the summer.  She's doing very well and I know getting this will just be another positive for her.

Almost makes me want to make one, but not quite.  :)