Seven

Back in 1992 I made Christmas stockings for our three girls.  (That was written about in an earlier post.)  The pattern is by Janlynn, counted cross stitch.  Each girl had a different Santa: European, Traditional and Old-World.

When the older girls moved out, they took their Christmas boxes with them to set up their own homes.  In 2013 stockings were stitched for my husband and me.  That way one stocking would not be alone.  The Santas that stitched were the ones made for the big girls.  There were still three different ones hanging.  I have the Old-World Santa, and he has the Traditional Santa.

  

Then in 2020 our youngest was married.  SIL received his Traditional Santa Christmas stocking that year.  

Youngest gave us our first grandchild in 2023 and a First Christmas stocking was made.  That will now be a Christmas tree decoration.  A big Christmas stocking needed to be stitched.  Since there are three of them in their family that means, to me, there needs to be three different stockings.  Grandbaby now has the Old-World Santa stocking.  

Here are three Old-World Santa stockings.  

I have stitched three Old-World Santas, three Traditional Santas but only one European Santa Stocking.  Our family groupings come in three.  Hmmm.

Enjoy your threads today.  Have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays with those that you love.  Sending you blessings for a wonderful day.

Linking to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.

 

Three

Table runners are one of my favorite things to make, give and use.  

Shabby Fabrics has several using a striped fabric.  The Halloween ones were the first that I made using the pattern, Easy Striped Table Runner by Karen Montgomery.  

There was a striped fabric for Christmas that I liked: Up on the Housetop by Teresa Kogut, Riley Blake.  My resistance button didn't work.

Here is the repeat.

The Easy Striped Table Runner, not quite finished.  The outer borders haven't had their machine quilting finished.  That will happen shortly.  Then it will be trimmed and facing applied. 

A cross hatch was done in the center, but I wasn't thinking.  I should have used the center line as my guide, but I used the point edge.  My cross hatching moved, wasn't centered.  Duh on my part but it is mine and it will be on my table, so it is fine.   

Two striped sections remained but they didn't have the same repeat.  How was I going to use them.  I found a free pattern from Shabby Fabrics: Table Runner Using a Border Stripe.  Perfect.  My runners ended up a bit wider therefore the end curve was adjusted.  Two were made and one has already left home for someone else's table.  Can you believe, a picture wasn't taken before it left.  Another Duh on my part.

Here is the one still at home.  The curve needs to be marked on both ends. trimmed and then facing applied.  I am liking facing these.  The edge border isn't lost.    

This morning these will be finished and facing applied.  When the Patriots are on this afternoon, completing the facing will be my slow stitching.

Enjoy your day and your threads.

Linking to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.

Flimsy

Not an overly productive week.  Life has been busy.  Not sure with what, but busy.

Potato chip quilt #2 has become a flimsy.  Husband is still one armed, so it is laying over furniture.  (He has follow-up tomorrow with his surgeon and may range of motion begin.)

This potato chip block was made smaller than the other in quilt #1 due to my cutting error.  So, four were stitched together to make a bigger block and I wanted to see how it looks with sashing.  I am liking it. 

I will clean it up and get it to my long armer.  This is another that I will finish with a facing and not a binding.

Not sure what I will be slow stitching on today.  Have a project that is waiting for me, really several.

Enjoy your threads.  

Linking to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.

 

Another Week

We began the week with another Boston trip.  SEW (husband) had a left shoulder rotator cuff repair.  We left on Monday with the thought that he would be first or second for outpatient surgery on Tuesday.  Best laid plans of mice and men.  His surgery was scheduled last, and he was the last patient to leave the building at 6 pm.  That meant a second night in Boston.  Good thing the hotel was right across the street.  All has gone well since.  We go back in two weeks and then our Boston trips stop until next spring.

There was a bit of sitting in the waiting room so, Santa (Old World Santa by Janlynn) has been outlined.  I still have a bit of his collar to do.  I made a mistake and had to unstitch.  His beard was not to be outlined in the dark brown. 

Santa's eyes will be outlined in blue and his mouth in the pink.  There is a little bit to be done on his beard and then I can begin stitching the name.

My slow stitching today will be finishing Santa.  Then to make him into a stocking.  

The sashing between the blocks on my potato chip quilt #2 has been stitched.  Now I need to stitch the sashing between the rows.  Next week I should be able to show you a flimsy, 84 inches by 84 inches.  

Enjoy your threads this day.  

 Linking to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.  

 

Early

I would like you to meet Margie. a Thanksgiving cactus given to me by a good friend.  Her sister had passed, hence the name, and this plant needed a new home.  She came to live with me.  ALL of my Thanksgiving, Christmas cactus spend the summer outside in the shade between the house and the North side of the deck and fend for themselves.  They don't come back in until after one or two early light frosts.  (The frost that is seen out on the lawn but doesn't come up to the house.)  

She is gorgeous this year.  Early but gorgeous.  Her flowers will probably be gone by Thanksgiving.  

She needs to be repotted and have a super haircut.  She is so lopsided as she wasn't turned much while growing.  I should have done it last year but this winter it will be a big project.  She does have children living here and growing well.

My pictures do not do justice to how gorgeous she is.

Slow stitching is happening.  The outline stitching was begun last evening on my stocking and that will be football work today.

Enjoy your threads today.

Linking to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.

 

Not much

Big computer has come home.  Laptop that I did my last entry on became jealous and has now gone to the computer man.  Don't know what I did, but I could not get online.  The laptop is a family hand me down that I only play Mahjong, Solitaire and look at Blogs on.  Who knows what I did when I made it work harder.

Friends were visiting last weekend; we have been to Boston this week.  My five-year evaluation and all is good.  Now I won't go back for a year.  

Looking around my cave to show what I have done over the last two weeks and I don't see much.  The Black Cat runners are finished and two have been given away.  Here is mine on the sideboard.

Two were made at 60-inches long and one at 45-inches.  I kept one of the 60-inch runners.  Next time I make this runner I will stay at the 45-inch.  60-inch on our table going from North to South, too long for me.

Here is a close up of the curvy piano keys from the cat side.  When we were in Boston for the overnight, (I had 0730 and 0830 appointments) I did the facing stitching on the last runner.  I am liking making facing for these, you don't lose the edge pattern.

The other slow stitching that I am doing is a new Christmas stocking for the Grandbaby.  I have three different Santa stockings that I made years ago for the girls.  There are now repeats as family members come in.  Gold thread will be stitched on Santa's ribbons but that will be the last stitching before I begin the outline stitching.

Enjoy your threads today.  Santa will be stitched on during football.  

Linking to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.  

 

Squirrel

Well, I am learning something new.  My desktop computer that I write my Blog entries from has gone for a spa treatment.  (Not sure if it has a virus or not.  Our antivirus program has changed.)   So, here I am on a laptop that I never have done a Blog entry on.  So far, so good.  We shall see if I make it to the end.

My Squirrel:  I saw this material, Meow-gical Night by Wilmington Prints and it had been stitched into a table runner.  The pattern is Easy Striped Table Runner by Karen Montgomery.  I am not a person who puts up decorations for Halloween, but I really liked this material.   Three runners have been made, two long, one short.  Two will be given away.

 

They were machine quilted with a cross hatch in the center and a wiggly piano key on the outside border.

You might be able to see the quilting on the backside better.

Sunday I will add the borders and hand stitch while football is on.  Shall see how New England does with a new quarterback.

Enjoy your threads this day.  I think that I have made it to the end. 

Linking to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.