Monday, November 28, 2011

Cookies, coughs and christmas

I really think I jinx it when I proclaim I'm going to do NaBloPoMo. Because something always comes up. If it's not an internet connection gone wrong, it's an earthquake, or in this month's case, whooping cough. Both my girls have it. But thankfully the worst of it is over now, and they can go back to school tomorrow.

On to quilty matters... here's Block #4, Cookies 4 Santa, designed by Kim Hanson.
It is appliqued cookies on a plate, decorated with buttons and stitching. That bright purple lacy flower was tatted by my late mother. It doesn't go with the rest of my colour scheme, but it seemed fitting to add it, alongside the little heart button (I have a couple more of these, so look out for them in future blocks).

To date, there have been 34 blocks published, of which I have completed 28.

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We put up our christmas tree yesterday. Or rather, the girls did - I just had the fun job of rearranging and vacuuming the lounge so there would be a space for the tree. Not that it takes up much room - we decided last year to get a "fake" tree, which is barely taller than my 12-year-old. I really miss the lovely green pine needle aroma.

As it inevitably happens, some of the xmas lights didn't work. So I tipped out the carton that we keep the decorations in, hoping that we had some spare bulbs somewhere in there. There were none. But what we did find, amongst all the tinsel scraps and twice-used icicle strands, were the ghosts of christmases past: pine needles. Horrible dry ones, that hurt if you tread on them at just the wrong angle in bare feet. They must've stuck to some of the decorations as we undressed the tree from... let me think... 2009 or before. They no longer had an aroma, or even a smell. But they were still green, strangely enough.

Friday, November 11, 2011

11.11.11

Apologies.
Again.
Internet was out for a couple of days, then I had an unwell child to contend with. She's still unwell, but luckily sleeping for now, so I'm sneaking in a few words on this auspicious date.

Is auspicious the right word? In some context or other, I'm sure it is.
Sorry, late night ramblings. I just wanna go to bed.
I think I will.
Goodnight.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

... and here's Block Three...

This Little Light of Mine, designed by Melissa Stramel, is Block #3 in the Celebrate Christmas Quilt-Along.

Here's mine...
The central blue fabric is hand-dyed calico.

 And a closer look at the embroidery...
When I first saw this block design, I immediately thought of The Little Match Girl.


Another block tomorrow. Yes, I really do mean it this time. I'm taking part in National Blog Posting Month - NaBloPoMo for short (see the box over on the right-hand side). I'm the 683rd person to sign up for it. I will endeavour to post every day for a month.
Starting... yesterday!

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Mittens, not exactly Santa-coloured

My version of block 2 of the Celebrate Christmas Quilt-Along:

Mitten quarters were foundation pieced. The quarter-square-triangles were supposed to be as well, but I nutted out how to rotary piece them instead.

It's called Santa's Mittens, and designed by Jennifer Rodriguez.

The original block had red and white where my blue and yellow are. Yellow is the closest I could get to white in my chosen palette. You might think it's unusual to make a xmas quilt and not have any white (snow! lovely snow!), but it's summer at that time of year here, hence the flowers instead. Besides, I hardly ever use white.

So far, 23 blocks have been published, of which I have completed 16.