1. The first is the gift for my daughter's teacher. I made this candle mat which is so simple and takes less than 2 hours. It came out so nice and I loved the fabric so much, I made a second one for myself!!
I personalize the gift by adding my daughter's picture to the back and have her sign it in permanent ink.
2. The second project I finished was a kit I regretted buying (don't we all have those?) It was a small project but I found out after I bought it that all handwork was required. Anyone who knows me knows that I despise hand sewing. This weakness of mine only heightens my respect for those of you who hand quilt... patience just isn't a virtue I possess. After I bought the kit and realized what I got into, I jumped in feet first. My daughter, Olivia, and I spent quality time cutting out each of the bird's bodies, beaks, wings, and holly leaves. Then I spent the majority of the 5-hour drive from Vermont to Connecticut hand sewing, only to finish the small holly leaves! At that point I realized my sewing machine was going to come into play.
This afternoon I finished the piece, YEARS ahead of when it would have been completed had I stuck it out with hand sewing (it probably would have been a wedding gift to my child who is now 6-years old). I adore cardinals, so needless to say I'm loving this candle mat! I even embellished the bottom with a decorative stitch, and Olivia had fun poking through old buttons looking for the two that were used as the holly berries. I will admit, I did hand sew the buttons on, but briefly considered doing it by machine!!
During the time I was doing all of this, Olivia was right there with me cutting up fabric to use as part of her "scrap quilt." Below is a picture of her proudly displaying her work:
Finally, I thought I'd share a table runner I recently made during the "Christmas Tea" sponsored by my favorite Connecticut quilt shop, The Yankee Quilter (theyankeequilter.com). Every year they host a tea featuring Janet's famous homemade scones and lemon curd, and we sit around, snack, sip and sew. It's always a nice time, and this year we were even treated to a coating of snow.
Well, after my 4-day hiatus from work, it's back to reality tomorrow. Thanks to all who have dropped me a note for your motivation and inspiration; I hope to have more finished projects to showcase in the coming weeks.
Warmly ~ Christine
