Getting close to New Year

In this part of the world and I'm sure in others, the New Year must be met with a clean house.  All the old rubbish is thrown out, cupboards cleaned, floors scrubbed well you know the rest.   The next two days here will be dust bunny blitz time and I may be too tired to blog so I'll let you know what I've been up to.

Boxing Day I finished the Stitch In with 11 tray cloths for the local hospice made from my 1960's cotton curtain fabric.   I first made a cardboard template from one of the old clothes, drew round it on the back of the curtaining and set off to sew.

I had to tape several sheets of card to make the template as I didn't have one piece big enough to cut it from.

And this is the finished result, 11 1960's style tray cloths/placemats

I forgot to show you my swish lighthbox and new rotary sharpener both of which I'm really pleased with.

And last but not least this is what I've been doing this afternoon.  I followed this tutorial on the SewWeQuilt blog.  I've made two but only have one left as Sy has taken one for Julie.

I'll try and pop in again before 2012 but if I get lost in the dust or thrown out with the rubbish have a prosperous and creative New Year.

I'm spending Boxing Day Sewing

I saw on the net that a Boxing Day Sew In was being held here naturally I didn't see it until after lunch today but I'm still going to do a BDSI.   A few weeks ago I offered to help a friend make tray cloths for the local hospice.  They are three layers thick, no wadding just fabric, but must be washable.  This is one of the hospice old worn ones.   EG members made 20 Christmas themed ones but they need at least another 20 everyday ones.  They are to put on the food trays of those patience too ill to go to the dining room.

One day last month an old friend rang me and said she had a bin bag full of new cotton fabrics and did I want them for patchwork.  I thanked her and went to pick them up.  This is one of the furnishing fabrics in the stash.  All are rather dated patterns I'm afraid but I've made several shopping bags for charity out of them until this is all that is left.

 These will be the tray cloths for the local hospice and my task for today's BDSI.  Hope you approve.

Cut out, about to be ironed and sewn together.  It's a rather straight forward job but it will give me the added opportunity to listen to one of my audio books.

Hope Santa was kind to you all, he brought me a very swish light box, one of the new rotary cutter boards, lots of cutting dies to play with and some lovely warm pj's from dh with hearts on them.

Last two Christmas postcards

Snow is Falling from Pauline



Angels Sing from Jane

 These are the last two postcards from the Christmas Song BQLPC swap now all I have to do is work out some way of displaying them all together.   I love the snowflakes on Pauline's card and the linen background on Jane's embroidered angel.  I'm sure if I tried to fringe linen I'd end up taking so much off that the angel would be clinging to the background for grim death.;

Well I'm almost ready for Christmas, last present is wrapped, last bauble beaded and last card posted.  All I have to do now is clear up the mess and then sit back and eat the chocolates and drink the wine.  Not too bad an idea is it.

Merry Christmas to everyone luv Annette

More Christmas Cheer

Good news - some Christmas Angel picked up my postcards and posted them for me, three have found their way to new homes.  A big bedraggled and looking as though they've been travelling the world but safe and sound.  Thank you Christmas Angel.

More Christmas cheer came in the form of three more postcards, Lois's 'Shepherd and his flock' wandered onto my doormat, Jacquie's 'Ding Dong Merrily on High' bells arrived peeling and Barbara's Rudolph has lit up my life.

I've been busy making lots of beaded baubles and still have some more to go before Christmas Day.

So far I've made two each of the large ones and nine of the small blue ones all in different colours.  I dream of beads.....

Christmas postcards

I've received four beautiful postcards from the BQLPC group whose theme this year was "Christmas song or carol".

From Alice "It was on a Starry Night"



From Janet "The Holly and the Ivy"




From Carole "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas"



This one is from Irene "Sew This is Christmas" her pun not mine, I just love the bit of tinsel.

Now for a confession - I've lost my Christmas postcards but I do have a picture of them.

Mine are based on the "Twelve Days of Christmas".  I had them all ready to go, stamped, just to pop into the postbox.   I decided to take them down to the main sorting office as I had a parcel to pick up.  I had them when I left home, I had them in the car but I didn't have them when I got to the sorting office.  We had had difficulting getting into the parking area at the sorting office, there was a log jam of cars all wanting to get into the same small area so Keith decided to drop me off and waiting a short distance away.   I don't know if I dropped them getting out of the car in the confusion of the moment but I went back to see if I had dropped them but there were no where to be seen.  There aren't in the car and they are certainly not at home.  I just hope someone kind picks them up and pops them in the post for me.  Failing that I'll have to redo them all again.

Ah well that's all for now folks, back to the bauble making which I'll show you shortly.