This year I decided that partly because of the hub bub and hype of Christmas and the focus on the materialistic things, AND shortage of CASH; I am making GOBS of the Christmas gifts we are giving. This fall Seth started preschool and goes Monday-Wednesday-Friday mornings. Well in effort to save gas, get in shape and accomplish the goal of homemade gifts, this is my morning routine. Drop off all four kids, yes at four different buildings, then drive to the quilt shop. It doesn't open till 9AM and I get done dropping off kids about 8:20, so I walk for about 40 minutes, which is around 2.5 miles. Then after the quilt shop opens, I take my sewing machine and whatever project that I am working on in and sew for a little over 2 hours each of those mornings. This has allowed me to make a Quilt for 'Festival of Sharing' that I donated in October, birthday gifts for two of my sisters-in-law, clothes for Jenna and Trinity (by Christmas they will have 3 matching outfits, a blue, tan and pink jumper each!) And some kind of sewn gift for basically everyone on our Christmas list. Since I can't remember who all follows this blog, I am not going to be specific. :)
The two pictures added to this post are a pillow I made to participate in the Christmas Challenge at the Quilt Shop, it will be a gift, if I can stand to give it away. The focus fabric is the ivory fabric with the pine branches and navy ornaments on it, I couldn't get real excited about it, so just added it into a project that I had been wanting to try. The Tree Quilt Square isn't totally original, another customer at the Quilt Shop made a BEAUTIFUL QUILT from a pattern sold there and I just fell in love with it, but decided that I could figure out a basic square similar to the one featured, so that was my attempt.
The other picture of the Christmas Stocking was a donated project as well. Material Girl Quilt Shop and Prairie Queen Quilting are sponsoring a service project where they challenged us to create a homemade stocking and donate it, they will in turn fill all donated stockings and give them to kids in need in our local area. For donating the stocking, we get to put our name in a drawing for a chance to win $50 in free quilting on our next project! So it's a win-win thing.
I am donating one other thing this holiday season. Those who follow this blog may remember the coloring book bags that I made and gave to Seth and Jenna for Valentines Day this year. I have made 10 more this year (all totally out of my fabric stash!). I bought Crayons when they were cheap at Back to School time and also purchased coloring books recently to put inside them. They are being donated to 'Christmas is Caring' which is a charity group in Paris, MO that our church helps out with.
Well if I am going to complete all of these projects, I should probably close this message. I hope to add more pictures of projects that I am working before Christmas, but who knows, it sure gets busy around the holidays. In case I don't get back here to my blog and if I don't get another chance, I would like to wish you and yours a blessed Christmas Season from me and the blessings in my life, my wonderful husband, David, and the four lights of our lives, Cody, Sam, Jenna and Seth.
Merry Christmas,
From Tulip~
KH
