It is the fourth of December and I am starting to feel some Christmas Spirit! I love this time of year and in 2020 we need every reason to celebrate and impart joy. I have two small projects to share with you today.
For my younger grand daughter, I had the fun task of making a Christmas stocking. Three years ago I made a set for my son, his wife and my oldest grand daughter. When I did this, I set aside fabric to make more stockings if/when his family grew.
This stocking is number four for their family. I used the easy peasy quilt-as-you-go method for the strips. As with the other stockings, I put a ‘toe’ on the foot of the stocking and embroidered a red line of stitching across it. Fortunately I saved some of the twill tape and wooden buttons (made by my husband!) so the stocking is a perfect match for the first three. I think it is super cute – the line of fabric was so much fun when I had it in the shop. It is long gone now.
Next project? Well, remember how I have been ‘cleaning’ my sewing space? I sorted through some of my Christmas fabric. I have a large bag of vintage (1970’s-1980’s) holiday fabric and cut much of it into 3″ and 5″ squares with the AccuQuilt. Once I had that stack of squares sitting there, I couldn’t just put them away, right??
I decided to make a quick patchwork runner for the top of this drop leaf table. (My mom loaned this to me a long time ago for our Downieville house. We have since sold the house and I am hoping she doesn’t ask for it back…. I love the table!) I plan to put a set of photos here of my kids with Santa. I look forward to looking at those pictures each year. But I haven’t brought that box up yet. Julia and I plan to do some decorating this weekend and will put up the tree early next week.
As I have said so many times before, simple patchwork is by far my favorite of any quilt. I am so nostalgic and love the look of this – what can I say? This would have been made even cuter with some hand quilting but I really wanted to use it now. So instead I used a variegated holiday thread I had from Mettler and did simple straight lines.
If you look at the fabrics, you will see the small print of white objects on red (next to the holly on white). This fabric is definitely from 1978. It is the same fabric my sister, Cathy, used to make wedding favors for her December, 1978 wedding. (Side note – if you want to read a fun post from several years ago, I wrote about all the weddings in our family and how most of us made our wedding gowns. Click here for the post)
OK – that is it for today. I do want to let you know I have a few fun things coming up on the blog! Next week I will be hosting a Guess Who game. I have childhood pictures from lots of quilter/bloggers. I want to see if you can match of the adorable faces to the right quilter. Look for that on Wednesday, December 9th. Then the following week, on Wednesday December 16th, I am hosting a Holiday Memories Bloghop. Lots of us will be posting about some of our favorite holiday traditions and memories or stories. I am so looking forward to reading these. Keeping spirits bright in 2020!!
These are lovely. I especially enjoy the details the variegated thread for quilting on the runner. The Guess Who game looks like a lot of fun. Great idea!
Thank you Sarah! These were fun, festive projects – just what I need at the moment!!
Yup I confess I still have in my stash some of those same vintage Christmas fabrics. Your runner does pay tribute to them so I am glad you shared your idea. The games will be so fun!
Hi Kathy – Isn’t it funny to consider fabric we purchased and still have as ‘vintage’. Does that mean we are ‘vintage’ as well. Hahaha. I do love all the various eras I can see within my stash. Of course the feel of today’s fabric is so much nicer – plus the older fabrics seems to fade easily. Still, I love them all!!
I enjoy your blog. I went back today and read about the wedding dresses. My thought on the first picture….. it looks like a dress similar to my mom’s. As I read further, I could see why. My parents were married in 1951. You did a beautiful job of remaking your mother’s dress.
Thank you Judy. If I were to use the dress now (tho it wouldn’t fit!!) I would have worn it just as it was. When I was younger, I didn’t like the full skirt and ballerina length. I love it now though. Styles are always changing.
I don’t remember dresses of that length in the 70s. Now it seems that any length is good. And don’t we all wish we could fit into clothes of the past.
For sure!! My body is not anything like it was when I was 20, that’s for sure!!
The table runner is so perfect. I love how you’ve been able to turn sorting through your stash into so many great finishes lately. 🙂
I’m excited to play along with Guess Who next week!
Me too! Of course, the amount of actual organizing and cleaning resulting from these efforts is zilch! It’s ok – I am having fun – the cleaning can happen some other time. My sewing room has become a bit of a disaster zone at this point!
Bernie,
I really enjoyed reading your blog about your wedding as well as your sister’s weddings. The photos are treasures. The gowns are lovely. You and your sisters are beautiful.
What wonderful memories you must have.
Thank you for sharing your familie’s happy times.
Such a nice break from reality!
Exactly Judy! Our reality these days is on the stressful side – I think we need to look for happy topics and projects that bring us joy, whether that means a complex masterpiece or simple patchwork. Hope you are staying happy and healthy. Are you making anything fun at the moment??
P.S.
Your holiday stockings and table runner are perfect!
I feel the need to do some holiday patchwork too!
Thank you for the inspiration,
Clever you, setting aside fabric so you had more to make a matching stocking for future kiddos. I love that the buttons were made by your husband, too! Next week is going to be so fun. I’m off to read the post about your family weddings!
I knew they would need another stocking at some point. (Actually, I still have enough to make another one – you never know!!) I am also looking forward to next week and the following as well! 🙂
That was great that you saved the fabric to make a matching stocking. Good thinking!
I was happy to pull it out and see how much I had set aside – actually there is plenty to make another stocking if their family continues to grow. Who knows?? Have a great weekend Anja.
This will be a fun December! Love your runner snd the table. It will be fun to guess the quilter and hear favorite tales of past Christmases!
Thank you! Today is decorating day. Julia and I started yesterday but now there are bins and boxes all over the place. Hope to finish up today and then enjoy. Enjoy your weekend Kathleen!
Very cute stockings, and doubly priceless with buttons made by your husband! Love your table runner with those vintage fabrics. I think I still have some of those in my Christmas scraps from the charms I purchased from you some times ago! Looking forward to your guessing game and blog hop.
Good to hear Linda – I am looking forward to some fun as well. The holidays are a great time to reminisce and enjoy a sense of community, right? What better place to do that then within our quilting community?
I love patchwork quilt too – my favorite! Something about stitching away, somewhat mindlessly, makes me happy! And the end result is always good. I love your stockings, too! How fun to have kept fabric as your family grows. You are a wise woman!
Me too! Just looking at colors and placement – it is really enjoyable to me. Thanks a bunch Barb. 🙂
Fun projects, and great to have some quick finishes you can use this season!
How smart to save some extra fabric so you are ready when/if the family expands! I’m sure the baby will appreciate that her stocking matches (later, anyway, once she is old enough to understand what that means!)
I enjoyed the stories of your sisters’ wedding dresses!!
Thank you Emily. I figured they would likely need at least one more stocking. These fabrics are so cute – it wouldn’t work to have three matching stocking and then something totally different. 🙂