Is Christmas over yet?

"Recycled" Christmas fabric bag.

The back of the bag.

Three days 'til Christmas and I've given up on several projects and added several others. It's gonna be a caffeine fueled holiday. This little scrap bag made using the selvages and scrap ends of the Christmas fabric I've been working with was made for our office gift exchange (the theme was recycling). It was a lot of fun to make and so I made another similar bag with the Yuletide Magic fabric for my mother (she doesn't read the blog so I'm safe writing about :). I'll post pictures after Christmas. Of course, I had to order some more Yuletide Magic fabric for myself. It should get here next week sometime. I wonder if I'll still be in a Christmas fabric kind of mood? I also completed a flannel raggy quilt for my coworker Sara's new baby girl, and a number of fabric bowls. This one was for another coworker who was the "Holiday Cheer Meister"for the office. Thanks Holly! I hadn't planned on making the baby quilt, but as I was looking for Christmas flannel in my closet I came across this kit, probably fifteen years old or so and it said, "pick me, pick me!" so I went with it. I'd write more, but I have to pack for our trip to Fort Yukon tomorrow. The big question: should I take my sewing machine and etc.? I have some knitting plans, which travel better, but I have so many sewing projects to complete and I'm not sure I can pull an all-nighter to get them done before I leave. We'll see. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!

Christmas fabric bowl.

Flannel raggy baby quilt

"Make what moves you" and "Post-project letdown"

Santa and his sleigh. Many of the panels and fabrics
include the words to "The Night Before Christmas"
which works well with our decorating theme.

As I was stressing with my mother this weekend over all the projects I had to get done she commented that most of them were projects that I didn't need to do, most especially the wall-hangings I was making to hang in our hall at work. She had a point and I thought about it quite a bit before realizing that I really wanted to do those wall-hangings! But why? They weren't intended as gifts and I certainly didn't need the extra projects. I just really like working with holiday fabrics during the holidays. I love the "Yuletide Magic" line and don't want it to be sitting around waiting for "someday". I really wanted to complete those little quilts in a way that I didn't want to complete the other "necessary" projects on my list. So, I did complete them and had a great time doing so. It is more productive to make what moves me than to create the "perfect" gift for someone. I do love creating something special with a recipient in mind, but I also tend to stress over it, and Christmas, when there are so many people to make things for, is not a time to be stressing over multiple special projects for special someones. I predict a lot of people will be getting holiday themed gifts this year.

Snowman, tree, and kids in a sled.

Quilted squares sewn onto
coordinated ribbon for a
 festive look.

Using my new found knowledge of self I continued to work on my unnecessary projects. After last weekend where I realized the Christmas wall-hanging I was making was a bit too big for a wall-hanging I decided to cut up another panel to make multiple smaller wall-hangings. I made one of the larger Santa and his reindeer panels (saving the other and enough of the coordinating fabric for later), six of the smaller panels, and then took the snowflake star panels and made little hangings using a coordinating plaid ribbon. I was up until 1 am Monday morning finishing them and the bindings are definitely a bit wonky, but acceptable for what they are. They are now hanging in our hall at the office, complimenting our "Santa's Stable" decorating theme.

Santa, sleigh, and reindeer.

The always helpful Ziggy.

Which brings me to my post-project letdown. I always experience it. As soon as a project done I lose the elevated mood I felt while working on it. This bothers me. I definitely need to work on understanding that part of myself and getting the lift to last more than a few minutes (literally, I'm down within minutes of completing a project - it's very odd). On the the next project!

I love Christmas...even if it makes me crazy

Not a wall hanging

Just a brief insanity update. This weekend I finished the top of what was supposed to be a Christmas wall hanging and obviously has morphed into a Christmas throw. The fabric is "Yuletide Magic" by Benartex and I love it. I bought it this summer in Anchorage and didn't think anyone here had it. I finally found a bit by accident at Material Girls. They even had the panel so I got one to cut up and make individual wall hangings out of the blocks. Not sure what I'll do with the large quilt. Me? Mom?

I've also begun an extravaganza of Christmas bowls. I got these three finished over the weekend and some others started. The basic idea comes from Fast, Fun & Easy Fabric Bowls by Linda Johansen. I'm getting to use that bolt of Timtex I've had hanging around for several years. I searched all over town for some Sewer's Aid to help with my metalic threads and came up empty. Am I the only person who has trouble with metalics? Of course, I have some somewhere in the house, I just don't know where exactly. Biggest problem (aside from the Sewer's Aid search): choosing the fabric and thread combinations. Just sew already! I also ended up spending a lot of time working with Lynneva on her element project which took away from my productivity. Damn you Manny Manganese! For those wondering if I used my "snow day" to work on these, the answer is, sadly, no. Today was a bust in the creativity department.