My First Ever Post

I was so excited when I found this blog.  Nothing like getting ready for next Christmas while the memories of the last one are still a little warm.  My sister loves to buy different kits but doesn't always get around to making them.  This year I am helping her out.  She always needs items for her Church's Christmas Fair.

This is the first of two Advent Calendars.

The LAST one!

Well, it's been a very long year for me with many ups and downs, and I am looking forward to 2017 . However, despite all the "ups and downs" I managed to get my final Christmas gift finished this week.
Many thanks to everyone on the blog that inspired me to create and finish so many lovely gifts for my family and friends in 2016.  I may not have been able to post as regularly as I would have liked this year as we have been away from home for 8 out of the 12 months but I have enjoyed reading all the posts from the "Elves" and I look forward to seeing more in 2017.

Merry Christmas everyone.  Have a safe and happy holiday season with many happy memories with friends and family.

My final "gift" for 2016 is this quilt labelled "Flying High", for my youngest grandson - designed, embroidered, stitched, and quilted by me. There are 3 embroidered blocks, 3 "surprise" blocks, and 3 appliqued blocks. His name is appliqued at the top of the quilt and his birthdate and initials are on the embroidered aircraft.

Flying High, single bed quilt

An embroidered block

July offerings

Hi all. Great weather here in the Southern Hemisphere for celebrating Christmas in July - it's freezing cold in Toowoomba.  But wonderful weather for stitching!! Been busy since we arrived home and here are the results - table runner, cushion cover, mug rugs (placemats) and my beautiful Aussie Xmas embroidered wall hanging that I showed you in May is now completed with borders.

Whirligig placemat/mug rug

Reverse of whirligig mug rug

Mug rug 2

Aussie Christmas wall hanging now finished

Reverse Mug Rug 2 

Lovely bright cushion cover

Table runner

Aussie Bush Christmas

One day late for month of March item but I have a good excuse - we are travelling around northern Queensland at the moment and most of you will appreciate there is a distinct lack of telecommunication up here.  Currently at Dimbulah with internet access so I took the opportunity to post my Christmas item. The photo is not very good. It is a Smee Design called Aussie Bush Christmas. Printed in colour on 100% cotton. Stitched in DMC threads. The pattern is mainly backstitched but I have added a few different stitches as I got bored with the backstitch! Only the embroidery is finished this month as I will have to wait until I get home in July to add the borders to make a lovely wall-hanging for one of my overseas children.

Aussie Bush Christmas, embroidery complete

March Gingerbread Man

 

This little gingerbread man is soooooo unhappy.... someone has taken two bites of him.  He's an easy decoration:  brown felt, small white rick rack, 2 red buttons, and a little thread.      I'm sorry but I don't remember where I got this pattern, it's so old !!

   

But I have enjoyed this monthly blog ---- it makes me finish some of the very old Christmas projects.

Until next month, Blessings, Sandy

March Finish

It looks like a lot of people are going to get pillows for Christmas, now that I found the tutorial on Geta Grama's site. They really are fast, though I'm slower than she is! I think it took me 20 minutes, but it was my first one. Now I want to experiment with piecing my own fabric for it. The only thing I will change is using 38" instead of 40". I thought the overlap was too large, more than I usually make, and it made the pillow hard to get in the cover.
 

  This fabric is a soft yellow, with pretty spring flowers on it. I must have succumbed to the lure of spring outside my window, with birds singing and the windows open all over the house. It's 77 out there and sunny off and on!

February Project

This is my first finished project to post! I was part of the Nuts About ... blog hop, and this is what I made, which will be going to someone at Christmas. You can see the post HERE. Here's the important part, though ... the finished product!
 

  Deets: It's a 16" pillow cover, finished with an envelope back closure. The top is made from scraps of other projects. All three fabrics were completely used up, except for a small bit of the pink Civil War floral I used for the heart. See ya next month!

February finish

Hi all.  This is my finished item for February.
I know I am a little early for posting but we are heading off on our five month travels in one week so I had to get this finished before we left.
This project has been around in my PiP box (Projects-in-Progress) for quite some time so joining the Elves gave me motivation to get it finished. It is called "Subversive Santa" and is a design by a Victorian designer at Smee Designs. The original is a redwork project using mainly backstitch - I've just given it my own personal touch by using a variety of stitches and adding a few embellishments. The sashing and border fabric is 'Season's Greeting' by Fabri-Quilt.

Subversive Santa Wall-hanging - Smee Designs

I did finish a project in January - which was another of those PiPs in the Dreaded Drawer 3 (see my blog for more detail on that story - www.1cr8ivMiss.blogspot.com.au ). The four bears are candlewicked and I just added a narrow binding and stitched them to a pillowcase. This will go with the quilt I made for my great-niece last Christmas.

'Sweet Dreams Little Bears" pillowcase

So two projects finished - thank you Elves for giving me the motivation to finish these PiPs.
Happy stitching, NannaRay

November Oh My

Nearly time for Santa to start packing his sleigh and I feel a little like I'm making a mad dash for the finish line.

A dishcloth for DIL ... and DD's is 1/3 done.

Some cute and quick ornaments ... a little extra in their stocking.

The reindeer are getting excited ... the elves have switched into top gear ...

Please pop in any time from now until Christmas to share your final makes. If you have a yummy ... or easy ... or family favourite recipe I would love to add it to the 'Recipes' page if you can email it to me. I'm adding a recipe for 'White Clay' for those who might like to make ornaments with your little ones or grandies ... made it today with our Prep students and they had a ball.

My April 1Xiam

I made this for my grandsons. How cute is this.

They still need Santa to come to them but they don't have a chimney.

This solves the problem.

So I have now done my Xmas item for April.

Button XMAS tree wall hanging

I am joining in this year. Here is my first XMAS item finish. I saw picture on Pinterest of this made into a cushion and thought I'd make a mini.

July is over!

But I did kinda did make something.........................my Christmas in July presents for Ann (no blog)

See my blog for more details, click here

Thank you Narelle, Chief elf!

Leeanne

Quiltmekiwi blog

May already...

It's been a while since I completed anything for 1 Xmas Item a Month but this month I found my mojo a little and did some more work on my Anni Downs Wall Hanging - it's coming along nicely ......... (I've even chosen the fabrics for the next block).

I've also finished a small stitchery..

All in all a productive time......

Hugz
Melanie
xxx

Just in time ...

I buy new tea towels for Christmas every year, so I thought that I would make my own to use in December. The bird appliqué is a bit wonky but with enough pudding, brandy sauce and additional brandy, it will straighten up very quickly.

Might go back to the drawing board …
( The bird pattern was found on the "All People Quilt" web site)

Elyte - Teafabricandotherthings

Fabruary

This time I made am embroidery witch I framed in a little hoop.

Ho Ho Ho January item

Sorry I am late posting, but better late than never, just back from holiday trying to avoid life but couldn't do it any longer.

Hello elves what a fabulous idea to prod us along to Christmas. Well  aren't we all going to be organised this Christmas.

Thanks to Narelle for hosting this.

My finishes for January are....

Making Spirits Bright Stitchery by The Birdhouse

Block one for North Pole Quilt

See you all in February, Happy Stitching
Sharon.