It's Raining

Hi Everyone,

It is gloomy and rainy here and has been for several days now.  I think we should get some sun maybe tomorrow or the next, and then it is going to rain again for the weekend.  We have not had the extreme cold that much of the rest of the country has had, so I won't complain too much.

If you have left a comment in the past week or so, you may have noticed that I had to put the verification on the comments.  I was getting quite a bit of spam, so I needed to tighten things up a bit.  Also, a while ago, I added the "follow by email" button in case that works out better for you.

Yesterday was fun.  I have a new quilting friend who moved to this army post.  We briefly met for the first time at a luncheon before Thanksgiving, and then yesterday we met for lunch and then went to a quilt shop for dessert.  Isn't amazing how quilters (and to a lesser extent, military people) can just meet up and become friends?  I know many of you are my friends, even if we have never actually met in person!

How about some more Christmas decoration pictures?

This is my collection of Santas.  Dominating the photo, though is my new Schnibble snowman quilt.  I must confess that it is bugging me a bit to have the snowman quilt in the "Santa area."  It should be in the "snowman area."  However, if you look the the "before photo" of the same place, you can see that there is another quilt in the same spot.

This Land of the Free quilt is just a tiny bit larger than the snowman quilt, so I was able to hang the snowman one right on top of the patriotic one!  That way I didn't have to take it down and put the other one up, measuring and leveling, etc.  The snowman quilt sits perfectly inside the binding so that both bindings show with a sliver of the tan background of the patriotic one.  It looks like a fancy, double binding.

See?  Here is a close-up.

Anyway, it is up and staying put for the season.  Even if it is still bugging me...

Some of the Santas were made by me back around the "turn of the century."  (Ha ha, isn't it weird to say that?!)  

They were designed by Jean Lepper, who used to design with Lynette Jensen of Thimbleberries.  I believe Jean owned or worked at the Mainstreet Cotton Shop in Minnesota.  I made them all with Thimbleberries fabrics and they were fun to do.

The pattern for this "holly" Santa was in a APQ issue years ago.  It was the first one that I made.

This gingerbread one (oops, a little blurry) is similar to the holly one.  They have small coffee cans inside them, filled with sand or something to give them weight.

This one is actually a cover for a wine bottle.  The pattern is by someone else, and I have no idea who.  I love it though.

Finally, this was not made by me.  We found it in an antique shop this summer in North Dakota.  Santa is sewing a flag!  How perfect is he for me?  The Santas, the trees from yesterday, and my snowmen (yet to be shown this year) are collections that I'm not really actively acquiring.  If I see something perfect (like this guy) I will get a new one, but I really have plenty more than enough!

There is nothing like the reality of all of those bins full of holiday decorations to remind me of that fact each year.  Last year I purged all of the ones that weren't sentimental, meant something, or that I loved.  And it is still way too much!

Have a great day!  Keep warm, dry, and cozy!
JoAnne

Hauled Out the Holly

Hi Everyone,

I got really motivated by listening to Christmas music, and got the decorating done!  I will admit that I didn't do quite as much as normal.  At this point, we have no plans to have anyone visit and frankly, all I could think about while getting it out was how I would have to spend as much time putting it away afterwards.  But, now that it is up, I'm happy and enjoying it.  I think having Christmas decorations up really contributes to the festiveness of the season.

I am also finished with my present-making, so I can got into my sewing room and enjoy whatever I am making without feeling any pressure.  I may yet make a few more gifts, but only if I want to--my list is complete.

I had a request to show some of my decorating, so I will show a few photos with each post.  Here are some of the quilts I decorate with each year.  I do really love patriotic holiday decorations and make/buy them whenever I can.

I can't remember if I've shown these before.  I figure if I can't remember sharing, you may not remember seeing them, ha ha.  Anyway, you all may have seen versions of this top tree quilt.  It is a fairly popular paper-pieced tree.  I wish I could take the credit for thinking up the addition of the patriotic fabric, but actually, someone in my bee at the time did.  I made this when I live in El Paso at Fort Bliss and it was probably just after the attack on Sept. 11.  (Remember the patriotic fervor of the time?  I always have it, but since someone else came up with this idea, it must have been that year.)

The next one was also made at Fort Bliss/El Paso.  The guild there had a challenge one year titled "When two holidays collide."  I knew immediately which two holidays I wanted to work with:  Christmas and Flag Day.

The tree pattern was designed by Country Threads and was in a book of Christmas quilts.  I put it on top of the flag.  The border fabric I absolutely love and found two fat quarters of it at a show once.  If I had seen it on the bolt, I probably would have bought the entire thing!  It is Hoffman and consists of flags nestled in holly.  Not only did I combine patriotic and Christmas symbols, but I tried to use patriotic fabric for the Christmas areas, and Christmas fabric for the patriotic elements.

Finally for today, here is my fireplace/mantle area.

 You can see that I have a "tree" think happening here.  I made the tree quilt--it is a Debbie Mumm pattern--back in the 90s.  I began collecting the trees at the same time.  The Santa with animals was a result of living in Alaska.  We didn't get it there, but right after we moved away.  I got it for half-off at an after-Christmas sale one year but I still feel like I spent too much.  I'm afraid that takes away some of the enjoyment. (I've learned an important lesson there, though!)  Can you see our lonely stockings?  It is pretty easy to guess whose is whose.  One belongs to the Army guy and one belongs to the Patriotic Quilter.  My collection of red chairs are fun to use in  holdiay decorating, too.  I got the little rocking chair back in the 90s.  Do you remember Christmas Around the World parties?  Do they still exist?  Anyway, it came from there, but it was a present from my Mom.  The primitive fire extinguisher (bucket) always sits by the fireplace, but it gets greenery for the holidays.
What are you up too?  Is the crush over for you?

Have a great day!
JoAnne