Art, Craft and Needlework, December, 2022

[Harriet]

So many ideas, so little time!

It's such a creative time of year, with visions of sugarplum and crochet, sturdier sashes & longer stockings, dancing lights on crafty Menorah, new kerchief & cap patterns, jolly old elf doorstops, soft sewn gifts like the down of a thistle, ugly-but-snuggly sweaters, and so much more to our wondering eyes should appear!

What ideas put a twinkle in your eye this holiday season, as you put a finger aside of YOUR nose?

Have you seen any merry new crafts and ideas for your toy bundle that inspire you? Been to a holiday show or handmade items sale? Are you gifting yourself with supplies and materials for future reward creativity? (My goodness, what a stellar idea.)

[Nancy]

I have been in the sewing zone
clearing off the fabric table
found some fabric and made a blue baby blanket this week.

I have gotten the next project cut out another red fabric gift bag actually made two out of that fabric.
Will be perfect for dog treat gifts as it has dogs on it. Still needs some rimmon for dras sting installed on them.

Started a crochet hot pad 1st 5 rows done on it.

[Nancy]

Wa - hoo found the hot pads I had made up only one more needed and I am half done with it!
To the last five rows of this one. It is done yea!
Started one more. Done with it!

Also found a home for the baby blanket I made last week.

[Harriet]

I made a template for the cutting of just the points of a 5-point-star fabric ornament. It's for fussy-cutting, so it's the open center you trace and cut from. There's enough of the template material around the open shape to hold it steady. It took a while to draft. HRH helped me get the size right when printing a whole plump star image in a line drawing from the net. (not a classic crisp 5-point star drawing because you have to allow for the fact that it will be stuffed - 3-dimensional)

Then I had to jog my memory (lol) on how you draft the center, so the 5 pieces come together just right. But now I have the star-point template cut and well labeled to cut out 5 different fabrics per ornament front (or 5 parts of one busy fabric with lots of images and colors).

I'm thinking I don't really need to make a template for the back. I can just piece the front and press it well, then lay it on a backing fabric and cut to match.

This will be a little tedious when it's time to turn it, but I don't think it will be so bad. To tell the truth, I don't know exactly how big this star will turn out. Adventure sewing. I just hope I can actually find time to make a few this season. I need a little fun.

Another ornament I was looking at was an angel with a circle face and little robe. We'll see.

[Harmony]

Good Job, Harriet! The very things you are talking about is why I did not attempt the - gee what do you call that thing - N E S W thing for the quilt I made of the seashore. I cheated and cut a round circle out of one that was printed and attached it to the quilt with stuffing behind and it was ok just not stellar like yours was. Points. Yeah. Are you making these for gifts?

I have found a craft kit (heard about it) at the big box store nearby - something I have been wanting to do and have a company online picked out to buy one from...so when I get to go over there I will pick one up for me. I usually end up buying myself something for Christmas. I think it's probably not as big or nice as the online one, but if it's halfway as nice, I might try it first before I do one of theirs (pricey). Anyway, I will tell you all about it if it comes to be. Nagging in the back of my brain is the thought: do I really need a craft kit here? Will I have time to do it? And I rationalize: in the summer I do not have a study to go to... and when will my library be open again to get books from?

Next week at church is ugly Christmas sweater day. People come in lots of things. If I had a kerchief.... but no, not doing that!

[Harriet]

Nancy, such a good find of those hotpads you already had done. Dog treats in a dog-themed fabric gift bag would be cute.

Before I forget, I also found this really encouraging idea for easier cookie icing that makes me think I could do a good job of the shiny, stay-in-place cookie icing like others do. Now when do I have time for that?

Harmony, yes, the idea would be for little gifts or I was thinking they could be gift box decorations, either with bows or in place of bows. Although the center of the stars might come out matching just perfectly (and I will try), it might be tedious or disappointing, yes. The beauty of stuffed ornaments is that you can put a button in the center and cinch that up for a pillowy look and be just fine. I really hadn't thought of doing it without the button - what if one turns out right? Will I be able to cover that up?

I went looking for images of something similar and this, on flicker, is pretty close. But I want more contrast between different fabrics, more country-patchwork.

"I will tell you all about it if it comes to be." That is exactly what I have to say, too. We'll see. But it was already fun to figure out a new template at least.

[Nancy]

Yea celebrating with you on your creative endeavors this week gals!
Thanks for sharing that you tube easy icing!

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Harriet: Here are photos of how I incorporated my fragile ornaments into out of reach places to protect them from dgs1.75.

I really love my ornaments and wanted to at least handle them this year. Touching them brings back so many memories. It was still work, but less than pulling out a tree and getting the lights and garland on it as well.

This was the 'big' one. Originally, I was going to fill the hurricane vase with ornaments but the colours clashed. I used kosher salt for the 'snow' and battery operated LED lights.

Since I had so many ornaments left, I put several on a deep plate (for a candle with decorations around) and placed balls in that.

Balls small.jpg

A neighbour without a tree had put her ornaments in her china cabinet. I ended up putting them on one shelf and adding LED lights to focus people on that. I used crystal bowls and sorbet dishes to keep them from rolling out of place.

shelf small.jpg

Finally, I hung some from my chandelier. The middle one always hangs from there (it has a light in it) but the rest were added this year, plus a crystal. Because of the busy background, these are hard to see. Plus they are quite small (so didn't work in any other space.)

small chandelier.jpg

[Nancy]

K in C thanks for sharing! I love those!

[DeeClutter]

How great is that! I'll have to incorporate some of those thoughts with my keepsakes!