Secret Santa

As most people who read me regularly know, I am a member of the Brit Bee. This was the bee set up within days of Lynne setting up Brit Quilt. And this bee introduced me to some of the best quilting buddies I have. I am constantly pleased with myself for taking that leap of faith as I really didn't have a clue when I put my name down to join in.

Now those eleven strangers have become eleven great friends. One of those clever clogs decided that we should do a Secret Santa Exchange. This was one of those situations where you just couldn't lose. Not like those office Secret Santa exchanges where inevitably I got the Yardley's Lavender Soap or something equally intent on letting me know that people thought I was much older than I actually was!

This Secret Santa exchange couldn't go wrong - a hand made something or gift of fabric. Yup, just my sort of thing obviously. I happen to know that all twelve have now received their gifts so we are free to show what we received ourselves.

A lovely zippy pouch and two FQs to die for. And three two one no chocolates. Well, obviously there were chocolates. Not any more. You didn't expect anything different from me, the chocolate glutton, did you?

I love the orange and pink fabric used on the pouch. The blue denim one was my clue to who  my Secret Santa was. Because Miss January just sent through the fabric for the next bee blocks. She has requested that each block be sashed in exactly the same fabric. So thank you Miss January!

Check out the close ups of the FQs. Two mini madams in this house have their beady eyes on this fabric. I am hiding it. I am willing to share my chocolate (occasionally) but this fabric is mine, all mine!

I recognise this fabric, but couldn't tell  you its name.
I never remember stuff like that!

This one is apparently called All Rights Reserved.
Right, okay, I don't know what this one is either but I love that little yellow bird in the apple.

Both these fabrics lend themselves very nicely to being fussy cut and added to my Favourite Fabrics Quilt which will be commencing in the new year. It is just about at the top of my list. While my machine is tucked away for the holidays maybe I can have a browse through my fabric picking out and cutting various bits as a start. If I get the chance.

A huge thank you to my Secret Santa and I do hope that all the other Brit Bee ladies enjoyed what they received as well.

Susan

The Weather Outside is Frightful...

... the aromas inside delightful. Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain.

It is definitely feeling like Christmas here now for me. First clue was the 6:30am dash to the supermarket. I got a parking spot, I got my shopping and I got the hell out. Success!

And then I came home and the cookie fest began.

Rolling and cutting.

The girls got organising.

They delved into every cupboard and pulled out every sprinkle, etc.

And then the fun began.

Three generations getting sticky and silly.

I did the cake.

And we all worked on the gingerbread house together.
It is the first year we haven't used a pre-bought kit.
Making it stand up and stay stood up is not easy!

Some, not all, of the decorated cookies.
Happy, but exhausted, girls.

The house is still clean - other than the dining room floor which is now covered in sprinkles of all sorts. The sausage stuffing is made. As is the red cabbage for tomorrow nights dinner - a homage to himself's Scandinavian roots. The girls and the grandparents are now watching a Christmas dvd and I am trying to chisel hardened icing from the dining room table.

I do hope you are having as much fun as we are.

Susan

I Finished...

... the housework! It's a miracle. No, really it is. I live with pack rats extraordinaire! Nothing gets thrown out and everything gets left wherever they leave it. I gave up trying to stay on top of it all years ago because I would have had to sound like a mini dictator 24 hours a day and I am just not up to that.

But now my house looks nice, if I dare say it. It looks rather Christmasy. There are bits and pieces all over, courtesy of the girls decorating ability.

I have a dining room table now.
I shall try to ignore the no sewing space feeling of doom.
But doesn't my tablerunner look fantastic!

The coffee table is free of clutter,
looking smart with Kirsten's star on it.

Candles adorn the mantle,
albeit some a little wonky.

Christmas decorations wherever the girls could find a place.

And one scary snowman!
If you are at a loss with what to do with bored children then get yourself
One White Sport Sock
One Baby Sock
Assorted buttons and beads.
A small strip of fleece or felt.
You too could have one of these.
Try to control the excitement!

Susan

The Kindness of Others

Today the kindness of another person freed me up to jump forward on a couple of projects and I really, really appreciated it. The girls swimming coach, who is also becoming a friend, invited them to go to the swimming pool in Leamington Spa with her, her daughter and two other friends of the girls. They were thrilled, and so was I!

This meant that while they were home this morning I could crack on and make a cushion for my mother. I completed it, don't like it much and shall present it with an option of a remake. The design just does not work in reality the way it did in my head.

I used practically every last scrap of my Etchings fabric. I pieced it together, then sliced it and created a monster. The more I look at it the less I like it. I may have to rethink giving it as a present.

At least it didn't take me absolutely ages to make it so I am not too bothered about this creative lapse. Better luck with the next cushion, I am telling myself.

As soon as I was rid of the girls I set to working on the other quilt. And I broke all sorts of quilting police rules. I had started the hand quilting process last night, staying up until midnight to make some headway. I am not generally a late night person! Today I did the hand stitching all around the periphery. 24 feet of it. I sewed like a mad woman. And when I was done, I trimmed the edges, made the binding and stitched it on the front. Tonight I will start the hand stitching it on the back job. And then in the remaining evenings I will try and get more of the quilting done.

I am using slightly brighter perle cotton than I might have usually picked for this quilt. I am doing so for two reasons, (a) I thought it could use the injection of colour without it being too obvious and (b) I am using thread I already own and didn't have time to get new stuff shipped to me. The green is the one that seems a bit bright when looked at close up, but when you step back it doesn't seem so bad. The pink works fine.

Applique done in the days when I had been trained to do it 'properly'.
I now know all about bond-a-web, etc and would do it differently.
Live and learn!

The first quilt has had all its binding hand sewn down on the back and is ready to be wrapped and placed under the tree Saturday evening.

Tomorrow morning I will pack away my sewing machine, all the fabric that still adorns the dining room, and all the other sundry items littered about to aid my sewing. It will be me and the perle cotton for the next little while. I feel so relieved about that. I have achieved the goals I set out to do. I always knew I wouldn't get one of the above quilts completely finished but hoped that if I could put it under the tree almost done the recipient would be more than happy with that.

My apologies to those who I have not managed to reply to their comments recently. I have kept up on my blog reading but not my emails. I do hope you understand.

Susan

Five Days and Counting!

When I look at how many days to Christmas Day and what I still have to accomplish I sit here and wonder why I am feeling so calm. Technically I should probably be running around like a headless chicken but I'm not. Perhaps it was my willingness to not feel guilty about not doing Christmas cards this year, and that feeling has followed through to everything else. I think I will get it all done, and if I don't the world will not end. And we will still have a very good time.

Our social plans for today fell through sadly. My father and his girlfriend could not come here with her granddaughters due to the persistent germs that are everywhere this year. We will see them after the holidays now. Instead I took the girls to town. And I didn't complain about the traffic, I found a parking space without teaching them new words, and we had fun. Mostly in the kitchen shop. We have stocked up on squidgy bottle type things for decorating the cookies with icing on Friday. So that we all have our own, including my mum. That should make the job go quickly, theoretically.

To decorate the cookies you first have to make the dough. I did that today. It will happily keep in the fridge for three days, or more, if well wrapped. This gingerbread recipe is not for the faint hearted or small family that doesn't have a sugar fetish. The recipe makes a huge amount of cookies.

Can you see how full the mixer is?!

These gingerbread cookies are a huge part of Christmas for me. My mum made them when I was little, and my brothers and I sat around doing the decorating. When we were a bit older we often had friends join us and help. I look at the photo above and remember that my mum used to mix this mass of dough by hand. Thank goodness for Kitchen Aid! I won't provide the recipe. If you would like it just let me know and I will pass it on. I really think it is one for those who like baking, don't mind kids making a mess with icing and sprinkles, and have many mouths of feed over the holidays. If that description fits you and you want to join the fun, I am more than happy to send you all the details. It is dead easy to make - but the mixer does help enormously!

The only other Christmasy thing I have ticked off my list today was to unwrap the Christmas cake, breathe in its luscious boozy, fruity aroma - and then melt some apricot jelly and brush it all over the cake.

Half a pound of ground almonds, some sugar and egg yolks - and the handy, dandy mixer again - some brisk work with the rolling pin and my cake was covered.

Guess I should go and make a couple of cushions then. Rather sit here and look at other blogs though. I wonder if I will give in to temptation?

Susan