Dreamy December Goings On Here – 2019 Edition

As Christmas nears across the world … we are preparing here too!

 With Stockings hung by the fireplace with care…

 Notice Raggedy Ann has moved to the fireplace… well the shelf in the kitchen corridor has been reorganized while dusting occurred as well 🙂

 All our Christmas faves ended up on this shelf… the Angel is from Connie as it is the Mountain Christmas sign from last year 🙂  The little Hallmark treadle sewing machine is from Jannessa… and the little boat vehicle is an ornament we didn’t want lost in the tree… it is named the Jolly Roger and has much significance in memories to my honey.

Then below… is baby Jesus in the manger scene… I love this simple nativity better than our big one.

 So you can see now that it has a place of honor too…

Here is our tree this year.  It is new to us and it needed LOTS of additions to fill it in … but I think the fabric looped garland… silver sparkly garland and some extra lights and ornaments we love to open each year… was quite fun to decorate this 4 1/2 foot little tree. 

Then there is our 20 foot tree outside!

 And you can see our snowman looking at the tree…

 The view from the post office is quite awesome too!

 And looking from farther away… you can see our up on the hill neighbors lights around their home too!!!

So Monday we had snow here in North Carolina… we got about 1″ all together and I took a short video for ya…

It was quite enchanting to have an early snow though!

Our bathroom was a easter egg green color – quite startling and not relaxing at all!  Now a nice creamy color!

Jannessa and her hubby Alan came over last Sunday afternoon… and it was Monday morning early when I happily finished this table runner … aka placemat for our bar…

 Here it is ready for me and my honey to enjoy too!

 Also Jannessa not only free motion quilted the table runner but this table topper for Connie too!!!

 She did such a nice job!!! Connie received it Friday and LOVES IT ❤

Also received in the mail this week was Holli Jo’s wall hangings I made.  She posted this on facebook to share what I had made her and she is giddy to finish her quilting schedule she is on to hang them…

her sewing room is rearranged atm… hanging both are out of the question for now 😀

I love the collage she made and the friendship sentiment… made all the work that happened on these wall hangings worth it!!!

Yesterday Jannessa came over and we made snow flake ornaments that are of Scandinavian descent from THIS tutorial.

Here is Jannessa’s on her tree…

 And here is mine ❤ …

 Finally… I can share that I am at the end of the row on the Swoon Quilt 🙂

 I am working on outline of the third swoon then on to the border so I can roll once again!!!

 Here is a look from afar too…

Today I plan to work on that third Swoon bottom… and also to work on my daughter’s bag I am making her for Christmas… so no pics here of that!!!  Linking my hand quilting and making stuff by hand progress to Kathy’s Quilts – Slow Sunday Stitching linky… come see what everyone is up to this holiday season … RIGHT HERE!

I also have a wall hanging for the kitchen that will be a mix of hand and machine quilting to finish it post haste but nicely… Jannessa has given me some GREAT ideas on straight line and organic line stitching I can manage I think!

While I have been writing this I have been chatting too with my 2 best friends… and listening to THIS SONG 😀  How about you … are you drinking something yummy or listening to some seasonal tunes??? 

Leave me a comment and…

Advertisement

Happy February … Working towards a Finish Here !!

As we welcome February in I have been quilting by hand quite a bit!!

I want to invite you to look at all my photos and visit my bloggy friend Kathy and consider doing her scrappy football sew along mystery.  Read more about it HERE on her blog today is a link to that blog 😀

I started off the week of snow and very cold temps looking at this…

 And before i knew it is was ready to roll!!!

 Once rolled the left side got marked and started on…

 The pond is now unfrozen and the sun is out and we are back to doing things outside but it is a tad muddy ! So I am careful…

 This morning I took this photo for you…

 And a closer up of where I am… see my bronze thimble there on the quilt??  That is where I am this morning on the quilting… my last swipe of it going across the center part 😀

 So yesterday I pulled out this wall hanging that has a ruffly bottom outer border and started the slow arduous process of taking that border off… repressing it all and sewing it back on… mitered corner and all y’all!!!!

I added these corners without pins or measuring … do not do as I do but learn from this photo… 3 went on fine but one did not and needs removed… I will finish this today during Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching and the Peacock Party too right HERE!!!

Are you watching the Superbowl today??  We may or may not … we have no vested interest in it and I go to bed early so I will say I probably won’t ! lol  How about you though… tell me if you are rooting for one team or the other… I do look forward to seeing the stadium in Atlanta that this competition is happening in 😀

I am curious… are you making anything for valentine’s this year?  I hadn’t planned anything… well I did but other things got in the way.  So now it is near and I have nothing made! lol

I did get a photo of the ironing board cover I sent off to my good friend Debbie for her birthday last month!!!

It looks so good and fits so nice to only have general measurements… she loves it and I loved getting the photo!!!

I am anxiously awaiting a charm pack to make a gift requested by a different friend.  She is decorating her sewing room and wanted me to hand quilt her something… but the more we talked we narrowed her real need down to a window dressing across 2 windows that are right together and she looks out of all the time over the farm she lives on when there with her dad and kids too ❤  I will make her a special something fun for that window to dress it up using the 30's charm pack she has in route to me as I write this ❤ 

More to come in a couple weeks… oh but she wants to be surprised so all the info will be happening behind the scenes y’all!  Sorry!  Keep me and my imagination to properly finish this project in your thoughts please… I hope to have it done and delivered before the end of the month!!!

This happened here this past week …

Or can you see it better here ….

I am sharing it  both ways via blogger’s video and directly under that so you might see our SNOW!!!

We live in North Carolina in the southwestern tip of it and had a good bit of snow but not nearly what other’s had!!!  While I was quilting above… my honey was fashioning a return on the chair rail and finishing the pantry he started…

 Here is the pantry… waiting for the tv that will sit on top…

 Here is the whole area so you can see better how important the return on that chair rail was for him to do so nicely 😀

 And after we went to the grocery store and stocked up!!!  It held all we bought and we bought more than usual ❤

After a lot of wondering and shopping about we finally decided a 24″ smart tv from Best Buy was our best bet to fit nicely without looking squished on this pantry… Rick will be able to use his iPad on it or not… and we had have news and such playing in there or casted things from the iPad too while cooking or just hanging out!  It will be as a kitchen should be… the heart of our home as he continues to make little changes … stay tuned 😀

I got this book in the mail this week..

So many of my bloggy friends are joining in on sew alongs that have started and other plans… as for me I will read this book for a sew along that will follow Ask Sara of Sew Sweetness on Tuesday evenings on Youtube!  I am looking forward to this fun read… she has 6 different books in the month planned but this is the only one I have agreed to do… more info coming up on Feb 12th on her show.  I had to get the book from the UK but it looks like the perfect read for me and my honey to enjoy as he recuperates from his hip replacement… so that is what will happen with this book I think 🙂

Meanwhile we are wondering about the outer border for Appalachian Delight… a wide (14″) border is now replacing all those littler borders I had planned.

 We decided this taupe print might work best… so later this week we should order this to go own…

What do you think?  The bottom is what we have left from making the cornerstones in the center of the quilt… we want a little something different and are planning to make a fun design hand quilted in big stitch quilting threads on this wide border that will end in the burgandy solid binding 🙂  This will be on our bed when the current quilt isn’t … this will give us 2 quilts at this point… and then I have more things planned for my time at this moment 😀 lol!

I look forward to hearing from each of you and hope you are each living a life you love … I sure am!

Is remains my sign off as we wait for those hyacinth or some buttercups to emerge… but with the frigid cold we have had… it may be a while yet! lol  Kathi