Merry Christmas to All . . . & to all a good night

Well, it has come once again.  And while I have a couple of pots simmering on the stove and a floor full of presents yet to be wrapped, here I am firing off a quick post to ease my mind.  I've been thinking 'Oh no, I never got the candy cane jumper posted!'  So here it is.  Something for Jackmans, of course.  I talked to Pat a couple days ago and she told me all Christmas displays are down at the store and replaced with spring.  Hah! 

Here's a close up of the candy cane.  It's simply rick-rack wrapped on itself.  Can't tell you the number of ladies who asked me at demo days to show them how to do that.  It's an old technique, something I remember even as a child.

Here is a set of onesies, requested by Jamie for their second child, Isabella born in October.  Amy went to visit in early November and graciously delivered them for us.  (Mostly created with fabric paint and Cricut stencilling. The birthday candle is raw edge applique.)






I know this was short but I will cut off here.  My lasagne noodles are calling.  :)

Our Christmas prayers for Dave, Jack & Betty, David-B & familly, John and for all those who are suffering the pain of separation in this holy season.  Special prayers of thanksgiving for my cousin Bailee and Nathan who walked away from a serious car accident yesterday, unscathed.  Thank you Lord.

In closing I want to share something beautiful from the devotional I read each day.  I want to dedicate it to the loving memory of Larry, my Uncle Bob, Brenda and Bonnie -- and always my beloved Ashley.

Death does hide,

But not divide;

You are but on Christ's other side.

You are with Christ, and Christ with me;

In Christ united still are we.

No matter how many times I read this I can't do it without tears.  With love and wishes for a blessed Christmas.  Love, J

Christmas, Cards and a Quilt

A couple of the Christmas garments I've been making for the fabric stores -- so many Christmas things this year!  (There are more pics for another time, don't want to overload you now.)

this one is green cordoroy

 This jacket is red velveteen.  It's a gorgeous look but oh my, what a mess to cut and sew!

A dear young lady who is a former co-worker of mine has a little daughter who is affected with a rare and incurable disease which causes tumors to grow on nerves.  I made this quilt for a benefit to raise research money to fight the disease.  Now isn't this crazy -- the quilt was auctioned and the buyer was my niece!  Little Logan Joseph will sleep with the owls. 

You might recogize that the quilt images are from Cricut's Give a Hoot cartridge. Traced with Cricut markers onto fusible web then appliqued.



 

This was made for a gift. It's quilted with Insul-Brite, an insulated batting for hot/cold use.  This is a flat iron travel case so you can put the iron away before it's completely cool.

Here are some of the cards I made to complete a gift set. I tried to include something for every occasion and a mixture of fun and serious themes.



I like the hippo's stickle toenails.  (kinda hard to see in the pic) And can you see the white glitter paper on the bridal dress?

This may be one of my favorite cards ever.  At least it is today!  Black glitter paper just looks so chic.  The flower is from the new Flower Shoppe cart.  (I made one of these to keep too.)

So it's been a lovely weekend but sometimes I still have my ups and downs.  So much love and support surround me though, that I can't help but recognize how very blessed I am.

I hope you can see and feel the blessings in your life today.

Special prayers today for Brenda, Mark, Dave, Jack, Betty and John. God loves you and so do I. xo



Getting a little done here and there

This has been an eventful week in my personal life, with a lot of time devoted to some unforeseen family matters. Even under ideal circumstances there was a lot I needed to accomplish this week and well, let's just say it was a challenge. But somehow or other, with the exception of one small finishing task, I have almost succeeded. Do you suppose that sometimes God just gives us hurdles to prove to us that we can do more than we think we can?!

I will teach my first class at Jackman's Fabrics tomorrow afternoon. I am excited, anxious and more than a little apprehensive. I'll let you know how it goes. I keep telling myself - relax, breathe deeply. It's going to be fine.

Tomorrow's class is the holiday jumper. Remember this . . . ?

Spring is coming - here's a reversible sundress.

One side. I love that giant rick-rack!

The reverse.

I love how this jacket turned out. It's made from the Children's Corner pattern "Robin's Little Jacket". What a great gender-neutral pattern and it's like a blank canvas to come up with some fun, creative ideas for kid designs. At our house, we like firemen. Wonder why? (It's all about my VFD husband.)

Can't tell from the photo, but that dalmation puppy is made of ultra soft plush. Pet the puppy!

(Can you tell the buttonholes aren't finished? Argh. That's the one thing I didn't get finished.)

And here is another tunic top. I may make some bottoms to go with it, I'm not decided on that yet.

So . . . it's way past my bedtime, the only reason I'm up so late is we just returned from our second Christmas party of the weekend. Tis the season and all. This party was for the bank where I used to work. One of my favorite co-workers, a branch manager from another facility, is preparing to move back "home" to a neighboring state. Don't tell him, but I'd been secretly praying their house wouldn't sell so that they wouldn't leave but the time has finally come. His wife is already there and working, he is simply wrapping up loose ends to join her soon. I tried but didn't make it through without a few tears. We shared some laughs and memories too though, and promises to keep in touch. I know it's a good thing for them and I wish them well in their new home . . . but I still wish they weren't going.

I better sign off now, try to calm my nerves and get some sleep. I'm going to need it tomorrow!